After settling down, Cao Peng and others' stomachs growled.
So we discussed it and decided to go out to eat.
Food is also served in the post house, but it is not very suitable to Dianman Xu Yi's taste. Xiapi is located at the intersection of three rivers and produces river delicacies.
Xuzhou also belonged to the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, so most of the locals liked to eat river fresh food.
There will always be fresh river food in the meals. Cao Peng didn't think anything of it, but for northerners like Dianman and Xu Yi who were used to eating noodles, they were really not used to it. So, the two of them only moved
With a flick of his chopsticks, he dragged Cao Peng out...
It seems that the fishy smell of river food in this era cannot be completely eliminated, and the cooking techniques are not particularly clever.
Cao Peng didn't care, so he left the post house with the two of them.
When they came to the post house, Zhang Liao and Cao Xing introduced the catering situation in Xiapi to Cao Peng. They also considered that Cao Peng and the others might not be used to the food in the post house, so they pointed out several restaurants. Cao Peng followed Zhang Liao's instructions.
After giving instructions, I went to find it with Dianman Xu Yi. I walked out of the gate of the post house and walked down a street. Then I turned a corner and saw a restaurant whose name was called 'Cyclamen'.
At this time, the lanterns were already lighting up, and the restaurant was full.
Cao Peng and the others walked in and couldn't help but frown when they saw this situation.
"Store, are there any vacancies?"
Cao Peng asked loudly.
"Sir, there are no seats left..."
The shopkeeper of the restaurant stepped forward to answer, but before Cao Peng could speak, a waiter came up and whispered a few words into the shopkeeper's ear. The shopkeeper's expression changed drastically.
Seeing Cao Peng and others turning around to leave, he hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Sir, the big case is gone, but there are only three of you, why not find a small case? I'm not bragging, we are just cyclists."
He is definitely one of the best in Xiapi City. Even if the guests go elsewhere at this time, I am afraid it will be difficult to find a seat. Why don't we just make do with the little old man here? What do the three guests think?"
Cao Peng was startled and looked at the shopkeeper doubtfully.
"Do you recognize me?"
His words were lukewarm just now, but suddenly he became passionate.
The so-called showing courtesy for nothing is not cheating or stealing!
A smile broke out on the shopkeeper's round face.
He lowered his voice and said: "Three young generals fight against three generals on the long street during the day. The young people admire them very much, how can they not entertain them?"
With just this sentence, it can be seen that Hou Cheng and others do not seem to be popular in Xiapi.
Cao Peng thought for a while, glanced at Dianman and Xu Yi, and asked with a smile: "Second brother, third brother, how about we have dinner here?"
Dianman and Xu Yi didn't care, so they nodded.
A waiter came up and led the three of them to the second floor, where they sat down behind a screen.
The food table was indeed not too big, but it was enough for three people. Soon, the waiter brought the food and wine and placed them on the food table...
"Three young generals, what would you like to drink?"
"Hey, there's good wine, just bring it up."
Cao Peng raised his hand and said, "Two bottles are enough. I don't drink."
"Afu, you are good at everything, but you are not good at this... How can you, a real man, not know how to drink?"
Cao Peng smiled and did not pick up on the conversation between the two.
It's not that he doesn't know how to drink, it's that he doesn't like drinking. The drinks of this era are not to his liking.
It's a pity that Cao Peng doesn't know how to make wine, otherwise it will be another way to make money. The waiter brought two small bottles of Yishui wine and placed them in front of Dianman and Xu Yi.
Cao Peng ate his own food and looked out from the side window, admiring the night view of Xiapi.
I have to say that Xiapi is indeed better than Xudu!
Although the geographical location of Xudu was important before, it was not as good as the royal capital of the Han Dynasty. It took four generations of Xiapi vassal kings (although the last vassal king only reigned for one year) and 114 years to build it. The royal capital that emerged was far from comparable to the hastily built Xudu. Regardless of the scale of the city, its layout, architecture, and planning, Xiapi has a very strong Chu style.
Sitting in this seat, you can clearly see the pagoda temple built at a huge cost during the reign of Xia Pixiang Zuorong.
It has become a scene in Xiapi, looking particularly majestic under the night...
"Ziai, you're here!"
A voice came from behind the screen.
At first glance, it sounds familiar.
Cao Peng was startled and quickly listened.
"Gongyou, you've been waiting for a long time."
It's Sun Qian!
Cao Peng was startled, and he quickly sat upright, put his finger to his lips, and made a "shush" sound, signaling Dianman and Xu Yi to keep their voices down.
Unexpectedly, by such a coincidence, Sun Qian was sitting next door.
No wonder it sounds familiar. Sun Qian's extremely strong Qingzhou Beihai accent is also a characteristic.
But who is Ziai?
"Ziai, you invited me here in such a hurry, what happened?"
"Gongyou, why didn't Zifang come?"
"Oh, when you sent the message here before, Zifang went on an expedition with his lord. Zizhong couldn't stay away without permission, so he asked me to come over.
Zi Ai, what happened? I waited for you here for three days before you came over."
"Oh, it's hard to put it into words."
The man named Zi Ai seemed to have taken a drink of water and coughed slightly.
"To be honest, Gongyou, I have been very anxious these past few days.
That batch of goods a few days ago had already found a buyer. Who knew that a lot of things happened to me there, and I suddenly became a little nervous. I didn't dare to act easily, for fear of exposing my identity... You also know that this trafficking It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, it doesn’t matter if it’s small.”
"How do you say it?" It was Sun Qian's voice.
Zi Ai sighed, "The new county magistrate is a man of means.
Before, our business was able to flow smoothly in Haixi because the imperial court didn't take it into consideration. But now, this new county magistrate... named Deng is ruthless. He killed Chen Sheng when he came up and cut off many of my options. You also know that in order to hide my identity before, I arranged for someone to cooperate with Chen Sheng and let him come forward... He has a wide range of contacts and has always cooperated well.
But now that he is dead, the few paths he holds in his hands are suddenly broken.
If I hadn't hidden it well, I would have caused a lot of trouble now... Gongyou, you have to talk to Zizhong and ask him to temporarily stop shipping."
Sun Qian was silent for a while.
But Cao Peng, who was eavesdropping on the side, felt a turmoil in his heart.
County Magistrate Deng, Chen Sheng...
He is talking about Haixi County!
Who is Zizhong? Who is Zifang?
Cao Peng couldn't help but be a little confused.
Who made this rule? Do you have to come up with a word?
Cao Peng could remember some people's names, but there were so many people in the Three Kingdoms, how could he remember everyone's names?
Wait, wait... Liu Bei doesn't seem to have many people in his hands now. Wu can't pass Zhang Chen Dao, and Cao Peng doesn't know who Chen Dao is among them; Wen also only has two brothers, Jian Yong, Sun Qian and Mi Zhu. .If Liu Bei can stay in Peixian County to guard his hometown, he will definitely not wait for idlers.
Sun Qian is here, is this Jian Yong?
It doesn't seem like... Zizhong, Zifang... they sound like brothers.
And it’s still private!
The answer was ready to come out, and Cao Peng reacted immediately.
Zizhong and Zifang should be the cousins of brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang.
Private salt?
Could this Zi Ai be the Mi family's collaborator in Haixi?
There are three evils in the west of Hainan: pirates, salt lords, and merchants. Now, Shang worms have been restrained by Cao Peng, leaving only two evils: pirates and salt lords.
From the original intention, Cao Peng did not want to attack Yan Xiao so quickly.
After all, the Mi family has been in business for so many years. If you want to deal with them, you will probably have to endure huge pressure.
Moreover, the sale of private salt by salt lords does not have much conflict with Haixi at present, and it may even contribute to the prosperity and stability of Haixi.
However, finding out the identity of the other party is not a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Cao Peng held his breath and wanted to see Zi Ai's face clearly through the gap in the screen. However, there was a robe hanging on the screen, blocking Cao Peng's view. Cao Peng was very helpless about this and had to freeze. Close your ears and continue to listen...
"Pause?" Sun Qian said softly: "Ziai, I'm afraid this matter may be a little difficult to handle."
"how do I say this?"
"Xuan Degong has just annexed the headquarters of Yang Feng and Han Siam, and now he continues to spend a large amount of money to purchase military supplies and equipment. I estimate that a large number of goods will definitely be shipped before the year, and I will need to get rid of you as soon as possible. You also know, Duke Xuande's current situation is not very good."
"But……"
Zi Ai seemed hesitant.
"Is the person named Deng very difficult?"
"It's not easy to deal with...that guy is a man with a broken arm, but his methods are extremely clever.
With lightning speed, they killed Chen Sheng and swallowed up Chen Sheng's property. Before I came, I heard that they were going to rectify the Beiji Market. Several respectable Jia people in Haixi County seemed to be... I'm really worried about siding with them."
Behind the screen, there was silence again!
Sun Qian seemed to be deep in thought, and there was a sound of clothes rustling behind the screen.
After a while, Sun Qian said: "Zi Ai, I won't hide it from you. This batch of goods must be sold, and it must be sold as soon as possible in exchange for military supplies and weapons. You should know that Lu Bu's nature as a wolf and fox may happen anytime soon." We will attack Duke Xuande, and we have no other choice."
"Then this matter is really troublesome!"
"Ziai, otherwise..." Sun Qian paused, "You're not..."
His voice suddenly dropped to a very low tone.
Cao Peng strained his ears, trying desperately to hear clearly, but he heard nothing.
"Looking for Xue Zhou?"
"Why are you making such a fuss..."
Sun Qian shouted softly, and then Cao Peng saw the robes on the screen shaking, so he quickly turned sideways and huddled in the corner. Dianman took the opportunity to step forward and turned his back to the screen, covering the realization.
"Second brother, drink, drink!"
Xu Yi immediately agreed, raised the wine bottle in his hand, and exchanged glasses with Dianman.
There was silence behind the screen for a while, and Cao Peng went over again.
The voice was still very low, and I could only faintly hear Sun Qian saying the word "Ilu".
"This...I can give it a try." Zi Ai said after a while: "But they have been very cautious recently and it is not easy to contact them.
I heard someone say that they are in Yuzhou Mountain, but they have to take a boat and the sea route is very complicated.
Well, let me go back and keep an eye on it first. If Zizhong wants to ship the goods, we should do it as soon as possible...if we can avoid it, we should try our best to avoid it."
"Haha, that's natural."
Sun Qian smiled and said: "Xuan De Gong is kind and generous. How could he use swordsmanship and bring disaster to the people of Haixi if he had no choice? Then go back as soon as possible to deal with this matter. I will return to Pei County after I see Lu Bu tomorrow. , explain the matter clearly to Mr. Xuande."
"Well, that's all I have to do... Then I'll take my leave first!"
Zi Ai didn't seem to want to stay, and left after sitting for a while.
Cao Peng retreated to the corner again, while Dianman and Xu Yi continued to drink. Not long after, they heard the sound of footsteps, gradually moving away...
Cao Peng closed his eyes, gently rubbed his temples, and showed a bitter smile on his face.
"Afu, what's wrong?"
"...It's okay!"
Cao Peng sat next to the food table and looked sideways out of the window.
After Sun Qian left the restaurant, he seemed to feel something and turned back to look upstairs.
Cao Peng quickly shrank back...
You don’t want to cause trouble, but trouble will come to you.
I originally thought about solving the matter of Yan Xiao later, but unexpectedly, he was already regarded as a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh.
Ha... In that case, don't blame me for causing trouble for you first. But, how to deal with Liu Bei? Cao Peng couldn't think of it for a while.
During this dinner, Cao Peng was a little confused about how he tasted it.
By the time Xu Yi and Dian had had their fill of wine and food, it was getting very late.
Cao Peng and the two of them embarked on the road back to the post house. His brain kept resting along the way, thinking about how to solve the problem.
Tell Lu Bu?
I'm afraid it's a bit difficult...
Not to mention whether Lu Bu can believe in himself, even if he believes in himself, Lu Bu may not get rid of Liu Bei. Based on Cao Peng's understanding of Liu Bei, he is a weakling who cannot be killed. If he finds out that he is the one causing the trouble, then Cao Peng will You must face Liu Guanzhang's anger.
Not cost-effective, not cost-effective!
Cao Peng thought for a while, and finally suppressed the idea of reporting for the time being.
After returning to the post house, Dianman and Xu Yi fell asleep and soon fell into a dream.
Cao Peng was so noisy by the snoring of the two that he couldn't sleep, so he put on his clothes and walked out. Sometimes, he envied Xu Yi and Dianman.
It doesn’t require so much calculation, it’s simple and pretty good.
In fact, why would Cao Peng not want to be simple...
Sit down on the porch, lean against the pillars, and listen to the night breeze.
The inn was very quiet at night. Occasionally, a few snorts came from the stables not far away, adding a bit of fun to the night.
Cao Peng felt a little cold, so he stood up and punched in the yard.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered Lu Bu's shocking blow. His fists and kicks suddenly stopped. He stood in the yard and closed his eyes.
That overwhelming momentum suddenly appeared in my mind.
Lu Bu's halberd left a very deep impression on Cao Peng. Standing in the yard, he seemed to feel the moment when the halberd struck him. The hair on his hair suddenly stood up, and goosebumps quickly spread all over his body. Lu Bu's attack Every action kept flashing in Cao Peng's mind, making him fall into it and unable to extricate himself for a while... What a terrifying power it was.
Ah sneeze!
A sneeze made Cao Peng wake up from his dream.
The bone-chilling night wind made him start to feel the chill.
Looking at the sky, it's almost midnight.
Cao Peng didn't dare to stay in the yard any longer. He rubbed his hands, shrank his neck, and returned to his room.
It doesn’t matter so much...the soldiers will block it, and the water will fill it with soil!
No matter how powerful Liu Bei is, it's not that easy to deal with me in a short while. Or, maybe I'll give him a chance...
A bold idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
Cao Peng was also startled by his sudden idea. He sat up suddenly, his eyes flashing with strange light.
