"Then I'll bother Mr. Wu." Zhou Xu also smiled.
Late at night, the group entered Guanggu City smoothly, and Gui Tuqi camped outside the city.
During the dinner, Xiao Luolan did not go with him. After a simple wash, he went to bed to rest. The next day, they continued on their way.
Chapter 192
It has entered late spring in May, the sky is blue and the clouds are dark in Daizhou. They have left Guanggu City for three days and are heading towards Huaiyi County.
Xiao Luolan fanned lightly with a round fan. This time when she went out, Dong Xue was with her, and Xia He was accompanying Dong Xue. After all, Qinghe was not old, so she asked Xia He to take care of him.
Xiao Qingxue held up a big round lotus leaf to shade the sun. The big lotus leaf swayed here and there, bringing bursts of lotus leaf fragrance: "Mom, I want to eat lotus leaf chicken and bamboo tube rice at noon. Add red beans." Xiao Qingxue was greedy and rode close to grandma's window.
Xiao Luolan fanned her and said with a smile, "Okay."
"I just don't know if there are any pheasants in the wild now." Xiao Qingxue shook the big lotus leaf. She passed by a large pond in the morning and saw several lotus leaves blooming in it, so she asked Sister Yuxin to help her pick it.
"If not, you can also buy one from a farmer's house. Why haven't you seen anyone after walking for such a long time?" Xiao Luolan looked into the distance. Along the way, except for some people and smoke in Guanggu City, he didn't see anyone on the road. There were so many pedestrians, it was obviously spring, but Daizhou looked quite desolate.
Wu Xun, who was accompanying Gui Tuqi, looked at Zhou Youzhou's wife. She was a beautiful woman with a graceful appearance. She always spoke softly and softly, so even if her words were a bit irritating to him, Daizhou Jiedu Envoy In the pit of his stomach, Wu Xun was still ready to answer the lady's doubts.
"Last year, a drought broke out in several counties in Daizhou. The Tongjiang River Basin entered a dry season. The summer grain harvest was less than 50%. The autumn grain was also seriously affected after the drought. It has not eased this year, so the population is sparse." Zhou Xu Riding on his horse, he picked up a willow branch at random, peeled off the green willow bark, put it into his mouth and chewed it, and tasted the astringent willow juice and bark.
Xiao Luolan was startled, and then remembered the unusually high temperature she and her daughter had experienced when they first arrived in this ancient world last year.
She remembered that when she was in Taiyang County, some grain dealers spread rumors about drought, which caused people in the county to panic, and she was beheaded by the Zhou clan leader. It turned out that there was a drought! Although it did not affect Youzhou, it did happen in Daizhou.
Wu Xun smiled bitterly: "A lot of people died in Daizhou last year. If Zhou Youzhou hadn't secretly helped in the end, I'm afraid even more people would have died."
In a year of severe drought, it is not uncommon for people to go hungry. When you open the history books, you can often see it. Fortunately, the drought last year was not long. Fortunately, there was no locust plague in the future. There were still old grain warehouses opened in the state to alleviate the disaster. In addition, Last week, the sect leader also sent some food, so he could barely survive.
This is also the reason why Wu Xun always turns a blind eye to Youzhou's borrowing the road. If Daizhou has any difficulties, Youzhou can always help him. For example, half of the horses under his command in Daizhou are useless. He bought it from Zhou Youzhou at a low price. Wu Xun was really shameless and refused to let Zhou Youzhou pass by.
"Speaking of which, I would also like to thank the princess for the medical prescription. Drinking more hot fruits is really useful, which has alleviated the epidemics after the drought a lot. Moreover, this year, everyone in Daizhou has been vaccinated with the cowpox vaccination method taught by the princess. This method is really effective. A magical formula that saves the world and helps people." Wu Xun solemnly thanked the woman in the carriage.
Xiao Luolan quickly turned sideways: "Master Wu said something serious, it would be great if I could do my little bit to help some people."
"I have exempted the affected counties from the corvee taxes for three years. It will be fine after this year." Wu Xun sighed. Natural disasters were the last thing he wanted to see. Daizhou is not like Youzhou with strong soldiers and horses, and a big family and business. Youzhou No matter what, he holds the largest horse producing area in the North. In this world, whoever has soldiers and horses will live a good life.
Which prefecture and princes with some power don't want cavalry to gallop on the battlefield, but soldiers are easy to find, but horses are hard to find. The largest horse breeding land in Dachu is firmly in the hands of Zhou Youzhou, want horses? Can! Give me money or food!
Therefore, no matter which state is short of food, Zhou Youzhou will not be short of food. I heard that at the end of last winter, the Ghost Tuqi had a great victory against the Huiyi Alliance and captured no less than 100,000 good horses from the grassland. Wu Xun thought of this and controlled He kept looking at the horses under the Ghost Slaughter Riders' seats.
Greedy eyes and sad heart, nothing more than that!
At noon, Xiao Luolan finally saw a small village.
Desolation and depression were the first impression that gave her. The villages in the distance were low, and the wheat fields on both sides of the yellow mud path were in harvest season. The ears of wheat were sparse and slightly hanging. When the south wind blew, the farmers bent down to cut the wheat, and the sun baked it. They were so thin that their backbones were as curved as bridges, and they were rushing to harvest. The half-grown men were naked picking ears of wheat, and their faces were tanned and red by the sun. The women brought lunch and water in earthen jars. Then he also started collecting.
When an old man saw them, there were a few more wrinkles on his dry and wrinkled face. He carefully stopped at Mailong with a cane. He was too afraid to move forward. He asked in a thick local accent: "I am the village chief. I don't know how many people there are." What kind of support does a noble person have when he comes to my village?"
Xiao Luolan looked at the old man's skinny hands, his thin and disfigured old eyes, and then looked at the many adults in the wheat field who had no clothes to cover their bodies. Under the scorching sun, they were withered and naked, as thin as bamboo poles, as if they had been squeezed dry. All the nutritious wooden poles are standing there half-folded one by one.
Xiao Luolan felt as if there was a ball of cotton stuffed in her throat, and her heart was beating heavily. She forgot what she wanted to say, and finally just said something softly.
"Old man, we would like to ask for a drink of water."
The old man didn't understand the words of the noble man in front of him, and he didn't dare to look around. He just stared at the yellow muddy ground. When he was anxious and frightened, Wu Xun got off his horse and looked at the farmers who were collecting the loot. He was full of joy: "The winter wheat that was planted in a hurry last year It’s finally ripe and we can plant corn next month.”
Wu Xun smiled at the old man and said in Daizhou dialect: "Old man, we are thirsty on the way, can you give me a glass of water?"
"Hey, hey, good!" The old man saw that the nobles' horses did not trample the wheat fields, and left happily. His legs and feet were not agile, and he was stumbling with the old man's uniqueness.
Zhou Shiliu asked curiously: "Auntie, why didn't you buy chicken just now?"
No matter how shabby the village was, there would definitely be a chicken, and he also wanted to eat the lotus leaf chicken that Qingxue's cousin mentioned.
Xiao Qingxue was sitting under a tree at the end of the wheat field, with a large lotus leaf hanging slightly wilted above her head. Xiao Qinghe stood beside his cousin, listened to Zhou Shiliu's question, and looked at his aunt.
In fact, he also wanted to know that buying chickens would help the farmer make some money and lead a better life. Why didn't his aunt buy them?
Xiao Luolan came back to her senses and looked at Sixteen.
"The village chief is afraid of me. If he wants to buy it, he will definitely bring out the hens at home." Xiao Luolan pursed her lips, knowing that Zhou Shiliu was someone who had never had a hard life. In the spring breeze: "A Langge egg sells for two to three cents. It must not be cheap here in Daizhou. I have hens at home and they lay eggs every day. The water flows down. The eggs alone can be sold to the county for at least as much as the price of the hens." The price can add a lot of money to a small family, and if something happens at home, the eggs can also add some nutrition to people."
"This will benefit them a lot, so it's better not to buy it."
Xiao Luolan felt melancholy in her heart, but she didn't show it. If she bought it for several times the price, and Daizhou Jiedushi was nearby, wouldn't she have the intention of giving alms to other people, which would be inappropriate.
Zhou Shiliu obviously didn't think about so many twists and turns. He scratched his hair and looked at those lowly people he had never looked at. He felt inexplicably irritated. He fanned: "Then we won't take the load." It’s a leaf chicken.”
Wu Xun looked at the beautiful lady and was extremely surprised. At first he was a little angry, but it was just a chicken. Zhou Youzhou's beloved daughter wanted to eat it, so how could he afford it? Originally, when he saw Mrs. Huarong not speaking, he wanted his generals to go to the old man's house to buy one. He didn't expect that this lady was so considerate and considerate of the people.
You must know that the old man is a citizen of Daizhou. She is the mistress of Youzhou and has nothing to do with her.
"Why do you think about eating all day long?" Xiao Qingxue glared at Zhou Shiliu.
"Obviously it's what you want to eat." Zhou Shiliu said angrily.
"I don't want to eat it now." Xiao Qingxue turned her head.
The old village chief brought some tea, which he said contained only a few thick stems and leaves.
Zhou Xu spit out the willow branches and took a sip of herbal tea. Xia He Dongxue spread a mat under the tree. Zhou Xu sat on it and watched his wife sip the tea.
Jin Ben has asked Yi Fan, the deputy general of the Ghost Slaughter Cavalry, to lead most of the troops to camp in Huaiyi County and arrange for the cavalry to patrol the vicinity.
"Old man, thank you for the tea." Zhou Xu smiled at the old man.
"It's just a few cups of crude tea. It's not worthy of being thanked by the nobleman." The old village chief looked at the big knife in the nobleman's hand with fear and his attitude was low.
"In Youzhou, a bowl of herbal tea at the tea stall outside costs one penny. We drank ten bowls in total, which is exactly ten pence. We will give it to my father-in-law later." Zhou Xu said after waiting for his wife to finish drinking the herbal tea.
After hearing this, the village chief felt unexpected joy, and the wrinkles on his smiling face were in full bloom.
"The weather is hot, do you have pears, wild fruits, etc. at my father-in-law's house?" Xiao Luolan finished slowly, feeling that the distance in ancient times was a little longer, and the local dialects were different, making it inconvenient to talk to people.
"Do you have any fruit, sir? Just come up." Wu Xun said with a smile.
"Yes, yes." When the village chief saw so many people wanting to eat, and the cavalry behind him, he was so happy that his teeth leaked, and he quickly called on the boys in the village to take out all the wild fruits at home.
Not long after, Xiao Luolan saw a group of naked little children who were unable to do farm work, following a village chief's son who was barely dressed neatly. He secretly looked at them. The children were all big-headed, small-bodied and malnourished. The skinny appearance.
Xiao Luolan was silent for a while, then reached out and ate a pear. It was a bit sour and the pear flesh was rough.
Before leaving, Xiao Luolan asked Dongxue to pay for tea, pears, wild fruits, etc. The old man sent them off with a smile on his face. On Saturday, he bought an old and skinny donkey with sloping legs from an unknown villager's house. With a crazy look in his eyes, Ben rode up backwards and ended up at the end of the team.
Inside the carriage.
Zhou Xu stared at the melancholy between Madam's brows and stretched out his rough fingers to smooth it. It was hard to imagine what kind of life Madam had lived before. In his opinion, if she had land to farm, the government exempted her from labor and taxes, and she could live with food, that's all. Already luckier than the dead.
"Is it that uncomfortable?"
"It'll be fine in a while." Xiao Luolan leaned against the carriage and said softly.
Zhou Xu knew that the lady's heart could not be more tender, but because of this she would be extremely vulnerable to harm than ordinary people. What would such a weak and beautiful lady do without his protection?
Zhou Xu sighed inwardly, but his heart was filled with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
The lady cannot live without him in this life, she needs his protection.
Zhou Xu happily kissed his wife's forehead.
Chapter 193
"Sixteen, are you really not coming up?"
Xiao Luolan opened the window and looked at Zhou Shiliu who was riding a donkey next to the carriage with a worried expression.
Xiao Qingxue suddenly burst out laughing. She fell on her mother's shoulder, shaking with laughter. While eating peaches, she joked loudly: "Oh, mother, don't stop your sixteenth cousin from riding a donkey. You are so tall." People, all eminent monks ride donkeys. Riding a donkey is so chic, elegant, and artistic, with a little donkey driving it, drinking wine... Ouch! Grandma!"
Xiao Qingxue was lightly tapped on the forehead by her mother-in-law, she pretended to cry out in pain, puffed up her cheeks and looked at her mother-in-law: "I didn't ask him to ride the donkey, he insisted on riding it himself, and who is to blame for the fall. "
Xiao Luolan raised his fingers and rubbed his daughter's fair forehead: "Sixteen fell hard last night. I see that he is limping when he walks today. You'd better stop laughing at him."
"Be good." Xiao Luolan coaxed her daughter softly: "You have a lot, so don't argue with Shiliu."
"Okay." Xiao Qingxue leaned her head out of the window and found that Zhou Shiliu was so angry that she was riding backwards on a donkey with her arms folded, leaving only the back of her head.
Xiao Qingxue laughed: "Hey, Shiliu, my mother-in-law asked you to get on the carriage and eat delicious food. Oh, lotus leaf chicken. There is also lotus leaf chicken brought out from Huaiyi County last night."
"If you don't come back, my cousin Qinghe and I will eat them all, and we won't leave any for you."
"How dare you!" Zhou Shiliu turned around and glared at Xiao Qingxue, his eyes burning.
"See if I dare." Xiao Qingxue closed the window and snickered while listening to the movement outside.
Zhou Shiliu was so angry that he waved his whip and drove the donkey to stop the carriage, and went in with Dong Xue's help.
Zheng Yuxin looked on and laughed muffledly.
Jin Ben led the thin donkey with sloped legs to prevent it from running away. Last night, the donkey was very stubborn and insisted on walking on the trail. As a result, Zhou Liu was taken into the ditch. Zhou Liu fell and could not get up for half a day. He made a fuss. What a big joke.
Zhou Xu and Wu Xun rode together. When Wu Xun learned that Zhou Youzhou was accompanying his wife to the south of the Yangtze River, he thought for a moment and said: "Once you pass the Daizhou Road, you will be close to the Huaiyou Road. The waterways between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River are smooth. The mountains are rolling and there are many beautiful scenery. It is indeed a good place to enjoy the scenery, but it is not suitable for long distances due to heavy rain. I wonder if there is a place to stay in Zhou Youzhou."
The implication is that if there is no internal response in the Jianghuai area, entering Jiangnan Road in such a grand manner may cause disputes among the Jiedushi envoys in charge of Huaiyou.
Although the Huaiyou Jiedushi envoy is said to be a clay statue of the Bodhisattva in the temple, the Huaiyou Jinglue envoy behind him is Cheng Quanhai, who has no reputation for being a Jiedu but has the reality of being a Jiedu. Cheng Quanhai is the brother-in-law of Wei Guogong.
"There are many mountains and rivers in Luzhou, and my heart is also yearning for it." Zhou Xu squinted at the man in black clothes hovering in the sky, and when it fell, he took out the secret message that he had hidden in the copper pipes on his legs and feet.
Wu Xun reined in his horse and stopped, his expression strange for a moment.
It turns out that there is Huaiyou's throat, Luzhou Road, which is known as the lip and tooth of Jiangnan. Could it be that the person who took over was Lu Cong, the famous jade-faced general? As a military powerhouse, Luzhou has always been known as Iron Luzhou. No wonder he took over Huaiyou. Cheng Quanhai was not defeated either.
Zhou Xu touched Wu Yilang and said, "Wei Yanshan raises bandits with self-respect. He didn't expect that one day he would raise a wolf cub."
After the death of the previous Huaiyou Jiedushi, the Holy Emperor quickly sent someone to take over this position. The new Huaiyou Jiedushi could not suppress the Huaiyou armies. Within a few months, there were many mutinies. The Taining army led by Lu Cong was the most common. As a last resort, or in a deliberate move, the imperial court sent Cheng Quanhai from Wei Yanshan's faction to include Huaiyou.
Unfortunately, Zhou Xu showed a playful smile.
He didn't believe that with his secret support, could Cheng Quanhai be able to remove this thorn in Huaiyou's throat?
Wu Xun stopped talking.
Inside the carriage.
Xiao Luolan sighed softly and called: "Dongxue, go and ask Doctor Li to come over."
