With the influx of time from all directions, coupled with Xiao Yi's control here, Jiangling has also become more prosperous and lively than in previous years.

Although the city is lively, some supporting facilities and resources cannot be significantly improved immediately. In particular, the high-quality living environment is related to the overall pattern planning and defense arrangement of the city, and it is extremely difficult to change.

Therefore, many people who came to Jiangling from Jiankang had to live in the middle of the city, living together with the people in the city, and the chaotic living environment was naturally not as good and livable as the old house of Jiankang, which was one of the reasons why many Jiankang people were eager to return to Jiankang.

Located in the backyard of a temple in the west of Gangneung City, the courtyard wall is crawling with vines, which looks a little messy and barren, but the house is still neat, but the lacquer-colored mottled pillars also reveal a bit of dilapidation, and several slaves in the courtyard are sprinkling and sweeping, but no matter how neat and tidy the cleaning is, it has nothing to do with the style.

"May I ask if Zhang Hou lives here?"

A young man in a fancy costume came to the courtyard surrounded by several wealthy slaves and shouted into the courtyard.

When the servants in the courtyard heard the sound, they hurriedly put down their tools, hurried to the gate of the courtyard and asked who was coming.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a plain robe walked out of the room, nodded to the young man with a name card in his hand and said, "It turned out that Liu Lang was visiting, and the humble house was frugal and not enough to entertain guests, it was really rude!" ”

The young man is Liu Zhixuan's subordinate Liu Guangde, and the middle-aged man is Zhang Xi, the son of his uncle Zhang Zhang, who was killed by Xiao Jing, the king of Liang.

Liu Guangde waved at Zhang Xichang, and then said with a smile: "The younger generation has returned from the north, only to know that Zhang Hou has also come to Jiangling, and he went to the old house to visit but failed to see it. ”

Liu Guangde's uncle Liu Zhixuan and Zhang Xi's father Zhang Zhang used to work together in the East Palace, and they were both scholars and elegant collectors, so they had a good relationship. In the old years, Zhang Zhang also bought a house in Jiangling and settled here for several years, and Liu Guangde also got acquainted with his people.

After Zhang Xi heard this, a trace of gloom and loneliness flashed in his eyes, and he sighed: "The old garden is no longer mine, and the remnants of the disaster live here, not intentionally let Liu Lang visit and not see." ”

"The world is impermanent, and so do my relatives...... Alas, so when I saw Zhang Hou today, my heart was churning and I couldn't be calm! ”

After Liu Guangde heard this, he also sighed, and clicked a little bit about his uncle being poisoned by the current emperor, and narrowed the relationship with Zhang Xi through a similar experience.

Zhang Xi's father, Zhang Zhang, was killed by Xiao Jing, the king of Liang, because he provoked Xiao Yi to attack Xiao Yu, the king of Hedong, and plotted against Xiangyang with Xiao Yi's support. However, soon after Zhang Zhang's death, Xiao Yi ordered the raid of his family's home, and confiscated all the more than 20,000 books and treasures he had collected, including Zhang's family residence in Jiangling.

So after Zhang Xi came to Gangneung, he was so homeless that he had to live in this dilapidated temple.

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, Zhang Xi invited Liu Guangde into the room, and after Liu Guangde entered the room, he took a look and found that this room was more dilapidated than what he saw outside, and there was only a bamboo screen with many holes in the side room.

Liu Guangde hurriedly retracted his gaze, and knelt down to the woman and said, "The minister visited Her Royal Highness the princess, and he was not summoned, please forgive the princess!" ”

The Zhang family and the Xiao Liang royal family intermarried for generations, and Zhang Xi also married Princess Haiyan, the daughter of Emperor Xiao Gang of Jianwen, who was the woman who spun yarn indoors. Xiao Gang had already been killed by Hou Jing, and Emperor Nanliang was also replaced, so the princess and the concubine were naturally out of breath.

Zhang Xi is so depressed now, probably because of this level of in-law relationship, at least in life, he has not received special care from the emperor, which is similar to other Jiankang Shiliu who lives in Jiangling and has a difficult livelihood.

It is not a day for the Zhang couple to fall from nobility to poverty, just looking at the princess's skillful spinning skills, it can be seen that they are gradually accustomed to this kind of life, but when they see Liu Guangde worshipping so respectfully, the dusty memories of the husband and wife are alive again, and they can't help but feel sad, and they can't help but burst into tears.

Liu Guangde saw that the sad thing that aroused the couple, he couldn't help but feel quite ashamed and embarrassed, cautiously and slowly withdrew, and then waved his hand to summon the house slave to whisper, he didn't go into the room to see the sad and embarrassed couple, just stood in the courtyard and waited.

Not long after, Liu Guangde's house slaves brought several carts, which were loaded with all kinds of exquisite daily utensils, and there were more than a dozen male and female slaves. Under Liu Guangde's command, these servants unloaded all the utensils on the cart, and after consulting Zhang Xi, they carried the utensils into the house and decorated them.

After half an hour, the room was redecorated, and although it was still a slightly dilapidated monk's house, there were exquisite lacquerware, gorgeous colored satins, screens of various shapes, and various kinds of furniture, which also covered up the shabby and dilapidated atmosphere.

"Liu Lang, how can this be...... It's a shame! Rich and poor, all people make their own, but the princess is a noble family, and she has tasted all the suffering of the world with me, and she is really ashamed of the emperor's entrustment, only to be born to receive this grace, thank you Liu Lang, thank you ......"

When Zhang Xi saw the behavior of the Liu family's slaves, he pulled Liu Guangde's sleeve and thanked him again and again with a look of shame and gratitude, but he looked at the male and female servants and said: "As for these slaves, please bring Liu Lang back, it's not that I am proud of Liu Lang's kindness, it's just that Jiangling is meager and difficult to raise!" ”

Liu Guangde couldn't help but curse in his heart when he heard this, but when he thought of the intention of this trip, he still endured the displeasure in his heart, looked at Zhang Xi and smiled and said: "In life, who has no hardships and sufferings? The past is the warm day of spring, Zhang Hou is a famous family, the emperor's relatives, I am now to help some vulgar things to make friends, and please Zhang Hou do not complain about my presumptuousness. As for these slaves, it is their honor to be able to serve the nobles, and as for their food and clothing, they will naturally be used from me, so that they will not bother! ”

After Zhang Xi heard this, he immediately smiled again, although he only knew Liu Guangde before, and did not have a deep friendship, but under Liu Guangde's gifts, he suddenly became a confidant and good friend, and he pulled Liu Guangde to enter the room to drink.

Liu Guangde naturally would not refuse this, so he entered the room with Zhang Xi, and asked the house slave to serve the sumptuous wine and food that had been prepared long ago and drank with Zhang Xi.

chatting with each other, the topic turned to the current lively issue of whether to move the capital or not. Zhang Xi naturally raised his hands in favor of this, the days he spent in Jiangling were too hard.

Although at the beginning of his arrival in Jiangling, Emperor Xiao Yi gave him an idle position as a waiter, but he did not give anything else, and even the confiscated goods of his family were never returned. This is really too difficult for the noble son who is already well-dressed and well-fed. And the old acquaintances around him, the situation is not much better than him. Even old friends from Gangneung, who have a family business and hold their fists, do not dare to make more contact because of his status as a bad horse.

Liu Guangde listened to Zhang Xi's complaints, and couldn't help but ask: "I heard that Jiankang has been destroyed by the chaotic army for a long time, and by the details of the king's division, even the Huangyuan Taicheng is dilapidated, even if you return, what are the best ways for the families to live?" ”

"There are always some, at least you can ask for a foreign appointment, and you can eat the county!"

The children of the family have been clothed and fed since childhood, and they don't know how to make a living, and sometimes their families are in the middle of the road and have nothing to eat, so they ask to be put out to the place, and then they will return to Jiankang to enjoy happiness, hearing Liu Guangde's question, Zhang Xi replied as a matter of course.

"But now the state and county are also dilapidated, even the land of Sanwu, which was called rich in the past, is now ruined. What's more, the powerful martial arts sects between states and counties are entrenched, unruly and untamable, and there are countless people who have lost control and abused them, I'm afraid it's not a good plan to make a living! ”

Liu Guangde said with emotion again, and when he saw Zhang Xi's face become sad again, he said with a smile: "Does Zhang Hou know why I have frequently traveled back and forth to northern China in recent years? There is a lot of potential for prosperity in it, and this matter is not a secret, but Zhang Houxi has not been here for a long time, and he has not heard of it. ”

Then he carefully talked about the profits of the trafficking merchants in the north of the country, and said in a seductive tone: "Zhang Hou is a noble man, so naturally he can't be cheap from this time, but he only needs to go to the north to visit General Li for a ride, and get his appreciation, and immediately make the slaves of the family to reap the profits of the goods in the two places, which is a hundred times better than returning to the remnants of Jiankang!" ”

"But, my father was victimized in Xiangyang, and Li Boshan is a close friend of King Yueyang, so he is willing to see me and reward me?"

Zhang Xi was naturally very moved after listening to Liu Guangde's description, but when he thought of his father's old affairs, he still asked with some hesitation.

"So who did Zhang Xiangong die at, Zhang Hou still doesn't know? The deeds before his death may be hidden, but everyone sees everything behind him, why did Zhang Hou come here? Is it also forced to Xiangyang? ”

Liu Guangde saw his timid appearance of wanting to eat but afraid of being bitten, and felt that he had found the right person this time, even if he increased the intensity of lobbying.

Zhang Xi looked at the gorgeous decorations of the house, and then looked at Liu Guangde with a sincere face, and after hesitating, he finally nodded heavily and said: "I want to tell the saint to go to Xiangyang to visit my late father's clothes, and then ask Liu Lang to lead me to secretly cross the Han River to worship General Li." If it can be done, I will not forget Liu Lang's kindness! ”

Seeing that the goal was achieved, Liu Guangde nodded again and again. Don't look at the current Zhang Xi's downfall, but if you talk about the reputation and connections that are much stronger than him, if you can introduce Zhang Xi to Chubei for General Li's use, you can use this to string together more Jiankang times, so as to exert a deeper influence on the Jiangling Dynasty.

(End of chapter)