Although it is not a festive festival today, the inside and outside of Changsha City are still cleaned. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 The section of the road from the West Gate to the government office was dressed up, and bamboo poles were erected in front of the houses and shops on both sides of the avenue, and the colorful silk was pulled back and forth, shrouding the entire street in the shade of colorful cloth. This grand ceremony is unprecedented, and it seems to be more lively than the New Year's Day of previous years.

Why is that? Why is it so lively today? These people of Changsha will look at you with a kind of "you are old-fashioned" eyes, and then whisper in your ears mysteriously: "Today is the day when our new Taishou comes." I heard that our Taishou is a relative of the state pastor, and he is a young son, and his favorite thing is this pomp and circumstance. In order to make the new Taishou happy, our Lord Changshi ordered such a pomp and circumstance. ”

"It's going to cost a lot of money to make this pomp and circumstance, right?" Someone asked.

"Money? It's definitely going to be. Even my family was so poor that I was charged fifty dollars. It was an old man of about fifty years of age who spoke, and when he saw that his face was wrinkled and his clothes were patched everywhere, everyone knew that his family was not wealthy.

"It's just too much." The one who asked sighed.

"Excessive? I'm afraid it's just the beginning. What ability can a young son and brother have to govern the state and county, I am afraid that he will come up by virtue of his relationship and want to come to Changsha City to make money. I think that our Changsha City has just survived the war, so we have such a parent official. Alas, the days to come will be sad. The old man said with a bitter face, shaking his head. The suede on his face wrinkled tightly, and he was especially worried about his future life.

"Alas, it's sad......" the old man sighed, causing everyone around him to nod their heads. Obviously, he agreed with the old man's words.

Although Li Sheng's fleet had not yet arrived, his fame had already spread here. This is not a good thing. If Li Sheng heard these words, he was afraid that he would cry out that he was wronged-he didn't know that there was such a thing.

The streets were lined with people who had been "invited" out of their homes to welcome the new Taishou. It was said that Taishou would not come until noon, but it was still midday, and they were already asked where to stand. Although the sun in early spring was not very large, everyone couldn't help but sweat profusely when they stood still and let the sun shine directly on their bodies. They were very uncomfortable, but they didn't dare to relax themselves, after all, the wolf-like servants stood there, which made people feel a kind of fear in their hearts. They don't dare to fight the government.

There is an inn near the city gates. Two storeys high. At this moment, on the window edge of the second floor of the inn, several young students in Confucian shirts were sitting together, drinking and eating, while watching what was happening below.

"Gongyan, what do you think of when you see this scene now?" An older student, who looked like a weak crown, asked one of the younger ones with a smile.

The young student is about fifteen years old, and he was born with a face like a crown of jade, lips like grease, Lang Xingzhu, a sword piercing his eyebrows, and a goose-egg-like face, although there is a little childishness between the eyebrows, but the peaceful momentum of the whole body washes the childishness very lightly. To the question of the old man, he thought about it for a while, and made this answer: "The three of them become tigers, and the words of people are terrifying!" ”

"So you don't believe these people?" The older student looked at him with a smile: "There are thousands of people here, but there is only one voice, is this also wrong?" ”

"I didn't say I didn't believe the words of these people. In fact, none of them lied, but what they said was very suspicious. The young student named Gongyan said.

"It's a bit of a contradiction to say that. Can you be clearer? The older student asked suspiciously, raising his glass and making a cup of yellow soup.

Seeing such a glass of wine being drunk by his senior brother at once, the young Gongyan couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he sniffed the rich aroma of wine. For him, who aspires to grow up as an adult, the taboo item of wine is undoubtedly a fatal attraction. Of course, because of his tutor, he didn't dare to pour wine like this. Under the control of his own strong self-control, he was ruthless, took a big gulp, pulled off a chicken leg and swallowed it quickly.

Only after he had relieved his tongue a little that Gongyan answered the question of the elder brother: "It is impossible for so many people to tell lies at the same time, so I believe they are not lying." But what they said about Li Sheng is too unrealistic. I don't believe what they say. In my opinion, all this is instigated by someone behind the scenes, and some people don't want Li Sheng, who is too guarded, to stay in Changsha City safely. ”

"Oh? Is there such a saying? The older student looked at him with a playful look: "How do you judge this?" ”

"I believe in Gongyuan's choice. Although Gong Yuan is a very unsociable person, his reputation and talent are admirable. He thinks of himself as high, and it is impossible for him to serve a gentleman. Therefore, I believe that the content of what these people say is guided by others, and this is not the case with the real Changsha Taishou. Whether he was greedy for money or not, he was definitely a talented man, so it is unlikely that he would do such a self-digging act. Just like when Gaozu was not initiated, Gaozu was also a money-loving person, but when he first entered the customs, he still closed the treasury. The young Gongyan said everything to the point, and the examples he gave made the older people unable to refute: among these Jingnan students, Liao Li Liao Gongyuan's reputation is undoubtedly great, whether you like Liao Li or not, you have to admit that this guy's reputation and talent are so amazing. In this way, he learned amazingly, but he surrendered to a not very famous Li Sheng, which proves that this Li Sheng is indeed a capable person, and it is definitely not as simple as a gentleman.

"It does make some sense." The older ones seem to be convinced.

"What do you think Li Sheng, the Taishou, will do with this kind of rumor-mongering?" He asked again.

"I don't know about that." Gongyan shook his head: "I only thought of this because I believed in Gongyuan's decision. Isn't it too difficult for you to ask me how to solve the problem when everything is not clearly understood? ”

"That's too!" The older student touched his nose and felt that his question was a little abrupt. He lowered his head in embarrassment, trying to stop the question.

However, the voice of another person sounded, and they were all surprised: "Although it is impossible to think of the specific solution to this problem at once, it is generally possible to grasp the direction." It's nothing more than two means, both internal and external. ”

It was a very childish voice. Gongyan and his senior brother fled to the prestige, but saw that the person who spoke was his little cousin Liu Min. It was a very clever child, with a small pink face and round eyes that always made people wonder if he was planning something naughty again. He is such an only son in his family, and he is naturally spoiled, always making the family jump and help him invite his husband to teach, but he is always angry and walks away one after another. He couldn't do it at home, and seeing that he was kind to his cousin Gongyan, he handed it over to Gongyan to manage, hoping to make him put away some naughtyness. For this request, Gongyan didn't know whether he could do it, he just went out to study and visit friends. But since it was his maternal uncle, he had to take him with him. Along the way, I just begged him to be silent. After all, he was just a child, and Gongyan didn't know that he could see things that he couldn't even see.

"Huh? It's kind of interesting. Can you elaborate on that? The older senior brother waved his hand and signaled Gong Yan not to dissuade Liu Min from speaking. He thought the kid was a little funny, and wanted to figure out how smart he really was.

"Detailed?" The child paused slightly, and then he realized: "Then I'll talk about it roughly." As he spoke, he learned from the appearance of the adult, stood up with a calm face and pretended to be serious, and paced up a small square step: "The so-called soft set is to ignore all the rumors that happened here for the time being, and only do things well one by one, and use the facts of existence to prove that you are not that kind of person." The advantage of this method is that it is stable and not easy to cause any problems, but the disadvantage is that it takes too long. This may not be a problem for ordinary people, but it may be a big trouble for Li Sheng, who wants to do more. After saying so much, Xiao Liu Min seemed to have a little dry mouth, and immediately gave up pretending to be a serious adult, threw himself on the table, and drank the soup in a big gulp.

"Say it quickly." Seeing that Xiao Liu Min was reasonable, both the older brother and the young Gongyan showed a strong interest in it.

"Wait." Xiao Liu Min waved his immature sign and said vaguely. It wasn't until a few mouthfuls of hot soup were swallowed that the dryness in Xiao Liu Min's mouth was slightly relieved, and he continued the following topic: "The so-called hard one is to investigate this matter with great fanfare, and spread the army and officials all over the city to find out who is walking. The advantage of this is that the problem is solved quickly and will not delay the following work, but the disadvantage is that it will affect the reputation of Li Shengtaishou. ”

"This is also the mouth of the people, more than the Sichuan. The lessons of the Chinese people in the past must not be forgotten, but I am afraid that Li Sheng Taishou will not do such a thing. Gongyan's senior brother sighed, but his eyes fell to the bottom of the street again. At this moment, the time was close to noon, and Li Sheng's fleet was almost there.

******

The murmuring river passed slowly, and the distant city was gradually showing its tall and majestic body. The river breeze blew slowly, raising the fluttering flags on the boat, and also floating the thin hair on Li Sheng's temples. Seeing that this destination was about to be reached, he stood on the bow of the ship and gazed at the southern sky, stunned, and no one knew what he was thinking. Everyone had already gone down to prepare, and at this moment, there were only Zhao Yun, the "bodyguard", and Luo Zhao, the "living dictionary" that he carried.

"Look, that's our city. People say that Xiangyang is the largest city in the world, but I don't think this Changsha city is much smaller than Xiangyang! In the oncoming river breeze, Li Sheng, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly opened his mouth like this, and he pointed to the front and said.

Looking at the gray that was getting bigger and bigger little by little in their eyes, the people watching from a distance felt the sense of oppression contained in the wordlessness: "What a magnificent city." Although it is true that this Changsha is not as similar to Xiangyang as Li Sheng praised, its city walls, which seem to be closely linked to the dam on the riverside, give people a much greater impact than Xiangyang City. If the size of Xiangyang City is prosperity and magnanimity, then the size of Changsha City is thick and profound, it does not feel like a city, but like a fortress, a fortress standing on the edge of the Xiangshui River.

There are two wharves in Changsha City, one on the east side of the city and the other on the west side of the city. The main trunk and tributaries of the Xiangshui converge at a point north of Changsha City, and Changsha City itself exists on the plain formed by the impact of the two rivers at the place where the two rivers will meet. Because there is a lot of water in the main trunk, which is suitable for large ships, and there is little water in the tributaries, which can only be navigated by small boats, the west port of Changsha City is generally a military port, while the east port is civilian.

The huge fleet of ships slowly drove up, approached and stopped at the pier of the West Port in turn. The wharf in Changsha is also quite a large place, and although it is not possible to dock 100 ships at a time like the wharf in Xiangyang, there is really no problem in accepting these 80 warships at one time. After all, Changsha is also a big port, and it usually has to transmit all kinds of materials collected from the four counties of Jingnan.

When the ship docked, Li Sheng was heard from among the guards of his subordinates. As soon as he stepped on land, he heard all sorts of noises coming from afar. It was so noisy that it seemed to be the noise of the vegetable market, and it seemed to be the gongs and drums of the festival days. All in all, all kinds of noisy sounds converge and begin to ravage people's ears from afar.

"What's going on? Why is Changsha City so lively today? Li Sheng frowned slightly and asked. In fact, there were already officials from Changsha City waiting for the arrival of Li Sheng and others here.

"That's because the people of Changsha knew that you were coming, and they went out of the city to greet you!" The officials in charge of the reception were generally articulate, and they gave an answer to Li Sheng's question very quickly.

"Greet me?" Li Sheng didn't laugh, but his forehead wrinkled even more: "I'm not a celebrity, what's there to welcome?" He pursed his lips slightly, and there was already a little clarity in his eyes.

"Well...... Taishou is really humble, and your brave name is mighty all over the world. Even Jiangdong knows that there is a young hero like you in Jingzhou. ......" The official was stunned for a moment, but he reflected it quickly, and the sky was full of praise. He can say very well, the two mouths are like the vibrating wings of a butterfly, and they spit out strings of words, which makes Li Sheng gradually bored. Probably no one likes to be surrounded by such a fly.

"Who is in charge of Changsha City now?" Li Sheng, who was unguarded, suddenly asked.

"It's Master Changshiko." The official replied respectfully.

"He arranged all of this?" Li Sheng frowned and asked again, he didn't like such a grand "welcome", he knew that he had not reached such a high level of popular support. It was impossible for the people to come and welcome him spontaneously for his arrival. "It's all being pushed from behind." He was very self-aware, and quickly thought of this.

"This ...... Master Ke admires adults very much, so naturally he vigorously promotes the benevolence of adults. Seeing Li Sheng's frown, the official naturally didn't dare to answer Li Sheng's words directly, but said something else.

"Is that so?" Li Sheng continued to walk forward noncommittally.

Almost near the city gate, Li Sheng felt the grandeur of this face. I saw: flags were flying high on the head of the city, people were surging at the gates of the city, countless people gathered there, and the black pressure seemed to leave only a road leading to the city. On the side of the road, there was already an incense table, and several old men who seemed to be too old to walk were standing holding the jars that seemed to be used to hold wine. Beside them, there stood another group of people in bright red clothes—Li Sheng estimated that Na Keping was one of them.

As soon as he got off the boat, Li Sheng got on the horse. Although the wharf in Changsha City is very close and only about a mile away, it is impossible for him to walk this mile with his feet as a taishou. This is a matter of face, even if Li Sheng himself is willing. Therefore he came slowly on a horse, and it was on this horse that he saw all this.

At that moment, he made a very unexpected move: he turned over and fell off his horse at the gate of the city, and knelt straight before those who had come out to welcome him.

"Huh? …… He...... What's going on with him? All the people, including the disgruntled people, Ke Ping's party with a small calculation in their hearts, and even Li Sheng's own subordinates, were all surprised by Li Sheng's behavior in front of him. The scene fell silent suddenly, because they were so surprised that they didn't know what they were supposed to say right now.

They quieted down, but here Li Sheng began to speak, his words were slow and steady: "Sheng is a nobody, he has no virtue, and he was appointed as a taishou who thought he was trembling and thinking that he was incompetent. How to feel the hard work, all the folks, fathers and elders come to greet it! This is really Sheng's sin. For everyone's love, Sheng can only kneel down and thank you first. Li Sheng was vaguely emotional when he said that, and he choked up and shed tears, which changed the atmosphere on the whole field.

"Ah...... Actually kneeling down for this? This is too guarded...... He's a good guy. Looking at him like this, it seems to be very different from the rumors, maybe his love for money is real, but he will also do things for us, right? Seeing Li Sheng's actions, a new impression spread in the hearts of the people. They talked about this matter in a whisper, and their dislike for Li Sheng suddenly faded a lot. Originally, they only heard the rumors that they were disgusted with Li Sheng. But hearing is better than seeing, and of course they believe more in what they see in front of them.

This move greatly alleviated the disgust in the hearts of the people. Seeing all this happening, Ke Xing, who planned this bureau, didn't mention how awkward it was. He didn't think that Li Sheng would do this, kneeling to the people, it seems that there has never been such a thing since ancient times. Such an unexpected move could produce such a shocking effect, Ke Xing believed that all this was planned in the mind of Li Sheng, and he seemed to have been able to calculate the cause and effect of all this a long time ago.

"What an inscrutable person! Kneel down to the untouchables! Awesome! Ke Xing's eyes flashed with surprise, and he couldn't help but think a little higher of Li Sheng in his heart, and his vigilance and disgust for Li Sheng were also deeper. In his opinion, Li Sheng is definitely a more contrived person than him. For these, he thinks he can't do it. "A miscalculation." Ke Xing secretly sighed and reviewed himself.

Everything that followed went smoothly according to Kirshing's arrangement, but there was no trouble. Although Ke Xing originally planned to make some trouble for Li Sheng in this city, after thinking that Li Sheng was even more powerful than himself, he ordered these little tricks to be put away. He felt that before thoroughly finding out what Li Sheng's level was, it was best not to use some non-lethal methods to deal with him, in case he found out what was going on on his side, it would be troublesome. At present, when he has not made the final preparations, made up his final determination, and has not completed the plan to betray Liu Biao, he does not want to get too stiff with Li Sheng. In his opinion, everything was going to be over.

*****

Regarding what happened next to the incense case at the city gate, although the young and young people in the restaurant did not see it with their own eyes, they knew the general situation from the fragmentary discussions and descriptions coming from the outside. As young people, they are naturally very interested in such things, and they discuss them immediately. But the first to speak was Liu Min, the youngest of the three: "Brother, what do you think about this matter?" ”

"Lord Li Sheng is really the same as I imagined, not a bad person." A look of reverence appeared on Gongyan's fair face. He admired Li Sheng's courage to kneel down to the people, and he believed that no matter how much his own ability was for such a person, as long as he could always maintain such a mentality towards the people, then he would eventually have a way to gain a firm foothold in this troubled world. After all, it is easy for a person with such a mind to be liked, such a person is easily sought after by everyone, and having a large number of assistants - benevolence and righteousness have always been emphasized in this world since Emperor Wu, although not too many people in this world have fully implemented this in practice.

"So is he a good guy?" Gongyan's senior brother grabbed the "wrong mouth" that his junior brother said, and quickly asked.

"Probably count! As long as Master Li Sheng can always carry out the love and benevolence he promised, then he is a good person. Gongyan replied without thinking.

"Do you think he can do it? I heard that what Master Li Sheng did in Xiyang was essentially to turn all the land, population, and money in Xiyang into his own. It is rumored that he loves money, but in fact, there is nothing wrong. Senior brother is still suspicious of Li Sheng. He has studied Li Sheng's various policies, but the conclusion he has come to is astonishing: "Li Sheng is accumulating wealth!" ”

Gongyan was silent. What the senior brother knows, he also knows. Although he also understood that Li Sheng's actions were not wrong as a monarch in troubled times, his behavior did violate the so-called "benevolence" in terms of "reason". "Can you be called a good person like that?" He heard the meaning of his brother's words.

Seeing his cousin's silence, Xiao Liu Min, who was already admired by Li Sheng's actions in his heart, was naturally unwilling to let his "reason" be subdued. So, he opened his mouth and asked, "I don't know if the lives of the people in the four counties of Jiangxia are higher or lower than before?" ”

"That must be high. …… After all, they turned out to be nothing. For this clear fact, Gongyan's senior brother cannot deny it.

"It's high. Those uncles and aunts don't care what the adults do or how much benefit they receive. For them, the key is to survive in this world and have a bite to eat. Xiao Liu Min said such a serious sentence very rarely under the stunned gaze of the two brothers. This is also an undeniable fact.

"That's just as well." Gong Yan, who had seen a lot of the troubled scenes, nodded lightly, and he understood that what his little cousin said was very correct: "...... In fact, it's not just that the people in the troubled times only seek a bite to eat, even if the world is peaceful, what the people think about is still the food and clothing of that year. Regarding the tragedy that happened because of the lack of food and clothing, Gongyan not only heard about it from the old people in the past, but also saw a lot of it in the past one or two years of travel. Every time he saw it, he felt that his heart hurt so much, he was so incompetent.

However, he used that method...... "The senior brother seems to want to argue about something."

"That's understandable, too." This time, it was Gongyan who opened his mouth: "Xiyang was developed by Lord Li Sheng, and it is unlikely that he will waste his hard work on others." You say that he is selfish, in order to take care of the people, in short, under the circumstances at that time, he wanted to keep his achievements and let Xiyang's 'new deal' continue, and he could only turn everything in Xiyang into his own private property. You know, this Jingzhou is not Lord Li Sheng's own. Gongyan understands Li Sheng's actions very well. After carefully thinking about Li Sheng's various behaviors, he realized that everything Li Sheng had done so far was the best decision he had made in that situation.

"......" was silent, and the senior brother was speechless, he didn't seem to think of any other reason to prove his words. Finally, he let out a long breath, and his heart had let go of his original position. He asked Gongyan with a smile: "How is it, can you go with me?" ”

"Where to go?" Gong Yan was a little stunned.

"Go to Master Li Zixu." The senior brother smiled and said, "Hearing you say this, I was persuaded by you. You also know the situation in my family, and I urgently need a job. Originally, I was going to try my luck on Lord Liu Biao's side, but since you said that the new Taishou is such a stake, then I want to go to his side first to see if there is a chance to enter the scene. But you also know that I'm always so helpless when it comes to strangers, so I want you to come with me tomorrow to strengthen my courage. I don't know, can Senior Brother Gongyan help me with this? ”

"Do you want to be under Lord Li Sheng's account?" Gong Yan looked at his senior brother in some surprise.

"yes. My mother is seriously ill, and the family doesn't have much money, so if I can get a job with Master Li Sheng, then I think I should have money to treat my mother's illness. The senior brother said lightly, with a slight bitterness in his words.

"Why didn't you say it earlier? I'll be able to help you then. Gong Yan looked at his senior brother with some blame.

"Forget it." Senior Brother shook his head slightly: "Your family is not very wealthy. And, don't you know my temper yet? ”

"Alas......" Gong Yan sighed, and finally agreed: "Since the senior brother is so resolute, then I have to sacrifice my life to accompany the gentleman." Gongyan didn't dare to say anything more about helping him, because he knew how "strong" his senior brother was: he would rather swallow all the bitter fruit himself than let others help. For him, coming to ask himself to accompany him to Li Sheng's "assessment" is already the biggest face he has pulled down. This is also the extraordinary relationship between himself and him, if it is an ordinary friend, he is afraid that he will not even say the situation in his own family.

"This is my good junior brother!" The senior brother smiled and gently patted Gongyan's shoulder.