Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 343: Chapter 332 Songhe Prefecture City

“I’ll arrange a guide for you!” Luo Shang said.

“Alright,” Yang Zhenshan nodded.

Soon, Luo Shang found a young man in his twenties, “Sir, this is Luo Chen.”

Yang Zhenshan looked up and scrutinized him. Luo Chen was a Martial Artist with uncertain cultivation, probably around the Postnatal Third or Fourth Layer.

“I, Luo Chen, pay my respects to the General!” Luo Chen greeted with a fist and palm salute.

“Your clansman?” Yang Zhenshan asked in surprise.

The Luo Family of Jizhou is a large clan primarily focused on commerce, and seemingly without notable achievements in Martial Arts.

The Luo Chen before him, in his twenties and already possessing the cultivation of the Postnatal Third or Fourth Layer, stood out among his peers. It seemed unlikely that the Jizhou Luo Family could nurture such talent.

“No, Luo Chen is from the Luo Family of Jingzhou State. Three years ago when I came to Jiangnan, I happened to help him with a small matter; his gratitude toward me led him to manage my business here in Jiangnan these years!” Luo Shang said with a smile.

Luo Chen respectfully replied, “Boss is being modest; it wasn’t a small favor, you saved my family of three!”

“Haha, that’s all trivial!” Luo Shang laughed heartily, clasping his shoulder, and said, “You will accompany me and help with the Gentleman these next few days.”

Actually, Luo Shang and Luo Chen’s acquaintance was not complex. Although Luo Chen hailed from the Jingzhou Luo Family, he was merely from a collateral branch, which essentially cut off familial ties and he lived his life independently without any family assistance.

Nevertheless, being a part of the Jingzhou Luo Family, even if separate, allowed him some foundational advantages.

He had his own education and martial training inheritance.

After getting married, Luo Chen had been associated with a security agency in Songhe Prefecture. When his wife and child came to visit him three years ago, they were unfortunately attacked midway, and that’s when they encountered Luo Shang.

Through a fortunate twist of fate, Luo Shang became a lifesaver for his wife and child and subsequently pulled Luo Chen into his own employ.

Although Luo Chen was not the most powerful martial artist under Luo Shang, he was the most reliable assistant in Jiangnan.

After introducing Luo Chen to Yang Zhenshan, Luo Shang went to take care of his business.

Having briefly tidied up, Yang Zhenshan then went out with Luo Chen.

Crescent Bay was the location where their ship was moored. The bay was rather secluded, being over forty miles from the nearest county and even more, eighty miles, from Songhe Prefecture City.

Yang Zhenshan was not interested in wandering the county, so they headed directly for Songhe Prefecture City, bringing along only a couple of personal followers and Luo Chen.

The scenery in Jiangnan was exceptionally pleasant, with a gentle breeze wafting the fragrant scent of grass, and the natural and cultural beauty of small bridges over flowing water and distant homes.

Riding over a stone bridge and watching the clearly divided waters and ancient-style courtyards and pavilions on both banks, Yang Zhenshan suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Compared to Liaodong, the architecture in Jiangnan was unquestionably a hundred times more meticulous, as if even the grass and trees became much finer, each bit appeared to be carefully designed, resembling a beautiful scroll.

And the walls of Songhe Prefecture City didn’t have the ruggedness typical of Liaodong’s forts; the quite tall walls lacked a majestic aura, perhaps because the moss that grew after spring rains gave the walls a more delicate appearance.

Passing through the city gate and over the bridge, strolling on the bustling streets, watching the beautifully dressed pedestrians, Yang Zhenshan found it hard to take it all in.

Whether in Liaodong or Chongshan Town, both seemed like a robust, rugged man, whereas Jiangnan resembled a gorgeous, gentle woman.

Indeed, that was Yang Zhenshan’s first impression.

The gentleness of the climate and landscape was one aspect, but what truly led Yang Zhenshan to this thought were the attire and demeanor of the pedestrians.

In terms of clothing, streets in Liaodong seldom displayed such vivid colors as scarlet, purple, cerulean, lime green, cream, or mustard; not that such colors didn’t exist in Liaodong, but rather, people wearing these colors were rare.

It seemed like these colors became much more vivid in Jiangnan.

“Sir, there’s a tea house ahead. Would you like to go and taste some tea?” Luo Chen wasn’t sure of Yang Zhenshan’s preferences, but since Luo Shang mentioned that Yang Zhenshan enjoyed tea, he thought of taking him to try some Songhe Prefecture tea.

Yang Zhenshan had no particular agenda; he just wanted to casually stroll and appreciate the sights of Jiangnan.

“Sure, let’s go and have a taste!”

There were many types of tea houses, including those for plain tea, wild tea, literary tea, chess tea, and also those that served both tea and alcohol.

Literary tea houses featured storytelling, chess tea houses provided facilities for playing chess, and alcohol tea houses served both tea and alcohol.

Wild tea houses offered tea at rural roadside spots where travelers could rest.

And plain tea houses simply sold tea leaves and provided places for tea tasting.

“Baiyun Tea House!”

Yang Zhenshan read the sign of the tea house softly.

“Sir, Baiyun Tea House offers the widest variety of teas in Songhe Prefecture. Here, you can find almost all types of tea from the entirety of Jiangnan!” Luo Chen explained.

As they spoke, they entered the tea house, and a young servant came up to greet them warmly, “Would you prefer a private room or the main hall, sir?”

Yang Zhenshan glanced at the main hall which was quite crowded with customers sipping tea as noon approached.

It said they were drinking tea, but in reality, they were mostly chatting.

This is why many from the worldly society liked to use tea houses as centers for gathering information because tea houses always attracted groups of idle gossipers.

“Let’s have a quiet private room,” Yang Zhenshan said casually.

He was just a passerby, uninterested in the local gossip.

“Right away, sir!”

The servant led the four of them to a window-side private room on the third floor.

The private room was small but elegantly decorated, and as it faced the window, sitting by it allowed one to overlook several streets in front.

After Yang Zhenshan entered the private room, his two followers conscientiously stood guard outside the door. Yang Zhenshan sat down while Luo Chen stood beside him.

Seeing the setup, the waiter could immediately tell who the main guest was and hurriedly asked, “What tea would the guest like to drink?”

“Hmm, what teas do you have here?” Yang Zhenshan inquired.

“Sir, if it’s brag-worthy to say, any tea available in Jiangnan can be found here at Baiyun Tea House!” The waiter proudly claimed.

After some thought, Yang Zhenshan replied with a smile, looking at the waiter, “Then bring a pot of Lion Peak Longjing Tea!”

The waiter’s proud expression stiffened, and he sheepishly said, “Sir, please don’t jest at my expense!”

Lion Peak Longjing refers to the Longjing tea from Lion Peak Mountain, renowned in Da Rong as superb tea. However, Lion Peak Longjing is not accessible to ordinary people since it is reserved for the Emperor.

The entire Lion Peak Mountain is imperial property, and unless granted by the old Emperor himself, one cannot taste Lion Peak Longjing.

“Hahaha~~” Yang Zhenshan burst into laughter, “Then bring a pot of Yunxi Longjing instead!”

His intention was merely to knock down Baiyun Tea House’s pride, not actually to drink the Lion Peak Longjing.

Yunxi Longjing is also a famous tea from Jiangnan. In fact, Yunxi Mountain is right beside Lion Peak Mountain, and Yunxi Longjing is not inferior to Lion Peak’s, except that the latter is imperial tea, which grants it some extra prestige.

“Alright, sir, please wait a moment, I’ll serve the tea immediately!”

The waiter’s face brightened, he bowed, and left the private room.

Moments later, he returned with the tea, along with several dishes of dried fruits and pastries.

The faint fragrance of the tea lingered in the private room. Yang Zhenshan took a sip, savoring the lingering sweetness and rich aroma in his mouth, and nodded slightly, “Not bad!”

Though lacking the refreshing coolness and sweetness of Dongling Spring, the Yunxi Longjing had a richer fragrance and an enduringly sweet aftertaste.

“Please, have a seat!” Yang Zhenshan gestured for Luo Chen to sit down.

“Thank you, Mr. Xie!” Luo Chen, without any restraint, gave a fist salute and sat beside Yang Zhenshan.

“Are you a member of the Luo Family from Jingzhou State?” Yang Zhenshan casually asked while sipping his tea and gazing out the window.

“I am from a collateral branch of the Jingzhou Luo Family,” replied Luo Chen.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, “Then do you know Luo Jin?”

“Luo Jin!” Luo Chen pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

The Luo Family of Jingzhou State was a large family; not to mention collateral branches, even direct descendants were numerous. As a member of a collateral branch, he had little chance to meet the direct lineage members. He might have heard of the elders, but he hardly knew the younger generation.

“Hmm, Luo Jin is also from your Luo Family in Jingzhou. He should be from the branch in Lanhe County and is currently serving as the County Magistrate in Anning County!” Yang Zhenshan recalled Luo Jin’s background.

Although he had seen Luo Jin only once, he was quite familiar with Luo Jin’s background because Yang Chengze’s wife was Luo Jin’s second daughter.

When Yang Chengze got married, Yang Zhengxiang had specifically asked for his opinion.

Now, Yang Chengze and his wife from the Luo Family are harmoniously married and have a son and daughter.

Jingzhou is located southwest of Songhe Prefecture, and the Luo Family is the largest family there, with branches spread across many prefectures in Jiangxi.

The Lanhe County Luo Family is a major branch of the Jingzhou Luo Family, but Yang Zhenshan wasn’t so sure about their exact closeness to the direct lineage.

Such a large family clan often had complex internal structures, not just the direct lineage, but even the members themselves might not fully grasp the complexities.

Yang Zhenshan mentioned Luo Jin casually upon hearing that Luo Chen was from the Jingzhou Luo Family.

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment before speaking, “If sir wishes to learn more about the Luo Family of Lanhe, I could ask around for you.”

Yang Zhenshan waved his hand, smiled and said, “No need. This County Magistrate Luo and I have not much interaction; rather, he is related by marriage to someone in my clan. I was just asking casually.”

“I see,” Luo Chen visibly relaxed.

While they were talking, a commotion erupted outside the tea house on the street, followed by the sound of gongs.

Yang Zhenshan looked towards the sound and saw a procession with a significant display of banners and regalia approaching down the street.

“Assistant Imperial Censor from the Imperial Examination Hall!”

Yang Zhenshan looked at the banners among the procession, showing a surprised expression.

An Assistant Imperial Censor, holding the Standard Fourth Rank, was equivalent to the Right Imperial Censor and Right Deputy Imperial Censor within the governorship ranks, which included Governors and Patrol Governors.

Typically, when the court appointed a Governor or Patrol Governor for a province, they also conferred a rank from the Imperial Examination Hall to strengthen the authority of the Governor or Patrol Governor.

However, that does not mean every Assistant Imperial Censor is a Governor; not every Governor will be conferred an extra title, but an Assistant Imperial Censor necessarily isn’t a Governor.

For example, this procession only held the title of Assistant Imperial Censor, clearly indicating that the bearer was solely an Assistant Imperial Censor.

Yang Zhenshan’s surprise was not at encountering an Assistant Imperial Censor but that this Assistant Imperial Censor was making such an ostentatious display through the city.

Officials seldom used such regalia; it was generally reserved for official travels.

This travel does not mean just stepping out but indicates leaving the city or traveling to other areas for official duties. Only then, the regalia would be utilized.

Yang Zhenshan also had his own regalia, but they remained stored away in a warehouse, never utilized because he found them somewhat disturbing to the public.

The citizens had to clear the way seeing such displays, certainly causing them inconvenience.

Yet, this official here was parading through the city with full regalia, making a conspicuous display.