Dehua City, in a small courtyard behind the government office.
At noon that day, Mr. Cui Yin, the governor of Dehua City, was having a meal. Mr. Cui was fond of fish. The table was filled with a dazzling array of prepared fish that had just been caught from the Yangtze River, braised big carp, steamed carp, etc.
There were fish, tofu and fish head soup, fish prepared in various ways, and a rare baby fish. But seeing the table full of fish, Mr. Cui had no appetite at all.
He ate a few random bites, but it felt like chewing white wax and had no taste at all. He took a few bites of rice impatiently and sent his servants to clear the table.
Mr. Cui has been very annoyed recently. He feels that the fish he originally liked to eat is tasteless and difficult to swallow. Of course, what bothers Mr. Cui is not that his old mother has died, because his old mother has been there for a long time. Master Cui has not been there yet.
When I was an adult, I went to the Paradise to enjoy peace and happiness.
"Sir, what's wrong with you today? Is the fish cooked today not to your liking? If not, let's find another cook." Cui Da's wife, Sang, saw that he had just eaten a little today, and brought a cup of the cooked fish.
Cha Ming said to him.
Master Cui's wife, Sang, was originally the daughter of another aristocratic family in Dehua City, the Sang family. When Master Cui was just a down-and-out scholar, he used some means to catch up with the eldest daughter of the Sang family. Later, he was under the influence of the Sang family.
With his financial support, he bought a county magistrate in a county under the control of Dehua Prefecture, and later he rose through the ranks and took the position of governor of Dehua Prefecture.
Mr. Cui both respects and fears his wife Sang. He has not dared to take a concubine so far, and has become a well-known "henpecked" person. However, Mr. Sang is indeed a good wife and mother, and he takes Cui as his wife.
The whole house is well managed, and everyone says that Mr. Cui married this wife because of the great evil accumulated by his ancestors.
Master Cui gently blew the tea leaves in the tea cup, took a sip and said: "Madam, you said that Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen are dead, and we gave you gifts. You said she was dead, and you still have to do this.
What happened was that we invited a hundred pairs of boys and girls to cry. Why is it such a big show?"
"You can't blame Mr. Chen for this. I heard that it was the old Taoist priest from Qingxu Temple in Lushan Mountain who requested it." Sang said while patting Mr. Cui's back.
"Oh, you don't know. With such a huge situation, my husband has to arrange government officials to protect the safety. Originally, there are not many government officials in this house. Those who ask for leave ask for leave, and those who visit relatives visit relatives. You said that my father-in-law didn't do anything like that at that time.
Come out in force." Mr. Cui sighed.
"Let me tell you, it turns out that you are angry with me for being so sullen. I am the best at being virtuous. Why should you care about this?" Sang enlightened him.
"That's not all. I heard that there are people from the palace, and they seem to have gone to the Chen Mansion. What I am confused about is that the people from the palace did not stay at the inn, nor did they come to the government office. Do you think there is something going on from above?
Action" Mr. Cui explained.
Dehua City is a small city located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but it has a unique geographical location, bordering Hubei in the north and Huainan in the east. Its convenient water transportation has brought merchants from all over the world to gather. Although Mr. Cui is not a big traitor
There is no such thing as a corrupt official, but a cat is not immune to corruption. Since he took office, he has also cautiously accepted some bribes.
"Actually, it's nothing. My lord, your stolen money is not worth mentioning. Why don't you go to the Chen Mansion tonight to have a look." Seeing that her husband was worried about this, Mrs. Sang couldn't help but help him.
Got an idea.
"Wonderful, Madam is really your husband's daughter Zhuge. Her words awakened the dreamer." Master Cui was overjoyed after hearing what Sang said and praised Sang greatly.
······
At this time, Ye Yinfeng, who was in the mourning hall in the backyard of Chen Mansion in Dehua, felt a palpitation in his heart. This inexplicable palpitation made him uneasy, always feeling like he was losing someone. But his family had long been
Four months ago, he disappeared without a trace in that accident. He might have been buried in the ruins of Ye's family, or he might have escaped. That feeling of heart palpitating and loss was that of Four Month Ye.
The accident at home was not that intense. He had no choice but to not think about it, but his heart kept hanging, and that microsecond feeling made him feel even more uneasy.
Mr. Chen, the chief philanthropist of Dehua City, was talking to the old Taoist priest from Qingxu Temple in Lushan Mountain in front of the mourning hall in the backyard of the Chen Mansion. At this time, the housekeeper came to report that there was a fat man of fifteen or sixty in Jinyi at the door of the mansion.
The young man asked to see him. Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen hurriedly left the Taoist priest alone and walked out with his slightly bloated body.
Chen Fu, the caretaker of the Chen family, felt funny when he saw the fat young man in brocade clothes. He thought what was going on these days. He only saw two fat men today. Although he was a servant, Chen Fu had such good eyesight.
There were still some. This fat man was by no means an ordinary young master. He quickly sent another servant into the house to report the news before the fat young man came forward to report the news.
At this time, the two fat men were standing together, winking at each other, but in stark contrast, the fat Taoist priest was in a miserable state, with his body covered in mud, and a few wilted vegetable leaves hanging on his head.
.But the fat young man was wearing brocade clothes and a white fur robe, looking noble and elegant.
The two looked at each other with their eyes wide open, as if they had a grudge.
"Li Congjia, what are you doing here?" The fat Taoist priest spoke first, his tone obviously unkind.
"Li Xiaoyao, you can come, why can't I come? Who said I can't come here?" The fat young man countered without showing any weakness. But the old man driving the carriage who came with the fat young man in brocade turned a deaf ear to this.
, sitting leisurely and contentedly on the carriage.
Chen Fu, the janitor of the Chen Mansion, was shocked. He didn't expect that these two fat men actually knew each other.
"Ah ha, you little kid has a bad temper," the fat Taoist priest shouted loudly.
"Li Xiaoyao, I'm warning you, don't call me Xiao Liuzi." When the fat young man Li Congjia heard that he called him Xiao Liuzi, he said angrily, his chubby face turning red with anger.
When the fat Taoist priest Li Xiaoyao saw that Li Congjia was angry, he immediately became amused and said with a smile: "Xiao Liuzi, what are you doing here this time?"
"It's none of your business, and don't call me Xiaoliuzi." Li Congjia raised his fist and said fiercely to Li Xiaoyao.
"Did Brother Emperor send you to understand the situation there? Don't think I don't know."
"You know it and you ask me, hush, don't say it so loudly, did you go out from here? Take me in." Li Congjia heard that he said it so loudly, and quickly stopped, and wanted him to take him into the Chen Mansion.
middle.
Mr. Chen hurriedly came out of the gate of Chen Mansion, but was stunned when he saw two fat men looking at each other. He knew the fat Taoist priest, but he did not recognize the fat young man in golden clothes. He only saw the fat young man in golden clothes.
He is plump and plump, with a broad forehead and big ears. Although he is only about fifteen or sixteen years old, his still childishness is mixed with an aura of majesty.
He couldn't help but murmur in his heart that he had already received a secret message from the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, saying that the emperor's sixth son Prince Anding would come to Dehua City under the guise of examining the people's sentiments, but in fact he wanted to know more about Hongzhou.
situation. He was not sure for a moment whether the fat young master in brocade clothes was the sixth prince and Prince An Ding.
The two fat men may not have noticed Mr. Chen's arrival for a moment. "Take me in quickly," Li Congjia urged.
How could the fat Taoist priest Li Xiaoyao be willing to help him so easily? Li Xiaoyao rolled his eyes, a strange smile appeared on his face, and said: "It's not impossible to help you, but I have a
condition."
"What are the conditions? Tell me." Li Congjia asked anxiously.
"Just like when I was a kid, how about you carry me in?"
"What?" Li Congjia screamed and said quickly: "No, you won't do it even if you beat me to death."
When Li Xiaoyao heard this, he stepped forward and put his arms around his shoulders and continued: "My good nephew, you said that we haven't seen each other for six or seven years. You said that we just met. As a nephew, you have to show some respect.
.”
"No, look at what your body is like. I promise the rest, but I can't say anything about this." Li Congjia shook his head resolutely and said.
"You little kid, do you think your uncle is fat? Don't think that I dare not teach you a lesson." When Li Xiaoyao heard this, he immediately became furious and became furious. He jumped up and hit his head with a pair of fat hands.
.
Li Congjia quickly dodged and was about to fight back when he heard a cough. When he looked around, he saw a middle-aged, bloated man dressed as a foreign official standing in front of the Chen Mansion. He was immediately overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward to call.
Said: "Uncle Chen, take me in."
Mr. Chen was sure that this person must be the sixth prince, Prince Anding. He hurriedly stepped forward to bow and salute, but was stopped by Li Congjia's look. He understood and immediately said: "Master Li, please come quickly with Xiao Ke."
.”
The fat Taoist priest Li Xiaoyao was very bored when he saw this, and reluctantly followed them into the Chen Mansion.
Master Chen asked his servants to bring their carriage into the courtyard so that they could take care of it. The old man driving the carriage did not enter Chen's house, saying that he wanted to catch up with old friends in Dehua City, so Li Congjia did not force him and had to let him go.
There were no outsiders in the reception hall of the Chen Mansion. Mr. Chen saluted Li Congjia with a big bow and said: "In my humble position, Chen Shounian has met the Prince of Anding County."
"Okay, excuse me, Uncle Chen is not an outsider. If there are outsiders here in the future, you don't have to do this." Li Congjia said calmly.
The fat Taoist priest did not accompany them to the living room. After entering the Chen Mansion courtyard, he disappeared without a trace.
There were only two people in the living room, Master Chen and Li Congjia, and the other people had been sent out. This Master Chen, whose real name is Chen Shounian, was originally a minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and was later secretly sent to Dehua by the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty to carry out a secret.
The task is to supervise the construction of Hongcheng, a large city south of Dehua City. Hongzhou is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the hinterland ruled by the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the military geographical situation is relatively superior. In ancient times, when there were heavy water routes, one had to go up the Yangtze River from Jinling to Hongzhou.
It can only be reached by crossing Pengli Lake (Poyang Lake) and entering the Ganjiang River. Compared with Jiankang, it is indeed safer. Therefore, the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty decided to build the second Jinling Tomb of the Southern Tang Dynasty in Hongzhou, under the guise of doing business and trade, but in fact he was to supervise the construction of Hongzhou
process.
Li Congjia gently sipped the tea passed from Chen Shounian's hand and said: "Uncle Chen, why do I see white cloth hanging all over your house? Could it be that someone in your house has passed away?"
Chen Shounian said with great respect: "Back to the king, my mother just passed away a few days ago."
"My condolences to Uncle Chen, it seems that I came at the wrong time."
"The prince's words are serious. If the prince is not used to staying in my mansion, then I would like to humble myself and find an inn for the prince." "That's not necessary. Where is the mourning hall for your Majesty? Since I am here, I will go and pay my respects first.