"Qi Bainian, the governor of Jiangyang County, not only has an excellent reputation in Jiangyang County, but is also a god in the hearts of the people of the county town of Jiangcheng. What is most frightening is that the current emperor has tried to remove him from Jiangcheng several times, but due to the obstruction of the powerful clans and the people of Jiangcheng, the emperor has chosen to compromise. This is because he is extremely loyal to the emperor and has a very good way of governing the region, developing Jiangyang County into the place with the highest tax revenue in the eastern part of Dajing. The emperor does not dare to touch him easily."
"Of course, you will also know this information after you go to Jiangyang County, but the reason I told you is to remind you of something."
"Qi Bainian came to Qingdong City to study when he was young. He was my classmate at the time. I don't think he is a truly good person."
Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Are you telling me all this so I can be wary of Qi Bainian? Is he one of Wen Hu's men?"
I don't know if he's from the Left Prime Minister's residence.
Liu Da shook his head and said, "I just want to tell you that to resolve the situation in Jiangyang County, we must first take Jiangcheng. To take Jiangcheng, we must deal with the Lu and Tu families in Jiangcheng. Qi Bainian is the key to taking down the Lu and Tu families."
Liu Da's explanation was so insightful that Zhao Cheng began to ponder it seriously and asked, "What are Qi Bainian's hobbies?"
"I'm not greedy for money, I'm not lustful, and I don't gamble," Liu Da said with a wry smile.
Zhao Cheng asked, "Is it good wine?"
Liu Da said, "I don't drink a drop of alcohol."
Zhao Cheng exclaimed in surprise, "This person has no weaknesses?"
Liu Da nodded and said, "He's a good official."
Xu An interjected, "Do you like men?"
"..." Liu Da thought for a moment and said, "I have never heard of it."
Xu An sighed and said, "That's going to be tricky."
Zhao Cheng cupped his hands to Liu Da and said, "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Earl of Moling."
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei bowed together and said, "Take care on your journey!"
"treasure!"
...
Jiangyang County is adjacent to Jingdong County, located south of Yanchuan and Jingdong County. Hannan City is located south of Jingdong County, so going south from Hannan City to Jiangyang County is the shortest route.
Zhao Cheng and his party traveled for two days and reached the border of Jiangyang County. They headed straight south and arrived at Jiangcheng, Linhai, in about ten days.
It was early February of the eleventh year of the reign of Emperor Zhishang. Winter had passed, and spring had arrived with flowers in bloom.
The scenery of Jiangcheng is breathtaking.
After Xiao Luomu and Wu Sisi left, Zhao Cheng and his group traveled light again. Apart from Zhao Wu, Heng Wenhao, Xia Qi, Huang Hua, and Yuan Fei, there was only Xu An and his guards.
He was very dissatisfied with the guards. He had been paying them for two months but they hadn't made a single move. He kept complaining to Zhao Cheng along the way and had begun to doubt their abilities. He even considered having Zhao Wu wear a mask and pretend to be a bandit to test their fighting skills.
Zhao Wu was speechless and only said one sentence.
"No one lives under my blade."
Xu An left dejectedly, vowing to find a 'talent' like Zhao Wu.
It was getting late, but Jiangcheng was already in sight. Yuan Fei, who had scouted the way back, said, "Jiangcheng is different from Qingdongcheng and Hannancheng. It closes its gates on time at night, so we can't get in tonight."
At the beginning of the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, all cities had regulations requiring them to close their gates and observe curfews. However, as time went by and the policies of successive emperors differed, many cities, except in times of war, kept their gates open year-round, and even the tradition of curfews was abolished. The emperor considered this a symbol of peace and prosperity, and therefore did not stop it.
But Jiangcheng is different. Qi Bainian strictly adheres to ancestral teachings, and all regulations within the city are conducted in accordance with tradition. This is also intelligence that Yuan Fei obtained.
Xu An said, "Once I reveal my identity—my father is Xu Shouli—who would dare not open the city gate?"
Yuan Fei dared not respond.
Zhao Cheng said, "Now that your dad is powerful and you've made something of yourself, you want to ruin him, don't you?"
Xu An said, "As long as the opponent is not you, our Xu family will be absolutely safe."
"Don't flatter me to death!" Zhao Cheng curled his lip and said, "Let's find a place to spend the night first, so as not to break the rules of the county town."
Yuan Fei said, "There is a village about seven or eight miles ahead."
Zhao Cheng asked, "Is it suitable for living?"
"I don't know, I only saw it from afar, I didn't go in."
"Okay, there aren't many of us, we'll stay in the village for the night."
evening.
When Zhao Cheng and his group arrived at the village, the sun was setting, and the sky was ablaze with warm golden hues. As Zhao Cheng walked to the village entrance, he was stunned by the picturesque scenery.
Although Yanchuan is not in the far north, it is still very different from Jiangcheng in the south, and he was a little drunk for a moment.
He has been in this world for six years, but his memories of his past life remain. In his past life, he was a southerner. Coming to Jiangcheng felt like returning to an illusion.
The sunset, the evening glow, the scenery touched his heartstrings.
Seeing their horses and attire, the villagers immediately judged that they were either rich or noble. The villagers at the village entrance rushed to find the village chief, who soon came to greet them.
The village chief wasn't an old man, but a robust man who looked to be in his prime. He smiled warmly and asked, "May I ask if you'd like to stay the night?"
Zhao Cheng closed his eyes to rest in the carriage, leaving Xu An to handle the business. He said, "Yes, you're in charge?"
The village chief didn't care about Xu An's arrogant tone; instead, he became even more respectful and said with a smile, "I am the village chief."
Xu An stretched out his hand, and Huang Maoxiu'er beside him handed him a silver ingot. Xu An gave the silver to the village chief and said, "When people come, help us gather a few rooms."
The village chief handed the silver back and said with a smile, "There's room available, so there's no need for the silver."
Xu An grinned and said, "Take it if you want. Do you think we're freeloaders?"
The village chief shook his head and said firmly, "Although Jiangde Village is not wealthy, it can still entertain guests without any problem."
"you……"
"Old Xu, if they don't want the money, they don't need it. Don't be so dramatic," Zhao Cheng said from inside the carriage.
Upon hearing this, Xu An gave up and politely bowed to the village chief, saying, "Then I'll trouble you."
"No trouble at all, please follow me!" The village chief cheerfully led the group inside.
On the way into the village, Zhao Cheng lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. He saw that the village was indeed very poor, but every villager was dressed very simply. There were children by the roadside staring longingly at the carriage. They probably rarely saw such luxurious horses and were looking at the carriage with envious eyes.
"Xiaqi, there are some snacks in the car, take them to the children."
"Yes, Master."
Just as Xia Qi was about to get out of the car, Zhao Cheng said again, "Wenhao, you stay with Xia Qi. After all, it's a village where she doesn't know anyone. Protect her."
Heng Wenhao nodded and asked, "Should we kill anyone who harasses us?"
Zhao Cheng rolled his eyes at Heng Wenhao and said, "From now on, stay away from Zhao Wu and learn some bad things!"
"I understand..." Heng Wenhao then helped Xia Qi out of the car.
Seeing the two of them not caring about maintaining a safe distance at all, Zhao Cheng thought that the two of them had probably hooked up after spending two months together.
Zhao Cheng tapped the carriage floor with the sole of his foot and said, "Zhao Wu, you should learn from Heng Wenhao and hurry up and seduce A Tao!"
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