"Don't you see that the Zumachuan River is running along the snowy seaside, and the flat sand is vast and yellow in the sky. The wind roars in Luntai in the September night, and the gravel in the river is as big as a bucket, and the rocks are scattered all over the ground in the wind."
Zhang Zhao was riding on a two-humped camel. He covered his face with a fine gauze produced in Jiangnan East Road, and sang loudly with some enthusiasm.
"What a poem! What a poem! Mr. Erlang is so talented!" Ma Yaozi loudly flattered the camel in front, while Dunzhu carried Zhang Zhao's trousers and followed behind with an expression of admiration.
"Well, I really despise you! This is a poem by Cen Jiazhou (Cen Shen)!" Captain Yan, who was rubbing his sword while walking, looked at Ma Yaozi with disdain.
"A certain person who became a slave of the Tubo people sang in the Qilian Mountains, but you didn't even know."
"Damn bitch slave, you're the only one who talks a lot!" There was laughter all around, and Ma Yaozi, who couldn't help but spit on Deputy Yan's face.
Cao Shishi was a little depressed. He had never traveled far away. As a result, he didn't even say goodbye to his parents, so he followed Zhang Zhao westward.
The journey was far more difficult than he imagined. If he didn't want some face, Cao Shishi would have the urge to turn around and go back.
"Erlangjun, since my grandpa admires you so much, why do you want to go west? Why not just stay in Dunhuang? We still have at least two to three hundred thousand people. It is much easier to restore the Tang Dynasty than to go to the Western Regions. !”
Cao Yanming is now called Zhang Zhaoerlangjun like everyone else. He really wants to be Zhang Zhao's uncle instead of his nephew.
"Dunhuang?" Zhang Zhao shook his head, "Dunhuang is a good place! If I had come twenty years earlier, of course it would have been better to stay in Dunhuang directly, but now, Dunhuang has become a dead place.
More than 20 years ago, the Tang Dynasty was still there, and they still wanted to accumulate strength to break through Ganliang and return to the Tang Dynasty. But now, the wealthy people in Dunhuang only think about how to keep their wealth. If someone stays in Dunhuang, the most they can do is A person like Luo Tongda. "
Came twenty years earlier?
Not only Cao Yanming, but also everyone nearby showed puzzled looks, but they didn't think too much about it. After all, Zhang Erlangjun often used some strange words, so he had long been used to it.
However, they thought that Zhang Zhao was saying that he was born too late. Zhang Zhao actually wanted to say that he could have traveled twenty years earlier and directly transformed into the white emperor Zhang Chengfeng, so that he could start in Dunhuang.
Seeing Cao Yanming nodding his head in confusion, Zhang Zhao decided to teach him another lesson.
"Jushiro, are you familiar with your great-grandfather?"
Cao Yanming was a little confused and nodded hesitantly.
"It's quite familiar. My grandpa is a bit strict with his family. The rest of the governors, officials and people all say that my grandpa is a good person!"
"Good man!" Zhang Zhao touched his chin, "Forget it! I think your grandpa is a good man, but you have to know that in addition to being a good man, your grandpa is also a ruthless man!
If I don’t go to Khotan and just hang out in front of him every day, I tell you, your grandpa will have to hack me to death in ten days and a half at most!
Remember, if you want to do big things, don't always expose your weaknesses in front of others, because you are constantly challenging others' self-restraint and bottom line. If one day they can't stand the temptation, you It's dead.
Your great-grandfather was nice to me today because I had the same ambitions and the same worries as him, but tomorrow he may very well choose to kill me because of the threat I pose to the Cao family. "
. . . .
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Cao Yijin, who was supported by Cao Sanniang by the sweet spring, coughed violently.
Lady Cao Sanniang gently held his back while pouring the warm wine in the skin into an amber cup and handed it to Cao Yijin.
"Grandpa, why are you leaving in such a hurry? You are not in good health, so we might as well go slower!"
"Slow down!" Cao Yijin snorted and stroked his chest several times before his breath became smoother.
"I'm afraid if I walk too slowly, I won't be able to help but order someone to sink Zhang Erlang into the Crescent Moon Spring."
"Ah!" Although Mrs. Cao Sanniang was not as young as Cao Yanming, she still didn't expect Cao Yijin to have murderous intentions, and she was immediately frightened.
"This Erlang will definitely be a big trouble for the Cao family in the future. Maybe the future wealth of the Cao family will be ruined in his hands! No! I want to add another insurance policy!"
Cao Yijin's face was quite gloomy at this time. It seemed that he was definitely not joking when he said he wanted to kill Zhang Zhao.
"But, Grandpa, since you think that Zhang Erlang will be a big trouble to the Cao family in the future, why do you still want to help him today?
And from my granddaughter's point of view, Zhang Erlang does not seem to be a heartless and unjust person. If you are so kind to him today, will he ruin the wealth of our Cao family? "Ms. Cao Sanniang was quite puzzled.
"I am showing favor to him today because I discovered that Zhang Erlang has the same ambition as me.
This person knows me! You know what I want, and you know why I am worried! Pity! It would be great if he was my son, or a grandson! This way I can hand over the Cao family to him! "
As he spoke, Cao Yijin's face flushed, and he became even more restless.
"Zhang Erlang should not be a heartless person, but your uncle, second uncle, and even your father are not the kind of people who can see through reality! It's difficult! It's difficult!"
Cao Yijin asked two questions in a row: don't support Zhang Zhao. He also felt that if there was no such figure in Hexi, he would probably fall into the trap of Hu Chen sooner or later.
Support it, but I am afraid that if Zhang Zhao really succeeds, the descendants of the Cao family will not be able to recognize the formality, and will be dealt with by Zhang Zhao in the end.
Not so! Mrs. Cao Sanniang thought for a while, although her uncle was stingy, her second uncle was greedy for money, and her father was slow in everything he did, it wasn't like the three of them couldn't see the situation clearly, right?
"Don't worry, Grandpa, now you have agreed to the marriage between Zhang Erlang and Nineteenth Sister. He is both your cousin and your grandson-in-law, uh..."
Speaking of this, Mrs. Cao Sanni almost couldn't help but laugh out loud. Although there was no blood relationship between Zhang Erlang and Taigong, they were also normal cousins with Nineteenth Sister.
But this nephew has become a grandson-in-law, which sounds a bit funny.
After calming down a little, Cao Sanniang continued to persuade.
"As long as it is handled properly, there is not much difference between a grandson-in-law and a grandson. Didn't Shangzhu Guo (Suo Xun) also treat you as his own son back then?
Later, there was such a big turmoil in the Suo family. Didn't you also keep the Suo family's uncle as a high-ranking official in Zuomabudu Yiya? "
The uncle of the Suo family mentioned by Mrs. Cao Sanni is called Suo Chengxun, and he is the son of Suo Xun, the fourth-generation Jiedu envoy of the Guiyi Army.
But Suo Xun, Zhang Yichao's son-in-law was not a very good character. It was he who opened the magic box for the Guiyi army to kill each other and created the first case of foreign surnames usurping the power of the Zhang family.
Of course, he was eventually killed by his sister-in-law, Zhang Yichao's fourteenth daughter, who was married to another Guiyi Army general Li Mingzhen, and her sons.
Therefore, as Suo Xun's son, Suo Chengxun was able to avoid being implicated and was promoted all the way. It was indeed the result of Cao Yijin's great efforts to protect him.
After another two sips of warm wine and a long rest, Cao Yijin looked much better. He turned to look at the third lady beside him.
"Grandson Yannai is right!"
Madam Cao Sanni suddenly felt something was wrong, because the last time Cao Yijin suddenly called her so affectionately was when she was about to marry into the Murong family.
Sure enough, Cao Yijin's next sentence went in the direction Cao Sanniang imagined.
"But Nineteenth Mother is now twelve years old. She is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but she is still a little behind here. She alone may not be able to protect the Cao family."
Cao Yijin pointed to his head, and then looked at Lady Cao Sanniang seriously.
"I think that Zhang Erlang has a good feeling for you. If my Yannai grandson hadn't married to the Murong family, he would have been the most suitable bride. But now, I may have to wrong you in the future."
Madam Cao Sanni suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, and tears rolled down her cheeks. This was how she was married to the Murong family back then, so what does it mean now?
Even though she thought Zhang Zhao was good, Lady Cao Sanni never wanted to accept such an arrangement, but she didn't have the courage to resist, so she could only snort like a mosquito.
"Aweng will not agree! I am already a member of the Murong family!"
"He will agree. Although the Murong family seems to be competing with my Cao family, their future is actually more worrying.
Because a certain Cao Yijin still has your two uncles and your father here. Although he is a little stupid and a little narrow-minded, he can still maintain the situation.
But the Murong family, except for your unlucky husband Murong Changdao, the rest of them are mediocre, which is just to praise them. If the Murong family wants to maintain their power, they don't have much choice! "
After speaking, Cao Yijin stretched out his hand to wipe the tears from Cao Sanniang's eyes.
"Grandson Yannai, don't cry. Zhang Erlang is not a heartless person. You are not yet thirty years old, and your days will be long in the future. If you don't follow Zhang Erlang, given your status, you will only be a Qingdeng Ancient Buddha for the rest of your life. .
Grandpa is so tired! Help Grandpa share the burden, but it's a pity that you are not a man! "