The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 274 Zhu Xiu’s business is brothers’ business

Chai Rong arranged for him to take Ma Qing into a spacious carriage. Doctors were already waiting in the carriage. After receiving Ma Qing, he immediately started treatment in the carriage.

Chai Rong and Cao Bin got on their horses and led dozens of Xiaodi Army sergeants away.

The Xiaodi Army belongs to the Forbidden Army and has a special status. It is composed of a group of noble children and young and healthy soldiers in the army. It specializes in cultivating reserve talents for the Forbidden Army.

The Xiaodi army has always been valued by the emperor and the imperial court. Every year, a group of young men who are skilled in bows and horses and strong in skill are selected from the various armies in the feudal town and the nephews of the generals of the imperial army to fill the army.

Similar to the Thousand Niu Preparation in the Tang Dynasty, generals from the Xiaodi Army were more likely to be promoted by the court, hired as guards in the palace, and sent to military states to serve in feudal towns for training.

The current commander of the Xiaodi Army is Liu Chengxun, the youngest son of the late emperor, the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Attendant, and the emperor's younger brother.

However, Liu Chengxun had been sick since childhood and was bedridden all year round. He was unable to govern at all. The power of the Xiaodi Army was controlled by Shi Honglang, the Marquis of Duyu.

Shi Honglang was the younger brother of Shi Hongzhao, the minister of Gu Ming and the commander of the bodyguard's Ma Bujun.

Cao Bin is the commander of the infantry of the Xiaodi Army, and Shi Honglang is his immediate boss.

With the friendship between Shi Hongzhao and Guo Wei wearing the same pair of trousers, and also causing trouble for his uncle Li Ye, Shi Honglang naturally agreed with both hands and feet.

A case of theft from the saddle and bridle warehouse of the Xiaodi Army suddenly appeared. Chai Rong took Guo Wei's warrant and went to the Privy Council to issue an official letter of assistance in the investigation, so that he could legitimately assist the Xiaodi Army in searching the city for the suspect.

Cao Bin is the nephew of Guo Wei's current wife, Zhang. His mother and Zhang are sisters of the same race who are closely related by blood.

Cao Bin's father, Cao Yun, served as the capital's military envoy under the Chengde Army's Jiedu Envoy.

In terms of rank, 19-year-old Cao Bin is already on par with his father.

Cao Bin was selected into the Xiaodi Army with his excellent martial arts. Guo Wei saw that Cao Bin had an honest and honest nature, was dignified and cautious, so he liked him very much and cultivated him vigorously.

With Guo Wei's support and his outstanding abilities, Cao Bin was promoted several times in the past two years and became the infantry commander of the Xiaodi Army.

Cao Bin was grateful and served Guo Wei like a father, and he was as close to Chai Rong, Li Chongjin, Zhang Yongde and others as brothers.

This time, Cao Bin was entrusted by Chai Rong to help rescue Ma Qing. Without saying a word, Cao Bin personally led others to cooperate. The accompanying sergeants were all his confidants to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Cao Bin originally thought he was trying to rescue some important person, but later he found out that he was just a small housekeeper. He didn't know what he had done to offend his uncle Li Ye, and he was tortured.

Cao Bin couldn't help but feel chills in his heart when he thought of Ma Qing's tragic situation. Uncle Li Ye was really more vicious than a snake or a scorpion.

Cao Bin and Chai Rong rode side by side. Seeing Chai Rong's face solemn, his brows furrowed as if in deep thought, he wanted to open his mouth to speak several times but held back.

Chai Rong turned his head and said with a forced smile: "Guohua might as well say it directly if you have something to say."

Cao Bin hesitated for a while and said: "I just saw my brother holding a knife in front of Li Ye with a fierce look and a strong threat. If he does this, he will completely offend that guy and there will be no room for change when we meet in the future."

Chai Rong smiled bitterly and said: "Ma Qing's life hangs on a thread and he cannot tolerate my weakness and retreat."

Cao Bin said with a hint of worry: "Li Ye is a villain, he is sinister and vicious, and he will definitely retaliate. I'm worried that in the future he will bear a grudge against his brother and cause trouble for his uncle and brother in the court."

"Li Ye is the government's number one minion, and he has always been on fire with us. Even if it hadn't happened today, he would not be tolerant of us." Chai Rong shook his head.

Cao Bin looked back at the carriage and said hesitantly: "Brother, are we old acquaintances with this person? Do we have a deep friendship?"

Chai Rong thought for a while and said with a smile: "I met him a few times in Cangzhou back then. We are old acquaintances, but we can't say we are friends."

"Then why is my brother so concerned about this person's life and death? Who is this Ma Qing? Even the Fu family is secretly helping him?" Cao Bin asked doubtfully.

Chai Rong smiled and said, "Although Ma Qing has a low status, he has a good master, who is Zhu Xiu!"

Cao Bin was surprised and said: "Is that the scholar from Haozhou named Zhu Xiu who Mr. Wei said was so talented that even his uncle praised him and his brother favored him? He is now serving as a marching commander in the Zhangyi Army and concurrently as the governor of Jing." history?"

"Exactly!" Chai Rong laughed.

Cao Bin became more and more confused, "Even though Zhu Xiu has a good relationship with his brother and is valued by his uncle, this Ma Qing is just a servant. In order to save him, my uncle, brother and the Fu family's various forces worked hard. Is it... um? .Is it a little unworthy?”

Chai Rong glanced at him and smiled lightly: "In your opinion, stirring up many forces to save Ma Qing is a bit fussy, but in our opinion, this matter is no small matter, and we must do our best!"

Cao Bin was speechless for a long time, then smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry that it's hard for me to understand."

Chai Rongyouyou said with emotion: "Because he is someone Zhu Xiu values ​​​​and since Zhu Xiu asked us for help, neither Fu, Father, nor I will do our best to help!

We have always been kind to Zhu Xiu. It is rare that he asks for help. How can we not give it our best?
If Ma Qing loses his life, Zhu Xiu will definitely be very angry, and he might blame us in his heart! "

Cao Bin frowned with two heroic sword eyebrows, "This Zhu Xiu is just a weak scholar, and was once my brother's subordinate. Why does my brother sound like he is afraid of offending him?"

Chai Rong said with a smile: "It's not about offending me. Zhu Xiu and I are like you, Zhang Yongde, and Li Chongjin. We are like brothers. Since it is my brother's business, it is my own business. Of course we must do it." Do it yourself!”

After a pause, Chai Rong smiled bitterly and said: "Besides, this kid Zhu Xiu is not very brave. This Ma Qing is his capable subordinate. If he encounters a vicious attack in Kaifeng, Zhu Xiu will definitely be extremely angry. With his temper, He will definitely find ways to take revenge on Li Ye.

Zhu Xiu is a small-minded but courageous boy. If he goes to Kaifeng to cause trouble in anger, he is afraid that he will cause a big mess.

If this kid blames us brothers for not doing our best to help, he can't even protect one of his subordinates, and it will be enough to make people feel bad if he secretly pokes and trips him in the future.

It’s not a good thing to be obsessed with this kid~”

Chai Rong shook his head with a sigh on his face, looking like he had suffered a great loss.

Cao Bin was even more surprised: "Zhu Xiuyuan is in Jingzhou. No matter how talented he is, he is just the commander-in-chief of a border town. I heard he is younger than me. How can he go to Kaifeng to stir up trouble?"

Chai Rong glanced at him and said sternly: "Guohua must not underestimate Zhu Xiu just because he is young and has a low official position! The world is big and there are many geniuses, and this Zhu Xiu is the best among them! What does it mean that there is heaven outside the world, and there are people outside the world? When you meet Zhu Xiu and get to know him, you will understand the meaning of this sentence more deeply!"

Cao Bin murmured: "Hearing what my brother said, I can't wait to rush to Jingzhou now to meet this Zhu Xiu. What kind of superpowers does he have?"

"In short, you regard Zhu Xiu as our own brother. We are all members of the same family. Shouldn't we do our best to help if something goes wrong?" Cao Bin said solemnly: "When my brother is in trouble, he will not hesitate to die even if he is in danger!"

Chai Rong said with a smile: "That's exactly the truth! You know why I sent Li Chongjin to Yedu first, because I was afraid that he would get Zhu Xiu's letter and impulsively spoil the matter! If it were the black king who came to save people today. , if Li Ye dared to stop him, he would probably kill him on the spot!
Even though Li Chongjin was yelling all day long, scolding Zhu Xiu for being cunning and cunning, and cheating him of his money, if he knew that Zhu Xiu was in trouble, he would definitely be the first one to rush to rescue him! "

Cao Bin is well aware of Li Chongjin's virtue, irritable and impulsive, but also very affectionate.

He and Li Chongjin were not always fighting and quarreling, but if they knew the other party was in trouble, they would definitely help him at all costs.

Cao Bin nodded silently, feeling more and more eager to see Zhu Xiu.

In their huge family interest group established with Guo Wei as the link, the name Zhu Xiu has unknowingly become an indispensable part of it.

There are still many people in this power group who have never seen Zhu Xiu with their own eyes, but there are legends about him everywhere in the group.
"Ma Qing and Chen An are people who Zhu Xiu has entrusted to protect. Now that Ma Qing is being targeted by Li Ye, he has to be sent to Situ's Mansion. I'll let you take him back and settle him down. No matter what, we must keep him." Life!" Chai Rong warned.

"Brother, don't worry, Chen An has been hidden by me in an old house on Quyuan Street. It was one of the dowries given by my mother's family when she got married. Over the years, I have only housed a few old servants, and absolutely no outsiders know about it.

I sent Ma Qing there too and let them live there temporarily. "Cao Bin said.

"That's great! Take the person over there, and be careful if there is a tail on the road. I'll rush back to the house and report it to my father!"

Chai Rong turned to look at the carriage and sighed: "Ma Qing is also a man. He was tortured like this and didn't say a word. This alone is enough for us to save him!"

I don’t know what kind of ecstasy soup that boy Zhu Xiu poured into people to make those who follow him so desperate."

Chai Rong shook his head, clasped his fists towards Cao Bin, and rode his horse one step ahead towards Situ's Mansion.

Cao Bin watched him go away, thinking about Chai Rong's words just now.

Such loyal subordinates are really rare in this world.

Cao Bin became more curious about Zhu Xiu.

Looking around, Cao Bin called his men and whispered instructions to lead the team back to the Xiaodi Army station next to Chongming Gate, and then find a way to send Ma Qing to Quyuan Street in the south of the city to settle down.

~~~
Chai Rong returned to Situ's Mansion. As soon as he walked to the front hall, he heard a loud burst of laughter coming from the hall, accompanied by a baby crying.

Chai Rong walked quickly into the hall and saw Guo Wei, who was dressed in a fine linen round-neck robe at home, sitting on a chair, holding Chai Rong's youngest son, Brother Zhu, who was more than one year old.

The fat baby was sitting on Guo Wei's lap and crying loudly. Guo Wei was holding a spoon, scooping out some goat milk and trying to coax the baby to eat it.

A burly, middle-aged man, gently serving a baby. This scene is really interesting.

It's a pity that Brother Chu didn't give his grandfather any face. He cried louder and louder, with tears in his eyes. His chubby face was squeezed into a ball, feeling extremely sad.

Guo Weihu muttered a scolding with a stern face, picked up the baby, and gently pricked the baby's two tender lotus-like legs with his beard.

Brother Chu struggled and cried, Guo Wei laughed heartily, and Chai Rong looked on helplessly.

Suddenly, Brother Chu stopped crying, his chubby hands clenched into fists, and his short legs kicked up in the air, as if he was brewing something.

Just when Guo Weigang was about to speak, he felt a warm current pouring out of the palm holding the baby's buttocks, dripping down on his legs and soaking his hakama.

Guo Weihu stared at him and became very angry. He picked up a thick palm and patted the baby's butt gently: "What a brat! How dare you greet me with boy's urine!"

Brother Chu kicked his short legs and grinned. Chai Rong suppressed his laughter and hurriedly stepped forward to pick up his son. He turned around and shouted several times: "Hui Niang! Hui Niang!"

A 25-year-old woman with regular and beautiful features, wearing a goose-yellow dress with her hair in a bun, hurried into the hall with her skirt in hand. It was Chai Rong's wife Liu Ehui.

When Liu Ehui saw that her youngest son had wet Mr. Weng's robe, she hurriedly said, "Old man, please change your clothes quickly. My daughter-in-law will help you wash them."

Guo Wei waved his hands and said with a smile: "Don't bother, it's windy right now, it can be dried in a moment. Children's urine is used to ward off evil spirits. This is why Brother Chu knew that his family was about to go on a long journey, so he poured it on his father. , I bless my father that all poisons will not invade, and the flag will be victorious!"

Guo Wei stroked his beard and laughed, quite proudly.

Chai Rong handed the baby to Liu Ehui and said with a smile: "Take Brother Chu back to the room to change his diaper first, and I will come after I talk to my father."

Liu Ehui smiled tenderly, bowed and left with her child in her arms.

Guo Wei picked up the remaining half of the bowl of goat milk, smelled it, drank it in one gulp, smacked his lips and muttered: "It smells fishy, ​​no wonder the little kid doesn't like drinking it."

Chai Rong smiled and said, "You can mix it with some sweet milk syrup sold in Guanghe shops, but Zhu Xiu said that eating too much sweets is not good for your health and can easily make you fat and sick. After a while, I went back to the room and told Hui Niang that she can't do it either. Let Brother Yi and Brother Cheng eat more. These two boys are greedy when they are greedy, so they can't eat to ruin their health."

Guo Wei laughed and said, "It's really interesting what you said about Zhu Xiu. Guanghe Store is his property, and his business is prosperous by selling sugar, but this guy lets the store clerks spread the word that eating too much sweets is bad for your health, and he's not afraid of smashing them." Got my own sign.”

"Haha, it's hard to predict what Zhu Xiu does. Since he insists that eating too much sweets is harmful to the body, I guess there must be a reason." Chai Rong said with a smile.

Guo Wei nodded and cursed with a smile: "It doesn't matter if you eat less. Although Guanghe candies are delicious and come in many varieties, they are really expensive! If you don't have enough money, you can't afford the cost of eating candies. Mr. Zhu is also very evil." In the past year, he has made a lot of money just by selling candy.

He is more beautiful than the forest, this kid makes a lot of money by being in the limelight, and many people are envious of him. Sheng Hedishe is a lesson to him. "

Chai Rong said in a deep voice: "Ma Qing is indeed in the hands of Li Ye and is being held in the Water Prison on Jiaomenzi Street, Xishuimen. If it hadn't been for Fu's report, we wouldn't have been able to find him for a while."

"Is the person still alive?" Guo Wei asked.

Chai Rong nodded: "Li Ye tortured the person almost to death. If he had left even half a step later, he would have been gone. I have asked Cao Bin to hide the person."

Guo Wei snorted heavily and said angrily: "Li Ye took advantage of Sheng and Di She, firstly to avenge Zhu Xiu on behalf of the official family, and secondly to put the blame on me! Li Ye is a villain, and he worked with the late emperor when he was in power. I am incompatible with fire and water, and now that he is the third envoy and the uncle of the country, I am afraid that he will deliberately try to drive me out of the court! You thief, you are really hateful!"

Chai Rong looked worried. His father had repeatedly given in, but Li Ye and his group relied on the favor of the officials and persecuted him everywhere in the court.

What should you do if you reach a point where you can no longer bear it anymore and there is no way to retreat?
(End of this chapter)