Huan Rong

Gao Yi's two daughters are named Xiong Nu and Hu Nu, and they just reached the age of Ji last year.Because of being captured by the Di people, the marriage has not yet been settled.Hearing the words of the maidservant that they wanted to call the two into the assassin's mansion, Gao Yu and his wife couldn't help being stunned for a moment.

Gao Yi frowned, his wife Zhou Shi was relatively calm, and asked: "Dare to ask, is it His Highness's intention, or Huan Envoy's intention?"

A Mai stared at the woman opposite, heard the temptation in the words, and said slowly: "This matter was suggested by the gentleman, but the girl will be appointed to serve in the shogunate of His Royal Highness the Princess."

Gao Yu and his wife looked at each other.

Can the princess of the county also open a mansion?

Could it be that they have been in the north for too long and missed the changes in the south?But in any case, as long as the daughter is serving the princess, it is fine if she is not serving as a maidservant or concubine.

"Your Highness is so kind to you, and you are so virtuous. My husband and I are so grateful."

"Captain Gao's words, I will report to His Highness." A Mai nodded and continued, "The whole village must be busy moving, so I don't want to disturb you. There is no need for the two girls to accompany you in a hurry. After Xuyi settles down, bring this It’s enough to stab the emissary’s mansion.”

After saying that, Ah Mai took out two jade beads, which were round and crystal clear, wrapped in colorful ribbons, and connected with tassels made of silver thread, very exquisite and beautiful.

"promise!"

Gao Yu ordered his daughter to take it and sent Ah Mai away, and said in a deep voice: "My daughter has such a fortune, I never dreamed of it in my dreams. When you are with His Highness, you must do your best and follow the rules in everything. thoughts. Do you understand?"

"Father, don't worry."

Xiongnu and Hunu put away the jade beads carefully, looked at each other, Xiongnu smiled first and said: "My daughter is not that kind of person, otherwise it would be a waste of my father and mother's teaching."

"Yes!" Tiger Girl added, "When we were in the Northland, we were in danger, and even fell into the hands of the Di thief. That shameless person wanted to take advantage of my sister! It wasn't that the envoy Huan sent someone to the north, and my daughter risked her life." No, you will die with that thief!"

"Stupid words!" Zhou scolded.

"Mother, this is not stupid." The tiger girl clenched her fists and said, "Didn't we see too little in the north? It's not that my father and uncles and brothers are desperate, how can the girls in the castle survive? Look at the few who were captured together. , men are nothing, in the end..."

"Tiger Girl." Xiongnu approached her younger sister, held her hand, and comforted her, "It's all over. Mr. Huan is a good person, and we will always be able to repay His Royal Highness by serving Her Royal Highness faithfully."

Hu Nu nodded heavily, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said: "We don't have the talent and bearing of high-class girls, but we have a lot of strength, which can always come in handy."

A lot of strength?

Gao Yi almost pulled off the long beard on his chin, Zhou's eyebrows stood up on the spot.

"Is this what a girl should say?"

"Father, mother, just now that person said that His Highness spared the lives of two tiger cubs, and he called my sister to be with me. It is likely to raise tigers." Xiongnu analyzed carefully, "Fortunately, I Both Amei and Amei are no beginners, so if we go this time, we will definitely handle things well and satisfy His Highness and Shijun."

"Raising tigers?" Gao Tuo thought about it carefully, and it really seemed like this.

"Also, if your highness wants to appoint me and my sister, it's mostly because of my father and the uncles and brothers in the clan." Xiongnu continued, "as long as my father has a place in the envoy's account, my mother and my daughter will definitely No worries."

Living in war all year round, cowardice and stupidity are regarded as linked to death.

Xiong Nu and Hu Nu are young, but they have seen many tragedies of life and death.Being caught by the Di people and locked up among the sheep for half a month, it made them fully understand that if they are not strong enough, they will only cry when things happen, and they will never end well.

Even if you cry out, it still won't attract any sympathy. It can only add fun to the thieves, making them think that Han women are weak and can bully them at will.

If you want to survive, you must learn to be strong.When you meet a jackal, you must learn to pick up a sword!

In a life-threatening struggle, either you die or I die!

When mentioning what happened to Beidi, the family fell silent.It wasn't until the clansmen came to look for it, saying that Huan Rong sent someone to bring corn and bacon, that he came back to his senses.

"Corn?"

"bacon?"

"Yes!" The man who came to call someone was just in his thirties, with big shoulders, round waist, full beard, and fleshy muscles all over his body.The short robe was bulging, and the exposed half of the arm looked like a rock.

"A full cart of corn is enough for us to eat for half a month. There is also a large strip of bacon. I have seen that it can be sold at this price in the city!" The man stretched out a hand and raised three fingers.

"Qian Sima, who came to deliver food, was kind. Seeing that there were many children in the village, he took out a bag of sugar and distributed it on the spot."

The man paused, scratched his head, grinned and said: "Seeing that the children like it, Qian Sima ordered someone to go back to the team to get it, and asked me to give it to my uncle. It is said that the price of this thing is high in the market, but the state soldiers can get half of it every season." The bag is included in the salary."

"sugar?"

After taking the cloth bag handed over by the man, Gao Yi weighed it, and couldn't help showing surprise.He untied the tether in twos and twos, and when he saw the crystal particles in the bag, he couldn't help but gasp.

He has seen this thing before, and the nobles of the Di people regard it as a treasure.It is said that it is produced in Yandu, the taste is sweet, and the quantity is scarce, and now the price is comparable to gold.

"You just said that there is this in the military salary?" Gao Yi couldn't believe it.

"Yes!" The man smiled honestly, "I think my sister likes to eat honey, so I will also like this white sugar. When I join the army, I will give all the sugar to my sister!"

The man and Gao Yu belong to the same family, and they have been married to his wife for many years, and they have never had a son and a half under their knees.In terms of seniority, he and the bear girl and the tiger girl are of the same generation and need to be called siblings.But because of their age, they are almost taken care of as daughters.

"Thank you bro!"

The two sisters were not polite, and each took a sugar grain and put it into their mouths.The sweet taste filled the mouth in an instant, and after two bites, his eyes widened in surprise.

"How, am I right?" The man smiled more honestly.

Xiong Nu and Hu Nu nodded frequently, staring at the cloth bag in Gao Yu's hand, their eyes sparkling.

Mrs. Zhou inquired about the arrangements in the village and knew that the women were already busy, so she ignored her two daughters and pulled them back to help one by one.

Standing at the same place, Gao Yu thought about all the things after coming to the south, and then thought about today, he couldn't help sighing: "Emissary Huan has great ambitions. I waited to arrive in Youzhou and put myself under the tent of the envoy. It is really the blessing of our ancestors!"

"What does uncle mean by that?" the man asked strangely.

"What do you mean?" Gao Yi tied the sugar bag and said with a smile, "I don't want to say much now, I will talk to you in detail when I get to Xuyi. Go back and tell those who are still not convinced, Mr. Huan is Qianlong, I will not be confined to a state. When I join the state army, I will not worry about not having a battle. Losing to my own people is nothing, and fighting with foreign enemies is the only way to see the truth!"

In an instant, a look of shock flashed across the man's face, and he suddenly felt his throat tighten.

"uncle……"

"You have to keep in mind that after entering the barracks, don't steal or play tricks. When I make an oath to serve Huan Shijun to the death, I must do what I say, and I can't lose the reputation of my ancestors. Also," Gao Yi changed the subject and said , "Before going to Xuyi, send a letter to your Uncle Zhang to see if he intends to go with you."

"promise!"

When the village was busy, the convoy continued its journey after a short rest.

Huan Rong rode his horse in front, returning home like an arrow.

Unexpectedly, after traveling less than five miles, she was called to the car by Princess Nankang.

Seeing his mother's worried expression, Huan Rong's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked what happened.Knowing that the two cubs had nothing to eat and were screaming from hunger, they were speechless on the spot.

"Amai made broth, but he refused to eat both." Princess Nankang held up the tiger cub, frowning slightly.

"Mum, don't worry, this place is not far from the village, I'll ask someone to go back and ask."

It's rare for the mother to be interested in the two cubs, so naturally she can't take it lightly.

Reflecting on his lack of consideration, Envoy Huan tapped his horsewhip and ordered his private soldiers to return to the village immediately to find out carefully what the two tiger cubs ate on weekdays.

"If there are livestock that produce milk, they can be exchanged for copper coins and silk cloth."

"promise!"

The private soldier jumped on his horse and galloped away in a blink of an eye.

The convoy slowed down, and after about half an hour, the private soldiers galloped back from the same road, with a cloth bag on their horses, and there seemed to be something alive in the bag.

"My lord, I returned to the village to explain the situation. Captain Gao said that there are no livestock in the village. I hunted a pack of wolves before, and there happened to be a female wolf who gave birth."

As the private soldier said, he untied the cloth bag from the horse's back.It wasn't that he went back quickly, the wolf had already been ripped off.

According to the bear girl and the tiger girl, the tiger cub had to be nursed before, so that it was saved.Now that it is useless, it is natural to cook meat.

animals Protection?

I'm sorry, it's the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and there is no wildlife protection law.No matter the Han people or the Hu people, they are all enemies with the wolves, and they will fight if necessary.

The Hu people did it to protect their herds, and most of the Han people did it to save their lives.

"Wolf in the bag?"

"Yes." The private soldier held down the moving bag, and untied the mouth of the bag, revealing a gray wolf head with shaggy hair.

The wolf's mouth was tied tightly with cloth strips, his limbs were also bound, and his eyes were full of fierce light, which was quite scary.Huan Rong didn't doubt at all, once the rope was untied, it would jump up and hurt people.

"Make room for a cart." Huan Rong ordered.

Naturally, such a fierce creature can't get close to his mother.There was no way to do it on the way. When we arrived in Xuyi, we tried to find a ewe or a female dog, so as not to worry about the tiger cubs having nothing to eat.

Knowing the situation, Princess Nankang put the tiger cub into a bamboo basket and handed it to Ah Mai to nurse.

The cart was vacated and covered with a layer of straw.The female wolf was tied up in the car, struggling endlessly, with low growls from her throat.

Before Ah Mai got into the car, Qian Shi stopped him, frowned and said, "This thing is dangerous, why don't I come?"

"It's okay." A Mai smiled and gestured to the servant beside him.The latter was the first to wait for the bus and covered the wolf's head with a silk handkerchief.

In just two breaths, the struggling female wolf calmed down, her limbs spread out, and she didn't have the slightest bit of fierceness.The tiger cub was placed under the wolf's belly, stepped on with its little paws a few times, bit the nipple, and finally stopped barking.

The convoy continued to move forward, thirty miles away from Xuyi City, the goshawk returned from the north, honked twice in mid-air, and flew down to Huan Rong's raised arm.

"You're getting heavier."

Huan Rong hissed, moved the goshawk to the saddle, took off the wolf fur on his arm, and rubbed his wrist skillfully.

"Hey——"

"Don't be wronged, look at your head, how dare you say it's not serious?"

"Hey——"

"It's no use pointing your ass at me."

The two sides had known each other for a long time, so they were not worried that the goshawk would turn its head and bite. Huan Rong stroked the eagle's feathers with a smile, and took off the bamboo tube tied to the eagle's leg.

Compared to before, this letter is very short, but the content is shocking.

After watching it twice from beginning to end, Huan Rong subconsciously ground his molars, thinking about what to do when he returned to Xuyi.

As soon as the front foot came to the letter, the back foot has already set off.According to the letter, Qin Jing and his party were already on the way, and they might have arrived in Xuyi at this time.

Thinking of his mother's attitude, Huan Rong suddenly felt helpless.The joy of picking up leaks dissipated in an instant, as if a big rock fell on his head, making his ears ring and his eyes dazzled.

However, people have already come, and they come to the door with business, so they can't be driven back at will.

Envoy Huan sighed, and subconsciously clenched his whip tightly.

For the current plan, we can only take one step at a time.

The first year of Xian'an, August

Qin Jing and his party arrived in Xuyi.

Compared with the last time, the city has changed a lot.

There are two more fence gates in the east city, and waterways are dug to lead the stream into the canal.

From time to time, you can see the gentry driving in and out of the fence. The gentleman in the car wears less big shirts, and more imitates Huan Rong in long robes and deep clothes, with swords around his waist.Occasionally, if a few people are fancied, the people in the city will know that they must be "newcomers".

The Wu surname in the city successively voted for the Huan assassin, and those with virtue and talent were selected as county officials one after another.A few performed well and were promoted to the state government, infinitely close to the "power center".

Because of Zhu's rebellion, Huan Rong showed his toughness, and his power grew day by day.After the big stick, he gave Tianzao and distributed "red envelopes" without hesitation. The gentry in the state benefited and moved closer to him one after another.

No matter how hard his neck is, he can't bear the will of the clan, in the end he can only put down his figure, and surrender to envoy Huan wisely, only envoy Huan will follow his lead.

There is a world of difference between scholars and commoners, and there are no conditions for the imperial examination.In a short period of time, the examination and selection of officials cannot be promoted.

Huan Rong thought about it, and finally gave up half a step. It is not a problem to choose officials among the gentry, how to choose must be according to his will!

Those who drink and have fun when they have nothing to do, and who can't leave their bodies with cold food, go to seek immortals and ask questions, and Mr. Huan will never disturb them easily; those who are talented and capable and willing to do practical things, regardless of Wu's surname or overseas Chinese, can be reused.

In truth, no one wants to be seen as "waste".

The Wu surname has been suppressed and marginalized for too long. Now that an opportunity arises, it is natural to firmly grasp it.

Huan Rong doesn't need to make it too clear, each family will start screening, and it is bound to select the best children, and do everything possible to stand beside Huan Shijun, and then strive for a higher status for the family.

The patriarchs of the gentry clans are all shrewd people, and they can more or less see that Huan Rong and the Jin family can't eat in the same pot, and the same Jiankang gentry don't necessarily wear the same pair of pants.

When Huan Rong showed his kindness, the powerful elites in the city gathered together to discuss whether they should take refuge in the young assassin, and if they decided to take refuge, they should play a few cards.

If there were still doubts before, and only three points of sincerity were in mind, when the news came that Huan Rong was crowned in advance and was appointed Duke of the county, the sincerity of each family immediately skyrocketed to five points or even seven or eight points.

"Extremely" impossible.

The previous Emperor Sun and Yuan Emperor Sima Rui did not have this treatment.

However, as long as there are seven or eight points, it is enough to encourage each family to show their strength and build Youzhou into an iron wall, blocking the sight of outsiders from prying eyes.

Compared with the East City, the West City has changed more.

This is where the Fangshi is located. Every day, there are long queues in front of the Fangmen, waiting to receive vouchers for market goods and tax payments.

There are both Hu merchants and Han Chinese in the team.

Judging from the accent, there are many Di and Qiang, and more Hu in the Western Regions.Most of the caravans of the Han people came from Jiangzhou, Jingzhou and Yizhou. They saw the business opportunities in Youzhou and came to try their luck one after another.

It turns out that as long as the goods are authentic and not shoddy, and the business is not short of money, the profits will definitely be a lot.

There are many wealthy businessmen from Kuaiji and other places in the team.

They don't like ordinary goods, and when they enter the city, they focus on white sugar, and they sell tens of thousands of dollars, and they don't even bat an eye when paying taxes.

At first when they saw these "trenches", the people in the city were surprised.After a long time, when I see people pulling money in carts, they always click tut twice.If you ask why, you will get a strange glance.

"New here?"

"Hey!"

"A few carts of copper coins and silk cloth are nothing. It is not uncommon to use carts to pull gold."

The part of the question was stunned on the spot, using a cart to pull gold?

"Think I lied to you?" The man who spoke curled his lips. "It's useless to talk too much. If you have free time, you can go to Fangshi and wait. It will naturally open your eyes."

When the words fell, he didn't talk too much with the inquiring trilogy, picked up the newly hit farm tools, and rushed to join the fellow clansmen.While walking, he said to the young man who was traveling with him: "After the autumn harvest, plant another crop of grain as soon as possible, and open up two acres of wasteland by the way. Our family does not have cattle, so we can use the newly harvested corn to rent from it. I estimate that we will wait until the next year. I can find a wife for you. If you work harder, you will work part-time during the slack season, and next year..."

As the man walked further and further away, his voice gradually became indistinct.

The investigation turned back and forth, and reported the truth to Qin Jing and Qin Jue.

It's not unusual for Qin Jing to be prepared.Qin Jue stared wide-eyed, looking at the square gate not far away, his face full of disbelief.

"Youzhou is so rich?"

"Do you remember that batch of cattle and the white sugar that appeared a few months ago?" Qin Jing asked without answering.

"I remember." Qin Yu said in surprise, "I know white sugar is produced in Youzhou, isn't it the farming cattle?"

"How can there be so many farming cattle in a state?" Qin Jing shook her head and said in a low voice, "As far as I know, those farming cattle all come from Goguryeo."

"He's doing business with Murong Xianbei?!" Qin Jue stared.

"So what?" Qin Jing pressed his brother's shoulders and said earnestly, "A Rong, I have known Brother Rong for a long time, and I know that he is definitely not something in the pool. When you come to Youzhou this time, you should watch more and talk less. If you think about it carefully, you will definitely gain a lot.”

Earn a lot?

Qin Ju straightened his lips and held down his broken arm.

Qin Jing withdrew his hand, frowned upon seeing this, and suddenly punched him again.

"Brother?"

"So what about a broken arm? I told you earlier that the hand is broken, but the brain is not lost. The responsibility that should be borne must be borne!"

Qin Yu grinned, and the depression was swept away immediately.

"Brother, I want to visit Fangshi."

"Alright." Qin Jing sent someone to inquire just now, but Huan Rong has not yet returned to the city.Goshawk did not bring back any news, so it is estimated that the team is still on the way.Instead of waiting in the inn, it is better to go for a walk in the square market.

He ordered the trilogy to disperse into the crowd, and the two brothers followed the people who entered the workshop.

Businessmen need to get certificates to enter the workshop, but ordinary people don't need it.

The state soldiers guarding the gate swept over the two of them, and saw that they were wearing long swords around their waists, speaking with a northern accent, with a solemn expression on their faces.He told the patrolling soldiers a few words, and then let them go without stopping them.

If you want to make trouble in the workshop, it depends on whether you have the ability.

Not to mention the state soldiers on patrol, just the businessmen in Fangshi, who traveled north and south, nine out of ten were not easy to mess with.

A few days ago, someone who was not open-eyed wanted to make trouble. Before the state soldiers arrived, the shopkeeper of a bakery picked up a rolling pin and knocked him unconscious after a few strokes.Several shopkeepers around rolled up their sleeves and kicked them in a circle, so they didn't kick people to death on the spot.

Afterwards, when the people in the city heard the news, they even gathered on the side of the road and threw stones and sticks together to let the troublemakers know that the people in Youzhou are not easy to mess with, and that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in Xuyi City is even worse.

"Bad boy?" The beat-up shopkeeper of the bakery clenched his fist and slammed it on the panel with a bang, "Ask someone's fist first!"

The Qin Jing brothers walked into the market, their ears were full of hawking.Close to the streets and alleys where the market sells grain and cooked food, the crowd is even more crowded, shoulder to shoulder, sweating profusely, and the excitement is beyond imagination.

"Brother, there!"

After struggling to squeeze out of the crowd, Qin Jue walked to a two-story building, stepped through the wide open wooden door, saw the crowded wooden signs on the wall, and let out a sound of admiration on the spot.

"Is this...the market price?"

The businessmen around looked at him and smiled kindly.

Yep, looks like a newcomer again.

Back then, no one had experienced this.

When he was surprised, two civil servants came from the side door, took down a few wooden signs, altered the numbers on them, and hung them up again.

"Hiss—" a businessman gasped, "Is the silk rising again?"

"In this way, the silk cloth will also rise."

"It doesn't matter, no matter how high the price is, it won't worry about selling it in the North."

"Food prices have fluctuated slightly, while salt and sugar prices have not changed, or you can buy more..."

The brothers Qin Jing withdrew and looked inside the door again, with complicated expressions on their faces.

"After going back this time, you should report to Father that since Xihe is the capital, you may be able to imitate this place."

"let's discuss it later."

"Brother?"

"Xuyi can do this because of the right time and place. It may not be very effective to move to Xihe as it is. However, there are more and more Hu merchants in Luozhou, so maybe we can give it a try."

"Luozhou?" Qin Jue frowned, "Brother, since you were stationed in Pengcheng, Eldest Brother intends to take over Luozhou."

Qin Jing didn't speak, just smiled, patted Qin Jue on the shoulder, and said: "In short, it's under Father's command, so it doesn't matter who is in charge."

It's ok?

Qin Jue snorted coldly.

"Okay, don't think too much, you haven't always been thinking about the bacon in Youzhou, there is a food shop in front of you..."

Not long after the Qin brothers entered Fangshi, Jiankanglai's convoy finally arrived in the outer city.

Before entering the city, Mrs. Li opened the car window, looked at the majestic city wall, and saw the long queue in front of the city gate, and couldn't help laughing: "Look, sister, even Jiankang may not be able to match such a high city wall. "

Looking in the direction Mrs. Li pointed, Princess Nankang couldn't help laughing.

"It's hard to be a melon."

Huan Rong walked in front of the team, completely unaware that he was being praised by his mother and aunt.

At this moment, he was full of entanglement, should he send a letter to Qin Jing, let him avoid it for a while, and don't go to the assassin's house, so as not to offend his mother, and the matter will not end well.