On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Caozhi, Dr. Xu Zao, and his sister-in-law Ding Youwei and a group of more than 50 people left Wu County and returned to Qiantang via Huating. Dr. Xu was going to Qiantang to visit Feng Lingbo and his son. Xu Miao had already sent a letter. He said this year
Can’t come back from Jingzhou——
Mrs. Lu, Zhang Wenwan, Xiao Daofu and Lu Weirui went to Huating on the same way, but they were not welcomed by Mrs. Lu. Chen Caozhi and his sister-in-law Ding Youwei stayed in Huating for another two days. They crossed Songjiang to return home on the sixth day of the lunar month and met in Huating on the 16th of the first lunar month next year.
Get together and enter Jiankang together.
Run'er saw the male and female white falcons that Huang Xiaotong was carrying and liked them very much. She asked what the names of the two falcons were.
Huang Xiaotong said: "The villain just calls them Dabai and Xiaobai."
Run'er smiled and asked Chen Caozhi: "Why doesn't Uncle Chou give this pair of handsome eagles a good name?"
Chen Cao said: "Leave it to Run'er to name it."
Run'er was overjoyed, her beautiful eyes turned, and she said: "The male eagle is called Ruitian, and Mao's poem uses the allusion of 'It flies to the falcon, and it flies to Ruitian'. The female eagle is called Fuyao, and it uses the allusion of Zhuangzi's 'Those who swing upwards'
Ninety thousand miles, Uncle Chou said, okay?"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Very good! Let Xiao Tong teach them well. From now on, this pair of white falcons will be named Ru Tian and Fu Yao."
Run'er had a smile as bright as a flower and watched how Huang Xiaotong trained the two falcons, released them and retrieved them. After taking them back, they had to cover the heads of the two falcons with a cloth cover. Once, the male falcon flew out violently and even caught a fox and came back.
Run'er was so happy——
Run'er was sitting in the car, and Ran Sheng was riding on the horse and told Run'er about following Murong Chong to the Taihang Mountains for hunting in Yecheng. There were big lynxes, macaques, black cranes, brown-eared pheasants, and hares. Ran Sheng was there to throw money at Run'er.
Run'er was talking about this because of his interest. Run'er listened with interest and suddenly asked: "Xiao Sheng, where is your beard?"
Ran Sheng knew that Run'er didn't like his big beard, so he sharpened the razor last night and shaved his cheeks until they were green. He thought he looked much more handsome, so he replied: "Shave it, I'll shave it every three days."
Run'er said "Oh" and thought to herself: "Without the beard, why do you look so awkward?" But she said in her mouth: "Xiao Sheng, are you wielding swords and guns all day long and don't study anymore?"
"How dare you." Ran Sheng said quickly: "As long as I have free time, I will never let go of the scroll, and I will humbly ask my brother for advice."
Run'er smiled politely: "You can't let go of the scroll. This is a good word. Is Xiao Sheng a Confucian general? So what books have you read this year?"
Ran Sheng replied: "I have already read the Analects of Confucius well. I originally wanted to continue reading Mao's poems, but my brother said that Mao's poems can be read or not. He wanted me to read "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals" directly, as well as "Tai Gong's Six Tao" and "Tai Gong's Six Tao".
"Wei Liaozi" and "Sun Tzu", I can remember the general outline of these."
Run'er looked at Ran Sheng in surprise: "Okay, let me test you -"
Ran Sheng straightened his back and concentrated on it, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Run'er asked: "Xiao Sheng talks about the Battle of Hongshui in Song and Chu in the 22nd year of Duke Xi of Lu."
Ran Sheng thought nervously and replied: "I remember this well. Song Xianggong led troops to rescue Zheng Guo and fought with Chu at Hongshui. Army Commander Ma Ziyu suggested attacking the Chu army while it was halfway across the river. Song Xianggong believed in benevolence and righteousness and refused.
, Ziyu also suggested to attack the Chu army before they formed their formation, but Song Xianggong refused. The Chu army was already outnumbered, and Song Xianggong missed the opportunity to fight, resulting in a huge defeat. This pedantic Song Xianggong said that a gentleman is not seriously injured.
It’s really ridiculous not to catch two cents.”
Run'er praised: "Xiao Sheng's words are good and clear, so please try to discuss the battle of Song and Chuhong."
Ran Sheng got the compliment and became energetic. He thought about it and said: "Sun Tzu said that soldiers use deception, and he also said that soldiers are established by deceit. My brother said that the country should be governed by justice and the army should be used by surprise -"
Run'er kept laughing. Ran Sheng was as silent as a cicada, thinking that he had said something wrong. He was panicking when he heard Run'er say: "Ruling the country with justice and using troops with surprise. This is not what Uncle Chou said. It is in "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays"
."
Ran Sheng scratched his head and said, "I have never read Laozi. My brother said this to me when he was explaining Zuo Zhuan."
Run'er said with a smile: "I guess you are right, please continue to discuss war without getting tired of deceit."
Ran Sheng thought hard about what Chen Caozhi had said to him and his own understanding, and said: "When fighting with troops, you never tire of deceit, especially when the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. When courage is insufficient, we can use cunning to attack when the enemy has just gathered."
, you can attack when they are not eating, you can attack when they are tired from the long journey, you can attack when the enemy is waiting to cross the river, in short, seize every favorable opportunity to defeat the enemy, this is the most important, only the winner can
Speaking of benevolence and righteousness, if I win, then I can be more merciful. If I don’t kill Ermao, it’s all my word. If I lose, then I have to ask others for mercy. If others don’t give it, and they want to kill me, I can
Do you want to reason with him?"
Chen Caozhi, riding on a black horse, nodded frequently and praised: "Xiao Sheng spoke clearly and very well."
Run'er also praised: "It's been three days since we last seen each other. I should look at you with admiration. Xiao Shanda has made great progress. Uncle Chou seldom praises others."
Ran Sheng couldn't help being happy and secretly determined to become a famous general with both wisdom and courage.
…
On the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, we passed Jiaxing. The clouds were thick and the weather was getting colder. It started to snow in the afternoon. Lai Fu said happily: "It would be better if it snows more. Next year there will be a good wheat harvest." Since the cold autumn in September, three
There have been several rains in Wu Da, and the drought has been alleviated. Maybe it will be better to have another heavy snowfall.
Run'er was sitting in Chen Caozhi's carriage, which was presented by Sima Yu, King of Langya before he went to Chang'an as an envoy. It was gorgeous and comfortable. Run'er leaned against the window and watched the snowflakes falling, and talked softly to Xiao Chan, feeling as happy as agarwood in her heart.
Several wisps, curling up, rising, dissipating, and rising again——
Chen Caozhi was looking at the records of the Huaizhou and Yuzhou old generals compiled by Xie Daoyun, and thinking about the various difficulties he would face in rebuilding the Beifu Military Council next year. The first was money and food. Sizhou was an empty frame without any tax revenue. This had to be done to the imperial court and Huan Wen.
To ask for it, judging from the severe drought in Jiangdong this year, the national power has been damaged, the country is empty, and Sima Xun's rebellion has been initially decided, it is really not suitable to start a big war in the near future. It is conceivable that there will be many courtiers who will object to the Northern Expedition next year, but if Murong is not captured
After the death of Ke, the civil strife in Yan was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so there would be no chance for the Eastern Jin Dynasty to restore its homeland in the Central Plains——
The carriage jolted, and Chen Caozhi came out of his reverie. He looked up and saw Run'er's bright eyes looking at him, and said, "What are you looking at? Are you not looking at the snow?"
Run'er smiled and said: "What does the white snow look like? Spreading salt can make the difference in the air, but it's not like catkins blowing up due to the wind -" Seeing Chen Caozhi laugh, he added: "Uncle Chou, please rest for a while, don't work too hard."
, talk to Runer?"
Chen Caozhi said "hmm", put the silk book away, and asked: "Run'er, if you want to ask anything, just ask."
Run'er pointed to the silk book and said: "Uncle Chou, this was written by another ugly aunt. When Run'er comes to Beijing next year, how should Run'er call the two ugly aunts? Is it the left ugly aunt, the right aunt, or
Don’t have a better title?”
Xiaochan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chen Caozhi sat upright and said: "This is indeed a difficult problem. Let Uncle Chou think about it carefully. Why bother?"
Run'er laughed so hard that she finally stopped laughing and said: "It's better not to call us ugly aunts. They are all ugly aunts anyway. Oh, it's amazing when you think about it. Run'er heard about 'Nude Lu Weirui' when she was young.
, Yongxu Xie Daoyun's good name, I never thought that I would become a family with Run'er, it's incredible!" Suddenly he thought of something again and asked: "Uncle Chou, Run'er heard Huang Xiaotong say that there is a Xianbei in Yecheng.
The princess wants to marry the ugly uncle, right?"
Chen Caozhi smiled. This niece was too curious and kept asking questions. He replied: "That's a rumor, nothing like that."
Run'er opened his eyes wide and looked at Chen Caozhi's expression carefully, and said: "Uncle Chou, don't hide it from Run'er. In the past, the matter between Miss Lu and Uncle Chou was said to be a rumor, but in the end it was true; a few months ago, Mrs. Xie's relationship with Uncle Chou was
The story about Uncle Chou was also said to be a rumor, but it turned out to be true——"
Chen Cao's finger flicked Run'er's smooth forehead: "Do you hope that Uncle Chou will be detained by the Xianbei people and unable to return to Jiangdong?"
Run'er "Gege" smiled and said: "Uncle Chou can bring that Xianbei princess back secretly. That would be so interesting. The Xianbei people will be so angry. Sister Xiaochan, don't you think so?"
Xiaochan smiled and said: "Then your ugly uncle will flee all the way to Jiangdong, and the Xianbei white slaves will be chasing after him."
Chen Caozhi also smiled and said: "That Princess Xianbei is only twelve years old and has a bad temper. What are you doing with her?"
"Ah, you are only twelve years old, only one year older than me!" Run'er was startled, and her flawless white face was covered with a layer of blush——
…
At noon on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, a group of people braved the severe cold and rolled through ice and snow to return to Qiantang. Feng Mengxiong, the magistrate of Qiantang County, knew the news and welcomed him ten miles away. They had just arrived at Feng Mansion and had not yet settled down. Ding Yi and Ding Xia Shang
Ding Chunqiu and his son also arrived and invited Chen Cao and his entourage to rest in Ding's villa. Feng Mansion could not accommodate so many people, so Feng Mengxiong ordered people to hold a banquet. After the meal, they went to Ding's villa -
Xu Miao's wife Feng Lingbo came out to meet Aweng and his adoptive brother Chen Caozhi. The nanny also came out to meet Xu Miao's son Xu Huo, who was not yet one year old. Dr. Xu hugged Sun Dale, but the child refused to recognize him and even reached out to pull Dr. Xu's gray hair.
Dr. Xu nodded repeatedly because of his beard, and everyone laughed.
Chen Caozhi was granted a marriage by the Empress Dowager and will marry Lu, and the news of the two daughters has also spread to Qian Tang. Feng Lingbo congratulated his adopted brother and said: "It is a great joy that our adopted brother is getting married together."
When Feng Mengxiong, Ding Yi and others first heard the news about Chen Caozhi's double marriage, they couldn't believe it. It was already extremely difficult to marry a girl from the Lu family alone, let alone marry a girl from the Xie family in Chen County at the same time, and there were very few nobles from the north and south.
The marriage is just that the Chen family of the Tang Dynasty originated from Yingchuan. They can be said to be northern nobles, but they have lived in Jiangdong for five generations and are considered southerners. However, in any case, marrying the girls of the two powerful families in the north and south at the same time is a mistake.
Chen Caozhi did what he couldn't imagine. Ding Yi was extremely shocked, and at the same time he was deeply grateful. If he had not allowed Ding Youwei to go back to Chenjiawu for the funeral when Chen Caozhi's mother passed away, then now Qian Tangding
I am afraid that life is very difficult for the family. How could Ding Licheng move from the distant Western Shu to serve as the magistrate of Wuning County!
——After the Chen family of Qiantang became in-laws with the Lu family of Wu County and the Xie family of Chen County, the family status rose rapidly, and the Ding family was also related to the Chen family, so the family prestige naturally increased. Now Ding Yi’s daughter Ding Hui and Chen Xian’s son
The Chen-Tan marriage was the Ding family's way up the ladder. In just five years, the situation had turned upside down. If Ding Yi had been foolish and made a wrong move, the future of the Ding family would have been completely different. Chen Cao had just lost his crown in his youth.
He is already the Sima of the Sixth Grade Prefecture, and will build the army of Beifu. He has a bright future. The descendants of the Ding family will all rely on Chen Cao's support in the future——
Chen Caozhi rested all night at Ding's villa. On the morning of the 13th, he, Chen Mo, Chen Tan and Zongzhi went to visit Quan Li, the former Sanqi Changshi who had been idle at home. Quan Li could be said to be the first person to appreciate and
The person who promoted Chen Caozhi felt that his face was bright when he saw that Chen Caozhi had been promoted to a higher position and became famous all over the world, so he left Chen Caozhi's uncle and nephew to have lunch——
In the afternoon, Chen Caozhi visited Du Zigong, the leader of the Qiantang Celestial Master Taoism. Due to Lu Song's rebellion, the imperial court also issued some bans on the Celestial Master Taoism, such as not being allowed to teach men and women the art of combining qi, and the Celestial Master Taoists were not allowed to hide weapons privately, except for the three officials.
Large gatherings are not allowed for the emperor's birthday celebrations, etc. In order to avoid disaster, Du Zigong has been living in seclusion recently. Chen Caozhi came to visit Du Zigong, and it was Emperor Sima Yu who came to comfort Du Zigong. Tianshi Tao believers are all over the states in Jiangdong, although Lu Song took advantage of
The Tianshi Taoists rebelled, but the court still could not suppress Tianshi Tao too much and could only focus on appeasement. Du Zigong was extremely prestigious among the Tianshi Tao believers in Jiangdong, and he was of noble character and had never heard of anything morally wrong, so Chen
Before Cao Zhi left the capital, he suggested to Emperor Sima Yu that he should use Du Zigong's influence to appease the Celestial Master Taoists and not incite rebellion between the Celestial Master Taoists and the disaster-stricken refugees. Emperor Sima Yu then gave Du Zigong a copy of "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays" personally copied by the emperor.
Du Zigong was delighted with the scrolls and silks, and thanked the emperor for his kindness——
On the morning of the 14th, Chen Caozhi had an early lunch and crossed the Qiantang River back to Chenjiawu with his sister-in-law Ding Youwei, Zongzhi, Runer, Chen Mo, Chen Tan and Ran Sheng.
The flow of the Qiantang River has increased recently. Although it has not returned to its former might, it is no longer like a small stream. Looking at the Fenglin Ferry on the other side, the Chenjiawu tribesmen who learned the news yesterday are already waiting.
From the clan leader Chen Xian on down, dozens of people from the whole clan, men, women, old and young, came out twenty miles away to wait for Chen Caozhi's return by the river. There were also hundreds of tenants of the Chen family, all of whom were beaming with joy.
The noble family is even more happy to be married to the Lu family and the Chen Xie family in Wujun, and they can marry two of them at once. What a magical happy event this is!
The snow had stopped yesterday, and the snow on the ground was about half a foot thick. On the road from Fenglin Ferry to Chenjiawu, the snow had been trampled into slush by wheels and footprints, and the oxcarts rattled as they passed -
Chen Caozhi got on the ox cart of his fourth uncle Chen Xian. Following the gentle jolt of the ox cart, he reported to his fourth uncle about his mission to the North and the marriage granted by the Empress Dowager Chongde——
When the news came back that Chen Caozhi had been kidnapped by the Xianbei people, the old patriarch Chen Xian was worried. Regardless of his old age, he wanted to go to Beijing to try to rescue Cao's nephew. However, Xie Daoyun advised him not to go to Beijing for the time being, saying that his son would return safely.
, Sure enough, within a month, the news of the sixteenth nephew's return from the mission came back, and then Ding Youwei's elder brother Ding Licheng came to Chenjiawu to pay a visit, and said that the sixteenth nephew's strength would be transferred from Western Shu to Wuning County as the county magistrate.
News that surprised the Chenjiawu tribe continued to come. Chen Shang was promoted to the rank of seventh-rank palace supervisor, Chen Yu was promoted to the seventh-rank cavalry captain, and Chen Caozhi was promoted to the sixth rank of Sizhou Sima. Three days ago, Feng Mengxiong sent someone to
The news is that Empress Dowager Chongde has granted marriage to Chen Caozhi and Lu Weirui, a girl from the Lu family in Wu County, and Xie Daoyun, a girl from the Xie family in Chen County. The gray-haired old patriarch Chen Xian seems to be in a dream and often talks to himself while walking
, He laughed alone, but was afraid that he was dreaming. Today, he finally looked forward to Chen Caozhi's return. After listening to Chen Caozhi's own words about those things, he was convinced that the Qiantang Chen family has prospered since then. Chen Caozhi, who was fifteen years old at the time,
Cao Zhi contradicted his sixth uncle Chen Man in the ancestral hall and said loudly: "My father is the eighth-rank county magistrate, and my brother is the eighth-rank county magistrate. Why can't I overcome Shao Jiqiu and become a high-rank official with the privilege of being exempted from taxes and servitude?"
?" More than five years later, Chen Caozhi did it. He led the Chen family step by step on the road to revitalization——
The old patriarch Chen Xian smiled from ear to ear and calculated: "So we will set off on the tenth day of the first lunar month. On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, we will rush to Huating to meet up with the people from the Lu family. We will arrive in Jiankang at the end of the first lunar month, and then we will meet the Lu and Xie families.
To perform the ceremony of asking for your name, Najib’s betrothal gift must also be prepared, in duplicate, and there must be no partiality——”
Chen Cao said: "This is going to be a lot of trouble for Fourth Uncle."
The old patriarch Chen Xian smiled and said: "This is a happy thing, no matter how busy or tired it is, it is worth it." Suddenly he raised his eyes and sighed: "Oh, if the seventh brother's wife is still alive, how wonderful it would be to know about today's happy event!"
Chen Caozhi sighed, no matter how well he did, no matter how outstanding he was, it was a pity that his mother couldn't see him anymore. This was a shortcoming that could never be made up for!
When Chen Caozhi returned to Chenjiawu, he first went to visit the elders of each house. Before having a meal, he went with his sister-in-law Ding Youwei, Zongzhi and Runer to the Chen family cemetery in Yuhuang Mountain to pay homage to Chen's mother, Li, Ran Sheng and Jing Nu.
Huang Xiaotong, Xiaochan, and Chen's mother Li's dowry old maid Yinggu also went with them——
The snow-capped mountain mausoleum is covered with silver, and the mountains are full of pines and cypresses weighed down by ice and snow. The road up the mountain has been paved with winding stairs. It is no longer slippery and difficult to walk in rain and snow like before. Chen Caozhi stood in front of his mother's tomb.
, the hundreds of pines and cypresses he planted four years ago when he was guarding his mother's grave have now grown into a forest. How can people be embarrassed if the trees are like this?
The snow in front of the tomb door was cleared, five plates were placed on the left, six-ear cups were placed on the right, round plates of delicacies, and libations were laid on the table. Ding Youwei, Chen Caozhi, Chen Zongzhi, and Chen Runer paid homage in turn——
Chen Caozhi looked at the place where his mother was buried, thinking of her mother's love, and couldn't help but shed tears. He only heard the old maid Yinggu muttering to the side: "Madam, A Ying came to see you again. A Ying is so happy today.
Mr. Liu Chou is back. Mr. Liu Chou is about to get married. He wants to marry two wives. One is a girl from the Lu family in Wu County. She came to visit the lady that year. The lady liked her very much, right? After the lady passed away, Lu
The young lady also sent a maid to bury her on her behalf. Little Madam Lu was already from Chenjiawu; the other lady of the Xie family had also met her, that is Zhu Langjun. It turned out that she was not Zhu Langjun, she
It’s the Xie girl who pretends to be a man for Mr. Liu Chou. They are all good girls, right? When Mr. Liu Chou officially gets married next year, let Mr. Liu Chou take care of the two young ladies Lu and Xie.
Let’s come together to visit you, madam…”
The old maid Yinggu was talking nonchalantly, as if Chen's mother Li was still sitting on the bed chatting with her. Chen Caozhi, Ding Youwei and others had already burst into tears——
…
From this day on, everyone in Chenjiawu was busy. One was to prepare for the New Year, and the other was to prepare for the elders of the Chen family to enter Jiankang next year. Chen Xian, Chen Man, and Ding Youwei were all going to Jiankang. If Chen
Man used to have some grudge against Chen Caozhi, but now he has completely put it aside. The honor of the family is everything. The sixteen nephews have brought glory to the Chen family. What else can Chen Man be dissatisfied with? Moreover, the Chen family has grown in recent years.
The rapid expansion is something Chen Man never dared to dream about before. Chen's two-year rice crop has been a great success. The yield per mu has almost doubled. The land of Chen's manor has expanded to more than 300 hectares, which is more than what it was at the end of last year.
The two hundred hectares have increased by more than half; Chen's blacksmith shop has expanded again and again, and now has nearly a hundred blacksmiths. Blacksmiths from several nearby counties have all come to Chenjiawu. This year, tens of thousands of farm tools have been made, all of which are made by Gu.
Chen's tea garden has expanded to 4,000 acres, with an annual output of more than 500,000 kilograms of Gexian tea. The supply is still in short supply, because Xie Anshi of Dongshan likes to drink Gexian tea, so it became popular in Jiangzuo.
The livestock breeding in Chen's Manor and the fishery in Mingsheng Lake are growing year by year, and the momentum is gratifying; Chen's papermaking and textiles do not spare a lot of money to hire skilled craftsmen with specialized skills. If there is innovation, they will be rewarded heavily, and Chen's private army also
The number of people has increased from the original 80 to 160. Among them, 80 people are not engaged in farming and are dedicated to patrolling. The other 80 people train during the slack period and work on the farm in peacetime. If there is an emergency, they can immediately form combat capabilities.
These are all trained by Jing Nu. The family has a big business. Without strong armed forces, it is difficult to prevent the refugees and bandits from plundering. The current Chen family's private soldiers are second to none in several counties near Qiantang. This is all due to Chen Cao's
The family development plan originally set——
But all this, without the strong backing of the clan members who are officials in the imperial court, the family's land, money and silk cannot be saved no matter how much they accumulate. Just like last year when the Chu family colluded with the He family to frame the Chen family, without Chen Caozhi, the family industry would also fall apart.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Man is now fully aware of this, so in order to prepare for the engagement ceremony between Chen Caozhi and Lu and Xie's two daughters, he spared no effort and spent huge sums of money, because Chen Caozhi's marriage is not just about Xilou Chen
The matter of the Chen family in Qiantang is the top priority of the Chen family in Qiantang. Marriage with the two great clans of Lu and Xie will greatly increase the Chen family's family prestige——
On the third day of the first lunar month, Chen Caozhi also rode to Shanyin to visit the heads of the Kong, Wei, and Xie families, and had a long talk with Dai Shu, the internal historian of Kuaiji. Due to time constraints, Yuyao could not go, so Chen Caozhi specially wrote
He sent someone to send the letter to Yu Yu, all in order to consolidate the friendship with the Kuaiji gentry——
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Chen Caozhi returned to Qiantang after a long journey.
In the afternoon of the ninth day of the lunar month, Chen Jiawu's motorcade crossed the Qiantang River in a mighty manner, headed by the two elders Chen Xian and Chen Man, and others including Ding Youwei, Chen Shang's wife, Chen Cao's uncles, nephews, and maidservants, as well as Ran Sheng.
Twenty sergeants, twenty Chen's private soldiers led by Jing Nu, and nearly a hundred coachmen rushed to Ding's villa to rest for the night in the evening.
