The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 261
Two days later, Xu Xuan left the county seat and returned to the farming area. Zhu Xiu and Li Congjia saw him off at the east gate.

After seeing off Xu Xuan, Li Congjia invited Zhu Xiu to be a guest at Shenghe Dishe. He said that he had recently learned several new dishes from the master chef at Dishe and wanted to invite Zhu Xiu to taste them.

Li Congjia's talent in cooking is undoubted, but Zhu Xiu has other things to do today, so he can only decline with regret.

Seeing the disappointment on the fleshy face of the harmless little fat guy with rabbit teeth, Zhu Xiu felt a deep sense of guilt.

After some kind words of consolation, I promised him that next time we meet in school, we must go to the mansion to try his handicraft.

Li Congjia knew that Chu Xun, a nominally outstanding student in the school, had been favored by the Major Envoy of the Changyi Army and promoted to Jiedu Mansion. He had entered the internship stage before graduation, and he had even entered the Jiedu Mansion directly.

Li Congjia was happy for him and admired him from the bottom of his heart.

Zhu Xiu tentatively asked him if it was necessary to invite Shopkeeper Chu to help him with activities and give him a chance to enter the Jiedu Mansion, but Li Congjia declined with a smile.

Not long after returning to the official room of Jiedu Mansion, Yan Ping pushed open the door and walked in: "I wonder why the young envoy is so urgent to summon you to your humble position?"

"Let me ask you, how many people have you arranged to surround Xu Xuan and Li Congjia?" Zhu Xiu held an oblate copper stove, wrapped her coat tightly, and huddled in the corner of the wooden couch covered with thick sheepskin mattresses.

Yan Ping smiled and said: "Not many, more than [-] people~"

"There are still more than twenty people?" Zhu Xiu said angrily, "Keep three by Xu Xuan's side, two by Li Congjia's side, and withdraw the rest, what should I do~"

Yan Ping hesitated and said: "Young Envoy, didn't you say that these two people have extraordinary identities and cannot make the slightest mistake?"

"Then there's no need for more than twenty first-class soldiers from the Zangfeng Battalion to protect two people, right?" Zhu Xiu glared at him fiercely, "The Zangfeng Battalion has only trained so many first-class soldiers in the past two years. How much cabbage do you want? If you continue to be extravagant and wasteful, the camp's subsidies will be deducted from your bonus!"

Yan Ping raised his hands and said: "I will obey the instructions of the young envoy. I am humble enough to go down and deliver the order to withdraw all the people."

"Three are left with Xu Xuan, two with Li Congjia, and the others are scattered. After all, Anding County is our hometown, and if something goes wrong just here, I think you should stop doing it and ask Song Shen to repair the canals. "He's the boss of the construction site," Zhu Xiu said, half intimidating and half scolding.

Yan Ping said with a bitter face: "Bizhi would rather dig stones at the renovation site than build canals under Judge Song. Judge Song is a man of old-fashioned rules, and I can't stand it."

"You are the only one with the most problems!" Zhu Xiu cursed, "Go down, go down~ I get angry when I see you. I don't know how much of the funds allocated to the Zangfeng Camp have been wasted by you~"

Yan Ping said hurriedly: "Envoy Pei Zhi asked the humble official to inquire on his behalf. Su Zhenchang, the Cao official under him who is in charge of military supplies, has performed well. According to the system, he can be promoted to one level and become a candidate to replace Cao officials. Please submit to the Young Envoy for approval."

"Su Zhenchang?" Zhu Xiu frowned, thinking of the fair and elegant middle-aged scribe.

"Do you know this person's resume?"

Yan Ping thought about it and said: "Su Zhenchang, 33 years old, is from Liquan, Guanzhong. He passed the county government recruitment exam six months ago and became a clerk under the Anding County government.

This person is proficient in arithmetic and has a good memory. Later, he was seconded by Pei Zhishi to count the accounts. Pei Zhishi saw that he did a good job, so he discussed with Wen County Magistrate and transferred him to his subordinates.

For this reason, the two had a quarrel, and Pei Jin went to find the old commander to do work. Magistrate Wen had no choice but to let him go."

Zhu Xiu smiled and asked, "Have you checked the identity of Su Zhenchang?"

Yan Ping didn't take it lightly and said: "Your envoy, don't worry, I have sent people to investigate how many hairs there are on the people who enter the Jiedu Mansion.

There was nothing wrong with Su Zhenchang, he was just a down-and-out scribe from Guanzhong. Thanks to Zhang Yijun, he found a chance to survive. "

Zhu Xiu nodded and did not continue to ask.

Yan Ping felt relatively at ease in his work. Since taking over as deputy commander of the Zangfeng Battalion, he had been working diligently and without making any mistakes.

"Go back and tell Pei Jin that Su Zhenchang can be given a verbal reward. However, since he has been in office for less than half a year, he will not be promoted for the time being. He will be observed for another two months. If he performs well, he can be promoted according to the reward system." Zhu Xiu said.

"I obey the order!" Yan Ping bowed and accepted the order.

"Send someone to pay attention to the movements of the disaster relief army. If nothing unexpected happens, Li Yiyin's envoy should be arriving soon." Zhu Xiu warned.

Three days ago, Shi Kuangwei received a letter from Li Yiyin. Li Yiyin expressed strong indignation and anger in the letter. He used threats and inducements. At the end, he repeatedly warned Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu that they must ensure Li Guangrui's safety. If anything went wrong, they would be in trouble. The army and Changyi Army are in a fight to the death.

Shi Kuangwei sneered and tore the letter stamped with Li Yiyin's personal seal into pieces.

Li Yiyin's reaction was within Zhu Xiu's expectation.

However, due to the fiery temper of the Dangxiang Li clan leader, he was only verbally tough and did not threaten to send troops. He directly sent envoys to negotiate. Zhu Xiu did not expect this.

Zhu Xiu keenly thought that this might be because Li Yiyin was aware of the recent restless behavior of the powerful neighbor in the north.

The Dingnan Army is located in Hetao, adjacent to the Khitan people who occupy the Yunzhong area. If the Khitan people make any changes, Li Yiyin will definitely know about it immediately.

"Young Envoy?" Yan Ping called out softly when he saw that Zhu Xiu was silent.

"Huh? What else is there?" Zhu Xiu came back to her senses and glanced at him.

Yan Ping hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "There is one more thing to report. Miss Hongyu is back. She just returned to her residence in Yacheng. She said she came to see the young envoy after she said she was cleaning up."

"Hongyu is back?" Zhu Xiu was stunned, a little happy and a little confused. Last month, he sent a message to Puzhou, instructing Bi Hongyu to stay in Puzhou City. While inquiring about the news of Kaifeng, he kept in touch with Zhou Guangxun secretly.

Bi Hongyu didn't reply. Zhu Xiu thought she had acquiesced to this arrangement, but he didn't expect that she came back a month later.

"Well, you go down first and let the guard tell Hongyu to come directly to the official room to see me." Zhu Xiu said.

Yan Ping responded and bowed to leave.

Less than half an hour later, Zhu Xiu curled up on the wooden couch and was about to fall asleep.

There was a loud bang, and the door was pushed open from the outside. Zhu Xiu was so frightened that he thought an assassin had broken in. He rubbed his eyes and took a closer look, and saw a figure wearing a hat and a cloak standing in front of him.

The man took off his bamboo hat, and his smooth black hair spread out and fell down to his waist.

Untying his frost-stained cloak and throwing it aside, the man raised his hands to comb his long hair, cupped his fists and bowed slightly towards Zhu Xiu, who was stunned on the wooden couch.

".Red. Ruby?" Zhu Xiu's throat slid and she murmured in disbelief.

The Bi Hongyu in front of him was very different from the one he saw more than half a year ago.

The messy wild boy-like short hair turned into black and smooth long hair, with a red ribbon tied on his forehead, a brocade gown, a pair of brown leather boots on his feet, and wild goose feathers slung across his waist The sword, while heroic, also has a bit more heroic beauty.Zhu Xiu's mouth gradually opened into an O shape. He actually saw a slight blush on Bi Hongyu's cheeks. She seemed to have applied some rouge and gouache!
"You, you, you, you actually put on rouge?" Zhu Xiu jumped off the wooden couch wearing socks, pointed at the woman opposite and blurted out in shock.

Originally, Bi Hongyu saw Zhu Xiu staring at her blankly, her face a little flustered, and she subconsciously lowered her head to tie up the loose strands of hair at her temples, but suddenly she heard what Zhu Xiu said without thinking, and stared fiercely in embarrassment. At one glance, the redness on his face faded away, and he regained his coldness and loneliness, as if a chrysalis that had emerged from its cocoon and turned into a butterfly had somehow closed itself up again.

Realizing his gaffe, Zhu Xiu laughed dryly and coughed a few times: "You sit down first."

After hurriedly putting on her shoes, Zhu Xiu sat down next to her, with her butt touching the edge of the chair, feeling a little guilty for some reason.

"Hongyu, you stayed well in Puzhou City, why did you come back without saying a word?"

Zhu Xiu originally thought that she would scold Yan Ping like scolding Yan Ping, who told her to run back to Jingzhou without obeying orders or saying hello.

But when the real person arrived, his words turned into concerned condolences.

Bi Hongyu glanced at him and said calmly: "Zhou Guangxun followed Li Jun, the governor of the Hezhong Army, to Kaifeng to meet the emperor. There is nothing going on in Puzhou City for the time being, so I will rush back to take a look. It can take as little as a month or as long as half a year. Wait. When Zhou Guangxun comes back from Kaifeng, I will go back to Puzhou."

Zhu Xiu rubbed her hands and smiled in apology: "I see, it's good to come back. You haven't been back for more than half a year, so take this opportunity to have a good rest."

A trace of ridicule flashed across the corner of Bi Hongyu's mouth: "Looking at you, you don't seem to want me to come back?"

"How could it be?" Zhu Xiu shook his head like a rattle, "Hongyu, please don't worry too much. You worked hard in Puzhou and accomplished many great things for me. Let alone come back to recuperate for a while, even if you don't care about it from now on. I don’t want to go either, just stay in Anding County, and I support it with both hands!”

Bi Hongyu's bright red lips curved up: "Seriously?"

"When have I ever lied about what I said?" Zhu Xiu's chest banged loudly, but he quickly squeezed out a flattering smile, "It's just Hongyu, you are the most capable general of my Changyi Army, and a close comrade-in-arms that I can completely trust. , without you guarding Puzhou City, I always feel uneasy in my heart."

Bi Hongyu squinted at him with disdain, while Zhu Xiu scowled with a flattering expression.

"Don't worry, when Zhou Guangxun and his party leave from Kaifeng, I will also set off back to Puzhou. I won't delay your important event." Bi Hongyu's eyes flickered for a moment, and she turned her head and said coldly.

"Great!" Zhu Xiu clapped his hands, "Hongyu, Puzhou City is very important. Zhou Guangxun must have a reliable person to help him. With your familiarity with Puzhou City, of course it must be you!"

Zhu Xiu happily let out a rainbow fart, not noticing the trace of disappointment in Bi Hongyu's lowered eyes.

"How is Zhou Guangxun now? Are you cooperating tacitly?" Zhu Xiu was concerned about the situation in Puzhou City, and asked a few questions carefully.

Bi Hongyu answered calmly, as indifferent and cold as ever.

After talking about questions and answers for a while, Bi Hongyu stood up and left.

Zhu Xiu escorted her out of the official room and stood in the courtyard. Bi Hongyu stopped, as if hesitating for a while, then turned around and said: "During my stay in Jingzhou, I followed you as before. Yan Ping arranged for you to be a personal The guards are all idiots with fancy fists and embroidered legs."

"Those are the most elite first-class armored soldiers from the Weihu camp, and they are not as bad as you said." Zhu Xiu spread his hands helplessly.

"Anyway, I don't know him. I've never been among the dead. I just don't like him."

Bi Hongyu turned her head stubbornly, her voice cold and firm.

"Okay" couldn't win her over, so Zhu Xiu had no choice but to agree.

Bi Hongyu's stern expression softened slightly. She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment. Her twinkling eyes seemed to contain many complex emotions: "I heard that you have met the second wife of the Fu family? Are you engaged?"

Zhu Xiu laughed dumbly: "How is that possible! Mrs. Fu Er is a wealthy woman and she doesn't look down on a little frontier soldier like me."

Bi Hongyu's eyebrows raised slightly, as if she was hiding a little joy.

"Ms. Lingyan." Bi Hongyu whispered hesitantly.

Zhu Xiu looked at her and felt that Bi Hongyu's return was a little strange.

"Yan'er, I'm afraid he will be a member of my Zhu family in this life~" Zhu Xiu laughed, not shying away from his close relationship with Shi Lingyan.

Bi Hongyu looked at him and heard the deep affection in his laughter.

After following Zhu Xiu for more than two years, Bi Hongyu asked herself if she could tell which of what Zhu Xiu said was nonsense and which was sincere.

And Shi Lingyan is definitely the most sincere and soft place in his heart.

Bi Hongyu was silent for a moment, nodded without saying anything, clasped her fists and whispered: "Young Envoy, please stay, I will leave."

Zhu Xiu watched her take three steps back after bowing, then turned and left, shook her head and muttered, "Why didn't I realize this girl is so feminine before?"

Standing on the spot and thinking for a while, Zhu Xiu found that he couldn't figure this out, so he shook his head and decided not to think too much, and was going back to the official room to take a nap.

Just as he turned around and took no more than two steps, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body. He turned around and saw Shi Converse squatting on the railing at the corner of the corridor, wearing a big-eared hat, with his sleeves folded up, staring straight at him. No matter how you look at it, it looks like he has bad intentions.

"What are you looking at?" Zhu Xiu smoothed his chest and breathed a sigh of relief, shouting angrily.

"Hehe~" Lao Shi patted his butt and walked slowly, mouthing in the direction where Bi Hongyu's figure disappeared, winking and winking with an indescribably sneaky and lewd expression.

"Bi Hongyu, this little girl, I didn't think so before, but now that she's grown up, she looks quite beautiful when she's dressed up!"

Zhu Xiushen nodded in agreement and said with emotion: "The eighteenth transformation of women, the ancients sincerely did not deceive me!"

Shi Kuangwei closed his sleeves and said hey, "It would be nice to be your concubine who warms your bed and washes your feet from now on."

Zhu Xiu was stunned, thinking of Bi Hongyu's appearance as a tomboy when she was hanging out with Bi Zhenhai's gang of salt dealers, and also thinking of the ferocity and indifference in her bones when she killed someone, she couldn't help shivering all over.

This kind of strong woman made him have the urge to become her brother.

Since we are brothers, we can eat meat and drink wine together, but we don’t have to sleep together.
"A dog can't spit out ivory!" Zhu Xiu glared angrily, flicked his sleeves and robe and closed the door with a bang.

"Stinky boy, do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused~~"

Shi Kuangwei shook his head sadly.

(End of this chapter)