Jinyang is the old capital of the Jin Kingdom and the place where the first Jin marquis was entrusted.
The city is surrounded by three towers, with high walls and deep pools. Before the capital was moved to Suzhou, Jinyang City was the political and military center of the Jin State and the northern fortress against the Rong and Di.
During the reign of the Jin Marquis of the Five Dynasties, there was civil strife in the Jin palace, and clans fought for power. Half of the city fell into military chaos and was destroyed in a fire.
Not long after the civil strife ended, the old Marquis of Jin died of illness, and the successor prince executed seventeen brothers and sisters who had rebelled. Later, he announced that the capital would be moved to Suzhou City.
Time flies by for a hundred years, and Jinyang City is no longer as prosperous as it once was, but it is heavily guarded. The old clans represented by the Zhi clan took turns to garrison troops, shouldering the important task of guarding the northern border, and firmly controlled the lower army, which was mainly composed of chariots and cavalry. Even the Marquis of Jin could not interfere.
On this day, the sun was rising, and the suspension bridge was lowered in front of the city gate. The heavy door was about to open, and the sound of thunder came from the road. Two fast horses galloped over, and a large amount of smoke and dust was raised behind the horses.
The soldiers looked up, recognized the knight's leather armor, and immediately blew their horns.
The desolate sound of horns pierced the morning light, and the city residents who got up early stopped one after another, and saw a group of city soldiers rushing down from the top of the city, holding spears to face the outside of the city. Another person was running towards the city, and his direction should be to the east of the city, where the clans gathered.
"There are flying knights."
"The black armor and double spears are the private soldiers of the Zhi family."
Amid the discussion, the knight dismounted in front of the city gate and revealed his identity to the city soldiers: "On the order of Young Master Heng, I am sending a message to the general's residence."
The city soldiers checked the identity of the two people and confirmed that they were correct, and then they got out of the way.
The two knights leaped onto their horses, pulled the reins with both hands, and the horsemen stood up, neighed, and galloped past the gatehouse.
The layout of the city is strict, with two main roads running through the east, west, north and south, and intersecting in the center of the city. There are also several streets radiating outwards, connecting lanes and neighborhoods, extending in all directions.
The road leading to the east of the city is paved with bluestones and can accommodate four horses running parallel.
The two knights waved their whips and galloped past one behind the other, attracting the attention of passersby, and disappeared at the end of the long street.
At the Zhi family's house, Zhihong received the news and immediately went to see Zhiyuan.
In a war ten years ago, Jinyang City was besieged. Reinforcements were delayed and the Zhi family suffered heavy losses. Two of Zhihong's brothers were killed in the battle, and he lost an arm, making it difficult for him to lift the heavy gun again.
Zhiyuan saw through the conspiracy, but was unable to save the day.
There were powerful enemies outside and spies inside. He also encountered assassins. Although he barely repelled the enemies, the family's strength plummeted. Fortunately, there are old clans such as Tao as allies, otherwise it would be difficult for the lower army to maintain its military power.
For ten years, Zhiyuan worked so hard that his beard and hair turned white. The Zhi family reached a tacit agreement with the monarch, and the family withdrew from Suzhou and was trapped in Jinyang. However, with the Youhu family watching eagerly and Young Master Chang pressing forward step by step, this balance was broken sooner or later.
"Father, Young Master Heng has returned home!"
Zhihong hurriedly walked into the room, holding the silk cloth with one hand, his face filled with excitement.
Zhiyuan sat behind the case, wearing a black robe, with his silver hair tied in a crown, combed meticulously. With a long beard floating on his chest and a pair of thick eyebrows deeply knitted, he raised his hand to signal Zhihong to calm down, took the silk cloth in his hand and read it carefully.
The silk cloth could only be unfolded with two palms and a few lines of words, which made his expression change several times.
"The king is so cruel!"
With a bang, Zhiyuan clenched his fist and punched the case, anger igniting in his chest, and murderous intent in his eyes.
Zhihong leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Father, your Majesty is unkind and unjust, and does not care about the merits of the Zhi family. He dotes on Mrs. Li, favors the eldest son, and even sends people to intercept and kill the young master Heng. We can no longer let him do whatever he wants!"
Zhiyuan looked at the text on the silk again, especially the last line, his eyes flickered, and he fell into deep thought for a moment.
"Young master, I would like to know the ladies of your Majesty so that I can prepare a great gift." Zhiyuan tapped his strong fingers on the table and asked his son, "What do you think?"
"Your Majesty only favors Mrs. Li. If you want to follow Lord Huayang's example, I might not be able to do it." Zhihong responded quickly.
Huayang Jun is the son of Xi State, and he also went to Beijing as a hostage. He secretly bribed Marquis Xi to favor his concubine, and was successfully welcomed back to the country and ascended to the throne of the heir apparent.
"Things may not be that simple." Zhiyuan put the letter aside, opened the wooden box next to the table, took out several bamboo slips and pushed them in front of Zhihong, gesturing for him to write, "I said, you take note."
Although Zhihong had doubts, seeing that his father had no intention of saying anything, he finally moved to the table and picked up the brush beside him.
"Mrs. Li is the only favorite. She was born in the Fox family and has one son.
Mrs. Xuan was born in the Yong family and was a daughter of Yue.
Mrs. Lan was born in the Lou family and had a son, Shang.
Mrs. Yan was born in the Tian family and had no background. "
Zhihong picked up his pen to write down the last word and dipped in ink, but Zhiyuan didn't say anything.
"Father?"
"That's enough." Zhiyuan took the bamboo slips, browsed them, and returned them to Zhihong after confirming that they were correct. "Arrange people to send them to the young master. Open a warehouse to prepare colorful gems, jade, silk, and silk. I think they will be used."
"promise."
Zhihong picked up the bamboo slips, stood up and exited the room.
As I walked through the corridor, a gust of wind blew by, bringing a bit of coolness.
He stopped and looked towards the courtyard, watching the dead leaves falling on the branches. An idea flashed in his mind, and he immediately had an epiphany.
The inner palace and the front court are inseparable.
Zhiyuan named a few people. Except for Mrs. Li, they all came from the old clan. They had considerable conflicts with the new clan headed by the Youhu clan. They had tit-for-tat confrontations several times, but they were defeated because of the Jin Hou's faction.
"Making friends with your superiors will inevitably arouse suspicion and suppression from your superiors. Treating your concubine with courtesy is beyond reproach and is reasonable."
Giving gifts can also show attitude to the families behind several wives.
When the eldest son ascends the throne, the old clan will be squeezed out, and sooner or later the power will be divided up. As the legitimate son, Gongzi Heng takes the initiative to release goodwill. Which one is more important? The answer is clearly in front of him.
"Young master is smart." Zhihong sighed and felt much better.
At an unknown time, Zhiyuan also walked to the corridor, stood side by side with him, and said in a deep voice: "Young Master Heng went to Beijing as a hostage when he was young. Needless to say, it was difficult. He was assassinated one after another on the way back home, which can be said to be full of dangers. Without wisdom, how can you be safe? ?”
"Father, it's me who is stupid." Zhihong took a half step back, with a look of shame on his expression.
Zhiyuan stroked his long beard with his hands, and kept his body straight, like a tiger about to roar again in the mountains and forests.
The long-awaited opportunity finally arrived.
After years of silence, it is time for the Zhi family to break away from the barriers and return to the center of power.
"The messenger made careful arrangements and selected another hundred soldiers to go and protect the young master."
"promise."
"Let Zhiling go with us." Zhiyuan said again, "Xiancheng assassinated the young master and was a complicit in the rebellion. The Xian family has been attached to the Hu family for many years and was willing to be a lackey. He should be punished and sent to prison."
Hearing Xian's name, Zhihong subconsciously held down his broken arm. Recalling the betrayal ten years ago, he couldn't help but sneer, with murderous intent in his eyes.
The death of his brother, his broken arm, and the life of the son of the clan should all be settled now.
The father and son agreed that Zhihong would arrange it himself.
Zhiling and Zhize were summoned to their father and received their respective orders. One of them set out with the soldiers to meet Lin Heng and presented the bamboo slips in person, while the other helped allocate supplies and manpower.
The two knights entered the city for half a day, briefly drank some water, and then set off again.
Unlike when they came, the two were followed by a team of hundreds of people. The soldiers lined up in a tight formation, holding spears. The carriages transporting precious silks lined up in a long queue, following the knights out of the city and heading all the way to the predetermined location.
The heavy rain has stopped, but the swollen river has not receded.
In the upper reaches of the Luan River, Lin Heng and his party entered the border town.
The city wall was burned by fire, and the top of the wall was completely dark. Cracks appeared in parts of the parapet, and pieces of burnt earth rolled down. Most of the buildings in the city are intact. Only the houses near the city wall had their roofs burned down. They can still be inhabited after simple repairs.
The county official Xian Cheng died, and the county chief registrar asked Ying to sort out the city and restore order in the city.
Under the pressure of prior experience, it is difficult to display the master's skills. Now that he has been given the opportunity, his abilities are impressive. Allocating manpower, counting materials, repairing houses, and arranging everything in an orderly manner can be extraordinary.
Lin Heng wanted to collect charges against the Xian family, but the people in the city did not dare to file a complaint, so the chief bookkeeper took the initiative to take over the matter. In just one day, the bamboo slips of records were piled up into a hill.
"Tao Rong, a branch of the Tao family?" Seeing this person's ability, Lin Heng wanted to recruit him.
Tao Rong was summoned and was already prepared. Hearing Lin Heng's question, he responded calmly and appropriately: "Young Master, Rongzu was the concubine of the Tao family. After branching off, he moved to the border town. This place originally belonged to my clan, but was later taken by the Youhu family and handed over to him. The Xian family is in charge.”
"Since it was a robbery, why did the Xian clan use you?" Lin Heng said bluntly.
"He was a man of great ambition and talent. After taking office, he imposed excessive taxes and caused civil unrest. In order to eliminate the chaos and stabilize the city, he had to use me." Tao Rong was frank and had nothing to hide.
"Is the civil unrest related to you?" Lin Heng grasped the key point.
"It's just adding fuel to the flames." Tao Rong said with a smile.
Lin Heng stared at Tao Rong and was about to continue when he suddenly started coughing, one after another, his breathing became faster and faster, and his cheeks changed color slightly, adding a touch of sickness.
"Sir, there is a doctor in the city." Tao Rong was startled, stood up in a hurry, and was about to rush out of the room.
"It's okay, it's just an old illness." Lin Heng stopped Tao Rong, held up the cup with one hand, raised his head and drank the tea soup in the cup, finally suppressing the itching in his throat.
Tao Rong returned to his original position. He had doubts in his heart, but he wisely did not speak.
"You are such a talented person, I am very envious of Heng. There are many dangers in returning home this time, are you willing to help me?" Lin Heng didn't stay in the city for long, so he had no room to beat around the bush, so he simply got straight to the point.
This statement suited Tao Rong's wishes. He didn't hesitate for a moment, straightened his crown and hat, bowed his head, and said seriously: "Master Meng, I will never give up. I am honored to follow you and be your eagle and dog!"
Young Master Heng is weak and not favored by the king, so what?
After serving as a hostage for many years, he returned safely and was even awarded an official title by the emperor, which shows his outstanding ability.
Recalling the experience of Xiancheng Fu's execution strengthened Tao Rong's determination.
Being trapped in a small town was not what he wanted. Fortunately, he is appreciated by Young Master Heng. It is enough for him to show his talents and open up a new path for the family.
