Do you know: I’m Xu Jiazi

Eat porridge on Laba Day,

In the golden sunset.

The convoy filed in and entered the yard of the inn.

"A moment! A moment!"

"Hush!"

The sounds of the drivers adjusting their carts and the neighing of the horses could be heard constantly.

Hundreds of carriages were preparing to park in the large courtyard of Guanyi. Although they were lined up as neatly as possible, it seemed that there were still more than a dozen carriages that had to stop at the gate.

The Pan family's caravan is used to this route, and the stewards in the caravan are also familiar with the postmaster of the post station.

In front of the post house,

The postmaster who came out said to the caravan manager:

"Manager Pan, today's eight-vegetarian porridge is ready, please!"

"please."

After entering the house, the postmaster said a few words with a solemn expression.

Pan's steward, who was holding the hot Laba porridge, asked in a low voice:

"What? The strong men around here don't want me to show my filial piety?"

The postmaster nodded and said: "Yes! They said there were too many carriages and horses this time, so they had to pay twice as much!"

The Pan family steward thought for a while and said, "Okay! My family agrees!"

"Tell them not to cause trouble, and it's fine with us."

The postmaster hurriedly responded.

The postmaster took the banknotes and walked out. The steward of the Pan family took a sip of the plain porridge, then put down the porridge bowl and walked into the house.

In the courtyard of the inn,

Several postmen who were carrying fodder looked at the knights on horseback and whispered:

"Look, the shoes they are wearing are still filled with grass?"

"Looking at his attire, he is not from the Zhou Dynasty! What's so strange about a savage wearing grass?"

"Their eyes are really scary"

The postman goes away,

Two well-dressed coachmen, one old and one young, gave way to the postman moving grass.

Then he walked towards the house,

The clothes on the young man are obviously much newer.

The two of them, like other coachmen, dusted themselves off as they walked.

The old man said: "The train is running well today."

The young man chuckled, and then said: "Grandpa, I have always wanted to ask, why do they have grass stuffed in their shoes?"

The old man glanced at the sturdy knight dismounting and said:

"Boy, those are good things on my feet!"

Seeing the young man's confused look, the old man continued:

"The grass is called Jingfan. It grows in the far north. It is dried in the sun, hammered until soft, and stuffed into cowhide shoes to keep out moisture and cold."

"This is what the nobles of the Jin Kingdom in the north wear."

The old man suddenly stopped talking because he saw that the knight did not accept the food handed by the postman, but took out a strip of dried meat from the horse's back and started eating on his own.

"Grandpa, you know so much!"

The old man said: "I heard it from drinking with the stewards."

"You joined the convoy yesterday and you can drive the car today. That's because the steward of the Pan family has seen that your father and I have worked in the Pan family for decades."

"When you have dinner later, go and propose a toast to the steward!"

"Why!"

The two of them talked and entered the thatched post house with earthen huts with other coachmen.

At the door of the house, the water in the wooden basin handed over to wash hands was a little murky, but the two of them washed their hands without disgust.

As soon as I walked in, I saw thick wooden sticks burning on the stove under the earthen stove.

After finding a bench and sitting down, the room was soon filled with coachmen, and the noisy voices made the room very lively.

At this time, a young man dressed as a salesman walked in, cupped his hands and said:

"You guys, young and old, have worked hard today! I have here some 'ear protection' from Bianjing. It's not expensive and comes in many styles, so your ears won't suffer from the cold."

"Let's go, let's go! We don't want it!"

"One consistent, just go grab the money!"

The young man left the house in a sullen voice.

The young man who just spoke suddenly looked at a very cute ear protector.

When he wanted to chase him out, he was grabbed by the old man and said: "In Bianjing, it's much prettier than his, and it's cheaper!"

"oh!"

Night falls.

The Pan family team brought their own wine and shared a lot of it with others to keep them away from the cold.

After dinner, the old man took his grandson to toast the steward.

The old man stared at the solemn-looking steward of the Pan family and whispered: "Steward, what's wrong?"

The steward of the Pan family said: "Uncle Luan, the strong men here are greedy! They..."

"Steward, have you spoken to the guarding knight?"

"said."

"Then let's pay more attention tonight."

"Um!"

After saying that, the steward held the wine bowl and said, "Brother Fang, do your best!"

After eating, everyone went back to the Datongpu room where they slept, following the lanterns hung at the door of the building.

After a long day's journey, we were very tired.

The library soon fell into relative silence, as men snored one after another.

There are also horses snoring from time to time.

The bright moon hangs in the west,

It's already midnight,

The cold moonlight shines on the earth,

From time to time, the calls of night birds could be heard outside the inn.

Suddenly,

There was the sound of hurried footsteps outside,

The old man Jue Qian walked out of the house wearing a thick coat.

When I reached the shed where the animals were tied,

I saw two postmen pressing down people, and the other two were stamping out a pile of firewood that had been ignited.

The old man shook his head and turned back to feed some night grass to the livestock.

His eyes narrowed. The knights in the previous convoy were now standing on the roof of the inn.

From that position, you can have an unobstructed view of the entire inn yard.

When he arrived under the shed, the old man discovered that the mounts of the dozens of knights were no longer there.

After feeding the night grass, when he returned to the house, he heard screams in the distance. The old man shook his head and entered the house.

When the white fish belly appears in the east,

The people in the inn yard started shouting and the horses started to get noisy and busy.

The groom was busy harnessing the carriage, and the white breath exhaled by the people and animals was very conspicuous.

When the sun emerged, the huge convoy had already begun to set off.

The morning sun shines on the roadside,

There is white frost that has not yet dissipated,

When the grooms leave the inn yard and pass a river ditch, they will turn around and look.

Because there were a group of people with swords there, some dressed as government servants, and some looked like officials.

There are also a few bad horses tied nearby,

A farmer was dragging a dead body by the ditch, breathing white air.

There were a lot of corpses beside the ditch. On the pile of soil as high as one person beside the ditch, blood was everywhere, and most of the blood stains were frozen on the ground.

beside the ditch,

Looking at the convoys passing by and the sights coming,

The local county lieutenant turned his head and looked towards the woods not far away, and saw people waving in the woods.

Everyone at the ditch hurriedly walked over, avoiding the hardened corpses lying on the ground along the way, and walked around in a circle before arriving at the edge of the woods.

"My lord, please look here."

The subordinate official pointed to the scar on the neck of a corpse and said:

"Someone must have watched these gangsters pass by, slide down the tree quietly, and silently pull the gangster from behind."

The subordinate official made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Looking at the sturdy corpse nearby, several people around him were speechless.

The county lieutenant knelt down and looked at the cocoons in the hands of the corpse. He stood up and looked at the edge of the ditch not far away, then looked at this place again and said:

"He was shot to death by an arrow on the edge of the ditch, and he was attacked by someone on the edge of the woods."

"With a small number of enemies, he was able to attack from both front and back, killing the gangster in a circle. His attack was so ruthless that no one but a strong soldier could do it."

The subordinate who just spoke pointed to the dagger with a bent tip on the ground and said:

"Sir, I think they must have encountered someone wearing armor."

The county captain nodded.

The people next to them looked at each other and whispered:

"Sir, didn't you say that in the summer, the Golden Sheep Village a hundred miles away was also killed by a group of people? Are the people here more powerful than those who destroyed the Golden Sheep Village?"

The county captain exhaled a white breath and said with contempt in his eyes:

"Don't talk until you've seen a big scene! Do you know what I saw in that village?"

The subordinate officials on the side quickly praised him and asked:

"Sir, what?"

"Armor!"

The county lieutenant looked at the corpses of the gangsters wearing only winter clothes and said:

"At night, wearing armor and raiding these gangsters without armor, scoff."

Looking at the motorcade in the distance,

The county lieutenant said again: "Screen carefully! Let's just accept the credit that falls from the sky."

After saying that, he led the people out of the woods,

After walking for more than ten steps, a young government official next to the county captain said:

"Uncle, didn't you talk about the bloody armor you saw outside the village last time? What happened this time?"

"Shut up!"

Another person said: "Uncle, is this also the work of the Imperial City Division's Arrow Team?"

The yamen servant who had just called him uncle looked over with curiosity.

The county captain said: "Shut up too!"

At this time, someone shouted: "Sir, I recognized this person! It was on the sea arrest documents we passed to Yuncheng."

The county captain smiled and hurried over.

Two young men remain,

One person said:

"Cousin, what is this Finger Arrow team you are talking about? I will treat you to Yuncheng Restaurant when you go back tonight!"

Another person replied:

"Okay, it's settled! The name of the Arrow Team was finally found out by my uncle from the big shots in the Imperial City Division!"

As he spoke, he looked around and whispered:

"The Finger Arrow Team is a team specially used by our Imperial City Division to suppress bandits!"

"The team is full of warriors who can use thick-feathered arrows with their fingers! That's why we got this name!"

"hiss!"

The listener gasped in the cool air of a winter morning.

At this time, someone came on horseback from the direction of the inn, and two young men hurriedly followed.

When I came closer, I heard the man saying:

"Lord County Captain, the thief caught by the postman this morning has been recruited!"

"A thief's informant in Dongping spread the news, saying that he saw boxes of Dongzhu, mink skins and gold in the motorcade, and that's when he got interested."

On the way to Bianjing,

In many cold and shady places, there is still unmelted white snow.

Although it was noon, the north wind was still blowing and the driver's face felt uncomfortable.

Someone rode by on a tall horse beside the motorcade.

The young man who spoke yesterday evening lifted up the old scarf that didn’t match his clothes under his nose to keep out the cold.

He moved his eyes away from the knight's boots, which had a few splattered blood spots on them.

In the cold winter,

The convoy stopped like this for several days.

When I entered the inn this evening, it was already dark.

The nearby population, vehicles, and horses are much denser than before, and there is a faint light in the night sky in the distance.

On the second day, the team set off extremely early.

After walking for less than half an hour, the magnificent city wall that the boy had never seen before appeared in front of him.

There were many people around pushing carts loaded with meat, game, and various goods ready to enter the city.

At this time, the young man had already got off the car and was holding the bridle of the horse pulling the cart in front.

Some soldiers came to the guarding knights, and after a negotiation, everyone was let in through the empty side door.

Passing through the wide and deep doorway, the surroundings suddenly became much warmer. There was the smell of burning coal and the aroma of various tempting foods in the air.

After walking in with the caravan for two quarters of an hour, there were fewer passers-by than at the city gate.

Under the deep blue sky, there were a few dim lanterns on the street.

There were more sounds of the horses in the caravan walking.

After walking for another two quarters of an hour,

the roadside was still somewhat quiet, but tall wooden buildings appeared on both sides, with red lanterns hanging on them.

There was a large plaque at the door of the wooden building. One of the two characters on it was the same as the one hanging in the caravan, both of which were "Pan".

After passing the wooden building, the caravan walked for a long time and split into two at the intersection.

The young man's carriage became the first car and continued to follow the escorting knights.

"Dangdang! Mao Shi 3 quarters!"

The sound of time reporting in the streets and alleys came from afar.

At this time, they came to a wide crossroads again.

In the young man's sight,

the knight beside him suddenly clamped his mount, stopped his horse, and raised his left hand to the side.

The young man hurriedly stopped the carriage. He heard a constant "whoa" from behind him. He followed the knight's gaze and saw several people riding handsome horses on the road on the right.

The horses were all tall,

especially the one in the lead, who was wearing a cloak with gold thread embroidery that looked extremely valuable.

He was riding a horse that was extremely handsome, one head taller than the other horses in the same group.

The handsomeness of this horse was something the young man had never seen in his life.

In the time described,

the group had already walked to the middle of the intersection. The leading dragon horse took one step, and the horses behind him had to take almost two steps to catch up.

The young man driving the carriage had good eyesight. He held the whip,

and could see that the joints of the belts on the dragon horse's head were fixed with beautiful jade. There were also exquisite gold ornaments on the belt on the horse's chest.

When a group of knights passed by,

the leading young man stopped his gaze, then bowed slightly and nodded solemnly to the team.

The escorting knights were a little surprised and hurriedly bowed in return.

The young man driving the carriage tilted his head and looked at the flag with the word "Pan" hanging on the carriage.

Longju and his group passed by.

At the intersection, there was another person next to the escorting knights:

"Zong Jun, what's going on? Why did you stop the horse?"

The leading knight loosened the waist knife tightly held in his right hand and shook his head:

"Just now I thought we were being targeted by General Bai'e (Tiger), so I waved and stopped the team."

The man who caught up said:

"What Xiaofengzi! Did you stay in the tree for a long time in the past few days and freeze silly?"

"However, the young man's mount is really handsome, comparable to the dragon horse that my father received from Northern Liao to seek peace!"

The convoy restarted and turned,

and came to the gate of a courtyard with a plaque of "Jin Guoguanyi" and

turned in.

Xu Zaijing rode Longju towards Sheng's house,

Qingyun on the side talked to him,

Xu Zaijing smiled and shook his head after listening.

He just saw a knight dressed in armor and dressed in foreign clothes at the intersection. He couldn't help but look at him. As a result, Qingyun, who was very familiar with him, was affected and almost drew his sword. When he arrived at Jiying Lane, Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and Chang Feng were laughing happily when they entered the lecture hall. Seeing Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye said, "Brother Jing, today is a holiday. Is there any good place to go tomorrow?" Xu Zaijing shook his head, gave the cloak to Hua Xiang, and glanced at Xiao Xiaotao who was sitting drowsy in the back. After school in the afternoon, Zhuang Xuejiu arranged holiday homework, just like last year, but Zai Zhang didn't leave early this time. Last year, he was tricked by someone. "Don't slack off at home during the holiday!" "Thank you for your teachings!" "Well, let's go." Then, Xuejiu put on his earmuffs and walked out of the lecture hall leisurely with his hands behind his back. The servants and maids were tidying up their desks, while Xu Zaijing and others put on their cloaks and walked out of the school, listening to Gu Tingye's celebratory shout of "Yohoo!" Everyone laughed, after all, who doesn't like a holiday? After leaving Jiying Lane, Xu Zaijing and his brother went home, crossed the bridge and passed a two-story restaurant. There was a flatbed carriage parked at the door. Under the flag of the restaurant, a young man dressed in rich clothes and wearing a jade crown was talking intimately with several fellow apprentices. One of the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boys saw Xu Zaijing, his eyes lit up and he shouted: "Look, I didn't lie to you! That's the Shenma I saw this morning!" Xu Zaijing looked at the people who turned around and looked at him on the side of the road, smiled and bowed. Xu Zaizhan, who was standing aside, heard the doubt and said :

"Xiaowu, do you know them?"

Xu Zaijing smiled:

"Yes!"

"Long time no see."

Luan Tingyu bowed his head and nodded, then looked at his brother proudly and said:

"Did you see it? This is the person I met in Bianjing! Isn't it extravagant?"

Lu Junyi smiled and said: "I'm the host today, let's go!"

On the way, Xu Zaijing explained the identities of the people just now to his brother,

Returned to Quyuan Street and entered the gate of the Marquis' Mansion,

and saw the Pan family's carriage parked near the stable.

"Two young masters, the lady has said that you should go directly to the courtyard to meet someone."

Listening to the words of the servants beside him, Xu Zaijing did not massage the horse, but went straight to the mistress's courtyard.

The two brothers entered the house and bowed:

"Madam Shuan."

Mrs. Pan smiled slightly and said, "Okay! Sit down quickly."

Xu Zaijing and his brother sat down, and then they saw several wooden boxes on the table.

Each wooden box contained a ginseng plant. Xu Zaijing didn’t quite understand it, but it looked like it was no ordinary ginseng.

Mrs. Pan said: "This is a gadget my family bought from the Kingdom of Jin."

"This box of Dongzhu is just for fun."

As he said that, the Pan family's nanny on the side presented a wooden box. Seeing the size of the Dongzhu inside, Xu Zaijing's eyes widened.