Wading the river, passing through the lighter, passing through Lumen Mountain, and then westward by Dongjin Ferry to cross Dongjin Bay to Xiangyang Fucheng.

Zhao Dangshi slightly reorganized the team at the Xiannong Altar and Sheji Altar under the East City, went around the north along the city wall, and entered the city from the big north gate "Gongchen Gate". The north of Xiangyang Mansion is adjacent to the Han River, Zhao Dangshi raised his eyes to see that the north bank of the Han River is also lined with houses, and asked: "The opposite place, but where Fancheng was in the past?" ”

A guide replied: "My lord is erudite, there is the old site of Fancheng, and now the city wall is still there, surrounding its east, west and north sides." But it has long been under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang County, and it belongs to one of the two compartments and four squares and twenty-nine miles. The City God Temple and the Tongzhi Office are all distributed among them. ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed: "In ancient times, Fancheng and Xiangyang were both called heroic towns, and they were divided on both sides of the Han River, just like an iron gate to control the river defense. Time has passed, Xiangyang is still there, but Fancheng has become a cloud. ”

The guide smiled and said, "My lord's feelings, but it is like those literati and." In the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, the Han River overflowed, and there was no major problem in the north of Fancheng because of the earthen embankment, but the brick city in the river area in the south of the city was all collapsed and destroyed, and the city was not clogged, so the city declined. I think that even if there is no Xiangyang, it will be difficult for Fancheng to prosper for a long time. ”

The population inside and outside Xiangyang Mansion is quite large, the cars and horses are endless, and the Han River is also full of light boats and ferries. When they arrived at the city gate, the bustle was even more intense, and the guide went forward to talk to the officers and soldiers guarding the city, and immediately eight or nine officers and soldiers began to evacuate the congested crowd, and after a while, the road in front of Zhao Dangshi and others was empty.

The guide came back with a smile and said, "My lord, please come into the city." ”

Zhao Dangshi nodded and smiled: "There is Lao Li who is old." "This guide is from Chen Hongfan's family. Early in the morning, he was sent to Dongjindu to greet Zhao Dangshi and his party. Xiangyang Mansion is currently under the full control of Chen Hongfan from the city defense to the flood defense, so since he connected with him, Zhao Dangshi and others have been unimpeded along the way, saving a lot of worry.

In the north of Xiangyang Prefecture, there are Xiangyang County Office, Branch Shoudao Office and County Confucian Temple, etc., while Fuwen Temple and Xiangyang Prefecture Office are in the south city. According to Chen Hongfan's guidance, Zhao Dangshi needed to send Huaqing and Zhu Changfa to the Xiangyang Prefecture Office. There, Xiangyang Mansion and Xiangwang Mansion have sent people to wait for the handover.

After entering the city, there were many people, and even if Zhao Dangshi was reluctant in his heart, he did not dare to have too much contact with Huaqing in plain sight. But fortunately, the two of them have said the same thing in the past, so they only have worries at the moment, and there is no worry.

When night fell, the group finally arrived at the Xiangyang Prefecture Office after a day of hard work. The wheels stopped, Zhao Dangshi half-bowed, and said softly by the side of the carriage in Huaqing: "County Lord, the place has arrived." I called again, but there was no sound in the car.

Zhao Dangshi didn't know what to do, and called again. This time, Hua Qing said "um", but then sniffled. Zhao Dangshi's heart tightened, but he managed to control his emotions in front of everyone, and said in a suppressed voice: "The lords of the mansion and the companions of the Xiang clan are already waiting for the county lord outside. ”

The words fell, and Hua Qing lifted the curtain and leaned out. Zhao Dangshi immediately went up to take a hand and helped her get out of the car. It was already dark, and others couldn't see the situation clearly, but Zhao Dangshi was not too close to her, and she could see it intimately, and her eyes were already wet red.

"Be careful." Zhao Dangshi endured the tightness in his chest and said reluctantly. Hua Qing nodded and spread his hand, but did not speak. At the same time, Zhu Changfa also jumped out of the carriage, and the officials who had been waiting for a long time and the people in the Xiang clan immediately surrounded him. In the midst of his gossip, Zhao Dangshi sighed lightly twice and slowly paced to the side.

After completing the handover procedures according to the procedure, it was already dark. Zhao Dangshi didn't squint the whole time, and didn't look at Hua Qing. In the end, everyone greeted Hua Qing into a carriage driven by Xiangwang's Mansion, and he couldn't help but look at the past, but when his eyes arrived, he saw the last corner of Hua Qing's lingering clothes just disappearing into the car curtain.

Zhao Dangshi was distracted, and he couldn't prevent being slapped on the back. He turned his head to look, but it was Zhu Changfa who was looking at him with a smile.

"Lord Shizi." Zhao Dangshi saluted slightly, heard the sound of the wheel in his ears, and in the afterglow, Huaqing's carriage had disappeared into the night along the road.

"General Zhao, you saved my life, and I am very grateful in my heart." Zhu Changfa said.

Zhao Dangshi came back to his senses and said with a wry smile: "It should be done, and the prince should not be grateful." ”

Zhu Changfa smiled and said: "I love to settle accounts the most, and I never owe favors." You save me, I owe you, what you want, say it, and I will do my best to repay it. ”

Zhao Dangshi was stunned for a moment, shook his head again and again, and said: "Where did the prince say, how dare the villain ask for something in return." ”

At this time, the people from the Xiangwang Mansion came to urge Zhu Changfa to leave, and Zhu Changfa said: "It's okay." I'll keep you in mind first. One day, you want me to help, and at that time, you will come to Xiangwangfu to look for me. After finishing speaking, he left an intriguing smile and went to the audience.

After Hua Qing and Zhu Changfa left, the front of the Xiangyang Mansion Office was suddenly deserted, and several officials on duty also resigned and returned to the office one after another. The accompanying guards of the Parenting Division were all resting outside the city, so only Zhou Wenhe was standing alone with Zhao Dangshi on the lonely street.

Zhao Dangshi had mixed tastes, and sat on the stone steps in front of the government office dejectedly. Zhou Wenhe stood silently a few steps away and waited for him for half an hour, and then hesitated and walked up and said, "Lord, Elder Li said earlier that he was waiting for us at the door of the Lufu Chang pawnshop on East Street, and I am afraid it will be inappropriate to go late." ”

"Oh." Zhao Dangshi woke up when he heard this, slapped his thigh, and the originally chaotic thoughts in his brain were suddenly washed clean by a stream of spring water, "I almost forgot about this stubble, let's leave now." Li Lao is not only Zhao Dangshi's guide in Xiangyang, but also Chen Hongfan's informant in contact with Zhao Dangshi. Compared with Huaqing, which has gone away, the most important person to Zhao Dangshi now is Chen Hongfan.

Not long after nightfall, the lights in the city of Xiangyang Mansion were bright, and the shops on the street were shouting and shouting as if it were daytime. Zhao Dangshi and Zhou Wenhe led their horses through a few streets and alleys, looking at the lively scene, and their mood was slightly relaxed. When I arrived at the Lufu pawnshop, the pawnshop was closed, and Mr. Li stood under a half-clear lantern and looked left and right.

Zhao Dangshi stepped forward to talk to him for a while, and the two sides parted ways. Chen Hongfan invited Zhao Dangshi to his house for a banquet tomorrow, but the location was outside the city, and he would definitely not be able to catch up tonight, so he arranged for Zhao Dangshi to rest in the city for a night. Tomorrow's meeting with Chen Hongfan is the top priority of this trip, Zhao Dangshi attaches great importance to it, and this matter falls in his heart, and the pain of parting has been reduced a little.

The next day, Zhao Dangshi rarely got up very late, and a bowl of gruel was eaten, and Chen Hongfan's family member Li Lao had already come to the door. The three of them rode out of the city, but this time they went out of the city, but they took the "West Gate" to the west. Out of the west into the gate, through the Sanzhong Temple, all the way to the west, as far as the eye can see, there is a huge lake mighty. With sparkling lakes and willow-lined shores, Chen Hongfan's private home in Xiangyang is located in the bright skylight.

Zhao Dangshi raised his whip and pointed: "Turning into a dragon bamboo, the pool divides the Prancing Horse Creek." This lake is called 'Tanxi Lake', and the book says that Liu Xuande Ma Yue Tanxi, is this the place? ”

Li Lao replied: "It's not this lake, but the stream upstream of this lake. Tanxi is discharged from the Han River, and the water is abundant, even if it is called a river, it is not an exaggeration. If you have leisure, the old man will take Lord Zhao to look for ancient monuments. ”

Zhao Dangshi smiled loudly, in a good mood, riding around the lake and raising his hooves, faintly in the green shade, Chen Hongfan's Zhuangzi was impressive.

On the way, I heard Li Lao say that this Zhuangzi was originally the ancestral residence of a giant here. Unexpectedly, a few months ago, Zhang Xianzhong, the eight kings of Xiying, who had not yet accepted Zhao'an, invaded and slaughtered the whole of the giant family. This Zhuangzi lost its owner, so it was taken back to the Xiangyang government and pawned, and it was later bought by Chen Hongfan.

What Li Lao said was that there was a lot of trouble, saying that this village and Chen Hongfan were destined to match, and that only Chen Hongfan could hold such a treasure. But Zhao Dangshi sneered in his heart, as soon as he heard "Zhang Xianzhong" and then heard "Chen Hongfan", these two names touched together, and it was probably not by chance that the poor giant would suffer a military disaster.

However, these have nothing to do with Zhao Dangshi, he said a few perfunctory words, and looked at Chen Hongfan's manor while walking.

The land on both sides of the Han River is flat, and this Zhuangzi also covers a wide area. The exterior wall of Zhuangzi is basically compacted with loess, and a small number of sections are stacked with green bricks, which is unusually strong. There are also pheasant moats and battlements on the wall, and flags are displayed. It is also expected that the building will stand between the inner and outer walls. What's more, outside the whole village, a moat was dug to connect with the living water of a small stream; There are many small castles distributed far and near outside the village, which echo the main village. On the whole, the huge Chen Zhuang is like a small city, and with such financial resources and manpower to build such a project, the power of Chen Hongfan, as the master of Zhuangzi, is really not to be underestimated.

Zhao Dangshi only brought Zhou Wenhe to the banquet this time. When I arrived outside the main gate of Zhuangzi, I saw Chen Hongfan standing on the side of the road with a stack of people waiting. Zhao Dangshi stopped riding a horse, handed over the reins to the servant, and walked up.

Zhao Dangshi and Chen Hongfan said goodbye from Fangcheng Mountain, they haven't seen each other for a long time, and after the two met, they walked hand in hand like old friends for many years, talking and laughing while walking, and slowly walked back to the village.

In addition to Zhao Dangshi, Chen Hongfan also invited many local celebrities in Xiangyang to a family banquet. Zhao Dangshi took a cursory look, and saw two or three familiar faces in the county courtyard of Zaoyang County, although these county officials did not have any real power, they still had a certain influence of public opinion in the local area. In addition to them, through Chen Hongfan's introduction, there are several well-known squires in Xiangyang Mansion, looking at the appearance of these squires, they all seem to have a good eye on Chen Hongfan. Finally, some literati and artists who were in the opposition and had some fame were also present.

Of course, the protagonists of this meeting, sitting at the top are still Zhao Dangshi and Chen Hongfan.

A string sounded, and the feast began. In the huge lobby, the dancing girls are curling, and everyone present is pushing the cup and changing the lamp, which is very warm. Chen Hongfan smiled and said to Zhao Dangshi: "Lao Zhao, this is my private brew at home, it is mellow and clear, and it is extraordinary, why not drink a few more cups?" ”

Zhao Dangshi also smiled: "I am still surprised by the quality of this wine, I don't want it to be the nectar of my brother's house, how can I not be greedy for a cup?" It's just that Zhao has never been strong enough to drink, and I'm afraid he can't be greedy a lot. ”

Chen Hongfan waved his hand and said: "Brother Xian is really polite, if you and I want to get together today, we must be drunk and rest, and we must not put on any reserved shelves." ”

"That's, that's." Zhao Dangshi said, then picked up the porcelain cup and took a sip.

Although the degree of Chen Hongfan's yellow fermented wine is not high, it always has stamina after drinking too much. When they drank to the heart, some of the guests at the banquet who were too drunk were already red-faced, and some of them even began to talk nonsense. Most of these guests are countrymen, who do not know any rules and etiquette, even if they are those squires who are somewhat famous, they do not put the observance of the norms in their eyes, so for a while, except for a few officials who are concerned about their status and are self-conscious, the banquet has become noisy. The sound of scolding, fist fighting, singing, and drinking orders are mixed into one room.

This kind of scene Zhao Dangshi has also seen a lot in Zhao Ying. Although Xiangyang is located in a wide lake, after all, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, even if it is not as good as Heshuo and other places, it is also a little more vulgar, which is understandable. Chen Hongfan smiled and pointed out the ugly jokes of everyone in the hall for Zhao Dangshi, and the two of them had a few glasses of wine, but Chen Hongfan sighed.

Zhao Dangshi and him had their own thoughts, and were waiting for him to lead the conversation to the main matter, so he took the opportunity to ask: "Today's feast, why did the elder brother sigh?" ”

Chen Hongfan shook his head and said, "Don't say it." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "The elder brother and I are brothers, I think I am a brother, how can I not share my worries with my brother?" If my brother has any sorrows, he should just say it. ”

Chen Hongfan glanced at him and said reluctantly: "Okay, this matter has been pressed in my heart for the past few days, and I can't eat or sleep for my brother, if I don't come out honestly, I'm afraid that I will really suffocate myself." At this point, he lowered his voice.