Xie Ming

The joy of being raised by one's parents is now gone; who will pity my shadow before the lamp?
Standing before the graves of Chuanwu and Lao Huang, Xiao Lang recounted the past events of this place, his mind wandering and sighing, unable to contain his emotions.

Upon hearing this, Bian Zai and Chang Ting let out a long sigh.

Thus, after Xiao and Gu finished speaking, they fell completely silent, while the distant river tide continued to rise and fall, making a sound as it crashed against the shore.

For a long time.

I sat there blankly for a while.

Xiao Cai finally snapped out of his daze and propped himself up on his arms.

"Ugh!"

"Okay."

"We've drunk the wine, paid the money, and told all the stories we could."

"Changting, it's time for us to go back."

“I still need to get a receipt from Pei-chung.”

"Did you settle things with the messenger from before?"

Xiao took a deep breath, stretched his fists and feet, and returned to the main topic.

Upon hearing this, Changting was momentarily stunned, then snapped back to reality and gave a perfunctory reply.

"Ah, oh."

"Yes, yes, I'm still in Jiujiang City."

"Shall we go back now?" Changting asked.

"Well, let's go back."

"Chuanwu and Lao Huang are completely idle right now."

"Those of us who are still alive are not so fortunate."

"Come on, there's still a lot of messy stuff waiting for us ahead."

"A jinx?!"

"Hey!"

"Get up, everyone, come over here."

"Heading back!"

Shaking off his sorrowful thoughts, Xiao Lang exhaled and then whistled and roared towards the jinx and the guards a little further away.

Upon hearing this, the group was organized into one place, and the horses were led closer to Xiao Qian.

Xiao Jingchuan, without further delay, ripped off his hem, flipped himself over, called to those behind him, lashed out with his whip, and ran straight back.

Look, Changting, Sangmenxing, and the guards also hurriedly mounted their horses and followed suit.

How many events of rise and fall have occurred throughout history? So many, so many. The endless Yangtze River flows on and on.

Let's continue the conversation.

Let's leave the past behind and look at the present situation in Jiujiang City.

This riverside city was mostly burned down a month ago due to infighting among rebel troops.

Today, most of the houses, thatched cottages, and streets in the city are in ruins and cannot be repaired in the short term.

After Xiao Jingchuan took up residence in this city, he was unable to escape the fire because he went to the prefectural and county government offices.

Therefore, Dai Minglu found a large house in the area and set aside the front two courtyards, which could serve as a place for officials to rest.

Now, this residence was originally the mansion of Huang, the wealthiest man in Jiujiang.

This wealthy man, surnamed Huang, was occupied by rebels a month ago. To protect his family's wealth, he became extremely adept at flattery and sycophancy.

That very night, the eldest daughter, who was still unmarried, was sent to Zuo Liangyu's warship through a messenger.

But unexpectedly, that very night was the Jiujiang Incident. Zuo Liangyu, however, was not fortunate enough to enjoy the opportunity. Before he could even touch the woman, he was overcome with anger and grief because of Yuan Jixian, and died of a sudden stroke.

Later, Hao Xiaozhong took the helm, while Zuo Menggeng and the other two took turns staying in the ship's cabin, keeping their deaths a secret.

His eldest daughter suffered the consequences.

It was something that could not be deduced. Knowing the secret of the old marshal's death, how could Hao, Zuo, and others let her go?

So he had no choice but to serve inside the cabin.

After Hao was defeated, Zuo came to attack again. After two rounds of attacks and ravaging, he was finally killed in just a few days.

Huang, the wealthy man, only heard the news after the rebel army was defeated. He cried and wailed, using this as a pretext to appear as if he were irreconcilable enemies with the rebels.

In reality, it was only because he, that old fox, changed his tune at the last minute, specifically choosing to have Xiao's army enter the city, that he could make it look like this, in order to distance himself from the rebels and cover up his previous intention to defect to the enemy.

See, a leopard can't change its spots.

Feeling confident in their unique skill, they began to overuse it.

The night Xiao led his troops into Jiujiang City and came to his home to find lodging.

They're seizing every opportunity, resorting to the same old tricks.

That night, taking advantage of his own convenience, he took the initiative to wash his second daughter clean and smooth in the dead of night, wrapped her in a quilt, picked up two strong old women, and stuffed her into Xiao Shuai's room.

Fortunately, Xiao Jingchuan didn't sleep too soundly at night.

The guards at the gate weren't all asleep either.

Once this matter was exposed, Xiao was also very angry.

The girl was naturally shooed back to the backyard the way she came.

Furthermore, an urgent order was issued to completely seal off the two side gates on the left and right sides of the second courtyard with bricks and stones.

Xiao Jiangyan decreed that from then on, this temporary place for official business rest would be divided into two parts, front and back. The Huang family was not allowed to enter the front without permission, and all their daily activities would take place in the back.

After all, Xiao's stay in Jiujiang won't be long.

I imagine that once they've taken over someone's front yard, they'll return it to its original state when it's time to leave, give them some silver, and that'll be the end of it.

Not only is it safe, but it also ensures peace and quiet from now on, reducing arguments and disputes.

After reading these things, he then returned to the situation of Xiao, Gu, and the others on their return journey.

It was around the beginning of the afternoon when Xiao, along with his guards, finally managed to return to the city from the tomb of Wu.

Upon entering the front courtyard of the Huang residence, Xiao and Gu hurriedly returned to their post to attend to Pei Zhong's affairs and set off to their tasks.

After finishing his duties alone, the jinx found himself with no one else to do his job, so he took a rare break and went back to his cell, intending to rest and lie down for a while.

creak-

He came from outside, and the door had just been opened.

Suddenly, a plume of smoke billowed out from inside.

Wow! This, this!

The house was now filled with smoke and fumes. The jinx frowned, hurriedly flicked his sleeves to cover his mouth and nose.

After a while, when the smoke had dissipated somewhat, he dared to crouch down and peer inside.

At this moment, looking at Master Liu in the inner room, he didn't seem to mind the choking smoke at all. He was still like a limp rag, half-leaning against the corner of the bed, puffing out smoke from his pipe, completely absorbed in his own pleasure.

The jinx stared at this fellow, finding him quite displeasing, and thus began to scold him.

"Oh, you... you mean you?"

"Ugh!"

"Smoke, smoke, smoke, I'll smoke myself to death sooner or later."

"You, you're still this drunk."

"It's both cigarettes and alcohol."

Even a deity would have to shake their head and step aside.

"Degrading yourself is not the way to do it."

"If the warlord needs you to do something for him later, will you go to him looking like this again?!"

"I'm not trying to criticize you, but you've already taken up a position in the military, and the governor trusts and values ​​you so much."

"Even if you're faking it, you should at least put on a show of energy and spirit."

"Otherwise, wouldn't that be incredibly disheartening!"

"Ugh"

When the jinx saw that Master Liu's bed was hanging crookedly, he was so disappointed in him that he immediately started scolding and berating him.

Upon hearing this, it was unexpected that the carefree and dejected Master Liu seemed completely unconcerned.

He grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth, and muttered under his breath.

"Hehehe"

"You jinx, you're acting all serious now, lecturing me?" Liu scoffed.

"Hey, what are you saying?"

"I'm only doing this for your own good!"

“The military is no longer a small team of a few hundred people.”

"You and I are both in charge of a garrison, and we have the important responsibility of protecting the military governor."

"We really don't expect you to become anything respectable."

"But these bad habits of the past should be changed, shouldn't they?"

"We'll inevitably become a laughingstock among those young lads outside," said the jinx.

"Oh, look at you, so serious."

"A normal person, a respectable person? Hahahaha."

"Oh, you jinx, take a good look at yourself in the mirror."

"Don't think that just because you're following General Xiao or the Duke, you're someone important."

"We two brothers, to put it bluntly, are fucking the same kind of people."

"The past cannot be retrieved."

"Since it's difficult to start a family, and there's no way to be with normal people and do normal things, it's as if we'll be permanently separated and incompatible."

"It's your business if you act like a big shot in public."

"I felt it was meaningless."

"Whenever Xiao Jingchuan needs us, I, Second Master Liu, will repay what I owe him."

"Hehe, by then, I'll be debt-free and carefree."

Upon hearing these words, the jinx knew that this child was beyond saving.

So, in a fit of anger, he turned and stormed off.

If you can't mess with them, and you can't help them, then you can at least avoid them.

(End of this chapter)