I'm taking the imperial examinations in Liaozhai

Ji Zihe and the others didn't know that the fortune teller was fake, but "his" hexagrams were not necessarily fake.

After the fortune teller left the restaurant, he went straight to a dark alley without stopping.There was a painted carriage, and for the sake of low profile, only two horses were used.A group of servants were waiting by the car, and finally seeing the fortune teller approaching, they rushed up to greet him, and put a fluffy white cloak on "him".

The fortune teller casually threw the flag of counting ten spirits and nine spirits in his hand to a servant, with a sullen face, he was supported by someone, and stepped on a stool to get into the carriage.

The pretty maid kneeled in the car to serve her, carefully removing the fake beard on her mouth and the long fake eyebrows on her eyebrows.Then covered the face with a towel, washed away the camouflage on "his" face, and let "him" spit out the camouflaged Adam's apple in his throat.Take off the coarse clothes and put on brocade and faille.In this way, a middle-aged man turned into a stunningly beautiful girl, which really gave people the illusion of turning decay into magic.

"Your Highness, do you want to go back to the palace now?" the maid asked softly.

Yunluo opened her eyes and glanced at her, like a lazy and luxurious cat, rubbing a jade pendant in her hand, "I won't go back, go to study in China."

"Yes."

All the servants didn't say a word, like a quiet army, after receiving the order, they packed up their things in an orderly manner, and left the dark alley with the fragrant cars and BMWs without leaving a trace.

There is always a banquet in the world, because he met An Daye, Ji Zihe's plan to buy books was in vain, and he could not afford to eat a meal for several hours.The sky was getting dark, and they made an appointment to go to the study to buy books next time, and the three of them went back to their respective homes.

When he returned to the rented house, it was already dark, and Ji Zihe found that the house opposite the rented house was lit up.

"Over there, didn't Master Hao say he was waiting to rent it out? Why did the light turn on? Did he find a tenant?" Ji Zihe asked.Uncle Hao is the landlord of the house he rented. Ji Zihe only knew that the old man's surname was Hao, but Ji Zihe didn't know the names of the old couple.

Huang Jiulang shook his head, "I don't know, master, why don't I ask now."

"Forget it, it's getting dark, let's talk about it tomorrow." Ji Zihe said.

"Okay, then I'll go to the small kitchen to boil some hot water, and I'll send you a foot bath later to relieve fatigue." Huang Jiulang said.

"Well, I'm sorry to trouble you." Ji Zihe said with a smile.

Huang Jiulang went to the kitchen, and Ji Zihe went back to the house.The charcoal fire in the house was extinguished when they left, and now after such a long time, the temperature has almost dissipated.After entering the house, it didn't feel much warmer than outside.

But Ji Zihe has bones, and with a wave of his hand, the charcoal basin that had been extinguished in the house was lit again.

The charcoal used in Ji Zihe's house is not the low-quality charcoal used on the stove.This kind of charcoal is called rosin charcoal. There is no choking smoke when it burns, and it will smell a faint scent of rosin after burning for a long time.Of course, such a high-quality effect will naturally have a more beautiful price.

If it was before, Ji Zihe probably wouldn't spend his money so extravagantly when he died.But now that they have money, Ji Zihe originally wanted to buy cheap charcoal, but Bones didn't want to.He spent so much effort to make money just to improve Xiaohezi's life, how could he be allowed to be stingy easily.Afraid of wasting it, the big deal is that he will make money after it is used up.

Because of his insistence, Ji Zihe compromised.Smelling the faint scent of pine in the air, Ji Zihe suddenly felt that he was being supported by his bones.In fact, this feeling is not bad.

Because the charcoal fire was ignited, the cold air in the room was dispelled in a short while.Seeing that there was no one else, Ji Zihe stretched out in a disfigured manner, sat down at the table, grilled by the charcoal fire, and continued to read the book he hadn't finished during the day.

Ding Zaichang is not an idler, he is not only an examinee, but also a businessman. There are many shops in Jingzhou City, so it is impossible for him to run around every day.And that brother An Daye who just met, even though he just came to Jingzhou, he has already met a lot of people. He will be busy with appointments in the next few days and has no free time, so Ji Zihe and the others agreed to go to the study later. Quite a lot.

Ji Zihe didn't express any regrets, and was even a little relaxed.He doesn't like to go out, especially when it's not far from the exam time, it's a good thing for him to be able to spend a few days in peace and study.

There are so many talented people in the world, and they gathered in Jingzhou for a test. Although Ji Zihe didn't know much, it also added a lot of pressure.Ding Zaichang and An Daye alone are real young talents.None of them are younger than Ji Zihe, but now they are all standing on the same starting line as him.Moreover, Ding Zaichang is still busy with his family's business, and An Daye has always regarded reading as a hobby, and he felt a little careless when he came to take the imperial examination, instead of studying wholeheartedly like Ji Zihe, which made Ji Zihe feel like he was about to be caught up from behind. Feel.

Of course, Ji Zihe wasn't afraid of them, he was motivated only when he was under pressure.Ji Zihe believes that there may be more outstanding people in the Great Chu Kingdom than them, and it must be a rare experience to meet so many outstanding talents in the examination room and have a literary battle.Even if his skills are not as good as others, he must show his best state to live up to this competition, which makes Ji Zihe feel full of fighting spirit.

While Ji Zihe was engrossed in reading, there was a sudden knock on the door.Ji Zihe wondered why someone knocked on the door so late.

Bone leaned lazily on the bed, "The knocker was an old man I didn't know."

Ji Zihe nodded, walked over to open the door, and there was indeed a middle-aged man in a gray cotton coat outside the door.Two blushes appeared on the old man's face, and his skin was a little dry.

"Old man, may I ask who you are?"

"Hello, my surname is Zhuang. You can call me Laozhuang. I came to Beijing with my family to report on my work. I just moved into the opposite room today."

It's the end of the year, and all officials are starting to prepare for the year-end summary. Officials from other places will go to Beijing to report on their work every three to five years, and report to the governors of Jingzhou in person.

Knowing that it was a neighbor, Ji Zihe calmed down, "Hello, what can I do for you?"

"It's like this. When my lord was fighting in the north, he was seriously injured on the battlefield. When it rained on a cloudy day, he felt unbearable pain. I just moved in today, and I haven't prepared everything. The weather is cold and the house is as cold as an ice cellar. It is really sad that the pain has recurred. I wonder if the young master can lend us some charcoal fire to drive away the cold air in my family, and I will go buy it tomorrow, and I will return it to you." The old man Zhuang said.

"Your family has been on the battlefield?"

"Yes, my lord is the general on the northern battlefield. No, after the battle is over, there is no need for so many people on the battlefield. My lord was injured and his foundation was injured, so he can't stay in the north. Why don't we just apply for it?" After he came to Beijing to report on his work this time, he will change to a civilian job. My lord saw that I was old and pitiful, so he brought me back from the north to work with him." When the old man Zhuang talked about this, With a smile on his face, he looked very happy.

Generally, those who can switch from military to civil must have been civil servants before.It is estimated that the old man Zhuang is also the kind of official who abandons literature and goes to the military when he is fighting, and goes to the battlefield when he resists a big sword.

Although the old man Zhuang looks a bit shabby, and he is not a general, but he is still a member of the family defending the country on the battlefield.Ji Zihe had always regretted not being on the battlefield before, and he always had some admiration for these soldiers.

"You want to borrow charcoal?"

"Yes Yes."

"Small matter, I'll let someone pretend for you. Xiao Jiu! Xiao Jiu!" Ji Zihe shouted.

"Here we come." Huang Jiulang heard Ji Zihe's yelling so urgently, he didn't care about the hot water in the pot, and hurried out, "Master, what's the matter?"

"Take this old man to pack some charcoal, make more... Forget it, you go back, I'll take him by myself," Ji Zihe said.

Huang Jiulang ran out in a hurry, and now he was driven back again. Monk Zhang Er was really confused.

Huang Jiulang went back to the kitchen to light the fire, and Ji Zihe followed with Old Man Zhuang.No other reason, just because the charcoal they bought is in the kitchen.

No matter how good the charcoal is, it is just charcoal, and it is also black slag. It is impossible to pile them up in the bedroom.

The house Ji Zihe and the others rented was a large house with two side rooms on both sides. Ji Zihe lived in the big house. As for the two side rooms, one was the kitchen and the other was Huang Jiulang.

On weekdays, Huang Jiulang cooks with bought firewood and never uses charcoal.As for the charcoal used for heating, there is only one kind, which is the rosin charcoal with a touching price.Ji Zihe didn't treat Huang Jiulang as an outsider, so he definitely wouldn't abuse him and prevent him from using a charcoal basin at night, and he didn't buy two kinds of charcoal deliberately so that Huang Jiulang could use the poor one.Anyway, he is not short of that money now, and the rosin charcoal is really comfortable to use.

As for charcoal, if it is black or not, a layman will not be able to tell the difference until it is burned.Just like the old man Zhuang, he didn't see it, he just thought it was ordinary charcoal for heating.Who knew that charcoal would still be so expensive in the world, and Ji Zihe only recently opened the door to the new world.

There is no special packaging for rosin charcoal, they are all packed in sacks and piled up in the corner.Ji Zihe saw that he had used half a bag of charcoal, so he didn't pack it at all, and handed the half sack of rosin charcoal to old man Zhuang.

Huang Jiulang also felt strange, why his master suddenly became so generous, so much charcoal, at least half a penny, how could he just give it away?

"My lord, I don't need that much. It's enough for one night. I'll go buy charcoal tomorrow." The old man Zhuang shied away.

Hearing this, Ji Zihe poured out some and handed the rest to him.

The old man Zhuang still didn't answer, "Master, this is still too much, I can't use it all up."

"Use it up, use it up, it's already much less." Ji Zihe opened his eyes and said nonsense.

"It's really too much." Old man Zhuang's eyes lit up when he saw the charcoal poured out on the ground, "Just lend me the ones on the ground."

"These are too few." Ji Zihe hesitated.

"A lot." As if afraid of Ji Zihe's repentance, the old man Zhuang hurriedly took out a rag bag from his waist to put the charcoal on the ground.

"Okay then, come get it if it's not enough." Ji Zihe was a little disappointed that the charcoal in his hand could not be sent out.There wasn't a lot of charcoal on the ground, and the old man Zhuang finished filling it up, and he didn't even have a chance to ask Ji Zihe to help.

"It's enough, it's definitely enough. Thank you son, I'll return it to you when I buy charcoal tomorrow."

"You don't need to pay it back, just this bit of charcoal is not worth a lot of money."

"You have to pay it back, you have to pay it back, or my lord will be very sorry." The old man Zhuang said with a smile while holding the charcoal.

Hearing what he said, Ji Zihe didn't insist anymore, "By the way, do you want hot water? It just so happens that my little Jiu just boiled a big pot, you can come to the kitchen to fill some for your adults to soak your feet in a while, It might feel better."

"On behalf of my lord, I would like to thank you, young master, for your kindness. I will come to serve you soon. Then young master, I will go back first." Old man Zhuang said.

After sending off the old man Zhuang, Ji Zihe gave Huang Jiulang a few words, and then went back to the house to continue reading.

The clapper outside the palace wall rang twice, and the lights in the royal study where the emperor worked were still brightly lit.

Eunuch Luoxian walked in a hurry, but he was as light as a feather, and he didn't make the slightest sound in the room, lest he disturb the Lord of the World's work.

He walked to the desk and said softly, "Your Majesty, General Sun Dequan is here."

His Majesty's ink pen did not stop, and wrote the imperial approval on the memorial, "Xuan."

"Yes." Eunuch Luoxian walked out of the study again, brought the person waiting outside into the study, and then stood behind the emperor, quietly watching the person kneeling in the hall like a background board.

"I refer to Your Majesty, this is the movement of the ministers and examinees in the city today." Sun Dequan knelt on the ground and presented a booklet with both hands.

Sun Dequan is a general, but not an ordinary general. His battlefield is not in the frontier, but in the court.He was wearing a black armor, which was much thinner than the generals on the battlefield.An army under his command is the emperor's personal army. They have a huge system and are pervasive. They collect intelligence for the emperor, investigate cases, kill people, and do anything that cannot be done in a bright and honest manner.

For the stability of the court, they can never appear in the sun, and even many ministers don't know their existence.They are separated from the system, but they are closely related to the court and have never been far away.They only live in the shadows, and their name is called shadows.

"Present." The emperor stopped the vermilion pen and said.

"Yes."

Eunuch Luoxian walked over, took the booklet in Sun Dequan's hand, and handed it to the emperor.

The shadow's daily routine is to monitor officials in Jingzhou and local areas. Apart from inspecting political achievements, the most important thing is to see who they form a party for personal gain, or who has done something bad behind the emperor's back, and what bribes they have received... All the braids of the ministers must be wiped out. Grab it and send it to the emperor.Of course, the emperor would not necessarily deal with them if he caught their pigtails. No matter how loyal and honest the ministers were, there would be some problems. As an emperor, there was still some tolerance for this.As long as what he did was not too much and caused public resentment, the emperor would usually turn a blind eye and pretend he didn't see anything.

Now that it's not too long before next year's spring, the emperor ordered the shadow to send more people, and the examinees in Beijing in the future will also be monitored.In any case, it was the first time the emperor presided over the Spring Festival after he succeeded to the throne. His Majesty still attaches great importance to it. At this juncture, he absolutely does not allow any scandals of cheating in the examination room.In addition, the shadow is also responsible for helping the emperor to inspect talents, so that the emperor can determine in advance that those candidates are seed players, and how to make good use of them in the future.

Of course, with so many ministers and examinees, it is impossible for the emperor to go through the trivial things like eating a few grains of rice every day.Sun Dequan's booklet is naturally sorted and streamlined, with only the essence and no trivial details. It is clear at a glance, and it doesn't take much time to flip through it.

"This old eight is quite safe recently, Luo Xian, remember to remind me tomorrow to give him some excuses." His Majesty the Emperor said happily.

"Yes, this servant has made it down." The emperor was happy, and Eunuch Luoxian was naturally happy too.

The emperor continued to look down, why did the elder brother of this minister occupy a few acres of land in the village, the sedan chair that the minister sat on when he went out was beyond the norm, and a certain minister had a close personal relationship with a certain minister... Isn't this scholar named Ji not bad? , Aspiring, considered a talent, the scholar surnamed Ding, wasn't he the one who donated a lot of money, hey, there is also this surnamed An, how could Yunluo pretend to be a fortune teller to meet them, especially the one surnamed An Yes, Yunluo also said that he would win the first prize and marry the princess.

That's not right, hasn't Yunluo always fallen in love with that kid named Wei from Cao Guogong's family, and she went to the Chinese Academy to find him today, why did she say that this guy surnamed An can win the first prize, which one does she like?

The emperor was a little confused. The name An Daye had never appeared in the brochure before, but now Yunluo suddenly found him, and he didn't know why.

"Sun Dequan, go and investigate this An Daye."

"Yes."

The emperor pointed his finger at the name Wei Zhang, and found himself in trouble.Yunluo didn't like anyone, but she flirted with this kid.If we say that Wei Zhang is also a talent, if his father is not Cao Guogong, the emperor would be willing to marry him, but... well, I hope Yunluo can learn more.

The next day when it was dawn, the old man Zhuang got up.There were still some sparks left in the charcoal fire in the adult's room, and the old man Zhuang added some more, so the charcoal borrowed yesterday was used up.

"Old Zhuang?" The person on the bed opened his eyes and asked when he heard the movement.

"My lord, why are you awake?" asked the old man Zhuang.

"Leg hurts, I can't sleep well, why did you wake up so early?" Yan Jiuzhong sat up and asked.

"The charcoal I borrowed yesterday is almost used up. I plan to go to the market to buy some charcoal later." The old man Zhuang said while fiddled with the charcoal in the basin.I don't know why the charcoal lent by the young master is so miraculous, there is no smoke at all, and there is some fragrance.

Fortunately, I didn't borrow much yesterday, so he will go to inquire later to see where they are sold, and return some of them to him when he buys them back.

"Thanks a lot."

"What do you want to eat, my lord? I'll buy it later."

"You can buy some as you like." The pain in his legs made Yan Jiuzhong's face turn pale, and he looked very haggard.

The old man Zhuang looked distressed. It's a pity that the lord is alone now. It would be nice if the wife was here.

"My lord, I'm an old man with clumsy hands and feet. I'm afraid I won't take good care of it. Why don't we hire a maid. Not to mention anything else, I'm sure it's better than mine to make some soup for you."

"No, my own body knows it, so it doesn't need to be so troublesome." After Yan Jiuzhong finished speaking, he paused, took out a few taels of silver from under the pillow, and handed it to the old man Zhuang.

"My lord, it doesn't take that much to buy charcoal!"

"This is not money for charcoal, it's money for you to marry a wife. I saw it when I came to Jingzhou a few days ago. There are sellers in the market. Go and buy a wife and come back as a companion." Yan Jiuzhong Said.

When the old man Zhuang was in the army, he was a small soldier, the poor and tinkling kind.He also had a wife before, but because of the war, his wife died, and he didn't remarry because he had no money.He has been with Yan Jiuzhong for many years, and Yan Jiuzhong feels very pitiful seeing him being single all the time, and wants to help him find out, but which girl has a crush on him.When I came to Jingzhou a few days ago and saw human traffickers selling people on the street, I was moved to let him buy a wife.

"This..." Old man Zhuang was startled, "How dare you bother your lord?"

"Take it, it doesn't cost money. Didn't you just tell me to ask me to hire a maid? When you buy someone back, I'll save another sum of money." Yan Jiuzhong said.

That's the way it is said, but it's obviously not the case.Even if you ask a maid to take care of it for a few days, it can't compare with the money you paid for it.No matter how cheap a human life is, no matter how cheap it is sold, it is still a human being, much more expensive than livestock.Besides, although the old man Zhuang was working by Yan Jiuzhong's side, he was not a servant of his family. He also had his own family.When the new job is settled, he will definitely not live with Yan Jiuzhong and take care of him like now.Then the maid and mother-in-law he mentioned naturally no longer exist.So, Yan Jiuzhong really wanted to find a wife for him.

"Thank you sir, thank you sir." The old man Zhuang took the silver, with tears welling up in his eyes, kneeling on the ground and said to Yan Jiuzhong.

"You don't need to be too polite, get up quickly. I happen to be a little hungry too, so go out quickly."

"My lord, please sleep a little longer, don't rush to get up, I will come back and decoct the medicine for you after shopping."

"Don't be so anxious, how can you be anxious about choosing a wife."

Being teased by adults who are so much younger than him, the old man Zhuang couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, so he went out with his money and went straight to the market.

He first went to buy charcoal from the charcoal seller. He wanted to ask if there was any charcoal that did not emit smoke when burned, but the old charcoal seller told him that he had never heard of any charcoal that did not emit smoke. At most, the smoke is less. The charcoal in his house has very little smoke, not choking at all.

After inquiring, I found out that these charcoal sellers all made their own charcoal, and the effect was similar.As for advanced charcoal, they don't know how to do it at all.Old man Zhuang had no choice but to give up because he couldn't find the charcoal that wouldn't smoke.

Carrying the charcoal he bought, the old man Zhuang went to the seller's place again.At this time, the sky was already bright, and most of the traffickers were open.

With the money in his pocket, old man Zhuang looked at the women for sale.They all had grass marks on their heads and were guarded by human traffickers, just like livestock.

A few taels of silver is a lot to say, but there are few people that can be used to buy people, and young and beautiful people must not be able to afford it.The old man Zhuang would certainly not dislike the little money Mr. Yan gave him. He should be grateful if Mr. Yan could give him money to buy a wife.

If you can't afford a young and beautiful one, then buy an older one.The old man Zhuang saw that one of the old women was neatly dressed, so he asked the price, and after some haggling, he bought the old woman.

The old man Zhuang went to the restaurant to buy some food, then he carried the burden and led the old woman back.

The old woman kept looking at him, and the old man Zhuang thought she was nervous and scared, so he said, "Don't be afraid, you will be my wife from now on. Although I have no skills, I will definitely treat you well. I used to be a soldier Yes, now I am not a soldier, I will come to Jingzhou with Lord Yan, and I won’t have to go to the battlefield in the future, let’s live a good life..."

"Your surname is Zhuang?" The old man Zhuang hadn't finished speaking when he was interrupted by the old woman.

"How do you know?" Old man Zhuang asked in surprise.He hadn't had time to tell the old woman his name, how did she know it.

"You are working in front of my son, how could I not know you." The old woman calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is your son?" The old man Zhuang was shocked, it couldn't be such a coincidence, could it be that he bought Lord Yan's old mother back?What does Mr. Yan's old lady look like? He even went to give gifts before, so why can't he remember.

"My son's name is Yan Jiuzhong."

It's too bad, he just molested his boss's mother and called her his wife, how can this be broken?The old man Zhuang's face was ashen for a moment, and he had nothing to love.

"Where is my son now, is he still alive?" the old woman asked eagerly.

Wait, he did a good deed, he brought Mrs. Yan's old mother back, so it's not a bad thing.As for the inappropriate words before, the adults will definitely not mind, right, after all, he has helped him so much.

Thinking of this, old man Zhuang regained his energy in an instant, "Alive, alive, I came to Jingzhou with my lord, and I will take you to find him."

At noon, when Ji Zihe was studying his books, he saw old man Zhuang happily returning the charcoal with half a sack of charcoal.

"Why so many?" Ji Zihe was puzzled.

"I'm really sorry, son, I didn't buy your non-smoking charcoal, so I can only use this kind of charcoal to pay back. I know your charcoal must be more expensive than the one I bought, so it's more expensive than mine. A little more." Old man Zhuang said with a smile.

Ji Zihe nodded, but didn't tell him that even if he took half a bag of this kind of charcoal, he couldn't buy back the rosin charcoal he borrowed yesterday. He just smiled and asked Huang Jiulang to put it away.

"Uncle Zhuang, did something happy happen? Why do you look so happy?"

"It's a happy event." Old man Zhuang smiled and shared what happened in the morning with Ji Zihe.

The old man Zhuang's boss was surnamed Yan and named Jiuzhong. Just as Ji Zihe guessed, he used to be a civil servant.Later, when there was a war, he was transferred to the battlefield.He was transferred away, but his family members couldn't go with him. They were left in Jingzhou and no one could take care of them, so Yan Jiuzhong sent them back to their hometown, at least the same clan could take care of them.

Yan Jiuzhong's hometown is also in the north, but it is still far away from the battlefield. Yan Jiuzhong feels quite safe.But who knew that one day, the border defense line was breached by the barbarians, and the barbarians seized five cities in a row, and Yan Jiuzhong's hometown happened to be in the fifth city.

Due to his status, Yan Jiuzhong could not leave his post without permission and return to his hometown to look for the barbarians.When Wucheng was recaptured, Yan Jiuzhong sent people to look for his family members, but they couldn't find even one of them.Since then, he has become a loner, the kind who would risk his life in a war.His leg was injured on the battlefield. Although it was not disabled, it is still not healed.

Now, old man Zhuang accidentally bought Mr. Yan's mother back, which was a big surprise for him.When he came out to return the charcoal just now, the mother and son were still crying there.

Master Yan asked him to buy some food later, and he wanted to have a good meal at noon to celebrate.In addition, in order to thank old man Zhuang, Master Yan gave him double the money and asked him to buy another daughter-in-law. Can old man Zhuang be happy.

"There is such a coincidence. It must be Mr. Yan who is lucky and lucky. Please congratulate your lord for me." Ji Zihe laughed.

"sure."

Old man Zhuang returned the charcoal and went out again.He went to buy meat and vegetables first, put them in the bamboo basket on his back, and then went straight to the seller's place.

This time he has money, he plans to pick a younger wife, maybe he can add a fat boy to him.

The old man Zhuang looked at it for a long time, and he fell in love with a woman in her 30s.The girl was very good-looking, although her clothes were a bit shabby, but she had a dignified temperament. Even though the price was a bit higher, the old man Zhuang bought her very readily.

The old man Zhuang led the people to the house, and the woman looked at him while walking. The old man Zhuang thought for a while, and smiled kindly at her, "Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person. From now on, you will be my wife. Let's live a good life. Although I have no skills, I will treat you well, and you will give me a big fat boy when the time comes..."

Before the old man Zhuang finished speaking, he was interrupted again, "Is your surname Zhuang?"

Old man Zhuang's forehead turned cold, and he felt that this scene was so familiar, "How do you know?"

The woman's face was weird, and she couldn't believe it, "You work in front of my husband, how could I not know you."

Oops, this feeling of déjà vu must be such a coincidence, "Who is your husband?"

"My husband's name is Yan Jiuzhong."

The old man Zhuang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, this damn coincidence was almost frightening to death.What did he just say, that he wanted Mrs. Yan to be his wife and give birth to a big fat boy for him.My God, if Master Yan knows that he said such things to his wife, he must be killed.

"Where is my husband now? Is he still alive?" the old woman asked anxiously.

Wait, Master Yan will definitely not kill him, he has done another great deed.All of a sudden, I helped the adults find my mother and daughter-in-law. Although it was a little rude, this credit is real!

"Alive, alive, I came to Jingzhou this time to follow my lord, and I will take you to find him right away," said the old man Zhuang.

The two rushed home all the way, and the old man Zhuang led her to see Yan Jiuzhong.Yan Jiuzhong saw that it was indeed his wife, and couldn't help crying bitterly while hugging her again.

Originally, I just saw that the old man Zhuang was lonely and pitiful, and asked him to buy a wife, but who knew that he allowed himself to reunite with two relatives one day at a time, which made people sigh how good luck made people.

Yan Jiuzhong was very grateful to the old man Zhuang, so he gave him 100 taels of silver.The old man Zhuang put the money away and refused to buy a wife again.This is simply a test of his heart, and if he does this a few times, he will be scared to death.

Besides, 100 taels of silver is not a small amount. After he settles down in the future, wouldn't it be good to go to the countryside to marry a wife seriously?Why do you have to buy it? He really has a shadow on the matter of buying people.

Because of old man Zhuang's departure, after Yan Jiuchong's legs got better, he often wandered around the traffickers in the city, hoping to find other relatives.Not only that, he also mobilized his wife and mother to look for it together, but to their disappointment, they did not find a relative.

Ji Zihe also told Ding Zaichang and An Daye about this incident as an anecdote, but within two days, it became known all over the city.

Many people who lost contact with their families due to the war went to the traffickers to look for it, but someone actually found it.

In the end, this matter did not know how, but it actually reached the ears of the emperor.

The emperor didn't think that ordinary people would laugh it off. The emperor was furious when he heard it, and directly fired the officials introduced by the Jingzhou government, punished the relevant people, and let them do nothing while receiving the imperial salary.At the same time, he ordered people to arrest the gang of rampant human traffickers who regarded the court's laws as nothing, rescued those people who were displaced by the war and were traded as goods, sent them back to their original places, and ordered the local government to settle them properly.Later, it ordered the whole country to strictly investigate criminals who smuggled and trafficked people, and then quickly pulled down a large number of local officials who did not act.

Anyway, the imperial examination is about to select new officials, and the emperor is not afraid at all that too many people will be withdrawn and there will be vacancies.The rotten flesh was going to be gouged out, no matter how painful it was and how much the price was, he didn't intend to keep it.

The emperor's hand shook the mountain and shook the tiger, causing the local governments to tremble. They dared not let these human traffickers go, and for a while there was a trend of cracking down on human traffickers from top to bottom.Human traffickers have become street rats, and everyone shouts and beats them, making this profession temporarily silent, and the number of abducted women and children across the country hit a record low.

The emperor's move really pleased people's hearts, and the prestige of the people immediately increased by more than one degree.His Majesty the Emperor is very satisfied with this result.It's not that he doesn't know about the traffickers, it's not that he doesn't care, he's just waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that can have the greatest impact.

To kill a chicken for monkeys, the chicken must be fat enough, loud enough, and end up miserable enough, so that the monkey will not pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Of course, this is all for the future, and the most important thing now is the Chinese New Year.

This is Ji Zihe's first year that he hasn't spent with his grandfather. He has entrusted someone to send a lot of things and family letters to his grandfather early on. Unfortunately, the New Year has come before he receives a reply.

The New Year's Eve dinner was eaten at the big cousin's house, but the big cousin's house was too small. After eating, Ji Zihe and the others rode the little donkey back to their house to sleep.

The next day, it was all kinds of New Year greetings. Ning Caichen really knew too many people, and you had to pay respects to those masters and Confucians. Ning Caichen also wanted Ji Zihe to know more people.After following Ning Caichen for a circle of worship, Ji Zihe was completely useless.When Ding Zaichang came to pay New Year's greetings to him in good spirits, Ji Zihe was puzzled, why Ding Zaichang didn't look tired even though he knew more people.

Ding Zaichang calmly told him that among the people he knew in Jingzhou City, he was considered a senior senior, most of the time it was others who gave him New Year greetings, not him going to give them New Year greetings.And you don't have to go there yourself to pay New Year's greetings, right? There are so many people under your command, why don't you let them eat for free?

When Ji Zihe thought about it, it was the same reason. It's nice to have money.

Ding Zaichang's visit this time is not only to pay New Year's greetings to Ji Zihe, he is also here to send invitations.

"Isn't it too early to send out invitations for the Lantern Festival?" Ji Zihe took the invitation and asked.

"It's not early, it's not early. Our family holds this lantern banquet every year. At the banquet, not only romantic and talented scholars are invited, but also masters and scholars from various schools, high-ranking dignitaries. But this year is the most special, and this invitation is now only one." It can be sold for thousands of gold because my family invited a special person this year." Ding Zaichang said mysteriously.

"Oh, who is it?"

"Guess it."

"Well, His Majesty the Emperor?"

"You think too highly of my family, how can I invite His Majesty."

"Except for Your Majesty, I really can't think of anyone who can sell this piece of paper for a thousand gold." Ji Zihe looked at this thin invitation card, it was a thousand gold, not 1000 taels of silver.Well, in Ji Zihe's opinion, 1000 taels of silver is more than enough.

"It's Princess Yunluo."

"It turned out to be her, no wonder." Ji Zihe suddenly realized that it is not impossible for a daughter to be a beauty.After all, Princess Yunluo returned to Beijing for her marriage, and now that the marriage has not yet been settled, it is only normal for those young talents to want to show their faces in front of her.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Why am I so excited, I don't plan to marry the princess." Ji Zihe said naturally.

The princess is not gold and silver, and it is impossible for everyone to like it, such as Ji Zihe, or Wei Ruogu, the eldest son of Cao Guogong's family.

But fortunately, even if the princess couldn't attract them, there were still celebrities, and Ji Zihe jumped into the pit without any accident.

The time after the new year is special