In the dangerous wind and snow, the three riders headed all the way to the hinterland of Shihao Country.
Many tall cities that were battlegrounds for military strategists were in a devastated state. Instead, the countryside was in a state of devastation. Most of them were lucky enough to escape the military disaster. However, the refugees fled in all directions and left their homes, but they encountered three disasters one after another after the winter this year.
There was a heavy snowfall, and along the official roads in various places, there were many emaciated corpses of frozen to death, including young and strong women and children.
Ma Duyi is kind-hearted and simple. No matter human or ghost, he does not look like a real Shujianhu monk. So when Chen Pingan passed by a county and said that he wanted to pay local people to help open a porridge shop and medicine shop, he finished this
After this incident, they continued to set off, which made both Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye particularly happy.
Chen Ping'an took out the Qingxia Island jade plaque, hung it on the waist on the other side of the sword, and went to the local government. Ma Duyi wore a curtain hat to cover her face, and had plenty of room to put on a thick cotton coat.
Even the graceful figure of the fox-skin beauty was covered up.
Before that, they had passed through many counties. The closer they got to the center of Shihao Kingdom and the further north they went, the more people died. They could already see more soldiers and horses, some of whom were stragglers from Shihao Kingdom who were defeated and retreated south.
, some of the soldiers' armors were brand new and bright, and they looked impressive at first glance. Zeng Ye would think that those Shihao soldiers who rushed to the northern battlefield might be able to fight against the Great Li cavalry.
But Chen Ping'an knew very well that once there was a war, these soldiers, who were wearing armor newly moved from arsenals everywhere and holding weapons that had been dusty for many years and still looked like new, would die very quickly. Only a few lucky ones would have the opportunity to start from "no idea at all".
The new pawn who "died how he died" gradually turned into an old pawn who "knows how to survive".
In the long history of Lotus Flower Land, Chen Pingan witnessed many tragic wars that determined the fate of the four countries.
In the vast world, Chen Ping'an has also seen with his own eyes the military appearance of the scouts of the border army at the southern border of Dali. With a little knowledge, he will understand why the border troops of Dali have the title of "the athletes on the ridge". They are all on the hills and ridges among the bones.
Among the veterans who came down from hundreds of battles, perhaps a twenty-year-old young frontier soldier in Da Li in the past hundred years has fought more battles and seen more dead people than the powerful generals in Shihao Kingdom who are forty or fifty years old.
Chen Pingan actually thought further. As one of the vassals of the Zhu Ying Dynasty, Shihao Kingdom did not mention the likes of Huang He and Han Jingling, but only said that the vast majority of this vassal country was like the prince Han Jingxin who died in his own hands.
, even dared to personally fight the Dali scouts with two accompanying monks, and the northern border troops who were former generals of Yinwu Wei were directly defeated. The emperor of Shihao Kingdom still tried his best to mobilize troops and horses from various border gates to fight to the death.
Blocked on the road from Dali to the south, the capital is now trapped and is still holding on to the end.
Why is Shihao Kingdom willing to act like this? He doesn't hesitate to use so many lives as a roadblock to slightly hinder Su Gaoshan's Great Li cavalry?
The literati said in books that in winter it is better to have dense snow and the sound of jade breaking.
Chen Pingan looked up into the distance and saw snow on the roads and mountains, as if God had placed a heavy burden on the world.
Chen Ping'an sighed, but felt a little relieved when he thought of the clanking of iron armor in the Yeling Temple.
On this journey north, Ma Duyi was okay. He had been a genealogy master, and also a Huye cultivator of the Eight Classics. Sorrow was inevitable, but he was not too shocked. However, he had seen too many scenes like purgatory on earth.
Day after day, even Zeng Ye, who would often cry silently at first, became a little numb.
During this period, Zeng Ye was possessed by men's fetuses again and again. Some of them fulfilled their last wishes, while others only regretted that their homeland has long since changed.
The female ghosts who resided in the beauties of the fox-skin talismans left the world one by one, such as Su Xinzhai. There will be new female ghosts that will continue to walk around the world with the help of talismans. Each talisman is like an inn.
On the ferry, coming and going, there are reunions with joy and sorrow, and farewells separated by yin and yang. According to their own choices, there are truths and concealments between words.
On this day, Chen Ping'an took Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye to visit the county magistrate's residence together without any hindrance.
The local county magistrate is a fat old man who can hardly see his eyes. In official circles, he likes to smile whenever he sees people. When he smiles, he even loses his eyes.
This past year, the old man's life was not at all peaceful, and the war was chaotic. In addition to paying a lot of money to hire an immortal master to go down the mountain to guard the immortal cave nearest to the county seat.
The unknown cultivator, to put it harshly, is the lower fifth realm mountain Zeye cultivator who was not very fond of in the past. The genealogy master who is also the lower fifth realm almost went back to the mountain in anger.
He added three snow coins to his monthly salary, and finally managed to keep the mountain god who didn't want to associate with wild cultivators. The county governor was heartbroken and distressed. Fortunately, as soon as Chen Ping'an came to the door, he immediately felt that three snow coins per month were enough.
Xue's extra expense was well worth it, because the Immortal Master of Genealogy was indeed a true immortal that no wild cultivator could match. As soon as he got it, he knew that it was a "very open" treasure, and it was definitely what experts call it.
With just one glance, I was able to identify the sky-high Qingxia Island first-class sacrificial jade plaque. I was so nervous that I almost knelt down and kowtowed to the young immortal from Shujian Lake.
Things will be easier to handle next. The worship master who calls himself Chen says he will open a porridge shop and a medicine shop in the county to help the people. He will pay for it, but if the government has to provide people and help, the money still has to be counted.
At that time, Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye finally saw the old county guard's eyes, which were round and wide-eyed. They must have thought it was incredible that the genealogy master next to the old county guard was not much better. A birth certificate.
Isn't the great good man in the lake just like the great demon who opened a mansion and called himself an immortal master?
On the other hand, the two Yamazawa Yexiu, who seemed to be respectful and timid, looked at each other and said nothing.
After that, everyone felt even more weird. The young minister named Chen asked the old county governor to invite a group of subordinate officials in the government office who were good at household registration, taxation, and businessmen. Everyone sat down together and began to carefully
Discuss the details, the current price of rice and medicine in the market, the number of government granaries stored, the approximate number of local poor people and refugees, the location of porridge shops and medicine shops, how many people can be dispatched from the county yamen and will not delay official duties
Spare manpower, and so on, every link has been carefully considered, so that all the old people in the government office feel like they are facing a formidable enemy.
After the discussion was over, the county magistrate's office got busy that night, and the officials and subordinates dispersed one after another.
Chen Ping'an and the others lived in the backyard of the government office. However, late at night, two wild cultivators from Shanze came to the door secretly. They were not afraid of the "first-class worshiper of Qingxia Island" named Chen. They were completely opposite to their obedience and caution during the day. Among them,
A wild cultivator rubbed his fingers and thumbs and asked Chen Ping'an with a smile if he should pay some hush money. As for what "Chen Gongfeng" was planning for this county, whether it was a person, money, or a magical weapon, the two of them didn't know.
Will take care of it.
At that time, Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye were still staying in Chen Ping'an's house, and it was rare for them to chat.
Because he is as slow as Zeng Ye and can't figure it out, Mr. Chen is clearly doing what he wants to do step by step. Although there will be ups and downs and unsatisfactory results, there will also be failures again and again.
, even some small last wishes could not be fulfilled, but after all, there were still many ghosts and ghosts who appeared in Shihao Kingdom, and like Miss Su, they left without regret.
Logically speaking, Mr. Chen's mood should be getting more and more relaxed.
But that's not the case.
So Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye would sit with them without disturbing Mr. Chen's thoughts. Most of the time, she and Zeng Ye would talk nonsense. Mr. Chen never felt bored, but he didn't like to talk much.
But occasionally when I heard the two of them arguing about things as big as sesame seeds and mung beans, or simply talking nonsense to pass the time, Mr. Chen would smile. Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye would often be confused and thought they had said something funny, and Mr. Chen had no reaction.
, why do some words that are not funny at all make you laugh?
At this moment, one person and one ghost stood on the small stove under the table and ate melon seeds. After seeing the cleverness of the two Yamazawa wild cultivators, they all found it very interesting.
Ma Duyi's eyes narrowed, and she was curious about the accountant's response.
Chen Pingan asked with a smile: "So how much hush money do you think is fair?"
A wild cultivator already had an idea, "This little brother can imitate a jade tablet from Qingxia Island, and even be able to deceive him in front of a genealogy master. This is obviously a big deal. Tonight he just opened a porridge shop."
Regarding the drug store, a lot of real money was spent, so this hush money should have... forty or fifty pieces of snow? I wonder what my little brother wants? I don't want to part with this small amount of money, so that
Earn a lot of money safely?"
Chen Pingan stretched out his hands and held the shoulders of the two wild cultivators. "Since the two seniors have seen through it, I will kill someone and silence them. Why bother paying for the hush money? If you take the money, you can go back and add it up."
Instead, I have to push my limits, go back and forth, and if I don't tell you the trouble, I might even ruin something important for me. Why not do something simple? I wonder what you two think?"
The two Shanze Yexiu were horrified. Being pressed on their shoulders actually caused the Qi Palace to vibrate and the spiritual energy to stagnate.
Before the two of them could plead, Chen Ping'an said with a straight face: "I have a big plan. You two may be able to help a little, but if you want to leave this county alive, you must first spend a sum of money to buy your life."
, although you are only monks in the lower fifth realm, why should you have... forty-five pieces of snow to spend?"
The two Shanze wild cultivators, who were not wealthy to begin with, scraped together thirty-two pieces of snow money as if they were mourning for their heirs, but they were all gone.
Chen Ping'an took the fairy money and waved his hand, "When you go back, calm down for a while and wait for my news. As long as you are sensible, when the matter is settled, I will give you some scraps. If you dare to think wrongly, you are really worth some money."
The natal thing is directly separated from the key Qi Mansion. When the time comes, you will regret going to the Sheriff's Mansion if you call the sky and the earth unworthy."
The two wild cultivators, who finally did not give away their golden belts to their colleagues, were lucky to be alive and felt unexpectedly happy. Could it be a blessing in disguise? When the two wild cultivators returned home, they still felt a little suspenseful, but they did not dare.
Sneaking away, I also felt sorry for the more than 30 hard-earned money I had saved so hard. I worried about gains and losses for a while and sighed.
Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye laughed happily.
Chen Pingan sat at the table, "When we leave the county, we will return the snow money to them."
Then Chen Ping'an turned to look at Zeng Ye, "In the future, when we go to the prefectures and counties further north, we may have to open porridge and medicine shops, but we should do one thing every time we go. It depends on the time and occasion. These
Let’s not mention it for now, I have my own concerns, so you don’t need to think about it. However, Zeng Ye will leave it to you to handle the matter of the porridge shop and medicine shop. You will deal with people from all walks of life in the government. In the process, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes.
Or the fear of spending too much money is not a big deal worth worrying about. Furthermore, although I will not intervene specifically, I will help you watch from the sidelines."
Zeng Ye nodded vigorously at first, then stopped talking.
Chen Pingan said: "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but you have to make a start."
Zeng Ye didn't say anything more. He was both worried and excited.
It seemed that it made this young man feel more comfortable than practicing Taoism.
Chen Pingan added: "Whenever you feel tired or bored, remember not to be embarrassed to speak, just tell me directly. After all, your cultivation of Taoism is mainly about cultivating your strength."
Zeng Ye nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, "Mr. Chen, don't worry, I will never delay my practice."
Chen Pingan smiled knowingly.
To be continued...