Chapter 007: The True Image
Xu Qi did not live in the back hall of the county government office, the county magistrate Feng Jade carries a collection of books more servants, taking up a lot of room, the county magistrate Bai Shang Xique also cleaned up an extra room for martial arts training, but also with no one polite, a look of who is not satisfied with who came to ask the official waist knife posture, he is the chief of this very sensible in the outside of the small mansion, away from the county government office on a tea from hot to cold in the blink of an eye, the alleyway is secluded and quiet and deep, in the courtyard there is a small well to draw water is not easy, and there is a new green grapevine, but also a quiet and pleasant. It is not easy to draw water from a small well in the courtyard, there is a new green grapevine, but also sloppy is quiet and pleasant. When Xu Qi returned to the residence, a head tilted gold hairpin little girl is lying on the mouth of the well, puckered buttocks, regardless of whether this posture is elegant or not. Xu Fengyen took off the embedded from the sixth grade official complementary official uniform, moved a small bench to sit on the well, originally he was not blessed so leisurely day, but the second sister in the family after knowing his current situation, rather than their own labor some, but also insisted that he, the younger brother for the time being not to touch the mountain of paperwork political affairs, to know that these zhangzhi text, move the mountain after a empty, can be immediately can be made into a mountain again, just she said that it is a lower man! Labor in the middle man labor wisdom on the top man labor people, as if it is to give him the last half of the leisurely days. Anyway, reasoning, Xu Qi never won her, but also peacefully waiting for the next spring blossoms, by then even if they want to be lazy, I think the second sister will have to grab him by the ear to the desk. He this not too big and not too small main thin, in the rouge county Bishan county, of course, will be seeded children born Xu Qi, this alias in the northern Mang in the Liyang Jianghu have used, but wait until the end of a year of mourning, wait until draped in the Golden Wisp Weaving Bureau spent a lot of manpower and financial resources to carefully create that piece of clothing, he should also be out of here, out of the state of the Youzhou. In Bishan County, in addition to half a decade of a family letter, there will be no one to disturb his cultivation, so similar to the martial arts assessment rouge assessment of the generals assessment of these things, really have to hear from the county minister Zuo Jing there, when the point of the salary of the Lord’s book, are given to the left adult drinking drink to seven or eight. This new martial arts assessment, undoubtedly Huang Sanjia once again deliberately set off the demon wind, which Longhu Mountain is the biggest loser, a pair of father and son of the great real people jointly ascension, unprecedented, but seems to have emptied all the Taoist ancestor’s home base, this time, no one on the list, and so far nowhere to be seen Wudang Li Yu axe jumped into the assessment, and Yuan Qingshan Li Dangxin side by side, the Wudangshan’s status is sure to rise, and Xu Yanbing with him this world! The sixth of the crossroads, North Liang is just like the biggest winner.
He leaned against the rattan frame, muttering to himself: “Ten times out of the spirit of free travel, condescending, have seen many places, along the way to see a time and place of the gathering and dispersal of the qi. It is said that a side of the soil and water to raise a side of the people, in this side of the limitations of the soil and water, people and people’s words and deeds penetrate into each other, so this soil and water and other soil and water, people in both places to write out the flavor of the article will be different, and then zoomed out to say that, with the Guangling River as the boundary between the north and south, the south and north of the people’s character is even more completely different.”
“Out of mind to see the big, back to see the small, let’s say that I now look at the newcomer Zuo Jing in Beiliang, look at the old man Pei矩, look at their words and deeds, and ultimately the qi confusion, all dissolve into the qi of Beiliang, all inspired. Today, North Liang is burdened with the place of qi, there is Wudang Mountain, but have to wait until Li Yu axe back to the mountain. Qingliang Mountain in the ginger mud and sheepskin fur old man are gone, replaced by male and female white fox face, as well as Huyan Guanyin. But these few people, in or out, all follow the four words of heavenly justice, can not be forced.”
“A lot of deceased people, have really become deceased people, there are some, also do not know which day will become ancient people, like that with Liu Songtao side of Wang Xiaoping, somehow still not on the list of martial arts evaluation of the Sui diagonal valley, and do not know the whereabouts of the Li Zi girl and the north and south monks, but that said, with me on the relationship, most of them do not have a good end.”
Miss Oh, who had been listening to Xu Fenian’s recitation, raised her head, held up her slightly slanted golden hairpin, and calmly said, “I should have died more than ten years ago.”
Xu Fenian was amused and asked curiously, “Since it was your savior, then you still killed me? Those times, you had mercy, but there were also times when you did kill in pain ah.”
The young girl sat on her butt on the mouth of the well and looked at him, blinking her eyes, “Old Huang said that you lived such a miserable life, and that it would be better to die in my hands than in someone else’s. I think ……”
Xu Fengnian said helplessly, “You think it’s quite reasonable?”
The young girl heckled a few times, obviously quite happy.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, flashed away, said to go, leaving a lonely Xu Fengyen “alone”, Xu Fengyen did not know where she went, but felt that she would not show up again for a while. Xu Fengnian sighed, sitting on a small bench daze, these days, the general is to go to the county Yamen point dawning to take a look at, and then there is no his Lord Lord what things, Bishan County, the old and new, the county Yamen up and down the county Yamen should have been the most difficult time, but the county magistrate Feng Jade strong incomparable, the sole control of the powers of the Zuo Jing a few times in the dark and the battle for power to lose, but also have nothing to do, it seems that they want to be behind the backing of the side for some support, temporarily choose to rest and hibernate, but the county Magistrate Feng Jade, a few times in the dark and the battle for power to lose. It seems that he wants to seek some support from the backers behind him and choose to rest and hibernate for the time being, and see how many times Mr. Feng will go on the rampage. Bai Shang Xique’s ambition is not in a county, more than to go to the rouge county a pass travel “distraction”, make friends in the Beiliang Road power lieutenant, nowadays the Beiliang Road, not to mention the fourteen new lieutenants, any one of the lieutenants holding the military symbols have been a hot big nobleman. The reason why Xu Fengyen chose Bishan County as the landing point, one is that the Yuzhou storm aftermath is still lingering, he still has to stare at the new assassin Hu Kui and the Yuzhou General Huangfu Ping can sing a good red and white face together, secondly, the Rouge County is close to the border, Xu Fengyen is very disappointed in the Yuzhou territory, and incidentally, he also does not have a lot of confidence in the border army of Yuzhou, and thought of having the time to go to the border to have a look, and then it’s even more important to have the experience of the new phenomenon of the Beiliang officialdom, and to know the difference from the small things. The new phenomenon, see the slightest thing, compared to hearsay or even spies are more accurate and comprehensive, like the current situation, Bishan County, Feng Jade and Zuo Jing’s internal friction, as well as the centrifugal separation of the county magistrate and the county minister, has already made Xu Fengyen worried.
Xu Fengyen looked at the sky, got up to go to the stove room, but found that the rice jar is already at the bottom, although now he is already with the Taoist real person’s grain, the subtle realm is even far beyond, but since the ancient sages all say that cultivation rather than cultivation of immortality, and then again in order to prove that the long life, before cultivation of immortality, early cultivation of oneself is not a person, and what is the benefit. Xu Fengyen has been eating, drinking and sleeping for a while now. Go to the table to take a bag of silver money, intends to go out to buy a bag of rice, probably Bishan County, poor mountains and water out of the cause of the people, the local roots of the intertwining of the rich and powerful families, for them a few new officials to take office a fire is also burned thriving parents, are not much of a good face to Zhu’s head of the family is so far the head of the people are closed to thank the guests, determined to draw a line with them.
Xu Fengyen just to go out, there is a young man stormed into the small courtyard, shoulder a bag of rice, Xu Fengyen is not polite with him, smiled and took the bag of rice, back to pour into the rice tank, the side of the young man surnamed Zhu, his name is Zhengli, is a drinking acquaintance, is a native of Bishan County, claiming to be rouge county big family refused to marry a small family shabby son of the younger generation, Xu Fengyen where he can’t guess that he is a The real Zhu’s children and grandchildren, but since Zhu Zhengli is not willing to admit, he did not go to expose, Zhu Zhengli temperament free, is a rare style of decent children of large families, about that point of the Northern Liang Ranger bone sneak, in Bishan County and other anointed children with the mixing of a piece of, instead of more than one dispute, some years ago because of a matter with the implicated family and the last magistrate had a mess, know that do not do not take magistrates do not take an official, the broken family magistrate is not called for nothing, the magistrate is not an official, the magistrate is not an official. Broke the county magistrate is not called for nothing, the county magistrate officer is not big, but is under the assassin county magistrate emperor, can sit on this position, both the background can not be underestimated, but also have to have not bad officialdom learning, let the people die that is easy to let the people break down, Zhu Zhengli dare to mess with the county magistrate, his own is not versed in the ways of the world is one, and then again, Bishan County, the Zhu family does have a share of the heritage, if it is really the Zhu family in charge of the people to send a message, not to mention the magistrate, is Rouge County governor Hung. It is rouge county governor Hong Shandong also want to obediently silent, just Zhu family these years of retreat, only to make Bishan County monkeys say king. Zhu Zhengli is a guy who likes to break the idea, at this time in the joke Xu Qi this main thin do too shabby, fishing not oil and water, want not two sleeves are difficult, but also said that Xu Qi must be the family out of savings to donate such a sesame green beans the size of the broken officer, otherwise where would fall to cook no rice of the bleak point, Xu Fengyen does not retort, just laugh and remind the guy in front of the short people do not say short words, Zhu Zhengli laughed loudly! Zhu Zhengli laughed heartily, but he also stopped talking about Xu Qi’s desolate situation. Xu Fengyen took out a pot of green ant wine, two people sitting under the grape arbor, one person a large white porcelain bowl, the northern cool of the sun is particularly hot, only into the summer will have Jiangnan summer heat of the difficult light, but there is a good, that is, as long as to stay in the shade, the wind blows, can be hot and dry suddenly eliminated, coupled with a person a bowl of green ant wine, the two people of the same age is more free to win the gods.
Xu Fengnian drank a mouthful of wine, drunkenly narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile: ”Today there are real vacancies everywhere in Youzhou, you talk to the elders and go to drill a hole in the ground? Ruthless, take out a few hundred taels of silver to find a backdoor, and then find a bit of prestige of the famous scholar to ask for a letter of recommendation, not to say that a county such as me as the main thin, to seek an official body is not a difficult thing, after the ranger child in the north of the Liang Road can not be mixed with a great deal of interest, and later even more likely, or when a civil official has the prospect of ah.”
Zhu Zhengli shook his head with a rattle, “What’s so good about being an official, riding on the head of the common people to shit and piss, is not good. Not to say that I am a raggedy family origin, even if I really have money, but also do not spend this money, really want to be an official, or to go to the border to join the army, rely on the ability to get the hands of real military service, that is called comfortable.”
Xu Fengyen joked: “On your three-legged cat’s hands, ordinary warfare is okay, not to mention the crow bar, is to run into the North Mang’s second-rate cavalry, but also with the death is almost the same, when the official again boring, when a dead man is interesting?”
Zhu Zhengli sighed, rubbed his chin vigorously, “That’s why my grandma doesn’t want me to join the army, she said she’d rather I wait for death in Bishan County, or she’d rather send a dead man to his death, and said that as long as I dared to sneak out of the Rouge County, she’d find someone to break one of my legs, hey, my grandma has always been true to her word, and all of us in the family are afraid of her, just like mice seeing a cat. I wasn’t afraid when I was a kid, but I’m getting more and more afraid when I’m older.”
Xu Fengyen urgedly asked, “Your sister who fell in love at first sight with County Lieutenant Bai, how is it going?”
Zhu Zhengli heard this on the toothache, bitter face said: “I wonder, you kid and white on the section of the embroidered pillow is at least the same big official hat, and looks more handsome than that little white guy a few points, strange, my sister is not to see you, have to get together to the side of that guy surnamed white, the woman should have the reserve are not there, it is just that, the old saying that men chasing women across the mountains, women chasing men a layer of veil, the woman chasing men a layer of veil. I don’t think that the white guy gave my sister a good look, I’m worried, I’m worried to death. And that all day put a stink face of the guy really want to become my brother-in-law, I have to talk to them …… Xu Qi, there is a saying how to say it?”
Xu Fengnian laughed: “The sound of chickens and dogs are heard together, and old people die together.”
Zhu Zhengli slapped on the shoulder of Xu’s chief, not forgetting to take the opportunity to wipe off the wine stains on his hands, laughed: “Xu Qi, no wonder you can be the chief of Bishan County, or read a few days of the book. I can’t, when I touch a book, I get dizzy and want to sleep. If you let me practice martial arts, it’s not a problem if I don’t rest for a few days and nights, but my grandma refuses to let me practice martial arts, alas, my brother, I have no talent.”
Xu Fenian smiled and said bluntly, “Your talent is mediocre, not good enough. It’s only because you’re a friend that I’m telling you the truth.”
Zhu Zhengli was not angry and glared, “When Wang Xianzhi first made his debut, he even gave the Jianghu seniors a description of his usual talent! Besides, I don’t have to be a famous warrior to practice martial arts, it’s fine to beat up a few scoundrels in the countryside who bully men and women.”
Xu Fengnian nodded, Zhu Zhengli finished a bowl of wine, went to shake the jug, probably still half a bowl left, put down the bowl, said this trip is from home to sneak out of the air, still have to go back to deal with those saints canon, if grandma found out, next time we see each other will have to limp. Xu Fengyen also did not send him, smiled and said, “Remember to bring wine next time you come to the door.”
Zhu Zhengli who trotted away turned around and raised a middle finger.
Xu Fengnian smiled and poured himself another half bowl of wine, sitting alone under the grape arbor, the breeze was soothing. Before almost finishing the green ants in the bowl, he rested the wine bowl on the small bamboo chair, stood up and welcomed the guests.
A gray-haired old crone slowly walked into the courtyard with a walking stick, she froze when she saw Xu Fenian and sat down in front of Xu Fenian, waiting for her to sit down before Xu Fenian sat down.
The old woman is the head of the Zhu family in Bishan County. Zhu’s four generations in the same hall, the last three generations, especially the yin and yang decline, Zhu Zhengli’s generation on his only seedling, in the ancestral ancestral genealogy should have six or seven uncles, but now no one alive, and then the previous generation, is also the same. The old woman was Zhu’s eldest daughter-in-law, with the passage of time, has become the veritable backbone of the Zhu family in Bishan County, is a bit in the entire Rouge County are considered to be a respected head of the housewife, said that when the Xu family into the master of the Northern Liang, General Xu Snapdragon and Princess Wu Su have stayed at the Zhu family, based on this point, not to mention the Rouge County, that is, the state of the world, who dares to slight the Zhu family? What’s more, the Zhu family has twelve men in two generations, and in the past twenty years, all of them have died at the border!
The old woman was slightly mesmerized, looked at Xu Fenian and softly said, “It’s really like that.”
Xu Fengyen wanted to say something.
The old woman waved her hand, leaning on her walking stick with both hands, looking towards the courtyard gate, saying, “At first, I wanted to see the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord of the Lord, and after I saw him, it became clear. Back then, the head of the Zhu family’s mansion, met the Great General, almost the same scenario, the Great General did not have a frame, my husband hated to die in return, he was clumsy, did not say anything, but did.”
Xu Fengyen said in a deep voice: “Old madam, please rest assured, I will never let Zhu Zhengli follow in the footsteps of his forefathers. This trip to put down roots in Bishan County, not even daring to visit the Zhu Clan, and meeting with Zhu Zhengli was by chance. Leaving sometime in the future, most likely there will be no more time to meet again, so I hope that old madam will feel at ease.”
The old crone gave a hmmm and stopped talking.
The old crone sat quietly for an incense stick of work, slowly got up, Xu Fengyen got up and sent to the door of the courtyard, the old crone suddenly asked, “Can you really keep it?”
Xu Fengyen calmly replied, “If it didn’t hold, then I’ll trouble the old madam to tell Zhu Zhengli that Xu Qi ran away to the Central Plains to become an official.”
The old crone reached out a trembling hand and touched Xu Fengnian’s head.
The old crone slowly walked towards the carriage parked at the corner of the alleyway, and before getting on the carriage, she saw the young man who silently eyed him at the doorway and murmured, “What a resemblance.”