Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law.

Chapter 610: Dai Ling: Make the fake become real
"Who?"

"Zhao Di, it's me, Dai Ling."

"Uncle Ling? Why are you here?"

The person who opened the door was Dai Tu's wife, Huang, but she only opened the door a crack and did not invite Dai Ling in.

After all, her husband was not at home, only she and her son were at home. Even though Dai Ling was her husband's elder relative, it was not appropriate to let him into the house so late at night.

"Zhao Di, has Dai Tu come back?" Dai Ling also understood, so he stood outside the door and started chatting with Huang.

Song shook her head and sighed, "My husband went to Huaizhou to take the exam in mid-January and hasn't returned yet. There has been no letter from him for such a long time. I am so worried."

"Not back yet? But the provincial examinations in the four states have long been over, and the results have been announced long ago. The metropolitan examination will be in March next year." Dai Ling said.

"That is to say, I heard that there was still a war in Huaizhou, and many people died. The roads were blocked. It's almost New Year's Day, and he hasn't come back yet. If something happens to my husband outside, how will we live?" As she spoke, Huang also wiped away her tears. She hadn't heard from her husband for such a long time, how could she not be worried.

Suddenly, Huang thought of something: "Uncle Ling, why are you asking about my husband all of a sudden? Auntie said before that you went to Qingzhou. Did you hear something about my husband on your way back?"

"This..." Dai Ling pondered for a while and said, "Zhao Di, this is a long story. Why don't you come to my uncle's house? Your aunt is here too. We can talk about it slowly. It will be convenient."

"Uncle Ling, please wait a moment. I will talk to Feng'er." Huang said.

Dai Ling nodded.

Dai Ling's home.

The lights in the living room were dim.

Dai Ling's wife, Wang, was also there and poured a cup of tea for Huang.

Ordinary people at the bottom of society are not so particular. If a guest comes, they just pour him a bowl of water and that’s it.

That is to say, Dai Ling was a traveling merchant and his family was relatively wealthy.

"Uncle Ling, has something happened to my husband?" Huang said uneasily. She held the tea poured by Wang in both hands and had no mood to drink it.

She knew that this uncle was the kind of person who would not come to her house unless there was something important.

Now that he had just arrived home and came to see her at night, how could she not think too much.

"Zhao Di, have some tea." Dai Ling sat opposite Huang and said, "When I was doing business in Qingzhou this time, I saw a man in Pingting County who looked very similar to Dai Tu. Even the mole on his face was the same. But when I asked him, he told me that he didn't know me and that he was from Cangzhou."

"Then I'm afraid you really made a mistake. I heard from the village teacher that candidates from the south can only go to Huaizhou and Linzhou to take the exam, and only candidates from the north can go to Qingzhou and Yuzhou to take the exam.

Tuger is from Yanzhou, which is in the south, and he has no chance of passing the exam in Qingzhou." Wang said.

"You women have long hair but short knowledge. Do you know what it means that there are policies from above and countermeasures from below?"

Dai Ling has traveled all over the country, so his experience is naturally better than that of Wang, who stays at home all day. There are many loopholes that can be exploited in the strategy that people from the south can only take the exam in the south, and people from the north can only take the exam in the north.

Wang didn't understand.

Dai Ling explained: "The world is in such a mess now, especially with so many people fleeing from the north, the household registrations of many counties have been lost, and it is difficult to find relevant evidence. It is even more difficult to verify the government offices of the four states."

Wang still didn't understand.

Huang said, "Aunt, your uncle means that even if you make up an identity for yourself, it will be difficult for the government offices of the four states to verify the authenticity of this identity."

Huang's family background was low, but her family was not poor. Her father ran a small business in the county and was a businessman among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans.

Dai Tu was able to afford to go to school, and the money for the journey to take the exam was all provided by Huang's father.

Wang Shi understood a little bit now, and immediately asked in confusion: "If that's the case, why doesn't Tuge'er recognize you, the old man?"

Wang looked at Dai Ling.

Dai Ling pondered for a moment, then said, "There can't be two people in this world who look exactly the same. I'm sure now that the Guo Xian I saw in Qingzhou was Dai Tu."

"Mr. Guo?" Wang was stunned.

"That's the identity Tu Ge'er fabricated in Qingzhou. He was the top scorer in the Qingzhou provincial examination. The reason why he didn't recognize me was probably because he was worried that I would expose his true identity. After all, there were other people next to him at the time." As he said this, Dai Ling reacted and wanted to slap himself a few times. He should have thought of it at the time.

If I go to see Dai Tu alone, he will definitely recognize me.

"First place in the Qingzhou County Examination?" Huang was surprised.

"Does 'first place' mean the first place?" Wang asked.

Huang nodded.

Wang grabbed Huang's hand and said excitedly, "Zhao Di, Tu Ge'er has made it big. You and Xiao Feng can now become the wife and young master of the county magistrate."

The notice issued by the four states that "anyone who is qualified can become an official" has been on the lips of the people and they talk about it with relish.

But Huang was not very happy. She looked at Dai Ling and said, "Since my husband has a fake identity and is the first in the Qingzhou County Examination, it will be difficult for Feng'er and I to recognize him. If we cause his identity to be exposed, I will be the sinner of the Dai family."

Huang became worried.

On the one hand, she also wanted to be the county magistrate's wife.

On the other hand, she was afraid that her husband's identity would be exposed when they met, and if the government investigated, it would really harm her husband.

As soon as these words were spoken, the living room suddenly became quiet.

After Dai Ling thought about it for a while, his eyes lit up and he said, "I have a solution."

"What method?" Wang asked.

"Move and make the fake become real." The more Dai Ling talked, the more he felt that this approach was feasible, and he said to the two of them: "When I was in Qingzhou, I heard from the waiter of Fuze Restaurant that the counties in the north are encouraging the people who fled back then to return, not only giving them land, but also tax exemptions and re-registering their household registration.

As long as we move to Cangzhou and register as a resident of Cangzhou, we can then meet Dai Tu openly."

"Ah? Move to Cangzhou? How far is that?" Wang said.

"I haven't been there, so I don't know exactly yet, but I guess it will take several months to get there," said Dai Ling.

"Are we going too?" Wang rubbed her hands.

"Of course. When Tuger becomes an official in the north, he will definitely need someone to help him with some of the trivial matters in life. I am his uncle and you are his aunt, so it's perfect for him."

Dai Ling didn't say these words. As the saying goes, when one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit. If Dai Tu becomes an official, then he, as his uncle, will definitely get some benefit from him. Maybe he can even raise his family's reputation. So he has to get closer to him.

Thinking of this, Dai Ling's tone became more intimate, and he said to Huang: "Zhao Di, when we get to Cangzhou, remember to ask Xiao Feng to change his surname to Guo, so as not to be exposed."

"Uncle Ling, is it really okay for us to do this?" Huang hesitated.

"Zhao Di, don't you want to be the wife of the county magistrate? Then your father will also benefit from it, and Xiao Feng will be able to marry into a good family in the future. Why not?"

Dai Ling then began to warn: "Zhao Di, don't tell anyone about this. Go back and discuss it with your father, and move there as soon as possible. Maybe then you can see Tu Ge'er pass the exam."

The next morning, Huang Zhaodi hurried to her father's house and told her father about this.

When Huang's father found out, he was so happy that he even said, "I knew Tu Ge'er would have a bright future."

"Move, let's move now. I'll go to Dai Ling's house first and have a good talk with him." Father Huang decided to move without even giving it a thought.

You know, although Huang's father had a little money, he lived a rather miserable life, and he was not a big businessman, but a small businessman. Every now and then, some strong men would come to his house to extort money.

If he reported to the authorities, the officials in the yamen would take the opportunity to blackmail him.

Now that he has a son-in-law who is an official as his backer, he can't wait to fly over.

……

Qingzhou, Pingting County.

Dai Tu has already moved into Zhang's house.

Of course, this was not proposed by Dai Tu. It was Zhang He who took the initiative to invite him. Dai Tu refused twice and only agreed the third time.

The reason why Zhang He let "Guo Xian" live in his home was to better observe him.

In the past two months, Zhang He has been very satisfied with "Guo Xian".

Not only is his conversation elegant, but his behavior is also graceful.

During the time I lived in Zhang's house, I always kept the proper distance between men and women from Zhu'er.

Not only is there no cohabitation before marriage, there is not even any holding of hands or hugging.

He was also very polite and courteous to others, without the condescending attitude of a top scorer in the provincial examination.

Zhang He's subordinates were very envious and praised him for finding a good son-in-law.

Zhang He's daughter Zhang Zhu is also very satisfied with her fiancé.

In her eyes, her fiancé is not only well-spoken but also humorous.

He also wrote poems for himself.

Giving yourself a gift is also a satisfying gift.

It's like he knows what he wants.

In the Zhang family's study.

"My dear son-in-law, we just received a victory report from the front. Duke Anguo has won another great victory and captured Chongzhou. In my opinion, Duke Anguo will continue to march south to lead the army. If so, I'm afraid he won't be able to return before the imperial examination."

Zhang He has already called "Mr. Guo" a good son-in-law. He had promised him before that he would ask Duke Anguo to preside over their wedding ceremony after the imperial examination next year. Now it seems that he may have to break his promise.

"But don't worry, my dear son-in-law. If it doesn't work out after the imperial examination, then we can postpone the marriage for a few months. I will definitely invite Duke Anguo to preside over the wedding ceremony for you and Zhu'er." Zhang He promised.

"Important matters are important. I will listen to my father-in-law." Dai Tu said.

"Well, you can listen to me on some things, but not on everything. I'm a rough guy. As a man, you should have your own opinions." Zhang He patted Dai Tu on the shoulder.

Dai Tu was sensible and didn't respond.

"Work hard, and give me more effort for next year's imperial examination. Now that Duke Anguo has taken Chongzhou, most of the world is in his hands. There are rumors that Duke Anguo will definitely become the emperor in the future. If you can become a Jinshi in the first imperial examination held by Duke Anguo, you will definitely have a bright future.

Maybe I will have to rely on you a lot in the future."

"My father-in-law, you are too kind. We haven't even started yet."

……

Linzhou, Xiangyang.

An Guo Gongfu.

The rosy glow dyed the western sky red, and a cold wind blew.

Most of the girls in the mansion have already changed into jackets and skirts.

In the hall in the backyard.

There are two braziers in the center of the hall.

Ning Wan was wearing a green cheongsam with a very short slit, which only reached her calves, and she was wearing black stockings on her feet.

He had a jacket draped over his shoulders, covering his upper arms and leaving only his forearms exposed.

She has a plump figure yet looks slim, which is very sexy.

Her face turned slightly red, and she smiled and said to Wu Mi and the others, "The clothes I'm wearing are selling like hot cakes at Yimei Clothing Store.

And what Qingwu said was absolutely right, those very revealing clothes were also popular in brothels, with just that little bit of fabric, they were all sold out for five taels of silver."

"Sister, this outfit is so sexy." Xiao Yunxi said, and walked to Ning Wan with small steps. She circled around the soft beauty for a few times, then touched her and said with a smile: "If my husband sees it when he comes back, he will definitely love it."

Ning Wan's beautiful face was as red as clouds in the light of the fire in the hall, and she was bright and charming. She said softly: "Sister is the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. If she puts on, she will definitely look much better than me."

While the two women were talking, Xia Zhiqing walked in and walked towards Wu Mi who was sitting at the top. "Sister Mi, Sister An Niang, the Supervisory Guard just reported that my husband has won another great victory in the front and captured Chongzhou. The King of Chong fled without a fight. Now people are saying that my husband is the son of destiny."

As he said this, he handed the letter to Wu Mi.

When Chen Mo drove Prince Huai to Chongzhou, rumors spread that Chen Mo was the son of destiny.

However, recently, as Chen Mo's territory has expanded, more and more people have spread and believed the rumor.

After reading it, Wu Mi said, "This is not a good thing for my husband. It will only bring more jealousy. It seems that we need to ask General Shao to send more troops and strengthen patrols outside the palace.

I also need to write a letter back to the family and ask them to send some experts over."

As the saying goes, if the trees are beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy them.

Xia Zhiqing nodded and said, "By the way, Sister Mi, didn't Yanzhou send a letter saying that Lord Yang from Shufu would send his daughter to Xiangyang? Calculating the time, she should be on the way now. Should we send someone to pick her up?"

Hearing this, Wu Mi pondered for a moment and said, "Not for now, wait until we get the confirmation. But you can clean up the room first."

……

Late December.

New Year's Eve.

Prince Chong arrived in Luonan and was received by Lu Sheng in person.

After the welcoming banquet, King Chong found Lu Sheng alone and said, "Prime Minister Lu, what are your plans now? Now that Chen Mo has taken Chongzhou, the next step is Hexi, and the next step is Luonan.

The noble families in Hexi will definitely not go against Chen Mo. When Chen Jun arrives, they can only bow down and submit. If you just sit back and watch his power expand step by step, even if you have a way to turn the tables, your chances of winning will be slim. "

Lu Sheng didn't say much, but gave King Chong a booklet.

"what is this?"

"The Mysterious Spiritual Burning Art is a secret method that can temporarily increase your strength. Your Highness, you should practice it as soon as possible." Lu Sheng said.

"Just rely on this?" King Chong asked with a frown.

(End of this chapter)