Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 619 We are relatives of the Xu family [Thank you! Goodbye! 38k more to go]

Early September,
Jiuyuan City is 1,500 miles away from Bianjing.

Southwest of the city,

Jinjin Ferry,

This ferry is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The location is near the right corner of the Yellow River's "几" character.

Not far from the ferry,
A military camp was built to guard the ferry crossing.

There is a tall wooden lookout tower on the village wall, with the flag of the Great Zhou standing next to it.

Located near the river,
A group of Great Zhou cavalrymen wearing red uniforms were stationed on the shore.

The leading cavalryman had a very young face under his helmet, and he was riding a light chestnut horse with silver mane.

This light chestnut horse has shiny fur and is much taller and bigger than the surrounding horses. You can tell at first glance that it is a good horse.

The setting sun slants down,

The river surface at the ferry in the autumn afternoon was reflected in gold.
The river surface sparkles and sparkles with sunlight,

This forced the cavalrymen stationed on the shore and looking west to raise their hands to block the sunlight and squint their eyes slightly.

There are clumps of reeds growing not far from the shore.
At this time, the reed stems have turned yellow and the flower spikes have turned white, only the leaves are still somewhat green.

A north wind blew by.
The white flower spikes of the reeds tilted towards the south with the reed stems, and the leaves made a rustling sound as they collided.

The movement of the reeds made the young cavalryman in the lead turn his head and look over, which gave his eyes a break from the sun.

"Look! Here it comes!"

Hearing the shouts of his comrades behind him, the young cavalry leader hurriedly squinted his eyes and looked towards the west.

really,

A fleet of ships is heading this way.

A large flag with the Chinese character "Zhou" fluttered in the wind on the mast of the leading wooden boat.

There was also a flag hanging under the mast with the word "Huyan" written on it.

quickly,

The huge fleet floating downstream began to slowly approach the shore in batches.

In the military camp near the ferry, a large group of soldiers and auxiliary troops walked towards the river, preparing to move all kinds of supplies brought by the fleet.

On the boat in the river,

Hu Yanjiong stood at the stern and looked at the fleet behind him.
The fleet set out from Xingqing Prefecture, passed through Houqu, and arrived here.

Such a huge fleet stretching for miles was almost entirely built by Hu Yanjiong himself.

Now, Hu Yanjiong, who has been in the northwest for some time, has a tanned complexion, and his cheeks, often exposed to wind and sun, have a frosted look.

Huyan Jiong turned his eyes away from the fleet and looked towards the north. The dark green mountains in the north came into view.

Fu Ding, a close follower of Hu Yanjiong, walked through the cabin to the stern, looked at Hu Yanjiong and bowed, saying, "Commander, I see that there are cavalry dressed as the personal soldiers of the Marquis' Mansion at the crossing on the shore."

"Well?"

Hu Yanjiong withdrew his gaze and looked towards the ferry.

"Get to shore quickly."

"Yes."

quickly,

Hu Yanjiong and his followers stepped onto the ferry on the shore.

Looking at the young cavalryman who dismounted and ran over, Hu Yanjiong smiled and said, "Why are you here, kid?"

The young cavalryman smiled and bowed: "Greetings, Commander! There is an urgent letter from the capital, and some letters from your soldiers. The Marquis ordered me to deliver them to you together!"

As he spoke, he took out a small bamboo tube and a stack of letters from his arms.

Hu Yanjiong thought about it and vaguely guessed what it was about.

Fu Ding, who was behind Huyan Jiong, stepped forward with a smile, took the thing, and gave the bamboo tube to Huyan Jiong.

While reaching out to take the bamboo tube, Hu Yanjiong asked with a smile: "You know everything, kid?"

The young cavalryman chuckled and nodded repeatedly.

Then the young cavalryman stood on tiptoe and looked at the fleet on the river, and said with a smile: "Commander, are there any of these boats carrying the corn cultivated by Deng Bo in the Marquis' Mansion?"

Hu Yanjiong looked at the note in his hand and nodded, saying casually: "There are quite a few, most of which were sent to the ship by my brother-in-law."

"Oh!" the young cavalryman continued to look at the fleet and responded.

Hu Yanjiong read the note quickly with a smile on his face, and realized that he had a very young cousin.

Putting away the note, Hu Yanjiong looked at the young cavalryman in front of him and said with a smile: "Chu Zhan, are you craving for the roasted corn in the Marquis' Mansion?"

Chu Zhan shook his head: "Son-in-law, I am craving for steamed corn and the sugar cane from the Marquis' Mansion."

Hu Yanjiong smiled helplessly and waved behind him.

Fu Ding understood what was going on and ran back to the boat, soon returning with a bamboo basket.

"Take the grapes from Xingqing Prefecture and eat them."

As Hu Yanjiong spoke, the bamboo basket was handed to Chu Zhan.

"Thank you, uncle!"

Chu Zhan shouted with laughter.

When I was about to leave,
There was the sound of horse hooves.

The cavalry led by Chu Zhan quickly moved aside.

A strong cavalry lieutenant led his men to the front.

"Shut up!"

The sturdy cavalry captain took the whip, jumped off the horse swiftly, and walked quickly towards Huyan Jiong.

On the way, I also glanced at the light chestnut horse with silver mane on the side of the road.

Chu Zhan was holding a bamboo basket. When he saw the visitor, he bowed and walked towards his mount.

Come closer,

The elite lieutenant bowed and said, "Greetings to Commander Hu Yan. General Xu ordered me to come here to inquire if there is any fine fodder for the horses in the fleet!"

"If there is, please turn around and speed up the landing!"

"Yes! I'll go and arrange it myself."

"Thank you, Commander! I'll take my leave!"

The sturdy captain bowed again, jumped on his horse, and as he whipped the horse away, he smiled and nodded at Chu Zhan who was standing beside him.

shore,

Chu Zhan smacked his lips while pulling a few grapes from the bamboo basket and gave them to the cavalry comrade beside him, saying, "Huang Mo, this is yours."

He gave one to each person and Chu Zhan ate one himself.

Huang Mo, a comrade standing by, looked at the dust raised by the departure of the tough captain and said, "Xiao Chu, which captain was that just now? He looked really tough and full of murderous aura! Do you know him?"

Chu Zhan spat out a grape seed and said calmly, "I know him. His surname is Liao."

"Liao? The cold-faced killer Liao Shuye Liao Silang that is rumored in the army? Is it him?"

"Yeah!" Chu Zhan nodded.

"Why is he nodding at you, Brother Chu?"

After Huang Mo asked, another cavalryman said disdainfully, "Are you stupid? Brother Chu is with Lord Xu! Maybe they met when they were delivering the message."

Huang Mo held a grape in his mouth and glared, "I don't know this, but I heard that Liao Silang, after joining the army, always had a cold face when he met anyone! There were many cavalrymen who delivered orders, but when did he ever smile at anyone?"

After saying that, Huang Mo came close to Chu Zhan and whispered, "Xiao Chu, are you related to Liao Silang? The grapes are so sweet."

Chu Zhan raised his eyebrows, gave Huang Mo a branch of two or three grapes, and shook his head, "No! Maybe Fourth Brother Liao knows that I am close to Fifth Brother at home."

After looking at the grapes in the bamboo basket, Chu Zhan hung the bamboo basket on the saddle in front of him, covered the bamboo basket with his coat that he had taken off because of the hot weather, and pulled up the reins, saying, "Let's go! Let's go to the city to get the washed clothes for the brothers."

finished,

This team of cavalrymen turned their horses around and ran towards the official road leading to Jiuyuan City.

along the way,

Chu Zhan and others passed by convoys transporting military supplies on both sides of the road from time to time.

The convoy going to Jiuyuan City was fully loaded with supplies, while those going to the ferry were mostly empty.

The horses that the men were riding were riding quite fast, and the dust raised by their hooves was blown to the roadside by the north wind.

From time to time, someone in the roadside convoy would eat the dust they raised and spit a few words, then curse them angrily after they ran far away.

quickly,

Chu Zhan and others rode into Jiuyuan City on horseback.

There were many civilians and soldiers in the city, so Chu Zhan and the others slowed down their horses and strolled around the city. Of course, there were soldiers washing clothes in the army, but the clothes washed by the soldiers were not as clean as those washed by the laundry women in the city, and they did not smell good.

Also, because the camp was just outside Jiuyuan City, the captains and officers who had some military merit sent their clothes to the city to be washed.

When we came to a shop in the city,
The shop and the yard were filled with the sound of clothes being washed, and from time to time there were also the voices of women talking and the sound of water splashing.

There are all kinds of businesses along the street, and the air is filled with the aroma of cosmetics and food.

The people stopped at the door of the shop.
"Xiao Chu, don't get off the horse. Lao Huang and I will go in."

As they were talking, two men dismounted and entered the shop.

Chu Zhan, whose butt was a little uncomfortable from riding all the way, stood up from the stirrup, stretched his body, and looked at the streets in the city.

Chu Zhan's mount was already a good horse, and this action attracted many people to look at him.

Not far away there was a two-story wooden building, separated from Chu Zhan by several courtyard gates of the city's residents.

There were a few prostitutes holding handkerchiefs on the wooden building, waving at Chu Zhan and saying, "Little brother, little brother, your horse is so handsome, where did you buy it?"

Chu Zhan looked up after hearing the shout, and although he smiled, he did not respond.

"Little brother, you look so cute when you smile. Come upstairs and play when you have time! I won't charge you any money."

After staying in the Marquis' Mansion for a long time, he no longer cares about vulgar women.

There were also men coming out of the wooden building. After hearing the girl's shouting upstairs, they turned their heads to look at Chu Zhan, especially at Chu Zhan's mount.

But when he saw the way Chu Zhan and the others were dressed and the looks in their eyes, he quickly looked away, forced a smile, and walked into an alley nearby.

A servant also poked his head out of the courtyard gate in front and looked at Chu Zhan curiously.

Subsequently,

In the laundry shop, two of Chu Zhan's comrades were walking out carrying a few bags.

In front of Chu Zhan and others,
A well-dressed old woman was walking towards this side, leading a group of shabby-dressed men and women.

Soon, the group stopped at the courtyard gate not far from Chu Zhan and others.

The leading woman smiled flatteringly at Chu Zhan.

Then he stepped onto the steps in front of the courtyard.
He smiled and said to the boy standing at the door, "Young man, please go in and tell them that the pawnbroker is here."

As she spoke, the old woman stuffed a small string of copper coins into the servant's hand.

The servant weighed the copper coins in his hand, glanced at the people at the door, and nodded, "Wait!"

Looking at the servant who turned and entered the yard,

The dental assistant turned around, her flattering smile instantly disappeared, and she looked at the woman behind her with high cheekbones, a mean face, and a pale face with disdain and said:

"Madam Cao, this man was originally a military officer under Xining Prefecture. He previously followed our army and made some contributions in Baigao. Now he has been promoted to Jiuyuan. He has a bright future ahead of him!"

"If this gentleman had not wanted a literate concubine to study with him, this girl from your family would have had no chance to come!"

After the pawnbroker finished speaking, the shabby-dressed, pale-faced woman hurriedly said with a smile, "Thank you very much! If this thing can be done, my daughter will be sold, and you will definitely benefit from it!"

"Yes, yes, my mother always keeps her word!" The several men who followed her echoed.

Only a thin girl standing next to Mrs. Cao, wearing ill-fitting new clothes, kept her head down and remained silent.

Chu Zhan, riding on a horse, looked at the men around the shabby woman. Those men had tattoos on their foreheads, and it was obvious that they were exiled.

Listening to the previous conversation, Chu Zhan shook his head with some disgust.

The pawnbroker gave the men a cold look and said, "You are all healthy and can find a job at the ferry to support your family. Why do you want to sell your daughter?"

After these words came out, the men around Mrs. Cao said indifferently: "Don't worry about this, Mom! She can't let us starve while she's around!"

Talking
The servant of that family came out with a plump woman wearing brocade and with a face full of flesh. She pointed at the people at the door and said, "Madam, these are the people!"

The lady of the military family, who was wearing brocade, frowned and looked at everyone and asked, "Who wants to enter my house?"

"Here, she is!" The woman from the dental shop hurriedly pushed the girl out.

"You are so thin. Raise your head!" said the lady of the soldier's family.

Seeing the girl raising her head, the military lady frowned and said with disdain, "Oh, this little bitch has words tattooed on her forehead! I feel uncomfortable when she comes to light the fire in my room!"

"Madam, this girl can read! Can read!" The old woman from the pawnshop hurriedly said with a smile.

"Learn to read?" After saying that, the military officer's wife scanned him up and down and shook her head, saying, "My family doesn't want it! You are a broker, and you are bringing this kind of stuff to my house? Do you still want to do business?"

"Madam, isn't it hard to find someone who can read here?" the pimp made amends.

"Cheaper, cheaper! We sell them all!" The man next to the eldest lady of the Cao family shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! We sell them!"

"Get out of here! If you send me something like this again, don't blame me for slapping you!" The lady from the soldier's family waved her handkerchief, pointed at the old woman from the pawnshop, and cursed her with disgust.

"Mom, you have to think of a solution quickly! We are starving to death!" said the man next to the eldest lady of the Cao family.

Hearing this, the pale-faced lady of the Cao family pushed the girl in front of her angrily, her eyes rolling around, obviously trying to think of a solution.

Chu Zhan and others had already put away the bags containing clothes and robes and were ready to ride their horses and leave.

The woman from the dental shop hurriedly smiled and said, "Madam, there won't be a next time! Don't worry!"

As soon as the old woman finished speaking, the eldest lady of the Cao family said, "Madam, madam! Grandma, I, my family is related to the Xu family!"

Hearing this, the lady of the military family turned around, squinted her eyes and stared at the lady of the Cao family, and said, "Xu family? Which Xu family?"

"It's the great general, Marquis Yongyi Xu, who is stationed outside the city!" said the eldest lady of the Cao family, pointing outside the city.

"Tsk! You, a wicked woman, really deserve a slap. You want to establish a relationship with the Marquis's Mansion without any real reason? With such a rich relative, would you still sell your daughter?"

The lady of the military family glanced at Chu Zhan who had stopped his horse beside her and said sternly, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will have someone smash all your teeth!"

The eldest lady of the Cao family apologized with a smile, "Madam, we were just moved here from Xining Prefecture by the imperial court, and we just found out that the general outside the city is surnamed Xu! We really didn't make random connections! Just now, the mother of the dental shop also said that your family also came from Xining Prefecture. Isn't this fate!"

"Relatives? What relatives?" The lady who joined the army looked at Chu Zhan and continued to ask.

"I, my sister's mother-in-law, am good friends with the old lady of the Sheng family. That old lady is the great-aunt of Marquis Yongyi!" said the eldest lady of the Cao family in a trembling voice.

The old woman from the pawnbroker glared at the eldest lady of the Cao family, her eyes full of an expression of "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

The lady who joined the army trembled a little, and after looking at Chu Zhan again, she said hesitantly: "You..."

Huang Mo and others beside Chu Zhan looked at each other.

Chu Zhan stopped his horse and asked, "What are your family names and where are your ancestors from?"

Hearing this,

The eldest lady of the Cao family turned her head and when she saw the cavalry uniforms of Chu Zhan and his group, she shuddered all over and her legs went weak and she almost knelt down.

The male members of the Cao family who were standing by hurriedly supported the eldest lady of the Cao family, and they were like quails and didn't dare to look at Chu Zhan.

"Tell me in detail. If he is really a relative of the Marquis's Mansion, we will naturally not turn a blind eye to him." Chu Zhan continued.

Listening to Chu Zhan's words, the lady of the military family smiled flatteringly and said, "Yes, yes! This young man is very capable at first glance, tell me now!"

The girl from the Cao family, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head and glanced at Chu Zhan and others curiously.

After swallowing her saliva, the eldest lady of the Cao family said, "My husband's surname is Cao, and his ancestral home is in southern Jiangsu. He once served as a county magistrate. He is a real relative of the branch of the He family that founded the Baishitan Academy! My sister married into the He family!"

Chu Zhan nodded and said, "Then why were you sent here?"

Everyone in the Cao family bowed their heads. The eldest lady of the Cao family said hesitantly: "When my husband was an official, he made some mistakes in his official duties. That's why..."

"Where is the county magistrate?" Chu Zhan continued to ask.

"Wushang County, Liangzhe Road."

Hearing this, Chu Zhan glanced at the few people, frowned and asked: "Wushang County? What happened? Don't try to hide it from me. If I want to check, I will go to the government office! How long have you been exiled?"

"It was because of the mine. The mine collapsed."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Zhan narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Xiao Liangshan?"

Everyone in the Cao family looked up in surprise, but they only saw Chu Zhan's half-smile.

"Xiao Chu, what's wrong?" A comrade beside him asked, looking at Chu Zhan's expression.

The lady who was serving as a soldier nearby was also looking at Chu Zhan and the Cao family with a confused look on her face.

Chu Zhan sneered and said, "Nothing! I gained this much from this trip."

The girl from the Cao family, who was standing in the crowd, felt a chill in her heart when she saw Chu Zhan's expression.

Just now I thought this person might be a savior, but looking at his expression now, he doesn't look like a savior, but more like an enemy.

Chu Zhan took a deep breath and said to the military lady, "Madam, please keep an eye on this family."

"Hey, hey, I don't know what your name is."

"This is Brother Chu, who was born in the Marquis' Mansion in Bian Jing." A comrade nearby explained.

Everyone in front of the door smiled along.

"Mr. Chu, would you like my family to treat this family well?" the military lady continued to ask.

"No, don't feed me, but don't starve me!"

"Good! Good!"

After saying that, Chu Zhan tapped his horse's belly lightly and walked towards the camp outside the city with his comrades.

(End of this chapter)