When the group reached Dantu, they were about to part ways. Ge Ruliang, Dugu Chu, Xiang'er, Li Tengkong, and Ye Qingyao turned eastward to Qu'a, while Jiang Shuo, Hun Weiming, and Nan Jiyun continued northward. It goes without saying that Jiang Shuo and Dugu Xiang said goodbye, but Ye Qingyao kept pouting and sulking and refused to say goodbye to Jiang Shuo.
Jiang Shuo waited another forty or fifty miles to the north and reached a ferry. The river was originally wide, but here the river spread out in a trumpet shape to the east. The other bank was looming, and it was as wide as the sea. However, although the river was wide, there were more ships on the river. , Huge ships kept coming and going, but it still felt crowded. Hun Weiming had always been wary of Ge Ruliang. As soon as he left Ge Ruliang, he immediately became lively. He pointed his riding whip to the other side and said, "Young Master, this is the Runzhou Jingkou Ferry, and the river across the river is the famous Guazhou Ferry." ”
Jiang Shuo raised his eyes and looked into the distance. He saw masts and flags on the other side like weaving and sails like clouds. It was a lively scene he had never seen before. He asked Hun Weiming, "Brother Hun, how are we going to get there?"
Hun Weiming smiled and said: "Young Master, don't worry, most of the boatmen on the Yangzhou River are members of my Zhenze gang. Are you worried about not having a boat to cross the river?"
While he was talking, he saw a small boat breaking through the waves. Hun Weiming said: "Let's cross the river in a small boat first. We will stay in Yangzhou tonight and change boats at Zhuyu Bay tomorrow to go north."
Jiang Shuo saw that the people operating the boat were Feng Ji and Kang Qian who were behind Hun Weiming yesterday. He knew they were his confidants. The boat carried three people and sailed towards the other side. When they arrived at Guazhou Ferry, there was Zhenze on the shore. The gang was waiting. Jiang Shuo saw that there were many people in Zhenze. Except for the leading leaders, who were well-dressed and well-dressed, a large number of gang members behind them were all dressed in linen and ge-shirts, with their trousers and mud legs exposed. This group of people looked confused. It's not like a martial arts gang, it's just like a large caravan with a mixture of noble and low-ranking people.
Everyone came up to greet Jiang Shuo. It seemed that Jiang Shuo had become the leader of the Jianghu Alliance and the news spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River.
Surrounded by people, Jiang Shuo continued to walk north for thirty miles before he saw the Yangzhou City Wall. The Yangzhou City Wall was very large, but not very high. It was only a little over ten feet tall. It looked not as strong as the city walls in other counties. There is nothing like the "famous capital of Huaizuo" style.
Hun Weiming saw Jiang Shuo looking at the city wall and said with a smile: "Yangzhou was called Guangling in ancient times and Jiangdu in the Sui Dynasty. It is divided into two cities, north and south. The north is Zicheng. It is the old city of Guangling, also known as "Yamen City", where the government offices gathered. The place is very boring, but what we are going to now is Luocheng in the south, also known as the "big city", which is where merchants gather. Yangzhou is prosperous and prosperous. It has been expanded five times since the Tang Dynasty, and it is also the day of peace in the world. It has been a long time, so the more the city wall is built, the more perfunctory it becomes."
The sun was already setting in the west, and everyone rushed into the city before the city gates closed. Jiang Shuo saw that Luocheng was very different from other prefectures and counties. Generally, the city was divided into lanes horizontally and vertically, and only the first and second lanes were designated as commercial markets. Luocheng is filled with shops, merchants, restaurants and dance pavilions everywhere. In particular, there are long streets along the canal. There is no wall between the ships in the canal and the shops on the shore, so you can go up and down at will. He was surprised when Hun Weiming said to him: "Young Master is thinking, there is no wall between the nine-mile long street and the canal, how can we implement a curfew?"
Jiang Shuo nodded and said, "Yes, there is no way to prohibit ships from traveling on the water. Do we have to send troops to guard every ship in the river?"
Hun Weiming laughed loudly and said: "There is no curfew on the long street by the water in Luocheng. This is the only place under the rule of Emperor Tang! Come on, young master, let's go to the most famous He Xun Tower here."
This long street is so bustling. Hun Weiming is very familiar with this place. As he walks with Jiang Shuo, he talks about where is the silk and color shop, where is the clothing and shoe shop, and there are fruit shops, peppers and bamboo shoots to eat. The most novel thing is It was a Persian mansion that sold all kinds of exotic gadgets from Southeast Asia. Jiang Shuo wandered around and couldn't help but feel lingering. Everywhere he looked felt extremely novel.
After walking around like this, at dusk I arrived in front of a large restaurant in the center of the long street. This restaurant covers a large area and has a nine-ridged roof. It must be the He Xun Building. The He Xun Tower is built next to the canal. It is eight or nine feet high and has three floors. Each floor has double eaves and flying wings, and a corridor with vermillion lacquer pillars. It looks quite spectacular. At this moment, the building has lights, and under the eaves of the corridor It is hung with lanterns, and under the reflection of the canal water, the brilliance is as bright as the Yellow Crane Tower in Ezhou and the Ba Yong Tower in Dongyang.
Hun Weiming let the gang go to the nearby restaurants to eat, with a vague intention of protecting them. He and Nan Jiyun accompanied Jiang Shuo into the building. Jiang Shuo saw the first floor facing the street and the water with open doors on both sides. The wine bar is very open and atmospheric. There is no curfew in Luocheng. Even though it is the time for the lights to be turned on, the building is still crowded, and there is no sign that it is about to close.
Everyone walked up to the second floor and saw that the second floor was a restaurant. It was already full of guests. Shopkeepers were going back and forth. It was very lively. The decoration on the second floor was more magnificent than the first floor. The pillars were all painted with vermilion paint and the floor was polished and polished. It is bright enough to illuminate people's faces, but the top is light lake green, matching the waves of the canal. It is also painted with gold powder to draw a lotus flower pattern, which is quite gorgeous. There is a lacquered wooden screen in front of the stairs, with mother-of-pearl inlays on it to form the following words:
The sequence of objects in the Rabbit Garden is the plum blossom.
The road is covered with frost, and the snow is reflected in the cold weather.
The branches are spread across the moon, and the flowers surround the Lingfeng Terrace.
Weeping at Changmen in the morning, stationed at Linqiong Cup at night.
It should be known that it has fallen early, so it is time for spring to come.
Nan Jiyun praised: "This building is indeed magnificent, and the owner has the confidence to be 'so inferior'."
Jiang Shuo laughed and said: "Brother Nan, you are making a joke. This He Xun is Shuibu Lang, the minister of the Liang Dynasty. He Shuibu specializes in refining calligraphy. His writings do not add allusions to the text. His style is fresh and gentle, and he is especially good at describing scenes. Lyrical, the five-character ancient poem on the screen is his poem "Yangzhou Facao Plum Blossoms in Bloom", but it does not mean 'He Xunzhi You'."
Nan Jiyun praised: "Young Master, you are not very old, but you are very knowledgeable. You are much better than our martial artist who only knows a few words."
Jiang Shuo said: "I have been with Mr. Taibai for a long time, so I naturally know more about poetry."
But I heard someone cheering upstairs: "The young gentleman is knowledgeable and admirable. Please come to the pavilion to see him."
Hun Wei said clearly: "It turns out that the master here is here, young master, let's go up."
The three of them climbed up to the third floor, but they saw that this place was more elegant than the second floor. The wood used was all of its original color, but the structure was exquisite, just like a beauty without makeup, which made it even more elegant and refined. It turned out to be a pavilion and private room, and all the pavilions were It was covered with a silk screen, and only the door of a pavilion was wide open. A young man at the door crossed his hands and respectfully said, "Master, please come in."
When the three of them entered, they saw that the pavilion was quite spacious and decorated with plain silk, making it look elegant and luxurious. There were many eight-treasure glazed lamps hung on the top, which illuminated the pavilion brightly. A little more beautiful scenery. There were already many people sitting inside, but an elegant middle-aged scribe sat at the main seat. This person was wearing a green robe with wide sleeves and a large train, and an official-style scarf. Although the materials were exquisite, the style was simple and transparent. There is a trend of celebrities and elegant scholars. However, Hun Weiming recognized him and stepped forward to introduce him: "Young master, this is Dou Tinghui, the governor of Yangzhou. Dou Lang is the third son of Dou Jieying in Qingyang. The Dou family is in charge of the silk business in Yangzhou City and is a well-known wealthy businessman in the world. This He Xun Building is also Sanlang’s property.”
Dou Tinghui said with a smile: "What are you talking about, Leader Hun? The young master made fun of you for nothing. I heard this morning that the Jianghu Alliance has a new leader. I don't want to be so young. Dou San is being polite." As he said this, he bowed his hands and bowed down. , Jiang Shuo quickly bowed back and said, "It turns out it's Dou Biejia, disrespectful, disrespectful."
Dou Tinghui waved her hand and said: "Hey...just call me Sanlang. Don't make fun of me because of my official position. I haven't asked the young master for advice yet."
Jiang Shuo crossed his hands and said, "My name is Jiang Shuo, and my nickname is Su."
Dou Tinghui said: "Looking back, you came to Yangzhou as soon as you became the leader of the alliance. I wonder if you have any advice?"
Hun Weiming said hurriedly: "The young master went north this time to meet the former leader of the alliance, Li Shijun, but he did not come specifically to Yangzhou." The traitors in the alliance turned the world upside down. It was really not a glorious thing, so Hun Weiming did not mention Cheng Angzhi. I just want to go north to visit Li Yong.
Dou Tinghui nodded and said: "Even so, Dou should fulfill his friendship as a landlord and please take a seat as soon as possible."
Dou Tinghui gestured with her eyes, and someone immediately gave up the guest of honor seat to Jiang Shuo and the other three. The waiter stepped forward to move the table and rearranged the bowls, chopsticks and food. Just as he was about to pour the wine, Dou Tinghui said: "The distinguished guests are here, how can we do this again?" Ordinary wine? Change to tulips."
After a while, the waiter brought a jade bottle and a jade cup on a silver plate. Just as he was about to step forward to pour the wine, a person stood up next to Dou Tinghui. It was Dou Tinghui who had just signaled to give way to one of the three people. The tall and surrounding person in his life. He had an eye-halberd beard and a very rugged appearance. He wore only half sleeves on his upper body and a pair of crotch trousers to tie his legs. He was dressed like a martial artist. He said: "Tulip wine is produced in Lanling, and my brother is also from Lanling, so let me Brother, I will be half the host and pour wine for Young Master Jiang." After saying this, he grabbed the jade bottle from the waiter's tray, strode up to Jiang Shuo, and poured wine into his cup.
This person's name is Xiao Dayou. He comes from a rough background and calls himself the Xiao family of Lanling. I'm afraid it's just to put money on his face and he can't do it accurately.
The canal was busy with shipping, which required a lot of boatman labor. Over time, gangs were formed. Most of the people under the jurisdiction of Hunwei and Ming Zhenze were Wuyue people in the south of the Yangtze River. South of Yangzhou, they were called the Nan Gang on the waterway, but Xiao Dayou was from Henan. The leader of the Tao, most of the boat people live east of the canal, called the Dongbang. The two southeastern gangs both live on the canal, so there are naturally many disputes. Zhenze is located in the south of the Yangtze River, adjacent to Yangzhou, which occupies a geographical advantage. They are both skilled and shrewd, so the Southern Gang has been quite dominant over the Eastern Gang in recent years.
Xiao Dayou saw that Hun Weiming brought a teenage boy today and said he was the leader of the alliance, but the eldest patron Gu Dou Tinghui treated the boy with great courtesy. He was really angry and thought, I can't fight Hun Weiming, so I can't cure you, a kid. ? So in the name of pouring wine, he wanted to find Jiang Shuo's bad luck.
Xiao Dayou grabbed the wine cup in front of Jiang Shuo with his right hand and poured it carelessly. He pushed it forward and said, "Young Master, please drink!" , if Jiang Shuo did not resist, the wine cup would knock out a few of his front teeth if the wine cup hit his mouth. If he intervened and broke the wine cup, it would be a disgrace to his face and give him an excuse to take action.
Seeing this, Dou Tinghui exclaimed: "Xiao Lang must not be rude."
