Cao Thief

Chapter 524 Cloud Movement ([-])

Outside Hongshui County, Zhen Yao got out of the car with a red face.

The shouts of the two clansmen made him feel very shameless, even a little embarrassed.When would he, the Zhen family, use someone else's name to gain a foothold?But there is no way, the current Zhen family is just a phoenix in trouble, not even a chicken.

All the way down from Zhongshan country, I don't know how many hardships I have encountered.

Due to the hasty evacuation, Zhen Yao did not bring too many assets, nor did he bring too many guards.

On the way, they often encountered bandit troops, so that when they fled Jizhou, they suffered extremely heavy losses.The guards were dead and scattered, only dozens of old retainers were left to accompany them to protect them.As for property, a lot was also lost.Many of them were taken away by the guards when they dispersed.Zhen Yao wanted to stop it, but he was powerless.

It wasn't until entering Hedong that the situation got better.

However, when crossing the river, some situations were encountered.Because they did not carry any certificates, they were almost arrested by Cao Jun at the Yellow River Ferry as refugees.The population loss in Hedong made Cao Ren also feel helpless.He couldn't blame Cao Peng, so he could only try his best to control the situation.Those without proof will be subject to strict interrogation.

In addition, Zhen Yao and his party spoke with a Hedong accent, which made Cao Jun very careful.

In desperation, it was the old lady who came up with an idea to let Zhen Yao be called the prefect of Hexi County, and the banner of Cao Peng, the general of Beizhong Lang.

Speaking of which, it's really a coincidence that the general Cao Jun stationed at Longmen Mountain is Gan Ning Gan Xingba who just retreated from Huo Dashan.Hearing that Cao Peng's family members were going to cross the river, Gan Ning was also very surprised. He thought it was Cao Peng's family members, so he came to pay a visit.Who would have known...the old lady took out a letter with the seal of Hexi County on it to prove that she was not a spy of Yuan Shao.Gan Ning believed it when he saw the Hexi seal on the envelope.

Although it is not clear when Cao Peng got in touch with the Zhen family, Gan Ning did not doubt too much when thinking about Su Shuang's borrowing of the East River.However, he still sent someone to escort the Zhen family to Fuping Ferry, allowing them to cross the river safely.Gan Ning wanted to prevent the Zhen family from making trouble; but he didn't know that this move was in the hands of the Zhen family.So many retainers believed that Zhen Mi and Cao Peng must have an extremely close and special relationship.

"Are you the eunuch's family?"

The guards of Hongshui County showed doubts.

At this moment, Cao Peng came forward with someone, stretched out his hand and said, "Bring me that road guide, let me have a look."

When the gate guard saw him, he quickly saluted and showed Gan Ning the way.

"You are Cao Peng's family?"

"Exactly!" A retainer shouted: "My lady, Naier is waiting for the eunuch to guard the inner room, so hurry up and get out of the way."

Cao Peng's face suddenly sank.

My inner room?
Doesn't that mean she's my wife?

Who is your miss...why are you so shameless?

He opened the guide, and after glancing at it, his expression suddenly became strange.

The Zhen family in Wuji County, Zhongshan State?

Cao Peng scratched his head, he seemed to understand the mystery, and couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

That's right, Zhen Mi's hijacking was not ordered by him, and it had nothing to do with him.But no matter what, Zhen Mi is indeed in Hexi now, in Hongshui County, and lives in that county.After Cai Yan's mother and daughter came to Hongshui County, Cao Peng worried that Cai Yan's life would be miserable, so he simply let her live in the county house, and followed the pattern of Sikong Mansion and Dian Mansion, setting up two gates, which looked like two houses. But in fact, it is divided from the county...

For the sake of convenience.

If Cai Yan has anything, he can report it quickly; Bu Luan and Guo Huan can also have someone to talk to, who can relieve their boredom.

But the problem is, this matter is not clear.

He also saw Zhen Mi naked, and even more...

Zhen Mi is still a little scared when she sees Cao Peng now, and often hides behind Cai Yan.Although not as trembling as at the beginning, but somewhat flustered.Similarly, every time Cao Peng sees Zhen Mi, that graceful carcass like suet white jade will appear in his mind... Therefore, Cao Peng also tries not to be alone with Zhen Mi.

Now, his family members are here!
He scratched his head and put Lu Yin away.

"Let them in."

"Hey, give us Lu Yin back."

When the retainers saw that Cao Peng confiscated Lu Yin, they were impatient.

Along the way, especially after entering Hexi County, this guide has played a big role, so I dare not lose it.

Cao Peng frowned, and said sharply: "Don't make noise! ​​Lu Yin, I'll take it back... You go to the city. Someone will take you to your residence. Don't cause trouble on the way. If you violate the law, whoever I can't keep you...Zishan, find someone to take them to the family of Mrs. Cai, say they are Miss Zhen's family, don't be negligent."

Bu Zhi, who just came down from the top of the wall, couldn't help being startled when he heard this.

Immediately, a strange smile appeared on his face, which made Cao Peng blush.

Here Cao Peng did not hesitate, got on his horse and left the city gate with Brother Pang De.

Bu Zhi stepped forward, looked at the two carriages at the door, and saw Zhen Yao walking quickly, ordering the retainers to leave.

"I'm Zhen Yao, I don't know..."

"Third Young Master, please come with me, I will take you to see Lingmei."

Bu Zhi and Cao Peng were both wearing casual clothes, so there was nothing unusual about them.

He didn't want to say any more, he got on the horse and led the way.But Zhen Yao was at a loss, boarded the carriage, and entered Hongshui County with the stallion.

This Hongshui County has not yet been fully built.

But the layout of the entire county has begun to take shape, making it clear at a glance.

The county seat is divided into four areas, east, west, north, and south, of which the west is the school field and the east is the market.The north and south are households respectively.Hexi County and Hongshui County are connected as one, located in the center of the county.Among them, the county shed is close to the school grounds, while the county shed is close to the market.The main project of the county seat has been completed, but the interior of the city is still under construction.

The streets are clean, some parts are not yet finished.

Sitting in the carriage, Zhen Yao could see the construction scene...

A group of people dressed as prisoners carried baskets of gravel and sprinkled them on the road.Then the strong bulls pulled the heavy stone rollers and rolled them over and over again on the road, making the ground very smooth.There were no guards to monitor, nor did I see any soldier supervisors.But those prisoners were extremely serious and showed no sign of being lazy.

The prefect of Hexi has some tricks!

Zhen Yao was secretly amazed and nodded repeatedly.

In fact, it was not the first time he had seen such a scene.

When he first arrived in Hexi, he was extremely shocked by the roads in Hexi County.Compared with the official roads in Hebei, the roads in this barren land in Hexi are obviously more prosperous.It is flat and spacious, and trees are planted on both sides of the road, making the scenery extremely beautiful.The fast horse gallops on the official road, and there is no need to worry about the smoothness of the road.There is little bumping feeling when the carriage drives on it.All the way along the river, there are also posts planted on the embankment, and it is said that they are all ordered by the prefect of Hexi.

"Why are those prison slaves so busy, but no one is guarding them?"

At that time, Zhen Yao asked the locals curiously.

"The guests can tell they are from outside at a glance... Our prefect has an order that all slaves can be freed from slaves and become civilians as long as they complete [-] work points. At that time, they can report to the government and arrange property to open up wasteland for civilians. You get five points. Each section of the road is divided. Each section of the road is a work point. If you complete it quickly and early, you can get a civilian status after collecting a hundred work points. Who wants to be lazy? "

Similar to the contract system of later generations, it mobilizes the enthusiasm of slaves to the greatest extent.

With the increasing number of slaves in Hexi, the process of civilianization must also be accelerated...

Therefore, Cao Peng came up with a method of exchanging work points for household registration, encouraging slaves to work in exchange for enough work points.

And the slaves have hope, so naturally they don't want to be lazy.

You must know that every project represents that they are one step closer to civilians...

There is a law in Hexi County that anyone who flees a slave, regardless of the reason, will be killed.At the same time, Cao Peng continued to improve the living conditions of the slaves so that they could avoid difficulties in life.One side is a butcher's knife, the other side is hope... Most slaves are willing to choose hope instead of death.After giving sufficient material guarantees, Cao Peng used the method of sitting together again.For one fleeing slave, ten people would sit in a row;

"Mother, in my opinion, within ten years, Hexi will surpass Zhongshan."

The old lady was a little tired, and she nodded after hearing Zhen Yao's words, "This Cao Sanpian does have some skills."

Unknowingly, the car arrived outside the gate of a mansion.

Bu Zhi sent someone to report, and then left without saying goodbye to Zhen Yao and the others.

"Mother, that man is so rude."

Huddled in the old lady's arms, the rather beautiful little girl who was born in pink and jade, suddenly said to the old lady.

This little girl is Zhen Yao's youngest sister, Zhen Rong.

"Good girl, don't talk nonsense... That gentleman has a good attitude, is quite official, and has an extraordinary bearing. He is not waiting for idlers. He can lead the way in person, which is already a great care. How can you blame others? This is not Wuji County, It's not our Zhen family's old house either. In the future, you should be more careful when speaking, don't be underestimated by others, saying that our family education is not strict."

The old lady had a gentle demeanor, but there was a hint of warning in her words.

Zhen Rong pouted, and although he was reluctant, he still nodded and said softly: "Daughter has written it down!"

"Mother!"

While everyone was whispering, Zhen Mi ran out of the mansion like a lark.Standing on the steps, seeing the old lady and the others, she couldn't help crying, and rushed down the steps with sobs, and threw herself into the old lady's arms.

"My son, but you have suffered!"

The old lady hugged Zhen Mi and let out a cry of grief.

Cai Yan led Ameiguai out of the mansion.Seeing this scene, a smile appeared on her face and she nodded slightly.

"Here, why is Cai Mansion written?"

"Mother, this is Sister Cai's house... Oh, I haven't introduced it to my mother yet, this is Sister Cai, the daughter of Uncle Cai Yong, everyone from Cai Yan to Cai."

Cai Yong's daughter?

The old lady was startled, and hurriedly stepped forward to pay her respects.

Although the Zhen family has some status, they are not as famous as Cai Yong.

Cai Yan is famous all over the world for her talent and learning. She has been known as a talented woman since she was a child, and she can't tolerate the old lady daring to neglect her.

I have some doubts in my heart, why does my daughter live in Cai Yan's house?

"Little sister, who is the person who brought us here just now?"

"The person who brought you here?"

Zhen Mi was startled, and looked at the servant.

The servant hurriedly said, "It's Bujun Cheng of Buzishan, come here in person."

"what?"

Zhen Mi was taken aback, "Why is Mr. Laobu so big?"

The person who sent us here was the magistrate of Hexi County?That is the number two person in Hexi, who holds financial power and is Cao Peng's confidant.I heard that he is still Cao Peng's relative, his cousin is Cao Peng's favorite concubine... No wonder, that person has no good looks towards us.It is indeed because of this reason... But, it seems wrong!
Bu Zhi is the number two person in Hexi County, so the person who can command him...

Zhen Mi suddenly remembered the scene she saw at the gate of the city.Bu Zhi seemed to be instructed by a young man to lead the way.

In the entire Hexi County, the only person who can command Bu Zhi is...

"Little sister, Mr. Cao, what do you look like?"

Zhen Mi was taken aback, her face flushed immediately.

"Brother said, who is Mr. Cao?"

"How many young masters of Cao can there be in Hexi County?"

"Well, there is also Ziwen, the third son of Sikong, who is General Cao's student and also Mr. Cao."

"Of course I'm talking about General Cao..."

"General Cao gave birth to..."

Zhen Mi really didn't know how to answer.

That day, in a trance, I saw a naked man, which was particularly terrifying; later, because I was panicked and my mind was unstable, I didn't pay attention to his appearance.Later, Cao Peng started to fight in Wuwei, and Zhen Mi rarely saw Cao Peng.Although she had seen it a few times recently, every time, she didn't dare to look directly at her, and she was always a little nervous.

Want to talk about appearance?

General Cao seemed mighty, but he was also very ordinary.

It's just that kind of bearing and power, which is impressive...

Zhen Mi didn't know how to answer, but Zhen Yao felt something was wrong.

"Little sister, you and General Cao..."

"What brother said, I have nothing to do with General Cao. He has always treated me with respect and asked me to help everyone Cao write scriptures."

Saying that, Zhen Mi opened her watery and soft eyes wide, "Brother, why are you asking?"

It's broken, it seems that something went wrong!

Zhen Yao's complexion changed, and he secretly yelled that he was not good.

At the same time, he vaguely guessed the identity of the young general who appeared at the gate of the city.

How can this happen?My sister has nothing to do with General Cao, so it is presumptuous to say that my family came to Hexi?
Without the support of General Cao, how could my Zhen family gain a foothold in Hexi!
Zhen Yao's eyeballs rolled around, and he secretly groaned inwardly.Things were not as he and the old lady thought, and Cao Sanpian didn't seem to have any intention of hitting his sister.But now that he has come to Hexi, he must think of an idea.This matter is no longer up to Zhen Yao to decide.Along the way, they all used the names of Cao Peng's family members.Now I know that my sister has nothing to do with Cao Peng. If Cao Peng pursues it, wouldn't it be a catastrophe?
On the steps, the old lady and Cai Yan chatted happily.

Zhen Yao frowned, and after thinking for a while, he suddenly said: "Little sister, please tell me about General Cao later. And the current situation in Hexi... This matter is related to our Zhen family. life and death."

Zhen Mi was startled, then nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)