Entering May, it has been nearly half a year since Guangzhou was recovered. For half a year, the Qing army did not have any counteroffensive actions, and the Ming army also recovered many places in Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Huizhou and other places. Don't talk about the other places, just say that on the ground in Guangdong, the longer the Ming army controls it, the more stable the people's hearts will be, and the worry about the Qing army's counteroffensive will become lower and lower.

In the city of Guangzhou, in recent months, a large number of people have returned to the city. They all lived in the city of Guangzhou, and this move was a real homecoming for them, except for those irreversible, as if everything had gone back to four years ago, back to before the Qing army slaughtered the city. It's just that these four years will never be forgotten, whether it is moved, regretful, happy, lost, or those stories about family, friendship, love, everything will be remembered in my heart.

The alleys in the city were gradually filled, and as the last people from Chaozhou and Zhongzuo returned to their homes, the yamen of Nanhai and Panyu counties began to put seals on the houses, shops, and courtyards that were still empty. And the vast majority of those owners are estimated to have been killed in the massacre that year.

The screening on Henan Island has ended, and most of the people who have been displaced have returned to the city, and the remaining local prefectures and counties can be solved, and there is no need to work so hard.

According to their calculations, there were probably more than 190,000 people who had returned to the city in the past few months, of which 110,000 were from Chaozhou and Zhongzuo, and 10,000 were from Chen Qice's Shangxiachuan Island. The remaining 70,000 or so people escaped from Henan Island on their own after Chen Kai opened the city, so they could not board the sea ship heading south to Hong Kong.

According to the estimation at the time, there must have been more than these that escaped that night, and there was probably a margin of 30,000 to 60,000 people. Some of these people may not know Chen Kai's return to their homeland policy, some may know, but they can't make the trip for a while for various reasons, and some have probably left in the past few years, forever.

But in any case, the vast majority of the people who escaped back then have returned to the land where they were born and raised, and many of them have restarted their old livelihoods, and some even follow their old employers at that time, as if they have never changed.

The people of the city quickly adapted to the initial discomfort, and the people still relied on commerce, handicrafts, and services, and most of the people rose at sunrise to go to work in the shops, workshops, and other places where they were brewed and innned, and in the afternoon, they returned to their homes and enjoyed dinner with their families. The only thing is the nightlife in this city, because it is still Li Dingguo's army that controls the city, and the return of the people has just come to an end, and the curfew has not had time to be released for a while, so that a lot of work can only be dull "9 in the morning and 5 in the morning", and it is very rare to work in the middle and night shifts.

A family at the entrance of Yuhuafang, whose family has been working as a handicraft craftsman for generations, has always worked in a printing workshop not far away, and has been with the owner for nearly three generations, which can be regarded as an old qualification in the workshop.

This workshop is not only printing books, but also doing paper-making work, the owner is quite kind, and the subordinates and craftsmen do not deduct their wages very much, that is, they are very strict when they work on weekdays, and there are many reasons for the quality of books and paper. As for the rest, as long as the salary is sufficient, everyone doesn't care too much about this.

After a day's work, the two men of the family returned home, and the daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law had already prepared the meal, and they could eat directly when they returned. The meals are not sumptuous, they are all home-cooked side dishes. Today is the son's birthday, that is, the daughter-in-law's mother's day, the daughter-in-law went to the south of the city to buy a fish back, so as not to be ridden by those fishmongers who entered the city.

The dish was served, the son toasted his father and mother, and the family began to eat. Who knows, the chopsticks were just about to attack the steamed fish, but they were directly hit by Lao Tzu on the hand, and he quickly retracted in pain.

"Stinky boy, knowing your mother's suffering in order to give birth to you, of course your mother has to clip the first chopsticks of this fish, and you will have your turn to do it first?"

"The one who is in charge is not in the way."

"A loving mother has many defeated children." After complaining, the head of the family spoke out and explained the rules that had never been seen on weekdays: "This is what I heard from the owner when I was in Chaozhou last year, the Wu family that does business with the owner, and the rules that such a big family business can do. There's nothing wrong with learning a little. ”

Having said that, in the envious eyes of her daughter-in-law, her mother-in-law took a small piece and put it in her mouth, and the happiness on her face was obviously not just as simple as the sweetness of the taste.

Speaking of which, she has been married to this family for more than 20 years, serving her in-laws, serving her husband, giving birth to children, and over the years, she has raised two sons and three daughters with hard work. Now the three daughters are married, the eldest daughter is married to a family in her mother's house, and the other two daughters are promised to the Ming army who took care of their family on the road when they lived in Chaozhou, and I am afraid it will be difficult to see each other again in the future. As for the two sons, the eldest had already married his daughter-in-law, while the younger had run away from the city and would never be found again. And the father-in-law and mother-in-law refused to leave anything, for fear that they would die in a foreign country, and when they came back, they were sure that they really did not die in a foreign country.

After so many years, ups and downs, although there are fewer people, but now this family of four is still harmonious and beautiful. The daughter-in-law's belly has just arrived, maybe it won't be long before you can see the next generation, at the moment the family is sitting together and eating, there are no outsiders, and there is no need to pay attention to the rules that women can't serve on the table, the meal is extraordinarily sweet, it seems that everything is enough.

After eating, the daughter-in-law began to clean up the dishes and chopsticks, the son sat there burping, and the husband picked up the cigarette bag and pot, spraying clouds and mist, which was very pleasant. It was her, after the warmth, but a trace of worry emerged: "In charge, I heard from the fourth aunt during the day that His Royal Highness the King of Xining will evacuate Guangzhou City in the near future, and now I am still scratching my head about whether to take over Guangzhou by that supervisor or hand over Guangzhou to Chen Fujun." ”

The fourth aunt in her mouth is actually not a relative of her mother-in-law or her mother's family, and she doesn't even live in a square alley. When I lived in Chaozhou, the family was close to their land, and they were a companion who delivered meals together on weekdays. This person is the most gossipy, and I don't know that the woman always has some news that others can't inquire about, some of which are true, and some of which are not necessarily. But once these words were heard, her husband couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"If you want to say that the king of Xining is a famous general of the country, he killed two Tartar princes before, and this time with the help of Chen Fujun, he killed two more, I am afraid that he is a little more powerful than the country's surname. His old man is sitting in this Guangzhou, and the Tartars will definitely not dare to go south again, the problem is that those big people have their own thoughts, and if they want to leave, we can't stop them, so we are afraid that the Tartars will come back again. ”

"Isn't there still Chen Fujun?"

"Chen Fujun's character and ability, we Guangzhou people are not unconvinced. If there is Chen Fujun in charge, we ordinary people will definitely not suffer. I'm afraid, hey, just shoot Chen Fujun and can't compete with the superintendent, after all, it's a poor grade. When he came back, His Royal Highness the King of Xining left, and the Tartars went south, if the superintendent was Du Yonghe again, wouldn't it be us ordinary people who were suffering? ”

As he spoke, he sighed in one breath, but at this time, hearing this, their son seemed to be full of indifference: "If you can't talk to Li Zheng, let Li Zheng take us to see His Royal Highness the King of Xining, and ask His Highness to choose Chen Fujun directly, isn't it over?" ”

"Phew!" As soon as the words came out, the head of the family spit out a mouthful of sticky phlegm, and pointed directly at the cigarette pouch and pot: "Those big people's affairs, is it our turn to speak?" Don't say that it's a supervisor or a governor, even if it's a servant or team leader, it's your turn to come out and make noise. When you go out, don't talk too much, so as not to cause trouble. ”

There is no doubt about who your heart is directed towards. But in this world, it has always been better to have more than one thing, Lao Tzu is like this, and the son does not dare to say more, and the topic soon turned to the daughter-in-law's stomach, the family is sure to get a man in one fell swoop, but the daughter-in-law there, who has just finished brushing the dishes and chopsticks, heard these as soon as she came back, and her face was red, and she was inevitably worried about not being able to do so.

"It's okay, it's okay to have a daughter. My mother was my eldest sister at the beginning, and then she had me, so it's okay. ”

The lights went out, the little couple whispered at night, and gradually fell into a deep sleep in the dark night. Only the husband is still following the path of the past, drinking the sentence "The sky is dry, be careful of the fire candle", which seems to be the only accompaniment in this silence.

Early the next morning, Lao Tzu and his son ate hastily and rushed to work as usual. Before it was time to go to work, the craftsmen also gossiped together, and talked about the same things that had happened in their house last night, the only difference being that the problem seemed to be far more serious than they had imagined.

"I've heard, that Inspector Guo is towards those generals in western Guangdong, last time they plundered the people to Henan Island, which was discovered by His Royal Highness the King of Xining, it was Inspector Guo who suppressed the matter. This time, if those guys are allowed to take charge of Guangzhou City, they must not stuff their relatives and friends into the city. ”

"Why, this Guangzhou city is the ancestral business of our Guangzhou locals. Even if it is unfortunate, maybe there are relatives or something alive who can always inherit the inheritance, when will it be the turn of those strangers? ”

"What is there to rely on, people are officials, they are big people, celebrities in front of the Son of Heaven, the upper and lower mouths are closed, that is the rule, it is the turn of the people like us to speak."

After all, only a few escaped from the massacre four years ago, as evidenced by the common mound in the east of the city. The father and son listened to them and glanced at each other, and they also inevitably had to worry about whether those foreigners with the support of the government would crowd out the locals when they entered the city, whether they would steal chickens and dogs in the city. However, for those houses and houses, they have no share, so naturally they will not worry about anything until the later ones are heard.

"I also heard that Inspector Guo doesn't plan to give us his share of land."

"Why don't we make a difference, that's what Chen Fujun promised us, otherwise wouldn't it be in vain for us to work so hard in Chaozhou?"

"Can you use your brains, if you are Inspector Guo, you are in charge of the affairs of Guangzhou City, will you wipe Chen Fujun's ass? The subordinates are all military men, staring at those who plan to set up a military camp. In fact, even His Royal Highness the King of Xining, it is said that he does not plan to give us his share of the land, but it is only because of his kinship with Chen Fujun that it is difficult to come clearly. But if Guangzhou City is under the control of Governor Guo, we can't do anything about it. ”

"Damn, then don't let that guy surnamed Guo enter the city!"

Such words erupted in the crowd, and there were those who cowered, but they still resounded with bursts of applause. Soon, the time to start work came, and these could only come to an end. However, today's owner is gracious, saying that the fang lane where he lives will go to the county government tomorrow to ask for his life, so tomorrow he will have a day off, and on the way home, such a conversation will sound again, and even after separation, he returned to his own fang lane, but it became more enthusiastic.

"Since His Royal Highness the King of Xining is leaving, we naturally have to send it off, but this city still needs to be guarded, who knows if the other officials are another Du Yonghe. We were all rescued by Chen Fujun, so we can trust Chen Fujun. The old man has already discussed with the neighboring alleys, and tomorrow he will take someone to the county office to ask for his life. There is a lot of strength in the people, the villagers go together, and when we see that there are more people, the county lord will also speak to His Royal Highness for us! ”

"That's the reason, it's just tomorrow that I'm on vacation, I'm going to the county office, let's ask for my life!"

At first glance, it is not just that they are on vacation, it seems that many shops and workshops will be closed tomorrow. As soon as people's brains were hot, they rushed up, and when they returned home, they calmed down a little, and after thinking about it carefully, they found that this seemed to be more than just that simple thing, it seemed that the people of the entire Guangzhou City had been united, and they had to carry Chen Fujun into the Guangzhou City.

The next morning, several alleys ran in tandem to the county government to ask for help. When a group of people arrived at the county office, they only said that they wanted to see the county lord, and they wanted the county lord to bring a message to His Royal Highness the King of Xining for them, and they must ask Chen Kai to preside over the overall situation. In terms of the county government, the officials are basically locals, and when they were working in Chaozhou and southern Fujian, they responded to the people's requests for their lives, and directly sent the request to Jin Weixin.

This was true on the first day, and the same on the second day. The officials responded to the request, and these people seemed to have found a sense of existence, organized by those Li Zheng, and there were several people in the alleys and alleys to ask for their lives every day, and even organized representatives to go out of the city to Li Dingguo's camp to ask for their lives. And for these petitioners, those businessmen also showed great sincerity and took paid leave according to the alleys, which is also an unprecedented joke.

The tide of petitions in Guangzhou suddenly broke out not long after Chen Kai arrived in Hong Kong, and the demands of the petitions were constantly sent to Jin Weixin through the prefecture and county yamen, and Jin Weixin could only be sent to Li Dingguo for Li Dingguo's ruling. The army is about to leave, this matter has been settled for a long time, but the rumors have not dispersed, for the sudden emergence of such a big turmoil, Li Dingguo always feels that there is a pair of invisible hands manipulating, but public opinion is surging like a tide, he has to try his best to appease, and at the same time send people to invite Guo Zhiqi and Chen Kai to come back to discuss major matters.

However, both of them seem to have a lot of things on their hands and did not rush back in the first place. The burden was on Li Dingguo's shoulders, and he was deeply tired. For this reason, although Jin Weixin was more inclined to Chen Kai in his heart, he did not dare to say it clearly, but only sent a report on the petition every day, nothing more.

Seven or eight days have passed, and it seems that this trend has not abated at all. On 22 May, Jin Weixin sent the report to the camp as usual, and even the appeasement documents had already been written for Li Dingguo, and he just waited for Li Dingguo's approval before posting it directly.

However, this time when he entered the big tent again, as he spoke, he saw a look full of suspicion, looking at him from top to bottom. This has never been before, he has been in Li Dingguo's curtain for many years, and he has received Li Dingguo's trust the most, but this time, he clearly felt such a completely different feedback, which made his heartstrings tremble.

From beginning to end, Li Dingguo didn't say any questioning words, but Jin Weixin clearly felt it, especially when Li Dingguo didn't use his manuscript and decided to hand over the matter of appeasing the proclamation to Gong Ming, this feeling was more clearly reflected in Jin Weixin's heart.

I didn't know how to leave the big tent, walking on the way to the carriage, Jin Weixin only felt that his feet were floating and he couldn't exert his strength at all. He was born as a staff member, and now he does not have a serious official position, but he is just in charge of Guangzhou's affairs as a staff member. Since he is a staff member, the most important thing is the trust of the proprietor, but now that the trust seems to be shaken, Jin Weixin can't help but not be afraid.

Seeing Jin Weixin like this, Guo Zhiqi, who had just returned to Guangzhou, couldn't help but have a smile on the corner of his mouth. This is exactly the effect he wants, because he knows very well that it is no one else who really determines the dominance of Guangdong after Li Dingguo leaves, it is His Royal Highness the King of Xining.

Nowadays, public opinion in Guangzhou is in full swing, and the simplest and most effective way to achieve the goal is to try to make Li Dingguo suspect Jin Weixin, suspect that Jin Weixin, who has always been friendly with Chen Kai, is ungrateful, eating inside and out, and suspecting that the mastermind behind all this is Chen Kai!