Do you know: I’m Xu Jiazi

In mid-October,

Winter has come,

The sun sets earlier and earlier every day.

The light is dim after sunset,

so,

At the beginning of the unitary hour,

School at Shengjia School has already ended.

Riding out of Jiying Lane,

Xu Zaijing, Qi Heng and Gu Tingye walked side by side for a while and then said goodbye.

On the way back to Quyuan Street,

"Xu~"

"Thank you Yanei!"

"Let Rang, let his cart pass first."

"The bamboo baskets on both sides of your donkey are too wide and can't fit through it!"

"Cooking cake~"

Listening to the noise on the roadside,

Zai Zhang looked at the flatbed trucks loaded with things on the street, pulled by oxen, horses or donkeys, almost causing traffic jams, and said sideways: "Xiao Wu, I have seen that there are a lot more flatbed trucks on the road in the past two days this year!"

Xu Zaijing looked at the still busy streets of Bianjing in the evening: "These days are the time to prepare winter vegetables and grains. I remember that at this time last year, relatives of the Zhu family sent more than a dozen carts of good things to the family."

Zai Zhang nodded.

"Besides, after the heavy snowfall last year, the people in Beijing will definitely prepare more things this year!"

As Xu Zaijing was talking, he saw that the street in front of him was clearer, so he lightly knocked on the horse's belly and walked forward.

Because Xu Zaijing and his party gave way, they were able to pull the horse-drawn carriage through the handlebars smoothly. He was also used to seeing the young master from the Zheshe family in Bianjing.

When passing by Xu Zaijing, he held the riding whip in his hand and thanked Xu Zaijing and others.

Qingyun beside Xu Zaijing nodded in return.

Between walking and stopping,

When Xu Zaijing and his party turned from the street into Quyuan Street, it was already dark.

From a distance, I saw two lanterns with the word "Xu" hanging at the gate of the Hou Mansion.

On the street, there are still old people from the Hou Mansion setting up stalls with candles lit.

Seeing Xu Zaijing and his entourage coming over, people would raise their hands in greeting from time to time.

When passing Shu Bo's stall, Chu Zhan, a young man standing aside, waved his hand to Xu Zaijing and said: "Sir, there is someone here who said he is waiting for you!"

Xu Zaijing followed Chu Zhan's voice and saw a man standing up under the tarpaulin.

"I've seen Saburo! Wulang!"

The man came over and cupped his hands and said.

"Who are you?"

Zai Zhang looked at him with confusion.

"Brother, I know him. You go back first and I'll have a few words with him."

After Zai Zhang nodded, he rode away from Shu Bo's stall.

Xu Zaijing got off his horse, looked at Tujue Zhongding in front of him and said, "Why did you come to my place?"

Tujue Zhongding bowed and said: "Wu Lang, I, I really have no way to ask for help, so I took the liberty to come to the Hou Mansion to find you!"

"Has he eaten?"

Xu Zaijing asked Chu Zhan on the side.

"Sir, he ordered a bowl of steamed buns when he came, and he was restless until now."

As he spoke, Chu Zhan pointed to the dining table, which was lit by candlelight. There was still a bowl full of dumplings on it.

Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "Let Uncle Shu cook some of his specialty dishes and bring them in."

"Yes! Master!"

"Come in with me."

As Xu Zaijing said that, he led Qingyun and the carriage behind him towards the Hou Mansion.

Beside the racecourse,

Pulling Jue Zhongding stood outside the wooden house under the lantern,

He glanced at the row of tall stables,

Then he looked at the snow-white high wall of the Hou Mansion not far away,

Then he looked down at the ground around the cabin,

There is pain, sadness, nostalgia, sadness and shame on his face.

After closing his eyes to regroup, he sighed deeply.

"Come in!"

There was a sound coming from the cabin.

in the house,

Alan and Xun Shu put the wooden table away, glanced at Tujue Zhongding, then bowed to Xu Zaijing and left.

After a while,

Chu Zhan placed the still steaming vegetable bowls on the table.

Tujue Zhongding sat opposite Xu Zaijing with some restraint.

Seeing Qingyun put something to warm the wine on the table, Jue Zhongding hurriedly stood up.

After Xu Zaijing waved his hand for him to sit down, he extended his hand and said, "Come and try Shu Bo's craftsmanship."

Lajue Zhongding picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, tasted it and nodded with appreciation.

Xu Zaijing was minding his own food without speaking first.

There was a sudden silence in the room.

After forcing Jue Zhongding to put down his chopsticks, he raised his eyes cautiously and looked at the opposite side.

Opposite where he sat, he could see the room where Alan and Xun Shu lived. All the weapons used by Xu Zaijing were hung there.

Seeing these things, Tujue Zhongding quickly turned his head and looked away.

After a while,

Xu Zaijing lifted the warm wine bottle from the hot water and poured a glass for Zhongding, who was opposite him.

This action made Tujue Zhongding stand up again in flattery.

After Xu Zaijing filled another glass for himself, he raised the glass and said, "Here, warm yourself up."

After the two of them finished drinking, they saw Xu Zaijing's hand reaching towards the jug again, and pulled Jue Zhongding to grab the jug first.

First Xu Zaijing and then his own glass of wine,

Looking at the wine glass raised by Xu Zaijing, Jue Zhongding hurriedly drank another glass.

After three glasses of wine,

Looking at Xu Zaijing who was still silent, he pulled Jue Zhongding and said: "Wu Lang, I came here to ask you to save someone."

Xu Zaijing nodded: "Say."

"Yes, he is the former Prime Minister of Bai Gaochuihuan Division."

Xu Zaijing stopped holding rabbit meat with his chopsticks and narrowed his eyes.

a moment later

"Isn't Chuihuan Division the same government office that planned to come to my house to assassinate the Li brothers?"

"yes"

"Prime Minister? Ha! You can really tell."

Tujue Zhongding lowered his head even more cautiously.

"Wu Lang, that gentleman also helped in Xingqing Mansion before! Please, out of consideration for this matter, extend your hand!"

Xu Zaijing pondered for a moment: "It's useless for you to find me! Although my father is a marquis, I don't have any official position!"

"Besides, the person responsible for secret espionage matters such as the Chuihuan Division must be someone from the Imperial City Division! How can it be released without squeezing out all the information that the Prime Minister you mentioned has in his belly?"

Tujue Zhongding raised his head, waved his hand and said: "Wu Lang, I don't want to let him out, I mainly want the Imperial City Secretary to pay more attention to him and be careful."

"Wu Lang has made many meritorious deeds in the northwest, and he has a wide circle of friends in Bianjing! Please ask Wu Lang to find someone to pass on the message. As long as the message can be passed to the Imperial City Division, I will definitely do something good."

"Alas! You asked the wrong person! Didn't you go to other places to ask?"

Tuojue Zhongding forced out a wry smile: "I'm going! I was the envoy of Bai Gao in Bianjing before, and I know a few noble sons in the capital."

"But when I heard about my identity, I couldn't even see the manager."

It seems that he remembered the cold reception before, or maybe he took advantage of the drunkenness,

Tujue Zhongding gritted his teeth, looked up at Xu Zaijing and said: "Wu Lang, before the Li family brothers and the families of other Bai Gao generals were able to be arranged in the Hou Mansion, you must have some relationship with the Imperial City Division, right?"

Xu Zaijing breathed out the smell of alcohol and nodded: "Yes!"

Hearing this, Tujue Zhongding's eyes lit up.

"However, this person who can serve as the Secretary of the Chuihuan Department must be very powerful! He will not throw out all the information in his stomach like a green head! This Secretary has not been hollowed out, so naturally there is no fear for his life! "

"What are you worried about?"

Listening to Xu Zaijing’s question,

Pulling Jue Zhongding lowered his head and clasped his hands on the table unnaturally.

"I"

"If it's not convenient to say it, forget it." Xu Zaijing said.

Tujue Zhongding suddenly raised his head and hesitated to speak.

Looking at Xu Zaijing's probing eyes, Tujue Zhongding finally sighed and whispered: "Wulang, there was someone in Dazhou who had some information exchanges with Bai Gao a few years ago."

"The Chuihuan Division is two thousand miles away in Bai Gao, so it's hard to find out who is exchanging information with us, but the Imperial City Division is easy to find out!"

Xu Zaijing was stunned: "Are you saying you are afraid that the Prime Minister will be silenced?"

Lajue Zhongding nodded.

"Then you should go directly to the Imperial City Division. Why did you come to me?"

After hearing Xu Zaijing’s words,

Tujue Zhongding shook his head: "Wu Lang, the families I was looking for before were all noble families, and they had no access to the information received by Chuihuan Division."

Looking at Xu Zaijing's thinking eyes, he pulled Jue Zhongding and said: "Some information can only be accessed by officials from the Rongji Department or the Imperial City Department of the Great Zhou Dynasty. So..."

Xu Zaijing shook his head and said: "You don't have to worry about this. As long as the Secretary is not stupid, he will naturally inform the Imperial City Department of the crisis itself as soon as possible."

Jue Zhongding was stunned when he heard this.

"If you care, you will become confused."

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he raised his wine glass again.

Tujue Zhongding sighed bitterly, as if complaining that he had not turned a corner.

After touching it with Xu Zaijing, he drank it all in one gulp.

"Having been in Beijing for so many days, have you received your reward yet?"

Xu Zaijing asked.

He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded Zhongding: "Well, my father got a viscount who can be passed down to the third generation. Some of the younger members of the family who came with him were also imprisoned."

"But most of them are official positions in the southeast."

Xu Zaijing picked up some vegetables and said, "The climate in the southeast is mild and it's a good place to raise people. Are there any people who want to join the army?"

"Yes."

Xu Zaijing nodded, and suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up and he said, "I was in Xingqing Mansion before, and I heard you say that there were a few people who were very good at training infantry?"

"Yes! That's the son of the Lian Nu family whom I met before in the mountains outside the Great Wall! Bai Gao's Bu Ba Zi, Wu Lang, you should know."

"Well, Bubazi is brave and powerful in battle, especially good at climbing mountains and taking dangerous positions to attack and cover up attacks!"

"Goro, what do you mean by this?"

Xu Zaijing said: "Then do they have a good place to go?"

Pulling Jue Zhongding thought for a moment: "Da Zhou and Bai Gao have fought against each other for many years! The infantry are also very powerful, and Bu Bazi will often choose the best to join the Zhou army. Naturally, his military rank will be reduced a lot."

"Is there anyone who dares to go south to strive for fame?"

"Goro, south?"

"Yes, three thousand miles away, Yongzhou."

Looking at Tujue Zhongding's surprised look, Xu Zaijing continued: "Nowadays, there are signs of civil strife in Jiaozhi, south of Yongzhou, and they have repeatedly invaded the border. I have relatives in my family who have been leading troops in the south for many years, and are now busy training troops!"

"If there is a capable Bu Bazi who dares to go there, he will naturally be guaranteed a future."

Tujue Zhongding shook his head: "Wu Lang, I have also read some books! This Yongzhou is humid, hot, and full of snakes and insects. If you are not acclimatized to the soil, it will be really difficult."

Xu Zaijing smiled and said: "You don't have to worry about this. My relative's ancestral home is in Qingzhou, and he has been in Yongzhou for more than ten years. There were military officers and nobles who grew up in Bianjing before, but there were no I heard I was sick."

"Oh? Qingzhou is in the northwest, not far from Yuanbaigao!"

"Um!"

"Then, I'll write and ask!"

Xu Zaijing nodded and said: "I will also write a letter to my father. If I really want to go, the journey will be smooth."

Tujue Zhongding nodded heavily.

The big things in my heart are settled,

After the two said a few more words, Jue Zhongding stood up and left.

By this time the sky had turned completely dark,

Standing outside the wooden house,

Listening to the high-pitched words of children's voices coming from the stables from time to time, Zhongding sighed.

Xu Zaijing escorted Jue Zhongding to the gate of the Hou Mansion.

After pulling Jue Zhongding to bow to Xu Zaijing, he went to ride in front of the horse riding post.

Sudden,

Dang Dang Dang!

Some shrill gongs rang from a street not far away, and the noise of people shouting came from the streets.

Looking at Xu Zaijing's eyes looking that way,

Chu Zhan volunteered and shouted, "Sir, I'll go ask."

Tujue Zhongding also stopped moving.

After waiting for a while,

Out of breath, Chu Zhan ran back, pointed in one direction and said: "Sir, it's a foot shop on the other side of the river on the street. Somehow it got flooded and ignited the tung oil in the workshop nearby!"

Looking at the place that dimly illuminates the sky in the distance,

Xu Zaijing said: "Did you hurt someone?"

"I don't know. According to the news from Xianhan, the fire is quite big."

Xu Zaijing nodded: "I would like to ask the people on the street to pay more attention to the use of fire when it is dry in winter! Also, watch carefully and don't let the fire come along the house!"

"I understand, sir!"

Huan Chu Zhan, the concierge of the Xu family, replied in unison.

"The younger ones will move a ladder and stand higher to watch."

The concierge added.

After Xu Zaijing said yes, he cupped his hands with Tujue Zhongding, who was already on his horse.

After pulling Jue Zhongding to return the gift, he rode his horse away.

After leaving Quyuan Street,

After staying in Bianjing for a short time, Tujue Zhongding looked at the direction and rushed towards the direction Chu Zhan had just mentioned.

Riding across the bridge,

On the street not far from where you can walk,

There are already officials from Bianjing maintaining order and telling people not to get close.

He pulled Jue Zhongding off his horse, comforted his mount which was a little agitated by the fire, and said to the people of Bianjing who were watching in Dazhou dialect: "May I ask which foot shop gets the water?"

The people who were watching the fire turned around and glanced at him. Seeing that he was tall and dressed in silk and satin, they said, "I heard it's Gan's Foot Shop."

"Gan's foot shop? Is it the Gan's family's ancestral home on Huainan West Road?" A commoner behind Tujue Zhongding interrupted and asked.

"Yes, I heard that it was because they burned charcoal for heating. As a result, they were poisoned by carbon and the whole family didn't come out!"

"Oh! What a pity!"

Listening to the discussions of people around me,

Looking at the bright firelight, Tuo Jue Zhongding's eyes were thoughtful.

Turn around,

early morning,

It's still a little dark,

After finishing the exercise, Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang, who had breakfast, rode out of the Xu family gate together.

It’s a bit cold in the early winter morning,

When the man and horse breathe, white air appears in front of the mouth and nose.

Cars and horses walk on the bridge,

A burst of burning smoke poured into the surroundings,

Qingyun next to Xu Zaijing focused his eyes, pointed not far away and said: "Sir, it seems that the water leaked here last night!"

Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang looked at each other,

The horse walked over.

The five or six wooden buildings that I had been used to seeing on my way to and from school in the past few years had now turned into ruins, leaving only ashes on the ground and blackened walls.

In the dark sky, I could vaguely see government servants standing around.

The curtain of the Xu family carriage behind Xu Zaijing and others was also opened, and Qingcao looked at the scene on the street with surprise in his eyes.

When a group of people passed by here,

Xu Zaijing's eyes narrowed: "Brother Gao, why are you here?"

Seeing Gao Yunqing, Qingyun quickly bowed on his horse.