Chapter 122
"Zhongxuan, what are Captain Zhao's instructions for this trip?" Lin Shuge and Xie Chen were walking on the street. There was a market today, and the streets were filled with constant hawking, making it very lively.
Xie Chen smiled and said, "It's not really an order, but I have good news, do you want to hear it, brother?"
"What good news?" Lin Shuge asked.
"The good news is that Captain Zhao asked me to lead the troops to cultivate the land here to prevent the Qiang people from having any more rebellious ideas, so I can be with my brother..." Xie Chen's voice was full of joy, but Lin Shuge felt a little surprised. He was about to ask him why he didn't go back to guard against the Huns when he heard someone calling him.
"Master Lin, I haven't seen you for a while."
Lin Shuge turned around and saw that it was Wen Yuan.
"Madam Wen, long time no see." Lin Shuge saw that although she was dressed simply, she was in high spirits. It seemed that she had escaped from the nightmare of Huya Mountain and had been reborn.
While she was greeting, a pedestrian came over to buy tofu. Wen Yuan immediately started to greet the customer and gave Lin Shuge an apologetic smile. Lin Shuge nodded at her and asked her to take care of the business, then left with Xie Chen.
"Where were we just now?" Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen.
Xie Chen had a strange expression on his face. "Every time I go out with my brother, I always run into someone he knows. It was like this in Ganzhou, but I didn't expect it to be the same in Qingquan. The scholar in the past is now Miss Wen."
Lin Shuge looked at him with a smile, and after a while he said: "Zhongxuan, you really are..."
"What is it really?"
Lin Shuge: "Childish temper."
I thought I had improved during this period and stopped being jealous, but I didn't expect that I would return to my old ways and become jealous again, regardless of whether it was a man or a woman.
"I'm not a child. Don't you know, brother?" Xie Chen was still leading the horse. He held the reins in his hand and said slightly sideways.
Lin Shuge quickly glanced around and suddenly remembered what they had done when Xie Chen left. His face turned red and his heart beat fast. He pulled him hurriedly to the county government office. What kind of things were they talking about in broad daylight?
Xie Chen was pulled by him, feeling happy in his heart, but he said: "Brother, what are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?"
"My lord, my lord, wait for me."
Lin Shuge looked back and saw that it was Madam Wen who had chased after him.
"Sir, we are sorry for neglecting you just now. We sisters don't know how to repay you for your kindness. It just so happens that A Yao has made some new styles, so you can try them." As she spoke, she carefully pushed the thing in her hand over.
Lin Shuge took it and said, "Thank you very much, Madam Wen and Madam Chen. I wish you a prosperous business. We have something else to do, so we'll take our leave now."
Lin Shuge handed the thing in his hand to Xie Chen. Wen Yuan bowed to him and watched the two leave.
"Brother, why..."
"Why did you accept the gift from her so readily?" Lin Shuge asked first.
Xie Chen said “hmm”, and Lin Shuge explained: “They are strong-willed and repay their gratitude. If I don’t accept them, she will always remember the favor. If I accept them, she will feel more at ease. I can just go and take care of their business a few times when I have time.”
"Brother is always so considerate, gentle and caring. No wonder the people you saved can never let go or forget them, like me." He said with confidence.
"You are different." Lin Shuge pulled his hand helplessly, and under his sleeves, the two of them clasped their fingers together. Xie Chen's mouth corners secretly curled up.
"I remember now. Tell me why Captain Zhao asked you to stay in Pingxiang. Based on your military achievements, you should go to defend against the Huns and make further progress." Having been interrupted just now, Lin Shuge finally remembered the important matter.
Xie Chen handed the horse to the county yamen runner and walked towards the inner house with Lin Shuge. "Brother, isn't it good for me to stay in Qingquan to accompany you?"
Lin Shuge's smile faded and he looked at him expressionlessly, "Zhongxuan, what's going on?"
Xie Chen pushed open the door, took the cloak from Lin Shuge, sighed and said: "Brother, the court has appointed me as the Protector of the Qiang and ordered me to stay here. After all, I am a garrison soldier, expelling foreigners, it's the same no matter where I am."
"Besides, the Qiang people have just surrendered, and they are not of the same mind as Dayan. The way of assimilation that my brother mentioned must be implemented slowly by me."
Lin Shuge thought what he said made sense. He also thought that the Qiang people had already surrendered to Yan. With Xie Chen guarding here, the fantasy of those who still had delusions in their hearts would be shattered.
"Okay, brother. There are many rewards on this trip. I have selected the best ones for you, and the rest will be rewarded to the soldiers in the army. The court also has pensions for the soldiers who died in the battle. I was thinking of adding another sum. If you have children at home, those with better qualifications can be selected to serve as my personal guards in the army." Xie Chen carried out a bunch of things and picked up a piece of silk to compare with Lin Shuge. The silk was glittering and colorful, and it looked like it was not an ordinary item.
"I really made the right choice. I felt it suited me the first time I saw it."
Lin Shuge was laughing to death in his heart, Zhongxuan looked so virtuous, he said a few words to him, but his eyes were full of pride and satisfaction.
"Oh, by the way, Ayuan and Axuan have some too. Let them come over and choose for themselves later."
Lin Shuge held back Xie Chen, who was still hanging a jade pendant on himself, and said, "Zhongxuan, no matter what happens, since you have made a decision, I will support you."
Xie Chen put down the jade pendant in his hand, leaned over and hugged him, "Okay."
…
Pingxiang military camp.
Xie Chen looked at the soldiers who were building the garrison. There was no war at the moment, but if they settled here for a long time, the winter in the northwest would be harsh, and they would have to build houses to live in. Fortunately, Qingquan has a brick kiln, which allows construction using bricks and cement, and the process is much faster.
"Sir, all the prisoners who came a few days ago have arrived. It's just right to let them build the guard post these few days." He Xin came over to report, "Only one prisoner is seriously injured and can't walk yet. His brother volunteered to take his place..."
“No need, let him recover from his injuries, keep an eye on him, and don’t be too harsh on his food.” Xie Chen thought of the scene he saw that day and couldn’t help but clench his right hand.
"Yes, sir."
"Hey, wait a minute... stop..." Lao Zhang's voice came from behind.
Xie Chen turned around and saw a young man coming towards them. His clothes looked tattered and his face was pale, but his steps were steady and his manners were polite.
"Sir, this prisoner said he wanted to see you," Lao Zhang complained, "I couldn't stop him. Oh, he also wanted to see Lord Lin."
Xie Chen looked Mu Yuanzhou up and down. He had the impression that he had never seen this person before. He also saw a pleading look on his face, as if he had something to say to him. Thinking about the backgrounds of these people, he waved his hand to let Lao Zhang and He Xin go down, and took him into the military tent.
"What do you want to see me about?" Xie Chen asked calmly, standing with his hands behind his back.
Mu Yuanzhou bowed deeply to him and asked, "May I ask if you are Young Master Xie?"
Xie Chen's expression was stern, "You got the wrong person, my last name is Wei."
Mu Yuanzhou added: "Sir, don't rush to deny it. My father is the Minister of Justice, Mu Yang. He was implicated because of the Ding Party's false accusation against the Minister of Justice. My younger brother and I were also exiled here."
Xie Chen looked at him coldly without saying a word.
"You may not remember me, but I remember you. At that time, the Ding Party was very arrogant. At a banquet, I had to endure humiliation because I offended the side branch of the Ding family. You happened to pass by and made Ding Wenqi escape with just a few words. I was spared from humiliation. I have never been able to repay this favor, so I thank you..."
Xie Chen's eyes were sharp, shooting straight at him like a sharp arrow. Mu Yuanzhou felt a chill on his back and couldn't help but stop talking.
Mu Yuanzhou held back his fear and said, "I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse to repay your kindness."
Xie Chen sneered, grabbed his neck and tightened his strength, "Why didn't you report the trouble the Xie family had that day? Why did you come to me today when you were exiled here?"
Mu Yuanzhou had suffered a lot during his exile, and his body was weak, so he couldn't withstand such strength. Seeing that his face was turning blue and he was about to gasp for breath, Xie Chen let him go.
"Put away your thoughts. I don't need you to do anything, and don't think that anyone will believe what you say. If you dare to reveal even a little bit, not only your life is in my hands, but also your brother's life."
Mu Yuanzhou coughed violently, with fear in his eyes, as if he had never imagined that the once-honored and bright-hearted Xie Yulang could have such a cruel side.
"Sir... you misunderstood me. I admit that my intentions were not pure. I wanted you to help my younger brother. He was seriously injured. If he continued to do hard labor, he would definitely not survive this winter."
"As long as you save my younger brother's life, I am willing to be the sharpest knife in your hand." He bowed and knelt.
Xie Chen looked at him for a long time, until his back was covered with sweat, and then he said, "What if I want to destroy the Ding family?"
Mu Yuanzhou raised his head and looked at him, and said excitedly: "Let me command you, young master."
"As you know, I just pacified the Qiang people. Now I need a stake in the Qiang tribe to divide them and take away Dayan's..."
Before Xie Chen finished speaking, he said, "I'm willing to go."
"Very good, I will take you to see my brother when I have the chance, and then you will know what to do." Xie Chen said.
Brother? Mu Yuanzhou immediately thought of Magistrate Lin who had saved his younger brother, and seeing Xie Chen looking at him intently, he dared not say anything more.
At this moment, He Xin's voice came from outside the tent, "Captain, Lord Lin is here."
Mu Yuanzhou watched Xie Chen smile as his lips melted, and then he saw that the man had already rushed out. He collapsed to the ground and exhaled heavily, thinking that he was too reckless today. How could a man who could escape from the Ding party and establish meritorious services in the northwest be a kind-hearted person? But his brother was seriously injured, so he had to resort to this last resort.
Outside the tent, Xie Chen hurried over to greet him, "Brother, why are you here?"
"I heard that the military camp was building a guard post, so I came to take a look." Lin Shuge had just finished speaking when he saw Mu Yuanzhou walking out and saluted him from a distance.
Seeing Lin Shuge looking over there, Xie Chen was dissatisfied, "Brother."
"Zhongxuan, does he have something to talk to you about?" Lin Shuge asked when he saw him walking out of Xie Chen's tent.
"Oh, his brother is seriously injured, and he wants me to make an exception and let him recover first, and take care of him at the same time."
Lin Shuge nodded and started talking to him about the construction of the garrison.
"Brother, aren't you curious whether I can help?" Xie Chen asked.
Lin Shuge said: "What's there to be curious about? Even if he didn't come to beg you, you wouldn't let a seriously injured child do hard labor."
"Brother really understands me." Xie Chen had an inexplicable look on his face, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth.
"By the way, Zhongxuan, the county magistrate's office has sent an iron official here. You have to send someone to follow the iron official to check the iron mine in the next few days." Lin Shuge said.
The salt and iron industry was state-run, and the refining of ironware was generally managed by the government, and usually an iron official was appointed to manage it. Lin Shuge reported the matter of the iron mine, and the county magistrate's office would naturally send an iron official.
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