The smoke of gunpowder hangs over the clouds, meeting thousands of miles away, and looking for the eternal romance.
Famous generals neigh their horses, beauties cover their faces, and lonely widows laugh sadly.
The dragon roared with the sword, the sword fell from the armor in shock, and the rivers and mountains remained unchanged after several times.
The palace was deserted due to the storm, and the sound of weeping could be heard under the setting sun.
But seeing those green mountains, stone mausoleums, and weeds and earthen graves, how many beggars were buried there.
Don't forget the heart of the lake, the south wind caress you, and invites the moon to look at your white head.
The peach blossoms in the rivers and lakes are full of human faces, but only the original intention is revealed.
The seven strings are wrong, the jade curtain is broken, who is free in this world?!...
Liu Chong, the former Hedong Jiedu envoy, was the younger brother of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan of the Later Han Dynasty. Hearing that Guo Wei had raised troops, he wanted to send his troops south to crusade, but he was deceived by Guo Wei by falsely claiming that his son Liu Yun would be the emperor, and he missed the opportunity to fight. When Guo Wei proclaimed himself emperor of the Central Plains
After that, Liu Chong also founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, changed his name to Liu Min, and established his capital in Taiyuan. He still used the name of the Han Dynasty. Because the land south of Lingnan also used the Han name as the country, it was called the Northern Han Dynasty and the Southern Han Dynasty.
The south of Taiyuan City was originally the administrative office of Hedong Jiedushi. The surrounding area was very prosperous. After Liu Min became emperor, he converted the administrative office into a palace and demolished many private houses and shops. The crowded Wuyi Lane was not far from the administrative office.
, several new official residences with white walls and blue tiles were built, and the roads became wider.
In the afternoon of this day, an official sedan was carried into Wuyi Lane and stopped in front of a bright door with the word "Cheng Zhai" on it. Upon seeing this, the servant at the door immediately stepped forward, lifted the curtain of the sedan, and walked out of it a thin-faced man.
A purple-robed official in his fifties, this official's surname was Cheng Minzheng. He was originally Liu Min's staff. After Liu Min became emperor, he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Finance.
Cheng Zheng went straight to the main hall of the courtyard. There was a landscape painting hanging on the wall in the middle of the hall. There were two Taishi chairs underneath, and a coffee table in the middle. As soon as he took his seat on the Taishi chair, he saw a Qi State walking outside the hall.
A dignified woman with a kind face. She is wearing a water-blue brocade robe with white edges on the front and a silver bun in a bun. She is none other than Mrs. Cheng Zheng, Mrs. Chu.
"Master is back..."
Cheng Zheng nodded but remained silent. Seeing that he looked unhappy, Mrs. Chu asked, "Why are you so unhappy?"
Cheng Zheng took a sip of tea and sighed: "Jinzhou was defeated some time ago, and the emperor wanted to attach himself to the Khitan. Our advice was in vain. Today, the Khitan envoys came to the court to accept the emperor's request for help. Soon they will raise troops to attack Zhou.
The envoy... said that he heard that our Rou'er is beautiful and virtuous, and requested that Rou'er be betrothed to the son of the envoy of Wudu in Yuzhou."
Mrs. Chu was shocked when she heard this: "Which bad guy came up with this idea? Has the emperor agreed to it?"
"The envoy is the commander of the Khitan reinforcements this time. Even if he asks for the princess to be married off, the emperor will agree."
Chu's concubine frowned and remained silent for a while, saying: "Your Majesty has led a wolf into the house, and disaster is not far away. The Khitan people are cruel and violent. This Yuzhou Protectorate is complicit in the evil, and he must be a bad boy. Rou'er must not marry into his family.
.”
Cheng and Chu originally had a son and a daughter. The son died in infancy, leaving only a daughter, who was only twenty-eight years old. She regarded them as the jewel in their eyes. They wanted to recruit a son-in-law, but they were not willing to marry their daughter away to Weizhou.
"Does the madam mean to...escape?"
Cheng Zheng is quite capable, but the Chu family takes care of everything in the family. Now that disaster is imminent, I hope that the Chu family can do something about it.
"Of course I have to run away. I can't just let Rou'er suffer. Do you still miss this official position?"
"If you can't even protect Rou'er's happiness, what's the use of this official position?" Cheng Zheng looked desolate, paused, then shook his head and said, "But since the emperor agreed to the marriage, I think there are guards outside the palace.
How to escape?"
"Have you ever said when you will get married?"
"Ten days later."
"Today is July 20th, which is the first day of August..." Mrs. Chu pondered for a moment and then said: "The seventh day of August is the death anniversary of the late master. I will go to court tomorrow and inform the emperor that he must strive to postpone the wedding date for ten days."
"Why is this?" Cheng Zheng was surprised for a moment.
"Master, please wait a moment. I'm going to take some samples..." Mrs. Chu hesitated for a moment, turned around and walked out of the hall to the inner room. Soon she came to the hall carrying a small wooden box.
He took out an object wrapped in red cloth from the wooden box, opened it and said, "This is what Nanfeng gave to me when he came to visit you and me two years ago... He said that if you have any difficulties, you can take this object to Tongbao Pavilion.
People will help you."
Cheng Zheng took it and looked at it carefully, but it was a palm-sized bronze medal with the word "treasure" engraved on the front and a mountain peak engraved on the back. He turned over the unremarkable bronze medal and looked at it with confusion on his face.
Chu asked, "What is this?"
Mrs. Chu shook her head and said, "It should be a token or something like that."
"Madam, please don't seek medical treatment in a hurry. The south wind is far away in Shaanxi. It takes more than twenty days to go back and forth. I know that he practiced martial arts when he was young and has some martial arts skills. But I don't say that he is alone, there are ten
Even a hundred of them can't resist the Imperial Guards!"
"Although I rarely get together with my brother, I know Nanfeng well and he has always been prudent in his actions. He must have a reason for saying that you can take this thing to Tongbao Pavilion for help when you are in trouble. You should try to postpone the wedding tomorrow.
The anniversary of the death of our ancestors is very important, and I think the emperor is not exempt from this. As long as the south wind comes, he will definitely try to get out of trouble."
When Cheng Zheng was not serving as an official in his hometown of Shaanxi, he could see his wife's brother Chu Nanfeng once or twice a year. After leaving Shaanxi and coming to Hedong, he could only see him every three to five years, and it was still Chu Nanfeng.
Feng came to visit them. At present, he only knew that Chu Nanfeng was recruiting some students at Taibai Mountain Academy to teach martial arts and literature. He thought that even if he postponed it for ten days, it would be useless, but seeing Chu's calm face, he felt confident.
Nod in agreement.
At noon the next day, Cheng Zheng returned home, nodded to the Chu family who was waiting for news, and said: "It's done, the emperor agreed to postpone it for ten days."
Mrs. Chu's face showed a sad face: "Oh? Then I will go to Tongbao Pavilion after dinner."
Cheng Zheng nodded: "I had heard a little bit about Tongbao Pavilion before. I only knew that it was a bank account where some dignitaries or businessmen deposited and withdrawn money. Today I specifically asked some colleagues, but I heard some strange things.
At..."
Naturally, Mrs. Chu also wanted to know more about Tongbao Pavilion, so she asked, "What's so surprising about it?"
"I heard that more than ten years ago, a merchant from Wuyue wanted to buy some horsepower in Yunzhou, so he deposited his money in the local Tongbao Pavilion and made an appointment to collect it in Yunzhou. Unexpectedly, the merchant encountered robbers in Hedong and had two pieces of silver on him.
Everything was looted, including the ticket. The business ticket went through many twists and turns, and almost became a beggar, and arrived in Yunzhou."
"I went to Yunzhou Tongbao Pavilion and found the steward. I told him the reason and the steward showed him a bill. What do you think it was? It was actually the merchant's ticket."
Mrs. Chu was stunned for a moment: "Why is this?"
"Secret words, I heard that there are words hidden on the tickets in Tongbao Pavilion that ordinary people can't see. Only the people in Tongbao Pavilion can use special potions to reveal them. That means even if you have the tickets, you have to match the code words hidden in the tickets to get the money.
He took it away, but the bad guys didn't know it, and they couldn't handle the code word, so they were taken away by the steward and sent to the government for punishment."
"Sent to the government for punishment? So there are people with extraordinary skills in this Tongbao Pavilion?"
"That should be the case. There is also a legend that during the Zhengming period of the previous dynasty, the Jin army captured Zhenzhou. The soldiers burned, killed and looted, and also looted the Tongbao Pavilion in Zhenzhou. Later, for some unknown reason, Li Cunxu, the king of Jin at that time, returned
To behead the leader of the robbery and return the looted silver to Tongbao Pavilion is to appease people's minds, but I'm afraid it's not simple."
Mrs. Chu's face was filled with joy: "It seems that this Tongbao Pavilion is not simple. Do you know who the owner is?"
"I don't know. I heard that Tongbao Pavilion was originally called Tongbao Pavilion. After the Yellow Disaster, each vassal town opened a branch one after another, and then the name was changed to Tongbao Pavilion. Nowadays, I heard that all dynasties and large prefectures and counties have branch pavilions, which is Khitan
There are a few of them, it seems they are not simple."
There is a street in the city called Taiping Street. It is located in the center of the city and is the most prosperous place in Taiyuan Prefecture. This Taiping Street is more than two miles long and is divided into east and west sections. There are many signs of restaurants, inns, pawnshops, banks and other shops from all walks of life. Tongbao Street
The pavilion is in the middle of the east section.
It was late, the weather was a bit sultry, and there were not many people on the street. Cheng Zheng, holding an oil-paper umbrella, came to the building with the "Tongbao Pavilion" plaque and saw two people in Tsing Yi standing on the doorstep to greet visitors.
A man like this stepped forward. Before he could speak, a man on the left cupped his fists and saluted, "Who is your distinguished guest?"
"I'm here to store some things. I wonder where the person in charge is?" Cheng Zheng collected the oil-paper umbrella and held it in his hand.
The man looked at Cheng Zheng and said, "Dear guest, please come with me."
Entering the front hall of the building, I saw a portrait of the God of Wealth hanging on the wall directly opposite the screen. Underneath was a table covered with red cloth, with a large incense burner placed on it, and three pillars of incense were burning on the screen.
There are aisles on both sides of the wall. About five feet in front of the long desk, two chairs with desks are placed on the left and right.
"Your distinguished guest, please wait a moment. Please go in and report to the steward." The man led Cheng Zheng to the chair. After saying this, he turned around and walked into the passage on the left.
After a while, the man came out and said to Cheng Zheng, who was not seated, "Your honor is welcome..."
Follow the man and turn around the screen wall, and you will see a large courtyard paved with blue bricks. There are a row of rooms on the left and right, two of which have open doors, and there are people walking around in the rooms. Directly in front of the courtyard is a large courtyard with about 100 square meters.
There are three halls on each side with flower-shaped hollow wooden windows. There are two maids in green shirts standing on each side of the corridor in front of the hall door.
The man led Cheng Zheng to the front of the hall, but did not go in. He bowed and said, "Dear guests, please come in. The steward will be here soon."
Cheng Zheng thanked him and walked into the hall. A landscape painting hung in the middle of the north wall. Under the painting were two sandalwood Taishi chairs with tea tables. Four guest seats were placed on the left and right, also with tea tables.
The top chair of the desk. Against the east wall is a row of purple wooden cabinets with three compartments. On the compartments are placed various colored stones. In front of the west wall are two cyan porcelain vases more than three feet high.
There are calligraphy and paintings on the scroll.
Just as he was about to sit down, he saw a person coming from outside the hall. A fat man in his late fifties wearing a brocade robe, with a round face and a short beard, and a big belly. He greeted Cheng Zheng with a smile and sat down. He saw two maids holding bowls.
The tea came in, and when the maid left, the fat man cupped his hands and said, "I, Xu Guangzhi, am the steward here. How do you address this distinguished guest?"
Looking at the round face with eyes that were lined with smiles, Cheng Zheng returned the favor and said, "I, Cheng Zheng, work in Shangshu Province."
"Ah, it turns out it's Mr. Cheng. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you." Tongbao Pavilion's business usually involves dealing with dignitaries, so Xu Guangzhi was not surprised when Cheng Zheng revealed his identity.
There were wars between various dynasties, and most of the noble families kept their gold and silver in bank accounts. Although they had to pay for deposits and withdrawals, it was extremely safe. There was no need to worry about thieves or being penniless after a bad official career.
Corrupt officials are more willing to store money in bank accounts to hide their money from others. Tongbao Pavilion has the best reputation in this industry. As long as there is money in Tongbao Pavilion, it can be withdrawn from any place with Tongbao Pavilion in each dynasty.
"I wonder if Mr. Cheng has any treasures that he wants to keep in this pavilion?"
Cheng Zheng put his right fist against his lips and coughed: "Actually, Cheng doesn't have any money to deposit..."
Seeing Xu Guangzhi's surprised expression, Cheng Zheng took out the bronze medal wrapped in red cloth from his arms and handed it to Xu Guangzhi: "Does Manager Xu recognize this?"
Xu Guangzhi took the bronze medal and looked at it, his heart skipped a beat, but after all, he passed by the people in the big scene, suppressed the shock in his heart, and stood up: "Master Cheng, can you please take it away for a while?"
Cheng Zheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng. I'll come as soon as you go." Xu Guangzhi bowed his hands and turned around and walked out quickly.
I came to the backyard, entered the study, walked to a closet against the left wall, and took out a small box from the drawer inside the cabinet. I took out a few scraps of rubbing paper and rubbed the bronze medal with one of them.
I compared the rubbings with the word "宝" carefully, turned them over, changed to a piece of rubbing paper with the mountain on it, and compared it again, and said to myself: "It is indeed the rubbing with the word "宝"."
Different from the tokens that Tongbao Pavilion usually uses for business, like the bronze tokens brought by Cheng Zheng, the entire Tongbao Pavilion has only three sides, but the words engraved on each side of the bronze medal are different, and the patterns on the reverse are also different. They are as follows
There are three words: "Tong", "Bao" and "Ge". The reverse side of the word "Tong" is the pattern of river, the reverse side of the word "Bao" is the pattern of mountain peaks, and the reverse side of the character "Ge" is the pattern of attic. When seeing these three bronze medals, it is like seeing
The master of the pavilion is here in person.
This calligraphy plate has not been used for decades, and few people have actually seen the calligraphy plate. However, each branch of Tongbao Pavilion has rubbings of the calligraphy plate for verification, and the only people who know about it are the stewards and elders of the branch.
figure.
Just when Cheng Zheng was in shock, Xu Guangzhi appeared with a smile: "Master Cheng, I've been waiting for a long time. I forgive you, I forgive you."
Xu Guangzhi did not sit on the main seat this time, but moved to sit on the chair below Cheng Zheng. He looked at Cheng Zheng and chuckled: "I wonder where this sign comes from. Can Master Cheng tell me?"
Cheng Zheng glanced at the grand master's chair in the main seat, and then at Xu Guangzhi, who was sitting at the bottom. He thought to himself that the weight of this plaque was very important. He was secretly happy, picked up the bowl of tea and took a sip, "This is what my brother-in-law ordered."
Gift."
"Who is your uncle?"
"Chu Nanfeng of Taibai Academy in Taibai Mountain."
Xu Guangzhi was shocked again after hearing this: "Is it Mr. Chu from Taibaishan Academy?"
Cheng Zheng nodded: "Does the steward recognize my brother-in-law?"
Xu Guangzhi nodded but shook his head. Although he had never met Chu Nanfeng, he knew that he had a close relationship with his pavilion master Luo Hanshui. He also knew that the young pavilion master was studying martial arts with Chu Nanfeng in the academy.
He was originally surprised about the origin of Cheng Zheng's name plate, but when he found out that it came from Chu Nanfeng, he felt relieved.
Cheng Zheng, who had been in official circles for a long time, saw that Xu Guangzhi looked shocked, and wondered whether his brother-in-law was a famous person. But he thought it was impossible. He was surprised, but he heard Xu Guangzhi say: "What's the matter with Mr. Cheng?"
Order?"
"Don't dare, don't dare." Cheng Zheng came to his senses and hesitated: "My daughter will leave the palace on the tenth day of next month. Taibai Mountain is more than two thousand miles away. I wonder if the steward can tell my brother-in-law... to tell him to come as soon as possible.
"
"Oh? It turns out it's your daughter's wedding. Congratulations to Mr. Cheng. I will send someone to send a message to Mr. Chu immediately, so that the auspicious time will not be delayed."
Although Xu Guangzhi said this, he was murmuring in his heart. Such an important "treasure" sign was used to convey the news of attending the wedding. It seems that Mr. Cheng really doesn't know about treasures.
Cheng Zheng had a bitter look on his face. He looked at the "Treasure" sign placed on the table and thought: "Cheng, I would like to take the liberty to ask, how much does this "Treasure" sign in your pavilion hold?"
Xu Guangzhi was a shrewd man, but when he saw that Cheng Zheng had a bitter look on his face under his congratulations, and asked about the weight of the calligraphy plate, he guessed that the marriage might not be what Cheng Zheng wanted, so he smiled and said: "Master Cheng, if you have any difficulties, just tell me
Come on, this "treasure" sign is here. Regardless of other guarantees, I will at least guarantee that no third party will know what Mr. Cheng said. Moreover, as long as this branch office can do its best, it will definitely share its worries with Mr. Cheng..."
Cheng Zheng's eyes brightened, he put away the "Treasure" sign, and said after a while: "Then Cheng will tell the truth."
"But it doesn't matter..." Xu Guangzhi said seriously.
"My little girl's marriage was not what Cheng wanted..." Cheng Zheng composed himself and paused: "Although Cheng has an official position, he can't stop it, so he is ready to abandon his official position, and I came here to ask..."
Before he finished speaking, Xu Guangzhi interrupted: "Yes, I understand. Mr. Cheng, please go home and wait. Mr. Chu will receive the news within three days."
"Seriously?" Cheng Zheng looked surprised. Taiyuan is nearly two thousand miles away from Taibai Mountain, but it was shocking that the information arrived within three days.
"Don't worry, there are BMWs in Tongbao Pavilion that can travel thousands of miles a day, and there are also flying eagles that can fly thousands of miles a day. But this "Treasure" plaque must be used by me first, and it will be delivered to my door and returned tomorrow."
Cheng Zheng was startled, hesitated for a moment, and finally took out the plaque he had just put in his arms and handed it to Xu Guangzhi.
After Cheng Zheng resigned, Xu Guangzhi immediately said to a servant in the corridor of the hall: "The deacon of the Chuanjian Guard came to the backyard to meet me."
Tongbao Pavilion's branches in various places train and raise many carrier pigeons to deliver messages. Each branch has trained carrier pigeons to deliver messages in fixed locations. They are responsible for relay transmission from station to station. After receiving the message at each station, the carrier pigeons will return.
A specific secret message is left to indicate receipt of the letter. If the pigeon does not return within a certain period of time, personnel will be sent to investigate to prevent the pigeon from being shot and killed on the way.
When he came to the study, Xu Guangzhi immediately took up a pen and wrote two letters with the same content. After the ink dried, he rolled them up and put them into bamboo slips the size of his little finger. They were sealed with wax. At this time, a man came to the door.
The man in smart clothes bowed to Xu Guangzhi and said, "I've seen the steward."
Xu Guangzhi handed the two wax-sealed bamboo slips to the visitor: "Immediately deliver them to Taibai Mountain Academy by flying pigeons and hand them over to Mr. Chu Nanfengchu... Just in case, we will deliver them quickly."
The well-dressed man took the order and retreated.
Xu Guangzhi closed the door and turned a celadon vase on the left side of the closet. There was a clicking sound. The closet slowly moved to the right, revealing a small door. He looked at his belly. Xu Guangzhi shook his head and smiled bitterly, then squeezed sideways.
After going in, he took out the oil lamp from a recess in the wall, lit the oil lamp, pressed it in the recess, and the wall cabinet slowly returned to its original position.
Walking down the steps of the secret passage, there is a passage about seven feet high in front of you. After about half a stick of incense, you see steps in front of you. There is a square hole on the top of the steps, covered with a stone slab. Xu Guangzhi walks on
He went up the steps, blew out the oil lamp in his hand and put it aside, then pushed open the stone slab, and a ray of light came in. It turned out that the tunnel was hidden in a rockery.
The exit of the rockery was relatively narrow, but it was difficult for Xu Guangzhi, who had a big belly, to pass through. With a wry smile, he took a deep breath, and his big belly flattened out and came out of the rockery. He breathed out and patted the bulging belly.
He kicked the rockery in his stomach, muttering something in his mouth, and walked through the flowers and plants planted on the side of the mountain to the courtyard.
There was a pavilion not far from the rockery. Two old men were playing chess on the pavilion. When they saw Xu Guangzhi arriving, one of them, an old man with white hair and beard, smiled and said: "Hey, if there is something urgent, the steward can go this way. I can't wait to fill it in."
The passage is blocked?"
Xu Guangzhi smiled coquettishly, walked into the pavilion, sat on the bluestone inside the pavilion, and touched his belly: "Elder Lu is laughing."
Another old man in a green robe looked at the chessboard and put down the white pieces: "Every time the steward comes, Mr. Weng becomes restless. I lost this plan."
Xu Guangzhi didn't take it seriously and smiled: "I have something to worry about, please. The main cabinet is coming back. I will definitely send a jar over tomorrow for you two to taste."
Elder Lu sneered and said: "The steward has come to trick people again. It must have been at least five or six times since the year before. We didn't even smell the aroma of drunkenness after returning. The steward did drink a lot of our wine."
"I will never make a mistake this time." Looking at the disdainful looks in Weng and Lu's eyes, Xu Guangzhi smiled and said, "If I deceive the two elders this time, I will get stuck on that stone door." After saying that, he pointed with his finger.
That rockery.
The elder named Lu smiled and said, "It's a crack in the stone, not a stone gate."
Xu Guangzhi chuckled and changed his words: "I'm stuck in the crevices of the rocks."
Weng and Lu looked at each other and nodded. Xu Guangzhi was fat and hated narrow aisles and doorways. The two of them believed the oath that was like child's play to him. Elder Lu smiled: "
Whatever the steward has to say, it’s our duty to handle matters in the cabinet. Hehe, we just haven’t come back drunk, so we still don’t get things done every time.”
This is the truth. Weng and Lu knew that Xu Guangzhi had a few jars of fine wine, and they always wanted to trick him into drinking it. So every time Xu Guangzhi had something to do, they would always find excuses to delay, but Xu Guangzhi was
He promised to give me a chance every time, but never said a word about it afterwards.