The new era of chaos begins in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 136 Inviting the Liu Brothers to Live Together

Ergou was not in a hurry to find the third thief, but it was because he had probably guessed the origin of that person from Liu Tang's identity.

The so-called "sophomore" should probably be the villain Gao Qiu in "Water Margin".

Who is Gao Qiu?

He was originally a wanderer on the streets of Tokyo. Because of his evil deeds, he was caught and beaten severely by Wang Sheng, the commander of the 80-strong Forbidden Army (the father of the future commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army, Wang Jin). He was unable to get up for three or four months.

This guy suffered a big loss, but he gave up his wandering thoughts and worked as a servant under the famous young scholar Su (Su Che) through connections.Who would have thought that less than three days after he arrived in front of Su Che, Su Che would be demoted for opposing current affairs.

Gao Qiu is not a loyal follower of his master, but taking advantage of Xiao Su's reputation as a scholar, he took the opportunity to join the son-in-law's captain, Wang Shen, as a personal assistant, and then he even relied on his superb skills. He fell in love with a great artist who was still King Duan, and he was out of control from then on.

But I don't know if Gao Qiu is now in contact with that prodigal son.

Ergou had some guesses, but he also knew that if he wanted to repay Li Gefei for his kindness, he couldn't act too hastily, and everything had to be considered in the long run.

He looked at Liu Bao who was carrying his younger brother on his back, but asked, "Brother Liu, does Kunzhong have a place to stay?"

Liu Bao sighed and said, "We are in a hurry today. We haven't found a place to stay for a while. I wonder if we should find a place under a bridge to rest for the night."

Ergou said: "My little brother has a place to stay near Xiangfu County. If Brother Liu doesn't dislike it, he can live with him in Yifa."

Liu Bao pondered for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "I really deserve the kindness of Brother Ergou, but it's just disturbing."

Ergou laughed and said, "Are you saying that you are disturbing me? Brother Liu is too polite! You and I are both demon suppressors, so we should help each other."

In this way, the two people, one holding the donkey and the other carrying his brother, walked along the walkway outside the inner city of Tokyo towards the northern outer city.

After walking for a while, Ergou took a selfie on his forehead and said, "Brother Liu! This place is still quite far away from Xiangfu County. Wouldn't it be a burden for you to carry your brother on your back? Why don't you put him on my donkey?" It saves a lot of effort on your back?”

Liu Bao's eyes lit up at first. After all, Liu Tang was young, but his body was as heavy as an adult's. It was a bit difficult for him to carry on the journey, but then he was a little worried: "I'm afraid my brother slept too deeply and couldn't sit still. , but it’s not good to fall down once.”

Ergou said with a smile: "This is easy to handle! You can also ride on the donkey and support brother Liu Tang."

"This...isn't appropriate?!" Liu Bao felt a little embarrassed. He had already been favored by Ergou, and now he and his younger brother were going to ride on Ergou's donkey. The feeling of being uneasy.

To put it bluntly, I feel guilty and uneasy.

Ergou ignored him and just gave in. Liu Bao was not too kind and had to obey, saying: "Brother Ergou, we have ridden your donkey, but we can't let you run on foot. Although my donkey is thin, it is It’s better to take a ride, you can change to a ride instead!”

Ergou patted the back of the thin donkey, led it and said with a smile: "Brother Liu, this donkey is too thin, and I can't ride it. But you don't know, I don't have any other abilities, but I have one The unique skill of walking well, if you can let go of your hands and feet, even walking thousands of miles a day is just a matter of time."

Although Liu Bao didn't quite believe it, he never questioned it.

In this way, the two people talked and laughed, one led the donkey, and the other led the donkey. They walked northward along the streets where people came and went. They drove for seven or eight miles, crossed countless streets, and finally arrived in the north. Near Kaibao Temple in the city.

Kaibao Temple is only one street away from Xiangfu County Government. The Kaibao Temple Pagoda in the temple is known as the No. [-] pagoda in the world. The whole body is made of brown glazed bricks, which looks like cast iron, so it is also called the Iron Pagoda.

When a group of people passed by the pagoda temple, Ergou pointed at the high tower and said with a smile: "If you have time in the future, you and my brothers should go up to that pagoda to have fun." Liu Bao looked at the iron tower , but he also smiled and said: "Brother Ergou is right, I'm afraid the monks in the temple won't let you go, but we can only watch."

Ergou smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, I will have a way to convince him to wait."

Liu Tang, who was sleeping soundly at the same time, crossed Kaibao Temple and soon arrived at the inn rented by Ergou.

The place Ergou rented was said to be an inn, but in fact each residence was a small independent house. It could accommodate not only two or three people, but even ten people. Of course, the price of such a house was not cheap. The rental fee for one night is [-] yuan, which is more than four times that of an ordinary single room.

Some people may ask, is the two hundred Wen a night expensive?

It's expensive, really expensive.

Two hundred coins a day, four days is always more, and a month's rent costs seven or eight coins, which is enough to buy a good cattle.

Officials in the Song Dynasty were famous for their high salaries. Take Li Gefei, a member of the Ministry of Rites, as an example. Respecting salary (ice, charcoal, and ritual utensil fees), the total income will not exceed one hundred guan.

If Li Gefei were to rent an inn like this, his salary for a year would only be enough to cover the rent.

Li Gefei, a member of the Ministry of Rites and a foreign minister, could not afford to rent such a room, and even a ninth-rank county captain like Zongze couldn't afford it.

Of course, some potential benefits for officials in the Song Dynasty were relatively large, even to the extent that they were several times higher than their salaries.But there is still a big problem that cannot be avoided: living in the capital is not easy.

Zongze was able to live in such a place because of the generosity of Ergou, and the same was true for the two brothers Liu Bao and Liu Tang.

Although Liu Bao was clumsy in speech, he rarely put words of thanks on his lips and secretly made up his mind to repay his favor.

When they arrived at the residence, Ergou asked the innkeeper to order two tables of good dishes. One table was delivered to Zongze's family, while the other table was left in his own house, and Zongze was invited to come to meet him.

So Ergou, Zongze, and Liu Bao sat together, introduced each other, and then talked while eating and drinking.

Zongze was very interested in Liu Bao, the new demon-suppressor, but asked him in detail about his demon-slaying past.

Liu Bao was also shocked that an official with a promising Jinshi background came to be a demon suppressor.

It can be said that the imperial examination system only emerged in the Sui and Tang Dynasties and flourished in this dynasty. However, there are fewer and fewer scholars, especially those who have succeeded in the imperial examinations, as demon suppressors. In the Tang Dynasty, there were still some. Since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, only There were only a few people, such as Kou Caigong, Chen Xiliang, Bao Xiaosu and others.

However, a large number of other famous ministers and ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty, such as Zhao Pu, Lu Mengzheng, Lu Duan, Pang Ji, Fan Zhongyan, etc., could not make Nianzhi, so they could only live their lives as ordinary people with high status.

The three of them ate meat and drank wine, and talked about Ergou's search for his master. Ergou Dao had already set a time for the meeting, but it made Zongze look forward to it. Even Liu Bao also wanted to meet him. Ergou's enviable and jealous master.

The three of them ate most of the night, but Liu Tang, who was sleeping soundly, couldn't bear the hunger in his belly. He smelled the aroma of wine and meat in his sleep, and walked out in a daze, only to see several people eating and drinking outside, but they were very excited. He said angrily: "Brothers don't call me when they eat meat and drink wine. They are really unloyal!"

　Chapter 1 arrives!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)