King Guangping's fleet left Yangzhou, and soon arrived at the Guazhou ferry, crossing the river to Zhenjiang. When they arrived in Zhenjiang, there were already officials from Shanghai and the clan from Jiading waiting here, and the fleet was ready to be divided into two.

King Guangping continued to sit on a large boat, leading two deputy envoys and an entourage to Shanghai along the Yangtze River estuary. They had come to inspect the seaside dam, and what better way to observe the results of the project than by taking a boat from the sea? As for Zhang, Zhao Xiu and others, they had to change boats and continue to Fengxian along the river. Zhao Wei wanted to follow King Guangping to perform his duties, and it was impossible to accompany his grandmother and sister. Zhang and Zhao Xiu plan to return to their hometown first, prepare for the ancestors and the New Year, and then come back for reunion after Zhao Wei finishes his official business.

Wang Shuangfu, the housekeeper of the old mansion, received the letter early and brought his servants to drive the family's boat to Zhenjiang to greet the master. Zhang and Zhao Xiu packed their luggage in advance and went ashore from the other side of the boat when the king of Guangping, Zhao Wei, and Zeng Shilang met with the clan and officials. Wang Shuangfu immediately greeted him, ordered the accompanying servants to lead the way in front, and took Wang Fulai and others to transfer to his own ship, while he himself stepped forward to salute Zhang and Zhao Xiu: "Please be safe old lady, please be safe to the girl." Will the old lady and the girl be okay on this journey? ”

When Zhang saw him, he was also in a good mood: "It's good all the way, and following the prince is much more comfortable than going south back then." Is it okay to have a qiē at home? You just sent a few people to pick it up, why did you come here in person? You're here, who can you hand over that big mess of the family to you? ”

Wang Shuangfu hurriedly smiled: "The family affairs have been arranged, and the grandmother of the sect will help take care of it, and it doesn't matter if the little one leaves for a few days." The little one hasn't seen the Hou Ye and the girl for two years, and he really misses it in his heart. Knowing that the old lady, the marquis and the girl will be here soon, where can they still sit still? Naturally, they hurried over to greet him. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled, holding Zhang's hand and not speaking. Wang Shuangfu hasn't seen him for two years, his mouth is much sweeter, and he has gained weight twice. When she returned to her hometown and settled down, she had to check her accounts.

Probably because Zhang's face was tired. Wang Shuangfu said again: "The old lady and the girl are tired of traveling, and they must be tired. Master Liufang Hui has a clean yard near the pier, which is now empty. The little one thought that the old lady and the girl would be tired when they came ashore, and needed a house to rest. So he borrowed the yard from Master Hui, and it was already cleaned. Why don't the old lady and the girl go over and take a break? ”

Zhang was a little moved, so he said to his granddaughter: "That's okay, your brother's side can't finish things for a while, wait for that side to be free." to come and say goodbye to us. Hengzhu has already arrived in Zhenjiang, and it is a matter of a few days to take a boat home, and there is no need to rush for a while. After sitting on the boat for so long, my bones are sore, and I want to keep my feet on the ground and move my waist and legs. ”

Zhao Xiu hesitated, and couldn't help but look back at the direction of the main ship, only vaguely seeing the crowds in the open hall, but he couldn't see the faces of King Guangping, Gao Zhen and Zhao Wei. She was a little worried, and after a while, King Guangping and the others set off directly. At most, let Zhao Wei come over to say goodbye, but Gao Zhen may not come. When she returned to Fengxian, Gao Zhen went to accompany King Guangping to inspect the seaside dam, and after the patrol, she would return to Jiading for the New Year, and it was impossible to come to Fengxian. That means that if she says goodbye to Gao Zhen today, it may take another two or three months before she can see him on the return trip. Zhao Xiu hesitated a little, thinking that the separation was inevitable, but he would see him more before parting.

I hesitated. Suddenly, she saw a man walk out of the open hall of the main ship, and looked at her from a distance. That figure is very familiar, who is it if it's not Gao Zhen? She immediately perked up, and her eyes burst with joy.

Gao Zhen seemed to see her too. He smiled from afar, bowed again, and bowed. Zhao Xiu thought to himself, is he saying goodbye to me? I heard Zhang next to him laughing: "Why did the prince come out?" Is this a salute to us? What a good boy who knows the rites. Zhao Xiu bit her lip, glanced at her grandmother secretly, and returned the salute in the direction of Gao Zhen.

Gao Zhen saw it and seemed very happy. turned around and went back to the open hall, and after a while, Zhao Wei was pulled out. Zhao Wei saw his grandmother and sister on the shore, and hurriedly said something to Gao Zhen, and ran off the boat.

Zhang grabbed him: "You kid, that's on the boat, why can't you walk well?" What's the hurry? ”

Zhao Wei smiled embarrassedly: "The prince plans to leave immediately, and even the meal will be eaten on the boat." The grandson thought that it was too late, so he could only rush to say goodbye to his grandmother and sister. After finishing official business a year ago, the grandson will go back to his hometown to see his grandmother. ”

Zhang Zhengse said: "You have responsibilities, so you naturally put official duties first. This is the first time you have done things for the imperial court, although you are young and your boss is a familiar elder, you should not be neglected, you need to act seriously and prudently, talk less and see more, treat others with humility, and ask others for advice. If you rely on yourself to be a marquis, and the prince is kind, you only care about your own happiness and refuse to do things honestly, I will never agree! ”

Zhao Wei hurriedly said: "Grandchild doesn't dare, grandchild is not that kind of person, grandmother doesn't have to worry." ”

Zhang naturally knew that his grandson was not that kind of person, but he couldn't rest assured, just one more instruction, and was worried that he would only take a few entourages outside, and without his grandmother and sister to take care of him nearby, he would not be able to eat or sleep well, or accidentally contracted the cold, so he couldn't help but nag a few more words. Zhao Xiu saw the embarrassment on Zhao Wei's face, and hurriedly smiled to relieve his brother: "Grandmother, my brother is not a child anymore, and there are a few proper people waiting around him, where is he suffering?" Don't be long-winded, I see that everyone on the boat seems to be waiting for my brother, don't delay my brother's business. ”

When Zhang heard this, he quickly stopped his mouth.

At this time, Gao Zhen also walked over, quietly glanced at Zhao Xiu twice, and then said to Zhang: "Don't worry, Old Madam Zhao, Brother Wei will take care of himself, besides, there is me." I am the best at taking care of people, and I will never let Brother Wei be cold and hungry. ”

Gao Zhen has been taking care of his blind father, King Guangping, for a long time, and he is indeed very experienced. Zhang believed him, and he was embarrassed: "Let the prince see the smile, although he has already become a child, in my opinion, he is still a child." Children should stay away, and it is inevitable that the elders will not be relieved, so they can't help but be verbose. ”

Gao Zhen said with a smile: "The old lady has a loving heart, how can it be verbose? When my father and I went out of Beijing, wasn't the emperor and grandmother like this? The hearts of grandmothers and mothers all over the world are probably the same. If the old lady can't rest assured that Brother Wei can't do it, she will send a letter every three or five days. Brother Wei and my father are in the same place, and it is not a secret where they go every day, and the family will know it as soon as they inquire about it, and they want to deliver the letter to the ship. It's not difficult. I will soon command them to go down and tell them not to stop the messengers. ”

Zhang's overjoyed: "That's great, thank you Shizi!" ”

Gao Zhen smiled and waved his hand, and quietly glanced at Zhao Xiu again. He took a deep breath and said with a smile: "Although Jiangnan is warmer than the capital, it is also very cold in the wax moon. Sister Zhao should take care of her body more, don't be tired. It's a long way to travel, if it's cheap. Why don't you take a break before you go? What are the deficiencies of the medicinal materials or medicines that you bring with you, Zhenjiang is also a prosperous city, there are all the goods in the city, the purchase is complete, and it is more convenient to use it on the road. ”

Zhao Xiu's heart was pounding, but he barely managed to maintain his composure: "Thank you Brother Shizi for reminding me, I will pay attention to my body." You...... You also have to take care. The prince still expects you to take care of it, but don't exhaust yourself. ”

Gao Zhen smiled and nodded.

Zhao Wei looked at his sister, then at his friend, and couldn't help but clear his throat. Said dryly: "The people on the boat are probably in a hurry, let's go back?" ”

Gao Zhen no longer objected, said goodbye to Zhang, and smiled at Zhao Xiu again: "Sister Zhao, see you later." Zhao Xiu pursed his lips and saluted again: "Goodbye, brother Shizi." Gao Zhen smiled and turned to leave.

Zhao Wei glanced at his sister resentfully, said goodbye to his grandmother and sister again, and followed Gao Zhen to the boat. After a while, the main ship set sail again, sailed into the middle of the river, and sailed straight to the east entrance to the sea. Many of the accompanying ships also quickly followed.

The flotilla was far away. The officials on the dock are starting to clean up the aftermath, the curtain is about to be lifted, and the people who are blocked outside are about to pour onto the dock. Wang Shuangfu hurriedly asked Zhang and Zhao Xiu to move, but Zhao Xiu could only turn back three times in one step. Looking at the fleet, he boarded the carriage. She couldn't help but lift the curtain and look at it until she could no longer see the fleet.

Zhang sighed: "It's the third day of the lunar month, your brother will definitely be able to go home before Chinese New Year's Eve, and the days will pass in a flash." Why be so reluctant? ”

Zhao Xiu was a little weak-hearted, smiled at her shyly, and lowered the curtain.

They rested for the night in the six-room house. The house was really clean and tidy, although it was not as good as the Nanhou Mansion, but it was much more spacious than the ship. The grandfather and grandson have lived on the boat for so long, and although the boat is stable, they can still feel the undulation of the waves on the water. Now that they are on the ground, they have the illusion that the ground is still undulating, and they are a little uncomfortable.

The next day they got on their big boat. This is a boat walking on the canal, naturally much smaller than the big ship of King Quang Binh, the cabin is narrow, only enough to sit and lie down, eat and read books, but you can't practice calligraphy and painting on the boat. Zhao Xiu could only put away his pen and ink, and started to do needlework instead, while talking with Zhang, he took the time to ask Wang Shuangfu about the changes in his hometown in the past two years.

Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu's brothers and sisters sent the crown prince and the prince of Guangping back to Beijing safely, destroying King Ying's plan, indirectly calming the overall situation, and regaining the title, and the matter had already spread in his hometown. Unlike those high-ranking scholarly eunuchs in Beijing who look down on Xungui, Zhao Wei, the new Marquis of Jiannan, has a good reputation in Jiangnan.

Although the Hou Mansion in Jiannan was born in the south of the Yangtze River, but from the beginning of the old county prince's power, he rarely returned to his hometown, the villagers only heard that the Hou Mansion was powerful, but there was no intuitive understanding, and the children of the Hou Mansion did not have the opportunity to bully others and fish in the township, so the local people had a good impression of the Hou Mansion in Jiannan, and even Zhao Wei of the next generation could benefit.

Second, Zhao Jue's first room spread rumors everywhere in Beijing in the past, slandering the small second room, but it had little impact on his hometown. Benefiting from the good name of the Zhang family, their ancestors and grandchildren have always had a good reputation in Jiangnan.

The third is because Zhao Wei grew up in Fengxian since he was a child, studied the imperial examination, and was a classmate and countless in the same year, everyone knew that he was a young talent, humble and kind, unlike people in Beijing who did not know him well. Everyone knows that he attacked the knighthood, and still regards him as a scholar, and will not feel that he is the same as those warriors who have won the knighthood with military merits, but think that he has the ability to save the driver, set things right, and is an example of a decent scholar. He also has a fellow classmate of the division commander here, and everyone is proud of him and has made him famous. Even if someone said a few sour words, someone took the initiative to block it for him.

Thanks to this, Zhao Wei has a good reputation in Jiangnan, and even the Zhao family has benefited. I heard that now the children of the Zhao family are going to participate in the imperial examination, and the procedures for registration are faster than others, and the people in the government are all smiling at each other, and before they can speak, they have already done things for them. In the past, those villains who embarrassed the Zhao family or intended to embezzle the property of the Zhao clan also changed their faces early.

The people of the Zhao clan have experienced a trough, and now they will not forget their roots because they are suddenly rich. The third room presided over the opening of the clan school, and every family in the clan sent their children to study, and they were also very careful in their daily actions, and they did not want people to seize any handle and ruin the reputation of the family. Even the six-room business is less treacherous and more ruled, but it has a good reputation for sincerity.

Zhao Xiu was happy to hear this: "So, is my hometown all right?" If we really don't have to worry about everything, we will have an easy year. ”

Wang Shuangfu smiled mysteriously: "All the people in the clan are good, but only one person is not good." ”

Zhao Xiu was puzzled: "Who is wrong?" (To be continued.) )

PS: Guess who?