Chapter 3, Dreams Are Not Absurd

Three years later, Han Qian inadvertently saw Jing Niang, her clothes disheveled yet full of charm, coming out of his cousin Han Jun's room

Upon his arrival in Xuanzhou, his second uncle Han Daochang immediately sent his servant Jingniang to take care of his daily needs

Even after six years, he still remembers that moment when his heart was so tense it felt like it would stop beating, and his hands and feet were so frightened that they dared not move. It was the first time he passively experienced that ultimate pleasure

The sound of hooves galloping along both sides of the street resonates like a deathly tremor, causing the heart and soul to shudder

In the afternoon, Han Qian resembled a withered tree, sitting silently and motionlessly at the writing desk, repeatedly recalling the seemingly absurd and illusory dream from the previous night, seeking to uncover more fragments of history regarding the State of Chu, particularly those after the twelfth year of Tianyou.

At this moment, Qingyun did not dare to shout loudly. She peeked at the desk by the window and saw that the piece of jade was placed on the rice paper of the desk, but the sharp edges had already been polished away by the young master Han Qian, turning it into a round jade piece over the course of day and night

King Xin besieged Nanjing for a long time without success, and was forced to lift the siege and depart. Subsequently, he plundered the various provinces of Jianghuai, causing the war to completely devastate the prosperous region of Jiangnan, which had only just begun to recover after two to three decades of peace, leaving nine out of ten houses empty.

Han Qian, in a state of reckless complacency, had just recovered from a severe poison. After enduring a day and night of hardship, he was indeed utterly exhausted. He rushed to the inner room, pulled back the thin quilt, and lay down, falling into a deep sleep immediately.

Since then, Han Qian became deeply immersed in that voluptuous and intoxicating body, finding it difficult to extricate himself.

The gradually tightening rope causes the body to stretch like a bowstring, and at a certain moment, it suddenly snaps, resulting in intestines and excrement splattering in all directions

However, with both hands resting on the desk, he had not yet stood up. A thought flashed through his mind: even if Fan Xicheng's family soldiers did not obstruct him, how could that little wretch Yao Xishui and her lover, who had attempted to poison him the night before and had been exposed by him, possibly let him off the hook?

This should be the tangible feelings of Zhai Xinping while reading history in a dream.

In the face of the impending dreadful fate, the carefree Han Qian reflects for the first time on his absurdities over the years

This afternoon, he successfully concentrated a beam of sunlight into a point of light the size of an ant, illuminating the Xuan paper.

The bottom of the jade bowl is originally thick in the center and thin at the edges, already resembling a convex lens. Moreover, the jade is transparent and crystal clear like water. Han Qian, with great patience, spent more than a day and a night to grind away the sharp edges and corners that had been broken off from the bottom of the jade bowl, refining the previously rough curvature to a more delicate finish

Han Qian still remembers when he first obtained the Black Cloud Bow; he was not yet twelve years old at the time and was already able to draw the two-stone strong bow fully. However, he subsequently neglected his training. Six or seven years have passed, and his body has grown a head taller than before, yet even with all his might, he can only draw the Black Cloud Bow halfway.

Han Qian turned his head to glance at Qingyun, feeling no inclination to reprimand the ugly maid. At this moment, Qingyun had come in again to disturb him. He waved his hand, signaling her to leave and not to linger in the study, as she was an eyesore.

This text does not contain translatable content as it consists of exclamatory expressions without specific meaning in a formal context

Yao Xishui, this little vixen, is clearly the courtesan of the late Red Mansion. Countless men dream of stripping her bare and throwing her onto a brocade couch to cherish and ravage her. What exactly is it about her that offends them so much that they go to such lengths to poison him?

Han Qian vigorously rubbed his face with his hands, trying to dispel the feelings of frustration and sorrow. He thought to himself, if only he could return to Xuanzhou at this moment and never leave again, would it change his fate of being captured by the family soldiers on the way to Xuanzhou and being punished by the authorities

Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo, the family soldiers of the Han family, laughed more ferociously than executioners, grinning as they bound the rope stained black with blood...

When Yang Yuanwo was the crown prince, he was obsessed with elixirs. Less than a year after ascending the throne, he succumbed to a toxic reaction from the elixirs and died. Subsequently, the Empress Dowager Xu and the ministers established the eleven-year-old grandson Yang Ye as the new ruler, while Empress Xu held the curtain and governed, wielding significant power in the State of Chu

How have I let myself become so idle in Xuanzhou over the past few years

In the evening, the maid Qingyun pushed the door open and entered, seeing the young master Han Qian still sitting by the window, staring at the palm-sized jade on the desk. He had been in this state for quite some time, hadn't he?

Han Qian watched helplessly as the spot of light gradually turned the Xuan paper a deep yellow, until a small flame suddenly sprang up, burning through the thick Xuan paper like hemp.

Prince Xin, Yang Yuanyan, unwilling to be captured, led his troops across the river, besieging Nanjing for a hundred days, forcing over a million soldiers and civilians trapped in the city to starve to death, turning the once prosperous city of Nanjing in Jiangnan into a near-dead city

According to the experience of Zhai Xinping in the dream, Han Qian broke the jade bowl that his father cherished the most in the study yesterday—what should be referred to as a crystal bowl in the context of the dream. He picked up the palm-sized shard of the bowl's bottom and spent a day and a night crafting it into a convex lens.

Han Qian sat there with cold hands and feet, resembling a trapped beast in a cage, surrounded by knives that seemed poised to pierce his body and devour his flesh and blood

No matter how ambitious Han Qianxin is, he understands that this matter is not so simple. It is impossible for him to escape danger just by fleeing back to Xuanzhou

From the afternoon until dusk, Han Qian only knew that later historical records evaluated Emperor Tianyou's governance in his later years as confused and inept. In the seventeenth year of Tianyou, which corresponds to the year 917 AD, he fell gravely ill and passed away, after which the debauched and tyrannical Crown Prince Yang Yuanwo ascended to the throne

However, although the dreamer Zhai Xinping is fond of reading historical texts, since the late previous dynasty when the regional warlords began to seize power, the Central Plains have been in great turmoil, and Zhai Xinping's understanding of that period of history is also quite vague and fragmented

Seventeen years before Tianyou, I still have not figured out why I died so tragically, yet I find myself feeling sorrowful for the chaos of the world, which is truly a sign of great generosity of spirit

At this time, Han Qian still remembered the circumstances of living in Chuzhou with his father, Han Daoxun, before he turned twelve. At that time, his father was an ordinary military officer in the Chuzhou Defense Command under the second prince Yang Yuanyan, who was conferred the title of Prince of Xin. He was accompanied only by his old family member Han Laoshan and the family soldier Fan Xicheng.

She also did not know that the young master had just recovered from a cold. Yesterday morning, he suddenly smashed the jade bowl that was merely a decoration in the study, picked up a palm-sized piece of jade, and has been fiddling with it on the whetstone day and night, leaving one to wonder what was going on with him

Even though three years have passed, he still remembers the heart-wrenching pain he felt at that time, when he attempted to stab his cousin Han Jun with a knife, only to be kicked to the ground by Han Jun.

This black cloud bow was obtained by his father, Han Daoxun, during his tenure as a military advisor at the Prefectural Defense Office in Chuzhou, when he was suppressing bandits. It was then brought back by him to Xuanzhou for practicing archery.

At this thought, Han Qian was almost ready to jump up, pack his belongings, and run away

Han Qian lived carelessly for eighteen years, indifferent to the lives and deaths of others, and even less concerned about the chaos and destruction of his homeland after his death. However, as he sat by the window, repeatedly sorting through the memories of this history related to the person Zhai Xinping in his dreams, he could distinctly feel that within these fragmented memories lay a profound and piercing pain that penetrated to the bone.

However, after his mother succumbed to the illness, and with Chu Prefecture frequently suffering from invasions by the Liang troops, his father Han Daoxun had no choice but to send him back to his ancestral home in Xuanzhou, entrusting him to the care of his second uncle Han Daochang.

Countless excited eyes surrounded the long street, showing no aversion to the splattered blood, feces, and urine

The Black Cloud Bow cannot be described as particularly exquisite; the bow's body is engraved with ancient, clumsy cloud patterns, exuding a rugged beauty that is difficult to articulate. At the grip of the bow, the inscription "Black Cloud" is carved.

Han Qian suddenly woke up, the outside window already faintly brightening. Thinking of the terrifying scene in his dream, his heart twitched slightly as he stared blankly at the black cloud bow hanging on the east wall.

In addition to phrases such as "Rising in rebellion in the ancestral land of Xuanzhou, and being executed by the officials along the way, torn apart by chariots in the market," Han Qian did not find more records about himself during the years twelve to seventeen of the Tianyou era from these fragmented memories.

At that time, the Liang and Jin states, which held power in the Central Plains, were also plagued by frequent wars and mutual attacks, with conflicts lasting for several decades, until they were invaded by the Mongol tribes that rose from the northern steppes

The dream of the previous night is not absurd or illusory

Subsequently, under the guidance of the house servant Zhao Zhi, Han Qian began to frequent the various brothels and courtesans of Xuanzhou City, until early this year when his father Han Daoxun was appointed to a position in the court and brought him to reunite in Jinling

Han Qian was at a loss and could not help but feel despondent, thinking that perhaps it would be best to let things be. As long as his father, Han Daoxun, did not act foolishly by submitting some nonsensical memorial to advise Emperor Tianyou, and as long as his father was not executed in front of the Wenying Hall by Emperor Tianyou, he might still have the chance to live comfortably for another two or three years. Even if the final outcome was difficult to change, he could at least prepare a cup of poisoned wine for himself, drink it down, and avoid the punishment of being torn apart by chariots. As long as his father, Han Daoxun, was not executed in front of the Wenying Hall by Emperor Tianyou, he might still have the chance to live comfortably for another two or three years. Even if the final outcome was difficult to change, he could at least prepare a cup of poisoned wine for himself, drink it down, and avoid the punishment of being torn apart by chariots.

Jing Niang was voluptuous and stunningly beautiful. At that moment, Han Qian still remembered the dazzling appearance of Jing Niang when he first saw her. He hardly had the courage to look up at her beautifully enchanting eyes, which had a peculiar luster, causing him to be unable to sleep that night as he was preoccupied with thoughts of those beautiful eyes.

After that, Jingniang went to serve in the room of her cousin Han Jun

Seventh Young Master

Perhaps the feelings immersed in the dream are too real, as if he has truly lived a lifetime in the dream world. Unconsciously, Han Qian's state of mind is inevitably affected by this piercing heartache, sitting blankly by the window, ... for a moment, he finds it difficult to restrain his emotions ...

In the historical records of later generations, he is merely an insignificant minor character, and it is only due to his father Han Daoxun that he is mentioned in such a casual manner

In order to eliminate dissent, Xu Housian poisoned the third son of Emperor Wu, the newly adult King of Linjiang, Yang Yuanpu; subsequently, he dispatched envoys to seize the military power of Emperor Wu's second son, King Xin, Yang Yuanyan

Han Qian was unaware whether anyone in the world knew that water jade mirrors could be used to ignite fire, but he himself was absolutely ignorant of this matter before the dream he had the previous night

Although Han Qian has changed two beautiful maids in his room, there is no longer a woman who captivates him to the point of complete obsession.

In the early morning, that delicate body, resembling soft and warm jade, was embraced from behind

At this moment, Han Qian was suddenly startled, realizing that in the six years since he returned to Xuanzhou, he had not once genuinely risen early to practice archery and martial arts; even though every day before noon, according to the family rules, he had to attend the study hall to listen to the family tutor impart lessons, it seemed that there was not a single day when he was not drowsy...

Han Qian could not help but think, if only he had not wasted these years in Xuanzhou, and had continued to diligently practice archery and martial arts every day, even now, he could escape far away with the Black Cloud Bow, and would not fear that little bitch Yao Xishui chasing after him