Coming out of the noodle shop, Wang Ruohai looked at the bustling streets and praised: "The small town of Ruzhou is so prosperous, so the guards must be capable. Cao Zhiyan, who guards here, heard that he was a monk from Qingliang Temple. How could he know so much? Come to think of it. Credit goes to Wang Xiaolie.”
Lu Qing said: "I think so. Although Wang Xiaolie is young, he is calm in his work. Moreover, many of his ideas are unexpected and often have miraculous results. In these extraordinary times, the court should reuse this kind of person."
Wang Ruohai shook his head and said nothing. Wang Ruohai was a Jinshi during the Jianyan period. Jin soldiers went south and wrote many letters. When the city of Kaifeng was destroyed, Wang Ruohai lowered himself out of the city, met Zhao Gou and asked him to ascend the throne, which was regarded as a tribute to his support. However, Wang Ruohai is a staunch fighter and is not appreciated by his superiors. If he himself is not reused, why should he reuse Wang Xiaolie?
The two of them walked on the street and took in some street scenes.
This is the central area of Ruzhou City, and most of the industries recently opened by Wang Xiaolie are concentrated here. Looking along the way, there are restaurants, noodle shops, steamed bun shops, dumpling shops, etc. It looks very lively.
After walking a few steps, I saw a big sign on the street with "Roasted Chestnuts with Sugar" written on it. Many people gathered in front of it.
Wang Ruohai said: "I've seen roasted chestnuts before, but it's rare to see them roasted with sugar. There are so many customers, so I think they taste good, so let's go buy a few."
Not long after I arrived in front of the store, I saw a big pot outside. There are gravels inside, with a shovel on top, and a boy turning it around. Inside the gravel are plump chestnuts, which are dark brown and very attractive.
Wang Ruohai asked: "How do you sell chestnuts here?"
The boy said: "I'll give you one penny for my return. These chestnuts are sweet and delicious, and they are the most delicious."
Wang Ruohai said: "Then bring twenty pieces and put them together for me."
The boy sang the promise loudly. He took twenty pieces from the pot and handed them over with a withered lotus leaf.
Wang Ruohai paid the money and said to Lu Qing: "The chestnuts have just come out of the pot and are still a little hot. Come, let's have a taste."
He peeled one and put it in his mouth, chewed it and swallowed it. He couldn't help but praise: "It's really delicious! Chestnuts are naturally sweet and delicious, and they are fried with sugar, which makes them even more delicious. I didn't expect that in the small place of Ruzhou, There are so many delicious foods.”
Lu Qing nodded and said nothing. I am a military commander, so eating snacks like this on the street is always a little weird.
Not far away, I saw another store in front of me, with the sign saying "Assorted Candies". Wang Ruohai said: "It's weird, there is a candy store in such a small place, let's go and have a look."
When I arrived, I saw a case with several grids on it, and each grid was filled with candies. Unlike other places, the candies here are wrapped in paper and have patterns printed on the paper. In this era, paper is a valuable thing, and I have never seen it used to wrap candy.
I stepped forward and asked the price, and it was also a penny each. Wang Ruohai saw that it was a rare thing, so he bought several packages worth fifty cents, wrapped it into a big bag and carried it in his hand. The candy can be stored for a long time and can be returned home and given to children as gifts.
At this moment, a soldier came quickly. He crossed his hands and said, "Two officials, Official Ji will leave early tomorrow morning. Cao Tongzhi held a banquet in Chunfeng Tower to see you off."
Wang Ruohai looked at Lu Qing, shook his head and said, "We just had a big bowl of noodles, how can we eat it all?"
As he spoke, he, Lu Qing and his entourage walked towards the Chunfeng Tower on one side.
Chunfeng Restaurant is now the largest restaurant in Ruzhou. It is run by the government and its business is very prosperous. When Ji Ling came to Ruzhou, he couldn't use the food and wine at Chunfeng Tower. It is absolutely impossible to go shopping like Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing.
In terms of official positions, Ji Ling was on par with Lu Qing, while Wang Ruohai was much lower. However, this is not a peaceful time, and there are not so many etiquette constraints. In particular, Lu Qing had been in the north, not with Zhao Gou, and was not taken seriously by court officials.
When they arrived at the attic on the second floor, Ji Ling was drinking tea by the window and looking at the scenery outside the window. Seeing Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing come in, he said: "It is late spring now, when the weather is the best, so we still have to hurry up as soon as possible. When the weather gets hot, it will be difficult to walk."
Wang Ruohai said: "That's what Sheren said. Now it's the rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River, and the Han River is open to ships, so we should leave early."
While talking, Lu Qing and Wang Ruohai sat down.
Seeing that Cao Zhiyan was not there, Lu Qing said, "Why don't you see Cao Tongzhi?"
Ji Ling said disdainfully: "I heard that Cao Tongzhi was a monk in Qingliang Temple two years ago. Now he is in charge of a state, which makes people laugh. He is very uncomfortable with us. Willing to come."
Wang Ruohai said: "The country is in trouble, but capable people with lofty ideals have risen up. We must not underestimate them. I heard that Cao Tongzhi followed Wang Xiaolie and made many military exploits, and that's what we are today. A hero doesn't care about his origin, so why mention his past?" identity of."
Ji Ling said: "These reckless people just took advantage of a moment of chaos to find an identity. What kind of heroes! Just like Wang Xiaolie, who also took advantage of the fact that there were no imperial soldiers and horses on Jingxi Road at this time, so he occupied several states. Land. Let me tell you, what is the difference between him and a group of thieves!"
Lu Qing said: "You can't say that. A group of thieves plundered people's property, burned and killed without restraint, and did not listen to the court's orders. Wang Xiaolie was not like that. He led his troops with strict military discipline and never harassed the people. A few days ago, Yang Jin caused chaos. Peering into Luoyang City, even Zhai Zhizhi unfortunately died in battle. If Wang Xiaolie hadn't come forward with his troops, Luoyang would have been in danger! Yang Jin fled south, officials fled to avoid disaster, and Wang Xiaolie occupied those places."
Ji Ling smiled brightly, shook his head, and said nothing more. No matter how much he looked down on Wang Xiaolie, he was on his territory at this time, and Wang Xiaolie had soldiers in his hands, so he couldn't say much.
Not long after, Cao Zhiyan arrived at the restaurant and made a promise to Ji Ling and the others with their hands crossed.
After sitting down, Cao Zhiyan said: "You envoys are on official business and don't want to stay in Ruzhou for a long time. Let's prepare a small amount of wine to see you off today. Chunfeng Tower was originally the property of Yang Shen in the army. Because he was an official, the government funded it. Bought it——"
Wang Ruohai wondered after hearing this: "So what if you're an official? What's the delay in finding a supervisor to look after you?"
Cao Zhidao said: "I don't know about the prison. This is the rule of our Wang Zhizhou. Those who serve as officials cannot have property in the local area, and some have to be sold. Even Wang Zhizhou's own family owns the original land. All sold.”
Wang Ruohai said: "This rule is unkind! The family is not allowed to have property, and the salary is meager. How can we support the family?"
Cao Zhiyan said: "To be honest with the prison, all Wang Zhizhou's subordinates have generous salaries, so how can they not be able to support their families? Zhizhou said that if an official has property in the local area, if there is a dispute, it is inevitable that he will be in a dilemma. How to deal with it? No matter how good you are, it will make the people gossip. Instead of doing this, it is better to sell all the property. It is better to give out more money than to let the people gossip."
After hearing this, Wang Ruohai was surprised. In the Song Dynasty, there was a law of avoidance. When serving as a local official, oneself, relatives and friends were not allowed to have property. But now, who cares about these rules?
Wang Xiaolie's subordinates were originally members of King Qin's army from Ruzhou, and most of the generals in the army were from Ruzhou. When he returned to his hometown, he ordered these people to sell all their properties and not to violate the avoidance law. This was a bit strange.
After a while, the food and wine were served, and a few people drank, ate and chatted. Because he looked down on Cao Zhiyan, Ji Ling never mentioned political affairs.
