Chapter 238: Fame Due to Misfortune

It's past noon.

Under the tall city tower covered with blue tiles, soldiers in armor stood between the crenellations, holding spears in their hands and standing tall.

Below the city tower, the gray city wall stretches to an unknown point, and in the middle, three wide doorways, one high and two low, are open, and people and horses are flowing in and out, creating a bustling scene.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and the huge shadow of the city gate shrouded the flow of people entering and exiting the city, crossing the suspension bridge and moat, and extending all the way to Yuan Ming's feet.

Staring at the familiar city gate, Yuan Ming raised his head slightly, and his eyes finally fell on the gray stone plaque above the doorway.

There are only two vigorous and powerful characters "Qu Jiang" in the plaque.

Back then, it was under this plaque that Yuan Ming said goodbye to everyone who was seeing him off, and left the capital of the Jin Dynasty. He and Lin Junsheng led the mission to southern Xinjiang as envoys and deputy envoys, full of ambition and high spirits.

But now, things have changed and people have changed.

He was silent for a moment, put away his messy thoughts, and walked towards the city.

"Get out of the way!"

Just after crossing the suspension bridge, Yuan Ming suddenly heard the sound of a riding whip and scolding behind him.

He turned around and saw three or four soldiers in full armor, riding tall horses and waving their whips to drive away the people on horseback in front of the city gate.

Although they were very cruel, the riding whip did not hit the target, it was just a deterrent.

Further away, a large group of carriages and horses came slowly, and the flags were spread out in the wind, revealing the word "Zhao".

Yuan Ming frowned slightly, but he didn't say much and moved out of the way like the frightened people beside him.

Soon, a road opened in front of the city gate that was large enough for two carriages to run parallel to each other, and the motorcade holding the Zhao banner high also came over.

There were many people and horses in the convoy, and they were guarded by soldiers riding war horses in front and behind. Although the carriages in the middle were not gorgeous, the patterns and carvings on the carriages were simple and elegant, and they were definitely not suitable for ordinary people to ride.

However, when he saw the decoration on the carriage and the flag with the character Zhao, a thoughtful look flashed across Yuan Ming's face.

As the motorcade approached, the city guards in front of the city gate seemed to become nervous. A soldier wearing a guard's armor hurriedly walked out of the city tower and got down to the city gate before the motorcade arrived.

The motorcade stopped in front of the city gate. In the carriage at the front, a servant stepped forward and opened the curtain. Inside the carriage sat a gray-haired old man with a solemn expression.

"Welcome to Marquis Zhao." The gate captain smiled and greeted the old man, and said with his hands raised to the old man.

At the same time, next to Yuan Ming, a man dressed as a businessman asked his companion in a low voice: "Brother Lu, whose team is this? Why is it so grand?"

The companion looked around and lowered his voice: "Keep your voice down, this is General Jingbei's convoy. If we disturb them, your lives and mine won't be enough to compensate."

"So domineering? I came from the south, and you come to talk about it?" The merchant was surprised.

"You have never been to the north and don't know that General Zhao has been guarding the border for many years, and I heard that he is domineering and famous." His companion said with awe.

Beside him, Yuan Ming laughed hoarsely. He didn't know whether General Jingbei was domineering or not, but he remembered that when he was a child, General Zhao was a frequent visitor to his house and watched him grow up.

On the other side, General Zhao just nodded slightly to the gate captain, and the servant lowered the curtain. The motorcade slowly left, and the scene in front of the city gate soon returned to the previous scene.

But beside Yuan Ming, the two people were still talking: "But speaking of which, General Zhao has been guarding the border and has lived in the north for a long time. He rarely returns to the capital unless there is no big deal. Now that the country is far away, why did he suddenly bring his troops to the capital? "

"How do I know this? Something big must have happened in the court." The merchant man walked and talked with his companions.

Yuan Ming had arrived at the city gate at this time. The guard at the city gate asked: "Name?"

"Yuan Ming." Yuan Ming replied.

"Yuan Ming? Mr. Yuan of the Yuan Mansion?" the city guard said in surprise.

"Yes, exactly." Yuan Ming replied.

Unexpectedly, when Cheng Wei saw Yuan Ming's face clearly, he immediately shouted and wanted to hold Yuan Ming's hand excitedly.

A person on the side said: "Yuan Ming? Mr. Yuan, you are really a fool! I heard before that you disappeared on a mission to southern Xinjiang. I thought there was an accident, but I didn't expect you to be still alive!" Suddenly it seemed like I remembered something. Likewise, he patted his clothes and took out a roll of brocade silk from his arms.

Wrapped in brocade silk is an extremely exquisite book, with four large gilded characters printed on the cover - "Mr. Sheng's Journey to the South".

"I am a loyal fan of Mr. Yuan. I came here specifically to buy this hardcover version of "Mr. Sheng's Journey to the South" today. I didn't expect to meet you at the gate of the city."

The man's eyes were shining, and he held the hardcover book in front of Yuan Ming with great anticipation: "I wonder if I can ask you to sign the book? I will definitely treasure it!"

Yuan Mei couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so she had to take the book. When she wanted to sign her name, she said, "Sorry, I didn't bring a pen." She wanted to leave.

"Ah, I didn't think well, wait a minute."

The man slapped his head in annoyance, turned around and grabbed the person next to him: "I'm sorry, can you lend me some pen and ink on you?"

"Pen and ink? Why do I bring those things when I go out to do errands?" Passers-by didn't understand the purpose and looked at him and Yuan Ming in confusion, and their eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, are you Mr. Yuan Ming Yuan?"

"Exactly, I just came back from southern Xinjiang." Yuan Ming said with a smile.

"I watched "Master Sheng's Journey to the South" and it was really wonderful. Your experience was really full of ups and downs," the man said.

Before Yuan Ming answered, the passerby realized that he had no pen and paper, and like the man just now, he turned around and asked for pen and paper.

In this way, one person spread the word to ten people, and ten people spread the word to a hundred people. In a short while, a large group of people surrounded Yuan Ming.

The commotion in front of the city gate quickly attracted the attention of the gate captain.

"Make way, make way, don't surround us, what's going on here... Master Yuan?" He commanded the city guards to squeeze through the crowd, and when he saw Yuan Ming's appearance clearly, he also shouted in surprise.

Yuan Ming was a little puzzled: "You recognize me too?"

"Of course! Master Yuan, when you led the delegation out of the city with iron horses, I was the one who took over! Although you look different and taller, I still recognize you. Look, after you disappeared, the books you wrote were sold out, and some versions are even hard to find!" The gate captain immediately smiled and commanded his men to separate the crowd.

Yuan Ming couldn't help laughing after hearing this. He often heard that the paintings of painters would double in value after their death. This time it was his turn.

At this time, a man in the crowd tried desperately to squeeze in, and shouted: "Mr. Yuan, I found the pen and ink!"

The guard's face turned black, and he turned around to scold him, but Yuan Ming stopped him: "It doesn't matter, let him come over, I promised to sign his name."

"Mr. Yuan is still so kind." The guard complimented and ordered his men to make way.

Yuan Ming took the book, wrote a word of encouragement to his daughter on it, and signed his name. The man then smiled foolishly and retreated.

Seeing this, the crowd became more excited. Many people also found the same book from somewhere and shouted that they wanted to get the pen and ink left by Yuan Ming.

"Mr. Yuan, is your Journey to the South true?"

"Mr. Yuan, please stay."

For a time, the city guards were under great pressure.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming said loudly: "Everyone, I understand your feelings, but I have been away for many years and just returned to Beijing today. I am concerned about my parents and cannot stay any longer. I hope you can understand. I will take a few days off and then go to Tianming Bookstore to meet you again."

Hearing this, the crowd burst into chaotic shouts, most of which were words of understanding.

The gate officer wiped his sweat and quickly asked his men to escort Yuan Ming into the city.

But as soon as he passed through the city gate, Yuan Ming heard another wave of shouts like a tsunami.

The wide streets were crowded with people, and the surging flow of people blocked the city gate. Whether it was scholars and elegant guests or peddlers, they were all squeezed in the crowd at this time, standing on tiptoe desperately, trying to block Yuan Ming's style.

Yuan Ming was also surprised by the scene in front of him. He thought to himself that he didn't seem to have such a great reputation before he disappeared. He turned his head and smiled bitterly: "It seems that I have to trouble you to send some people to notify the general's mansion and ask them to come and clear the way."

"Such a small matter, why bother the people in the general's mansion? I happen to have some extra people under my command, so let them send Master Yuan back." The gate captain patted his chest and said.

Soon, he called several idle city guards and asked them to escort Yuan Ming all the way to the general's mansion.

The city guards holding weapons intimidated the crowd and finally opened a passage for Yuan Ming to walk.

Even so, there were still many people on both sides of the road. The restaurants and teahouses on the street also opened their windows. The diners came to the windows and were curiously looking at the situation outside. Seeing Yuan Ming being escorted by someone, they all became inexplicably excited.

Soon, the news that Yuan Ming, the only son of General Zhennan Yuan Zuochong, a best-selling author in Beijing, had returned safely from southern Xinjiang after missing for several years, spread throughout the capital.

At the General Jingbei Mansion, Zhao Jisheng, Marquis of Jingbei, got off the carriage with the help of his servants. Just as he was about to enter the mansion, he heard a noise from the street.

He frowned slightly, and a soldier immediately went to inquire about the news.

After a while, the soldier returned with intelligence. After listening to his report, Zhao Jisheng's face flashed a trace of surprise, and then he showed a sincere smile.

"Hey, Yuan boy, I said he was blessed with a long life!"

He waved to the side: "Come on, prepare a gift to send to the Yuan Mansion, and send a visiting card, saying that the old man will visit soon."

At the same time, at Tianming Bookstore, the shopkeeper of the bookstore was arranging staff to put the hardcover edition of "Mr. Sheng's Journey to the South" on the empty bookshelf, and a clerk suddenly stumbled in.

"Boss, it's a big deal, it's a big deal!"

"What's the matter? Why are you yelling so loud? What if we disturb the customers?" the bookstore owner scolded.

The clerk was out of breath, holding his knees to rest for a while, and then swallowed his saliva and said: "Good news, Boss, it's Mr. Yuan, Mr. Yuan is back!"

"Mr. Yuan? Which Yuan..."

The bookstore owner was stunned, stepped forward and grabbed the clerk's arm: "You are not talking about Yuan Ming, Mr. Yuan?"

"That's him, the street is crazy, saying that Mr. Yuan has gone through hardships and returned from southern Xinjiang!" The clerk nodded quickly.

The bookstore owner laughed immediately: "Okay, okay! Quick, arrange people to go out and promote it immediately, saying that in order to celebrate Mr. Yuan's return, all books in the store will be sold at a 10% discount... No, 20% off!"

Under his order, the clerks in the store quickly dispersed, and the bookstore owner's eyes were excited.

Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan is finally back!

...