Starting from Taihu Lake, we experienced late spring and early summer, and it was already the end of April when we arrived in Kyoto.
The capital of the Hua Dynasty was different from the capitals of the previous dynasties in the memories of the Xia and Shang dynasties, but there were also some similarities.
Take the city gate as an example. The city gate of Kyoto in the Chinese Dynasty was similar to the city gate of the capital in the previous generation. There were nine gates, but the names were the same but different, such as Zhengyang Gate, Chaoyang Gate...
Another example is different from Tongwumen, Guangxiamen, etc.
The geographical location is similar to Chang'an, but it is not named Chang'an. People in the world call it the capital or Kyoto.
Fortunately, the capital of this era is not Beijing, otherwise it would have taken a month or two of travel.
Xia Shang really couldn't stand walking so slowly.
Because he was anonymous now and it was not appropriate to expose himself, when he arrived in the capital, Xia Shang did not inquire around. He sat quietly in the car and paid no attention to the scenery in the city.
Li Youlan was also exhausted by all the traveling. When she arrived in the capital, she had no intention of looking at the scenery outside in the car.
The group of them arrived at a private garden in the northwest of the capital called Linshan Garden.
The mountain Linshan faces is not a real mountain, but the high wall of the palace five miles east of the garden.
Linshan Garden is only five miles away from Anfu Gate to the west of the imperial palace. There are many patrols everywhere, and people in the capital rarely come and go, so it is a clean place.
The place was arranged by Li Youlan's adoptive father, Jia Shangjie, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. This person has not yet appeared, and the trustee brought a message, saying that he would come back another day when he was free. He asked Li Youlan to live peacefully in Linshan Garden and not to mess around on weekdays.
Just walk.
And more than ten servants have been arranged in the Villa to take care of the second young lady of the Li family.
This spectacle was much larger than before in the Xia and Shang Dynasties, and could only be seen in the capital.
The garden is not big, with two floors inside and outside, plus a slightly larger garden on the west side.
Arranging a dozen servants is indeed too much. Many people are doing nothing there and don't know what to do.
General Wei sent Li Youlan to the hospital and was about to return to Changzhou to resume his duties, leaving four subordinates with good boxing skills to stay in the capital to protect Li Youlan's safety.
We arrived in Beijing at Chenshi, and by the time everything settled down, it was already late at night.
Xia Shang also lived in a thatched house with attached bungalows where his servants lived.
The study boy is just a slightly nobler servant, but he is still a servant after all, and he has to live with other servants.
The switch of identities did not cause much confusion to Xia Shang, and he was calm about everything in front of him.
It was just that seven or eight men were sleeping on the same bunk. The stench in the room made Xia Shang feel a little uncomfortable. He tried to sleep for a while, but he couldn't fall asleep. Everyone around him was already snoring like thunder.
After tossing and turning in the middle of the night, Xia Shang couldn't help but get up and went to the garden to get some fresh air and think about his future plans.
The garden of the Villa is next to Li Youlan's room.
Under the moonlit night, Xia Shang was passing by when he suddenly noticed that the light in Li Youlan's room was on.
Xia Shang moved closer curiously, but heard a woman's cry coming from inside.
Xia Shang didn't think much and deliberately made a little noise.
Ping'er inside quickly exclaimed: "Who is it?!"
The sound immediately alerted the sleepy guards on the side of the house, who rushed over and grabbed Xia Shang.
"It's you?"
This guard had escorted Li Youlan all the way here, so he naturally recognized Xia Shang.
Xia Shang felt a little uncomfortable when he grabbed his collar: "I was just passing by."
"It's so late, why are you hanging out?"
"I can't sleep at night, so come out for a walk."
At this time, Li Youlan's door opened, and Ping'er came out sleepily wearing a small coat: "What are you doing sneakily in front of the door?"
The girl inside the room was still crying.
Xia Shang frowned and pointed inside the room: "I heard the lady crying."
"This is none of your business."
"Miss, you are kind to me. If something bad happens to you, I may be able to comfort you."
"How much do you know about my young lady? Don't worry about it. Go back quickly and don't wander around."
Although Ping'er is young, she speaks in a clear-cut manner.
Just as Xia Shang was about to leave, the cry inside suddenly stopped: "Ping'er, let him come in."
"Miss, how do you do this in the middle of the night?"
"How can I not do it? Let's not mention that Xia Hui is my book boy. Just considering my current situation, what's the use of having that reputation?"
"Miss, if you have anything that worries you, you can talk to me through the window."
"Xia Hui, come in. Don't mention anything about tonight to others."
The young lady said so, Ping'er was helpless and pouted to Xia Shang: "Go in."
Xia Shang knew that Li Youlan had a compelling reason to come to the capital, but he didn't know what it was, but he could feel that this reason should be helpful to him, so the first thing he did when he came to the capital was to understand the story around Li Youlan.
Therefore, the first step is to gain her trust.
Although it is early summer, it is still very cold at night, especially for the young lady who is used to living in the south. She is not used to it when she first arrives in a city in the north, so there is still a brazier burning in the house and the windows are closed tightly, making it a bit dull.
The lady's room has a unique reminder of the girl's home. Just after smelling the stench of the bungalow, coming here feels like entering heaven.
The tables and chairs in the living room upon entering had not been touched. The screen on the left was half-opened, and you could see a pair of feet wrapped in underwear curled together beside the bed in the back room.
Ping'er came in and saw that Xia Shang's eyes were wrong, and said angrily: "Where are you looking?"
Before Xia Shang could answer, the young lady inside said, "Ping'er, you go out first."
"Ah?" Ping'er was stunned, but had no choice but to turn around angrily and leave.
After Ping'er left, Li Youlan said, "Xia Hui, you can get a stool and sit down behind the screen."
Xia Shang followed his words and sat behind the screen with a stool.
But Li Youlan didn't speak, and the room fell into silence.
After a long time, Li Youlan asked softly: "Have you heard the rumors about me in Changzhou?"
"Miss, I returned from the capital, but I didn't have time to enter Changzhou, so I was rescued by the lady. Naturally, I have never heard anything about it."
"It's better not to have heard of it. There are some things that don't need to be explained clearly."
"But I can guess why the lady is crying."
"Oh? Please tell me."
"At your age, young lady, you come to the capital alone. There are no relatives around you, so you must feel the pain of being without relatives, and you also feel homesick. But this is not the main thing. The main thing is that you cannot control your own destiny, and you do not follow your heart."
"You...how did you find out?"
"On this journey, the young lady has never smiled. She has been depressed all day long, and has never looked at the scenery along the way. There must be something sad that cannot be solved. At such an innocent age, the young lady must yearn for freedom, unless she is forced to do something. There is really no other explanation for things you don’t want to do but have to do. Miss, am I right?” (To be continued)