Knowing that it was Shaanxi Governor Hong Chengchou who had summoned him, Xu Liang didn't dare to slack off, accepted the post, and asked the soldiers who sent the letter to bring back the message, and Xu Liang entered the house.

Compared with the main house of Xu Mansion in Pingliang Mansion, this mansion in Xi'an Mansion can only be called another courtyard. Regardless of the scenery and manpower, it is much inferior to the main house of Pingliang Mansion.

As soon as Wang Qinian entered Xi'an Mansion, he separated from Xu Liang and hurried to Zhou Yuanwai's house to see his wife and child.

The Tsing Yi guards who had rushed back from Gongchang Mansion with Xu Liang were busy carrying luggage from several carriages, and Xu Liang and Tietou walked inside.

After passing through the two courtyard gates, I was surprised to hear the sound of a young woman laughing in the courtyard.

Xu Liang listened attentively, and then walked in with a happy face. Bypassing the winding verandah and passing through the courtyard gate, I saw the third lady Lou Xian'er of the Xu Mansion smiling and playing a game of eagle and chicken catching in the courtyard with a few maids.

As soon as Lou Xian'er looked up, she saw Xu Liang standing at the gate of the courtyard, like a brisk little butterfly, broke away from the chicken team, ran over, stood in front of Xu Liang, Ying Ying smiled: "Xianggong, you are back." ”

Xu Liang stepped forward to hold the beauty's hands and asked in surprise, "Xian'er, why did you come to the Xi'an Courtyard?" ”

Lou Xian'er smiled proudly and said: "Xu Jiang is studying in Xi'an Mansion, and it was he who wrote a letter to his family, saying that you want to go back to Xi'an Mansion to preside over the preparations for the Autumn Festival. Sister Feng thought that Xianggong would definitely stay in Xi'an Mansion for a few more days, so she asked Xian'er to come to the other courtyard first to accompany Xianggong. ”

Xu Liang listened to it and guessed that most of it was revealed to Xu Jiang by Ding Shiyou, a scholar and politician in Shaanxi. For Ding Shiyou's kindness. Xu Liang was very satisfied, so he asked, "So, what about Xu Jiangren?" ”

Lou Xian'er covered her mouth and chuckled. glanced at Xu Liang and said, "At this time, Xu Jiang is studying his homework in the school, and it will probably not be until the evening before Xu Jiang can come back." ”

Xu Liang listened, looked at Lou Xian'er's smiling appearance, and his mind floated for a while, and he grabbed Lou Xian'er's thin waist. Walking in the direction of the bedroom, he said softly as he walked: "We have been separated for more than a month, let the Xianggong check and check." Let's see if you're fat. ”

Lou Xian'er said shyly: "People don't have it......"

The two of them kept warm in the bedroom, and talked for a while, and in the blink of an eye, in the evening, Yahuan came over and said that Xu Jiang was back.

Xu Liang and Lou Xian'er were dressed neatly. Go to the front yard to meet Xu Jiang.

Xu Jiang met Xu Liang and Lou Xian'er. He was extremely polite, and arched his hand: "The third brother is back!" ”

Xu Liang nodded and asked, "Is the eldest brother still used to living in the school?" Master Ding once praised my eldest brother in front of me for his pure knowledge. ”

Xu Jiang said modestly: "Master Xuezheng is knowledgeable, sincere to others, and takes good care of me. The third brother of Lao bothered, and the students of Xi'an Fuxue were very friendly to me. ”

Xu Liang snorted.

Lou Xian'er smiled and said: "Big brother study hard, this time Qiu Yu will come back with a solution." ”

Xu Jiang said: "My brother and sister made fun of it." ”

At this moment, the iron head paced over. Chao Xu Liang said: "Third young master, the hour is not early. It's time to leave for Lord Hong's mansion. ”

Lou Xian'er and Xu Jiang heard this, and said in surprise: "Xianggong, don't you have dinner at home?" I've got the kitchen ready. ”

Xu Liang said: "The governor is called, and I dare not go." ”

Xu Liang and Tietou then took a few Tsing Yi guards and rushed to the mansion of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Shaanxi.

When he came to the door of Governor Hong's house, he was led into the courtyard by the door, and saw three carriages parked in the courtyard, and several subordinates next to the carriage were stacking things on the carriage, Xu Liang looked at it, and saw that almost all of the carriages were books, and the other two were some clothes and bedding, boxes and cabinets and other things.

Look at this frame, it's ready to move.

At this time, Governor Hong could hear the people's reports and greeted a middle-aged scribe.

When Xu Liang saw Governor Hong, he asked in surprise: "Zhongcheng, are you preparing to move?" ”

Governor Hong smiled, stretched out his finger and pointed to the middle-aged scribe who was accompanying him, and said, "Guozhong, come, let me introduce to you, this is Hong's close friend, Shaanxi according to the envoy of the department, He Zhun He is the master." ”

The middle-aged scribe stepped forward and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, I have seen Lord Xu." ”

Xu Liang heard that he was a good friend of Governor Hong, and Governor Hong solemnly introduced himself to him, so he knew that the relationship between the two must be extremely deep, so he hurriedly helped him up, and said in a loud voice: "Lord He is too outside, Xu regards Lord Hong as a brother, and it is enough for Lord He to call Xu Liang directly." ”

"Lord Xu is polite. You are from the third grade to participate in politics, He Mou is only a mere five products according to the inspection of affairs, the etiquette can not be abolished. "He Zhundao.

Xu Liang was still polite, and Governor Hong smiled and said, "Let's not stand in the courtyard and talk, please come inside." ”

The three of them entered the living room, and a banquet had already been prepared in the living room, Governor Hong beckoned Xu Liang and He to take a seat, Governor Hong said a few opening remarks, and the three of them had a drink together.

Xu Liang asked impatiently, "Zhongcheng, are you preparing to move?" ”

Governor Hong glanced at Xu Liang, frowned slightly, sighed lightly, and said, "Originally, I was going to write to you, but now it happens that Guozhong has returned to Xi'an Mansion to preside over the preparations for the Autumn Festival, so I just called you over to get together before leaving." ”

Xu Liang's face changed when he heard this, "Zhongcheng, do you mean to leave?" ”

Governor Hong nodded slowly.

"Where are you going?" Xu Liang asked.

"Governor of Pingtuo Yansui." Hong Chengchou said.

"Huh?" Xu Liang said in surprise, "Why is it so fast?" There was no news at all before. ”

Hong Chengchou also seemed to be dissatisfied with this order, and said: "The transfer of the officials just came down three days ago. ”

At this time, according to the investigation of the matter, He Zhun also sighed: "When He left Shaanxi a month ago, I heard Brother Hong talk about your plan to govern Shaanxi at the wine table, and I didn't want me to return to Xi'an Mansion again, so I actually heard Brother Hong say that you want to be transferred, alas, the things in the officialdom are really getting more and more unclear." ”

Xu Liang pondered for a while and said, "I remember that Zhongcheng, you are still the governor of Shaanxi, and your time is still short, why do you suddenly want to be transferred?" ”

Hong Chengchou looked gloomy when he heard this, and he raised his neck and drank a full glass of wine. He sighed, glanced at Xu Liang and He Zhun, and said in a deep voice: "The matter of the Northwest People's Army is progressing smoothly. The trilateral governor Yang He grew in prestige, but Governor Yang was blindly weak and peaceful, and Hong did not dare to agree with many practices, so he admonished Governor Yang several times...... Alas, I didn't expect Yang He to be so narrow-minded, and he would play this kind of trick of the obedient prospering and the rebellious perishing. ”

It is true that although the two official positions of governor of Yansui and governor of Shaanxi are both called governors. However, the weight of the governor of Yansui is much inferior to that of the governor of Shaanxi.

Xu Liang has always been very uninterested in Yang He, and immediately said very indignantly: "Old man Yang is the most insidious. If he doesn't get the slightest disobedience, he will retaliate. Since he took office as the governor of the tripartite, I have never specifically targeted him, and you see when the old man has looked at me pleasing to the eye. ”

Xu Liang was so indignant. And He Zhun is the fifth product of the inspection. On weekdays, I don't even have the opportunity to meet Governor Yang, so I don't have any specific impression of Governor Yang, so it's hard to express my position.

However, He Zhun asked a key question, "Who will take over the errand of the governor of Shaanxi?" ”

This is also a question that Xu Liang is particularly concerned about, so he stared at Hong Chengchou.

Governor Hong pondered for a while and said, "The court has not yet decided on the successor, and Shaanxi Province should be a business. For the time being, Yang He, the governor of the three sides, personally acted as his agent. ”

This is really bad news for Xu Liang.

Governor Hong saw that Xu Liang and He Zhun were both lost in thought. The atmosphere in the room was a little heavy for a while, and Governor Hong didn't want to make a good parting banquet so heavy, so he raised his glass and greeted: "Guozhong, He Zhun, the overall situation has been decided, and there is no room for turning back on this matter." What else do we want to do with all this, come on, drink! ”

Xu Liang sighed lightly and drank with him.

After eating a round of dishes, the three of them stopped talking about Hong Chengchou's transfer, and picked up some light topics to talk about.

Hong Chengchou said to Xu Liang: "Guozhong, you are presiding over the preparations for the autumn festival this time, and you don't have much experience if you want to come to Guozhong, so listen to Ding Xuezheng's opinion on everything." ”

Xu Liang looked at Hong Chengchou and asked hesitantly, "What does Zhongcheng think, how is Lord Ding?" ”

Hong Chengchou thought for a while and said, "Ding Shiyou has served as a scholar in Shaanxi for nearly ten years, and this official has never heard of anything wrong with him. The key is that Ding Shiyou is a decent person and has no bad intentions. Xu Liang listened to Ding Xuezheng's words, and there was no harm in it. ”

He Zhun also nodded and agreed: "Brother Hong is right, Lord Ding is worth befriending." ”

Xu Liang heard that Hong Chengchou and He Zhun both spoke very well of Ding Shiyou, so he was also relieved.

Hong Chengchou asked He Zhun again: "By the way, Brother He went to Jiangxi to investigate the case, everything is going well, right?" ”

Xu Liang was taken aback and asked, "What, Lord He has been to Jiangxi Province?" I don't know what case it is for? ”

He Zhun said loudly: "Actually, there are no important cases, there were three murders in Shaanxi Province a year ago, and last month there was a cable report that the murderer appeared in Nanchang Mansion, Jiangxi, and the inspector ordered me to take someone to investigate." ”

"The result?"

"Alas," He Zhun sighed and said, "I went to Nanchang Mansion to check carefully, and finally proved that I recognized the wrong person." The trip to Nanchang Mansion can be described as a trip at public expense. ”

Xu Liang and Hong Chengchou both laughed when they heard this.

He Zhun laughed with him for a while, suddenly remembered something, looked at Xu Liang, and said, "By the way, Lord Xu's hometown is from Jiangxi?" Where is Jiangxi? ”

Xu Liang replied: "Jiangxi Ji'an Mansion." ”

"Oh," He Zhun listened and nodded slowly.

"How?" Xu Liang asked strangely.

"Oh, nothing." He Zhun shook his head and said, thinking in his heart that Xu Liangdu had already participated in politics from Sanlu, and it should have nothing to do with that matter. Then he changed the topic and said: "Brother Hong, we are going to set off tomorrow, He will toast you again, and wish you a smooth journey." ”

Hong Chengchou was the first to get drunk, took Xu Liang and He Zhun by one hand, panted for heavy alcohol, and said upside down: "After Hong left Shaanxi, the most, most reassuring convenience is that Guozhong you, and He Zhun, in the future, you, the two of you, should take care of each other, in case there is a loss of ......."

At this point, Xu Liang learned that the reason why Hong Chengchou summoned him but wanted to call He Zhun, who had never known all his life, was because he was afraid of He Zhun, or even more afraid that Xu Liang would be an official in Shaanxi, and that something would happen without Hong Chengchou, the governor of Shaanxi, and the two would help each other.

Xu Liang originally had this need, and immediately took advantage of the wine and agreed to express his attitude.

Ordered the people of the Hong Mansion to send Hong Chengchou back to the room to rest, and Xu Liang and He Yanshi walked out of the gate of the Hong Mansion together and went home separately.

The next day, Xu Liang personally sent Governor Hong out of Xi'an City, thinking that in the future, he would lack Hong Chengchou's care in the Shaanxi officialdom, and he would not be treated by Yang He, the governor of the three sides, and Qian Yongtai, the political envoy of Shaanxi, and the future would definitely not be as happy as before.

Ding Shiyou said well, to prepare for the autumn season, the officials and envoys below are very well prepared, Xu Liang only needs to set the general direction, and he doesn't need to worry about the details, even if there is something he doesn't understand, he can't get the right place, ask Shaanxi Xuezheng Ding Shiyou, basically can get a satisfactory answer.

More than ten days have passed, and the time has entered September, and the reference students from various state capitals in Shaanxi Province have poured into Xi'an City, on the streets, restaurants, teahouses, inns, and even in the opera garden, the building boat painting workshop, you can see everywhere the reference students dressed in Confucian shirts, shaking folding fans, and having a good demeanor.

Compared with these young students who are either confident or panicked, although Xu Liang is only twenty-three or four years old this year, he already dares to feel old.

When there were still seven or eight days before the autumn season, Ding Xuezheng invited Xu Liang to the political envoy department, and took out the list of students for his own review, Xu Liang roughly flipped through it, and soon found the ranking of Xu Jiang, a student of Pingliang Mansion, among more than 2,000 students, ranked 869th, belonging to the middle position, not conspicuous at all.

Ding Xuezheng looked at Xu Liang's face and asked cautiously: "My lord, looking at the ranking of Xu Jiang Gongzi, do you think you should lean forward again?" ”

Xu Liang knew that the students at the top of the queue would arrange a relatively better position in the examination room, at least the sunshine should be brighter.

Ding Xuezheng's meaning Xu Liang naturally understood, he thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Don't bother." Xu Jiang tested his real talent and learning, not a test position that can be influenced. ”

Ding Xuezheng listened, and he no longer insisted. In fact, Ding Xuezheng still took a lot of thought about Xu Jiang's ranking, he deliberately chose the middle position, and now it seems that Xu Liang is really satisfied.

After asking Xu Jiang's question, Ding Xuezheng said again: "My lord, Lord Xu Guangqi, the left attendant of the chief examiner's Ministry of Rites, has already arrived in Xi'an Mansion, and he and the two deputy chief examiners live in the yamen of the political envoy. ”

Xu Liang thought about it, Xu Guangqi is now an old acquaintance, he arrived in Shaanxi, how can he say that he should have met. As for the reason why Xu Guangqi actually chose to be the chief examiner of Shaanxi Province, Xu Liang has never guessed, so he is even more curious.

"That's it for today, tomorrow Lord Ding will accompany the official to visit a few chief examiners." Xu Liang said.

When he came out of the yamen of the political envoy and returned to the Xi'an courtyard, Xu Liang just entered the door, he was shocked by a gust of wind, and hurriedly raised his eyes to look, only to see Pingliang Tongzhi Huang Daozhou almost pounced, stopped in front of Xu Liang, and his face was full of anxiety: "My lord, it's not good, Lord Lu has been arrested!" (To be continued......)