"This ......," Mei Xiancheng said nervously, "I don't think it's necessary." ”

"Why is it not necessary? If you don't agree, we'll give you some money......"

Although the county Cheng wanted to show off his prestige with his power, he didn't dare to gain an inch, so he found an excuse and coaxed him to say: "The reason why I said it is not necessary is because this Chen County Ling Su Ri puts the future first, and since he has stammered with your Lu family, he will definitely not let go easily." How could someone like him do such a thing for a woman? ”

After listening to the stewardship, he also felt that there was some reason.

Mei Xiancheng was relieved again: "As the saying goes, 'a boiled duck can't fly', you can rest assured." If you are afraid that it will be difficult to explain when you go back, we will serve with good wine and meat here, and it will not be too late to wait for a few days. Think about it, isn't that the truth? ”

The steward nodded deeply, and then made another gesture: "In this case, I can just go and report to the master, so that I don't have to bother the county lord, so as not to arouse suspicion." ”

He pulled out, and the county asked, "Do you need me to send it personally?" ”

"You're welcome, you're welcome, you're busy!" After he finished smiling, he strode across the threshold and turned to leave the Taizhou County Ya.

Chen Tongpao stayed in Jiangdu County for three days. He discussed the matter of the prefect with Leng Ping all day long, but the discussion was in full swing, but other than that, there was no more word.

The shopkeeper brings a bowl of warm tea to the magistrate every morning, but he is rarely seen going out.

On this day, he brought tea as usual, and when he saw that Chen had just tied up his civilian clothes and held a robe in his hand, he stepped forward to get tea.

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Are you going out today?" ”

"yes, go out." Chen said.

"Does it have anything to do with the prefect's return?"

Comrade Chen put on his official uniform and said expressionlessly: "Of course." I'm going to have to pick him up and wash the dust. ”

Wen Zhong soon saw Chen Tongpao in the gambling house. He stood at the top of the stairs, pouted, and the two big men walked down, grabbed Chen Tongpao's arm, and helped him upstairs.

"Yo, Master Chen hasn't left yet?" Wen Zhong wore a single coat, and he didn't make a salute, scratching the itch on his body, and asked.

"I wanted to ask you to help me with something, so here I am again today."

Wen Zhong laughed: "I'm afraid it's to meet the prefect, right?" It's easy! He patted his comrade, "When the prefect returns to Jiangdu in the afternoon and has a big feast, I will take you over to get to know each other." ”

"Thank you." Chen said.

"Someone, arrange an empty room for him and rest for a while...... Also, the prefect must tell me before he arrives. Wen Zhong said, leaned on the railing and went upstairs.

A few hours later, a man came into the house, and he said to Wen Zhongyu: "The prefect is only twenty miles away from Jiangdu, and he is about to enter the border." ”

Wen Zhong stood up unhurriedly, "Don't be in a hurry to arrange Chen Zhixian first, you have found Chu Zi first, I just owe him a favor, so I just sealed the past forty taels of silver and asked him to buy a banquet, even if the money is paid by me, the credit will be left to him." ”

"In addition, on my birthday, Sect Song gave me ten pots of aged wine, and I have to help others. Now that the prefect is back, you can take him to a banquet and say a few more good words. If the old man takes a fancy to him, it is his creation; If people don't want to pay attention to it, and they don't blink their eyelids, then they can't blame me, after all, it's already done to do this. ”

"You get it." The guy said, "What about Comrade Chen?" ”

"Pull the car over, I'll go all the way with him." Wen Zhong said.

After Chen Tongpao was woken up, he learned that the prefect had entered the city and rested temporarily in the Chuzi Mansion, so he put on his coat and went out of the gambling house with Wen Zhong, and saw a three-horse cart at the door. He got into the car and leaned in, and saw that it was very empty, enough for five or six people, so he sat down at will.

Wen Zhong also walked in and smiled at him, "How is it?" Have you ever been in a car? ”

"In Taizhou, I don't even ride a horse, let alone this thing ......," replied my comrade.

The two chatted excitedly, and were about to say a few more words, when suddenly they saw the brass bell ring, the wheels turned, and their bodies jolted.

"How long will it take?" Comrade Chen asked.

"It's here in an instant. This time, I asked a friend who owns a dyeing shop to invite me, and I just went to his house. ”

"But you called Chu Zi?" The comrade remembered this person and blurted out.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wen Zhong slapped his thigh, "You know each other!" ”

"But I don't know much."

"My friend's experience was really bumpy, he originally did a silk dyeing business in Nanjing, but he couldn't get along there, so he had no choice but to move the entire dyeing workshop to Yangzhou. I was still a ruthless guy who was not afraid of heaven and earth, relying on three or two brothers, doing that kind of bastard thing everywhere...... But since hearing this, I have been a little more restrained. Because I know that no matter what, I have to do things with a conscience......"

After that, Wen Zhong took the opportunity to glance at the face of his comrade Chen, who didn't seem to care much about it; He sighed and said no more.

In an instant, the two of them suddenly felt their bodies lean, and suddenly stopped, and they knew that they had arrived at the place.

Wen Zhong patted his clothes, grabbed the curtain with one hand, and said to his comrades: "I'll go in first, you wait here, and then someone will call you over." ”

So saying, he jumped out of the car, gave a command to the groom, and went straight to the door.

After walking for a while, he saw the guy in his gambling house greeting him with a smile, so he asked, "How is the prefect?" ”

"The prefect is chatting with Guo Gong next to him."

"You didn't take that Chen Jiaoyu with you?"

The guy snorted: "The one surnamed Chen...... No way! When he got there, he only said some nonsense that didn't matter, mostly flattery, which annoyed the people of the palace. ”

Wen Zhong smiled bitterly: "This kind of person doesn't even have a bottom in his heart, and it's his turn to slap the horse?" Just like that, I still think about what glory and wealth, and I don't weigh a few catties and taels of myself first. ”

"Presumably Comrade Chen is also a passerby." The guy didn't have a good impression of these people who asked for the bookkeeper to do things, so he naturally didn't take him seriously.

However, Wen Zhong frowned solemnly this time: "According to the information I sent someone to hear, this person is not simple. In order to make a comeback, he has been going to curry favor with the Lu family of Yizheng, didn't he pay off the debts for them some time ago? But after paying the bill, he should have left immediately, and even asked me to take him to the prefect......"

"Who wouldn't want to stay a few more days if they have the opportunity to cling?"

Wen Zhong tugged at his sleeve, "No." I saw that he knew a little bit about Chuzi, and he must have known that this play was the first major signboard in Yangzhou, and he relied on the support of the prefect all day long to expand his industry in Yangzhou; But now the Lu family wants to share this cup, and the two families are naturally competing against each other. Comrade Chen came this time, obviously under the guise of seeing Chu Zi. ”

"Why did he betray the Lu family?" The more the guy listened, the more he didn't understand.

"Comrade Chen is a person who puts interests first in everything. But this interest is by no means greedy for money and lustful, but the interest of truly considering one's own safety: that is, calmly moving according to the situation, not being disturbed by temperament, those who are safe will advance, and those who are in danger will retreat, and no move is out of the current situation. ”

Wen Zhong obviously didn't answer his question directly, but confused the guy.