The willows are green and the river is level, and I can hear the singing on the Langjiang River.
On the wide Huai River, the blue waves are rippling, and the breeze carrying water vapor brings a rare coolness in the midsummer.
On a small building boat, a young man in green shirt stood on the bow, looking at the scene of some boatmen walking leisurely on the river singing boat songs, and he was in a daze.
Behind him, a man stood like an iron tower, silent and calm, making people feel safe at first sight.
"Dear guest, lunch is ready. Can you please come to the cabin to eat?"
The boss of the ship walked onto the deck and greeted with a smile.
It was no wonder that he was not enthusiastic. This group of people were so generous in their efforts. Only ten people chartered a boat for him!
And except for that young master, all the others are powerful and well-traveled people who don't want some stability besides making money.
The young man in green shirt standing at the bow of the boat was naturally Xia Jingyun, the imperial envoy who quietly went to Longshou Prefecture. Hearing this, he turned around, smiled and nodded, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, please come this way."
After arriving at the cabin and sitting down, Xia Jingyun looked at the boss of the boat at the door and said, "Boss, please stay. Let's sit down and have something to eat together."
The boss of the ship quickly waved his hand in understanding, "We have our own way to solve the problem, please don't be polite."
Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "It's okay. I just happen to have some things I want to ask you about. I hope it's convenient."
Speaking of which, the ship's boss couldn't say much, "Then I've overstepped my bounds."
When the boss of the ship sat down, Chen Fugui took the initiative to pour him a glass of wine. After Xia Jingyun raised his glass and touched it with him, he smiled and said, "How long until we can reach Chuning County?"
Chuanlao Avenue: "Chuning County is located in the southernmost part of our Longshou Prefecture. We are now on the Huai River and downstream. If nothing happens, we can arrive there in a few days."
Xia Jingyun chuckled lightly, "The Huai River is an inland river. There is no worry about freezing in winter or raging waves. What else can happen?"
The captain of the ship sighed, "Are you all coming from Zhongjing?"
Chen Fugui narrowed his eyes slightly, and Xia Jingyun was quietly startled, and said calmly: "Why did the boatman say this?"
"You don't need to worry too much. I'm just a sailor. What you do in this profession has nothing to do with me. The villain said this. Firstly, I see that you are generous, so you must have an extraordinary background. Secondly! "
The ship boss sighed, "I guess in this world, you are the only people from Zhongjing City who still feel that the world is still so peaceful."
Xia Jingyun was shocked when he heard this, "The situation in the world has actually reached this point?"
Chen Fugui also said: "We left Zhongjing and entered Huai via Yingshui River, but we didn't see much banditry!"
The boat boss waved his hand, "That's because you were in Gyeonggi Province at the beginning, and then went up the river. Most of these bandits still don't have the ability to block the rivers and cause trouble on the big rivers. I don't know about other places in the world, just this Huaizuo Huaihe Longshou Prefecture and Guangling Prefecture on the right are really full of bandits and the roads are difficult to navigate. If you take the land route, you may encounter them!"
He continued: "The changes I just mentioned also come from this. The waterway is the safest now, so there are more ships than before. If there is a congestion, it may be delayed for some time."
Xia Jingyun frowned, "That's not right! If there are bandits everywhere as you said, several large forces will definitely gather together, and then it will not be enough to occupy the mountain as the king. They will definitely occupy the counties. In order to achieve a great cause, how dare the local government hide something like this and not report it? Why didn’t we hear the news at all?”
"Hey, I didn't understand this at first. Later, I asked some elders and they gave me an explanation. I was still doubtful."
Xia Jingyun leaned forward, "I would like to hear the details."
The ship boss tapped the table lightly, "They are all waiting for the death of the old army god in Zhulin."
Xia Jingyun suddenly realized and murmured: "Yes, the old military god swept across the Eight Wastelands and Liuhe, and fought so hard that no one in the world dared to raise the flag of rebellion. Now that he is still alive, who among these bandits dares to take the lead in raising the flag of righteousness? Where’s the bird!”
"That's right!" The boss of the ship nodded and smiled, "Think about it, last year the governor of Sishui Prefecture rebelled, Wu Dangjun went directly there in person, and wiped it out with just a few kills. The rebel father and son were also taken to Lingchi in the capital. Who dares to follow them if they are executed? These thieves and bandits are all smart. They can first occupy the mountain and become the king, and slowly accumulate strength. Anyway, the government now has no ability to suppress the bandits."
Xia Jingyun sighed and looked solemn. If this is the case, these bandits have really responded to the mantra of "Build walls high, accumulate food widely, and become king slowly". Once the old military god really gives up and returns to the west, or someone If you can't help but ignite a prairie fire, your fighting power is much stronger than that of ordinary bandits!
Sure enough, he had been in Zhongjing for a long time, and had been immersed in the dream of universal peace jointly woven by His Majesty and the courtiers. He was too optimistic about the general trend of the world.
You still have to come out and see for yourself!
As soon as he thought of this, he felt a sudden increase in pressure.
The ship boss saw that Xia Jingyun looked wrong and quickly comforted him: "However, our Longshou Prefecture is still quite stable on the whole. Mr. Zhou Mu is a military general and is very powerful. Any big bandit or bandit that emerges can be suppressed, at least in Longshou Prefecture." There are no rogue bandits within the territory, which is much better than the situation in other states where the government orders do not leave the city."
Xia Jingyun slowly calmed down and smiled to himself, "We want to do some business in Longshou Prefecture, but we are really worried about the security in Longshou Prefecture, which makes the boatman laugh. I wonder if the boatman knows what is inside Longshou Prefecture. , is there any wealthy family, and what are the various forces?"
"With your honor and strength, you will definitely be able to enjoy a good life in Longshou State!"
The boss of the ship first complimented, and then said: "The power in Longshou State is not complicated. There are four major families, Xiao, Hu, Ye, and Yu. Your honorable guest is from Zhongjing. You should know the Xiao family. The first queen's family My natal family, the current leading figure in the Xiao family is now our Longshou Prefecture’s state pastor, Xiao Fengshan, Mr. Xiao.”
"The Hu family existed in the previous dynasty and has taken root in Longshou Prefecture for hundreds of years. Now it is the largest landowner in Longshou Prefecture. The Hu Family Garden is also the premier garden villa in Longshou Prefecture."
"The Ye family is the head of the Cao Gang. Your honorable guest may not know about the Cao Gang. They connect the north and the south. There are tens of thousands of members of the inner and outer gangs. In the territory of Lianghuai, wherever the Cao Gang passes, even those who occupy the mountains for None of the king’s thieves dared to embarrass him.”
"The Yu family is the first-class poetry and calligraphy family in Longshou Prefecture. Our ancestors have successively had high-ranking officials enter the officialdom, and their status is lofty. Speaking of which, the sons of the Yu family are also unlucky. They went to take the imperial examination, but they met Such things, but after I heard that he came back, I was not discouraged and continued to study hard. I thought that after three years, I might be able to come back as the number one scholar in our Longshou State!"
Xia Jingyun couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this. Yu Daoxing unexpectedly failed in the examination. Everyone thought it was due to poor performance, but later they found out that he was originally going to be ranked second, but who knew that the examiner would It fell on his paper, destroying his answer sheet, and he had no choice but to fail the exam.
Although the marking officer was punished afterwards, the result cannot be changed. Thinking about it, it is indeed a once-in-a-century bad luck.
He hummed and said with a smile: "I have also heard about the young master. He is indeed outstanding in talent and learning. If there were no such thing this time, Xia Jingyun, the number one scholar, would probably have nothing to do with him."
"Isn't that right! Young Master's words are on point!"
The boss of the ship slapped his thigh and expressed his sincere appreciation for Xia Jingyun's words, "It seems that you are also a wise man! Not only Mr. Yu, but we, Xiaozhou Mu, were even more prosperous than that Xia Jingyun back then."
"He is the sworn brother of Empress Dowager De, and our Zhou Mu is the brother of the Empress. He passed the imperial examination and won the first prize. Our Zhou Mu followed the army and faced the barbarians of Beiliang. He led the army to behead hundreds of people and achieved great achievements. Then he was transferred to Wen by Wu. When he was promoted to the state shepherd of a state, there was nothing worse than him. It just took a long time and everyone forgot about it."
Xia Jingyun was not angry at being ridiculed like this. Instead, he was amazed, "I didn't expect Mr. Zhou Mu to have such an experience. It's really amazing."
The boss of the ship nodded proudly, "So, we don't take those people who are so impressive outside, but we don't take them seriously. Do you have the ability to come to Longshou State to compete in person? Right?"
"Well said." Xia Jingyun smiled, "Come on, let me toast you!"
After finishing a glass of wine, seeing that Xia Jingyun stopped talking, the captain of the ship also got up knowingly, "I won't bother you anymore. If you need anything, please call me anytime."
Xia Jingyun nodded, "Okay, thank you boatman."
The boat boss walked out and was suddenly stunned. He forgot to take this opportunity to ask the other party his name and where he came from!
Then I thought about it, no matter where he came from, it had nothing to do with me. Anyway, it couldn't be that imperial envoy Xia Jingyun.
——
After the ship boss left, Chen Fugui looked at Xia Jingyun and said, "Sir, I feel that this person's words are a bit exaggerated. If there are thieves and bandits everywhere as he said, how can we not hear any rumors in Zhongjing? All the princes in the central capital are here. Are you deaf?"
Xia Jingyun shook his head, "It may be an exaggeration, but it should be generally correct. A few days ago, Mr. Wei and I looked at the information from the Household Department. Although there have been many increases in recent years, the total amount of taxes collected is only It’s barely the same as in previous years.”
Chen Fugui's eyes widened, and Xia Jingyun explained: "Qin Weizhong was in power before. As a treacherous prime minister, he had a share in the people's misfortune, and His Majesty also wanted to hear the lie about peace in the world. What he would do, of course, was to whitewash it. Taiping has revealed to Your Majesty the scene of a peaceful and prosperous age. And those who dared to speak out were expelled from the court under the joint efforts of Your Majesty and him, and naturally these news will not spread. "
"As for those central ministers who have the ability to block the flow of speech after Qin Weizhong's fall, who doesn't want to give it a try now, and who is willing to risk the disapproval of the world to expose the dream of His Majesty the Holy King."
Chen Fugui frowned, "What about Black Ice Terrace?"
As a private institution directly under His Majesty, in Chen Fugui's opinion, it is natural for him to present the true situation so that Your Majesty can understand the real situation in the world.
Xia Jingyun narrowed his eyes, "Heibingtai is also made of people, and people have emotions. Maybe he tried to tell the truth to His Majesty, but when he found out that Your Majesty didn't like to hear this, what do you think he would choose?"
He sighed softly: "What's more, Your Majesty really cares about the truth. Do you want to hear the truth?"
Chen Fugui was shocked and was silent for a while. With the propaganda he had heard since childhood and the education he had received, it was difficult for him to say those words.
But Xia Jingyun said it for him, "The people in the world dare not speak out and dare to get angry, and their hearts of independent men are becoming increasingly arrogant. The world has collapsed, and the real culprit is still on the dragon throne!"
After speaking, he looked at the nervous Chen Fugui and smiled, "Don't be so nervous, I won't rebel. It's just that we can prescribe the right medicine if we understand the crux of the problem."
Chen Fugui quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
When Xia Jingyun saw this, he shook his head slightly. Without mentioning any reason why the war had harmed the people so much, just by looking at Chen Fugui, one could tell that a dynasty that had existed for more than three hundred years could not have such a casual status in the hearts of the people. Can be replaced.
A few days later, the boat arrived in Xichu County, a neighboring county to Chuning County.
The ship's boss and Xia Jingyun were both standing on the deck. The ship's boss said, "Dear guest, this place is only half a day away from Chuning County. How about we go straight to Chuning County?"
Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll get a fair share of the shipping fare. It's just that I'm here to do some business, and I thought it would be better to walk around more. We don't have to go far, just in this county." , take a look.”
The boss of the ship saw that this man was very nice, and gave some more advice, "Dear guests, please don't realize that the boat trip only takes half a day. If you take the land route, it may take two or three days. Moreover, I told you before that the trip by land will take only half a day." , I’m afraid it’s not peaceful!”
Xia Jingyun nodded, "We appreciate the kindness, but since we are going out to do things, if we don't find out the situation clearly, it will be difficult in the future. Besides, these nursing homes in my family are not vegetarians!"
The boss of the ship had no choice but to secretly sigh that it would be hard to persuade the damn ghosts with good words, and let them go after collecting the money.
Seeing them talking and laughing and leading their horses slowly, the captain of the ship silently pressed the heavy piece of silver, shook his head, and ordered to weigh the anchor and leave!
At the same time, in Zhongjing City, Jiang'anhou Mansion.
A motorcade was ready to go at the gate of the Hou Mansion. As a figure dressed as a rich man quickly boarded the carriage, everyone in the Hou Mansion greeted him respectfully, and the motorcade set off towards the east gate under the escort of a group of knife-wielding guards.
There was no king's order flag, and there was no extravagant formation, but many people knew that Xia Langzhong, who had been planning behind closed doors for many days, finally set off for Longshou Prefecture.
Then, a bunch of carrier pigeons fluttered their wings and flew into the sky.
"Master, look!"
As soon as he stepped onto the pier, Chen Fugui gestured towards the roadside. Xia Jingyun looked over and paused at his feet.
I saw a row of unkempt and half-clothed children squatting under a row of earthen walls.
Some of them were big and some small. The small ones were holding a broken bowl or something in their hands, while the big ones had empty hands. The same thing was that almost all of them were skinny and had very big heads.
They leaned together and scanned the people coming and going, and those in their group who could afford to ride horses and wear clothes were naturally under their gaze.
Xia Jingyun led the horse forward and said arrogantly: "Do you guys know where dry food is sold at this dock? Lead the way and I will reward you!"
Chen Fugui and the guards on the side looked at Xia Jingyun in confusion. This was not the impression of the young master.
An older boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, immediately stood up under the wall, "I know."
Xia Jingyun casually pointed at a boy who was also eleven or twelve years old and said, "Come along and lead the way."
Passers-by on the pier glanced at it and then looked away boredly.
The two teenagers quickly brought Xia Jingyun to a Shaobing shop. While swallowing their saliva, they said, "This is it."
"Go, go! If you dare to come here, see if I don't beat you to death!"
As soon as he said this, the waiter from the sesame cake restaurant chased him out with a stick, but fortunately he was stopped by Xia Jingyun's guard.
Xia Jingyun pulled Chen Fugui over and whispered a few words in his ear. Chen Fugui's eyes lit up and he nodded.
He walked over first, took out a few coins from his pocket, and threw them to the two teenagers.
Looking at the grateful young man, he sighed, "That's all, I'm showing kindness! Shopkeeper, make me ten sesame seed cakes."
The stall owner would embarrass these teenagers, but there was no way he could disobey Xia Jingyun and his party, so he immediately wrapped ten sesame seed cakes and handed them to Chen Fugui.
Chen Fugui took the sesame cake and placed it in the palm of a young man together with the oil paper bag. He said thoughtfully: "Take it, don't let anyone snatch it away."
The young man was puzzled at first, then his expression changed, and then his legs went weak. Chen Fugui suddenly changed his face, "Mother-in-law, you are a very manly man! Get out of here!"
The two teenagers were stunned by the shouting and scolding, and then quickly left.
Xia Jingyun and others also bought dozens of sesame cakes here, packed them in their bags, and asked about the way to Chuning County before leading their horses.
After walking for a while and reaching a deserted place, a guard couldn't help but ask: "Sir, you obviously want to help them, why did you say those words before?"
Xia Jingyun did not answer him directly, but asked: "Do you know what it means for a group of them to sit there like that?"
Chen Fugui said: "It means they are all orphans."
"Yes!" Xia Jingyun nodded, "A group of orphans, the oldest is only thirteen or fourteen years old, and there are three or four-year-old children among them. If I am kind and caring to them, guess what will happen?"
Everyone who came to be this guard was naturally from a grassroots background, so they immediately reacted to this.
It looks like they are rich and wealthy at first glance. If so, the gangsters on the dock will probably ask them for their benefits. When the time comes, not only will the reward money given to them not fall into the hands of these poor children, but it may also become a reminder for them. .
"Young master is thoughtful and thoughtful, I admire you."
Listening to the compliments of his subordinates, Xia Jingyun's spirits waned, "I asked Brother Chen to secretly give them a little bit of money by giving them sesame seed cakes to try to help them survive. But if this world cannot survive, then they are the only ones who can't survive." several."
Everyone looked around and saw dilapidated villages and desolate fields. The pedestrians they could see were all in ragged clothes and disheveled faces. Thinking of the peaceful singing and dancing in Zhongjing, they couldn't help but feel silent.
"Of course we can save them, but there are countless such people in this world, people who are even more miserable than them. Can we save them?"
Xia Jingyun looked at the silent crowd and suddenly smiled, "It can be saved. As long as we find a way to make the world peaceful again, we can make these people find a way to survive and live and work in peace and contentment. We don't save just one person, we save the whole world! The faster we do By achieving this goal, the greater their chance of survival!”
He got on the horse, gently pinched the horse's belly, shook the reins, "Gentlemen, let's work hard together!"
Chen Fugui and everyone else felt their blood surge, "I am willing to follow you, Master!"
Then they all mounted their horses and galvanized their horses to follow.
The passion surged in his chest like a flame, but before it burned for long, the scene in front of him extinguished all the fire in his heart.
On the official road ahead, a tree trunk lay across the road, blocking everyone's way.
When everyone reined in their horses, with a burst of noise, dozens of men armed with wooden sticks and shovels rushed out from the forest on both sides of the official road.
Surrounded on three sides, a strong man with a sword came out, bared his hairy chest, and sat on the tree trunk with a golden sword.
First he used his fingers to dig at the meat between his teeth, and then he sucked it back into his mouth. He glanced coldly at Xia Jingyun and the others.
"Everyone, let's ask for a fortune!"
Next, let’s try our best to issue large chapters like this, so that the total amount is the same.
or2
(End of chapter)
