Chapter 59 Paper mulberry tree...
It was easy for Qiao Yan to understand why the Yuan family of Runan recommended a governor of Bingzhou.
Even though it was not yet the time when the campaign to punish the eunuchs failed, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, and the country was in chaos, Yuan Shao made friends with Xu You, He Yong and others in Runan during the Party and Faction Persecution and waited for the right opportunity. It is hard to say whether his statement to Cao Cao later, "Control the Yellow River in the south, block Yan and Dai in the north, and unite the barbarians, and head south to compete for the world"1, had already taken shape at this time.
This may also be the idea supported by some of the Yuan family of Runan, who have three generations of officials in four generations.
Given the family's standard practice of buying stocks from all directions, it is not surprising that they take the first two steps in development.
Even though the last sentence "Go south to fight for the world" should perhaps be expressed in a different way, for the Yuan family today, they are more inclined to seek military protection for self-protection in the chaotic situation, but in general it still means the same thing.
When the provincial governor system was restored earlier, the position of Jizhou Governor fell to the famous Han general Huangfu Song. So if the option of Jizhou is ruled out, the one that relatively still fits Yuan Shao's statement is Bingzhou.
Even in an environment where the consideration is not "fighting for the world" but "defending the lifeline", Bingzhou is more suitable than Jizhou.
On this basis, one point can be explained.
In the fifth year of Zhongping, Zhang Yi died, Bingzhou was in chaos, and the Xiongnu invaded several counties. In the sixth year of Zhongping, Han Fu, a disciple of Yuan, took over the position of Jizhou Mu.
He also became the person Yuan Shao sought refuge after he fled Luoyang.
But no matter what the reason is, the final fact is what Qiao Yan sees now: Bingzhou Governor Zhang Yi has a close relationship with the Yuan family of Runan.
This is bad news because from the perspective of Zhang Liao, Zhang Yi did not behave like a qualified governor with great power, but more like a "disciple" who only follows the lead of the Yuan family.
Regardless of whether the idea of proposing Zhang Liao to serve in Luoyang was due to Yuan Benchu's desire to collect talented people or Zhang Yi's desire to curry favor with Yuan Shi——
He behaved like this in this matter, and perhaps also in other matters in Bingzhou.
And since it was Yuan Shao who escorted him to Bingzhou, and considering that Yuan Shao officially stepped onto the political stage in Luoyang when Liu Hong established the Eight Schools of Xiyuan in the fifth year of Zhongping, then between the spring and March of the second year of Zhongping and the fifth year of Zhongping, he could fully take on the responsibility of guiding Zhang Yi's actions.
In other words, what she needed to consider when acting in Bingzhou was not fighting with Zhang Yi, but fighting with Yuan Shao!
Yuan Shao, who was only in his thirties, was definitely not at the stage where he would be lenient on the outside but cautious on the inside, allowing his advisers to fight among themselves and his sons to compete for the succession. He was not an easy opponent to deal with.
Especially the fact that she was conferred the title of Marquis of Leping, could be said to have offended the Yuan family greatly. On the way from Jizhou to Luoyang, she neglected Yuan Shao quite a bit because she was trying to have a good relationship with Bi Lan.
But the good news is -
It is impossible for Yuan Shao to leave Luoyang for the time being.
He was now in the General's Mansion of He Jin, giving him advice. At most, he sent Zhang Yi here under the banner of escort, and had a rough and practical understanding of the situation in Bingzhou.
However, once the information needed to be transmitted between Jinyang and Luoyang, coupled with Yuan Shao's problem of being slow in making decisions on major issues, it was inevitable that situations would appear that were inconsistent with the current situation.
Unless Zhang Yi has the ability to predict the future - but this is obviously impossible.
On the other hand, Qiao Yan now knows that he is coming, which gives him room to maneuver.
Yuan Shao, who was riding away from Jinyang at this time, still felt a little regretful that he had not been able to recruit that brave young general. However, he did not know that Qiao Yan was pointing at him in the distance and said to Wang Yang, who was also invited by her, "Elder, do you know who that person is?"
Wang Yang just wanted to ask why Qiao Yan had a slightly strange expression when she saw the team leaving the city. Now seeing that she was pointing at the back of a helmet, he couldn't help but reveal a confused look.
"Just as Qiao Hou said."
"This is Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu, the son of Yuan Zhouyang, the Minister of the Imperial Household." Qiao Yan said in a light tone, but the news was like a bolt from the blue to Wang Yang.
He looked at Qiao Yan's expression and knew that she was obviously not lying about this matter.
And she said, "Now that I know the identity of the visitor, I have an idea of what to do," and immediately said goodbye to him, which made Wang Yang feel a little flustered.
On the one hand, he sent people to the post station ahead to investigate whether the leading captain was really a member of the Yuan family. On the other hand, he also began to think about how he should deal with it if this was really Yuan Shao.
Zhang Yi’s position is important to Qiao Yan and also to Wang Shi.
If Zhang Yi was really a disciple of the Runan Yuan family and was the governor of Bingzhou, then this would be absolutely bad news for him.
Compared with Qiao Yan's situation, the unfavorable situation he faces is much more obvious!
You have to know that this is different from the relationship between them and the Tang family, which is more of a cooperative than competitive one. This is an external family force.
However, the benefits in Bingzhou are limited. Unless Zhang Yi can do as Qiao Yan did and achieve a win-win cooperation with them by relying on the two items, Yingxiong Wine and Mu Leather Clothes, he can only be snatching food from the tiger's mouth.
In the previous plan of the Jinyang Wang family, after Wang Rou secured the position of the General of the Guards against the Xiongnu, his younger brother Wang Ze would be transferred from the original post of the Prefect of Dai County to the Prefect of Yanmen. This was because the family was united as one in Bingzhou. 2
But if Zhang Yi came from the support of the Yuan family of Runan, the situation would change.
The power of the governor to promote and report officials in Bingzhou was enough to easily disrupt Wang's plans when Yuan wanted to intervene.
What's more, compared with the small Leping, the Taiyuan barrier that connects Yanmen, Wuyuan and Xihe counties is obviously more valuable for intervention.
Qiao Yan could ignore it after confirming that he was a disciple of Yuan family, but Wang Yang couldn't!
He considered the possibility of bringing in the Tang family to trip up Zhang Yi, but compared to the Tang family, Qiao Yan, the Marquis of Leping, was obviously more worthy of an alliance based on his previous performance.
But before that, he should discuss it with Wang Rou and Wang Ze first.
He looked again in the direction where Yuan Shao left and couldn't help feeling a headache.
Fortunately, it is now spring time in Jinyang City. After the cold winter, he has fewer things to worry about and can devote his attention to this.
"Using Zhang Liao to serve the prefecture government, the Yuan family's plot was exposed, and this was a big win for Marquis Qiao," Xi Zhicai commented. "In addition, Zhang Liao didn't have much affection for Zhang Yi, and was more inclined to protect his hometown. Instead, he was grateful for Marquis Qiao's support and assistance, so he might be a helpful person in the future."
"A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. The opponents that the Yuan family of Runan has to face are not just Leping, but also the local bureaucratic families such as the Wang family of Jinyang and the Guo family of Yangqu. This is the second profit." Qiao Yan replied.
She and Xi Zhicai looked at each other, and saw the relief in each other's eyes, and smiled at each other.
Without knowing the other party's background, one is bound to be somewhat restrained. However, if one knows the other party's backing, no matter how huge the backing is, there is a possibility of forming alliances and digging it down bit by bit, which is much better than making blind guesses.
"In addition, Lord Qiao can devote more energy to planning the spring plowing in Leping and purchasing what is needed. Our strength will be a disadvantage to our opponents. This is the third profit." Xi Zhicai said again.
"Then in your opinion, sir, Leping now has food, salt and clothing, what else is lacking?"
Qiao Yan looked towards Xi Zhicai and saw that his eyes fell on Wang's wine shop on the side of the street. He couldn't help but twitch his lips, "Sir, don't think too much. It's not wine after all."
"No, no, no, what I was looking at was not the wine, but the pot." Xi Zhicai laughed out loud, feeling that he had probably left too deep an impression of a drunkard on the county lord.
But he really didn't intend to do anything reckless about this matter at the moment.
He was giving Qiao Yan serious advice.
He continued, "Marquis Qiao told me before that the three thousand Black Mountain bandits should be included in the household registration of Leping in August. But in my opinion, there must be a change in order for them to recognize Leping."
"I'd like to hear more about it."
Xi Zhicai pointed to the pottery shop next to the winery and said, "The first step taken by Lord Qiao is to make the Black Mountain Army equal to the army. Under this step, there is nothing wrong with unified meals, especially because in order to survive the cold winter with little food and clothing, keeping people alive is the top priority."
"But if we want to transform those who are registered into the household registration from being captives of Leping to being citizens of Leping County, from being forced to do labor to following the orders of Marquis Qiao, we need to have enough living utensils in the second step - steamers for cooking, cauldrons for boiling soup, pots for holding wine. If all these things are available, they can be used when they return home from work, and naturally they will have a greater sense of belonging to Leping."
Xi Zhicai walked slowly with his hands in his pockets, and said in a low voice: "Of course, every household needs kitchen knives and hatchets. With more people settling down under Marquis Qiao, it's natural to prepare more."
"...Sir, you actually want to say the latter, right?" Qiao Yan coughed twice and lowered his voice. "I think the blade of the hatchet is longer and much more convenient to use. Besides, Leping needs to prepare mulberry bark in advance for the winter in a few months, and it is indispensable for transplanting, expanding planting and felling in the spring. However, it is true that the reason of many people settling here is less likely to make people suspicious."
She even went to Changzhi, Shangdang, on her way back to Leping from Jinyang for this matter.
Of course, before leaving Jinyang, Qiao Yan met Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang again.
Since Zhang Liao took up the post of Wu Meng Gongshi, which was equivalent to a very important official position in Bingzhou, he used the calligraphy that his family had prepared for him.
"Liao" means far, so the character is composed of "Wenyuan".
"Zhang Wenyuan, a martial artist, sounds like he is a man of both civil and military talents." Qiao Yan took a look at the young man's attire and spoke with a hint of admiration.
Seeing Zhang Liao scratching his hair a little awkwardly, she continued, "Wenyuan doesn't have to feel any burden. I've said before that I just gave him an opportunity. Whether he can seize the opportunity depends on his own ability."
This is true, and Zhang Liao also knows that not everyone can do the task of eliminating bandits, but he can make some achievements in border defense affairs at least four years in advance, which is really a very important thing for him.
He clasped his fists towards Qiao Yan and said, "Although Lord Qiao said so, if there is anything in the future that requires Zhang Liao's help, and it does not harm Bingzhou and Shangguan, Liao will do it for Lord Qiao."
This promise is enough.
"I believe in Wenyuan's integrity." Qiao Yan nodded in response.
When he turned around again, he saw that Zhang Yang had packed his bags and was ready to leave with him.
Qiao Yan had previously heard from him about his decision to follow him to Leping, but because he didn't want him to regret it, he suggested that he postpone the decision.
But in the current situation, the impression that the newly arrived Bingzhou governor pieced together from Zhang Liao's words, after comparing it with Qiao Yan, made Zhang Yang feel even more -
Working under him might result in two unwise people hurting each other, so it is better to follow Qiao Yan!
As for the future issue...
"After all, you, Zhang Wenyuan, are now one of the most famous military officers in Bingzhou. If we really need men when we have to fight those guys in Danhan Mountain, I will ask Lord Qiao for a longer leave." Zhang Yang said carelessly, putting his arm around Zhang Liao's shoulders, showing a sense of loyalty to his brother who could travel thousands of miles to support him.
He then looked at Qiao Yan and asked, "Lord Qiao, is this feasible? If you are really willing to accept me, you can deduct the money from my salary when I ask for leave."
Qiao Yan couldn't help laughing.
If all Bingzhou generals behaved like these two people, it might not be a bad thing.
Besides, Zhang Yang could indeed be used in her Leping, so there was no need to impose any restrictions on his friendship with Zhang Liao.
Qiao Yan replied, "Why not? But according to the rules of Leping, if you don't take leave on a holiday, your salary will be doubled. Just don't deduct your entire salary to support Zhang Wenyuan. Although the county government provides meals, it only provides one meal."
Xi Zhicai remembered that there didn't seem to be such a rule in Leping, but thinking about the fact that Leping was in a state of disrepair, he only saw people like Lu Yuan going on official business to Jinyang on their days off, and no one asked for leave on working days. If Qiao Yan had such a rule before, he actually wouldn't have had the chance to see it.
But generally speaking, it is most likely that Qiao Hou decided it himself...
Thinking about her previous teasing on him out of her definition of being equal to Jia, Xi Zhicai felt even more so.
But Zhang Yang apparently did not realize that this was a rule that was made up on the spur of the moment as a joke, and he even joked that if this was true, Zhang Liao would be the one to take the blame.
Zhang Liao: ...I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve been arranged.
But seeing that everything was going smoothly this time, he was still a little young after all, and felt that the future was bright and Zhang Yang might have found a good place, so he agreed immediately.
After the two brothers said goodbye, Zhang Liao watched Zhang Yang follow Qiao Yan and leave Jinyang.
To go from Jinyang to Changzhi, one needs to cross Taiyue Mountain and pass through Yushe and Wuxiang counties before arriving.
Qiao Yan rode his horse slowly, and as he passed through the two counties with Xu Fu and Xi Zhicai, he took in the scenery.
With Zhang Yang as his guard, Xu Fu was less worried about encountering robbers on the road, even though he was not taking the trade route between Leping and Jinyang this time.
But he was relieved at this, but his worries became stronger again when he saw the scene in Shangdang, which was separated by a mountain.
The great epidemic in January this year did not spread to Bingzhou, but those who froze to death in the severe winter cold were definitely not just the elderly, children, women and children in Yunzhong Mountain.
The beginning of spring and the change of seasons is when the elderly are most likely to fall ill and die.
Passing through Yushe County, we saw white funeral banners hanging in front of many houses, which clearly conveyed a solemn and miserable atmosphere during this sowing and spring farming season.
But after going through the governance of Leping, Xu Fu realized that many of the changes were hard-won and that the problem could not be solved by simply sending the extra mulberry leaves and grain from Leping County here.
When he saw the scene in front of him, he suddenly had an idea that was a little bit wrong.
If Marquis Qiao were to take over Shangdang County, to which Leping belongs, would this place become the same as Leping? Or maybe, it’s not just Shangdang, but the entire Bingzhou?
After all, Qiao Yan is more capable than Governor Zhang Yi, who has to take orders from the Yuan family of Runan.
But saying this is really outrageous.
He could only keep this thought in his heart, watching Qiao Yan's eyes fall on the villages on the ridges of the fields, looking far away in the direction of the county town, and seemed to let out a sigh.
It was not until they approached Changzhi, the capital of Shangdang County, that the situation began to improve.
Changzhi Changzhi means long-term stability and peace.
The naming method of this place can be said to be similar to that of the surrounding Leping.
Although the scenes they saw along the way were mixed with the pain of life and death, Qiao Yan could see that Guo Yu, the Shangdang prefect in Changzhi, was not a talentless man. He was just limited by the times and could only do this much.
If not for this, the farming they saw along the way would probably not have been going so smoothly.
But what he said was true. When Qiao Yan came to visit him, the conflicted look on his face made people feel a little relieved.
It is not surprising that Governor Guo behaved like this.
Although he had never met Qiao Yan formally before, when he saw her he thought of the letter that made him pay 50,000 shi of grain.
He was afraid that Qiao Yan would come up and say something about wanting to continue the idea of using the Black Mountain bandits to build a trade route between the two places.
Of course, what he was more afraid of was that Qiao Yan came to report that the Black Mountain bandits had escaped.
You must know that Leping is still under the jurisdiction of Shangdang. Once the Black Mountain bandits escape, it is unknown whether Qiao Yan, the Marquis of Leping who is highly regarded by His Majesty, will be punished, but he, the prefect of Shangdang, will definitely suffer.
Even if he came from the Yangqu Guo family, it would probably be no exception.
He even considered the possibility of being transferred from Shangdang to Yanmen3.
After all, what's the point of him governing or playing mountain warfare with the Black Mountain bandits? He would feel more comfortable attacking Yanmen on flat ground.
Governor Guo didn't know that Wang of Jinyang was also planning this position at this moment, and his thoughts were only slightly distracted before returning to the present. After hearing Qiao Yan say that he just wanted to get permission to settle down the "reformed" Black Mountain bandits and purchase a batch of daily necessities, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But when he heard Qiao Yan mention the number of hatchets and kitchen knives, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised, "Do you need so many?"
Governor Guo, who had experience in leading troops, was very skeptical. Under such circumstances, every man in Leping with just a hatchet could form a team of five or six thousand people.
"Of course it is necessary." Qiao Yan stretched out his hand, "General Guo, please lend me a hand to talk."
Guo Yu walked to the side with her and heard her say, "At first, Governor Guo and the other two governors all thought that if the Black Mountain bandits were well fed, they would not rebel. But the food will run out someday, so it is natural to find a job for them and use food as relief, which is the feasible way."
When he heard the first half of the sentence, Guo Yu was choked for a moment by the mention of old things, but fortunately he became interested again after hearing the second half.
He listened to Qiao Yan continue to say: "I have previously sought cooperation with the Jinyang Tang family. The mulberry leather jackets launched by the Tang family last winter were made by me in Leping. It happened to settle down these nearly 10,000 Black Mountain bandits. Governor Guo must also know that if people can be good citizens, there won't be so many people who insist on being bandits. It's just that this winter is over, and there is no market and demand for mulberry leather jackets. But Leping is close to the Taihang Mountains, so it's better to do some business that depends on the mountains. These hatchets are exactly what we need."
Guo Yu naturally knew about mulberry leather clothes. In fact, he was the one who sent people to Jinyang to purchase all the places in Shangdang except Leping.
But Tang's company, according to the source of the goods...
If he knew about this, he would just talk to Qiao Yan directly.
But now it's spring, and there's no use in having these clothes.
Besides, even if you knew——
Guo Yu took a quick look at the county's financial situation and realized that even if he could purchase a batch from Qiao Yan at a low price, it would not be enough to cover Shangdang.
He had a rough idea of Tang's sales routes. After supplying a portion to various counties, almost all of them were sent to Yunzhong, Shuofang, Wuyuan and other places. He could not compete with these border counties.
The only thing he could do was to ask, "How does Qiao Hou plan to make a living?"
"......?" Qiao Yan looked towards his face and found that Governor Guo, who had previously been quite disdainful of her coming, now had an expression of "take me with you".
But she was stunned for only a moment before she realized that Guo Yu was from an aristocratic family and his vision was not comparable to that of ordinary people, so she replied: "Before last winter, I led the Black Mountain Bandits to dig holes in the ground and searched for yam tubers in the mountains as seeds, which I planted between the mountains. I also found a famous craftsman in Luoyang and tried to draw a mountain irrigation device."
The famous craftsman from Luoyang she was talking about was Bi Lan.
She received a reply letter from Bi Lan two months ago.
The other party was quite surprised that Qiao Yan still thought of him after arriving in Leping, and he was even more surprised when he saw what Qiao Yan wrote in the letter.
Others thought that he had won Liu Hong's favor with those tricks and was taking crooked means, but Qiao Yan did not mind this. Instead, he asked him if he could help design a waterwheel for mountain irrigation.
Bi Lan could no longer sit still when he saw the four words "Benefit all the people" in Qiao Yan's letter, and he started designing immediately. He mentioned two months ago that he had some ideas and that the results would be produced in March or April, and he would have someone send them here at that time.
By this calculation, the time must be not far away.
"This irrigation device requires felling trees, and the anti-corrosion of the device requires felling lacquer trees in the mountains. The care of the yam planting also requires a lot of manpower. At least it can keep those black mountain bandits busy until July or August. What do you think, Governor Guo, should I purchase such a large number of hatchets?"
Guo Yu looked at Qiao Yan talking in front of him and couldn't help but nodded solemnly.
If it is true as Qiao Yan said, having to dig in the mountains, cut wood and make tools, as well as looking after the fields, it is indeed a very busy job and these tools are indeed needed.
But...but he can't learn it!
Qiao Yan herself said that she had been busy with this operation since before the winter last year, and it was obviously not something that could be rushed. Not to mention the question of whether she could learn the newly introduced planting project, she had nowhere to find the Dioscorea rhizomes.
"I can't learn how to grow yam like this, Lord Qiao. Do you have any other suggestions for me? After all, you have a lot of hatchets in stock, and it's not without trouble for me to open the door to you."
To Qiao Yan, Guo Yu's words did not sound like a threat, but rather that he really thought the other party could give reliable advice.
This made her ponder and think about the possibility of extending the cooperation to other places in Shangdang.
Moreover, since they had previously learned that Yuan Shao might remotely manipulate Zhang Yi to inspect Bingzhou, it might not be enough to rely solely on a sense of crisis to make the Wang family of Jinyang take action.
Since this Governor Guo Wei is not a confused person, we might as well make a deal with him.
Dioscorea is obviously out of the question, but the others...
Qiao Yan pondered and replied, "I wonder if Governor Guo would like to grow some peas?"
Growing peas?
Guo Yu was confused for a moment by this suggestion.
In fact, peas were grown in various places in Bingzhou, but they were a Hu tribe after all. In addition, peas were not like millet and wheat that could fill the stomach. Guo Yu vaguely remembered that the number of peas planted was not large.
In this situation where people are desperate to have enough food, growing peas doesn't sound like a suitable option.
Qiao Yan saw the confusion on his face and explained, "I don't mean to ask Governor Guo to plant peas in the wheat fields. I want you to have people plant some peas on the ridges of the wheat fields. I, Le Pingyin, have developed a new pea sweet wine from these peas. You can buy them all for money. What do you think, Governor?"
The portion that Leping can eat is limited, and Qiao Yan can only afford this much with the spare money he has.
Fortunately, thanks to Wang's wine sales channel, Qiao Yan did not lose money and could even make a small profit.
But it was not just for this reason that she suggested Guo Wei to grow peas after careful consideration.
Also, she just remembered that she had read in a book that peas contain cholecalcitonin and carotene, which are harmful to locusts. Therefore, when there is a locust plague, locusts often avoid the area where these plants grow. Anyway, they are just intercropped with wheat, so it won't hurt to give it a try.
Although she could not remember exactly when the locust plague would occur, there were frequent locust plagues in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and no one knew when it would break out.
In Leping, where Qiao Yan lives, they had already started preparing for physical locust control last winter. It would be better to try out biological methods to reduce the locust plague in Shangdang.
Guo Yu was not a worm in Qiao Yan's stomach. He had no idea that she was still thinking about bigger problems at the moment. After hearing her suggestion, which could also increase Shangdang's income, he immediately agreed.
With the assistance of the Shangdang governor, Qiao Yan's plan to purchase thousands of axes was successfully carried out, and he also purchased a batch of cooking tools to confuse the public.
Just as she was assembling her troops to leave, Governor Guo came over and said, "Speaking of which, I have one more thing I want to ask Lord Qiao."
The way he spoke in a low voice, it was most likely that he was not talking about official business but personal matters.
As expected, Qiao Yan immediately heard him ask, "I heard that Mr. Cai Bojie is still in Leping and plans to stay for a while. I wonder if he is willing to accept a few disciples. My son Guo Huai should be sent to Yangqu to study at home, but if he can become a disciple of Mr. Yu Bojie, it will be a blessing for him."
“……”Guo…Guo what?
"Wait a minute," Qiao Yan raised his hand to signal the other party to stop talking, and then asked, "Sir Guo, can you let me ask you a question? May I ask how old is the Guo Huai you mentioned?"
The name Guo Huai was not unfamiliar to Qiao Yan.
This is a famous general who will be the backbone of Cao Wei in the future! Considering the limitation of Yangqu Guo, it is probably impossible to escape.
However, he was not selected as a filial and incorrupt official until the Jian'an period, and then he followed Cao Cao in his campaigns. No matter how you look at it, he should not have been too old at that time.
Guo Yu replied shyly, "My son is three years old this year."
Qiao Yan immediately bowed to him and said, "Goodbye."
Their Leping is really not a kindergarten!
Cai Yan and Yang Xiu were born in the same year, one was eight years old and the other was ten years old. Although they could be considered child laborers, they both had things to do and were naturally intelligent, so they could be treated as adults.
But it’s too much to force a three-year-old to do so!
Even though Governor Guo is a man who knows what's going on, and that several counties in Shangdang will be used as pilot sites for growing peas to ward off locusts, and that the peas sent here to make sweet wine will also be an income source, but he can't lower the average age of the people of Leping so arbitrarily.
Doesn’t Qiao Yan have any respect for herself?
Xi Zhicai watched Qiao Yan fleeing in such a rare state, and laughed so hard on his horse that he fell forward and backward.
This Leping Marquis who has always had the plan in hand...
But before he could laugh enough, he realized that it was inappropriate to act in such a gloating manner in a mountainous environment. Xi Zhicai, who was almost thrown off the horse, was helped by someone. Then he tried hard to keep a straight face and followed Qiao Yan to cross the hills between Changzhi and Leping.
From the time they left Leping to the time they returned, they were delayed in Jinyang City and had to make an extra trip to Changzhi. By the time they got back, it had been more than ten days since the first batch of yam was planted.
It was not yet time for tuber planting to sprout, but the mountain fields that had been covered and filled with soil were in good order, forming crisscrossing ridges.
Although there was no green, it did not prevent Qiao Yan from thinking that the scene before her was very lovely, and it also made her feel a sense of accomplishment.
So she reined in her horse and stopped on the hill for a long time before returning to the county town.
Outside Leping County, there is a lot of life, and the county itself is just as lively.
Especially in front of the county government office.
Qiao Yan dismounted and handed the horse to Xu Fu to take him back to the stable. He then walked towards the main gate of the county government office. He could already smell the fragrance in the air before he arrived.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw a group of people sitting directly on the stone steps at the kitchen door, no different from hungry children.
Before she could ask, she saw Qin Yu bringing out a large plate from the kitchen, which was filled with steamed mulberry ears coated with flour and eggs.
Obviously, the tempting fragrance came from here.
Seeing this scene, Qiao Yan realized that although April had not arrived yet, it was not far away, and it was the time to eat mulberry tree ears.
But it is true that -
"Mr. Bojie, your legs and feet are really more agile than those of young people, aren't they?"
When Qiao Yan spoke, Cai Yong immediately stopped. When he turned around, he found that he seemed to be ahead of Yang Xiu, Cai Yan, Dian Wei and others.
It was only one step away from the plate of steamed mulberry ears.
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