Half a month had passed since Fang Er and his companions left when they returned to Huangzhou.
The helicopter landed in the city, only to be informed by the newly appointed supervisor that Li Shimin and Zhao Guangyi had already returned to Bianliang.
The group had no choice but to depart again, heading towards Bianliang.
Although they had to return after visiting the Song Dynasty in another era, the system's warnings made Fang Er hesitant to leave Li Shimin behind. He didn't want to be in a position to collect Li Shimin's body if a Yellow River flood or an earthquake occurred.
Of course, the most important reason was Li Xiuning. Finding a mother-in-law with such an advanced stage of "son-in-law adoration syndrome" was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Outside Bianliang city, the Yellow River raged. Its course had already deviated from the ancient routes of the Three Kingdoms. Throughout the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River flooded and changed course multiple times, bringing immense losses to the dynasty even as it defended against foreign invaders.
The helicopter landed outside Bianliang. As Fang Er was about to disembark, Ge Luoyang called out to him.
“My lord, can I stay here?” His expression was awkward. It had been several days, and his head was still greenish, showing no signs of receding. “If I enter the city like this, won’t people mistake me for a monster?”
Fang Er thought for a moment, then took out a pair of black stockings from his pocket and handed them over. Smiling, he said, “Here, put this over your head.”
Ge Luoyang received them curiously and tugged them a couple of times, exclaiming in surprise, “My lord, the elasticity of this thing is truly excellent!” He added, “I reckon if you braided these, you could use them as bowstrings!”
With that, he took off his hat, tucked it into his belt, and pulled the black stockings over his head. After putting on one, he took out the small mirror Wang Xuance had given him and looked. He felt the black stockings were stretched thin and somewhat transparent, so he put on the other one as well.
“My lord, it’s a bit stuffy,” he said with a slightly complaining tone.
Hearing his words, Fang Er struggled to suppress his laughter. A burly man with two pairs of stockings on his head – the image was indistinguishable from a fool about to rob a bank in later generations.
“Alright, it’ll be stuffy for a while. We’ll find an imperial physician to examine you once we’re in the city,” Fang Er said, before quickly jumping off the helicopter and heading towards the city gates. He couldn’t stand looking at Ge Luoyang any longer, or he might burst out laughing.
The commotion caused by the helicopter attracted many citizens and merchants, as such a large object that could fly was a rare sight for them.
“Hey, look! Someone’s coming out of that thing!”
“My heavens, what is that? How can it carry so many people?”
“Look closely, the clothes these people are wearing are different from ours.”
“Their hair is different too. Why aren’t they wearing their hair long?”
“Look at that person. Goodness gracious, is that an immortal? Why is smoke coming out of his mouth?”
The onlookers stood at a distance, pointing and chattering, filled with curiosity about the helicopter.
“What are you people doing?”
Several soldiers approached from the city gate, parting the crowd. One of them, in the lead, pointed at Fang Er and his group and asked.
Ge Luoyang, seeing this, drew his short sword with a whoosh. “Insolent! Take your hand back, or I’ll chop it off and feed it to the dogs!”
“Boss, could these be people from the palace? A few days ago, some of these things flew into the imperial palace,” another soldier whispered to the leader.
The leader’s face flushed with a mixture of green and purple. As a patrol soldier in the capital, when had he ever been threatened like this? However, considering what his subordinate had just said, if these people were indeed from the palace, there might be dire consequences if they offended them. With a disgruntled sigh, he withdrew his hand and asked, “Are you officials from the palace?”
“Enough, that’s not your concern. Just guard your city gate. Here, have some tea!” Fang Er smiled and tossed him a piece of silver. Then, he instructed Wang Xuance and the others, “Leave a few brothers to watch, the rest of you follow me into the city!”
“Yes, my lord!” The group instinctively stood at attention and saluted, responding in deep, resonant voices.
This synchronized movement startled the soldiers. They didn’t even dare to accept the silver and instinctively moved aside, clearing the way. “Good heavens, these people must be the imperial guards from the palace, otherwise, where would they get such imposing presence?” They were truly intimidating!
Only after Fang Er and his group had walked away did the leader dare to stoop and pick up the silver.
The city was bustling and lively. Merchants from all directions chatted about business matters as they walked. Street vendors with their shoulder poles threaded through alleys, occasionally shouting out their wares loudly. Bianliang, though not as grand as Chang’an, was just as bustling, perhaps even more prosperous. The Song Dynasty was an open era, the most pro-commerce of all dynasties. It was precisely because these merchants paid commercial taxes that the Song Dynasty could accumulate wealth from all over the empire, making it their primary source of revenue. Agricultural taxes, compared to commercial taxes, were insignificant.
However, everything has two sides. With a full treasury, the ability to resolve conflicts with money gradually fostered a timidity towards war among the civil officials. From resisting the Khitans to resisting the Jurchens, ever since the precedent of the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song civil officials had attempted to exchange peace for successive indemnities. And this was merely their peace! No matter how deep the family fortune, it could not withstand the squandering of a prodigal son. In the end, it was the common people who had to bear the cost.
This was Fang Er’s first time here, and he didn’t even know where the imperial palace was. He casually pulled over a street vendor and, with a small piece of broken silver, asked for directions.
Arriving outside Xuande Gate of the imperial palace, Wang Xuance took his AK47 from his back and walked up to the imperial guards on duty. “Do you recognize this?”
The guard on duty was startled when he saw the firearm. Just two days ago, someone had used this very weapon to kill the steward of Grand Tutor Pan’s estate outside the city! He stammered, “I… I do. Are you also generals of Emperor Taizong, the Celestial Being?”
Wang Xuance had only intended to test the waters, and the result was far more satisfactory than he had expected. He smiled, patted the guard’s shoulder twice, and then handed over his identification token. “Go inside and announce that the son-in-law of Emperor Taizong has returned.”
“Yes, yes, yes, I’ll go report immediately.” The guard bowed respectfully, took the token, and scurried into the imperial palace. It was better to enter peacefully rather than resorting to force; harmony was the key to prosperity.
Before long, he returned to Xuande Gate and saluted everyone. “Please come in, everyone. Emperor Taizong the Celestial Being is in the Daqing Hall. I will lead the way for you.” With that, he returned the token to Wang Xuance and led them into the palace.