Chapter 14 The purpose of abandoning the near and seeking the far
Yellow River Ferry
Taishi Ci pointed to the ships in the distance and made suggestions to Liu Zhang.
"Sir, we can go directly to Mengjin Ferry in Sizhou by boat. It will save a lot of time than taking the land route!"
"The world is not peaceful now, so it's better to be careful."
Hearing Tai Shici's words, Liu Zhang's heart moved.
I don't know what happened to Yan'er...
Thinking of Cai Yan, Liu Zhang couldn't help but smile, and the extremely gentle girl flashed in his mind.
"No, let's go overland and go to Taishan County first. I want to meet a great talent."
Liu Zhang did not let his thoughts go to his head. Troubled times were coming, and he had more important things to do.
"Okay, I will escort the young master there."
Seeing Liu Zhang's insistence, Taishi Ci did not persuade him any more.
Liu Zhang's expression lightened and he couldn't help but smile:
"Ziyi, don't underestimate me, I am no longer a helpless person!"
Taishi Ci looked at Liu Zhang's strong physique and felt a little nervous.
"Young master is so humble. Now your martial arts skills are unparalleled!"
"Ziyi! Stop teasing me. I'm just a bit strong. There's no martial arts to speak of!"
Liu Zhang smiled to himself, took out a bamboo slip from his arms and handed it to the guard.
"You escort the old lady back to Luoyang first and give this letter to my father. Ziyi and I will go to Taishan County!"
The guards were also worried about Liu Zhang's safety, but they could not defeat their master and had no choice but to obey his orders.
"You must serve carefully and ensure the safety of the old lady!"
Liu Zhang once again asked Taishi Ci to be the most filial person, and his mother Liu Zhang must make proper arrangements.
The mother who was so excited came out and looked at Tai Shi Ci with a serious face.
"Ziyi, even if my body is shattered to pieces, I will protect you!"
"Mother, please rest assured."
Taishi Ciyan assured his mother firmly.
The ship gradually moved away, and Liu Zhang was no longer delaying.
"Let's go Ziyi."
The two horses galloped towards Taishan County, and Taishi Ci couldn't help but feel a little curious.
Who on earth could make the young master pay so much attention to him?
Fenggao County, Taishan Military Administration Office
"Sir, it took more than ten days and we finally arrived."
Looking at the dusty Taishi Ci, Liu Zhang could have imagined that he himself might not be very elegant either.
"Yeah, I hope our trip won't be in vain!"
"I passed through several counties along the way. Can Ziyi see any differences?"
Taishi Ci thought for a while and whispered:
"There are indeed many suspicious things."
"No hurry, it's noon now, I'll have some food first."
Liu Zhang felt a little hungry, so they found a tavern. After sitting down, they ordered a few side dishes.
Liu Zhang looked around, and the three people next to him caught his attention.
"Brother Ma, be careful when going to Luoyang."
Liu Zhang couldn't help but look at them and heard Brother Ma say to his companions.
"The same goes for both brothers. It's already June. Remember not to delay important events."
"We will work separately. He will go to Yangzhou and I will go to Jingzhou. There will be no delay. Brother Yuanyi, please rest assured!"
The slightly fat man vowed, and then the three of them left the tavern together.
Ma Yuanyi! Liu Zhang was secretly surprised, it turned out that Zhang Jiao had already started to take action.
Thinking of the confrontation with Zhang Jiao twelve years ago, Liu Zhang couldn't help but clenched his fists.
"Master?"
Taishi Ci was a little confused when he saw Liu Zhang looking nervous.
Liu Zhang turned around, picked up the water in his hand and took a sip.
"Anything fishy along the way?"
Taishi Ci thought for a moment.
"There are many Taiping Taoists, and there are many well-trained people."
"It's much more than that!"
Liu Zhang said with a serious tone:
"They have good relations with the government, and many of them have weapons hidden in their possessions!"
Taishi Ci nodded.
"That's it. If you follow what Young Master Beihai said, disaster is not far away!"
"It is already June. We need to return to Luoyang as soon as possible. After dinner, we will quickly visit the county magistrate Zhuge Gui."
Liu Zhang already felt that time was running out. It would take quite a while to get from Mount Tai to Luoyang.
"The great talent you mentioned is Zhuge Gui?"
"No."
Liu Zhang smiled softly.
"It's his son."
While chatting, the food was served, and the two of them started eating separately without being polite.
Half an hour later, the two of them walked out of the tavern satisfied.
After some inquiries, we finally found Zhuge Gui's family.
The Langya Zhuge family can be considered a noble family, but it cannot be compared with inherited families such as the Xun family of Yingchuan and the Sima family of Hanoi.
Even worse than the top aristocratic families, the Yuan family and the Yang family, they can only be considered prominent families now.
Zhuge Liang's grandfather Zhuge Feng once served as a Sili school captain, and his father Zhuge Gui and uncle Zhuge Xuan were also officials, but they were all local officials and their grades were not very high.
The two of them stood at the door of Zhuge's house. They saw white cloth hanging everywhere, and faint sounds of crying could be heard from inside.
Liu Zhang felt cold in his heart. Could it be that Zhuge Gui was dead?
But I clearly remember that Zhuge Gui will be the county magistrate for a few more years.
Just when Liu Zhang was thinking, a middle-aged man walked out. This man was neatly dressed and well-groomed.