The car curtain opened, and a middle-aged scribe in his thirties poked his head out and said, "Oh, we'll be here so soon."
At this moment, two soldiers guarding the city gate ran forward and blocked the way.
The middle-aged scribe frowned and said, "I heard people say that Xiangyang City has free entry and exit. It seems that the name is not true."
The soldiers were not angry after hearing what he said. One of them said very politely: "Sir, you misunderstood. We are not stopping the car for inspection. There are mostly official residences in the east area of the city, and merchants and common people generally do not take this road.
, we saw your car very strangely, it must be the first time we came to Xiangyang, and we are not familiar with the situation in Xiangyang, so we came to ask, lest you take the wrong path."
The middle-aged scribe still didn't believe it, but he saw another carriage passing by them. Sure enough, he entered the city gate without any obstruction. Then he said: "So, we are here to visit relatives at the Navy Commander Cai Duwei's house. Since then,
Isn’t it considered the wrong way to enter this door?”
The soldier smiled and said: "Since you are going to Mr. Cai's house, it's a good choice to walk from here. Once you enter the city, walk straight along the avenue and turn right at the second intersection. It's not far after entering. There will naturally be people there to help you.
Notification.”
After entering the city, horses were not allowed to ride. The driver jumped down, led the horse, and walked along the road pointed by the soldier. After not far, another group of soldiers came out in front to block them.
The middle-aged scribe had no choice but to open the curtain again and asked, "What's the matter? We're here to see Captain Cai."
The leader stepped forward, raised his hands, and said, "Excuse me, what is the relationship between this gentleman and Mr. Cai?"
These people were obviously much stronger and tougher than the soldiers guarding the city gate. The middle-aged scribe knew that they were rough men and it was not easy to argue with them, so he said calmly: "My surname is Huang, and my name is Cai."
The captain’s sister-in-law.”
When the leader heard that the scribe called himself Cai Mao's brother-in-law, his expression did not change at all. He saluted him in a neither humble nor overbearing manner and said, "Sir, please wait here for a moment, and I will go and inform you."
The middle-aged scribe named Huang was a little surprised. He was well-informed. If the soldiers in other places knew which adult he was a relative of, they would have been smiling and flattering him. But in front of him
These people seemed to be indifferent to his identity. The scribe gently lowered the car curtain and said to the woman sitting next to him: "Madam, judging from the situation, your brother's situation may not be good."
The woman unconsciously shed tears and said resentfully: "Chengyan, I asked you to bring me back to see my family a long time ago, but you just refused. I heard that Degui is now under house arrest by Master Zhou Mu because of his mistakes. You
He is often conceited about his talent and learning. If I could give him some advice, why would he be like this?"
Huang Chengyan grabbed the woman's hand, patted it, and said: "Yue'er, don't worry, I came back this time just to help him think of a solution."
A little girl sitting next to the woman suddenly raised her head and said in an astonishing voice: "Father, mother, since my uncle has made a mistake and should be punished, why should we help him!"
This little girl was only three or four years old. She was ugly, with yellow hair, dark skin, and a large red birthmark that took up almost half of her face.
Huang Chengyan obviously loved his daughter very much and said with a smile: "Ah Chou, don't talk nonsense. Children should not interfere with adults' affairs." There was no blame in his words.
At this time, the car door suddenly opened, and a little head poked in, shouting in surprise: "Sister, brother-in-law, it's really you who are here!"
The visitor was Cai He, Cai Mao's youngest brother. He had just returned home from school. Hearing that his sister was coming, he jumped up and down to greet her. Huang Chengyan pulled Cai He into the car, and the soldiers blocking the car also
Open a road and walk a short distance forward before arriving at a tall mansion.
After entering the mansion, Cai Yue went to the back house to visit his family. In the hall, Cai Mao and Huang Chengyan sat opposite each other. Although Cai Mao was ordered by Liu Xin to think about his mistakes behind closed doors, it did not prevent him from obtaining various information, even the monthly Jingzhou briefing.
Will send him a copy. This kind of Jingzhou briefing was only issued in the first month of this year. It records various policies issued by Jingzhou and major events that occurred in each county. The briefing is marked secret and is only available to officials of a certain level.
Only then can you see it.
Huang Chengyan's home is in Baishui County, not far from Xiangyang City, and is also under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang County. He also knows about the various policies implemented by Liu Xin in Jingzhou and the changes brought about, but at his level, if you want to understand
More details are more difficult. Now listening to Cai Mao talk about it one by one, it naturally has a different feeling. Huang Chengyan couldn't help but be fascinated. He really didn't expect that in just over two years, not only Xiangyang City, but also the entire Jingzhou
There have been so many earth-shaking changes that I couldn't help but propose to go for a walk on the streets of Xiangyang tomorrow morning.
Cai Mao said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, if you want to go and have a look, you don't have to wait until tomorrow morning. The night market in Xiangyang is very lively and it can be considered a sight now. It's a pity that I can't accompany you, otherwise I won't wait until you have dinner."
, I asked my second brother to accompany you for a while."
Huang Chengyan heard that Xiangyang was also very lively at night. He couldn't help but be very surprised. He couldn't wait for dinner. He couldn't wait to stand up and said: "Degui, you don't need anyone to accompany you. I can just go and see it by myself."
Cai Mao tried to persuade him several times but failed to stop him, so he had to let him go and secretly sent two family members to follow him.
In the back house of Cai Mansion, the little girl named A Chou was clamoring to find her aunt. As soon as Cai Yue saw Cai Mao coming in, she pointed at his nose and said, "Why are you so confused! How old is Jue'er, and you are actually
So I gave her to Liu Xin and spread the word, so where is the face of our Cai family!"
Mrs. Cai hurriedly explained to the side: "Master Zhou Mu has been eyeing the younger sister for a long time, and he did it because he had no choice. Now the Kuai family and the Wang family are at the height of their power in Jingzhou. If the master loses his official position again, what will happen in the future?"
Where can there be a place for the Cai family in Xiangyang City?"
Cai Hao was quite afraid of this sister, so he quickly explained.
Huang Chengyan is one of the most famous celebrities not only in Xiangyang, but also in the whole of Jingzhou. There are also several types of celebrities. After some people become famous, they want to find an official position and have a wife and son. Some people like to make friends with others.
There are people who talk eloquently, and some people would rather live in seclusion in the mountains and forests and be an expert outside the world. Huang Chengyan obviously belongs to the latter category.
But no matter what kind of celebrities, when everyone gathers together, they will inevitably comment on the current situation. The most eye-catching thing in the government and the public recently is that Liu Xin refused to accept the title of King Xiangyang. Therefore, Liu Xin naturally became
became the focus of everyone's discussion.
What Liu Xin did in Hejian, except for his close relationship with Zhang Rang, was quite satisfactory. But after he arrived in Xiangyang, he carried out a series of dazzling changes, and the government and the public were increasingly talking about him.
.In addition, the Wei family, Cui Yan and others were belittling him everywhere, saying that he was greedy and lustful, oppressed good people, and dominated people's property. They almost criticized him to death. Until this time, Liu Xin went to court five times in a row and took the initiative to request the emperor.
With the withdrawal of his life, he somewhat regained his reputation among scholars.
Huang Chengyan originally lived in Xiangyang County, and people who interacted with him on weekdays would inevitably beat him up about Liu Xin's situation. When he came to Xiangyang City this time, he was invited by Cai Mao to help him get out of trouble.
Bureau, on the other hand, I also wanted to take the opportunity to see what kind of person Liu Xin is.
The night market in Xiangyang City is mainly located on South Street, which is quite a distance away. Huang Chengyan didn't want to stir up trouble, so he declined Cai Mao's offer to send him a carriage. He thought that walking there might help him see more things he wanted to see.
After leaving Cai's Mansion, he walked not far and came to the place where the soldiers had just stopped him. Several more cars were parked there, all waiting for the soldiers to report. Huang Chengyan couldn't help but slow down and observe carefully.
Only then did he realize that some of the people waiting were looking for Jushou and some were looking for Kuai Liang, and the soldiers looked the same to everyone. It was obviously a big mistake for me to judge Cai Mao and his situation based on their attitudes.
Very wrong.
Huang Chengyan was walking on East Street. Except for the occasional patrol soldiers passing by, Huang Chengyan didn't see many people. After leaving East Street, there were gradually more people. When he turned into South Street, his eyes suddenly changed.
A scene.
There are many stalls on both sides of the street, some selling snacks, some selling various utensils, some performing juggling, and some selling various small handicrafts. Most of the shops with lights and colorful decorations on both sides of the street have not closed yet, and the customers
Going in and out, business is obviously very good. These open shops include not only brothels, wine shops, and inns, but also grain shops and cloth shops. Even at night, you can buy almost anything you want to buy here.
.
Huang Chengyan has also been to many counties and cities. Now it seems that even in the daytime, those places are not half as prosperous as Xiangyang Night Market. As Huang Chengyan walked along, he was dazzled by the different scenery and could not leave until the middle of the night.
When the time came, Huang Chengyan slowly returned to Cai Mansion reluctantly.
Cai Yue had been sitting in the room waiting for Huang Chengyan. When she saw him, she couldn't help complaining: "Why didn't you come back until now? My daughter has been waiting for you for a long time and couldn't hold it anymore before going to bed. You really want to go to the street
Let’s go for a walk. It’s not too late to go there when it gets daylight. How could you be in such a hurry and run out without even eating dinner?”
Huang Chengyan listened to her scolding and was not angry at all. He still couldn't hide his excitement and said: "This trip to Xiangyang is really worth it. I will accompany you two to go shopping tomorrow."
.I can’t believe that Xiangyang City has turned into a paradise on earth after just four years of absence.”
Cai Yue said angrily: "I invited you here to help De Gui. It's better for you. You just want to have fun. If you want to go tomorrow, you'd better go alone. A Chou and I are not free."
Huang Chengyan took out a pair of white jade bracelets from his sleeves and said to Cai Yue: "Why are you angry? I didn't go to the night market in vain. No, I brought you a gift. Try it out and see if you like it."
Cai Yue took the jade bracelet, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "Who's angry? We two are really not free tomorrow. Tomorrow we have to go to the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion."