The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 211 Tao Wenju takes the lead and shares the worries

The next day, Houzan indeed mobilized a large number of troops to gather the officials of Jiedu Mansion, and sent people to invite Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu. Everyone gathered in the meeting hall of Jiedu Mansion to discuss the division of powers and responsibilities.

Houzan was the official deputy envoy who landed in Jingzhou, and he had two thousand Feilong troops in his hands. He was full of confidence, and of course he would propose to intervene in the power of the Zhangyi Army.

Before he came, Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei had already prepared.

But I didn't expect that this guy was so impatient. He didn't even finish walking around Anding County, and he just wanted to find meat from the basket.

The meeting lasted for more than two hours, a lot of time wasted, and no substantive decisions were reached at all.

During the whole process, I only heard Shi Kuangwei and Hou Zan arguing with their necks, and the officials of the Jiedu Mansion below were divided into two sides trying to persuade each other.

Zhu Xiu spread her legs and leaned on the chair to doze off. She did not stop the fight or express any opinions.

It was inevitable that Hou Zan wanted to interfere with the power of the Changyi Army, but this guy seemed to be too impatient, which would inevitably annoy Shi Kuangwei.

In fact, Lao Shi also knew that sooner or later, part of the power would have to be devolved. Houzan was both the deputy commander and the supervisor of the army. He had a way to directly contact the Kaifeng court. If the Zhangyi Army blindly rejected it, the court would never let it go.

Lao Shi tried to push back and obstruct in every possible way, but he was just showing off to let Houzan and the court know that the Changyi Army was not the rotten persimmon they had in their hands.

Naturally, the meeting broke up unhappily, and Shi Kuangwei disappeared as soon as he left the meeting hall.

Zhu Xiu knew that he was going to pick up Wei Hu and Guan Tieshi, so he didn't ask any questions and walked back to his office with his hands cut behind his back.

"Young Master, please stay!"

Tao Wenju appeared from nowhere and blocked the way.

"I asked you to accompany Mrs. Fu and Yan'er to the agricultural reclamation area to relax. Why did you come back?" Zhu Xiu was startled, but he didn't expect it to be him.

Hearing Zhu Xiu's somewhat unkind tone, Tao Wenju hurriedly said: "Young Envoy has misunderstood. It's not that I came back without my permission, but that Mrs. Fu wrote a letter home and asked me to go back to the city and send someone to Qizhou and Luoyang. I was thinking about the young envoy, so I thought of visiting the residence and reporting to the young envoy on the current situation of the two ladies."

Zhu Xiu's face softened a little, and she looked him over and saw that the hem of his clothes and shoes were covered with dust and mud. It looked like he had traveled a long way.

"Well, thank you for your hard work."

Tao Wen raised his waist and bowed down a little: "Young Envoy is Tao's reborn parent. I will serve you even to the death!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and walked along the corridor with her hands behind her hands: "Follow me."

Tao Wenju was one step behind and followed step by step.

"How are Mrs. Fu and Yan'er doing in the farming area?"

"Reporting to the young envoy, the two ladies are living a very happy life. Mrs. Fu has raised chickens, ducks and silkworms. She is as busy as a farm girl every day, but she is also content and happy."

Tao Wenju described the details of Fu Jinzhan's life in the farming area. Zhu Xiu listened with interest and nodded frequently.

After listening, I suddenly felt something was wrong: "Where is Yan'er? What is Yan'er doing?"

Tao Wenju hesitated for a moment, and said vaguely: "Miss Yan chases chickens and dogs all day long, catches fish and shrimps, and when she is in a good mood, she occasionally goes to the field with a hoe on her shoulders, and learns how to work with the farmers, so she can live a happy life."

Zhu Xiu glanced at him and saw the hesitant look on this guy's face. He knew that Shi Lingyan was making a lot of noise in the farming area. He laughed and said, "It won't make a big fuss, right?"

Tao Wenju smiled bitterly and said: "Although she missed the mark, she's not far off. Alas, Madam Yan is lively and smart, loves to toss and tease people, and is full of energy. I really can't stand her in such a humble position."

Zhu Xiu stopped and stared at him, looking carefully: "Did Yan'er beat you?"

There was a faint bruise on the corner of Tao Wenju's mouth. He raised his sleeves to cover it up and said sadly: "On that day, Beizhi just said a few words, which made Madam Yan thundering and furious. He hit Beizhi with an old punch and almost fainted."

"Hahaha~" Zhu Xiu laughed loudly, "You have the guts! Even the boss dare not speak harshly to her, yet you dare to teach her a lesson? Tell me quickly, what did you say that annoyed her?"

Tao Wenju said sadly and angrily: "That day, a girl from a neighboring village who often played with Lady Yan was teased by an idle man from the same village. Lady Yan was so angry that she picked up a long whip and rushed to the neighboring village to teach people a lesson. She was afraid of causing harm to people because of her humble position. , begged hard, but Lady Yan didn’t listen.
In desperation, the humble officer said that the young envoy has always liked women who are as gentle as water, if Lady Yan doesn't change her fiery temper, I'm afraid the young envoy will dislike her."

"What do you say, Nizi?" Zhu Xiu rubbed her chin with interest.

Tao Wenju looked sad and pointed at the corner of his mouth: "Of course I didn't say anything."

Zhu Xiu clapped her hands and laughed again.

Tao Wenju said aggrievedly: "The people in that farming area are all the families of soldiers of the Changyi Army. The land within a radius of more than ten miles is the fertile land allocated to the sergeants by the young envoy. If Lady Yan is not careful, someone will die." , wouldn't it damage the image of the old commander and the young envoy Jun as wise and powerful, and even spread gossip among the army.

If something like this happens, it's okay for the two families to just quarrel. If it's more serious, it's reported to the official for punishment. How can Madam Yan be allowed to act as she pleases? Her humble position is all for the sake of the old commander and the young envoy."

Zhu Xiu patted him on the shoulder: "You're right, you handled the situation well. Go to the accounting office to collect twenty pieces of money, which will be considered as the medical expenses I gave you for Yan'er."

Tao Wenju grinned and said, "How can I ask for money from the young envoy?"

"Take the reward! You did a good job, I'm very satisfied."

Tao Wenju bowed and said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Young Envoy, for the reward."

"How will this matter be resolved later?" Zhu Xiu asked again with a smile.

"Fortunately, Madam Fu came back in time. After hearing the whole story, she had the same idea as me. Madam Yan listened to Madam Fu and didn't cause trouble again." Tao Wenju said depressedly.

Zhu Xiu smiled and continued walking forward.

The two girls were happy living in the farming area, and he was relieved.

Shi Lingyan is a natural optimist, happy treasure, having her with Mrs. Fu, presumably it will make it easier for Mrs. Fu to feel happy.

"When I finish what I'm doing, I'll go see them."

Tao Wenju said hurriedly: "Ms. Yan has been talking about the Young Envoy all day long. This time when I returned to the city, I ordered me to ask the Young Envoy when he would accompany them."

Zhu Xiu remembered something again and asked, "Why are Madam Fu's letters home sent to Luoyang?"

Tao Wenju replied: "I heard that she is Mrs. Fu's sister. Mrs. Fu's second wife is coming and has already arrived in Luoyang."

"What? Are you really here!?" Zhu Xiu staggered, and Tao Wenju was so frightened that he quickly reached out to help him.

Zhu Xiu held on to the doorframe and stared in shock, her lips trembling: "What on earth do Fu Yanqing think? Mrs. Fu is not his biological child, right? How could she agree to Uncle Guo so rashly? It's over, it's over, now we're in trouble."

"Young Master, are you okay?" Tao Wenju approached with concern.

Zhu Xiu pushed him away, stumbled back to the official room, sat down, and fell into anxious thoughts.

The second lady Fu came to Jingzhou, which meant that Fu Yanqing had basically agreed to Guo Wei's marriage proposal.

As the representative of the Guo Wei power group, he will marry the Fu family in Yanzhou.

In other words, Uncle Guo's reputation was big enough to allow the dignified Duke Wei to send his daughter to Jingzhou for a blind date all the way.

Zhu Xiu frowned and thought about it for a moment, but even he couldn't quite figure out the pros and cons.

How should we explain this matter to Shi Kuangwei and Shi Lingyan?
If Old Shi knew, he might chase him with the Fengzui Overlord Saber.
Coupled with Shi Lingyan's cowhide whip, it felt so sore when it was slapped on the body.
"Young Envoy? Young Envoy?" Tao Wenju stretched out his hand and scratched in front of his eyes.Zhu Xiu came to his senses and glared at him angrily. Tao Wenju retracted his hand with a smile.

"Young Envoy, why did Mrs. Fu come to Jingzhou?" Tao Wenju asked suspiciously.

"You ask me, who am I asking?" Zhu Xiu scolded as if she felt guilty.

Tao Wenju didn't dare to ask any more questions, but he just looked at Zhu Xiu with something strange in his eyes.

Zhu Xiu patted his forehead, forget it, the soldiers will come to block the water and cover up the soil. I'm afraid there are still two months to go from Luoyang to Jingzhou, we will talk about it then.

"If nothing happens, please step back, rush back to the farming area, and take care of the two ladies." Zhu Xiu waved his hand.

Tao Wenju secretly closed the door, trotted back to his side, and said in a low voice, "Have you heard that Wei Hu is back?"

Zhu Xiu pouted: "You are quite well informed."

Tao Wenju smiled shyly and said with a serious face: "Wei Hu deceived the Jiedu government, defrauded money and food, and secretly sent people to contact the guards at Liupanguan and Watingguan with the intention of rebelling and self-reliance. How could he commit such a serious crime? Forgive easily?"

Zhu Xiu said indifferently: "Wei Hu has followed the old man for ten years. The old man missed his old feelings and wanted to forgive him. What do you want me to do? Are you going to disobey the old man's order and forcibly kill Wei Hu?"

Tao Wenju said sinisterly: "Today is different from the past. Since the young envoy took charge of the Changyi Army, the population has increased sharply, the warehouses have become richer, and the years are getting better and better. Every household of the common people has been assigned fields. The young envoy has become more and more famous. Everyone supports me. If the young commander strongly advocates killing Wei Hu as a warning to others, I’m afraid it will be difficult for the commander to stop him."

Zhu Xiu narrowed his eyes, his expression neither happy nor sad, and Tao Wenju suddenly felt uneasy.

After staring at Tao Wenju for a while, Zhu Xiu suddenly said: "What if the forced killing of Wei Hu causes a rift between me and the old commander?"

"This." Tao Wen raised his eyes and rolled them around. The words came to his lips, but he didn't dare to say them. There was a strong cunning look in his expression.

Zhu Xiu said indifferently and without emotion: "Don't you think you want me to kill the old commander as well and completely occupy the Changyi Army?"

Tao Wenju felt as if there was a huge burden on his body, which was extremely heavy. He knelt down with a thud, sweat dripping from his forehead, and stammered: "Young Envoy is not a heartless and unrighteous person, how could you treat the old commander like this?" To start? The meaning of humble position is that the old commander originally intended to let the young envoy take over the power. If the young envoy strongly advocated killing Wei Hu, the old commander would not be able to stop him even if he was unwilling!
Once Wei Hu died, the young envoy no longer had any constraints and could concentrate on dealing with Houzan and the Kaifeng court.The old commander is old and no longer has the ambition to make progress. The future of Changyi Army still depends on the young envoy."

Zhu Xiuning stared at Tao Wenju. Tao Wenju knelt down and lowered his head, his whole body trembling slightly.

"Get up." Zhu Xiu's tone was much gentler than before.

Tao Wenju secretly breathed a sigh of relief, climbed up, bowed his waist, lowered his head and lowered his hands, not daring to express his anger.

Zhu Xiu tapped the desk lightly and said calmly: "I understand what you mean. You mean that my position in the Changyi Army is now stable, and even if I have differences with the old commander, he cannot stop me.

So even if there is a rift between you and the commander after you kill Wei Hu, it doesn’t matter. At the worst, we can have a military remonstrance and imprison the commander without harming his life. This can be regarded as fulfilling our mutual kindness."

Tao Wenju smiled sarcastically and saluted: "This is a strategy that has the best of both worlds, young master."

Tao Wenju didn't dare to finish his sentence because he had already seen the sharp light in Zhu Xiu's eyes.

"It's a capital crime for despising one's position! Please forgive me, young envoy!" Tao Wenju was so frightened that he lay on the ground on all fours, trembling.

Zhu Xiu shouted coldly: "Tao Wenju, I really underestimate you! If the Xue brothers had used you more seriously back then, I'm afraid they wouldn't have ended up like this!"

"I know it's a crime because of my humble position! Please spare my life, young envoy~wuwu~"

Tao Wenju kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Having taken refuge in Zhu Xiu for more than a year, he got to know his young master quite well. He knew that his master was really angry and he might lose his head if he was not careful.

Zhu Xiu was really angry and scolded: "You want to force me to be Dong Zhuo? You want to occupy the magpie's nest just because you rely on your own merits? Unfaithful, unfilial, unkind? Who gave you the courage to come in front of me and sow discord?"

Speaking of where he was angry, Zhu Xiu grabbed a pen and smashed it down, hitting Tao Wenju's forehead, leaving a dark ink mark.

"When a man walks in the world, he should do something and not do something! If I am really an ungrateful villain, why should I lead the Changyi Army? Who will trust me in the future?"

Zhu Xiu regretted throwing out the pen. It was bought by Wu Dazhu from Shuzhong and specially given to him as a gift. It is said that it is worth more than ten guan.

Feeling sorry for money, Zhu Xiu became more and more angry. She looked around and found nothing worth throwing away. She thought about taking off her shoes and throwing them away.

Tao Wenju knelt down for a few steps holding the shoes, put them on for Zhu Xiu with a stern look on his face, and said with a smile, "You must have realized your mistake in your humble position. If you still don't feel relieved, just kick me a few times!"

Tao Wenju hugged Zhu Xiu's leg and pushed it against his chest. Zhu Xiu pushed it away in disgust.

"This humble position has no intention of harming the commander-in-chief, but if Wei Hu is not eliminated, it will be difficult for the commander-in-chief to control the Changyi Army with peace of mind.

Now that another deputy envoy has arrived, the young envoy and the old commander must work together to fight against him.

Young Master, just imagine, what should we do if Wei Hu gets involved, secretly stabs us, or even colludes with Houzan?

This battle is related to the survival of the Changyi Army, so don't be careless! ~”

Zhu Xiu put on his shoes, stepped on them hard, and scolded: "No matter what, you can't destroy the friendship between me and the old commander!"

Tao Wenju heard something between the words and hurriedly said: "So, the young envoy agrees to get rid of Wei Hu?"

Zhu Xiu was noncommittal and snorted: "If you have any other ideas, let's share them together."

Tao Wen raised his eyes and wandered around furtively, and said in a sinister tone: "I still have a trick to make Wei Hu appear automatically, completely making the commander disappointed with him, and then I can justifiably kill him."

Tao Wenju made a beheading gesture.

Zhu Xiu said nothing and pointed at her ears with her fingers.

Tao Wenju understood and murmured in his ears.

Zhu Xiu endured the smell of garlic in this guy's mouth and listened to his entire plan.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "Do you want to learn from Huang Gai?"

Tao Wen threw down his robes and bowed down, righteously said: "For the young envoy, I would like to be ashamed of my humble position!"

Zhu Xiu rubbed her chin: "With your body and bones, can you really bear it?"

Tao Wenju hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Don't turn around until you die!"

Zhu Xiu took a deep breath, nodded slowly, said nothing, and waved him away.

Tao Wenju knew that his master had made up his mind, so he respectfully resigned and gently closed the door.

There was silence in the office room. Zhu Xiu got up and walked around, thinking silently.

After a while, he picked up the valuable Shuzhong yellow hair pen, flicked his wrist, and two flowing words appeared on the paper: Wei Hu

After staring for a while, Zhu Xiu made a long horizontal line on his name.

(End of this chapter)