Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 154 Avoidance

Coming out of the noodle shop, Wang Ruohai looked at the bustling street and praised: "The small town of Ruzhou is so prosperous, the guard must be capable. Cao Zhiyan who guards here, I heard that he is a monk from Qingliang Temple, how could he know so much? Thanks to Wang Xiaolie."

Lu Qing said: "I think so. Although Wang Xiaohun is young, he does things calmly. Moreover, many ideas are unexpected and often have miraculous effects. In this critical period, this kind of person should be reused by the court."

Wang Ruohai shook his head, but did not speak.Wang Ruohai was a Jinshi during the Jianyan period. Jin soldiers went south and wrote letters many times.The city of Kaifeng was broken, and Wang Ruohai escaped from the city. When he met Zhao Gou and asked him to ascend the throne, he was credited with supporting him.However, Wang Ruohai is a staunch fighter, and is not appreciated by his superiors.If you don't even get reused, what are you talking about reusing Wang Xiaolie?

The two walked on the street, watching some street scenes by the way.

This is the central area of ​​Ruzhou City, and most of the industries that Wang Xiaolie has opened recently are concentrated here.Looking along the way, there are restaurants, noodle shops, bun shops, dumpling shops, etc., which are extremely lively.

After walking a few steps, I saw a big sign on the side of the street, which said "Stir-Fried Chestnuts in Sugar", and many people gathered in front of it.

Wang Ruohai said: "I've seen stir-fried chestnuts before, but it's rare to use sugar to stir-fry them. There are so many customers, I think it tastes good, let's go buy some."

Not long after arriving in front of the store, I saw a big pot outside.There are gravels inside, a shovel on top, and a young man turning it.Inside the crushed stones are plump chestnuts, dark brown in color, very attractive.

Wang Ruohai said: "How do you sell the chestnuts here?"

The boy said: "Returning to the official, it costs one penny. These chestnuts are sweet and delicious, and they are the most delicious."

Wang Ruohai said: "Then come twenty pieces and put them together for me."

The boy sang promises loudly.He took twenty of them from the pot, filled them with a withered lotus leaf and handed them over.

Wang Ruohai paid the money, and said to Lu Qing: "The chestnuts are just out of the pot, and they are still a little hot. Come, let's have a taste."

Peeled one and put it in the mouth, chewed and swallowed it, and couldn't help but praise: "It's really delicious! Chestnuts are sweet and delicious, and they are even more delicious when fried with sugar. I didn't expect that in a small place in Ruzhou, And so many delicious foods."

Lu Qing nodded, but did not speak.I'm a military commander, it's always a bit weird to eat snacks like this on the street.

After walking not far, I saw a storefront in front again, and the sign said "candies of all colors".Wang Ruohai said: "What a joke, there is a candy store in such a small place, let's go and have a look."

When I got to the front, I saw a case with several grids on it, and candy in each grid.Unlike other places, the sweets here are wrapped in paper with designs printed on it.In this day and age, paper is a valuable thing, and I have never seen it used to wrap candy.

I went up to ask the price, and it was also a penny each.Seeing that it was a rare item, Wang Ruohai bought several kinds of packages for [-] Wen, and packed them into a big bag and carried them in his hand.Sugar can be stored for a long time, and when you come home, you can give it to your children as a gift.

At this moment, a soldier walked quickly.He crossed his hands and said: "Two officials, Ji Guan said that he will leave early in the morning, and Cao Tongzhi held a banquet in Chunfeng Tower to see you off."

Wang Ruohai looked at Lu Qing, shook his head and said, "We just ate a big bowl of noodles, how can we eat any more?"

As he spoke, he and Lu Qing led their entourage to the Chunfeng Building on the other side.

Chunfenglou is now the largest restaurant in Ruzhou, run by the government, and the business is very prosperous.When Ji Ling came to Ruzhou, it was because of the food and wine at Chunfenglou.It is absolutely impossible to go shopping like Wang Ruohai and Lu Cheng.

In terms of official position, Ji Ling is comparable to Lu Qing, while Wang Ruohai is much lower.But this time is not a peaceful season, there are not so many etiquette constraints.In particular, Lu Qing has been in the north, not by Zhao Gou's side, and is not valued by the court officials.

When we arrived at the pavilion on the second floor, Ji Ling was drinking tea by the window, looking at the scenery outside the window.Seeing Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing coming in, he said, "It's late spring, and the weather is at its best, so we still have to go as soon as possible. When the weather gets hot, it will be difficult to walk."

Wang Ruohai said: "What Sheren said is true. Now that the south of the Yangtze River has reached the rainy season, and the Han River is open to boats, we should leave early."

While talking, Lu Qing and Wang Ruohai sat down.

Seeing that Cao Zhiyan was not there, Lu Qing said, "Why don't you see Cao Tongzhi?"

Ji Ling said disdainfully: "This Cao Tongzhi, I heard that he was a monk in Qingliang Temple two years ago. Now he is in charge of a state, it can't help making people laugh. He is very uncomfortable with us. It's not time for dinner. Willing to come."

Wang Ruohai said: "The country is in trouble, and capable people with lofty ideals stand up for themselves. You must not underestimate them. I heard that Cao Tongzhi has made many military exploits by Wang Xiaolie's side, and this is what he is today. Heroes don't ask about their backgrounds, why bother to mention his past. identity of."

Ji Ling said: "These reckless people just took advantage of the sudden chaos to find an identity, what a hero! It's like Wang Xiaolie, who took advantage of the fact that there were no imperial troops on Jingxi Road at this time, and occupied several states. Land. Let me tell you, what is the difference between him and the gang of thieves!"

Lu Qing said: "Sheren can't say that. Groups of thieves plunder people's wealth, burn and kill endlessly, and don't listen to the orders of the court. Otherwise, Wang Xiaohun, he led the army with strict discipline and never harassed the people. A few days ago, Yang Jin was in chaos. Looking into the city of Luoyang, even Zhai Zhizhi died in battle. If Wang Xiaolie hadn't led the troops to come forward, Luoyang would be in danger! Yang Jin fled to the south, officials fled to avoid disaster, and Wang Xiaolie occupied those places."

Ji Ling smiled, shook his head, and didn't say anything more.No matter how much I look down on Wang Xiaolie, at this time he is on his territory, and Wang Xiaolie has soldiers in his hands, so I can't say much.

Not long after, Cao Zhiyan arrived at the restaurant and sang promises to Ji Ling and the three of them.

Sitting down, Cao Zhiyan said: "You envoys are on official business, and you don't want to stay in Ruzhou for a long time. Today, we will talk about preparing thin wine and see you off. Chunfeng Building was originally the property of Yang Shen in the army. Because he was in the official ranks, the government paid for it. Bought it—”

Wang Ruohai wondered after hearing this: "So what if he is an official? He found a supervisor to watch over, what was the delay?"

Cao Zhidao said: "I don't know the supervisor, this is the rule of our Wang Zhizhou. People who are officials themselves cannot have property in the local area, and some have to be sold. Even Wang Zhizhou's own family has the original land. They're all sold."

Wang Ruohai said: "This rule is unreasonable! The family is not allowed to have property, and the salary is meager. How to support the family?"

Cao Zhiyan said: "To tell you the truth, all Wang Zhizhou's subordinates have generous salaries, so how can they not afford to support their families? The Zhizhou said that if an official has property in the local area, if there is a dispute, it will inevitably be a dilemma. How to deal with it No matter how good it is, it will cause people to gossip. Instead of doing this, it is better to sell all the property. Sending more money is worse than letting people gossip."

Hearing this, Wang Ruohai was surprised.In the Song Dynasty, there was a law of avoidance. If you are an official in a local area, you and your relatives and friends are not allowed to have property.But at this point in time, who cares about the rules?
Wang Xiaolie's subordinates were originally Ruzhou's King Qin's army, and most of the generals in the army were from Ruzhou.Back in my hometown, I ordered these people to sell all their properties and not to disobey the avoidance law, which is a bit strange.

After a while, the food and wine were served, and a few people drank and ate the food and chatted.Because he looked down on Cao Zhiyan, Ji Ling never mentioned political affairs.

(End of this chapter)