The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 22: Poetry and Rain

Last time we talked about the three people who went to Beijing for tutoring. After the second meeting of the Invincible Team ended, the three of them went to gather information again. Let’s see what they will gain.

Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi left. Li Yi and Shi Yu had a fierce fight and then lay on the bed, spreading their legs. Shi Yu snuggled up to him, resting her head on Li Yi's arm with a look of joy on her face.

Li Yi asked, "Do you know the art of dual cultivation?"

Shi Yu smiled and said, "Li Lang, didn't we just finish our dual cultivation? We still need to practice. I didn't realize you were so determined to practice Taoism!" After saying that, she reached out and stroked Li Yi, causing Li Yi to get goose bumps all over his body.

"Stop joking! I'm talking to you about serious matters!" Shi Yu said with a smile, "Are you still obsessed with having a body of steel? Li Lang, you're doing fine now, why do you have to learn those things?" "This is a man's dignity! Dignity, you know? I don't want to be looked down upon by a crude warrior!"

"If you become a man of steel, won't you become a vulgar warrior?" "No, I'm a gentleman and I don't use violence. I learn martial arts only for my own good and yours!" "I'm fine now, I'm satisfied. Li Lang, don't worry about it."

Li Yi thought: Humph, you are the only one now, of course I am satisfied, I will definitely give you some sisters in the future, so that you don’t have to be bored and have no place to practice the palace fighting dramas you listen to! But in order to prevent the situation like that of Doctor Wen, the method of making the golden spear invincible must be learned! We must not let Lao Wang next door take advantage of it!

Li Yi said, "It seems that you also know about the dual cultivation technique. Logically, you should have received training in this area, right?" "Training? What does that mean?" "It means learning. Haven't you studied this professional course?" "Professional course?" "Well, it is a course that focuses on a certain skill, such as chess or painting." "Don't be too profound, Li Lang. I don't know that much."

Li Yi said: "Just tell me how much you know about the Dual Cultivation Technique."

Shi Yu thought for a moment and said, "I only know that it is a Taoist secret method and is not passed on to others. I don't know anything else." Li Yi asked again, "Do you know where the nearest Taoist temple is?" Shi Yu asked curiously, "Does Li Lang want to try his luck at the Taoist temple?" Li Yi nodded and said, "How can we know the result if we don't try it?"

Shi Yu said, "I think Li Lang should not try it. This dual cultivation technique will not be passed on to others. Think about it, if this technique is spread out, both the royal family and the nobles will definitely go crazy to grab it. With their strength, will they return empty-handed? The reality is that no one except the Taoists knows this technique, so Li Lang should give up."

Li Yi looked at Shi Yu in his arms and asked, "Have all the forces you mentioned tried it before? What price did they offer?" Seeing that Li Yi still did not give up, Shi Yu sighed, "Does Li Lang really think I know everything? I have definitely tried it before, but as for the price, I don't know."

"Do you know anyone in the Taoist sect? Can you get some information from me?" "Who am I to you, Li Lang? I have only been in the capital for less than two months, but I have been deceived by you, a veteran who seeks pleasure in sex. I have been staying by your side all this time. How can I know so many people?"

"That's right. Alas, I don't know where in Shangjing City there is someone who knows the inside story." "To know the inside story, he must be someone with some status in the Taoist sect. Ordinary Taoists can't know it. In Shangjing City, the Taoist sect..."

Shi Yu suddenly had an idea, patted Li Yi's chest and said: "Li Lang, there is indeed a master in Shangjing City, who is also very influential in the Taoist sect, and Li Lang may have a chance to make friends with him!" Li Yi sat up and asked: "Who is it?" "Tao Zhongwen, the water virtue monk!" "Is it him? Old silver coin!" "What is an old silver coin?"

Li Yi explained: "It means a very powerful old man!" "That doesn't sound like a compliment! Li Lang, don't lie to me!" "It really means a very powerful person. This kind of person is good at planning and can see a hundred steps ahead."

"Oh, if you put it that way, it is indeed a compliment. From Li Lang's tone, it seems that he knows this Shuide Lay Buddhist?" Li Yi smiled and said, "More than knowing him? The word "Xiuyuan" was given to me by him!"

"Did he give Li Lang's calligraphy? So this Shuide layman thinks highly of Li Lang! I said Li Lang is definitely not an ordinary person, but he has such an opportunity!" Li Yi had a plan in mind and said to himself, "That's right, old silver coin, he is a fourth-rank Confucianist and Taoist. His status in both Confucianism and Taoism is very high. I think he must know something! I will go and find out tomorrow!"

Li Yi looked at Shi Yu and smiled, "You are really my good wife!" Then he pressed Shi Yu on the bed and did something else. After the lovemaking, Li Yi buried his head in Shi Yu's arms. Shi Yu played with Li Yi's hair with one hand and asked, "What did Li Lang say about me just now?" "Good wife!" Shi Yu asked carefully, "Does Li Lang really think so?" "How can this be false?"

"Sister Lan said that men's words in bed can't be trusted." Li Yi understood what Shiyu meant, buried his head deeper, and said to Shiyu's heart: "I swear to your heart, I am not lying, I really regard you as a good wife!"

Li Yi put one of Shiyu's hands on his chest and said, "This is what I said with my conscience." Shiyu hugged Li Yi's head with her other hand and said softly, "Well, even if it's a lie, I'm happy."

Li Yi sat up, looked into Shiyu's eyes and said, "Don't worry, I will marry you, but I have to find a way to earn money to redeem you first, and then I will marry you." "Li Lang, do you know how much silver it will cost to redeem me?" "Isn't it just 10,000 taels? I already have a plan in mind, but the time is not right now. When the time is right, I will tell you."

Shiyu stood up and looked at Li Yi quietly. Li Yi also looked at Shiyu calmly. The two looked at each other without saying a word. Li Yi said, "Fallen petals are not heartless. They turn into spring mud to protect flowers. Do you think I'm kidding?" Li Yi's love offensive to Shiyu was simple. This woman had experienced many hardships. If he wanted her to really open her heart, he had to use the most genuine emotions. Shiyu still did not move. She still looked at Li Yi quietly. The latter had to take out his trump card. He stroked Shiyu's hair and chanted:

“There are three thousand flowers in this world, but I only love three.

I would reach up to the sky to embrace the sun and the moon, and come down to the human world to exchange for your safety.

The sun is the morning bell to wake you up, and the moon is the evening drum to lull me to sleep.

But what can I do with this feeling, I am with my beloved every day and every night."

A brilliant purple aura flowed into the boudoir and hovered around Li Yi. Li Yi took a wooden comb from Shiyu's dressing table and poured all his energy into it. The wooden comb instantly changed from its original wood color to dark red, a red that was a little purple, with three blood-red words on the handle: Sun and Moon Lover! He took the wooden comb back to Shiyu and helped her comb her hair.

Shiyu felt that this was the happiest time of her life. Tears of excitement welled up in her eyes. She asked with a smile in her tears: "Li Lang, is this for Shiyu?" "If not for you, who else should I give it to?" "Li Lang!" "In the world of three thousand, I love three things: the sun, the moon and you. The sun is for the morning, the moon is for the evening, and you are for me every morning and every evening."

Li Yi thought to himself: Rabindranath Tagore, "The Stray Birds"! A world-famous poem! If this poem still doesn't move you, then I really don't have a better poem. Shi Yu took the comb from Li Yi with trembling hands, tightly grasped it, tears welled up in her eyes, and then she hugged Li Yi's neck tightly and cried on his shoulder.

Li Yi hugged Shiyu tenderly and smiled, "What's wrong? Why are you crying for no reason?" The sobbing continued, and only Shiyu's intermittent voice could be heard, "After my father died, no one has been so kind to me. They treated me well without a purpose. They scolded me and hung me up and beat me. You don't want to know what I have been through. At that time, I couldn't even die. They poisoned me. As long as I don't obey, the poison will take effect. It's so painful!"

Li Yi was furious after hearing this. He straightened Shi Yu up and stared at her, asking, "Who? Who are they? Who did such a beastly thing to you?"

Shi Yu choked up and said, "It's the Washing Women Department of Chu. Just like the Teaching Women Department of Wei, it specializes in taking in young and beautiful female prisoners or slaves and training them to become courtesans or famous prostitutes for the enjoyment of the nobles of Chu."

Li Yi asked, "Then how did you escape to Wei?" "It was the former crown prince Tuoba Hong who led his troops to capture the capital of Han and forced Liang and Chu to negotiate, so I was not taken back to Chu by them." At this time, Shi Yu was already in tears.

Li Yi hugged her tightly and let her cry her heart out in his arms. After a long time, Shi Yu finally stopped crying, but her eyes were still full of sadness. She looked at Li Yi's chest which was covered with her snot and tears, and picked up a handkerchief to wipe them.

Li Yi grabbed the handkerchief, wiped it a few times, stood up and blew out the candle, then pressed Shiyu on the bed and held her in his arms, whispering in her ear: "It will be better to speak out the pain in your heart. Tell me about the pain you have experienced when you have the chance. I will help you get revenge, starting with this washerwoman department."

Li Yi kissed Shiyu on the forehead and asked, "Aren't you Korean? Why did the people from the Chu State's Women's Washing Bureau abuse you? Wasn't your father pushed out to take the blame after the defeat?" "That's what people say outside?" "Then what's the truth? Why did South Korea suddenly change its national policy?" Shiyu said slowly, "It was the people of Chu who did it. I was still young at the time and didn't know the details. I just remember that my father was very angry every day when he came back..."

Shi Yu began to tell an old story. Thirteen years ago, the King of Chu sent an envoy to the Kingdom of Han, presenting countless gold and treasures. The chief envoy of the delegation was named Subu, who was very good at debate and used sweet words to deceive the king of Han into doing whatever he said. He said that the Emperor of Northern Wei was old, and there were chaos among the Xiongnu, Qiang and Di tribes, and Yizhou was hit by floods again. The Northern Wei was plagued by internal and external troubles, and it was the best time to launch an offensive.

After persuading the King of Han, he went to Southern Liang and persuaded the Emperor of Southern Liang to send troops, thus forming the Three Kingdoms Alliance. What happened afterwards was similar to what Yu Qi and the others said. At the beginning, there were continuous reports of victory, and the people of South Korea sang praises for the king. However, after the former crown prince Tuoba Hong of the Northern Wei Dynasty led the army to recover the lost territory, the domestic situation changed.

Prime Minister Fang Lun originally disagreed with the Three Kingdoms Alliance. When the news of successive defeats came back to South Korea, those who had originally cheered for the king accused Fang Lun of being passive and lazy in the war, and threw him into prison. The men of his clan were sent to the army and the women were enslaved.

At this time, someone proposed to ask for help from Chu. The King of Han not only returned double the gold and silver treasures originally sent by the King of Chu, but also took with him many food, fodder, prisoners of war and slaves. Fang Shiyu, now Wan Shiyu, was among the slaves. Soon, the delegation from Chu arrived at the capital of Han. Among the delegation were several eunuchs and maids from the Washing Women Department of Chu. Shiyu was chosen because she was beautiful and literate, and the people from the Washing Women Department began to torture her.

However, less than half a month later, Tuoba Hong personally led 10,000 elite cavalrymen to penetrate deep into the heart of Han and approached the capital of Han. The King of Han and the Chu envoys fled overnight. Upon hearing the news, Tuoba Hong gave up the siege, intercepted the fleeing convoy halfway and took it back to the capital of Han. He threatened the King of Han with his life and forced the defenders to surrender, resulting in the fall of the capital of Han.

After more than three months of negotiations, Han was destroyed. In order to save his life and escape to Chu safely in the future, the king teamed up with the Chu delegation to take Fang Lun, who was already imprisoned, as a scapegoat, saying that Fang Lun advocated the three-nation alliance to attack Wei. Fang Lun was beheaded and his head was hung at the city gate for more than three months. Shiyu was in the capital when he was beheaded. As the culprit, Fang Lun's clansmen were all handed over to Tuoba Hong for disposal.

Tuoba Hong knew that Fang Lun was a scapegoat, but now was not the time to dwell on this matter. The elite troops of the Wei Dynasty had been greatly depleted on the battlefield, and the most urgent task was to negotiate as soon as possible and restore their vitality. So Tuoba Hong's method of dealing with the situation was also to send men to the army and women to slavery. Shi Yu thus fell into the Jiaofang Division of the Wei Dynasty. After the painful experience of being tortured by the eunuchs and nannies of the Washing Women Division, Shi Yu learned her lesson.

The Wei Jiaofang Division was also much gentler than the Chu Huannv Division. At most, they would beat and scold the girls and not give them food. They did not use such despicable means as poison. In fact, it was because they did not know how to use it. Only the Chu State had the poison technique. Shiyu was more obedient this time and did not suffer much. In addition, she had good knowledge and appearance, so she was quickly bought and carefully cultivated, and eventually became the courtesan of the Exiled Immortal Tower.