Lai Fu, the chief steward of Chenjiawu, led his servants to kill pigs and sheep, and gave a hundred private soldiers of the Quan and Ding families a feast. Then each of them was given a piece of ramie, which was worth about 350 yuan.
The private soldiers of the Quan clan and the Chen clan were all very happy. They thanked the head of the Chen clan and set off on their way back under the setting sun.
Laifu's wife Zeng Yuhuan knew that Cao Zhi's husband was going to pay homage to his old mistress, so he had prepared the sacrificial items, and Yu Laizhen drove an ox cart to send them to the Chen family cemetery in Yuhuang Mountain in advance.
There is an eight-mile road from Chenjiawu to Yuhuang Mountain. If you go there on foot, it will be dark when you arrive. Chen Caozhi went there on horseback, and Ran Sheng naturally went there too. As for Zongzhi, he was sitting on the front saddle of Chen Caozhi's horse.
The two-year-old boy was quite excited.
Xie Daoyun was riding a brown mare. She also wanted to pay homage to Chen's mother, Li. Two loyal private soldiers of the Xie family followed on horseback. Xie Daoyun's personal maid Liu He Yinfeng followed out of the gate of Wubao and looked at Xie Daoyun.
Said: "Xie Langjun——"
Xie Daoyun said: "You two, don't follow me -" Da Ma followed Chen Caozhi.
Liu Xu looked at Chen Caozhi, and Xie Daoyun and his entourage turned around and disappeared from the square dock. He whispered to Yinfeng: "Mrs. Daoyun went to pay homage to Chen Langjun's mother. I heard from Xiaochan that Miss Lu didn't come to pay homage either."
Let’s get through it.”
Yin Feng said: "Xiao Chan said that when Chen Langjun's mother was buried, Mrs. Lu sent a maid named Duanchoe to wear sackcloth and mourn on her behalf, which is very rare."
Liuxu didn't say anything, and after a while, she asked: "Yin Feng, what do you think my wife will do about her life-long event? It will be Mrs. Daoyun's 20th birthday in more than a month. Mrs. Daoyun is not in a hurry.
Urgent, Yin Feng, aren’t you impatient?”
As Xie Daoyun's personal maid, wherever Xie Daoyun goes to marry, Liuxu will definitely follow him because of the wind, either as a concubine or as a wife with a domestic servant. Liuxu is almost eighteen years old, and since he is Daoyun
The lady is anxious, but she is also anxious for herself——
Yinfeng pursed her lips and smiled and said: "What's the use of being anxious? How can you still say, Mrs. Ayuan, you love Chen Langjun so much, why don't you marry her?"
Liuxu quickly looked around and saw that the Wubao was standing still, with rows of willow trees in the dusk. Others were dozens of steps away, and he also laughed and said: "My wife is really funny. You, a woman, want to be friends with others for life, don't you just want to
Will we stay together forever? My little maid understands this truth. Could it be that Mr. Chen doesn’t understand my wife’s feelings?”
Yin Feng said: "How could someone as smart as Chen Langjun not understand that he is pretending to be deaf and dumb?"
Liu Xu said angrily: "Chen Langjun pretended to be deaf and mute. This is not ruining my wife's life. If he doesn't like my wife, he should tell my wife clearly——"
Yinfeng asked: "How to say?"
Liu Xu was stunned for a moment and said forcefully: "Chen Langjun should say, Brother Yingtai, I don't like you, don't follow me -"
At this point, Liuxu burst out laughing and couldn't continue.
Yin Feng said: "If Mr. Chen said that like you, it would be an insult to my wife. Mr. Chen is a gentle gentleman. How can he say hurtful words? In fact, my wife also knows that Mr. Chen is going to marry a girl from the Lu family.
, you see, Chen Langjun took a detour to Huating to visit the Lu family's girl, which also showed his feelings to my wife. Chen Langjun must marry the Lu family's wife."
Liu Xu said: "Then what should we do? Is it true that my wife will never marry? An Shigong and Wan Shigong don't agree either." Then he thought again and said: "What if Chen Langjun wants to marry both the Lu girl and my wife?"
How about getting married?"
Yinfeng was half a year younger than Liuxu, but much more stable than Liuxu, so he calmly asked: "Marry both of them? Then who will be the wife? Who will be the concubine?"
Liu Xu hesitated and said: "Needless to say, my wife, Miss Lu will definitely not be a concubine, right?"
Yin Feng said: "Don't talk about the Xie family, the Lu family, even a second-class noble girl has no reason to be a concubine. Only if the common people are from a poor family and want to reach a higher level, they will give the girl as a concubine."
Liuxu sighed and said: "Chen Langjun is determined to marry a girl from the Lu family. What should my wife, Daoyun, do? Daoyun is proud and arrogant. She finally met Chen Langjun. The two of them got along very well, but
It’s no chance!”
Yin Feng also sighed quietly: "Actually, I don't think Chen Langjun has any affection for my wife, Daoyun. However, Chen Langjun knows that it is impossible to marry two people. It is difficult to have the best of both worlds, so——
"
Liu Xu snorted and said: "How can Miss Lu be better than my wife Daoyun, but Chen Langjun chose Miss Lu!"
Yin Feng said: "It's difficult for Chen Langjun too. Who do you think he chooses? Isn't the marriage between Chen Langjun and Mrs. Lu also far away? If Chen Langjun chooses Mrs. Daoyun, An Shigong, Wan
I'm afraid Mr. Shi won't agree, right? At least he won't agree easily."
Liu Xu said: "That's strange. Why did Mr. An Shi agree with Mrs. Dao Yun to follow Mr. Chen Langjun to Kuaiji on business? It would have been better to have Mrs. Dao Yun and Mr. Yi Lang be together. It wouldn't be difficult."
"
Yinfeng shook his head and said: "I really don't understand this, but I think Mr. An Shi must have thought further. Let's not worry about things unfounded and just serve Mrs. Daoyun."
Liu Xu nodded, but then said: "I always feel that Dao Yun will be able to marry Chen Langjun in the end."
Yin Feng said "Oh" and looked at the catkins. He thought of something but did not say it out loud.
…
As the sun sets in the west and twilight gathers, the green pines and cypresses of Yuhuang Mountain condense into a deep blue color, and the light green mist is like smoke.
The three thatched sheds where Chen Caozhi originally guarded the tomb have been demolished. The two rows of pines and cypresses planted by Chen Caozhi are lush and lush. The night breeze blows and the pine forest rustles.
In front of the tomb door, there are sacrificial offerings, five plates on the left, six-eared cups on the right, round plates of delicacies, and libations on a stacked table. Chen Caozhi, Ran Sheng, Chen Zongzhi, and Xie Daoyun paid homage to Chen's mother, Mrs. Li.
The bright moon rises, the cold stars twinkle, and a faint sound of flute comes out, "Remembering Old Friends" and "Green Lotus Song", Chen's mother Li loved to listen to these two songs played by her son during her lifetime -
It was already the end of Xu when Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun returned to Chenjiawu. Liu Shangzhi's father, Patriarch Liu, was still in the hall downstairs, accompanied by Chen Xian, waiting for Chen Caozhi to return. Chen Caozhi hurried forward to greet him, cheerful and optimistic.
Patriarch Liu said with a smile: "Is Cao's good nephew going to Shanyin tomorrow? I'm thinking that Cao's good nephew is busy with official duties, so I came to disturb you tonight."
Chen Caozhi said: "I'm sorry." After the greetings, he told the story of Liu Shangzhi accompanying Xie Xuan to review the soil judgment in Wuxing County. Patriarch Liu felt that his son Shangzhi had been reused, and was very pleased, but he said: "
It's not easy to break the soil. It's okay here in Wu County, but I heard that people in Shangyu, Yuyao, and Zhuji counties in Kuaiji County gathered to make trouble. The leaders were the hermit households handed over by the common people during this inspection. These
The hermits were originally sheltered in the manor of the rich family, and they were not taxed or served. Now they were searched and found. Rumors began to rise every day. Some said that these hermits would be sent to Huaibei to serve as military households, and some said that they would be taken to Guangling to build a city. In short, people's hearts
Panic, nephew Cao needs to be careful when dealing with it."
Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun looked at each other, and Chen Caozhi bowed and said, "Thank you, Uncle Liu, for reminding me."
It was late at night. If Chief Liu did not return to Liujiapu, he would rest in Chenjiawu.
Xie Daoyun lived in the guest room on the second floor of the west building. Chen Caozhi's bedroom was originally on the third floor. In order to serve his mother more conveniently, it was moved to the second floor that year, so it was right next to Xie Daoyun's room. The two of them had traveled all the way from Jiankang to the hotel.
Guest houses often live next to each other, so I didn't think anything of it, but now when I arrived at Chen Cao's house, it was a little strange, because Ran Sheng and his twenty sergeants, as well as eight private soldiers of the Xie family, and several
The servants all live in the square dock. Liu Xu lives in the west building with Xie Daoyun. Yin Feng, the second maid, and Chen Caozhi and Xiao Chan live next door.
Because of what Patriarch Liu just said, Chen Caozhi was thinking about it and did not take anything else into consideration. He asked Xiao Chan to invite Xie Daoyun to come over to discuss the matter. Xie Daoyun replied and asked Chen Caozhi to come to her room.
Chen Caozhi smiled, knowing that Xie Daoyun wanted to avoid Xiaochan. He kept his nose stuffed all day and said that Luoyang accent was also very difficult. Moreover, Xie Daoyun must have washed off the powder now, fearing that Xiaochan would see the truth——
Chen Caozhi ordered Xiaochan to rest first, and he went to Xie Daoyun's room next door.
The rooms in the west building were very spacious, with two rooms inside and one outside. Xie Daoyun was waiting for Chen Caozhi in the outer room. When he saw Chen Caozhi coming in alone, he smiled slightly and asked, "Is Zizhong worried about the Tuduan incident in Kuaiji?" Xie Daoyun
This time, I didn't deliberately speak with a strong nasal voice, and my voice was naturally much softer.
Chen Caozhi sat down in front of her and said: "It's very difficult. What Patriarch Liu said about gathering people in a hidden house to cause trouble was obviously instigated by the powerful family behind the scenes. I think he wanted to give me and the two of them a blow. Those rumors are also true.
They released it to create difficult problems for the two of us."
Xie Daoyun said: "Dai Shu, the internal historian of Kuaiji, is the elder brother of my master Dai Andao, and Zizhong is also appreciated by Dai Shi. Dai's internal historian should support us in our efforts to enforce the end of the earth, but the chief minister of Kuaiji is Lu Chu, and Dai's
He is from the north and is far less prestigious than the Lu family in Kuaiji, so although Lu Chu is an assistant official, he can influence major affairs in the county."
The Nei Shi was the local chief executive of the Jin royal family. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Nei Shi was often appointed as the prefect on behalf of the governor. The Nei Shi of Kuaiji was the prefect of Kuaiji. Wang Xizhi served as the internal history of Kuaiji at that time.
Chen Caozhi said slowly: "If Lu Churu deliberately obstructs Tu Duan, then he will suffer a big loss."
Xie Daoyun said with a smile: "Lu Chu has the support of the Kuaiji clan, so it is not easy for him to stumble."
Chen Cao said: "We have four surnames in Kuaiji, Yu, Wei, and Konghe. We have to go visit them one by one. It will take a lot of time."
Xie Daoyun said: "This is not just a talk. Just win the debate. You must also have a practical strategy. The first step is to deal with those hidden people——"
Chen Caozhi nodded and said: "Yes, the ignorant people will be very violent when they are incited. If it really leads to a riot, it is because of my incompetence."
Xie Daoyun asked: "What good strategy does Zizhong have?"
Chen Cao said: "Public opinion is very important. Rumors are spreading because the government decrees are unreasonable. This is probably done deliberately by Lu Chu and his group. We will arrive at Kuaiji County to govern Shanyin the day after tomorrow. We will make an announcement in advance and spread it to all counties and villages.
Let the people understand the Gengxu land ban order, and appease those who have surrendered their hidden households..."
The two were discussing, and it was late at night——
