October in Jiankang City is already quite chilly, especially at night, when the moon is half-circle and the moonlight is like frost. Riding on a horse facing the cold wind, the wind and moonlight are as cool as ice into your skin.
Xi Chao and Chen Caozhi rode side by side. He turned to look at Ran Sheng, who was wearing a single coat of coarse kudzu cloth. He smiled at Chen Caozhi and said, "Your brother Chen Zisheng is very strong. This time to rebuild the Beifu army, he will be of great use."
Chen Cao said: "Although Xiao Sheng is brave, he has not experienced real battlefield training. He still has a lot to learn. He is not just able to lead troops in war by memorizing military books."
Ran Sheng bowed down on horseback to receive the instruction: "Brother, the lesson is right."
Xi Chao sighed: "The scholars in Jiangzuo are dissolute. There are very few people as studious and diligent as your brothers. It is unreasonable for the Chen family in Qiantang not to prosper."
Chen Cao said: "I am willing to support each other and treat each other with sincerity."
Xi Chao turned his head and looked at Chen Caozhi. The young man who had been arguing with him on the high tower of Tongxuan Temple for more than three hours has now grown into a young man as tall as a jade mountain. He is handsome, steady, and as deep as the sea.
At that time, Xi Chao had a very good impression of Chen Cao Zhi. It can be said that they felt like old friends at first sight. According to Buddhist explanation, it was the cause of their previous lives. Although the two of them are now deeply involved in the political whirlpool, their good impression of each other has not diminished and they still maintain sympathy for each other.
Friendship, in the turbulent political battles, this friendship is extremely precious——
Xi Chao nodded and said: "Be sincere and sincere. This is a novel and good statement. I am willing to support each other with Zizhong and be sincere and sincere."
Friendship makes people warm, and the cold moon in the west half seems far away.
Xi Chao remembered what happened in Da Sima's mansion just now, he leaned closer and laughed softly: "Zizhong is certainly polite and clean, but his beauty is too much, which makes him fall into love and evil. Li Shimei, you have to be careful in dealing with it."
Chen Caozhi was indeed a little helpless and said: "I will go to Jingkou so that I can stay away from this right and wrong."
Xi Chao shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's not that easy. Didn't Zizhong notice that Huan Bodao's expression changed after Li Shimei came out?" Huan Bodao is Huanxi's cousin.
Chen Caozhi was shocked, and Xi Chao also saw it. Huan Xi and Li Jingshu were similar in age. It shouldn't be difficult to seduce someone like Huan Xi with Li Jingshu's beauty. Li Jingshu often called himself a person who had subjugated his country, and seemed to have a grudge against Huan Wen.
Be careful, the behavior of this kind of person cannot be measured by common sense. It is really difficult to predict what she will use Huan Xi to do, and there is no way to tell Huan Wen about this kind of thing——
Chen Caozhi solemnly nodded and said: "Thank you, Brother Guest, for reminding me. I will deal with it carefully."
Xi Chao laughed loudly: "I believe that Zi Zhong can deal with this calmly, but how should you deal with Miss Xie? I heard that Jing Zi Chong has a good hand, so Miss Xie's condition has improved, right?"
Chen Cao's face showed embarrassment and he said, "Brother Guest, can you teach me?"
Xi Chao laughed loudly, but his voice was lowered: "I only have one wife. Although I have two other concubines, I don't use love. Zizhong dealt with two noble girls, and they all agreed with each other without any resentment. This is
You are a great talent, but it is as difficult as running a country. How can I teach you?"
Chen Caozhi said in embarrassment: "Brother guest, don't make fun of me."
Xi Chao's smile faded and he said seriously: "I know that Zizhong has a deep affection for the girl of the Lu family and will not marry anyone who is not a daughter of the Lu family. Now that Zizhong has gradually entered the center of power, both in name and in real life, no matter how stubborn Lu Shi is,
You will also wake up. Zi Zhong can definitely marry the girl of the Lu family, and Zi Zhong will rebuild the Beifu army. The help of the Xie family of Chen County is indispensable. Why should the Xie family of Chen County help you? Brothers Xie Anshi and Xie Wanshi are the ones who have given up their hands.
No? No, Xie Anshi values the relationship between Zi Zhong and the Xie family in Chen County. What kind of relationship is a marriage, a marriage between family members, sharing weal and woe, this is the most common thing. Zi Zhong, don't tell me about you and the Xie family.
Girls are just classmate friendship——"
When he said this, Xi Chao looked at Chen Caozhi. Under the dim moonlight, his eyes were clear, and Chen Caozhi was speechless.
Xi Chao smiled and continued: "If Zizhong is a reclusive and inactive person, then it is okay to flaunt his love for the past and the present. But once you enter the official career, you will inevitably have to cling to others and get married. These are the shortcuts to grow your family.
, there is no harm in marrying the Xie family of Chen County. Even if the Xie family girl is as ugly as salt, she still needs to be married. What’s more, the Xie family girl is both talented and beautiful, and has a deep relationship with Zizhong. Of course, Lu’s daughter, you
You also have to marry. How to marry the two powerful girls of the northern and southern gentry together? This is a great hurdle you have to cross. If you cross it, you will get twice the result with half the effort and the road will be smooth. If you can't cross it, even if you are not walking through thorns, you will still be stuck on the left and right, and your son will be heavy.
Mianzhi, haha, say goodbye."
Arriving at the crossroads, Xi Chao took several of his entourage and went their separate ways. Chen Caozhi and Ran Sheng returned to Gu Mansion in Hengtang. Only then did Ran Sheng hear Xi Chao's words. At this time, he approached and said, "Ah
Brother, what Mr. Xi said is very true, I’d better marry both of them.”
Chen Caozhi glared at Ran Sheng and said with a smile: "How old are you, I want you to persuade me, can you marry me if you say I want to?"
Ran Sheng said: "My brother will be eighteen after the Chinese New Year, and a man will be strong at sixteen."
Chen Caozhi smiled: "Xiao Sheng is eighteen years old, it's time to get married and have children."
Unexpectedly, Ran Sheng was surprised by such a casual sentence, and said repeatedly: "I don't marry and have children. I don't marry and have children. It's still early. The Huns are not exterminated, so why should I take care of my family, right?"
Brother."
When he said this, what appeared in Ran Sheng's mind was a girl with hair in front of her eyebrows and hair hanging down behind her shoulders. This girl was pink and jade-cut, and she was cute. She held a silk book in her snow-white hands and sang in a sweet voice. Suddenly her eyes flashed.
Staring, he scolded: "Xiao Sheng, you are full of typos. I have taught you so many times and still can't remember it. Alas, it is like rotten wood that cannot be carved. You are not rotten wood. You are the strong and heavy Qinggang Oak in Jiuyao Mountain."
Mu!" The girl was very stern, which made Ran Sheng fearful, but the boy's heart was inexplicably happy. He respected and loved the girl very much. In the past two years, Ran Sheng had grown older, and occasionally he would think about life-long events. Then
As long as he thinks of the girl who he fears, respects and loves, Ran Sheng doesn't dare to think too much, and his surname is Chen now, no matter what!
Chen Caozhi, however, did not realize what Ran Sheng was thinking and said, "Would Xiao Sheng want to destroy the Yan Kingdom and then start a family? That would be great too."
Ran Sheng changed the topic and said, "Brother, can we go back to Qiantang to pick up Sister Ding and the others to Jiankang?"
Chen Caozhi hesitated and said: "I will go to Jingkou, and I have to travel between the Huaihe River and Huaihe River from time to time. I'm afraid it won't be appropriate to pick up my sister-in-law and the others, but my third sister-in-law must come." He added, "Let's decide in a few days.
I always have to go back to Qiantang before the end of the year."
As he spoke, Gu's Mansion in Hengtang was approaching, but he saw the concierge of Gu's Mansion striding out to welcome the two of them, saluting Chen Caozhi and saying: "Chen Shijun is back, and my young master is here."
Chen Caozhi took a closer look and saw that these two men were private soldiers from Pingyu Sujiabao. He said happily: "Brother Ziyi is here, it's very good." Then they went into the hall to meet each other.
Su Qi was having a conversation in the hall, accompanied by Gu Minzhi. Gu Minzhi was not very polite to these refugee sect commanders, because Su Qi came to seek refuge with Chen Caozhi, so he patiently accompanied him to talk until Chen Caozhi came back.
, feeling relieved, he said a few words, then said goodbye and went into the inner courtyard. Anyway, Chen Caozhi was half the master and could entertain the guests.
For Su Qi, who had come from afar, Gu Minzhi's polite indifference made him feel a little unhappy, so he asked Chen Caozhi: "Chen Shijun is still staying in the Gu Mansion?"
Chen Caozhi understood Su Qi's feelings and said with a smile: "My Chen family has a new house on the bank of the Qinhuai River. I haven't moved there yet. I know that brother Ziyi is coming, so I have ordered people to prepare a residence for brother Ziyi and his entourage. I am here
Just take Brother Yi over so that we can have a long night of talk."
Su Qi felt happy when he saw that Chen Caozhi was as friendly to him as before, so he took more than 20 Su's private soldiers to follow Chen Caozhi. Ran Sheng went to the east garden of Chen's house by the Qinhuai River, and had a long talk with Chen Caozhi that night by candlelight.
Along the way, Su Qi heard rumors about Chen Caozhi from time to time: the incident between Chen Caozhi and the Xie family girl of Chen County, the incident where Chen Cao beat up the emperor's favored ministers when he returned to Jiankang, and then the emperor
Things that were abolished——
Su Qi believed that the emperor's dethronement was closely related to Chen Caozhi. The emperor wanted to accept the Lu girl as his concubine, which violated Chen Cao's rebellion, so the emperor was deposed. Su Qi had seen Chen Caozhi's behavior in Di Qin
Although it was Huan Da Sima who deposed the emperor and established a new king, Su Qi had reason to believe that this was the result of Chen Caozhi taking advantage of the situation.
Chen Caozhi told Su Qi that he would assist Huan Wen's crown prince Huan Xi in rebuilding the Beifu Army. Su Qi was overjoyed. This was exactly what he had hoped for, and asked hurriedly: "Has the edict been issued?"
Chen Cao said: "Not yet, after the edict is issued, I may have to go to Lianghuai again to recruit the commanders of the refugee clans and the beggar army from Zhuwubao. Brother Ziyi will not have to follow me."
Su Qi said excitedly: "Su Qi came to Jiankang from Pingyu just to follow Chen Shijun. Chen Shijun has a mission, but Qi dare not not do his best."
Chen Caozhi smiled and said, "Don't say this in front of Prince Huan. Prince Huan is not magnanimous enough."
Su Qi understood the idea and said: "Su Qi understands."
Chen Cao said: "It's late at night. Brother Ziyi has a rest early. Tomorrow he will go with me to visit Huan Da Sima and Huan Shizi. Huan Da Sima will return to Gushu tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Chen Caozhi took Ran Sheng and Su Qi to the new pavilion to see Huan Wen off. Chen Caozhi looked at Huan Wen. Huan Xi and his son introduced Su Qi. Huan Wen was very happy and ordered Huan Xi to use Su Qi.
Qi, after receiving the edict from the Sizhou Governor, Su Qi was recruited as a military commander to help recruit Huaibei people to build an army.
After sending Huan Wen off to the west, Chen Caozhi and other officials returned to Jiankang. When they saw brothers Xie An and Xie Wan riding together, they introduced Su Qi to Xie An and Xie Wan.
Xie Wandao: "Pingyu Sujiabao is also considered a powerful Wubao in Huaibei. I once heard the name of Lord Su Lang in Yuzhou."
When Xie An saw Chen Caozhi introducing Su Qi to him, he nodded secretly and said, "Cao Zhi, Chen Yu, Mr. Su Shaolang, please follow my brother back to the house to have a drink and talk."
Su Qi was really flattered when he saw the world-famous Dongshan Xie Anshi treating him so politely, knowing that it was because of Chen Caozhi.