He got into the carriage, and Xu Erlang hurriedly climbed on as well.
Xu Tiezhu, Liu Ermei, Xu Erye, and the village head scolded Xu Li mercilessly.
"Xu Pang, don't even think about setting foot in Xu Family Village again!"
"Xu Pang, we will go to the government and report you for disobeying your elder brother and disrespecting your elders, so that you can no longer be a general!"
Xu Dalang rushed forward menacingly to smash Xu Erlang, but the two constables shouted, "Do you want to go to jail?"
Seeing that Xu Dalang was afraid of the yamen runners, Xu Erlang said smugly, "You have no sense! I will be the son of the Great General in the future. It will be very easy for me to kill you."
Xu Dalang cursed, "Wait until you become the son of a great general before you talk about it. Let me tell you, your household registration is in our Xu Family Village, and I will absolutely not process your adoption."
Xu Erlang then realized that the situation was tricky.
However, let's go with Fourth Uncle first.
Changming, Bomu, and two yamen runners rode back to the county town.
Xu Li inquired along the way and found all the records of the original sale of Er Lei at the county town brokerage. He then rode his horse to the prefectural city.
Upon arriving in the prefectural city, they discovered an unusually tense atmosphere.
Although ordinary people were also selling their wares on the street, they didn't look like real ordinary people.
Or rather, the people on the street are all pretending, not real stall owners.
He became alert and warned Changming and Bomu to be careful.
Sure enough, when he was about to enter the central block, several people came over and blocked his way: "Please take a detour to avoid offending important people."
Xu Li didn't cause any trouble. Although he was a fourth-rank general and the prefect was a fifth-rank official, civil officials and officials were two different things, and he couldn't cause trouble for His Majesty.
He turned into an alley, stopped at a steamed bun shop, bought twenty steamed buns, and casually asked, "Is any high-ranking official coming?"
The man at the steamed bun shop had clearly been instructed beforehand, and said with a smile, "Who knows? Our prefect's office is in the city, so it's normal for high-ranking officials to come and discuss matters."
As Xu Li emerged from the steamed bun shop, dozens of tall, imposing horses rode through the street.
Half an hour later, a well-equipped guard slowly approached from a distance, the clatter of hooves a pleasant sound.
Ten magnificent carriages, escorted by a guard, steadily made their way to the government office. Xu Li stood at the alley entrance, feeling that the riders looked somewhat familiar.
When those people came up to him, they saw him, but they couldn't greet him.
Without saying a word, Xu Li immediately knelt down.
Changming and Bomu, unaware of what was happening, both knelt down.
Suddenly someone stopped in front of him and called out, "General Xu?"
Xu Li looked up and saw that it was none other than Mo Yan!
"You..." Xu Li didn't dare to shout out loud, and Mo Yan nodded.
His Majesty has arrived!
Xu Li was so excited that he knelt down on the ground again.
The procession disappeared into the distance amidst the sound of horses' hooves.
Xu Li dared not stray far and waited at the alley entrance.
Sure enough, Mo Yan arrived shortly afterward.
Xu Li was extremely excited to see Xie Zhaozhao and Zhou Shaoyu at the imperial palace. He said, "Master, the New Year is almost here. Why did you come in person?"
The entire family of three left the palace.
Xie Zhaozhao said with a smile, "Weren't we planning to conduct a pilot project here? I was afraid you would be isolated and helpless, so I'm going to investigate with you."
In the past, during the Lunar New Year, officials actually wanted to reunite with their families, relatives and friends, but they had to abide by royal rules and were forced to attend the palace banquet.
Every New Year's Eve, officials would bring their families to the palace banquet. As they ate, the food would get cold, resulting in a lot of food being wasted and many people falling ill from the cold.
Therefore, Xie Zhaozhao suggested making changes: when on vacation, take it properly; when attending court, perform your duties diligently.
Although the two emperors traveled together, the court was overseen by officials such as the retired emperor (Xie Anfeng) and the left prime minister (Ling Xun).
Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao left a bunch of things to their elderly father and went on an incognito trip.
Xie Zhaozhao got the idea of "compulsory education" from her first chat with Guan Yingying.
During my second conversation with Guan Yingying, she talked about the changes in her era. This inspired her to also conduct pilot reforms to observe the results.
In this era, maritime transport was underdeveloped, and bartering was the main mode of transportation. Therefore, piloting reforms on the inland borders was the most suitable approach for widespread implementation.
Finally, Lizhou was chosen. This place borders Tibet, is separated from Nanzhao by a large river, and is located on an extension of the Grand Canal, which also leads to the sea.
It just so happened that Xu Li's family lived in Lizhou, so Xie Zhaozhao asked Xu Li to go ahead and make arrangements.
She naturally wouldn't entrust such a big matter to Xu Li alone, so she and Zhou Shaoyu went out of the palace to investigate in person.
Zhou Shaoyu always held Zhou Qiheng in his arms, no matter what.
He was wearing the emperor's dragon robe, holding the adorable little Heng'er in his arms, and he could still talk about things calmly. The key point is that the little child was so small, and her expression was exactly the same as Zhou Shaoyu's, as if she could understand.
It's just inexplicably strange.
Little Heng'er is two years and three months old. She has slimmed down a bit and is not as chubby anymore. She is wearing a comfortable cotton robe and her hair is tied up in a tight little bun.
"General Xu, General Xu." Two-year-old Heng'er finally saw a familiar person and immediately smiled.
Xu Li said excitedly, "Young Master, you're here too? Aren't you cold?"
"It's not cold. Is this your home? Is your hometown wealthy?"
"It's very prosperous here, thank you, Your Highness." Xu Li was overjoyed. What a considerate master he was of his subordinates!
The little master is so handsome, like the Sudhana (a disciple of Buddha) before a Bodhisattva.
Zhou Shaoyu reached out and ruffled Xiao Heng'er's little pigtails, then asked Xu Li, "Why did you come to Fucheng?"
Xu Li didn't know how to begin, so he told the truth: "My two older brothers were sold by my eldest brother. I've come to find my second and third brothers."
Xie Zhaozhao frowned: "You sold all three brothers?"
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