Gan Ning guarded the city gate boredly. Ever since he took refuge with Liu Biao, he felt that he had never had a good day.
Although it is stable, there is no need to go to the battlefield to fight.
But for Gan Ning, such a comfortable life would be better than letting him die.
As a dissolute young man who crossed the Yangtze River and licked blood when he was more than ten years old, Gan Ning did not know how he got here in the past two years.
The last time he killed someone was after Liu Zhang rebelled, and he left the Yangtze River he was familiar with and came to this strange ancestral land.
Occasionally he would visit the Gan clan in rural areas outside the city, but he felt that he had no connection with those people at all.
We all have the same ancestor at most a hundred years ago, but other than that, we no longer have any emotional connection.
And days like this continue to this day.
From a distance, Gan Ning saw a huge team coming outside the East City Gate. There were more than 20 hula-la horse-drawn carriages, shouting in front and behind. It was obviously a wealthy family traveling.
Deng Hong took Cai back to Huangmenting during the Chinese New Year. On his way back, he passed by Cai Yang and stopped by his parents' house.
The father-in-law and mother-in-law were very happy to see the two of them loving each other very much. They also saw that the elders of Huangmenting Township sent seven or eight carloads of gifts to the newlyweds, and they suddenly felt that they could not be shabby.
So after leaving my parents' home, there were seven or eight more cars. In addition to the original ten or so carriages, there were more than twenty cars in total.
Although Gan Ning didn't know that this motorcade was Deng Hong's, his family was from a wealthy family when he was in Bajun, and his travels were even more luxurious than this, so he just glanced at it lazily and didn't pay attention.
But what surprised him was that when the team arrived at the city, they did not enter the city immediately. Instead, they got out of the way and moved their carriages and horses to the base of the city wall. Several people got out of the carriages and came towards the city gate.
"General Xingba."
Deng Hong waved his hands above the city and shouted.
Only then did Gan Ning realize that this was not Deng Hong, the newly appointed state meritorious official.
They had met several times before. Because Deng Hong was appointed by Liu Biao to promote keel waterwheels in various places in Nanyang, he had been in and out of Xiangfan many times.
Every time he passed by, Deng Hong would come to visit and chat with him with gifts. Therefore, the two parties were not close friends, but they could be said to be good friends, and they were already very familiar with each other.
But in the past, every time Deng Hong passed by, there were only two or three people, including himself and two subordinates from the state capital. Why did he suddenly bring so many people with him this time?
Gan Ning was quite puzzled.
At this time, he didn't know that Deng Hong had married Cai.
The reason for this is that the original banquet list was drawn up by Cai, and it included Gan Ning's immediate boss Zhang Yun, but not Gan Ning.
The Cai family was one of the top aristocratic families in Jingzhou. According to later generations, the people who came and went were all members of the upper class.
Therefore, when drawing up the banquet list, the Cai family invited high-ranking officials and dignitaries from Jingzhou as well as top aristocratic families.
Gan Ning said that at worst he was a reduced general, but at best he was just a low-level officer with 800 soldiers.
Not yet eligible to be included in the guest list.
Although Deng Hong wanted to invite him, the sovereignty was in the hands of the Cai family and he had no choice.
Therefore, Gan Ning still does not know that Deng Hong has married.
However, Shen Chen had already told him that he wanted to have a good relationship with Gan Ning, so when he came to Fancheng, Deng Hong immediately brought his bride and Shen Chen to visit.
Although Gan Ning was puzzled, when his friend came to visit, he waved in response and called out, "Mr. Youshuo."
Deng Hong entered the city with Cai and Shen Chen, followed by several servants bringing gifts.
After entering Fancheng, Gan Ning had already descended from the tower and was waiting for them. After the two parties met, they greeted each other and then headed towards Gan Ning's house in Nancheng.
It was afternoon at this time, and Gan Ning was supposed to be on duty, but he was a casual person. He went to work when he wanted and left work when he wanted to. Everyone had long been accustomed to it, and Zhang Yun had nothing to do with him.
So he brought everyone to his home. Everyone sat in rows in the middle hall. Deng Hong and his wife sat on a mat, Shen Chen sat on a separate table, and Gan Ning sat on the main seat.
Seeing this situation, Gan Ning also came to his senses and asked curiously: "Is Youshuo planning to become a coward? Are you here to invite me today?"
He thought it was an engagement. The evening ceremony in the Han Dynasty was not a trivial matter. It had to go through six rites. The wedding ceremony was the last ceremony. Among the first few ceremonies, the engaged couple had to invite those who participated in the evening ceremony together.
Gan Ning felt that we were old acquaintances and you should invite me to your wedding. So when he saw Deng Hong coming with a woman, he thought it was an invitation after the engagement.
"Ashamed."
However, when he said this, Deng Hong felt even more ashamed, and said with some embarrassment: "This time I came to Fancheng to apologize to Xingba. Last November, Aweishi and I were together. I wanted to invite Xingba, but..."
Gan Ning's expression suddenly changed, and he felt very unhappy.
In vain, he regarded Deng Hong as a friend, but when they got married, they didn't invite him just across the water. How could this make him happy?
But just when Gan Ning was about to get angry, Cai stood up and bowed slightly to him and said: "My uncle is polite. My husband often tells me that my uncle is his good friend. I came to see my uncle today and I also want to see my uncle Haihan." .”
Gan Ning snorted coldly: "Since we are good friends, if Shihun didn't even invite me, how can we be considered good friends?"
Ms. Cai said: "My husband kept thinking about inviting my uncle to come over for the past few days, and he was already on the list. It was my father who made the decision without permission and crossed it off the list. It wasn't until the day of Shihun that my husband learned about it, and he still wanted to come." Please know, uncle, I only blame my father for this matter, not my husband."
Gan Ning's face was still unhappy, and he was obviously still angry.
Mrs. Cai added: "I knew that my uncle was angry, and my husband wanted to send someone to inform him of the situation. But I dissuaded him and said that we would come together to visit him to apologize. I also blamed my father for his short-sightedness. He only said that he wanted to invite those high-ranking people, but he didn't. You don’t know a real hero. My husband often says that my uncle is a great hero and has a broad mind. I think he will understand my husband’s difficulties.”
With some decent words, he complained about his own father, and praised Gan Ning, which made his expression immediately soften, and he said: "Since your father only wants to invite those high-ranking families, he must be from a well-known family, right? Don’t you know that my Gan family from Bajun is also from a famous family in Yizhou?”
Cai Shi bowed slightly and said: "Uncle, although my father is Cai Yang, he is only at home all the time. How can he recognize the heroes of the world? Except for my uncle who is the prefect of Nanjun, he may only have eyes for those in Jingzhou." It’s just a big family.”
Cai Yang Cai family?
After learning that the other party was Cai, Gan Ning looked at Deng Hong. Seeing the embarrassment written on the other party's face, he felt much better and had some understanding and consideration for Deng Hong.
The Cai family is the most powerful first family in Jingzhou besides Liu Biao.
Cai Mao was the governor of Nanjun and the military advisor of General Zhennan. He was in charge of most of Jingzhou's troops and horses for Liu Biao, so his eyes were higher than his head.
Even when a girl from the family gets married, the person invited is a high-ranking noble. It is normal to cross Deng Hong's friends off the list.
Gan Ning himself was from a noble family, so how could he not know the arrogance of these noble families?
So now he understood why Deng Hong wanted to invite him but couldn't. There was really nothing he could do.
Thinking of this, Gan Ning's dissatisfaction with Deng Hong dissipated a little, and he laughed and said: "So that's it, I misunderstood You Shuo. Fortunately, my wife solved my doubts, otherwise I might lose friends because of this. "
Mrs. Cai then smiled lightly and bent down to sit down.
Deng Hong looked at his wife with gratitude, held her in his arms, and gently held her hand.
Shen Chen on the side remained silent. After he entered the door, he was actually very worried that Gan Ning would fall out because of this incident. After all, Gan Ning was also a person with a bad temper.
As a result, he never expected that Mrs. Cai was really as virtuous and generous as the legend said, and he turned the situation around with just a few words.
Or maybe this is the heritage and upbringing of a big family.
Women in the Han Dynasty could not help but read and be literate. Many women from wealthy families were talented people, although there were also some who were unruly and willful. Sun Shangxiang was a typical representative of them.
But most of them still followed the elite education of the aristocrats of the Han Dynasty, such as Erban, Cai Yan, Zhuo Wenjun, and later Xie Daoyun, Zuo Fen, and Su Hui in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were all well-known figures.
The Cai family is the top aristocratic family in Jingzhou. Historical records state that "at the end of the Han Dynasty, all Cai families were most prosperous." This shows the Cai family's status in Jingzhou.
To be able to cultivate such a well-educated, gentle and intelligent woman is something that is still being sorted out.
Sure enough, the sixth uncle got lucky.
Although she is not good-looking, she is just as good a wife as Huang Yueying. Will she have a prosperous official career in the future?
"Xingba, I'm here today to apologize. Please forgive me for my rudeness."
Deng Hong clapped his hands, and the servant outside the door came in with a gift, and said with a smile: "These are some of my Huangmenting's specialties, including preserved meat and liquor. Why don't you try the taste?"
"Then I'd like to try it."
Gan Ning said hello and called the stewards to deliver the gifts to the backyard. He asked them to take the food brought by Deng Hong to the kitchen to make dishes and bring the strong wine for drinking.
The so-called preserved meat is actually dried meat, which was later called bacon. It was one of the common gifts in ancient times.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, when Confucius accepted disciples, he used this as a tuition fee and named it the gift of repair. Friends often gave it to each other.
Soon the steward brought the strong drinks.
Everyone opened it and poured it into the cup. Deng Hong reminded: "Xingba, this wine is strong, don't drink it all in one go, just taste it lightly."
"Really? I don't believe it."
Gan Ning also liked drinking, but there was no wine that could make him feel strong. With a look of disbelief on his face, Gan Ning poured the wine into a cup and poured it into his mouth in one gulp as usual.
As a result, he realized the seriousness of the matter as soon as he drank it. A pungent feeling came from his throat. The remaining wine was in his mouth, and he either couldn't swallow it or not. He was so suffocated that his face suddenly changed and he was very embarrassed.
Seeing this situation, Deng Hong quickly advised: "Xingba, spit it out quickly."
Gan Ning was quite stubborn, but he was afraid of being looked down upon by others if you tried to persuade him, so he simply drank it all in one sip, then drank the rest of the wine in two sips.
Then he pretended to be calm, put down his glass and said, "This wine is indeed good, it has some punch, but it still needs some heat to make me drunk."
He said that, but the slight blush on his face still betrayed him.
The customary wine glasses in the Han Dynasty were called wine goblets, not what most people think of as wine bottles. The wine goblets unearthed in later generations were of different sizes, but according to "Shuowen" records, a regular wine goblet should be between two and three liters.
One liter in the Han Dynasty was equivalent to 200 grams in later generations, and a glass of wine was equivalent to about 400 to 600 grams.
In other words, Gan Ning drank at least a pound of liquor in one glass, which is equivalent to drinking a one-pound bottle of Niulanshan. For people who have never been exposed to strong liquor, it is easy to get addicted.
Deng Hong immediately praised: "Xingba is really a huge amount. On weekdays, I only dare to drink one or two sips to warm myself up in winter. I didn't expect that Xingba actually drank it all in one gulp."
"Oh, this is nothing."
Gan Ning held on, looked around, and suddenly noticed that Shen Chen was somewhat silent today, and asked curiously: "Why doesn't Shen Xiaolang talk today?"
Shen Chen, who was ten years old this year, had grown a lot taller. When Gan Ning asked him, he raised his hands and said, "My uncle was not a scholar before and was not called Uncle Xingba, so I feel ashamed."
"It's okay, it's just a slight misunderstanding."
Gan Ning waved his hands and seemed to remember something. He looked at Shen Chen and smiled and said, "By the way, last year Xiaolang said that there would be chaos in Nanyang at the beginning of this year. How come it's still very peaceful now."
Shen Chen said meaningfully: "Yes, there was great chaos in Guanzhong last year. The warlords in Guanzhong were short of food and grass, so they must live in Nanyang. As expected, in a while, there should be news from the direction of Wuguan."
"This guy is just a tough talker."
Gan Ning shook his head, glanced at Cai, calmed down a little, and said: "Liu Shijun has a strong army now, who dares to provoke him?"
Shen Chen smiled and said: "Then general, just think that Chen is joking. After a while, he will be able to prove something."
"Come on, come on, Xingba has a drink."
Deng Hong immediately persuaded him to drink.
The two drank and chatted, and in the afternoon, Deng Hong's servants had already found a boat and loaded the carriages and horses to prepare to cross the river.
Fancheng is very close to Xiangyang, just across the river. There is no need to spend the night in Fancheng today.
Gan Ning drank a little too hard at first, but then slowly tasted it little by little. He didn't drink too much. He was slightly tipsy, but he still managed to send Deng Hong and others outside the city.
Before leaving, Shen Chen said to Gan Ning again: "Uncle Xingba, do you still remember our agreement?"
Gan Ning thought for a while and smiled: "Of course I remember, if you are right, I will listen to you in the future."
Shen Chen showed his fox-like sly eyes again, nodded and said, "Just remember, Uncle Xingba, don't break your promise."
"Don't worry, I am as committed as Ji Bu."
Gan Ning promised to do so.
Everyone got on the boat and waved goodbye to Gan Ning on the side of the boat.
After they left, Gan Ning staggered onto his horse. The wine was indeed strong and had great stamina. At this time, he just wanted to go home and have a comfortable sleep.
However, as soon as he reached the city gate, he suddenly saw several of his personal guards running out of the city in a hurry.
Gan Ning was a little confused. It was true that he skipped work to receive friends, but he ordered his soldiers to continue to strictly guard the city. Why did all his subordinates imitate him and skip work?
Unexpectedly, the personal guard came to his side, so he immediately knelt down on one knee and raised his hands and said: "Sima, something happened."
Gan Ning was working as a commander in another department under Zhang Yun. When he heard the report from his subordinates, he frowned and asked, "What happened?"
"Wuguan is in danger. A group of Xiliang troops from Guanzhong are attacking Wuguan and threatening Xi County."