weaving

Chapter 1487 No need to worry about other places

The office of Yuan Shu, the Right Vice Minister of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission and the Circuit Intendant of Daliang, is the former residence of Minister Yuan right before our eyes. The words "Yuan Garden" are written on the lintel of the Yuan Mansion.

The Earl of Yongning looked at the lintel and said to Yuan Shu, "This place is not suitable."

Yuan Shu immediately understood and said, "The soldiers and civilians in the city all know that I have established my residence in my ancestral home. Whether the plaque is changed or not is not a big deal."

"This is unbecoming of your dignity." The Earl of Yongning said only four words before moving towards the door.

Yuan Shu was only slightly taken aback before he understood and quietly instructed Wang Renzhe, the chief clerk beside him, "Find someone to replace the plaque."

The courtyard after passing through the gate is very spacious. This is the main office of the Circuit Intendant's Office. The Registrar Wang Renzhe and the Vice Prefect Liang Ren worked here. Most of the government offices were located in this courtyard.

The Earl of Yongning did not linger there. He went directly into the second courtyard, which was the office and residence of Yuan Shu, the Right Vice Minister of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission and the Circuit Intendant of Daliang.

The Yuan Mansion is a three-courtyard complex, with many additional courtyards on its east side, totaling more than two hundred rooms.

Now, the two front courtyards have been converted into official residences, while the side courtyards serve as residences for various officials. For example, Wang Renzhe and Liang Ren lived in the side courtyard of the first courtyard when they were busy, and only occasionally returned home.

Yuan Shu lived in a separate courtyard next to the second courtyard, while his family lived in a side courtyard on the east side of the third courtyard.

After briefly looking around the second courtyard, the Earl of Yongning went directly to the third courtyard.

…………

The Yuan family mansion is quite special because the third courtyard is relatively independent, and there is an alleyway from the west that leads to the street in front of the main gate.

In other words, after exiting the second courtyard, one does not directly enter the third courtyard. Instead, there is an internal street separating them. To the west of the street is a small alley, and to the east is a small door that leads to a side courtyard.

When the Earl of Yongning heard Yuan Shu introduce the library in the third courtyard, which contained a large number of ancient books and paintings carefully collected by his father and himself, he was invited to enter the library to read if the Earl of Yongning had the time.

"The library?"

Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng immediately stopped in his tracks, looking hesitantly at the row of heavily armored cavalry in front of the back gate of the Yuan residence, his face showing a mixture of emotions.

Everyone was stunned by what they saw, and they looked at each other, not knowing why.

…………

It turned out that the words "library" had alerted Marquis Yongning, Zhang Cheng!
Although he didn't remember the specific details, Zhang Cheng still had a lingering memory of Gao Jie's cause and manner of death.

He vaguely remembered that Gao Jie, as one of the Four Garrisons at the end of the Ming Dynasty, initially only knew how to fight for territory, but in the end he was the one with the most resolute will to launch a northern expedition. Even though it was to consolidate and expand his own territory, he still died on the road to the northern expedition...

Dying for one's country in times of national crisis is perhaps the best possible end for Gao Jie personally.

However, it was Gao Jie's death that directly shook the foundation of the Southern Ming Hongguang regime, causing the four-garrison defense system, which was mutually supportive, to collapse rapidly, and the Southern Ming Hongguang regime to perish in an instant.

Zhang Cheng only remembered that Gao Jie died at the hands of the traitor Xu Dingguo, right below the library of Minister Yuan's mansion!

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“Commander-in-Chief,” Yuan Shu gently reminded the Earl of Yongning. Zhang Cheng then realized what was happening and looked at Yuan Shu, saying, “The library has a rich collection of items, all of which are flammable and should be kept away from fire. We are all uncouth people who cannot appreciate the value of wealth or beauty.”

He turned around and looked at the crowd around him, saying with a smile, "In my opinion, we should not disturb the beauty in the book."

Yuan Shu thought that the Earl of Yongning was praising his Yuan family's scholarly background, and felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and said, "Commander, the backyard is quiet and undisturbed, which is just right for you to rest."

He generously stated, "The commander-in-chief is a man of both literary and military talent. His poem 'Han Zhongjun' is enough to make us ashamed, so why should I be modest?"

When Yuan Shu mentioned the Earl of Yongning's famous work, even Zhang Cheng couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. However, he still harbored resentment towards the library in the backyard of Minister Yuan's residence.

“This is the residence of the late Minister Yuan Sima, and I dare not disturb him,” Zhang Cheng continued, leaving no room for argument. “Let’s move the banquet to the main hall of the second courtyard.”

Yuan Shu was puzzled by the decision of the Earl of Yongning, but he dared not object. He immediately ordered his servants to move the wine and dishes to the main hall of the second courtyard.

"Commander, we were originally scheduled to stay in the backyard. Should we change our plans now?"

The Earl of Yongning looked at his middle-ranking officer Zhang Mingyuan, who reported softly, "It has all been checked, there are no problems with the defenses, and all the sentry posts have been properly set up."

"Are there any other places?"

Faced with the question from the Earl of Yongning, Yuan Shu was puzzled but dared not not answer. He thought for a moment before saying, "The east side is the state government office, which was originally the office of the grain transport commissioner. However, it has been uninhabited for a long time and is somewhat dilapidated."

"It doesn't matter."

Zhang Cheng waved his hand and said, "Those who are constantly on the move and fighting in the field find it most reassuring to live in such a dilapidated place."

Since the Earl of Yongning had spoken, Yuan Shu, though unwilling, dared not delay. He immediately ordered his steward to personally lead people to the government office in the east to make arrangements and move all the bedding and other items that had been set up in the backyard to the government office.

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Since Luo Rucai and his generals did not come, Yuan Shu's side consisted of only him, Wang Renzhe, and Liang Ren, plus the Earl of Yongning and his subordinates Sun Shixiang, Hu Yiwen, and Liu Chengzhu, making a total of seven people at one table.

Meanwhile, Zhang Mingyuan, the commander of the central army, and Hu Dayou, the commander of the heavy cavalry, refused to sit at the table because of their duty to protect the Earl of Yongning. One of them stayed by the Earl of Yongning's side, while the other went to the state government office in the east to inspect the defenses and set up sentry posts.

At the start of the banquet, Yuan Shu was the first to rise and offer a toast, praising the Earl of Yongning. Then, the registrar Wang Renzhe and the prefect Liang Ren also offered toasts.

The Earl of Yongning treated Yuan Shu and the other two in the same way. He first praised their abilities, then expressed his high expectations for them, and declared that he would give them his full support. He only hoped that the three of them would do their best to serve the king, stabilize Guide, and comfort the people.

"Everything else is easy to deal with, except for some local voices opposing military settlements, which can be suppressed." Prefect Liang Ren seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words.

The Earl of Yongning was preoccupied with his quiet conversation with Yuan Shu and ignored him. However, Sun Shixiang chimed in from the side, "Prefect Liang, feel free to speak frankly so that we can all discuss this together."

Liang Ren glanced at Yongning Bo and Yuan Shu, then lowered his voice slightly and said to Sun Shixiang, "Mr. Sun, I'm afraid that those people who were selected from Cao Cao's camp are used to robbing and pillaging and won't be able to settle down and farm."

Sun Shixiang smiled upon hearing this and said, "The matter raised by Magistrate Liang is indeed somewhat difficult to handle."

He then raised his glass and clinked it with Liang Ren's, saying softly, "However... these people are all incorporated into the military settlements, so the local authorities don't need to worry about them too much!"