On July 25th, Chen Caozhi, Huan Shixiu, Tian Luo, and Cai Guang and a group of more than 200 people arrived in the capital city of Jiankang. Jiankang City had been invaded by the Tianshi Taoist demon Lu Song last year after Guangmomen was conquered.
The monarchs and ministers learned from the painful experience, gathered 50 million yuan, and began to build the six-gate city wall of the capital. The style of fences and earthen walls was gone forever. The city walls around Guangmo Gate had been built in advance. They were tall and majestic and heavily guarded. This was the atmosphere of the imperial capital.
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In the early autumn, the sun was shining slantingly, the blue sky was as clear as a wash, and the big city was standing still. Chen Caozhi was riding on his horse, looking at the Guangmomen Gate Tower. He was filled with emotions. He left Beijing on February 12th, first going to Gushu, then to Jingkou, and then across the river.
He went to the north of the Yangtze River to lobby the Wus in Lianghuai and Liujiabao in Xiaxiang County when he heard that Yu Xi's rebellion had captured Jingkou City. He immediately rushed back at night and planned to disintegrate the military morale of Yu Xi's rebel party. He captured the leader of the rebel party and sent him to the capital, and then went to Huaihe again.
Above, I visited the civilian commanders of Zhuwu. From February to July, I traveled non-stop and traveled nearly ten thousand miles. It goes without saying that it was hard work. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. The Beifu Army has been established. Now he can finally breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy this.
A sweet life, wedding, double marriage, wedding ceremony, the most beautiful thing in life is just around the corner——
Tian Luo and others were received by officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Chen Caozhi took Huang Xiaotong and the private servants of the Chen family back to the east garden of Chen's house by the Qinhuai River. Laifu was directing his men to move the utensils. He was overjoyed to see Chen Caozhi return.
, shouted: "The young man is back, the young man is back, haha."
The maids and servants rushed to tell each other, the whole house was in joy, and a kind of joy suddenly filled the air.
Chen Caozhi first went to visit his fourth uncle Chen Xian. The old patriarch Chen Xian, who was nearly seventy years old, had whiter hair than at the beginning of the year, but was still in good spirits. When he saw his sixteenth nephew coming back as scheduled, he said happily: "
My uncle was still talking about you in the morning, saying that you should be back in the next two days, and sure enough!" He also said: "The Chenjiawu tribe will also enter the capital in the near future, and all the Qian and Tang surnames will send people to congratulate you.
It will be extremely lively at times.”
Chen Caozhi briefly reported to his fourth uncle about lobbying Lianghuai, and then went into the inner courtyard to meet his sister-in-law Ding Youwei. As soon as he walked to the Quchi behind the double corridor building, he saw Ding Youwei, Run'er, Xiaochan, and Axiuzhu.
As the maid was walking towards the front yard, Chen Cao hurriedly took a few steps and saluted, "Sister-in-law, how are you?" He straightened up and said to Run'er, "Run'er has grown taller again." He looked at Xiao Chan and smiled.
Salute.
Ding Youwei, Run'er, and Xiaochan seemed shocked. They all looked at Chen Caozhi with wide eyes and said nothing, as if they didn't recognize Chen Caozhi——
Chen Caozhi said in surprise: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Ding Youwei smiled and said, "Young man has been working hard all the time. Now he comes back and has a good rest."
Chen Caozhi woke up and said: "Sister-in-law, you are saying that I have lost weight, right? Hey, there is nothing we can do about it. I have been riding horses all the way. From April to now, I have been driving under the scorching sun every day, and I have peeled off several layers of skin. This time
It’s a bit harder than last year’s mission to Chang’an.”
Run'er stepped forward and took Uncle Chou's hand. As expected, it was rough and cracked. It was no longer fair and moist as before. Her eyes turned red and she was on the verge of tears. She pursed her mouth slightly and said, "Uncle Chou worked too hard."
——”
Xiaochan looked at Mr. Cao Zhi, but the tenderness of pity in her heart could not be expressed like Run'er's.
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "What's wrong? Did Uncle Chou lose his name as Jiangzuo Weijie when he got tanned?"
The happiest thing is that Uncle Chou is back. Run'er immediately turned from sadness to joy. "Ge Ge" smiled sweetly and said, "Who can take it? Even if Uncle Chou is tanned, there is still no one who can compare with him." After looking at it, he was the happiest thing.
Mother Ding Youwei looked at Xiaochan again and asked: "Sister Xiaochan, do you think so?"
Xiaochan responded with a smile: "Yes." Looking at Chen Caozhi, she thought to herself: "I think Mr. Caozhi looks better if he is tanned."
Chen Caozhi said with a smile: "I have become a dark and thin veteran, and I am far away from Jiangzuo Wei. Let Zongzhi take over this nickname."
Ding You pursed his lips and smiled, while Runer smiled crisply and said, "Brother, can I compete with Uncle Chou? I don't know."
Chen Caozhi asked: "Has Zongzhi not come to Beijing from Wu County yet?"
Ding Youwei said: "There was a letter last month, saying that it would arrive at the end of this month. It's only been two days. Xiao Sheng came back once in May and said that he would come back at the beginning of August."
After entering the Champs and sitting down while Axiu served tea, Chen Caozhi asked Ding Youwei: "How can my sister-in-law get used to living in Beijing?" When asking this question, he looked at his sister-in-law Ding Youwei and saw that her face was bright and white with pink in it, and her complexion was very bright.
good.
Ding You smiled and said: "It seems that I am more used to it than Chenjiawu. Run'er and I just came back from Wuyi Lane. We went to Wuyi Lane one day and Hengtang the other day -"
Run'er said: "Two ugly aunts compete to be nice to Run'er, Run'er is so happy."
Chen Caozhi laughed loudly because he asked: "Sister-in-law, has Dao Yun recovered from his lung disease due to exhaustion?"
Ding Youwei said: "I asked the palace doctors to diagnose and treat me a month ago, and they all said that I have recovered."
Chen Caozhi was very happy. At this time, Huang Xiaotong asked his maid to ask where the box of books and Jiaowei Qin were stored. Chen Caozhi asked them to move them to Shuixiang Pavilion. He told his sister-in-law that this was the Chen Liucai clan.
As gifts, he planned to give the five volumes of "Lu Shi" written by Cai Yong to Lu Weirui, and the Jiaowei Qin to Xie Daoyun——
Run'er has recently been learning the piano from Xie Daoyun. When she saw the Jiaowei Qin, one of the four famous qin, she was filled with envy. The Jiaowei Qin had not been stringed yet, so how beautiful the sound was? Run'er caressed the strings of the qin, and suddenly,
Said: "The gift that the ugly uncle gave to the two ugly aunts, the two ugly aunts will bring it as a dowry, right?"
Ding Youwei couldn't help laughing, she tapped Run'er's forehead with her finger, and said in annoyance: "You, you, you -"
Xiaochan and Axiu both covered their mouths and smiled, while Runer opened her eyes wide and pretended to be innocent, which was so cute.
Chen Caozhi stood up with a smile and said, "I'm going to Wuyi Lane now, do you want Run'er to come with me?"
Run'er was about to say yes, but then she changed her mind and said, "Uncle Chou should go alone. Next time Run'er will go with Uncle Chou."
Ding Youwei suppressed her laughter and sent the young man out. Run'er walked with Uncle Chou for a while by the Quchi. The lotus in the pond had withered and the lotus caps had begun to wither and turn yellow. However, the water chestnuts were about to ripen and the green leaves of the wisteria were very bright.
.
Run'er said: "Uncle Chou, let me tell you something. In May, when the lotus flowers are at their peak here, the two ugly aunts came here to enjoy the flowers. They came quietly, hehe."
Chen Caozhi smiled. It was an old custom in Wu that men and women were not allowed to meet each other after they got engaged and before they got married. People would make fun of them if they visited their husband's house without getting married. However, he, Wei Rui and Dao Yun didn't abide by this and married two powerful men.
The girl is something shocking to the world, so he doesn't care about the trivial details. Now, he is going to see Xie Daoyun——
Run'er suddenly asked: "Does Uncle Chou like Aunt Chou of the Xie family more?"
Chen Caozhi knew why Run'er asked this question and said, "Xie Daoyun suffers from lung disease, so I went to see her first and then went to Lu Mansion to visit at night."
Run'er pursed her lips and smiled. Her shy expression was very similar to that of her mother Ding Youwei. Her curiosity was not diminished and she said: "Of two people, one should have more and the other less."
This niece is quite difficult to deal with, so Chen Cao said: "Run'er or Zongzhi, which one does your mother like you more?"
Run'er widened his eyes and said: "Uncle Chou is fooling people. The relationship between mother and son is different from that of husband and wife. We can't compare it like this. Moreover, even my mother treats my brother and me a little differently. Run'er thinks, mother
Like me more, hehe."
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Yes, yes, well, I will tell you later when Uncle Chou comes back."
After bathing and changing clothes, Chen Caozhi went to Xie's Mansion in Wuyi Lane. It was dusk. He first met with Xie An and Xie Wan, and presented Xie Yan's family letter. Xie An and Xie Wan already knew that Chen Caozhi had succeeded in recruiting Huaibei refugee commanders.
Everyone was very happy to hear the news. Chen Caozhi was now the good son-in-law of his Xie family. Chen Caozhi had made great achievements and his status had been improved, so the Xie family was also honored to him.
Chen Caozhi reported to Xie An and Xie Wan the process of lobbying the five major refugee sects. Xie Wan nodded in approval and said: "I persuaded Tian Luo first, and it will be easy for the others. Cao Zhi's skill in identifying people is really amazing.
It can be seen that Murong Ke will be ill this spring, Tian Luo is naturally shocked and admired by God, haha."
Chen Caozhi smiled, talked for a while, and asked for instructions: "Two uncles, Cao Zhi would like to visit Dao Yun."
Xie An smiled and said: "Go ahead, etiquette and education are not designed for our generation."
Chen Caozhi was in front, and Huang Xiaotong was holding the piano case behind him. They walked up the corridor to listen to the rain, and saw catkins in the Rose Garden at the other end of the corridor looking around. As soon as they saw him, they quickly turned around and said: "Chen Langjun is here."
It’s—”
In the rose courtyard, there were clusters of flowers, roses of all colors competed for beauty, and the faint fragrance of the flowers was faint. Xie Daoyun welcomed the door of the courtyard. Seeing Chen Caozhi's big sleeves fluttering as he came, he bowed and said in a low voice: "
Hello Chen Lang." Knowing that Chen Caozhi didn't hear, he lowered his eyebrows and smiled, but when he raised his head, he was stunned——
Chen Caozhi stood in front of Xie Daoyun and asked with a smile: "Brother Yingtai, don't you know each other?"
Xie Daoyun ignored Chen Caozhi's teasing smile, just looked at Chen Caozhi's face, and said softly: "Chen Langqing has lost weight a lot. The trip to Huaishang is tiring, right?"
Chen Caozhi looked at Xie Daoyun and said, "Fortunately, I'm not too tired. Daoyun is in good health. I'm very relieved." Indeed, he was very relieved, so Xie Daoyun called him Chen Lang.
At this time, Xie Daoyun looked better and plumper than before when he was not sick. Of course, this plumpness was compared to Xie Daoyun's previous thinness, and was not really plump. He had a tall figure, a graceful posture, an oval-seed face, and double eyes.
The eyebrows are slanted, the narrow eyes are full of spring water, and the skin color is a little whiter than before——
Before Chen Caozhi entered the room and sat down, he grabbed Xie Daoyun's hand and checked her pulse. After a long while, he let go of his fingertips, then held her slender palm and said, "It's really God's wish."
Xie Daoyun saw that although Chen Caozhi had lost some weight, he was full of energy and had a heroic spirit that fascinated her. How could Wei Jie, who was weak and beautiful back then and was being watched and killed, ever have such a handsome and pure beauty?
Xie Daoyun was a little embarrassed by Chen Caozhi, so he lowered his head and said: "Zizhong——"
"Chen Lang." Chen Caozhi corrected.
Xie Daoyun's face turned red and he whispered: "Well, Mr. Chen, when did Mr. Chen arrive?"
Chen Cao said: "I arrived in the afternoon. I met my fourth uncle and sister-in-law, and then came here."
Xie Daoyun felt very sweet in her heart, not because she felt proud that she had beaten Lu Weirui. She understood that Chen Caozhi was concerned about her condition. The world is magical, and she never thought that illness could also lead to marriage!
