whisk

Chapter 10

Xie Chenyan almost used the fastest speed, and took Xiaohua day and night, he wanted to go back before the age of the year.

Although he has forgotten many things, he vaguely remembers that the New Year's Eve is an extremely important moment of the year.

He wanted to spend that day with Shen Menghan.

Even though it was as hectic as the day of his birthday, when he came back smelling of alcohol, and huddled together with him, eating a bowl of noodles and a bowl of glutinous rice balls together, he felt that day It is extremely complete.

It's a pity that God always fails to fulfill people's wishes.

Beizhao and Nanyan had some friction at the junction of Jiannan Road and Jingxiang Road in the autumn, and even the entire Jingxiang Road under King Su's rule was under martial law, and Xie Chenyan lingered on Jiangnan West Road for four or five days.

He went to the official road every day, and the eldest lady in the post shop and teahouse knew him. Seeing that he was anxious, she chatted with him: "Based on past experience, this official road will not open before this year."

Xie Chenyan's eyes widened: "Ah?!"

The tea lady was getting old, and she couldn't help being happy when she saw the handsome young man, she stretched out her hand to caress the top of his hair, and said in a low voice, "If you're in a hurry, here, can you see the mountain in front?"

Xie Chenyan obediently let her touch her, and replied, "I see."

The tea lady said: "There is a market on the other side of the mountain, people from Jingxiang Road also come to catch up, but they don't take the official road here."

Xie Chenyan's eyes lit up: "There is a path over there!"

Tea Lady glanced at the officers and soldiers stationed outside, raised her finger and said, "Shh..."

Xie Chenyan thanked her, then went to the direction she pointed, and she forced a pack of refreshments into the package.

Xiaohua is not an ordinary horse, it is a short-legged pony. There are streams in the mountains, and stones are paved on the streams. , Xie Chenyan jumped up, Xiaohua tested it a few times, but her legs were too short to reach it.

Xie Chenyan stood on the steps in the middle of the stream, laughing so hard that he couldn't stand upright.

Xiao Hua got angry, swung her horse's head left and right, and rushed into the dense forest, trying to bypass this stream in vain.

Xie Chenyan chased after him and said, "Are you stupid! You know how to swim!"

Xiao Hua stopped her hooves suddenly, Xie Chenyan accidentally bumped into the horse's ass.

He thought that Xiaohua had figured it out, but he didn't expect that a person was lost in the frosty withered grass in front of him, covered in blood, and he didn't know whether it was dead or alive.

Xiao Hua lowered her head and sniffed, then retreated a long way in disgust.

Xie Chenyan stepped forward to try it, and breathed a sigh of relief—he was still alive.

Xie Chenyan put some wound medicine on the man, put it on Xiaohua's back, wandered around in the mountains for several hours before finding a village.

He and Xiao Hua brought a bloody man, the villagers didn't dare to take him in, Xie Chenyan didn't force him, asked them for some water, put the man down, and wanted to feed him some water, but the villagers didn't expect that After taking a look, he said in surprise, "Isn't this Zhang Bi from Hongkou Village!"

Xie Chenyan raised his head and said, "You recognize him!"

The villager said: "I recognize it! His widow lives in Xisanli! I'll call someone to invite her!"

The villager asked his wife to tidy up a room, and found his old clothes to change for Zhang Bi, and finally tidied up his appearance for him, for fear of scaring his widowed mother.

He and Xie Chenyan said: "He is a posthumous child, his mother can count on him, he was conscripted last year, how did he become like this."

His wife said from the side: "Who's family is not like this, I said I want you to go back to my mother's house with me, stay here, sooner or later you will end up with him!"

The villager said: "This is where Hutie's native place is, and you won't be able to escape even if you go back to your mother's house."

They talked in a fog, Xie Chenyan wondered: "What does it have to do with living here? Is the feng shui here bad?"

The scenery here is quite beautiful, and the mountains and rivers are also strange. Xie Chenyan walked by and thought this place was extremely beautiful, but it was a pity that Shen Menghan could not see the scenery here.

The villager explained Xie Chenyan to him in detail. It turns out that this place is located at the boundary between Jingxiang Road and Jiangnan West Road, and Jingxiang Road was separated from Jiangnan West Road in recent years after King Su led the army. It was assigned to Jingxiang Road, but these mountains still belong to Jiangnan West Road.

Both taxes and corvee will be re-levied here.

Xie Chenyan wondered: "There are so many duplicates in the yellow book, so no one will find out?"

The villagers said: "In the past, the Yellow Book of Jiangnan West Road only registered the population of Ding Jikou, with surnames but no names. After the new Jingxiang Road was established, there were no details of names."

Xie Chenyan asked suspiciously, "Should I...should report to the officials?"

His wife interjected: "Jingxiang Road is the boundary of His Royal Highness King Su, and the sheriff of Jiangxia County on Jiangnan West Road is also the cousin-in-law of Queen Su's mother, Concubine Shu. The righteous men we sent to make two petitions have gone and never returned."

Just as he was talking, Zhang Bi's widowed mother arrived and began to cry bitterly, so the village woman went to persuade her.

Xie Chenyan was puzzled again: "According to what you said, at most you lost some money, why did Brother Zhang almost die?"

The villagers said: "His Royal Highness King Su took the Jingxiang Road, and for the conscription, the free service fee has been increased several times. If the family is poor, there is not much left after the two roads collect taxes. It's even worse, if you can't get the money, you have to go to the army, if one day the two dynasties go to war, there will be no return."

In the final analysis, King Su was very happy, and he was reluctant to part with the tens of thousands of extra population at this junction. The war would have consumed the household registration, and there was a cousin in Jiangxia's side, so he didn't take it for nothing.

The villager glanced at Zhang Bi and his mother, then whispered to Xie Chenyan: "You see, according to the laws of Nanyan, only sons, especially widows' only sons, should be exempted from military service, but Zhang Bi is still exempted if he can't pay the taxes. His Royal Highness King Su has left, so he probably escaped from the battle with Bei Zhao a few days ago."

Xie Chenyan thought for a while and said, "Then there is no other way?"

The villager said sadly: "Yes, if someone can go to Nanjing Jidao to sue the imperial court and take a pair of Houhu yellow booklets, the truth will naturally come to light."

Xie Chenyan patted his small chest and said: "When I finish my business and return to Nanjing Ji Province, I will file a lawsuit for you!"

Xie Chenyan took the villagers' papers, and within two days, the fingerprints and joint names on the paper were affixed to several pages.Xie Chenyan was sent all the way to the territory of Jingxiang Road by the excited villagers, and just fled while patting Xiaohua.

After a few more days, he just entered Qianzhong Road, and he knew that he had been affixed.

He has a calm temper, and if he is adorned by someone, he will make trouble.

Those few seemed unwilling to hurt him, and only led him to fight and retreat.

Xie Chenyan was so angry that he stopped, and shouted: "Fart quickly, I don't have time to talk to you."

The few people whose noses and faces were swollen by his beating looked around, bowed to him and said: "Young Master, Elder Zhenshu has something to talk to you about."

Xie Chenyan said: "Does your master sell Naihe Gu?"

He ignored their names, and only followed his own thoughts to ask.

The few people looked at each other in surprise, and said in trepidation: "Not for sale."

Xie Chenyan turned around and got on his horse, and said bluntly, "No."

The person who spoke just now said anxiously: "Naihe Gu is not a rare thing, if the young master wants it, Elder Zhenshu must have a way to get it for the young master."

Xiao Hua wanted to run in a hurry, Xie Chenyan reined in the reins, doubtfully said: "Really?"

The man knelt down on the ground, bowed to him with a five-body salute, and said: "Elder Zhen Shu must be omnipotent to the young master."

Xie Chenyan frowned as he watched him kneel down, feeling vaguely familiar, but more of a novelty, he thought to himself that I have never seen anyone bow to Brother Menghan like this, and I might try it next time.

Those people naturally didn't know what he was thinking, Xie Chenyan patted Xiaohua and said: "Then let's go and have a look?"

The man was a little excited and said: "The young master is willing to go with us?"

Xiao Hua snorted, as if there was nothing to do.

Xie Chenyan said to himself: "Then let's go."

Xie Chenyan was riding on Xiaohua, and those people respectfully invited him into a courtyard.

This courtyard is located in the deep mountains, covering an extremely wide area, with carved beams and painted buildings, it can be regarded as spacious and luxurious.

Xie Chenyan only glanced casually, then looked away.

He has lived in Yin Pavilion for a long time, and the prosperity of the world is no longer in his eyes.

But those few people were winking at each other: they are so calm and composed, as expected of our young master.

Zhen Shu saw that they had brought a young man back. Although the young man was not tall, he behaved leisurely and had a strong character. As soon as he stepped into the door, his dark eyes looked straight at him. As if the time had turned steeply, with tears in his eyes, he murmured: "It really does."

Xie Chenyan was a little puzzled: "What does it look like?"

Zhen Shu said lovingly, "Like your father, and also like your mother."

Xie Chenyan felt kind to him when he saw him, so he asked, "Have I met you before?"

Zhenshu said: "Although I have never met you, I have watched your parents grow up."

Xie Chenyan remained silent.

Zhenshu said: "Xiao Xie hungry? I asked them to prepare some food. I don't have ginseng antler here, but Baiji Baizhi and honeysuckle are available."

Xie Chenyan wondered: "How do you know that I love to eat these things?"

The pillow stroked his hair and said: "You need these things to practice this kind of kung fu."

Zhou Qian once said that Xie Chenyan looked like a normal person only in front of Shen Menghan. In fact, he was not. Although sometimes his mind was not sharp and his memory was not very good, he could clearly tell whether others treated him well or maliciously. If you treat him sincerely, he will not be so unkind.

The tea girls on Jiangnan West Road, as well as Zhenshu, all treated him well, he knew it very well.

Zhenshu and Xie Chenyan were talking about family affairs affectionately, and when he heard his elder brother Menghan kept falling out, he just smiled lovingly and did not interrupt him.

The servant served the honeysuckle tea, and Zhenshu pushed towards him, "Xie Xie, come to moisten your throat."

Zhen Shu considered his words and said, "Xiao Xie, do you still remember your mother?"

Xie Chenyan nodded vigorously: "Remember!"

Zhenshu smiled and said, "What did she tell you?"

Xie Chenyan said: "She told me to be a good person."

Zhenshu's eyes dimmed, and he nodded slightly.

Xie Chenyan said: "She also told me to avenge my father."

Zhen Shu lowered his eyes and was silent for a while.

Xie Chenyan held his breath and said: "Grandpa Zhenshu knows who is the leader of the Demon Cult?"

Zhen Shu shook his head and said, "There is no sect in this world that claims to be a Demon Cult, it's just a rhetoric of the same party and against dissidents."

He also felt that Xie Chenyan's question was strange. Wasn't the Devil's Cult mentioned by the people in the Jianghu 16 years ago exactly their Zhaoyuemen?

"However, I know a thing or two about your father's death." Zhenshu said.

Xie Chenyan looked at him expectantly.

Zhen Shu pondered for a long time before saying: "There are proposers, there are those who do it, and there are even those who respond, but the mastermind who planned all this is no longer in this world."

There are too many, if you really want to avenge Xie Mingzhao, it is to make Xie Chenyan an enemy of the entire Wulin League.

Xie Chenyan let out an "ah".

Zhen Shu said again: "Although the mastermind is dead, his successor..."

Xie Chenyan looked up at him with a childish expression.

Zhenshu sighed softly, and said ruthlessly, "It's the Brother Menghan you mentioned, Young Master Yin of the Yin Pavilion."

Xie Chenyan put down his hands and said anxiously: "He is not a villain!"

"He is indeed not a villain." Zhenshu hardened his heart: "But he is an insider, Xiao Xie, he will not fail to recognize who you are, he has been lying to you."

The person who brought Xie Chenyan back said that Xie Chenyan was looking for the Nai River Gu, so he knew what Shen Menghan meant. He heard that the person was not in good health. Xie Chenyan was so young, so nothing else would matter. To be buried as a martyr, Zhenshu was the first to disagree.

Xie Chenyan said: "He doesn't recognize me! He doesn't know who I am either!"

Zhenshu said, "Do you remember the past?"

Xie Chenyan's mind was in chaos, he stood up abruptly and said, "I'm going to ask him myself!"

Zhenshu didn't move either, and let him get on Xiaohua and ran out the door.