Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 100: Let’s go, let’s go to bed…

In the government office, Su Wu took off his armor in front of Cheng Wanli and other officials so that he could sit down and talk.

As soon as Su Wu took off his armor, Cheng Wanli asked, "Look, where did the two arrows hit you?"

Could it be that Cheng Wanli still had doubts? Obviously not.

Cheng Wanli really cared about him, and Su Wu also knew that Cheng Wanli was actually a good person.

Su Wu really bares his chest. The two arrows in his chest have already stabbed the blood scabs away, leaving only fresh scars.

Cheng Wanli came to watch carefully and sighed repeatedly: "If these two arrows really penetrated, wouldn't he have died on the spot?"

"It's okay, it's just a flesh wound. The armor that my husband got from the Tokyo Armory is really good. It saved my life!"

Su Wu smiled and said that even without this good armor, he would not dare to go forward first.

Cheng Wanli laughed again: "It seems that we should ask for more armor."

Many people came to see it, and were amazed. Even though they had never seen it before, they wanted to see something new and fresh, and feel the cruelty of war.

"Okay, okay, put them on." Cheng Wanli waved his hand and said to everyone, "Don't be late for the welcoming banquet this afternoon. Now, everyone should disperse. I have something to discuss with Su Dujian alone."

Everyone stood up, bowed, and dispersed.

Cheng Wanli also went ahead and went to the study in the back government office.

There were some strange changes in the study. There were a few more calligraphy and paintings hanging on the left and right walls. There was nothing hanging there before. There was even a plaque above the main seat.

There is a chessboard between the two seats below.

There are more books on the bookshelf.

Could it be that Cheng Wanli had never really considered this place his home before, but now he feels a sense of belonging?

Cheng Wanli brought Su Wu in. They didn't sit down yet, but walked around. In front of a piece of calligraphy, Cheng Wanli looked at it himself, as if he was admiring it. He also asked Su Wu: "How about you come and take a look at this calligraphy?"

What did Su Wu understand? He went forward and pretended to take a look.

Hey, I understand.

Su Wu said, "Eh? Isn't this the font created by the current government?"

Cheng Wanli was surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

How did Su Wu know this? Is this a secret? Isn't it known to everyone?
"Well... I found out about it by accident." This was the only way Su Wu could answer.

Cheng Wanli nodded: "If the court officials knew about this, it would be normal. You were born in Yanggu County, but you know that this is the font created by the current emperor. You are really knowledgeable..."

Does this mean that Su Wu can keep up with the current trend of the literary world?
Then Cheng Wanli asked again: "How do you think I did in copying this one?"

Su Wu took a careful look at it. Anyway, it was well written, so he had to choose words and sentences: "Slender Gold Calligraphy is all about style and character. If the style and character are there, then you can get the flavor of it, sir..."

"You actually really understand this. Just be frank and don't be ambiguous." Cheng Wanli interjected.

I understand. Su Wu said again: "Sir, you have a little more imitation and a little less free and easy. When you move your brush, it should be like a willow leaf blowing in the wind, which is the free and easy feeling!"

This is not about looking at the words, but looking at the person. How carefree was Emperor Zhao Ji's life, and how high was his artistic level? Could Cheng Wanli be so carefree?
"Good!" Cheng Wanli said, "You hit the nail on the head! The phrase 'willow leaves follow the wind' is the essence of the government. You said it very well. If I can really meet the government in the future, I will inevitably use your phrase to say that the government is like willow leaves following the wind!"

Su Wu didn't think it was that difficult. When it comes to art, anything can be said to be true.

"Take a seat!" Cheng Wanli raised his hand and waved.

After they sat down, Cheng Wanli asked again, "Why didn't you take the imperial examination in the past? Instead, you worked as a captain in the government office?"

"I do like wielding spears and clubs..." Su Wu answered casually.

"What a pity! You have actually received some education and can play chess, right?" Cheng Wanli asked again.

Su Wu also understood that the prefect was testing him today, so he nodded and said, "Yes, I have played chess with Magistrate Meng several times, but I have never won."

"Haha... show me some moves." Cheng Wanli smiled and glanced at the window in the corner of the wall at the back.

Su Wu was familiar with the situation and started playing chess.

After only twenty or thirty moves, Cheng Wanli frowned and said, "You are..."

This is embarrassing. Cheng Wanli's chess skills are really not as good as that of old Meng Yi. Su Wu has only learned some new opening moves in the intelligent era, but he didn't learn them thoroughly...

"Sir, County Magistrate Meng studies this subject a lot and has taught me a few tricks..." Su Wu passed the buck.

"Okay, okay, not bad, not bad, keep going..." Cheng Wanli wiped his forehead.

Su Wu looked at Cheng Wanli and wondered whether he should win or lose.

Seeing Su Wu hesitate for a moment, Cheng Wanli said, "What? Are you worried that my chess skills are not good? Just play..."

That was a real move. Su Wu traveled thousands of miles and left after placing the chess piece.

After another twenty or thirty moves, Cheng Wanli, who had been looking down at the chessboard, suddenly raised his head and said, "Oh, I forgot, I have something important to tell you..."

"My husband ordered me to do that." Su Wu complained in his heart, I'm about to enter the middle game and the situation is about to be revealed, and you already remembered something.

"Well... yes... the Privy Council may give a reply in the next day or two." Cheng Wanli said.

What's going on? The official document hasn't arrived yet.

Su Wu nodded: "Oh, it must be an official document of commendation or something like that."

Cheng Wanli nodded: "Well, that's right, it should be so..."

Cheng Wanli is fine...

Forget it, Su Wu himself said: "I do have something to ask."

"Ah? You have something to say? Then just tell me now." Cheng Wanli nodded.

"I met a very good man in Qingzhou. He is the magistrate of Ye County in Laizhou. His name is Zong Ze. He is not young, in his fifties. He has been an official for more than twenty years, traveling to various prefectures and counties. He is proficient in military and civil affairs. He is honest and dutiful in dealing with people. He is conscientious, proficient in everything, and diligent..."

Su Wu took the opportunity to say that Cheng Wanli was playing tricks.

"Oh, if you put it that way, then this Zong Ze must be good." Cheng Wanli nodded.

"So, I thought, you are busy with all kinds of things in this government office. If you have someone like this to help you, you will save a lot of trouble. He was originally a county magistrate, and it would be perfect for him to be transferred to our government office as a judge. In this way, wouldn't you be able to get twice the result with half the effort in the government office?"

Su Wu always thinks about his husband.

Cheng Wanli nodded: "Good things, good things, really good things."

"Sir, do you really think this is a good thing?" Su Wu was afraid that Cheng Wanli was just being perfunctory.

Cheng Wanli immediately said seriously: "How can it not be a good thing? Zongze, right? The magistrate of Ye County, Laizhou, this is not difficult. I just need to exchange letters a few times. An experienced and steady person is exactly what my government office lacks..."

Cheng Wanli also has his own needs, which is that he has never been an official in the local area before. Su Wu also knows this. How can he not consider his husband?
"Congratulations, sir, for finding such a talented person!" Su Wu was very serious.

"You really think a lot about me!" Cheng Wanli also nodded, understanding in his heart.

"Then..." Su Wu subconsciously looked at the chessboard in front of him.

"Then you go and do your work... I'll go write a letter now, I'm busy too!" Cheng Wanli waved his hand.

Su Wu stood up, bowed, and left.

As soon as Su Wu left, the good girl came in, looked down at the chessboard, and said, "Father, you are... playing tricks."

"Ah? What?" Cheng Wanli really went to the main seat to write.

“Out of the four star corners, father only managed to get one…the middle game is bound to collapse…” The good girl watched carefully.

"Oh, about this matter, I was thinking about other things just now and didn't take it seriously." Cheng Wanli just bent over his desk and wrote, making himself look very busy.

How could a successful Jinshi of the Song Dynasty be worse at chess than a warrior?
It's absolutely impossible!
I only heard the daughter say: "His move is also weird. Father learned the big avalanche from the chess manual, but he crawled and stood up, and he didn't get any benefit at all..."

"Don't look at it... Come, help your father add water and grind the ink." Cheng Wanli was really embarrassed.

"Yes, here I come..." The good woman was walking, her eyes still lingering on the chessboard. She came closer and said, "Father has really become unfamiliar..."

"Yeah, I'm a little unfamiliar with it." Cheng Wanli answered casually, but he was actually writing the transfer request document seriously.

"Father, Su Wu is truly extraordinary. I thought he was just a crude warrior of humble origins, but now I see that he is a man of great potential, not just an ordinary person."

"Yes, I know that, too. This is very good. It is good to be friends with people like him. If he is really a warrior like Dong Ping, how can we live like this?"

Cheng Wanli continued to answer casually.

"Father, you should win her over. Talents are hard to come by." The good girl was obviously the best strategist in the government office.

"Yes, he treats me like this, so I will never treat him unfairly." Cheng Wanli wrote, then read the context again and said, "So, this Zong Ze recommended by Su Wu must not be an ordinary person."

"It's just that I'm a little old, and I won't be able to work for a few years before I retire." The good girl agreed, but she also saw Zong Ze's shortcomings at a glance.

"It'll take as many days as possible. The affairs in the government office are really complicated and annoying. If Zong Ze comes, he will definitely be able to calm down."

Cheng Wanli read the text, stood up, and called someone in to seal the envelope and send it out quickly.

Then, get up and go to the banquet.

The banquet was held at Meng Niang's main restaurant. All the civil and military officials in the mansion were present, as well as local gentry and celebrities.

Even now, everyone knows that Meng Niang Zhengdian is Su Wu's business to raise troops, and it was approved by Cheng Xianggong himself. These two people really work for Dongping Prefecture. Needless to say, the banquet was full of toasts, people came and went, laughed and congratulated each other...

However, in such a situation, people like Lu Da, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Luan Tingyu and others would naturally sit aside cautiously, and would not eat or drink too much, or even laugh loudly.

I just watched the government officials coming and going, drinking and chatting.

There is no comparison between civil and military officials.

Even Lu Da, Yang Zhi and others were not angry, as if it was their natural fate. They knew their status and position, and accepted it deep down, so they just sat there to keep company.

Of course, Su Wu came and went to drink, one cup after another, eating this and that.

Cheng Wanli also frequently asked Su Wu to drink more.

There are some kinds of music, but they are not as good as those played by Murong Yanda in Qingzhou.

Meng Yulou personally supervised the work in the kitchen today, and kept reminding the servants how to be polite when they came and went.

From the moment she received the order from the government office, she had been busy running back and forth in the store without stopping for a moment, fearing that she would do something wrong and lose face for Supervisor Su.

It is also known that it is not easy for Su Dujian, a military man, to be an official in this government office. Others just sit comfortably in the classroom of the government office, but Su Dujian has to risk his life.

By the time the banquet was over, Supervisor Su had already eaten too much and was staggering, but he still bowed to everyone and said goodbye at the door of the store.

Meng Yulou was in the shop, and she also looked through the crack in the window, seeing the smiling face of Su Dujian.

As soon as all the government officials had been sent away, the group of soldiers came. Each of them was tall and strong, and looked very scary.

Then he saw Supervisor Su being supported by the crowd and returning to the military camp.

Ugh……

But they had not walked far when they saw Su Dujian coming back, and with him came Li Cheng, Li Yunlong, and a man with an ugly face.

Meng Yulou felt inexplicably nervous and hurriedly touched her hair bun, wondering if it was straight or not. She then lowered her head and looked around herself, wondering if her clothes were appropriate...

He even smelled his left and right arms, fearing that the smell of smoke and firewood from the kitchen stove would be too strong.

He also walked quickly, waiting for the main hall.

Seeing Su Dujian walking in with unsteady steps, Meng Yulou took a few steps forward to greet him and asked: "Dujian, you left and came back, did you leave anything behind?"

Su Wu's eyes were blurry, but he was still somewhat sober: "I didn't forget anything, I just remembered something and came to look for you..."

"General, please take a seat..." Meng Yulou asked to sit down first.

"Well, let's find a room to sit and talk about business." Su Wu waved his hand drunkenly.

"The eunuch, follow me..." Meng Yulou led the way and turned around to order, "Bring tea and sobering soup."

A servant will come to respond.

After sitting down in the side room and taking a few sips of the hangover soup, Su Wu talked about business: "Has the water jade I sent back been polished according to my drawing?"

Meng Yulou nodded immediately: "Go back to the governor, I'm grinding it."

"Show it to me..." Su Wu was a little anxious. Although he got 210,000 strings of cash from his trip to Qingzhou, this kind of money would be gone once it was used.

To make money from money, you need to have a long-term big business that keeps making money, so that you won’t be panicked.

Moreover, with the 210,000 strings of cash, apart from the rewards and pensions for the army, you have to hand in some of it when you go to the government office tomorrow. This is just an attitude, and it depends on how Cheng Wanli deals with it. There is really no need to hide it privately.

Now, Su Wu really knows how to deal with Cheng Wanli, which is to treat people sincerely and the most important thing is not to create any grudges.

Then Meng Yulou turned around to get it and brought it back quickly.

Two small flat convex lenses, two small flat concave lenses, and the frame is also there, but it has not been put together yet.

Meng Yulou also said: "I just invited the jade craftsman back to polish it..."

Su Wu took it and put it directly on his eyes. It was really good. It was really like that. Su Wu was immediately delighted: "Okay, okay, that's it. It should be thinner... The frame should also be lighter. This frame is too thick and too heavy to wear. Just wait for me to carefully draw a size diagram in a day or two..."

"Okay, I'll follow the eunuch's orders." Meng Yulou nodded.

Su Wu pointed at the ugly man beside him and said, "His name is Du Xing. If you need anything in the future, just go find him. Even if you need money, go find him. Recruit as many jade craftsmen as possible. After you have recruited all the jade craftsmen in the surrounding prefectures, go to Daming Prefecture. There must be many in Daming Prefecture. You can pay as much as you can. Recruit as many as you can. If this can be done, you will make a lot of money."

Su Wu was speaking seriously.

Du Xing stood up and bowed: "Greetings, Madam Meng."

Meng Yulou was also relieved: "Don't worry, Supervisor, I will definitely handle this matter well."

"We need to find a place and build a workshop. By then, the supply will surely exceed the demand. The workshop can be built in Dulonggang... Du Xing, go back to Dulonggang to discuss this matter..." Su Wu already had a vision in his heart. He was sure to make a lot of money from this.

He also felt relieved. If this matter was really accomplished, Su Wu's financial pressure would be temporarily resolved.

Du Xing stood up and said, "Then I will go right away."

"Well, there's no time to lose, the sooner the better." Su Wu nodded.

Du Xing stood up and walked out, but turned back and exchanged a few glances with Li Cheng and Li Yunlong.

The two of them also went out, and after walking a few steps away, Li Cheng just asked, "Brother Du, what's the matter?"

Du Xing chuckled, "You two, don't go in anymore. Just let the eunuch talk to Madam Meng. At night, don't ask where the eunuch is going. Just follow him from a distance. Wherever the eunuch goes, go there. If the eunuch gets drunk and wants to sleep, you two should not bother to do anything. There will be people to take care of him. As long as the eunuch is not in danger, just follow him from a distance..."

"Ah?" Li Cheng was stunned.

"What? Just listen to me... The eunuch is quite old and his life is hard..." Du Xing said with a straight face.

"Ah?" Li Cheng and Li Yunlong both said "Ah". Life in the capital is hard? Oh, fighting in the war, that's hard.

"Did you two take note of it?" Du Xing asked again.

"I've got it, I've got it. Just follow and watch. As long as the supervisor is not in any danger, I won't bother with anything." Li Cheng nodded.

"Okay, I'm leaving. Remember this." Du Xing instructed and got up and left quickly, fearing that he would not be able to leave the city before dark.

The two captains of the personal guards stayed in the outer room and did not enter the side rooms anymore.

Su Wu was groggy, but he was still saying, "You've worked so hard. We're doing this business together, and it all depends on you. Don't be surprised."

"How can I be surprised? I am already grateful to the governor..." Meng Yulou also replied.

"You will definitely make a lot of money this time, and you won't be treated unfairly..." Su Wu said again.

"Well, I trust the eunuch. He will definitely not treat me unfairly..." Meng Yulou also nodded.

"Has Zong Tie come to Dongping Prefecture?" Su Wu asked again. It is normal for people to talk a lot when drunk.

"Return to the governor, he is here, and I have invited a teacher."

"All right, all good. The new wine is good too. Today's drink is as good as any other. Thank you for your hard work."

"Well, of course it is what I should do. The eunuch has a harder time. When I heard that the eunuch was shot by two arrows in Qingzhou, I almost fainted in anxiety... I was also very relieved when I heard that the eunuch was fine. I went to Ciyu Temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for the eunuch..."

Meng Yulou looked at Su Dujian's drowsy appearance and spoke slowly.

"Oh, I'm fine. Generals naturally have to go to the battlefield to fight..." Su Wu answered casually without even raising his head.

"The chief eunuch..."

"The chief eunuch..."

"Well... it's me, it's me, you say..." The eunuch bent his back and tilted his head, leaning forward but still sitting steadily, looking like a drunk, even though he could never drink much.

"Uh, I don't know what to say, Dujian..."

"Um……"

"The chief eunuch..."

"Uh-huh..." The eunuch called him and he responded.

Meng Yulou knew that Su Wu was drunk and sleepy, so he got up and went out. When he looked around, he saw two young soldiers standing far away at the door of the store, but they didn't come over to ask.

Meng Yulou was about to shout, her mouth opened, but no sound came out...

Then he turned around and looked at the eunuch Su again. He approached him and raised his hand to help him: "Eunuch, can you still walk?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I can. I can walk, just walk..." Su Dujian just lowered his head without opening his eyes, but he was able to stand up.

"Then the chief eunuch..."

"Let's go, let's go to bed..." Su Dujian was able to move forward, so he just kept moving forward.

"Here, here..." Meng Yulou could not stand up to such a general and could only lead him.

Even after they went out the door, the two young soldiers did not come forward but just watched from a distance.

(Brothers, come over here with your clean faces, I’ll give you a kiss!)

　I'd like to recommend a book written by my good offline brother Qingshan Jinmo, a masterpiece with a weird folk style called "Gods Wandering Day and Night", which is already a high-quality work on Qidian. It is very exciting.

　　Thanks to book friend Jie Xingyue for the reward of 20210324232450800, thanks to book friends Feng Lizhi and for the reward, thank you all for your votes and subscriptions, thank you very much!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)