When Liu Jing was about to return home, his family members gathered in the lobby and waited patiently for his return.
Stepmother Zhang was sitting on the couch, wearing a silk robe with a high bun and exquisite makeup. Her legs were covered with a thick fur quilt. She held a warm stove in her hand. Sometimes she looked out the door, sometimes she was in a daze.
He looked absent-minded.
The reason is naturally related to Liu Jing's appointment as the county magistrate. Zhang knew that his stepson was very talented and famous in Changsha, and had far surpassed the achievements of his brother Liu Yuan. Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha, trusted him and entrusted him with the job.
If you take the responsibility of your confidants, your future will be limitless.
However, she never expected that Liu Jing would become the leader of a hundred miles at the age of nineteen. He even refused the talent and Dangyang order promised by Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou.
Although the chief secretary is a close confidant of the prefect, who picks up missing pieces and is in charge of government affairs, and is one of the most powerful people in Changsha, there is an old saying that goes: "It is better to be the mouth of a chicken than the queen of an ox."
No matter how powerful the governor is, he is only the chief steward of the prefect. How can he be the position of the county magistrate who protects all the people and can be snatched by life and death within a hundred miles.
As the saying goes, mother is more valuable than son. As Liu Jing's stepmother, if Zhang goes to Lingxian, she will be like the "Queen Mother". When the time comes, the wind will blow and the rain will rain. Just thinking about it will make her feel happy.
She has been suffering for so many years and is finally coming through.
"Mom, mom..." Liu He couldn't help calling.
Liu He is thirteen years old this year and is gradually losing his boyish appearance. Although he and Liu Jing are not identical brothers, they look more and more similar.
Seeing Mrs. Zhang come back to her senses, he said, "Mom, we don't want to be separated from my brother. When my brother comes back later, how about you talk to him and take us with you when he takes up his post in Ling County?"
Liu Rao and Liu Qun's aunts and nephews all nodded in agreement.
Isn't this Zhang's intention? Guarding this "one-third of an acre" at home is not as good as going to Ling County to "dominate and dominate".
Zhang pressed her thoughts and asked Lai Ci calmly. Deng Yuan said: "A family should indeed be together and should not be separated for a long time. Liji, Shaojun, what do you think?"
Lai Ci looked at Deng Yuan, who was silent, and said: "In this dynasty, officials are not prohibited from bringing their family members with them to their posts. However, there are more than ten people in our family including slaves. If we all follow Zhongda to Ling County, I am afraid there will be trouble.
People criticize."
Lingxian County was closer to her hometown and could be reached in two or three days. She might have a chance to go back and have a look, so she was willing to follow Liu Jing to live in Lingxian County, but she couldn't just think about herself, she also had to think about Ji.
Uncle consider it.
If Liu Jing had brought dozens of family members and servants with him when he first took office, he would definitely leave a bad impression on the people of Ling County.
The reason why Deng Yuan did not agree was because of such concerns. Many honest officials took office alone, without even their wives, let alone their families.
Zhang couldn't help but frown after hearing this. This was an issue that couldn't be ignored.
The reason why Liu Jing has achieved what he has today is because he has a good reputation. If his reputation is damaged because of this, it will be a loss that outweighs the gain.
Liu Rao said softly: "Brother is the head of a county, who dares to criticize me?"
Liu He looked at her speechlessly. How could he say such stupid things?
At this moment, a burst of noise suddenly came from the front yard, and it must be Liu Jing's return.
Liu He, Liu Rao, and Liu Qun couldn't help but feel happy. They immediately put on their leather shoes and ran to the front yard to meet Liu Jing, followed closely by Deng Yuan.
Mrs. Zhang almost wanted to get up, but finally held back and sat quietly waiting for Liu Jing.
"Brother..."
"grown ups……"
"Liu Lang..."
As soon as Liu Jing got off the car, he saw his wife, brothers, sisters and nephews swarming around him. Liu Jing touched Liu Qun's head. He was seven years old and could no longer hold him in his arms all the time.
Realizing that his wife and siblings were both hesitant to speak, Liu Jing knew that it must be related to him, so he spoke first: "If there is anything, let's go into the house and talk about it."
Returning to the back court hall, after greeting Mr. Zhang and Lai Ci, he learned the whole story. He had already made up his mind about this matter and said slowly:
"I'm afraid you don't know something. Lingxian County is not a peaceful place. Last year, my fleet was attacked by Jingman there. Not only were the cargo robbed, but dozens of people were killed and injured, and the loss amounted to millions.
count.
Besides, the previous county magistrate drowned while boating. His death was so bizarre that it may not have been an accident. In order to avoid future worries, I plan to take office alone this time."
Mrs. Zhang looked disappointed when she heard this, but she was also vaguely worried for her stepson.
Deng Yuan didn't expect that Liu Jing didn't even intend to take her with him. His beautiful eyes showed anxiety and he said, "Liu Lang, do you want to keep your concubine at home?"
"Yes." Liu Jing nodded. "But I will resolve the matter in Lingxian County as soon as possible. I will definitely take you all to Lingxian County in a few months at the earliest and next year at the latest."
Deng Yuan could understand her husband's worries, and sighed in her heart, so she could only warn: "Liu Lang, you are in a foreign land, surrounded by jackals and wolves, so you must be careful in everything."
Lai Ci also said: "Zhongda, you are still young and have a bright future. You should think more carefully when encountering problems and never act arbitrarily."
Liu Jing said with a smile: "Don't worry, for me, it's just a minor trouble. The only thing that scares me is the safety of my family. I'm going alone this time. It's just a good time to do something. You guys just wait for my good news."
That’s it.”
…………
After a night of tenderness, Liu Jing said goodbye to his wife and family early the next morning and rushed to Beijin. He did not plan to take an official car for this trip, but instead took his own ship and took the waterway to Lingxian County.
Accompanying him were not only Zheng Zheng, who was appointed as the Prime Minister of Lingxian County, but also Liu Liang, Yu Zheng, and Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang who led the fleet.
Since the fleet was robbed by Jingman in Ling County at the end of August last year and suffered heavy losses, Wang Qiang rested in Linxiang for more than four months, which almost drove him crazy. Therefore, when he heard that Liu Jing was appointed as the commander of Ling County
County Magistrate, he immediately asked for orders to go with him.
Because he always felt that the fleet was ambushed by Jing Man was too coincidental. Someone in Ling County must have secretly colluded with them to pass on the information, otherwise it would be difficult to explain it.
This time when he goes to Lingxian, he must find out the murderer hiding in Lingxian and eat him alive to wash away his shame.
Liu Jing currently has fourteen large ships under his command. If he brought them all with him, it would be too high-profile. However, he would not be able to show his power if he brought them all with him. Therefore, after thinking about it, he decided to bring three "fighting ships" and five other ships.
A big ship.
Liu Jing said goodbye to his friends and old officials at the dock who came to see him off.
Next year Liu Biao will send troops south, triggering the North-South War in Jingzhou, with Changsha being the main battlefield. Next year, he will try his best to rescue some people, but he will not be able to save everyone. In this regard, he has no other choice but to pray.
They can weather the storm safely.
Liu Jing turned around and boarded the boat, taking one last look at Linxiang standing on the banks of the Xiangshui River. When he came back, he didn't know how old it was.