Huang Xie served two high-quality meals, and the retainer ordered them to go down. Soon, two boys from the kitchen came up with two food tables and placed them in front of the two seats. The two still ate together and talked to each other. Under the intoxication of wine and food, Mang Mao talked a lot and almost wanted to express the grievances he had suffered in the past few days. Huang Xie comforted him while extracting many inside stories about Wei's politics from his mouth.
After sending Mang Mao away, Huang Xie calmed down to digest what he had learned from the conversation with Mang Mao. Meeting Mang Mao in Yin Yang was not part of the plan. How could Mang Mao be in Yin Yang by such a coincidence? How did Mang Mao know that he was coming to Yin Yang? How does he accurately find the reverse traveler and get someone to report it?
He called a businessman who often traveled to Zheng and asked him to introduce what he saw along the way from Chen to Zheng. The businessman told him that if goods were transported from Chen to Zheng, they usually took the waterway: go up the chasm, turn to Mishui, and go directly to Zheng; rarely did they take the dry road. If you take the dry road, you have to pass through many cities along the way. If there is a mile of business to do, it is very cost-effective, but the opportunities are very few. Huang Xie asked him whether the inspections along the way were strict. The merchant replied that among the cities in Zhengnan, there were Wei, Han, and even Chu. In order to attract business routes to pass through their cities, each city would generally not conduct strict inspections, and would even commit obvious crimes. As long as there were no If it affects our outlook, we can probably just turn a blind eye. Huang Xie thanked him and sent the merchant out.
He also called for the retainers who came to report the news, and asked: "Who told me about the arrival of this guest?"
The retainer replied: "The master of the counter-tour came to report that there was an honored guest in front of the door. When I came out to see him, he said that he was an old friend of Huang Gongxie. I knew that the young master was Huang Gongxie, and he was the only one who had done so. I consulted him and said: We met at Zhangtai, the capital of Zeng Ying. I didn’t dare to ask any more questions, so I responded.”
Huang Xie said: "Who do you know? He is Mangmao! When Qin was defeated, he sneaked to Yin Yang and changed his name to Yin Gong."
The retainer said: "I am also surprised that he can sing in unison, Mr. Gai Mang."
Huang Xie said: "Mang Gong lives here, and he doesn't dare to let others know. - He will definitely be harmed by others!"
The retainer said: "Here you go!" Seeing that Huang Xie had nothing else to say, he resigned.
Huang Xie originally wanted to ask someone about Mang Mao's residence and family situation in Yinyang, but after thinking about it, he was afraid of being too public and causing trouble to Mang Mao, so he skipped it. If you can meet Rang Deng and Mr. Shen, just ask Mr. Shen directly.
One night, Huang Xie was disturbed by Mang Mao's visit and couldn't sleep all night: on the one hand, he felt that it was a huge opportunity, on the other hand, he was afraid that it was a huge trap. Hesitant and difficult to decide. After dawn, Huang Xie, with the help of his retainers, rearranged his clothes and had breakfast. The retainers came to report that all the goods had been loaded and asked the young master to set off. Huang Xie went out and got in the car with a suspicious mood. The Lord of Yinyang City and the surrounding merchants probably gained a lot, and they all gathered in front of the door to see each other off. Huang Xie saluted one by one, walked around to the river, met up with the fleet, turned from the mouth of the river into Lishui, and headed upstream.
At dusk, the caravan arrived at a city. Merchants had informed it in advance. When the fleet arrived, the lord of the city was already at Jinkou and praised: "The lord of the city, Hu Qian, would like to welcome Mr. Chu!"
After Huang Xie came out of Yinyang City, he got out of the car and got on a small boat. Huang Xie is not stupid, he naturally knows that taking a car is not as comfortable as taking a boat. If it is not required by etiquette, he does not want to take the car at all. Now seeing the lord of the town greeting him, he got out of the boat, cupped his hands and said, "Businessmen pass by your town and beg for a place to stay and food. But there are things that can be traded." The lord of the town thanked him. The boat owner next to him helped the boatman to reach the shore and set up a springboard. The lord of the city personally helped Huang Xie to the shore.
Huang Xie asked the lord of the city: "The Hu family in your noble city?"
The Lord of the city said: "Our city is from the Hu State. The country has been subjugated for a long time, and the people of the country have been scattered, but the old name remains."
Huang Xie said: "There are many Hu families in our city and Chen country, how dare they be one body?"
The head of the city said: "The Hu family in Chen State came from the surname Gui, and was after Hu Mangong. The Hu family in our city came from the surname Wei, and was after the Yin people. After the destruction of Yin, Ji's surname was given to Hu. According to this place, he was also the Hu family. Although They are all of the Hu family, and they have three origins, not a single lineage."
Huang Xie said: "Lord of Weiyi, how can I know?"
While Huang Xie was talking with the city lord, the ships of the caravan docked one after another. The convoy stopped on the other side. It was difficult to cross the river without a bridge, so they camped on the other side. Since the city of Huyi was small and there were not many counterattacks, except for a few prominent figures, the others rested on the shore. Of course, the merchants could not let go of the opportunity to do business. They shouted gold and attracted people from the surrounding countryside to come to the shore. Most of them exchanged their own local products for necessary daily necessities, such as lamps, baskets, daggers, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc.
Huang Xie took several big businessmen and retainers, led by Hu Qian, to pay their respects to Hu's hometown. This place is already surrounded by fields, but it is blocked by ruined walls and the foundations of the buildings in the city cannot be cultivated, so this area is vacant. Because it was overgrown with weeds and had been deserted for a long time, everyone was afraid that there would be venomous snakes and beasts inside, so they did not dare to enter, so they just walked around the city wall to pay their respects. Huang Xie seemed to be interested in seeing the scene and asked: "Who dares to leave your noble town with Hu Yang?"
Unexpectedly, I got the answer as soon as I asked. Hu Qian asked in surprise: "Young master, you also know Hu Yang? Yang is a young man who is brave and eager to learn. All the slips and scrolls of our city have been recited. His father praised him, broke the family and bought a boat and sent him to Jixia. He hangs twenty Year is gone! Last year, Yang sent an envoy to Hu to pay homage to his parents. They both died without being seen, but his brother is still alive. The envoy left money and silk and returned, but Yang was no longer seen!"
Huang Xie said: "Is there anyone in his clan who can be created? I want to help him!"
Hu Qiandao: "Young master, I'm going to visit him."
Huang Xie said: "Are there any outstanding people who have entered Xiangxu?"
Hu Qian smiled bitterly and said: "Yang people are extremely intelligent. Their brothers, nephews, and nephews are all mediocre. If there is no outstanding person, it will be difficult for Xiangxu to die!"
Huang Xie said: "If that's true, it's hard for me to do it. Yang sent envoys here, but left money and silk? Would you rather give them to each other without saying a word?"
Hu Qiandao: "The words of noble people cannot be understood by people from the countryside."
Huang Xie said: "What did you say?"
Hu Qiandao: "The envoy said that in a chaotic world, it would be better to save one's head than to do too much!"
Huang Xie was startled when he heard this and said: "This is what he said from the bottom of his heart. Is your city ever attacked by soldiers?"
Hu Qiandao: "Before I heard that I was a hundred years old, Hu Shu was destroyed. Since I was a child, I have rarely seen soldiers, but I heard about it."
Huang Xie said: "Hu Yang sent an envoy here, where is his result?"
Hu Qandao said: "I heard that he came from Lishui and headed east. Mountains and rivers blocked him, and official business was inconvenient, so he sent an envoy to see him."
After hearing this, the merchants called themselves experts: They calmly figured out Hu Yang's march route. But he just kept it in his belly and didn't show anything on his face.
Lishui is about fifty miles south of Lishui. It is the fiefdom of Gubai Kingdom. After Bai Kingdom was destroyed, Baiyi first belonged to Chu and then was captured by Han Wei. Hu Yang entered the Central Plains and passed through the cities of South Korea, which showed that Han and Qin had long been connected. The so-called Han was hesitant between Qin and Jin was completely an illusion after Mang Mao was deceived. From the very beginning, Mangmao fell into a huge trap!
After returning from the tour, Huang Xie was still interested and said to Hu Qian, "How dare you visit brother Hu Yang."
When Hu Qian saw Huang Xie coming, he asked about Hu Yang. He thought it was an acquaintance of Hu Yang, so he didn't think much about it and led everyone to Hu Yang's former residence. Hu Yang's parents passed away many years ago, and Hu Yang's eldest brother is the head of the family. Hu Qian arrived at the door of his former residence and called out: "Shun'er, we have a visitor!"
An honest farmer came out and saluted the mayor: "Father, are you calling me?"
Hu Qianyi pointed to the crowd and said, "It's Yang'er's friends who are here to visit us."
Huang Xie said: "We have known Hu Qing for a long time. We heard about his home and came here to visit him."
Huang Xie said "I know Hu Qing by heart", not "I know Hu Qing by heart", which is not a lie, but others can't tell the subtlety. Hu Shun saw that the people following Hu Qian, although they were all short-sleeved, were also well-dressed, so he quickly gave way to the courtyard. The hayloft of his family home was low and the air was polluted, so he, his wife and children, brought out a bunch of seats and invited everyone to sit in the yard. Hu Qian did not intend to accompany him and left.
Huang Xie said: "I have always heard that Hu Qing is very intelligent, but I didn't expect him to come from such a dangerous place!"
Hu Shun didn't quite understand Huang Xie's words, so he could only chuckle and sigh.
Huang Xie saw that he didn't understand elegant language, so he talked to him in native dialect: "I heard that Hu Yang was smart when he was a child, but I didn't expect him to live here!"
When Hu Shun saw Hu Yang, he was also a little excited and asked: "Masters and Hu Yang..."
Huang Xie said: "Hu Yangjian is Qin Qing, and we are his subordinates."
Hearing that he was Hu Yang's servant, Hu Shun blushed all of a sudden. He hurriedly called his wife and ordered her to cook a pot of thick porridge. The wife looked embarrassed, as if she said there wasn't much corn. Hu Shun scolded in a low voice: "These are all servants of Hu Yang. How can they come to the master's house without even a meal!"
Huang Xie said: "Shun Gong, you don't have to work hard. Hu Qing has something to give to you. It's inconvenient for me to carry it when I go ashore. I'd like to take it back."
A businessman and a retainer beside him understood the idea and immediately stood up and said: "I am willing to go and get it!"
When he was young, two retainers carried a burden, and the merchant and retainer who originally followed came to the courtyard carrying a box and a piece of cloth respectively. The retainer reported: "Hu Qing has given me jujube, lotus, bean, coix, osmanthus, and preserved fruits such as peach, apricot, and plum, a stone, a piece of silk, and a headdress. I would like to offer it to you!"
Huang Xie invited Hu Shuntong to look at it and pointed out: "Jujube, lotus, bean, coix, cinnamon, preserved peach, preserved apricot, preserved plum, fine silk, headdress. The dedication of the ministers is correct!"
Hu Shun hurriedly ran into the room, called his son, and said, "Quickly call your father-in-law and uncle to come with you. Father Yang's envoy is here!" He also called his wife and ordered her to cook the contents of the basket with the millet. Porridge. My wife was also shocked by the basket full of various local products. She filled a small basket with it, measured a stone of millet, and went to the backyard to wash it. When I was young, the second and third sons of the Hu family came. Huang Xie and others stood up respectfully and paid homage to them one by one. After exchanging some polite words, the second and third sons called their wives and children. While paying homage to Yang's friends, they helped cook the "eight treasure porridge".
Huang Xie and the businessmen were all shrewd. In the strong aroma of eight-treasure porridge, they soon became involved with the three Hu brothers. The Hu brothers completely shed their restraints, just like old friends whom they had not seen for a long time. Amidst the laughter and laughter, the past events of Hu Yang's youth were carefully recalled one by one, and all the details were perfected.
When the porridge in the cauldron is gone, the host and the guests rejoice. The wind is clear and the moon is bright, and the summer night is cool...
