Xuzhou, west of Tancheng City.

"You rush to Tancheng first, and after entering the city, find a post house to stay, and I'll go to Tancheng to see where I used to live."

After giving these orders, Lu Ren took a few entourages and went to the small village where he lived at the beginning of his crossing. After more than a year, there are some residents in this small village, but for Lu Ren, they have long been different.

When he came to the place where Li Lao and Xiaoping were buried, Lu Ren didn't have any expectations in his heart, but he unexpectedly found that Li Lao and Xiaoping's tomb bags were still there, and the tomb plate that he had made out of wood at the beginning had also been replaced with two stone steles. After thinking about it carefully, Lu Ren guessed that these two stone tablets should have been erected by Mi Zhu or Mi Zhen, and only these two brothers and sisters would help Lu Ren do this. When Lu Ren left Xuzhou, Mi Zhu felt guilty about Lu Ren, and Mi Zhen came to the village to see Lu Ren off.

I didn't know what to say, Lu Ren didn't want to disturb the villagers, but after turning around like this, he rushed to Tancheng. For Lu Ren at this time, there is no place to be remembered in this small village.

It's almost noon, and in this crisp autumn season, the sun at this time is always drowsy. Because there were not many pedestrians entering and leaving the city at this time, the city gate guards were also lazy, and even people who were sleeping with their backs against the wall on the pillars.

On the loess avenue, the horse's hooves sounded softly, Lu Ren took the horse more than a hundred steps away from the Xuzhou city gate, put his hand on the canopy and glanced at the Xuzhou city gate, pouted and smiled again and sighed lightly: "I didn't expect that there would be a time to come here." ”

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Lu Ren led the horse and walked towards the city gate. When he was about to approach, Lu Ren remembered a previous fragment, so he subconsciously reached out and straightened the scarf on the top of his head. I remember that more than a year ago, Lu Ren had short hair at the beginning of the crossing, and when he went to Tancheng to sell firewood, he was stopped and interrogated by the guards several times because of this.

Now that this year has passed, Lu Ren's hair has grown a lot, and there is no problem with holding a hair scarf. And in the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed, and now that Lu Ren has returned to Tancheng, there is a sense of "vicissitudes" in his heart that seems to be something that should not appear at his age.

After a general inspection of his body, he felt that there was nothing wrong, so Lu Ren led the horse and led the entourage letter behind him into the city. No one stopped him now, after all, Lu Ren now didn't look much different from an ordinary You Scholar. When he entered the city, Lu Ren found the post house where the "caravan" lived, and after some explanation, he went out alone, and with his vague memory, he directly looked for Mi Zhu's official place in Tancheng.

"Annoyance to inform Mi don't drive, the old man Lu Ren and Lu Yihao came to visit."

Immediately after the name was called, someone from the door entered to report, and Lu Ren waited in front of the door with his hands behind his back. As soon as he raised his head, Lu Ren saw that several people were looking at him with very surprised eyes, and he was slightly stunned and understood. In the past, he could mix here in Mizhu for a short time, and he also became Mizhu's dog-headed military division, and there are certainly some people who know him here in Mizhu. Now that Lu Ren has reappeared, he is dressed decently, which is very different from before, and it is natural for people who know him to be surprised. At that moment, he smiled casually at these servants and continued to wait.

After a short time, the doorman hurried back and led Lu Ren to the hall to see Mi Zhu. Along the way, Lu Ren also kept looking around at the place where he had been mixed up for a few months, and there would always be a little feeling in his heart.

Without further ado. When Lu Ren came to the reception hall, Mi Zhu was already waiting in the hall. After the two sides finished serving tea, Mi Zhu waved away the servants, and Lu Ren hung up and down for a long time before he spoke: "Yihao, you and I have been separated for many years, and you seem to have changed a lot. ”

Lu Ren smiled: "I can't talk about what has changed." But in the past year, I have encountered a lot of things, and several times I almost lost my life...... Don't mention this! It's still the same when it comes to don't drive. ”

Mi Zhu also smiled and asked, "Since you left Xuzhou last year, where have you been in the past year?" ”

Lu Ren paused before saying, "I can't hide it, I'm ...... now Under the account of Cao Gong, he served as Cao Pengshi. ”

Mi Zhu's face changed slightly: "You, you defected to Cao Mengde's curtain?" Than Cao Peng's history? This is an official position of two hundred stones. ”

Lu Ren shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's not wrong to say that I defected, but what was my situation at the time, can you not know if you don't drive?" I only came there to mix a scribe, but you know my ability to settle accounts, so I was recommended to Cao Gong by Xun Wenruo...... At that time, I originally wanted to send a letter and continue to live peacefully with you, but ...... Forget it. It's all tears. ”

Mi Zhu sighed: "Why did you go so fast that day?" Xuande Gong has the intention of soliciting you, but when I led Xuande Gong to the small village, you have been gone for a long time. ”

Lu Ren said: "Spare me!" Not to mention that the people in Xuzhou looked at me unpleasantly at that time, if I really voted under Liu Bei's account, Zhang Yide would be the first to come to me for trouble. ”

At the banquet that night, Lu Ren and Zhang Fei had an incident, and sighed lightly: "Indeed, you couldn't help yourself at that time. It's just that you are now an official under Cao Gong's account, and you and I can be regarded as hostile people, so what are you doing in Xuzhou today? ”

Lu Ren said: "Not for anything else, I'm here to buy grain from you." ”

"Buy, buy food?" How shrewd is Mi Zhu? As soon as he heard Lu Ren mention the word "buying grain", he immediately understood, and his face changed dramatically at that time: "I heard that the drought and locusts in the Kanto region are raging, and the Cao and Lu families have to temporarily withdraw their troops because the army has nothing to eat. Now as an official under Cao Mengde's account, you have come to Xuzhou to buy grain from me...... Do you want me to be scolded to death by Xuzhou? I can't help you with this, so please go back. ”

Seeing that Mi Zhu had given an eviction order, Lu Ren just smiled faintly. Although he was very reluctant, Lu Ren had already planned that it would be the current situation, and immediately said to Mi Zhu: "I knew you would be like this." In fact, I didn't help Cao Gong buy grain, I just wanted to take this opportunity to make a lot of money. ”

Mi Zhu said: "Taking advantage of the locust drought and the ravages of the two plagues, reselling grain and rice to make a windfall? It's a shame you don't go into business! However, although I have not been friends with you for a long time, I also know that you, Lu Yihao, are by no means the kind of evil person. ”

Lu Ren shrugged: "People change. I'm a heartless bastard now. ”

Mi Zhu said: "Don't laugh here!" I can't help you with this, so please go back. ”

Just about to shout "send off", Lu Renchang sighed and stopped Mi Zhu: "Okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore." I just want to buy some food to help the people, but you won't help me? ”

Mi Zhu was silent, and after a long time, he slowly spoke: "Yihao, you always stay by my side for a while, you know something about the secret in Xuzhou." If you want to help the people in another place, don't say that you are buying food from me, it doesn't matter if I send you tens of thousands of yuan directly. However, Cao Mengde attacked Xu before and had already formed a grudge with Xuzhou. At this time, if I sell grain to you and others know about it, what face do I want me to gain ......a foothold in Xuzhou?"

Lu Ren spread his hands: "Okay, I won't embarrass you, then I'll go to the Chen family and try it." Maybe if I say something, they'll be happy to sell it to me for tens of thousands. In the next farewell! ”

"You ......" Mi Zhu hurriedly grabbed Lu Ren's wrist: "What are your plans?" Can't you tell me that? ”

Lu Ren smiled, but he smiled a little helplessly: "Since I came to you, I naturally expected your difficulties here, but I always wanted to see if I could not make it so troublesome, just buy food and leave, but now it seems that it is unlikely." Okay, you can do me a favor, I want to have a separate interview with Xuan Degong, can I do it? ”

Mi Zhu hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "It's not difficult, I'll set up a small banquet and invite Xuande Gong to the banquet." ”

Lu Ren bowed his hand to Mi Zhu again: "There is labor!" Remember, I can only meet with Xuande Gong alone...... Oh, it's okay for Guan Zhanger to come over. ”

Mi Zhu glared at Lu Ren angrily and didn't say anything more.

Lu Ren smiled, looked outside the house again, and suddenly asked for no reason: "Miss Mi, ...... Are you okay? ”

Mi Zhu sighed: "I sometimes think, how good it would have been if you had directly agreed to join my Mi family?" That's it, don't mention this. Cao Mengde attacked Xu before, and plundered many counties in the East China Sea, and my second brother was not good at business, and the salt fields in the East China Sea were damaged, so I had to let my little sister go there to take care of it, and now she is not in Tancheng. ”

It's rare to come to Xuzhou, but just in time for Mi MM to be absent and can't see him, Lu Ren is a little lost. But the next moment, Lu Ren was shocked and said, "Yantian? Do you have a salt business? How did I not know before? ”

Mi Zhu glanced at Lu Ren: "How long have you been with me at that time?" And at that time, you were mainly teaching music, and you only occasionally helped me come up with ideas. I think my Mi family has a big business, and you have never asked about anything, and there are many things you don't know. ”

Lu Renxin said, what was my identity and what was the situation at that time? Why am I asking what I shouldn't be asking? Find yourself a pump? However, knowing at this time, the Mi family actually had a salt selling business, and Lu Ren's surprise was suddenly overflowing.

The salt and iron business has always been a huge profit, and in ancient times, it was often strictly controlled by the state, and even a monopoly of the state, such as the Han Dynasty, which had a special "county salt and iron order". Until Zhu Yuanzhang's time in the early Ming Dynasty, salt merchants had to help Zhu Yuanzhang sell grain to designated places if they wanted to obtain the "salt introduction" set up by Zhu Yuanzhang.

At this moment, Lu Ren learned that Mi Zhu had a salt business, and couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart, saying in his heart, no wonder you Mi Zhu can help Liu Bei re-establish the situation by himself. In addition, it is no wonder that the big clan in Xuzhou will squeeze out you, who doesn't want to eat such a big piece of fat in their stomach?

(May 16, Saturday, drinking with friends, drunk and unable to get up, until the ugly time to wake up.) I knew that it was even more wrong, so I rushed it overnight. Today, 63 to 66 times and four watches. ）