When the Qian family does business, it is natural to have martial arts masters to protect their standards. There are currently two masters in Lujiang City, namely Liu Huaqiang and Yipin Dao Sun Feng.
The two of them were called to the West Flower Hall at the same time. They saw that although Qian Shi was sitting on the main seat, he was respectful to a middle-aged man. They were both a little confused. They stepped forward and asked:
"I dare to ask, Master Qian, what's the important thing for calling us two here?" Usually Qian Shi would ask one of their men or at most one of them to come for something, but it was really rare for two of them to come at the same time.
Qian Shi handed over his hand: "Two masters, there is a very important matter that requires your help. May I ask if you can keep it a secret?"
Sun and Liu looked at each other in surprise and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Qian, what we do is to protect our boss. If anyone threatens our boss' safety, I will stop them and we will never do anything to harm our boss!" "
"But... this matter is not directly related to your employer." The man next to him suddenly spoke.
"Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Qianhu Lu, the Winged Dragon Guard who is walking in front of the imperial court. From now on, including me, we will all obey his arrangements!"
Qian Shi's introduction was so shocking that both of them were stunned and hurriedly knelt down on one leg: "The common people obey your orders!"
When I first heard about Li Dan, Lao Qian was surprised and happy. What he didn't expect was that this kid had already gone to high school in Jieyuan, Jiangxi Province in a blink of an eye. What was surprising was that he actually did a great career and won a honorary title. Now he has He also holds a great credit for saving Wang Jia!
With his grandson on the road like this, it was obvious that he would be far better than his father. Lao Qian was so excited that he was determined to spend all his wealth to help his son get through this, so he was not lying when he asked everyone to listen to Lu Rui's orders.
The eldest son Qian Min could not help with anything, but the garden where he lived was the quietest and most beautiful. Qian Shi has already given instructions. The eldest son has temporarily moved into the library and vacated the "Yixin Garden" to the incoming King Ding and Princess Miyun.
The second young master, Qian Bu, has been going to the Chamber of Commerce non-stop to look for help. This boy was so happy that he almost forgot about it when he heard that Prince Ding was staying at his home.
The housekeeper has hired the best cooks in the city and assigned the most reliable maids and servants to Yixinyuan. The most experienced nuns have been tasked with cleaning the inside and outside, incense, and replacing bedding and curtains.
Liu Huaqiang and Sun Feng summoned all the bidders they could mobilize and divided them into two groups. Liu Huaqiang led more than thirty people to meet the people sent by the county government and went out of the south gate to greet the driver.
Sun Feng led the remaining masters to surround Qian's house, guarding all the gates and only allowed out but not in.
The county magistrate came with the county magistrate, the chief registrar, and the county captain. The guards sent by King Ding had already gone to the county government office to greet him, but the county magistrate was still panicked.
Seeing him like that, Lu Rui first comforted him with a few words, and then asked Dutou to lead a dozen people and Liu Huaqiang to meet him.
Please ask the county magistrate to gather manpower to strengthen the defense and patrol of the city. Finally, arrange the county magistrate and the chief registrar to summon the gentlemen and elders of the county and bring drums and music to the south gate to pick him up.
Qian Bu came back with about a hundred people, all of whom were young men, martial artists or servants from each merchant's home. Lu Rui assigned them to Sun Feng and asked him to assign these people to guard the surrounding streets and alleys.
"Then, what should I do?" Qian Bu asked.
"Please, Second Young Master, please be a door god," Lu Rui said with a smile: "Anyone who comes to ask for or pay homage will be blocked. No one can be allowed in without the consent from inside. No food from outside is allowed into the inner courtyard. Can Young Master guarantee that?"
"Okay, no problem!" Qian Bu was stunned, and immediately ran to the concierge with a smile, moved a stool and put it at the door: "I will be a thousand-year-old Qin Qiong today. No one can pass through this door easily!"
After saying that, he turned around and called to his servant: "Go get the sword hanging in my study. After all, it can be regarded as a weapon!"
The welcoming team at the city gate naturally included Qian Shi and his eldest son. When he saw the car driving from far to near, Qian Shi's eyes were full of anticipation, his face was rosy with excitement, and his hands were trembling slightly when he thought about seeing his grandson soon. .
The county's inspection department dispatched more than thirty patrolmen to maintain order inside the city gate. Local officials and gentlemen gathered under the three-character plaque at Shiyuan Gate, all looking forward to it.
"Coming, coming!" Finally people shouted, drums played, and firecrackers fired.
Then a knight approached quickly, dismounted from his saddle, came to the county magistrate and said something loudly. The magistrate immediately led everyone to move out of the way, with the officials on the left and the squire on the right.
The team arrived very quickly, and everyone realized that everyone on the other side was in a car or on horseback, and there were no walkers.
The first few carriages stopped on the street after entering the city. A chamberlain quickly came over and opened the door. King Ding appeared at the door of the car. His face was slightly pale, and he let everyone kneel and kowtow.
The county magistrate came forward to meet him and introduced several local officials.
Li Dan had already dismounted. When he listened from behind, he realized that there was a 500-strong city guard camp in Lujiang County, headed by a general with the same surname. He felt a little more at ease.
Zhang Nao once sent a letter on the road, saying that he and the prisoner named Zhang Xuan were going to Lujiang in advance to set up a front station, so Li Dan knew that his opponent was well prepared in this city.
He and Tie Dao always stayed close to King Ding, guarding against sneak attacks.
When Qian Shi was introduced, the county magistrate specifically stated that this was Li Sanlang's grandfather. King Ding was overjoyed and said, "Sanlang and Gu have the grace to save each other. Since you are Sanlang's grandfather, please accept the little king's respect!" They bowed so deeply that Qian Shi was so frightened that he couldn't return the favor.
Then King Ding called Li Dan to come and recognize him. Both his grandfather and grandson had tears in their eyes when they met.
"Official affairs come first. My grandson will follow Qiantose for resettlement first, and then talk to grandpa later." Li Dan said softly.
"I know, you have to do your work first. Anyway, you are staying at home tonight. Oh, you will stay in my uncle's library tonight. How about you squeeze in with him?"
"My grandson has long heard that my uncle has a lot of books, so he will definitely disturb him tonight!" Li Dan said to Qian Min. Qian Min smiled and returned the courtesy, feeling that the child was quite easy-going.
Qian's house is in Wuding Bridge, very close to the Confucian Temple. When the county magistrate heard that there were several scholars and scholars accompanying him, he arranged for Wen He and others to live in the Confucian Temple.
The accompanying brave men from Tongcheng were arranged to stay in the city guard's barracks. They had a night's rest and could return tomorrow after receiving their reward.
King Ding was very satisfied with Yixinyuan. He lived in Jingsi Hall, while the princess stayed in Yanyuezhai opposite the pool.
Li Dan came in and took a look around, then came out and told Zhou Yuanlu that he could not relax tonight and suggested that he put a secret sentry behind the rockery.
Zhou Yuanlu nodded and immediately sent someone over. "But we are already in the city, will those thieves follow us?" Zhou Yuanlu asked.
"I hope not, but we still have to tighten up internally and loosen up externally." Li Dan said: "That group of people are all desperadoes and have a deep hatred for your Majesty's group. Maybe they will take risks. It is better to be prepared than unprepared. Be nice.”
He paused and then said: "Don't worry, my people are also taking turns. They are at a high place and can alert your people at any time if there is any movement!"
On the way here, the gang of thieves appeared twice and provoked them, but seeing that there was no opportunity to take advantage of them, they finally disappeared. Li Dan didn't think they were giving up. He felt there must be some conspiracy behind this kind of probing!
After some discussions with Lu Rui, Li Dan took Lu Jiu and Mao Zaidi to the West Flower Hall and met his grandfather and two uncles in a family ceremony again.
Seeing the tall and strong grandson Qian Shi, his heart was full of joy. He asked him about Xiao Qian's current situation and the background of his two daughters-in-law. When they learned that Li Dan's concubine was the righteous daughter of the king of Fengning County, the three elders were so surprised that they couldn't close together. Mouth.
That night, Li Dan personally cooked six dishes and one soup and served them to King Ding, the princess, his grandfather and two uncles. The whole family was surprised and King Ding was full of praise.
After tasting it, Princess Miyun said to her maid: "What kind of person can be civilized, knowledgeable in business, and knows the principles of governing a country, but is also good at cooking? This Li Sanlang is really an incredible person!"
At night, Lujiang City is quiet and soft. The sound of silk and bamboo and the faint laughter coming from nowhere make people feel that it is actually full of fireworks.
Because there is a king stationed there today, the sound of patrollers' boots on the street reminds residents: Don't go too far and be more honest!
The number of manpower on the city wall has also increased, and the young and strong people gathered around the fire in small groups, joking, trying hard to fight off drowsiness and spend this long night.
Suddenly, several black shadows jumped onto the city from outside the city. This section of the city wall belonging to Tongji Gate was close to the city garrison, so the brave men were obviously more lax, and these people with ulterior motives seized the loopholes.
Half an hour later, a dozen men in black had gathered under the Sanming Bridge. They were listening to a fat man talking: "Go down this road and go south to the Wuding Bridge, and Qianzhai is on the other side of the bridge.
However, there were patrols on the bridge from time to time, and the situation around Qian's Mansion was unclear because we couldn't get close. "The fat man turned around and looked up at the sky:
"Fortunately, today is not a full moon, so you only have this advantage." When he raised his head, he took advantage of the moonlight to look, hey, isn't this the bronze fortune teller Zhang Nao?
"Are there more patrols on the streets?" Coach Hou's voice asked.
"Not only are they patrolling the streets, but there are also more people on duty. But if you see them walking around carrying a gong but not knocking it, they must be pretending to be a servant or a civilian. In fact, it's not that he doesn't knock it, it's that he really doesn't understand!" When Zhang Nao said this, a few of them laughed.
"Regardless of them, we have to do the same job regardless of whether there are more or less people. Besides, are we still afraid of those few government servants and village warriors?" Coach Hou said, looking at everyone, and then asked: "The Qian family is certainly not small. Can you find out where exactly the Thief King lives?"
"I heard someone said that the Qian family gave away the eldest son's Yixinyuan. I don't know whether it's true or not, and I don't know where the Yixinyuan is."
"Okay, just have a name!" Coach Hou gritted his teeth and said, "We'll find out exactly where it is when we go in and find someone to ask." After saying that, he told the fat man to continue lurking, and he led the dozen or so people forward. .
The people outside Qian's house were guarded by county government officials, and there were patrols from the Inspection Department coming and going, so it was supposed to be airtight.
However, people became somewhat slack in the latter part of the night, and the government officials began to gather together and chatter and laugh in low voices, not noticing the dark shadows flashing through the alleys.
Qian Min's library is the second tallest building in the county after Kuixing Tower. Now Qian Min temporarily placed his family in the warm pavilion on the second floor. He set up a couch on the first floor and asked Li Dan to rest here with gauze partitions.
Li Dan first went to visit his aunt and two cousins, and then followed Qian Min to the third floor to see his most proud secret.
"Here are all manuscripts from the late Tang and Five Dynasties, as well as printed and movable type books from the former Song Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty, but there are more movable type books from the former dynasty.
You know that the Egu people believed in Buddhism and regarded Taoism as their state religion, and they did not prohibit the spread of other religions such as Islam and Christianity. Therefore, the movable type books of the previous dynasties were actually more doctrinal classics, followed by operas, and thirdly Confucian books. "
Qian Min was very excited when he talked about books: "In my library, there are 4,300 volumes of books from the previous dynasty, 3,600 volumes from the Song Dynasty, and more than 1,700 volumes from the Tang Dynasty and before. If you add Since the last dynasty, the number of books has definitely exceeded 10,000 volumes!”
"Is the reason why my uncle built this library the content of the books recorded in the books, or the craftsmanship, paper, and production methods of the books? In short, I don't think it should be as simple as standing on this tall building, leaning against the wind and overlooking the scenery."
Li Dan pointed towards the outside of the fence as he spoke, and glanced at the lights outside as if inadvertently.
"Haha, you are right, naturally it is not for the scenery!" Qian Min said with longing: "Books are a thing that will be lost to obscurity in only three generations if no one organizes, collects, records, and copies it.
I collect books and copy them so that the wisdom of previous generations can be passed down.
The preservation of original books not only respects the original works, but also preserves their book form, skills, etc.
People in the future can see and understand the difficulty of writing and preserving books in the past, and they can also understand the difficulty and rareness of what I am doing today.
I hope that my name can exist in future generations in another way, not just in the corner of a county journal where someone accidentally sees it. "
He was so full of passion that he didn't notice the way Li Dan glanced out the window or the numbers or gestures he made from time to time in his hand.
Mao Zaidi and Huang Qin were hiding on the roof of the "Liaohongzhai" diagonally across from the library. Amao was observing the news sent by Li Dan with a telescope in his hand and then relayed it to Huang Qin. For example, they now knew that there was something coming from the northwest. Movement requires attention.
"Uncle, why doesn't your library have a name?" Upstairs, Li Dan asked Qian Min. When he entered, he found that the plaque was empty.
"When this building was built five years ago, I didn't know what to call it, so I just left it like that." Qian Min replied.
Although he was just a teacher, a bookworm, and a hero in the old books, in fact, he and his siblings were all assigned property and shares in their names by their father.
Even if you don't become a county official or prefect, you can still make thousands of taels of profits every year, so building a building is not a difficult task.
"Then you think about it carefully in the past two days. If you come up with it, Li Jieyuan will be happy to help!"
Li Dan's words made Qian Min laugh, and he found that he liked his little nephew more and more.
"Oh, yes, I made friends with an army guerrilla in Yugan. His name was Zhu Qizhen. He also asked me to bring a letter to his uncle. Guess who it is? He is a cabinet bachelor, Zhu Zhanzhen, the president of Huiwen Museum.”
Li Dan smiled and blinked: "Uncle, are you interested in going to meet me? The collection of books in the Huiwen Library... not everyone has the opportunity to see them!" As he spoke, he helped Qian Min, who was breathing heavily. He sat down in the chair and did not let him see Huang Qin drawing the arrow in his hand.
Teacher Hou raised his head and stepped over the body of the boy who was knocked unconscious. They already knew the location of "Yixin Garden" from this man's mouth, and the group quickly approached the gate of the garden quietly and silently.
The door was closed, a person stepped forward and pushed it gently, and the door shaft made a slight "squeak" sound. The moonlight spreads well in the middle of the courtyard, and the grass exudes a fresh and pleasant smell, but there is no one in the courtyard.
Looking up to confirm that the words "One Heart Garden" were indeed written on it, Coach Hou waved for everyone to enter. A man in black walked in first, and there was no sound. He turned around and nodded.
Just as Coach Hou said, "Come on!", a large net suddenly rose from the ground, suspending the person entering the courtyard in mid-air. There were several small bells hanging under the net. The more people struggled, the louder the bells became.
"There's an ambush!" he shouted instead. As if in reply, bamboo flutes were playing loudly everywhere, and footsteps could be heard from both ends of the alley.
More than one voice shouted: "Get the assassin!"
At this time, Coach Hou needs to stop at the last moment. Should he give up the assassination, or should he continue to rush in regardless of everything? There are only a dozen of them. If you lose all, even if there is a chance later, you will have to watch it slip away from your hands!
