Gan Ning was bored guarding the city gate, and since he took refuge in Liu Biao, he felt that he didn't have a good day.

Although it is stable, there is no need to go to the battlefield to fight.

But for Gan Ning, such a comfortable life might as well let him die.

As a prodigal young man who has been licking blood at the tip of the Yangtze River in his teens, Gan Ning has not known how he came over in the past two years.

The last time he cut people was after rebelling from Liu Zhang, he left the Yangtze River he was familiar with and came to this strange ancestral land.

Occasionally, he would go to see the Gan clan village clans outside the city, but he felt that he had nothing to do with those people.

At most, everyone had an ancestor a hundred years ago, and other than that, there was no emotional connection.

And those days continue to this day.

From a distance, Gan Ning saw a huge team outside the East City Gate, and there were more than 20 hula carriages, hugging each other in front and back, obviously a big family was traveling.

Deng Hong took Cai's back to Huangmen Pavilion during the New Year, passed by Cai Yang on the way back, and went to his mother's house by the way.

Seeing that the two were very affectionate, the father-in-law and mother-in-law were very pleased, and when they saw that the elders of Huangmenting Township gave the couple seven or eight cars with large bags of gifts, they suddenly felt that they could not be shabby.

So after coming out of his mother's house, there were seven or eight more cars, plus the original more than ten carriages, for a total of more than twenty cars.

Although Gan Ning didn't know that this convoy was Deng Hong's convoy, his own family was a big family when he was in Ba County, and it was more extravagant than this when he traveled, so he just glanced lazily and didn't pay attention.

But to his surprise, when the party arrived at the city, they did not enter the city immediately, but gave way to the road, moved the chariot and horses to the base of the city wall, and a few people came down from the chariot and came in the direction of the city gate.

"General Xingba."

Deng Hong waved his hand above under the city and shouted.

Gan Ning only recognized it at this time, isn't this the new state capital Gongcao engaged in Deng Hong?

They had also met a few times before, because Deng Hong was appointed by Liu Biao to promote keel waterwheels in various places in Nanyang, so he had been in and out of Xiangfan many times.

Every time he passed by, Deng Hong would come to visit with gifts and talk about it, so the two sides could not talk about making friends, but they could also be said to be good friends, and they were already very familiar.

But in the past, Deng Hong was two or three people every time he passed by, and he plus the subordinates of the two state capitals followed, why did he suddenly bring so many people this time?

Gan Ning was quite puzzled.

At this time, he didn't know that Deng Hong had married Cai.

The reason why this is so is because the list of guests for the banquet was drawn up by Cai's family, and there was Gan Ning's top boss Zhang Yun in it, but there was no Gan Ning.

The Cai family was one of the top families in Jingzhou, and according to later generations, the people who came and went were people from the upper class.

Therefore, when drawing up the list of banquet guests, the Cai family invited high-ranking officials and magnates in Jingzhou and the door valves of top families.

Gan Ning said that it was difficult to hear that he was a general, and to say that it was a lower-level officer with 800 soldiers.

Not yet eligible for the guest list.

Although Deng Hong wanted to invite, the sovereignty was in the hands of the Cai family, and he had no choice.

Therefore, until now, Gan Ning did not know that Deng Hong had married a wife.

However, Shen Chen had already explained that he wanted to have a good relationship with Gan Ning, so when he came to Fancheng at this time, Deng Hong also took the bride and Shen Chen to visit for the first time.

Although Gan Ning was puzzled, when a friend came to visit, he also waved in response and shouted, "Mr. Youshuo." ”

Deng Hong entered the city with Cai and Shen Chen, and several servants brought gifts behind him.

After entering Fancheng, Gan Ning had already gone down to the city tower to wait for them, and after the two sides met, they greeted each other, and then went to the direction of Gan Ning's house in the south city.

At this time, it was afternoon, and Gan Ning was supposed to be on duty, but he was casual, he went to work when he wanted to, and he got off work when he wanted to get off work, and everyone was used to it, and Zhang Yun couldn't control him.

Therefore, he brought everyone to his home, and everyone sat in the middle hall, Deng Hong and his wife sat on a mat, Shen Chen sat alone, and Gan Ning sat on the main seat.

Seeing such a situation, Gan Ning also came back to his senses, and said with some curiosity: "Is Xiaoshuo planning to faint?" Is this here to invite me today? ”

He also thought that this was an engagement, and the faint ceremony of the Han Dynasty was not a trivial matter, and it had to pass six ceremonies, and the marriage ceremony was the last ceremony.

Gan Ning thinks that we are also old acquaintances, so you have to invite me to get married. So when I saw Deng Hong coming with a woman, I thought it was an invitation to work after the engagement.

"I'm ashamed."

However, when he said this, Deng Hong was even more ashamed, and said a little embarrassedly: "This time I came to Fancheng, I asked Xingba for guilt, I fainted with Ah Wei Shi in November last year, and I wanted to invite Xingba at that time, but I ...... it."

Gan Ning's face changed suddenly, and he was very unhappy in his heart.

In vain, he still regarded Deng Hong as a friend, but when he got married, he didn't invite him across the water, how could this make him happy?

However, just when Gan Ning was about to have a seizure, Cai got up and bowed to him slightly: "Uncle Lang is polite, my husband often tells me that Uncle Lang is his friend, and I came to see Uncle Lang today, and I also look at Uncle Haihan." ”

Gan Ning snorted coldly: "Since you are a friend, you don't even invite me to go, what kind of friend is it?" ”

Cai said: "My husband has been talking about inviting my uncle every day for the past few days, and I have already invited my uncle on the list. It was my father who took the initiative to remove the list, and it was not until the day of the evening that the husband learned about it, and asked his uncle to know, and he only blamed my father for this matter, not for the husband. ”

Gan Ning's face was still unhappy, obviously still angry.

Cai Shi said again: "I know that Uncle Lang is angry, and my husband wanted to send someone to inform Uncle Lang of the situation. It was I who dissuaded me and said that we would come to the house together and ask for sin. I also blame my father for being short-sighted, only saying that he wants to invite those high-ranking families, but he doesn't know the real heroes. The husband often says that the uncle is a great hero, and he is broad-minded, and he will understand the difficulty of the husband. ”

After some decent words, he complained about his father again, and praised Gan Ning again, which made his face suddenly soften, and said: "Since your father only wants to invite those high-ranking families, he must also be a family, don't you know that my Bajun Gan family is also a famous family in Yizhou?" ”

Cai's bowed slightly and said, "Uncle, although my father is Caiyang Cai's. But only at home all day long, how to know the heroes of the world? Except for my uncle who is the Taishou of Nanjun, he may only have those big families in Jingzhou in his eyes. ”

Cai Yang Cai's?

After learning that the other party was Cai's, Gan Ning looked at Deng Hong, and when he saw that the other party's face was full of embarrassment at this time, his mood was much better, and he also had some understanding and consideration for Deng Hong.

The Cai family was the most powerful first family in Jingzhou except for Liu Biao.

Cai Mao is the Taishou of Nanjun and the military division of the general of Zhennan, and is in charge of most of the soldiers and horses in Jingzhou for Liu Biao, so his eyes are above the top.

Even if the daughter of the family gets married, the person invited is also a nobleman, and it is normal to cross Deng Hong's friend off the list.

Gan Ning himself is from a family, how can he not know the arrogance of these families?

So he now understands why Deng Hong wanted to invite him, but he couldn't do it.

Thinking of this, Gan Ning's dissatisfaction with Deng Hong in his heart also dissipated a little, and he laughed and said: "I see, this is my misunderstanding of Youshuo, fortunately, Mrs. solved my confusion for me, otherwise I might lose my friends because of this." ”

Cai smiled lightly and sat down.

Deng Hong looked at his wife with a grateful face, hugged her in his arms, and gently held her hand.

Shen Chen on the side didn't speak, and after he entered the door, he was actually very worried that Gan Ning would turn his face because of this incident, after all, Gan Ning was also a short-tempered person.

As a result, he never expected that the Cai family was really as virtuous and virtuous as the legend, and he was generous, and the situation was reversed in a few words.

Or maybe that's the heritage and upbringing of a big family.

Women in the Han Dynasty couldn't help but read and write, and many women in wealthy families were talented people, although there was no shortage of rude and willful people, such as Sun Shangxiang was a typical representative.

But most of them still followed the elite education of the Han Dynasty aristocracy, such as Erban, Cai Yan, Zhuo Wenjun, and later Xie Daoyun, Zuo Di, and Su Hui during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were all well-known figures.

The Cai family is the top family in Jingzhou, and the history books record that "at the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhu Cai was the most prosperous". You can know the status of the Cai family in Jingzhou.

can cultivate such a knowledgeable, gentle and wise woman, but she is also cleaning up.

Sure enough, the sixth uncle was lucky.

Although he is not good-looking, he is a virtuous helper like Huang Yueying, and he will not be prosperous in the future?

"Xingba, come to the door today to make amends, and ask Xingba to forgive me for my rudeness."

Deng Hong clapped his hands, and the servant outside the door came in with a gift, and said with a smile: "This is some of my Huangmen Pavilion specialties, among which there are preserved foods and spirits, how about Xingba taste the taste?" ”

"Then I'll try."

Gan Ning greeted him, called the steward and ordered the gifts to be sent to the backyard, so that they could take the food brought by Deng Hong to the kitchen to make dishes and serve the spirits to drink.

The so-called preserved meat is actually jerky, which was later called bacon, and was one of the common gifts in ancient times.

When Confucius accepted disciples in the Spring and Autumn Period, he used this as a tuition fee and named it the gift of bondage, and friends often gave it to each other.

Soon the steward brought the spirits.

Everyone opened it and poured it into the cup, and Deng Hong reminded: "Xingba, this wine is strong, don't drink it all at once, just taste it." ”

"Really? I don't believe it. ”

Gan Ning also likes to drink, but there is no wine that can make him feel strong, so he didn't believe it at the moment, poured the wine into the cup, and poured it into his mouth according to his usual habits.

As a result, as soon as he poured it in, he realized the seriousness of the matter, a spicy sensation came from his throat, and the rest of the wine was in his mouth, and he didn't swallow it, so that his face changed suddenly, and he was very embarrassed.

Seeing this situation, Deng Hong hurriedly persuaded: "Xingba, spit it out." ”

Gan Ning is more tough, but if you persuade him like this, he is afraid of being looked down upon, so he simply took a sip, took two sips, and drank all the remaining wine in the wine glass.

Then he pretended to be calm, put down the wine glass and said: "This wine is really good, some energy, but if you want to get drunk, you still owe some heat." ”

said so, but the slight flush on his face betrayed him.

The wine cup used in the Han Dynasty was called Jiuyao and the wine bottle that was very popular was thought to be, and the size of the wine goblet unearthed in later generations was different, but according to the record of "Shuowen", the regular wine goblet should be between two and three liters.

In the Han Dynasty, one liter was equivalent to 200 grams in later generations, and a glass of wine was about 400 to 600 grams.

In other words, Gan Ning drank at least one pound of liquor in this cup, which is equivalent to drinking a bottle of one pound of Niulanshan, which is easy for people who have not been exposed to spirits.

Deng Hong immediately praised: "Xingba is really massive, on weekdays, I only dare to drink one or two sips to warm up in winter, but I didn't expect Xingba to drink it all." ”

"Well, it's nothing."

Gan Ning held on, glanced around, and suddenly noticed that Shen Chen was a little silent today, so he said curiously: "Why didn't Shen Xiaolang speak today." ”

Shen Chen, who is already ten years old this year, has grown a lot taller, and when he saw Gan Ning asking him, he arched his hand and said, "Uncle Ancestor was faint before and was not called Uncle Xingba, so I feel ashamed. ”

"It's okay, it's just a little misunderstanding."

Gan Ning waved his hand, and seemed to remember something, looked at Shen Chen and smiled: "By the way, last year Xiaolang said that Nanyang was going to be in chaos at the beginning of this year, why is it still very calm." ”

Shen Chen said meaningfully: "Yes, last year, there was a big chaos in Guanzhong, and the warlords in Guanzhong lacked grain and grass, so they must eat in Nanyang, as expected, after a while, there should be news in the direction of Wuguan." ”

"You guy, you just have a hard mouth."

Gan Ning shook his head, glanced at the Cai family, restrained himself a little, and said: "Liu Yuanjun is now strong and strong, who would dare to provoke him." ”

Shen Chen said with a smile: "Then the general should be regarded as a joke in the morning, and in a few days, he will be able to prove something." ”

"Come on, come on, Xingba drink."

Deng Hong immediately advised him to drink.

The two drank and chatted, and in the afternoon, Deng Hong's servants had already found a boat, loaded the carriage and horses into the boat and prepared to cross the river.

Fancheng and Xiangyang are close at hand, just cross the river, and there is no need to spend the night in Fancheng today.

Gan Ning drank a little violently at the beginning, and then tasted it slowly little by little, didn't drink too much, and was slightly drunk, but he still forced Deng Hong and them to the outside of the city.

On the occasion of parting, Shen Chen said to Gan Ning again: "Uncle Xingba, do you remember our agreement at the beginning?" ”

Gan Ning thought for a while and said with a smile: "Naturally, remember, if you are right, I will listen to you in the future." ”

Shen Chen showed fox-like cunning eyes again, nodded and said, "Just remember, Uncle Xingba, don't break your word." ”

"Don't worry, I'm just as good as Ji Bu."

Gan Ning played a package ticket.

So they got on the boat and waved goodbye to Gan Ning on the side of the boat.

After they left, Gan Ning staggered on the horse, the wine was really strong, and the stamina was also great, at this time he just wanted to go home and sleep comfortably.

However, as soon as he reached the gate of the city, he suddenly saw several of his own guards hurrying out of the city.

Gan Ning was a little puzzled, it was true that he was skipping work to receive friends, but he ordered his soldiers to continue to strictly guard the city, why did all his subordinates learn from him to skip work?

Unexpectedly, when the guards came to his side, he immediately knelt down on one knee and said, "Sima, something happened." ”

Gan Ning was working as a Sima of another department under Zhang Yun at this time, and when he heard the report of his subordinates, he frowned and said, "What's wrong?" ”

"Wuguan is in an emergency, and a group of Xiliang troops from Guanzhong are storming Wuguan and threatening Xixian County."