When Du Jie heard this, he stood there as if struck by lightning. He shouted blankly: "Grandpa, Jie'er comes back to see you. Just let Jie'er go in and take a look."
"What did I say when we were separated in the woods? I ordered you to study art with Mr. Zhou. If you don't succeed in your art, you are not allowed to return home. Do you think you won't listen to me now that I am no longer a marshal?" The voice was a bit stern. continued
"My grandson doesn't dare. I went to the imperial capital this time with a mission from the emperor. My grandson didn't run out alone. My senior brother and senior sister are still following me." Du Jie hurriedly explained after hearing what his grandfather said.
When Chu Mu heard Du Jie talking about himself, he hurriedly pulled Ye Qingcheng next to him and bowed to the door and said, "Junior Chu Mu and junior sister Ye Qingcheng pay homage to Marshal Du."
"Oh? It turns out to be Young Master Chu Mu and Miss Ye. Don't call me marshal. I have resigned from my official position long ago. Now I am just an old man in the village. How can I turn away the distinguished guest? Luan girl, take Young Master Chu Mu away. Xia and Miss Ye go to the living room, Qiu Yong, wait at the door with Du Jie. If you dare to let him in privately, then don't even think about coming in again."
"Luan'er obeys your orders."
"This...is, sir!"
Chu Mu came over and patted Du Jie on the shoulder, then shook his head helplessly and walked in. Ye Qingcheng also walked past Du Jie. Before approaching the door, he turned around and said to Du Jie: "Lao Qi, wait a minute. I'll see if Marshal Du can be accommodating." After saying that, he turned around and walked into the door. .
Outside the gate, only Qiu Yong and Du Jie were left staring at each other.
…………
After leaving Ningze and taking the boat to the north, Du Jie was sulking in the cabin and said with a smile, Chu Mu said with a smile: "Junior brother, are you still acting like a child? Your grandpa asked you to have a good life outside for your own good. Don't be angry. ”
Du Jie curled his lips and said nothing. Chu Mu had no choice but to continue: "I also got some news from Marshal Du this time. Marshal Du visited Li Wenyuan three times, each time to borrow military pay. The amount was very huge. The old marshal had nothing to offer at the time, so he only gave Li Wenyuan a guarantee, which made Li Wenyuan almost give up half of his net worth to the old marshal. Junior brother, what do you think it is?"
Du Jie kept his head down and said nothing, but Ye Qingcheng next to him asked in surprise: "What is it?"
"Marshal Du promised that if the northwest is stable, the trade with the Western Regions will only be left to the Li family. Everyone in business says that Li Wenyuan is a stingy businessman. I think everyone in the world has underestimated this Li Wenyuan. How dare you give up half of your wealth in gambling For a future of wealth and wealth, rather than Marshal Du coming to borrow military salary, it is better to say that Li Wenyuan paid the army to help him open trade routes. This is really an unprecedented deal." Chu Mu said with a click of his tongue, and he could see that he I highly praise Li Wenyuan's courage.
"War is war. We are not fighting for some business philosophy. Senior brother should be honest. Did grandpa give you any tips?" Du Jie said somewhat unhappily when he heard Chu Mu's metaphor.
Chu Mu also realized that he had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly changed the subject and said: "Normally, once the war in the northwest is over, the trade route should be opened, but there should be some remaining ashes of the rebels, and they are afraid that they will become robbers and bandits. According to Li Wenyuan's adopted son Mu Yanbin, Li Wenyuan disappeared while exploring the road. The northwest has been wary all year round and the people are fierce. Li Wenyuan cannot be riding alone when he goes out. He must have gone with the entire convoy. I'm afraid that everyone will disappear in this way. If it is a robber, this is not a small scale."
Ye Qingcheng nodded: "Anyway, we finally have some clues. I'll meet up with Lao Er and the others when we arrive in the northwest in a few days. We can resolve this matter as soon as possible so that we can go to Wanbaoshan."
After Ye Qingcheng said this, everyone fell silent. Du Jie was bored for a long time, but when he saw Chu Mu stopped talking, he opened his mouth several times to ask if his grandfather had left him anything, but stopped. Chu Mu and Ye Qingcheng looked at each other, and both pretended to rest nearby as if nothing had happened. In the end, Du Jie couldn't help but asked: "Elder brother, does my grandfather have anything to say to you?"
Chu Mu pretended to be casual and said: "What are you talking about? Marshal Du didn't seem to explain anything. Oh, he asked us to urge you to learn martial arts and start training as soon as possible."
"Oh" Du Jie said in frustration when he heard Chu Mu's answer.
Chu Mu smiled and shook his head, took out a small wooden figure from his pocket and handed it to Du Jie: "Don't be upset, your grandfather asked me to give it to you. In addition, he also told me, don't be homesick all the time. . It’s like I suffered so much injustice outside.”
When Du Jie heard that, he hurriedly took the wooden man over and stared at it blankly for a long time. Then he took out another small wooden horse from his pocket. He put the wooden man on the wooden horse, which happened to be in the shape of a wrangler. The villain's facial features cannot be clearly seen, and the carving is not very delicate, but Du Jie feels as if he has found a treasure.
"Junior brother?" Seeing that Du Jie was a little excited, Chu Mu reached out his hand to comfort him. Du Jie turned around and said, "Senior brother, do you know about the nomads who herd horses outside the Great Wall?"
"Of course I know. Junior brother, why are you asking this?" Chu Mu asked in a strange tone.
"My grandfather often complained to me when I was very young, saying that there would be no more wars in the future, so he took me to herd horses outside the Great Wall. The two of us herded hundreds of horses and ran happily on the grassland. I Although I have never seen the prairie, my grandfather made me feel itchy at that time. I didn’t expect that without the war, I would be separated from my grandfather. I knew what my grandfather meant. He asked me to learn as soon as possible so that I could accompany him to herding horses. ..." Du Jie said, sobbing as if a child had lost his most precious thing.
Chu Mu wanted to say something, but after thinking for a long time, nothing came out.
The northwest is a very legendary place. Many dynasties have appeared and disappeared here. During the heyday of those dynasties, the place became rich and prosperous. People moved here from the Central Plains, bringing with them a large amount of labor and craftsman skills. For a time, it was known as the second capital. But as the dynasty grew, its war with the Central Plains inevitably began. From thousands of years ago to the present, no one knows how many warriors were buried here. Maybe it was the anger of God and the resentment of people. Hundreds of years ago, a vast expanse of land appeared here. The desert has blocked the road between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Now, on the edge of the desert, there is the largest city in the northwest - Yongzhou.
Yongzhou has a history of more than two hundred years. It was a barrier to the northwest of the imperial court, always monitoring the whereabouts of enemies from across the desert. And because they have been in a state of fighting for a long time, the folk customs here are extremely strong. Most people carry knives when they go out on the streets, so it is not unusual for some people in the world to carry swords or broadswords with them in this city.
At this moment, in front of a tavern, a child was grabbed aside by a vicious-looking shopkeeper. The child was trembling with fear. The shopkeeper curled his lips and said, "You little bastard, you want to renege on your debt after eating wine and food? Give me the money quickly, or if you don't, I'll chop you up and feed you to the pigs!"
The child cried out as if he was really frightened. The shopkeeper was indifferent. On the other hand, the diner next to him threw away his chopsticks and cursed: "Damn it, you're interrupting my meal with your crying." The people here are used to seeing life and death on the battlefield, so they are naturally much more indifferent to people.
Seeing that the guests had some objections, the shopkeeper hurriedly smiled and said: "Excuse me, everyone, please forgive me. I will take him to the backyard. You can eat your food. If there is not enough, please order more." After saying that, he grabbed the child's clothes and thought Take him to the backyard for treatment. At this moment, a handsome young man walked in from the door of the store. As soon as the young man entered the store, he shouted: "Wait a minute!"
The guests were very happy. It seemed that they really acted righteously. This was really fun to see. Everyone turned to look at the young man who came in. But when they saw that it didn't matter, everyone suddenly stood up and shouted in unison: "Mr. Mu!"
The young man didn't take care of the other people. He walked straight to the shopkeeper and released the child from the shopkeeper's hands. The shopkeeper didn't dare to say anything at all and kept smiling beside him. The young man asked: "Brother Kong, are you okay?"
The child's face turned red and he said, "Thank you, Brother Mu, for saving me. I was greedy and wanted to go out to eat something delicious, but I forgot to bring money with me. Third Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Sister ran off somewhere."
The young man nodded after hearing this, then stood up and asked the shopkeeper, "How much money does he owe you? I paid it."
The shopkeeper was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly: "What are you talking about, Mr. Mu? It's because I'm blind. I didn't know that this young master is your friend. I'll treat you to this meal. I hope Mr. Mu won't blame you."
The man called Mr. Mu lowered his head to hear whether the child was injured. After getting the answer, he nodded and said: "For the sake of my little brother interceding for you, let's forget it this time. If there is any injury, Next time, get out of Yongzhou Mansion!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I don't dare, I don't dare! Thank you, young master, for your noble hand, thank you, young master!" The shopkeeper kowtowed as if he was pounding garlic.
Naturally, this child is considered Kong Miaozhi, and this dashing young master is Li Wenyuan's adopted son, Mu Yanbin. The two of them were not polite to the shopkeeper and left the restaurant without paying any attention to the matter. At that time, the remaining diners inside were still whispering about the origin of this child.
After returning to Li Mansion, Mu Yanbin said goodbye. Kong Miaozhi sent him away very gratefully and politely, looked around at the door and then pushed the door open and went in. Wu Qi and Changsun Wufang have indeed returned. Wu Qi stepped forward and was about to ask something when Kong Miaozhi hurriedly covered her mouth and whispered to him: "Walls have ears."
Wu Qi and Changsun Wufang were stunned after hearing this, and then they pretended to have a few words with Kong Miaozhi, just asking why they sneaked out and what on earth they were doing. I wonder if all the senior brothers and sisters are worried? Kong Miaozhi broke the window paper and looked outside to make sure no one was eavesdropping before he let out a sigh of relief.
