Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 31 Bohai Gao and Han Zhao Liu

There was no nightlife in Luoyang City of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Like Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, Luoyang also implemented a curfew. Every day when the sun set, all the neighborhoods would be closed. At that time, anyone who ran around the streets without a token would be treated as a traitor and arrested in the prison of Henan Yin.

There were no shops along the streets in Luoyang City. If people needed to buy something, they could only go to the four major markets in the city. Luoyang City covered a large area, and sometimes it took half a day to walk to the market. Therefore, most shops would not open until around noon, and would close early at three in the afternoon.

For example, this restaurant in Sitong City is like this.

It was already noon, and the waiter was leisurely taking apart the wooden boards to prepare to open the door. Gao Huan, who was waiting at the door, was already drunk and urged the waiter to open the door quickly.

After selling all the horses he brought from Huaishuo, Gao Huan earned a large sum of money. In this prosperous capital of Luoyang, since the military commander's letter had already been delivered to the Taiwei Mansion, Gao Huan was in no hurry to return to Huaishuo to report, and just stayed in Luoyang to live a carefree life.

This Xia Ming Chicken Restaurant was a place that sold alcohol in Sitong City. Every day Gao Huan would wait at the door for the waiter to open the door, and would drink until the evening before leaving.

Gao Huan came every day these days, and the waiters have become familiar with him. Since Gao Huan has an easy-going personality, the waiters often tease him.

"Isn't this Lord Gao of Bohai? Who are you going to entertain today?"

Although Gao Huan was only a low-level soldier in Huaishuo, he read some books after marrying Lou Zhaojun, and gained considerable knowledge from delivering letters to and from Luoyang.

Although he didn't even know the name of his great-grandfather, he still called himself a descendant of the Bohai Gao family in Sitong City, and acted like a child of an aristocratic family.

This practice of lying about being a descendant of an aristocratic family is not uncommon nowadays. In troubled times, the title of a descendant of an aristocratic family is worthless. When Gao Huan became successful in the future, the Gao family of Bohai instead acknowledged his identity with a pinch of their noses and even held a ceremony for him to recognize his ancestry.

However, with Gao Huan's current status, even if he tried to take advantage of the situation, the real Bohai Gao family would not be able to bother with a border envoy like him. Moreover, because Gao Zhao, a powerful official in the previous dynasty, was the real Bohai Gao family, all the Gao family members were banished from Luoyang, and no one came to Sitong City to fight against the counterfeiting.

"Today's banquet is for distinguished guests, descendants of Emperor Gaozu of Han! Bring out any good wine you have!"

The guy was still laughing. Although the Liu Han Dynasty had been destroyed for hundreds of years, every few years someone would use the name of the Liu family to "restore the Han Dynasty." The descendants of the Liu family were spread all over the place, and everyone could be a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan.

In terms of gold content, it is not even as good as the Bohai Gao family that Gao Huan was against.

But Gao Huan wanted to buy good wine, so the waiter immediately said:
"You have come to the right place today, my dear. We bought several jars of 'Catching Traitor Wine' from the East Market yesterday. It is the finest wine in Luoyang."

Hearing about the good wine, Gao Huan immediately became interested. He followed the waiter upstairs, sat down near the window, and asked the waiter:

"This wine is so strange, why is it called this name?"

The guys secretly laughed at Gao Huan for being a bumpkin, but introduced him verbally:
"This wine was originally named 'He Shang'. It was originally brewed in a winery near Fayun Temple. On the heyday of June, the wine jars were sealed and exposed to the sun for ten months. After the jars were opened, only those with the wine line intact could be used. If there was even an inch less, all the wine had to be poured out."

Gao Huan kept saying it was very particular, and the waiter continued:
"It is said that when the late emperor first ascended the throne, Mao Gong, the governor of Qingzhou, took a group of Heshang with him. On the way, they encountered robbers, who stole the wine and drank it. When the reinforcements arrived, all the robbers were drunk on the roadside, so the wine got the name 'Catching Traitors Wine'."

"Good wine! It's really good wine!"

Gao Huan shouted again and ordered the waiter to bring it immediately.

"He Liuhun! What kind of good wine is that?"

As they were talking, a young man in brocade clothes also came up to the restaurant, and Gao Huan quickly pulled him to sit down. Gao Huan learned and applied what the waiter had said, and told him the origin of the wine for catching traitors, and the other party also laughed.

At this moment, the sharp-eyed Gao Huan saw Su Ze passing by downstairs. He leaned against the window and shouted:

"My dear gentleman, come up and have a drink!"

Su Ze looked back and saw Gao Huan's handsome face from the restaurant window. There was no one around him, so it seemed that Gao Huan was calling him.

This guy is really a social terrorist. I just got a horse from him and he didn't even leave his name. Today Gao Huan asked me to go upstairs for a drink.

Today, Gao Huan was just a messenger traveling between Luoyang and Huaishuo, and he himself was just a grassroots soldier of the Yulin Army. There was nothing wrong with a messenger inviting a Yulin soldier up for a drink.

Su Ze also went upstairs directly. After reaching the top, he found that there was a young man in brocade clothes sitting next to Gao Huan.

"Agui, this is the man I told you about, the one who chose the best horse I brought to you!"

After saying this, even Gao Huan laughed out loud. He performed a funny etiquette towards Su Ze and asked:

"I have not yet asked for your name, sir."

Su Ze crossed his arms and said, "I am Su Ze, serving in the Yulin Army."

Gao Huan said even more happily: "I was wondering why Brother Aze had such a retainer who knows so much about horses. It turns out that he has been in the military for generations! I am the commander of Huaishuo Town. I came to Luoyang to deliver a letter under the order of the military commander. Since we are all comrades in the army, we should drink to our heart's content!"

Gao Huan pulled Su Ze to the table, and only then did he remember to introduce the people around him.

Gao Huan added, "Brother Aze, this is my new friend in Luoyang, Liu Gui! His family background is remarkable, and many great men came from his ancestors! You praised General Erzhu from Xiurong that day, and this friend of mine is also from Xiurong, and he has a history with General Erzhu!"

Liu Gui?

Su Ze looked at the young man in front of him, it turned out that this was Liu Gui!

Liu Gui, unlike Gao Huan, a fake member of the Bohai Gao family, is indeed a descendant of a large family. Liu Gui's father was a high-ranking official at the level of a provincial governor.

However, the Liu in Liu Gui is not the Liu of the Liu family in the Han Dynasty. His ancestor is Liu Yuan, a Hun who founded Han Zhao.

Although Han Zhao was a regime of the Xiongnu, Liu Yuan was a great Han Chinese in spirit.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, married a daughter of the royal family to Maodun Chanyu as a princess and made an agreement with Maodun Chanyu to be brothers. Therefore, Maodun Chanyu's descendants all took Liu as their surname. Liu Yuan traced his descent from the Liu Han Dynasty and was the orthodox of the Han Dynasty.

If you look closely, you can vaguely see the features of a grassland person in Liu Gui's face. However, these northern tribes have been mixed with the Han and the Hu for many generations. Liu Gui's family studied Confucian classics and have been highly sinicized.

Su Ze looked at Liu Gui and said with his hands crossed: "Xiu Rong Liu, Brother Liu is a descendant of the Han Zhao Liu family?"

After hearing this, Liu Gui was stunned for a moment. He thought Su Ze was just an ordinary Yulin soldier, but the other party actually pointed out his own county quickly. This was not something an ordinary soldier could know!
(End of this chapter)