Through the troubled times and famine, I just want to farm peacefully

The head of the Deng family took the books handed over by the steward and opened one of them. He found that the handwriting of this person was written neatly and neatly.

"Well, you can tell a lot of effort went into writing this character." Patriarch Deng praised while stroking his beard.

The steward motioned to him, "Master, please take a look at the other one."

“This one is just as neat and good!”

When he was young, the head of the Deng family did not like reading, so he did not study calligraphy much.

Lu Changsheng took the book and carefully observed it, then found a problem. "How come these two books are exactly the same?"

"Sir, there are hundreds of such books in the bookstore, and they are cheap," said the manager.

"how much is it?"

The steward held up a finger.

Patriarch Deng guessed, "One tael of silver?"

The steward shook his head, and Patriarch Deng continued to guess, "One penny?"

"Could it be just a hundred coins?" Lu Changsheng asked puzzledly as he looked at the book in his hand.

The steward stopped playing dumb and said, "It's one hundred coins."

"One hundred coins!" Patriarch Deng and Lu Changsheng said in unison, and they looked at each other in disbelief.

"This hundred coins can't even buy a pound of coarse salt."

“Why is it so cheap?”

The head of the Deng family was puzzled and looked through the two books carefully. The paper was not bad and the handwriting was neat and beautiful, so why were they only sold for one hundred coins?

Lu Changsheng asked the steward, "Where did this book come from?"

"They were sent over from Longtan. It's said that they have invented the latest printing technology. The books sent over include not only enlightenment books, but also a lot of classics. Now people are rushing to buy them in the bookstores."

"You only bought these two books?" Lu Changsheng returned the books to him.

The steward chuckled twice and lowered his head in embarrassment. "I bought these two enlightenment books for my grandson to read. The other books are too profound and we can't understand them. There is no point in buying them."

"Brother, let's go take a look."

On the central street of Cangwu County, the door of a bookstore was crowded with people.

Aunt Zhang, who received the news first, finally squeezed in and grabbed a book. Just as she was about to pay, the book was snatched away from under her arm.

She looked back angrily and found that the person who stole her book was the one-eyed blind Mrs. Li.

"Mrs. Li, why did you steal my book?"

Mrs. Li: "You are talking nonsense. You must read the book when you buy it."

"Bah! You are blind, why are you still reading? Give the book back to me!" Aunt Zhang said angrily.

Mrs. Li held the book tightly in her arms, looking as if she would never give it to him even if she was beaten to death.

"I'm blind, I'm buying this for my son and grandson. Your eyes are good, hurry in and grab another copy."

After saying this, Mrs. Li turned her back and ignored Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang was so angry that she gritted her teeth and squeezed into the store again with her strong body.

Mrs. Li smiled and took out a small cloth bag wrapped tightly with rags from her sleeve pocket, opened it with three layers inside and three layers outside, counted out a hundred coins from it and handed it to the waiter.

"Little Brother, count them, right?"

The waiter quickly counted the money and said, "The money is counted correctly, one hundred coins are correct. Auntie, please take the book."

Mrs. Li covered her chest with one hand and groped her way home.

When Mr. Deng and Lu Changsheng rushed to the street, the people surrounding the bookstore had gradually dispersed.

The subordinate stepped forward and bowed, "Meet the master, General Lu!"

"Where's the book?"

"I'm ashamed. When I arrived, all the books inside had been snatched away."

At this moment, Wu Xingwang came from the opposite side laughing.

"Master Deng, long time no see!"

"Boss Wu, why are you here?"

"I was just about to visit you when I finished my work. The concierge told me you were here, so I hurried over."

Wu Xingwang asked Wu Peng behind him to present something, "Master Deng, this is a gift from City Lord Lin. I hope you don't despise it. Please accept it!"

"Boss Wu, just come. Why bring gifts?" The head of the Deng family said politely with a smile.

"This is what City Lord Lin specifically asked to be given to Patriarch Deng and General Lu. It is a treasured ancient book she collected. Although it is a new print, the paper and ink used are of the highest quality."

"City Lord Lin is so thoughtful! Boss Wu, it's rare that you have time to come here, why don't we go to Zuixianlou and have a chat?"

"Then Wu would rather obey your command."

The head of the Deng family signaled the servants to come forward and take the two gifts wrapped in oil paper in Wu Peng's hands.

The group entered Zuixianlou talking and laughing.

As soon as he sat down, Lu Changsheng tried to find out Longtan's opinion on the Dongyue Wang family's march north.

"Boss Wu, I heard that some time ago, the former court elder Wang Tingshan went to your Longtan?"

"Well, General Lu is well-informed and nothing can be hidden from you." Wu Xingwang complimented.

Patriarch Deng and Lu Changsheng looked at each other and it seemed that their guess was correct.

Patriarch Deng: "I heard that he is preparing to march north in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials?"

"Wang Gelao came to invite the two masters of the Yun family to lead the army, saying that he would restore the reputation of the Yun family after the success." Even if they were allies, Wu Xingwang did not hide it. He glanced at the head of the Deng family who was frowning in thought, and continued, "I wonder what the head of the Deng family thinks about the Dongyue Wang family leading the army northward?"

"What can I think? It's spring, there are so many mouths to feed, and we haven't even got this year's food supply yet. How can we have the time to think about these things?"

The head of the Deng family narrowed his eyes and laughed at himself, a ray of brilliance shot out from his eyes, how could it be so easy to seek the skin of a tiger?

"Is it so easy to go north?" Lu Changsheng said slowly.

Wu Xingwang paused, and asked humbly, "May I ask what General Lu meant by that? Does General Lu also not think highly of the Dongyue Wang family's northern expedition?"

Lu Changsheng cautiously winked at the guard outside the door, and the guard left quickly. The three of them drank tea quietly without saying a word.

After a moment, the guard knocked three times on the door.

The guards told him that the surrounding environment was safe, and Lu Changsheng cleared his throat.

"Lu is not optimistic. From a geographical point of view, if you want to go north, you either have to take the water route or cross the mountains. Not only is the journey long, but you may also encounter the Hu people along the way. The Hu people are tall and have a natural advantage in cavalry. You can't outrun them, and you can't fight them. The future is bleak."

Not to mention whether the logistical supplies can keep up, how could no one among the local aristocratic families have this idea, and what basis would they have to fight against others then?

"Has Lord Wang come to Cangwu County?" Wu Xingwang asked.

Patriarch Deng shook his head. “We don’t have much relationship with the Wang family, so he naturally wouldn’t visit rashly.”

"The Yu family of Nanzhou Prefecture has already begun recruiting soldiers."

"I heard that Patriarch Yu became mute years ago?"

"That's right, otherwise Yang wouldn't have done such a stupid thing."

"Yu Family..."

What Patriarch Deng had not yet said was self-evident; the three of them raised their glasses and smiled at each other.

Nanzhou Prefecture

Perhaps it was due to the deterrent power of Feng Yongyan, or perhaps it was because the Yu family had relied on the support of the Wang family of Dongyue. Some time ago, all the staff of the Yu family withdrew from the government office of Nanzhou Prefecture.

When Yun Zhenchuan went to take over, he found that the government office had long been emptied out by the Yu family, the silver bureau and tax treasury were empty, the documents in the chief clerk's office were piled up like a mountain, the male and female prisons were full of prisoners, and none of the cases from the past two years had been tried.