"I hope everyone in the family understands, otherwise it would be a bit embarrassing if those plots of house fighting and palace fighting occur!"
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Qingzhou, Shouguang County, Jitai.
noon.
"Master Wang, Master Wang!" A man with his head wrapped in blue cloth and wearing short clothes panted and slapped the door knocker. His voice penetrated into the courtyard and broke the original silence.
"Come on, come on, stop shooting, you will break the door!"
With a creaking sound, the courtyard door opened. A gray-haired old man with sleepy eyes scolded the man in short clothes: "House Er, you are mourning at noon! Why can't you come back after noon?"
"After Xiangwu? Then it's too late!" Hou Er said anxiously. He squeezed into the yard sideways and looked around: "Where is Mr. Wang? He's not at home?"
"Nonsense, of course you're in the melon shed at the head of the field at noon! Do you think it's a lazy person like you who hangs out all day and doesn't care about the things in your own field?"
"Hehe!" Hou Erqian laughed twice: "Old man Wang, you are so old, but your mouth has no virtue at all. Forget it, I, Mr. Hou, will not argue with you today. Let's put it this way, there is a big happy event coming. Come, your Wang family is going to ascend to heaven, so be happy!"
"Bah!" The old guard spit on the ground: "How dare you call yourself Mr. Hou in front of me? If there is any happy event in our Wang family, it's not your turn to talk. Get out, or I will let you go." It’s a dog!”
Hou Er was afraid that the other party would really let the dog bite him, so he jumped back and walked out of the courtyard: "You old man Wang, you don't know what is good or bad! You, Second Master Hou, won't care about you now, until-"
"Get out!" The old guard's answer was simple and direct. He closed the courtyard door hard and blocked the rest of Hou Er's words. Hou Er's teeth were itching with anger.
"Old man, forget it, wait until things come to an end before you argue with him!" After saying that, he quickly ran to the Wang family's melon field.
Shouguang belonged to the Kingdom of Ji during the Spring and Autumn Period, and Jitai is said to be the capital of the Kingdom of Ji. There is an earthen platform not far to the west of the village, which is said to be the palace of the king of the Kingdom at that time. But more than a thousand years have long since wiped out the glory of the past, and the dust has settled, leaving only fields and villages, as well as hard-working and simple farmers.
Hou Er left the village and ran eastward for more than half a mile, and saw acres of melon fields. It was noon, and the farmers were resting under the shade of the trees, waiting for the sound to pass before going to work in the fields. He slowed down and waited until his breathing became even, then walked to the pergola, imitating the look he usually saw on the stage, cupped his hands and said: "Is the prince here? I have something to report!"
Lying at the entrance of the melon shed was the youngest son of the Wang family. When he saw Hou Er's appearance, he couldn't help but laugh: "Aweng, look, Hou Er has taken the wrong medicine today and is talking in a weird way!"
Wang Qu walked out of the pergola. He was already in his early fifties. Farmers age quickly and his hair has turned a lot gray, but his body is still strong. He glanced at Hou Er, and his eyes showed that he was a serious farmer. Contempt towards the prodigal children: "If you have anything to say, tell me quickly. Don't delay my rest. I have to work in the fields after the bell!"
"Hey, prince, what else are you doing! Wen Zuo is back, you are going to be prosperous!"
"What?" Wang Qu asked again, somewhat deaf.
"Wen Zuo is back!" Hou Er raised his voice: "I saw it in the county town today. Oh, he was so proud. Half the street was blocked by the entourage in front and behind him, and He Langjun from the county came out of the city to greet him. . As the saying goes, if a person achieves enlightenment, a chicken or a dog will ascend to heaven. He is so prosperous now, why don’t you take advantage of him!"
"Aye?" The youngest son of the Wang family looked at Wang Qu in surprise, but the old man's face didn't change much and he turned around and walked into the melon shed. When Hou Er saw this, he became anxious: "My lord, what are you doing? This is a great event!"
The youngest son of the Wang family hurriedly followed in and asked, "Aye, what are you doing? Wen Zuo is back. Isn't this a good thing?"
"A good thing?" Wang Qu sneered: "Have you forgotten? He went to Baekje to join the army for you. Do you think this is a good thing?"
"Isn't this all over?" Wang Ence said with a bitter smile. As the youngest and only male of the Wang family, he would certainly not forget why Wang Wenzuo was sent to Baekje in the first place.
"You think it's over, but others may not think so!" Wang Qu said: "He has been promoted every year in Baekje, but has he ever sent a few words to his family? No? What does this mean? People remember what happened back then. In my heart!"
"Perhaps he is busy with military affairs? Aye, you also know that Wen Zuo is fighting every day in Baekje. How can he have time to think about this!"
"Nonsense!" Wang Qu sneered: "I asked the people who came back and found out that he was very active in Baekje. He has already become a marching Sima, an officer from the fifth rank. And the robes in the army are very good. , who has not benefited from him and said good things about him? When Liu Wu who went with him died in Baekje, he gave away a large sum of money and sent envoys to inquire every year. This Wang Wenzuo of my family is not a bad person. He knows how to be a good person, but he doesn’t need to be with our family!”
"Aye, we can't blame Wen Zuo. We asked him to die for me at the beginning. How could he not have any resentment in his heart? It's not surprising that he ignored our family when he became rich!" Wang Ence said with a bitter smile.
"He is now a high-ranking official in the imperial court. How dare I blame him!" Wang Qu sighed: "But have you ever thought about why he suddenly came back now after so many years without sending a message back? Is it to repay a favor? ?”
After hearing this, Wang Ence understood. It turned out that Wang Qu's behavior just now was not resentment, but fear. As his father said, Wang Wenzuo is not a ruthless person, and not a single copper coin or a message has been sent back over the years, which only shows that he is resentful of what happened in the past. In this case, he definitely didn't come back this time to repay a favor. Since it wasn't a favor, it could only be out of revenge.
"It shouldn't be the case, right?" Wang Ence panicked: "When Wen Zuo was living on the street, our family took him in, and allowed him to join the army and gave him horses for the armor. Besides, if he hadn't gone to Baekje, how would he be today? Even if there is no kindness, there won’t be any hatred!”
"Son, just because you think this way doesn't mean he will think so too. He will only think that Guan Jue was killed by himself with one sword and one gun, but he may not miss my family's affection; and the pain and danger in Baekje are all Because of our family!" Wang Qu smiled bitterly and said: "Well, it's useless to think about it now. I'll go home and pack and prepare. You go find a place to hide first and take a look at the scenery before going home!"
"Aye, are you confused?" Wang Ence said with a wry smile: "Wen Zuo is at least a fifth-grade official now. How many people in the army benefited from him back then. If he wants to take me, where can I run? It's better to We, father and son, are together!”
"That's true! I just hope he doesn't try to take advantage of you. I'm over fifty and have lived enough. I can just let him do whatever he wants!"
The father and son returned home, and as soon as they washed their faces, someone reported outside that they wanted to see them. The two opened the door, but there were two young men in brocade clothes, with bags and bows left and right, their heads wrapped in purple gauze scarves with two pheasant feathers stuck on top, animal skins wrapped around their waists, and swords straddled across their waists. There were two horses beside them. The horse's mane was soaked and it was snoring.
"Is this the sect of Mr. Wang Quwang of Jitai Village?"
"I don't dare to ask you two young masters!" Wang Qu saw that the two young men were so decorated that they dared not accept the gift. He quickly bowed and returned the gift and said: "The young man is Wang Qu, but he is not Mr. Wang!"
"That's right!" The two young men in brocade clothes laughed, and then they took a step back, bowed down to Wang Qu, and said in unison: "The villains are waiting in the right compartment in front of Wang Changshi's yamen to pay homage to Wang Changshi. master!"
"Wang Changshi?"
"Yes, Wang Changshi is Wang Wenzuo. His Majesty serves as the marching commander in the Andong Protectorate, and his position is only under the Gao Protector!" A young man in brocade clothes laughed, he turned his head and whistled, and in a blink of an eye More than a dozen young men in brocade clothes followed him. They were dressed similarly to him, but without the pheasant feathers on their heads. He clasped his fists at Wang Qu and said, "Chang Shi will be here tomorrow afternoon. There are many carriages and horses. Master, please bring some brooms." The tools are here to clear the road and welcome the long history!"
Wang Qu didn't dare to say anything at this time, so he hurriedly claimed that he was an upright person in the village. He returned home, took a pen and paper, wrote a notice and posted it on the screen wall at the entrance of the village. He asked the old servant to bring the gong and knocked it a few times. Next, he gathered all the people in the village, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Everyone in the village, I have an unusual mission today, but I can't shirk it. As you all know, my Wang Wenzuo has been ordered by the emperor to go to Baekje. , I look up to the great blessings of the emperor and the blessing of my ancestors, and have made some achievements. Now I am the marching commander of the Andong Protectorate and the founding county uncle. Tomorrow he will return to his hometown to visit relatives. There are many cars and horses. Our village is very slovenly. Everyone Hurry up and call all the people in the fields back, clean the roads, paint the houses, and make them look good, don’t lose face!”
It was afternoon at this time, and all the men in the village had gone to work in the fields. The only ones left at home were the old, weak, women and children who had no experience. They all complained when Li Zheng said that they were going to be sent on official business again. When Wang Qu saw this, he was afraid of losing face in front of the young man, so he hurriedly scolded: "You women are really ignorant. What kind of person is Wang Changshi? If you dare to refuse, aren't you afraid of the court's law?"
"Wait a minute, Mr. Wang!" The young man in brocade clothes at the head stopped Wang Qu and stepped forward to bow to everyone: "Don't be anxious, everyone. The Lord has already warned you before we came down. You are all his neighbors. How can we do this?" Why are you bothering you? You won’t let your work of cleaning roads and improving houses go in vain, so let’s do it! Each family will give you five hundred coins, and you should treat it as wages! After you finish the work, come to me at the entrance of the village to collect it! "
Although everyone had little knowledge, they still knew what five hundred coins was. They were overjoyed when they heard this, and they all knelt down and saluted on the stage. Then they dispersed and went to the fields to ask people to come back to work. Wang Qu said to the young man with some embarrassment: "They are all stupid people and stupid women, but they cost the young master a lot of money!"
"How dare you be a young master!" The young man in brocade clothes said with a smile: "My surname is Wang, and my given name is Pu. You can call me by my first name. When the Lord returns to his hometown, he will give some money to these neighbors!"
"That's it!" Wang Qu nodded and asked carefully: "How long will Wen Zuo stay when he comes back this time, and what will he do?"
"You don't know?" Wang Pu asked in surprise: "The Lord is coming back this time to marry the Cui family of Qinghe and marry a bride, so he shouldn't stay at home for long!"
"Marriage with the Cui family of Qinghe!" Wang Qu was surprised: "Then, does the Cui family of Qinghe agree?"
"Of course!" Wang Pu said with a smile: "Your Majesty is such a good son-in-law, and there is also Cui Langjun as a matchmaker, how can Mrs. Cui refuse?"
Hearing Wang Pu's explanation, Wang Qu nodded in confusion. Although he had heard some things about Wang Wenzuo from others over the years, after all, ancient information communication technology was backward, not only slow but also distorted. When Wang Qu heard those rumors that were 30% true and 70% false, he didn't take them seriously. What's more, in his eyes, Wang Wenzuo is still the same domestic slave as before. Subconsciously, he still doesn't want him to do too well. Naturally, he doesn't want to believe that Wang Wenzuo has made many military exploits and been promoted and made a fortune since he went to Baekje. But now that the facts are in front of him, he can't help but not believe it. The other party has not only become the marching commander of the Andong Governor's Mansion, and the founding county magistrate, but he is also about to marry a woman from the Cui family of Qinghe. This is the emperor, prime minister, and A high-ranking family that the generals want to marry! Is this kid really developed?
"Prince, prince? What's wrong with you?" Wang Pu saw Wang Qu sitting there in a daze, and hurriedly asked carefully. In his eyes, this old man was Wang Changshi's biological father, how could he dare to neglect him?
"Nothing? I heard you say this, I can't believe it!" Wang Qu said with a bitter smile.
"Haha!" Wang Pu said with a smile: "Wang Changshi has many achievements, and Xiao Ke doesn't even know one-tenth of them. My lord, Wang Changshi must have been very wise and brave when he was young, and no one can match him, right?"
"This -" Wang Qu was immediately stopped by the question. He wanted to say that Wang Wenzuo was just a homeless man. How could I know what he was like when he was a boy? However, he suddenly remembered that the other party was still his son in name. If he told the truth, he would be in trouble, so he had to force a smile and said: "I couldn't tell it when I was young!"
"Really?" Wang Pu looked at the sky: "It's getting late, why don't you go back and have a rest first! I'm afraid there will be a lot of things happening tomorrow!"
After returning home, Wang Qu discovered that the appearance of his home had changed. He saw a strange man in white directing more than a dozen craftsmen to repair and repaint his door. When he entered the door, he saw that the potholes and damage on the ground had been filled. He was busy wiping and cleaning the furniture in his hall. There were six or seven cages on the ground, filled with gold and silver vessels, and a man in rich clothes was directing people to place the furnishings.
"Sang Langjun!" Wang Pu took a step forward: "The prince is back!"
The man turned around, and without waiting for Wang Qu to come forward to greet him, he bowed down and kowtowed twice: "Sancho has seen my father-in-law!"
"How can this be done!" Wang Qu saw that the man was dressed luxuriously and was arrogant when he was directing others to work. It was obvious that he was a man of personal integrity and how could he dare to accept his kneeling? He quickly turned his body away, but the man did not let him go. , stepped forward and helped Wang Qu to the chair, knelt down and kowtowed twice.
(End of chapter)
