He Qizhou glanced at Xiao Jihuai, who hurriedly said: "Of course I'll talk about the short ones first, and then the long ones."
Then I must have made the short ones longer, and the long ones shorter, He Qizhou thought to himself.
He Qizhou spent more than an hour carefully telling the story of the exploitation of the people in Wenshui County. Finally, he said that he had blackmailed the county magistrate, the chief minister and others for more than 30,000 taels, leaving only the first month's outstanding deed.
, so that the court can finalize the case for those involved.
Others found it boring, but Xu Shilang hoped that He Qizhou would explain it in as much detail as possible. He also said that he would make a copy of the inventory in He Qizhou's hand and have someone check it. Xu Qinghan also said that the people had come to Wenshui County to cause trouble.
, it had been reported in the morning, and people from the two neighboring counties also heard the news and went to their respective counties to ask for explanations. Because Xu Qinghan had notified the Shanxi Provincial Government in advance, the governor had already secretly sent people to the relevant places, so he was not worried about the county government.
Punish the troublemakers at will.
Just as He Qizhou was about to continue talking about the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Jin Ling said, "It's getting late, so let's talk about it on the way. We have to go back together anyway."
Xu Qinghan thought about it and said, "Changyan, are you anxious to return to Beijing?"
"No rush, no rush, let's talk about it tomorrow. Junior Brother He is so talented, brave and resourceful, and he is so considerate of the people, I really admire him!" Xiao Jihuai was too embarrassed to say anything else.
On February 19, the second year of the reign of the Qi Dynasty, the Minister of Works led his team back to the capital from Niangziguan after completing the work. Also accompanying him was Xiao Jihuai, the deputy general of the Hebei Army who had returned triumphantly. He Qizhou and Xu Mu no longer concealed anything.
Identity, travel together.
Xiao Jihuai led 5,000 men and horses, all of whom had returned from Zhenbeiguan. They were divided into a team of 20,000 men and returned to the southern Hebei camp. He took half of the guards with him and prepared to return to Beijing to recommend himself to King Cheng, hoping to join the Northern Expedition army.
, asking for a place. I don’t know if the passing post riders leaked the news. Every time the team of hundreds of people passed through a city or town, there would be a large number of people along the road to greet them, most of them young girls.
After leaving Jingxing, he was accompanied all the way. Every time outside the inn where he stayed, people seeking to see him would always block the door. Most of the time, Xiao Jihuai did not see guests, preferring to play chess and drink tea with Xu Qinghan. Those
Among country gentry and literati, the obsessive men and women who hate women often don't disperse until late at night.
The news that Northern Shaanxi repelled the Northern Zhou sneak attack has spread throughout Hebei. Xiao Jihuai's lone army regaining Zhenbeiguan is even more inspiring. Anyone who can speak a word or drink a glass of wine with Mr. Xiao will definitely become the envy of everyone.
.Even a glance at the handsome and handsome Mr. Xiao Hou from a distance will make you feel inspired. If your eyes meet, it will be enough to make your heart beat wildly and keep you awake at night!
For five days, He Qizhou didn't talk to Xiao Jihuai, and Xiao Jihuai didn't exaggerate the results of the battle. The real situation was that when Xiao Jihuai's team arrived, the Zhou army had already gone away, leaving only a few teams of scouts to secretly sabotage.
, there were indeed several confrontations with the reconnaissance cavalry sent by Xiao Jihuai, and both sides suffered more than ten casualties. After a few days, even the scouts disappeared.
Although Xiao Jihuai has always been open-minded and generous in front of He Qizhou, every time he mentions Xu Mu, He Qizhou always feels that the other person's expression becomes unnatural, as if there is something hidden under that gentle smile.
Jealousy. And He Qizhou would feel as if he had been stabbed in the flesh and become uncomfortable all over.
Xiao Jie next to Xiao Jihuai was stern and had a long donkey face. He Qizhou didn't know whether he was targeting him intentionally or if he was born with such a debt-collecting face.
Along the way, Xu Mu huddled in the carriage and seldom came out. He only had a few polite conversations with Xiao Jihuai during meals. Maybe it was the same between the two before. He Qizhou couldn't see that Xiao Jihuai had any objection to this.
Any dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, Xu Mu did not dare to mention the divorce to Xiao Jihuai face to face, and planned to let his family and the other party's elders talk about it after returning to Beijing. He Qizhou thought in a blink of an eye, this is good, otherwise there will be a long journey along the way.
I really don’t know how to face Mr. Xiao.
Although he had revealed his identity, he, the top military scholar, seemed to be completely ignored by the world, let alone the second-ranked scholar who had been huddled in the carriage. But thinking about it, he didn't seem to have been out of the carriage very much. In the past five days, there were only one magistrate and two
A local Wucha Division official came to visit out of courtesy. Of course, the Wu Cha Division always looks at people in a strange way. Fortunately, no one bothered him. The injury healed very quickly. His skill was restored to about 30%, and he rested for two more days.
Three months later, there is a good chance of recovery.
Xiaoxue's change is even more gratifying. The heat poison was completely eliminated three days ago, and she can get rid of the antidote that makes her swollen when she takes it. Of course, she didn't mention it to Xiao Jihuai. This is why she can continue to stay in the carriage.
reasons.
Xiaoxue still looked like Xu Mu. He Qizhou found that his face began to bulge and he became more energetic. Except that he was still a little thin, he felt that the familiar Xu Mu was back. Unfortunately, he and Xiaoxue
He can't even talk as long as Xiao Jinhuai! Even at night, Xu Qinghan will always call him to talk for a while. He will also make tea and water for the two people playing chess. It's hard to even have a chance to touch their little hands secretly.
turn up.
Jin Ling came to check on He Qizhou's injury for several nights in a row. Although he didn't know his level of cultivation, his medical skills were quite good. He also brought some good medicine with him and generously gave it to He Qizhou who was recovering. When he inquired about his identity,
The other party turned out to be a fourth-grade imperial guard with a sword, specially sent by the emperor to protect a scholar, Xu Qinghan.
Although he had already told the story of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in detail, Jin Ling still seemed to be very interested and asked He Qizhou to explain it in detail, not even letting go of the details. He Qizhou, who was already bored, had a very good impression of this person.
, let’s start from the beginning in detail, of course praising his intelligence and bravery with added words. Anyway, he said that his medical skills, boxing skills, and disguise skills are all excellent; his love, patience, and compassion are innately sentimental.
He Qizhou is not a stupid person. He can naturally see that this person has a close relationship with his father-in-law. Wouldn't it be nice to have him say a few nice words to him? And no matter how exaggerated he is, the other person's smile is always so charming.
Warmth, not a trace of Niangziguan's fierce look when she took action, which made He Qizhou even more willing to express his feelings.
After leaving the Taihang Mountains, He Qizhou found that the land was getting smoother and smoother, but the barren land was not necessarily less than what he had seen in Shanxi. According to Xiao Jihuai's explanation, sporadic Zhou Qi came to harass this place often, and the people did not dare to
Plant too much food to avoid attracting adventurous bandits.
Xu Qinghan said that this is only one of the reasons. The more important reason is similar to that in Shanxi. Most of the fertile fields are in the hands of the princes. Now that the three-year tax exemption has started, it is estimated that some of the abandoned fields will begin to be reclaimed, but the original owners of those fields
His identity has probably become a tenant farmer in the prince's family. What makes He Qizhou even more worried is that there are many more beggars, old and young, along the official road and in the county town than in Shanxi.
On the sixth day after leaving Niangziguan, Xu Qinghan received an urgent letter, saying that there was a problem with the urban defense project in Xuanhua County, and the county officials blamed it. People from the Ministry of Industry asked him, a senior official who happened to be passing through, to seek justice.
Xu Qinghan was of course obliged to lead his people there. Since he didn't know how long he would have to stay, he asked Xu Mu and He Qizhou to follow Xiao Jihuai back to Beijing first. Xu Mu originally wanted to spend more time with his parents, but he was more worried about He Qizhou's safety, so he had no choice but to agree.
Come down.
After hearing the news, He Qizhou had a grimace on his face, and now even Jin Ling, who had helped him out from time to time, was no longer around. Xu Mu found an opportunity to tell He Qizhou that there was a reason why his father left midway. He would arrive in Handan in one day, so
Do you want to meet the ancestors of the Xiao family? What if the other party invites you? The two parties are engaged, how embarrassing is this meeting? Xu Qinghan is not willing to talk about the dissolution of the engagement herself, and plans to take a detour back to Beijing to deal with this hot potato.
Throw it to father-in-law Zhang Zhiren.
Handan was once plundered by the Northern Zhou Dynasty more than 20 years ago. It is said that at that time, the people were scattered and the city was in decline. But now it has become the foundation of the Xiao family. Its bustling and prosperous city gave He Qizhou the illusion. When he came, he saw deserted fields and beggars.
Is this a real scene?
He Qizhou finally saw how "terrifying" Xiao Jihuai's popularity was. The cavalry was still thirty miles away from the city, and many people were already waiting here on horseback, and then followed the cavalry back to the city, as if they just wanted to take a look.
The young master of Handan City seemed to be willing to pay any price.
Twenty miles outside the city, more than a dozen Confucian scholars with high academic qualifications and scholars lined the road to greet them. This time, Xiao Chihuai no longer refused people thousands of miles away. There were probably some of his familiar friends among this group of people. More than ten people were either riding horses or riding horses.
He got into the car and merged into the cavalry. He chatted and laughed with Xiao Jihuai along the way, becoming the envy of those who followed him.
The closer we got to the city gate, the more people were waiting to follow us. Ten miles outside the city, the original group of fifty riders and four carriages suddenly grew to three to four hundred people and more than ten vehicles, meandering along the official road.
It was more than a mile away. Xiao Chihuai, who had been sitting upright on his horse, suddenly jumped off his horse, because the prefect's guard of honor was in front, and he was coming out of the pavilion on the roadside to greet him.
The prefect seemed to have calculated the time, and took several subordinates with him, walked out of the pavilion, and hurriedly greeted Xiao Jihuai, just as Xiao Jihuai's feet fell to the ground. Both sides were civilized and military, and had the same rank, so they gave each other enough face.
.But everyone knows that the prefect is here to flatter him. In Handan City, the prefect is just a domestic dog of the Xiao family.
The most exaggerated thing is the scene at the gate of the North City. A long stretch of the city is filled with young women in gorgeous clothes. Of course, these people are either from official positions or from wealthy families, otherwise they would not be able to get to this important place.
.
Those "little family jaspers" were concentrated on both sides of the avenue after entering the city. Everyone was dressed in the same simple and elegant style. Since they couldn't go up to the top of the city to see Mr. Xiao's style, their wealth could not be compared with those of the ladies, but if
Wouldn't it be a good thing for Mr. Xiao to discover his "exquisite beauty"? So everywhere you look, there are women on the street twisting their "graceful" figures, trying to squeeze out more space to show their faces, and they are saying...