Chapter 923: Returning Home

A map of the river during the Qingming Festival, ten volumes of Tokyo Menghualu, the prosperity and wealth of Kaifeng, Tokyo in the Song Dynasty. It's just that the famous city that once covered Chang'an in the Han and Tang dynasties and stood alone in the world is now only the seat of the Henan Political Division, and in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it is just an ordinary city.

After nightfall, the city is full of darkness, the market is doing business all night, the scene of the people in the city not cooking but only going to the restaurant is long gone, even the official dialect of Kaifeng has been replaced by the official dialect of the north and south of the two capitals, the locals even only hear the two familiar accents, and then look at the people's clothes, you can distinguish whether it is expensive or rich.

In the Song Dynasty, there were 12 gates outside the city of Kaifeng, and 10 gates in the inner city, and at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, in order to prevent the rebel army from the palace city, the ten gates of the inner city were blocked five, and this pattern has also been used to the present day, respectively, the Song Gate and the Cao Gate of the east wall, and only one city gate was left in the north, south and west. The Liang Gate on the west side was originally open to both Zheng Gate, but now the Zheng Gate has been closed for a hundred years, and it is open to the west, but it seems a little lonely. These years are peaceful and prosperous, only the Yellow River often floods, but now the season is not the rainy season, so the soldiers guarding the gate are also quite lazy on weekdays, but this day is full of energy.

The reason is very simple, today all the officials of the Henan Political Division, the Henan Capital Division, and the Henan Judicial Division, all the officials of the three divisions and yamen are gathered here, who would dare to be lazy and grind foreign workers? Although the weather is already unusually cold now, the officials are all standing and waiting in official boots and uniforms, and none of them enter the room next to the city tower to take shelter from the wind and rest. Therefore, a few soldiers who had not yet taken turns poked their heads out of the room, and then retracted their heads.

"Tsk, Luo Fantai of the Political Division, Qin Dushuai of the Capital Division, according to the Fang Zhentai of the Judge, it is amazing that one of these three ordinary people appears, but now it is the three of them who are in battle, Lord Xiao Zhang really has face!"

"What little Zhang, now that small word should have been removed. What are those three adults, that is, in a place like the capital where powerful people gather, if Lord Xiao Zhang says a word, the ground will tremble! Don't you see? The Gu family actually dared to salivate and mingle in the welcoming official family, didn't they watch Lord Zhang return to his hometown this time to worship and sweep the ancestral grave? ”

"I don't look at my identity, the Gu family has received a lot of help over the years, the eldest son of the Gu family went back to Beijing that time, and he also took a lot of fields from others, but now he should be defeated or defeated. If you want to say that the seventh master of the Gu family has the ability, but he is a scholar, and he is upright, if someone from the clan is swaggering and deceiving in his name, he will immediately take the initiative to send it to the yamen, even if he is far away, he will send a note to the government. This is the way to the Gu family, it only depends on how Lord Zhang treats them this time. ”

Sun Gu Lin, the head of the Gu family, was behind a large group of officials in bright official uniforms, wrapped in a half-worn sheepskin coat, shivering with cold, and in the end, he couldn't help it, and suddenly a sneeze came out. Seeing that Xiangfu County, who was higher than him, turned his head to look at him angrily, he immediately shrunk his neck, resisted the urge to stomp his feet to keep warm, and secretly hated Zhang Yue's belatedness.

I don't know how long it took, but someone finally shouted: "It's coming, it's coming!" ”

For a moment, the crowd, which was already whispering, suddenly quieted down. Gu Linren was in the back row, and he couldn't see clearly what was going on his tiptoes after he was so hard that he was suddenly in a hurry, but the idle people on the left and right had already been cleared, and even the history of the county in the county government was not something that the Gu family could easily send today.

This situation started a few years ago, and I don't know what's going on, the county yafu, which originally looked at the in-laws Zhang family and still had some care for the Gu family, suddenly became strict with them. The children are doing nonsense, and they are caught with a board; bullying men and women, or bullying the people, someone will immediately take care of it; As for what, the rest is not to mention. Seeing that the Gu family's family situation is gradually declining, the 400 acres of dry land and 200 acres of sloping land are also because of the empty mountains, and they changed hands within two years, and the situation is not as good as it was back then.

When Zhang Yue comes back this time, how can he support the Gu family?

Just as Gu Lin was holding his hands and stretching his neck desperately, he saw the crowd in front of him splitting up. After he was stunned for a moment, he hurriedly flashed to the side, and when he leaned out again, he saw the local chief officer of the Third Division of the Yamen walking over surrounded by a young official. Seeing that the official was not wearing an official uniform, but a blue brocade robe, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, he replied to the officials who saluted along the road, and he was very kind, and it was Zhang Yue who he had seen, he immediately came to his senses and hurriedly squeezed forward, but he had already been blocked by the subordinate officials of several county yafu with their shoulders. Just when he opened his mouth and shouted out his cousin, someone in front of him turned around.

"Do you know the rules? At noon, it was Luo Fantai, Qin Dushuai, and Fang Zhentai to feast on Lord Zhang, what happened to you, a poor relative, rushing up? Even if Lord Zhang recognizes you, as soon as he turns around and leaves, the three adults feel that you have disturbed a good thing, and your family will not be able to eat and walk around! ”

In other words, more than ten years ago, where could Gu Lin endure such a threat, but now he had to hold back his breath, nodded and smiled yes, and watched Zhang Yue get into the carriage again, surrounded by many officials' carriages and horses, and went to North Street. He had the heart to chase there to see if there was a chance, but after thinking about it again, he still gave up the idea in despair.

Instead of joining in the fun now, it is better to simply go to Zhang's old house and wait for the rabbit!

Since returning to his hometown and burying the Gu family in the ancestor of the Zhang family, Zhang Yue has never returned to Kaifeng, and now he has come back again after nearly ten years, he can't help but find that Kaifeng City has not changed much from his memory. The houses facing the street are still the same as before, some of the rich have been repaired, and the ones without money are even more dilapidated. There are several more restaurants that have broken ground, but there are even more that were once out of the limelight in the past. The street that only runs through the north and south is still the same as before, the loess mat road is unusually smooth, and there are many shops on both sides, but there are few people.

Therefore, when he sat down in the restaurant, Zhang Yue, who was pushed to sit as the chief, smiled and said: "I just took a leave of absence, and I didn't do things according to orders, your clean street is too clean." ”

Since the gap of the six Shangshu servants was filled, the political envoys of the provinces, who were still holding expectations, gradually lost their hearts, knowing that this life is also the life of the feudal officials. Therefore, Luo Bu's political envoy did not expect Zhang Yue to rise if he was good, but after all, Kaifeng was most vulnerable to floods because it was located by the Yellow River, and it would cost a lot of money and grain to pay taxes and disaster relief every year, so he had to have a good relationship with the God of Wealth. As for the Qin Fang, the two commanders and envoys are different, both commanders always want to move a place to be promoted, and the envoys are also thinking about whether they can enter the capital procuratorate, so they are more enthusiastic.

"Lord Zhang is an important minister of the emperor, this time it is a royal holiday to return to his hometown to worship and sweep, and the lower officials and others naturally have the responsibility to protect the safety, if the young people disturb the adults, wouldn't it be a sin?"

Seeing that it was the envoy who answered, Zhang Yue smiled slightly and skipped this topic. Because he had sent his powerful family to inform him before he arrived, and prepared a menu of hometown dishes he wanted to eat, and asked people to prepare them all the way, although the dishes on this table were fresh from the mountains and rivers, it was not outrageous. When he was drunk, the officials from the third division to the Ya Jin Yi Wei Qianhu Office of the Ya County came to toast, but he pushed it off for a while, and after all, he only drank three glasses. When he returned to Zhang's old mansion after this entertainment, he learned that Du Juan, who had returned here with Amber Autumn Scars and the children, had already received several groups of official wives.

That's not all, when the doorman was making a report, another person came out of the doorman, but he stepped forward with a smile and saluted, and called out to Cousin Yue. Zhang Yue couldn't help frowning when he looked at this person wearing a sheepskin coat and watching a person who was several years older than him come forward to salute, and he didn't understand until the other party reported to his home with a smile on his face.

This is actually Gu Lin? The last time someone came to the door, at least they were dressed decently, but now it has become such a situation, it seems that the news sent by Kaifeng earlier is right, the Gu family is really divided because of the competition for property between the children and grandchildren, and then they are all sitting and eating empty! Glancing at Gu Lin, he said lightly, "It turned out to be the eldest cousin." ”

"Cousin Yue, when I heard that you were back, my father and the clansmen were very happy, so they specially prepared a ...... for this."

"Forgive me, eldest cousin, I came back this time to sweep the fake sacrifice, the time is limited, and I plan to stay in front of the ancestor for three days, so I'm afraid I don't have time to run around, after all, the affairs of the DPRK and China are complicated." Zhang Yue didn't seem to see Gu Lin's face frozen there all of a sudden, and asked lightly, "By the way, my eldest cousin went to the capital once a few years ago, and I remember helping the Gu family with 400 acres of dry land and 200 acres of sloping land, I don't know how the situation is now?" ”

Gu Lin didn't expect Zhang Yue to ask directly about those farms back then, and he wanted to explain for a while, but he couldn't find a good reason for a while, so he had to pretend to beat his chest and sigh in the end: "Cousin Yue, I won't tell you, my father and I are both poor at the economy, at first we were tenants for others to farm, but the tenant farmers were slippery, and they were frequently in arrears of land rent, and then sued the county government, but the Ming Mansion and the Mansion ignored them, and finally took the land for a profiteer, I ...... I'm sorry for you! ”

Seeing Gu Lin singing and acting there, Zhang Yue only felt even more disgusted. is such a century-old family that was once compared with the Zhang family, but because of three generations of useless children and grandchildren, it has become such a dilapidated situation today. Strange people say that instead of having thousands of family wealth, it is better to teach a good son and grandchild. Therefore, he just stood there quietly, and it wasn't until Gu Lin finished saying something that he smiled.

"Have you taken the land away from the profiteers?" Zhang Yue beckoned lightly to the back, and Lian Xiaoqing immediately trotted forward, presenting two things with both hands. He took it and glanced at it lightly, and then changed it to his right hand, "I heard the head person say, because someone in the Gu family owed a large amount of gambling debts, so he took the land deed and went to the pawn shop. ”

Gu Lin relied on the Zhang family and the Gu family used to be in-laws, Zhang Yue was very kind to himself that day, and he was extremely happy to Tian, thinking that this relative would take care of one or two, who knew that Zhang Yue would say such a thing with one mouth. Looking at the deed on the top, he only felt that his scalp was numb, and he didn't even know what to say.

"When the old lady was alive, she told her children and grandchildren not to have more dealings with the Gu family, do you know what this is for?" Zhang Yue stared at Gu Lin's eyes, and seeing that he avoided his eyes unnaturally, he said word by word, "The old lady was born in the Gu family, if she wasn't really disheartened, would she say such a thing?" The letter left by the old lady to you, between the lines, is full of sincere concern and advice, but you all take it as a deaf ear, and you know that you will take this to the capital for help! What a beautiful scenery the Gu family used to be, but now they are going to the pawnshop to pawn the property, which has become a joke in Kaifeng City! ”

Seeing that Zhang Yue sneered, picked up the deed and was about to go inside, Gu Lin finally couldn't help it, and hurriedly stepped forward to stop Zhang Yue. But when he was about to say something more, he saw that the first few guards behind him were all around, and they all glared at him with unkind colors, he was scared, so he had to get out of the way, but when he saw people entering the door, he still raised the last bit of courage and shouted: "Cousin Yue, even if the Gu family is a bastard now, you should always look at the old lady's sake......"

"If it weren't for the old lady's sake, do you think the Gu family's cases would be settled so easily?" Zhang Yue turned his head abruptly and looked coldly at Gu Lin, who was lost and depressed, "If it weren't for the old lady's sake, I would have helped your family's fields!" You go back and tell your father, I have my own opinions about those gambling accounts, but if he dares to gamble again, based on those nonsense things in your family, what is the crime of his boss? And you, you don't have money to live, but you have money to pay for a little, if there is someone in your family who is as productive as Little Seventh Brother, you don't have to shout in front of me for the sake of the old lady! ”

Seeing that the coachman drove into the corner gate, and the rest of the guards also entered the door without mentioning it, Gu Lin stood in the empty alley, only to feel that the sheepskin jacket on his body seemed to be unworn, and it was cold to the bone. It took him a long time before he moved his steps with a sad face, but he didn't take a few steps before turning around. To his disappointment, the door was already closed, and no one came out to keep him.

As he walked, Zhang Yue's words just now naturally resurfaced in his mind, and he rushed forward a few steps with his head in his hands, and then suddenly stopped.

The Gu family's defeat is nothing more than because there is no one to be an official, and Gu Bin is the most noble, and he refuses to abuse his name to the clansmen, and the officials up and down Kaifeng seem to have received information, and they are extremely strict with the Gu family. If there are really a few more officials like Gu Bin, it won't be like this......

Gu Lin sighed gloomily, and after going out of the alley and meeting the little guy who was shivering from the side of the street, he drooped his head and walked in the direction of his home, not seeing a few young descendants of the Gu family side on the other side being led over and turning into the alley in front of the Zhang family's old house.