The next day, Yan Juhou's Haicang ship arrived.

Sure enough, it was greatly transformed from the inside out, and the original weapon system was all dismantled and divided into more than a dozen cabins, large and small, and the decoration was extremely luxurious.

Although at Yan Juhou's insistence, the commander of the Fenghua army accepted the 500 yuan of ship money in fear, and said vigorously, "Give too much." In order to repay Yan Gongzi's generosity, the commander resolutely gave the identity deed of a shipwright to the Yan family, "to find a way out for a group of poor people".

No matter how Fang Zhongyong looked at it, he felt that the furnishings on the ship couldn't be stopped, and asked in a low voice, "Isn't it inappropriate to receive gifts like this?" ”

Yan Juhou didn't feel inappropriate at all: "There is something inappropriate about buying a five-grade official position for a thousand times." ”

"But you don't really intend to take his position, do you?"

"He doesn't know! If I pay according to the price again, he will think that we are determined to clean him up, but offend people out of thin air, then it is really not beautiful! ”

Fang Zhongyong suddenly felt that what Yan Juhou said was so reasonable, he was speechless, it seems that he still has a lot to learn as an official.

The helmsman gave the order and set sail. To say that this warship is more powerful than civilian ships, although there is only a light wind, the speed is already very fast. Coupled with the general mentality of new entrants, a group of shipwrights tried their best to perform, and they passed Shizhong Mountain in a short time, which can be regarded as officially entering the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

That Shizhong Mountain is actually not a mountain, but two mountains, both are made of limestone, there are caves in the lower part, the shape is like a bell, "down to the deep pool, the breeze blows waves, the water and stones fight, the sound is like a bell", so they are all named "Shizhong Mountain". The two mountains are separated from each other by less than a kilometer. In the south, there is a Poyang Lake on the verge of Shangzhongshan; One in the north is close to the Yangtze River, called Xia Zhong Mountain, and the two mountains are collectively called "Double Zhong Mountain".

What really made Shi Zhongshan famous was Su Shi's not too rigorous geography popular science article "The Story of Shi Zhong Mountain". In the article, he sighed at Li Daoyuan's simplicity, laughed at Li Bo's rudeness, and greatly ridiculed the vulgar people who thought they had understanding.

Fang Zhongyong has little interest in this place that attracts tourists only by its architecture and inscriptions.

In his previous life, he had a dream that when he had money one day, he would definitely go to Jiuzhaigou, the ultimate natural landscape, and the Forbidden City, which is the culmination of the cultural landscape. As for the sound of the limestone being eroded into holes by the river and then fighting with the river, is it very strange? Living in an abandoned culvert, wouldn't the sound of the train whizz overhead as it roared by?

The three sails are open, the wind is full, and it is really faster than the galloping horse. The waves on the river are jumping, and from time to time a few river gulls pass on the top of the waves. The sky is getting darker and darker, and the sunset hides behind the heavy clouds, giving the dark clouds a golden edge, which is very weird. The scenery on both sides of the strait is rapidly backward, and the sound of the boatman's horn in the distance is really "no one in the song", and only "a few peaks and greens on the river" remain.

The cat slave lay on the side of the boat and watched the two shores speeding back, which was very interesting. As soon as I looked down, I saw strange and shouted, "Come and see!" There's a clear distinction here, too! ”

But no, the water of Poyang Lake is clear, and the river water is slightly turbid, which can be regarded as a slightly weakened "clear distinction".

Seeing the surging river going east, Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but be high-spirited, and sang: "The rolling Yangtze River is passing away, and the waves are sweeping away the heroes." Success or failure turns empty. The green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red several times. On the white-haired fisherman river, accustomed to watching the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of turbid wine is happy to meet. How many things in ancient and modern times are laughing and talking. It's just a male voice in the voice change period, and it can't sing the generous and pathetic charm of Teacher Yang Hongji no matter what.

Zeng Gong praised: "Wen Yuan's song "Linjiang Immortal" is more and more exciting, although the ending has the meaning of retreat, it is also a kind of free and easy. It's just that the voice is really not flattering, and it seems better to be sung by a man of some age. can make Li San sing! ”

Li San hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Although the little one knows a few words, he can't sing music, don't spoil my young master's excellent poetry!" ”

Helplessly, everyone forced their lives, and Li San had to sing. Under the sunset, there is endless sadness.

Seeing that it was getting late, the wind did not have the slightest intention of stopping, but grew stronger and stronger, and the waves could even crash on the deck. Fortunately, the stability of the ship was excellent, and there was no need to worry about the danger of capsizing, but even then it still swayed.

The shipwright at the helm hurriedly reported: "Looking at this situation, a storm will come after dark, so it is advisable for the lady and the young master to arrange for the landing as soon as possible." ”

Yan Juhou asked, "Is there a suitable dock ahead?" ”

The boatman was also an old wharf that had been running long distances in the rivers and lakes, and was very familiar with the geography along the coast, so he replied: "About three miles ahead is the place under the jurisdiction of Peng Zedingjiang's army, which is very prosperous, and it is also suitable for staying." ”

Yan Juhou was as good as a stream, and immediately ordered the front to abandon the boat and land on the shore.

But it turned out that the front was the boundary of Pengze County, which was where Tao Yuanming hung up his crown after a few days as the county magistrate.

Because there is a sandbar in the river, the Yangtze River is divided into two. The waterway on the right side is navigable, but it is less than a kilometer wide, which is the first dangerous and narrow place of the Yangtze River. The left channel is shallow and has many silted spots. If you want to take shelter from the wind and rain, or unload and repair, you can only pass thanks to the pull of the slender man.

Since the name of the Dingjiang River is fixed, it is natural that all ships on the Yangtze River must be subject to its control.

I don't know what's going on, but wherever it comes to inspection, there are always related drawbacks such as eating and taking cards. Although it was the governor of the Yan Mansion who played the banner of the Yan family, he was still rejected by the soldiers in charge of the inspection on the grounds of "routine". Fortunately, the steward was well versed in affairs and paid a certain amount of tolls, so that everyone was spared the pain of being interrogated.

The steward was unwilling to be humiliated, and made a small report to Yan Ju.

Seeing that Yan Juhou wanted to go crazy, Zeng Ye persuaded: "The soldiers are so greedy and stupid, their superiors may not know it." If the night is dark and the wind is high, the thieves will make a rebellion, disturbing the lady and the women. Although we are not afraid of him, we are also guilty of great sin. And it's not too late to clean him up the next day! ”

Suddenly, Zeng Gong slapped the side of the boat and said hatefully: "Then the commander of the Dingjiang army should be damned!" ”

Everyone looked out, but it turned out to be a group of slender men, naked with ropes on their backs, braving the wind and rain, struggling to pull the boat closer to the dock.

At that time, ships mostly relied on the power of oars and sails to sail, and if they encountered headwinds and waters, they needed to be pulled by manpower. Along the river, fiber drawing became a specialized industry, as depicted in Repin's famous painting "The Slender Man on the Volga". Although life is very hard, I finally have some income, and I can barely make a living. But fiber pulling is a hard job, mostly done by young and strong men, but the crowd in front of them is clearly full of old and weak women and children, which makes the square and dignified Zeng Gong angry.

Yan Juhou looked at it, but he smiled, and explained to a few people: "I originally thought that the commander of the Dingjiang army was a bastard, but now it seems that he still has some love for the people. If you don't know, according to the laws of the Great Song Dynasty, all military households must serve three months of military service every year. If such untrained civilians go to the battlefield, they are usually auxiliary soldiers who carry heavy loads, but when they attack the fortifications, they are mostly coolies who fill in the ravines with soil, and most of them will die in nine lives. But pulling fiber can also be regarded as a kind of military service, although pulling fiber is hard, but it can avoid the risk of fighting with the enemy, so that the old and weak fiber pulling, in fact, is also a kind of kindness. ”

As he spoke, the Haicang boat had been pulled to the dock by the slender men, the women held up oil-paper umbrellas, and the men wore robes and hats, and hurriedly entered an inn.

After entering the inn, most of his body was already wet. Finally settled down, Fang Zhongyong hurriedly ordered the kitchen to boil ginger soup, add brown sugar, and pour a big bowl of it alone. In these years, a cold and fever can be fatal, but if you suffer from a cold, it will not be good. Yan Rongyue thought that the ginger soup tasted weird and was reluctant to drink it, so Fang Zhongyong said that he drank a big bowl with him before he coaxed Yan Rongyue to drink the "bitter medicine".

When Wang saw it, he didn't think it was angry, and he was only secretly happy in his heart: poor Keiko's mother died early, although she was open-minded, she was often depressed. Ridiculous old thing, and worried that I would treat his baby daughter badly. Haha, it's okay now, his baby daughter meets such a lover who knows cold and hot, I'm afraid that my heart will be hooked away, and I don't feel sorry for that old thing.

Yan Shu, who was far away in Bianliang, sneezed, and the housekeeper persuaded: "The weather is getting cooler, please use some wine and food earlier to warm up your body." ”

Yan Shu sighed: "The government porridge porridge, the official family is abolished because Queen Guo has no children, don't live in Changning Palace to raise, and give the name Qingwu." My unconscious protégé Fan Zhongyan said something like 'The queen can't be abolished, it is advisable to stop this discussion as soon as possible, and not let it be spread to the outside world' and so on. didn't know that Cao Bin's granddaughter Cao had entered the palace, and Empress Yi was already ready to fly. The old man told you what to do, and you don't understand. Some time ago, Mrs. wrote to say that Ju Hou was lucky to pass the test and was scheduled to come to Beijing in the near future. As for the sneezing, it must have been the lady's bad journey and complained to the old man. ”

The housekeeper is also an old man who has been with him for a long time, and said with a smile: "The lord and the lady have a deep relationship, and they have been separated for two years, and it is also the right thing to miss the master." A talented man like the old man needs to be matched by a gentle and beautiful woman like his wife. ”

Yan Shu laughed and said: "Madame is beautiful, but she can also be called a beauty." As for gentleness, do you believe it? ”

Seeing that the housekeeper wanted to defend himself, Yan Shu said again: "Madame governs the family well, and she can also treat the children left by the Li family and the Meng family as her own, and she loves them very much. The old man was also very grateful. It's just that the expulsion of the Imperial City Division agent was too reckless the previous time, so that the old man was afraid of the name in vain. This time he was even more daring, and what was said in the letter was to find a wishful husband for Keiko. She is a woman, what vision can she be a giant-eyed hero. must be a flashy child who is good at sweet words, and wants to marry my Yan someone's daughter, let's talk about it after winning the champion! ”

The housekeeper couldn't listen to it anymore, and said, "I heard that Fang Gongzi is also a talented man in Lianzhong Siyuan, and he has written many excellent poems. It's not as unbearable as the old man said, right? ”

Yan Shu sneered and said: "Since Taizu established this dynasty, even the middle Xie Yuan, the provincial yuan, and the champion are only Sun He, Wang Zeng, and Song Zhen. When will the so-called prefectural examination be counted? What is the quality of the county government's exam, can the old man not know? This person must be good at drilling and speculating. Although the poems he wrote are also considerable, Duonon's lyrics and songs are at most the level of Liu Qi, what a way! ”