The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 233 Lady, I'll Take You Home

On the official road leading to Anding County, a sizable team arrived.

Among the more than a hundred officers and soldiers, a spacious two-wheel carriage stood out.

The flags played by the officers and soldiers read "I was ordered to stay behind in Luoyang", and I think this army is under the command of Luoyang stay behind.

All the people walking on the official road gave way, and urban management team members wearing soap coats and iron short sticks hurried over.

In the carriage, Fu Jinhuan held his head up and leaned against the carriage board, covering his mouth and yawning from time to time.

When they arrived in Luoyang, the western capital, Wang Shouen, who stayed behind in Luoyang, sent troops and horses to escort them into Guanzhong.

When passing through Chang'an, they only stayed for one day and then set off in a hurry.

Leaving Chang'an and heading west, the desolation in the northwest becomes more and more prominent. There are few people and the vegetation is gradually turning yellow. Under the empty sky, the large areas of exposed brown rocks give people a desolate and rough beauty.

The temperature in autumn is a bit changeable. It's cold in the morning and evening, and it's often very hot in the afternoon. The air also becomes dry, which makes Fu Jinhuan uncomfortable for the new arrival.

After leaving Yilu County and stepping into the boundary of Jingzhou, there were no post houses where they could stay overnight. Fu Jinhuan and his maid Mo Xiang could only rest in the carriage.

After three days and nights, Fu Jinhuan felt extremely tired and weak all over. In addition, he had not slept well at night, which made the journey even more difficult.

The maid Mo Xiang has a better constitution and is more adaptable. Apart from the dry air and sometimes itchy nose, she doesn't feel anything else.

"Second Lady, eat a piece of candy."

Mo Xiang took out a jujube candy from the paper pocket, peeled it off and fed it into Fu Jinhuan's mouth.

"Ah~ so sour!" Fu Jinhuan held the candy in his mouth and frowned.

Mo Xiang consoled her: "Eat something sour to cheer up, it will become sweet after a while."

Fu Jinhuan continued to support his head sleepily, and his body swayed slightly with the shaking of the carriage.

"Mo Xiang, I want to go back to Yanzhou." Fu Jinhuan pouted, muttering a little aggrievedly.

Mo Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said comfortingly, "We're going to the Jingzhou prefecture, and the county seat is stable. If the second lady bears with it, she will be able to see the eldest lady soon."

Fu Jinhuan said angrily: "If eldest sister hadn't been here, I wouldn't have come! It's been such a hard journey~"

Mo Xiang held back her laughter and joked: "Second wife, don't forget, my wife sent you to Jingzhou for a blind date! Maybe you can take a young man back with you when you leave."

Fu Jinhuan stretched out his hand and hit Mo Xiang, feigning anger and said: "Your young lady is terminally ill, you damn girl doesn't care about others, yet you dare to make fun of her? I'm asking for a beating!"

Mo Xiang pretended to dodge, and said with a smile: "Second lady, spare your life! The blame can only be blamed on the fact that the gentleman introduced by Guo Shumi lives too far away, causing my second lady to travel thousands of miles to find her husband! If he lives in Kaifeng or Luoyang, he should be blamed. How good! But it doesn't matter. When you get married, I'll ask you to find a way to transfer your uncle to Yanzhou. This will make it easier to return to your parents' home if you have any quarrels in the future."

Fu Jinhuan's cheeks were flushed, and his eyes, which were shy and timid due to exhaustion, were flushed and moist, and he pinched Mo Xiang's armpit angrily: "How dare you talk nonsense!"

There was a burst of girlish silver bells laughing in the carriage.

After fighting for a while, Fu Jinhuan leaned against the carriage board, his lips slightly parted and panting. Mo Xiang covered her with a soft velvet shawl, pouted and said: "I think the second lady is afraid of catching the wind and cold, but she must not catch a cold. Just in case. When the new uncle meets him, he is afraid that he will blame the servant for not taking good care of the second wife on the road.
I heard that these generals in the border army are very fierce. If my new uncle blames me and wants to beat my maid, my second wife will have to protect me."

Fu Jinhuan rolled his eyes at her and pretended to be angry: "If you dare to make fun of me again, when I meet my eldest sister later, I will ask her to drive you away and not allow you to stay! You go back with the Luoyang officers and soldiers outside!"

Mo Xiang stuck out her tongue and begged pitifully for mercy: "The servant girl dare not, please don't drive me away! If the maidservant leaves, the second lady will stay alone. If the new son-in-law bullies me, I will testify and report the letter to you!" No one!"

Fu Jinhuan pinched her waist gently, and scolded her with a smile: "I see it is you, this damn girl, who has fallen in love with you and wants to get married early and live a happy life with your husband."

Mo Xiang's face with some baby fat turned rosy, like a ripe big apple, and she pouted: "No! I don't want to get married!"

Fu Jinhuan said with a smile: "It's not up to you to make the decision! Mother has long said that you are my dowry maid, and you will marry me together in the future. You have been calling me "new aunt" all day long, have you forgotten, that one is called "new aunt"? Zhu Xiu's may be your uncle in the future."

Mo Xiang blushed deeply and her aura immediately weakened. She clenched her clothes tightly and muttered coyly: "That's not true! I don't want to marry a fierce soldier."

Fu Jinhuan smiled and said: "Nowadays, the world is ruled by warriors. There is nothing wrong with marrying a soldier. At least it can protect the peace of the family. But Zhu Xiu is not a soldier. Although he is the marching commander of the Zhangyi Army, he is also the governor of Jing. , but I heard he is just a frail young man."

Mo Xiang blinked her eyes, full of longing and curiosity, but she was embarrassed to ask more questions and said vaguely: "Then he is not as good as a soldier! If he can't go to the battlefield, he can't kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, this officer is afraid that he will die."

Fu Jinhuan poked her forehead with his slender fingers: "What a silly girl! Who said that only by killing the enemy can one achieve meritorious deeds? Since ancient times, those who have brought peace to the world have paid equal attention to both civil and military forces. As the saying goes, military generals will fight to the death, and civil servants will die to admonish!

Far away are the Eighteen Scholars who were around the Emperor Taizong back then, and the near ones are Jingxiang, the "Heavenly Man" who was praised by the former Liang Taizu himself, Li Kening, the younger brother of Li Keyong, the king of Jin, and Wei Renpu, the black-clothed god beside Guo Shumi. A truly amazing and talented person!

They strategized, organized the world, and assisted the emperor to achieve hegemony. Their achievements were no less than those of the fierce generals who destroyed cities and fortified villages. "

Mo Xiang covered her forehead and pouted: "That's what the second lady said! The second lady has been smart since she was a child, and she studied with the eldest husband. The master often takes the second lady to and from the homes of princes and nobles, and in the palace. I have a lot of experience and understanding! How can I be like a little maid who only serves people all day long?"

Fu Jinhuan smiled sweetly and said, "But in the end, I didn't expect that you, an ignorant little maid, would actually marry the same husband as me!"

Mo Xiang tilted her head and thought about it. She and the second lady had very different identities, but in the end they had to marry the same person. It might be a blessing for her.

Fu Jinhuan opened the car curtain, looked out, and muttered: "Don't let people eavesdrop. It's embarrassing to talk about whether to marry or not to marry all day long~"

Mo Xiang smiled and said: "Second Lady is not ashamed, she is just here for a blind date, and she has never even met anyone before, so she just wants to get married!"

"Humph~ It's not your fault! You damn girl didn't know what to say, which made me talk nonsense too."

At this moment, it was afternoon, and the straight and wide road leading to Anding County had fewer businessmen and travelers, but it still showed a bustling and lively scene.

The hawking sounds along the street attracted Fu Jinhuan's attention, and he looked over curiously. The stalls of the vendors were lined up one after another along the road. There were food, drinks, and all kinds of gadgets and gadgets. It was a dazzling array of things to see. Dazzled.

Fu Jinhuan's bright eyes looked around curiously.

Entering Tongguan and entering Guanzhong, you can clearly feel that today's Guanzhong is no longer what it was in the Tang Dynasty. The population has dropped significantly and the fields are deserted. Even on the important waterways in Guanzhong such as the Wei River and Yongtong Canal, sails once blocked the sun. The grand scene no longer exists.

With Luoyang as the boundary, Guanzhong, Guandong, Huainan, Jiangnan and even the Jingchu land showed signs of decline in terms of population, agriculture, animal husbandry, and commerce.

Since entering Guanzhong, Fu Jinhuan can clearly feel that this ancient land of Tianfu Longxing, which has been prosperous for more than 1000 years, has shown a large area of ​​depression.

Only when passing by Chang'an City in Jingzhao Prefecture, can one vaguely see some afterimages of the grand atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty when all the nations came to visit.I thought that the more remote Jingzhou would be more desolate than Guanzhong. The scene of ten houses and nine empty houses in Yilu County of Pizhou was still before my eyes. I didn't expect that the official road outside Anding County was as wide and straight as Luoyang Tianjie, and it was a lively scene. It’s even more eye-opening.

"Second lady, look, that's the candied haws seller!"

Mo Xiang pointed to a hawker selling candied haws along the street in surprise. Then she looked around and found no less than a dozen of the same hawkers.

"Wow, there are so many people selling candied haws!"

"Second lady, look, there are people selling sweet buttermilk and milk cakes there!"

"There are also snowflake syrups, iced syrups, sour plum syrups sold there. There are so many kinds of syrups! Isn't it free to eat sweets in Jingzhou?"

Mo Xiang was shocked. There were countless vendors with signs with the word "sugar" all over the street, and there were also vendors who packed sugar in sacks and sold it by the pound.

You must know that in Yanzhou and even Kaifeng, this kind of snow-frosted white sugar is only available in Guanghe shops, and they are sold by two. The price of one tael can buy several kilograms here.

In Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Yanzhou, most of the people who buy Guanghe sugar are dignitaries and wealthy businessmen.

Outside Anding County, people are queuing up to buy. The price is affordable and the quantity is sufficient. Everyone can buy a few kilograms to take home.

There are also farmers from dozens of miles away who come to the county town specifically to attend the market. They buy three and a half kilograms and go back to give their children and grandchildren a taste.

In short, in this commercial avenue and market outside the city, sugar, especially white sugar products, can be regarded as one of the popular commodities.

Fu Jinhuan and Mo Xiang looked at each other in shock.

With sharp eyes, Mo Xiang saw a container placed in front of a small stall, with a banner of Guanghe Store hanging next to it.

"Second lady, look! Guanghe shops are actually setting up stalls on the street!"

Mo Xiang's face was filled with disbelief.

Guanghe shops in Kaifeng and Yanzhou are all located in prosperous and lively areas, with elegant and unique decoration styles, and there are dedicated waitresses to welcome and drop off customers.

It is said that Guanghe Shop originated from the Jingzhou and Qizhou areas. How come it returned to its hometown and became a hawker setting up a stall on the street?
Fu Jinhuan looked along, opened his bright eyes and took a closer look, and laughed: "I made a mistake, it's not Guanghe, it's 'Changhe'! Look over there, there are 'Guangkou', 'Guanghe', 'Changhe' "Kou', 'Changhe'. There are so many kinds of things, and the fake ones are confused with the real ones!"

Mo Xiang rubbed her eyes and looked carefully. Sure enough, they were all fakes who were playing tricks with words.

"Oh, these treacherous traders are clearly using the name of Guanghe Store to attract business! If I were the proprietor of Guanghe Store, I would be so angry!"

Mo Xiang said angrily.

Fu Jinhuan was a little greedy. She saw several vendors selling toffee: "Mo Xiang, get out of the car and go to the street to buy some and try it out."

Mo Xiang shook his head and said: "They are all fakes. If they are not clean, it will be very bad if you eat them and get upset!"

Fu Jinhuan looked at the vaguely visible county town and said excitedly: "The toffees in the county town must be very cheap. Let's buy more when we leave."

Mo Xiang poked her head out and looked around, muttering: "Have you forgotten that we are here today? Why don't you see anyone coming to greet us?"

Just as he was talking, there was a slight congestion in front of the official road, and the crowd moved to both sides, showing some signs of disturbance.

The Luoyang officers and soldiers walking in front also had to stop. Mo Xiang stretched his neck and looked around, and saw a large number of sheep swarming up the official road and walking from the middle of the road. The bleating sheep bleated loudly and floated in the air. A strong smell of mutton.

There were many pedestrians, and the sheep were a little flustered and walking a little hastily. A young shepherd wearing a short sheepskin coat with his chest open and a tattered short hakama on his lower body held a long whip pole and shouted while driving the sheep towards the carriage. Come.

"So many sheep! I'm afraid there are two or three hundred of them!" Mo Xiang clicked his tongue in surprise.

Fu Jinhuan had never been to a ranch and had rarely seen the scene of sheep going out. He lay by the car window and watched with interest.

She was surprised to find that the sheep herder was driving the sheep towards her, smiling brightly from a distance.

The young shepherd looked pretty good, but his face was dirty with black streaks and gray streaks. There were two crystal slugs hanging in the air, stretching and retracting under his nostrils, which made him look a little disgusting.

When the sheepherder saw Fu Jinhuan, his smile became even brighter. He raised his hand to wipe his nose and wiped it on his sheepskin coat.

Fu Jinhuan felt some sympathy in his heart. He thought he was a young man who was tending sheep for his master's family. His sheepskin coat was covered with patches, his haori was full of holes, his calves were full of mud, and his cloth shoes were also torn. There was a big hole, and the big toe protruded from the toe of the shoe.

His family must be very poor, Fu Jinhuan thought to himself.

The young shepherd walked toward the carriage carrying the whip pole. Fu Jinhuan turned around and said, "Mo Xiang, give him some money."

Fu Jinhuan has seen similar scenes many times when he goes out. Many poor beggars and refugees will gather around and beg when they see a wealthy family driving out.

Some kind-hearted people will donate some money or food, while some vicious people will directly order their servants to drive them away violently, or even fight with each other.

Mo Xiang responded, took out half a piece of money and held it out of the car window. She smiled at the shepherd and said, "Here, take it!"

Fu Jinhuan smiled and nodded at the sheepherder, gesturing for him to take the money.

The shepherd'er glanced at the half-money, but did not take it. He stared at Fu Jinhuan, then looked at Mo Xiang, and said in an unauthentic Jingzhou dialect: "Which one of you two is called Fu Jinhuan?"

The two girls were surprised, and Fu Jinhuan said in a daze: "I am, you are."

The sheepherder's eyes lit up and he whistled frivolously: "What a handsome little lady! It's no wonder that I drove a group of sheep to pick up the bride! Haha~~"

Mo Xiang said angrily: "How dare you! You sheepherder, how dare you say disrespectful words? Whose marriage are you here to marry?"

The sheepherder straddled his legs, shook his legs and whistled, and picked his nostrils with his fingers, looking like an unfashionable country hooligan.

"This little bitch is my wife!" The sheepherder pointed at Fu Jinhuan and then at the sheep, "See, these are the betrothal gifts that I brought!"

The shepherd lifted up his dirty sheepskin jacket, patted his bare chest, and shouted loudly: "I forgot to introduce myself, I am Zhu Xiu!"

(End of this chapter)