Fenghou

The family temple is located in the northeast corner. It is a small nunnery called Shuiyue nunnery. There are five female nuns living in it, and a Guanyin Bodhisattva is enshrined. The gate of the nunnery faces the main street. The small door is usually locked from the inside with a big iron lock. Even if Lu Xiu wants to go to burn incense, he has to go around the door. The small door will only be opened during the annual sacrifice.

There is a mourning hall in the backyard of Shuiyue Temple, in which the spiritual tablets of Chen Qing's parents are enshrined.

After the family reunited, they drove to the back door of Shuiyue Nunnery together. Lv Xiu held her son Chen Ji in her arms. She was so excited just now, and now she fell asleep in her mother's arms.

"Why don't you let him go back to sleep! He'll catch a cold." Chen Qing touched his son's cold face and said.

Lu Xiu smiled and said: "He won't get out of the car later, the nanny will sit in the car with him in her arms, and then cover him with a blanket, it shouldn't be cold."

Zhao Qiaoyun and Yu's sisters sat quietly aside. It was the first time for them to participate in the sacrificial ceremony as daughter-in-law. They were both looking forward to it and a little nervous.

Chen Qing smiled and said to the three of them: "I'm going to wear sacrificial clothes later, so I don't need to change clothes, just put them on outside."

Lu Xiu shook her head and smiled, "I told them that the officials don't have to worry about these trivial matters."

The carriage slowly stopped at the small gate in the northeast corner, and the nunnery master Jingxin and his four apprentices were already waiting in front of the gate.

The nuns of Shuiyue nunnery have been living in poverty these years. At the worst time, they couldn't even afford to eat, so they had to go door to door to beg for rice. But since Chen Qing's family entered the house, they turned over. The Yue Nunnery was renovated, and they were given two hundred guan sesame oil money every year, so that the master and apprentice of Jingxin would have no worries about food and clothing.

Seeing the arrival of the owner of the mansion, Master Jingxin stepped forward and saluted with palms together: "Welcome the Xuanfu envoy, the sacrificial hall has been arranged and the sacrificial clothes are also ready!"

"Thank you Master!"

Chen Qing turned his head and said to everyone: "Let's change into sacrificial clothes first!"

Everyone walked into Shuiyue Nunnery, put on black sacrificial clothes and hats in the next hut, and then turned to the sacrificial hall.

The main hall for offering sacrifices is brightly lit. In the niche in the center is the spiritual tablet of Chen Qing’s parents. There is a large candle on each side, burning vigorously. In front is a small purple-gold incense burner with three sandalwood sticks on it. The cigarettes are curling up. There are three animal offerings, as well as snacks and candies on it.

Chen Qing took three sticks of incense from the table next to him, and saluted with a long body. Behind him was Lu Xiu, and behind them were Zhao Qiaoyun and Yu's sisters. The five of them held incense and saluted together.

Chen Qing stepped forward and knelt down on the futon, kowtowed three times, and then burned the incense in another large incense burner next to it.

Next came Lu Xiu kowtow, then Zhao Qiaoyun, and finally the Yu sisters.

In fact, the sacrifice of the big family is not so simple. First, the chicken must be sacrificed, the head of the family will read the sacrificial speech, and the elders of each house will report the family's situation for the year to the ancestors, and they will announce the rules of the new year in public. All kinds of tedious ceremonies will take at least an hour to finish before the family pays homage to their ancestors and finally toasts and drinks together.

The sacrifice on Chen Qing's side was very simple, and it ended in a quarter of an hour. Lu Xiu said a few words to the master of Shuiyue nunnery, and then left Shuiyue nunnery with her husband and returned to the back garden.

……

It is still the midwinter season, and Danfeng Garden is covered with white snow. Danfeng Garden is the name of the back house. It is called Danfeng Garden.

Then the building complex is divided into four parts. The main building complex is in the west of the lake. It consists of seven courtyards and more than 160 houses, including many pavilions. Then there is Qifeng Pavilion on the island in the middle of the lake. building composition.

The third part is the Grace Garden in the northwest corner, which is a place for reading. It consists of seven or eight rooms in a courtyard. Li Qingzhao lives here now, and it is a very elegant garden within a garden.

The fourth part is Lushan in the northeast corner. There is a small real mountain with dense forests, farmhouses at the foot of the mountain, and pavilions on the mountain. It is a good place to live in spring and autumn.

As for Chen Qing's internal affairs hall, which is located in the atrium, it has nothing to do with the Danfeng Garden in the back house.

The main courtyard was originally called Cuiweiju, but Lu Xiu changed its name to Cuiyuan. It is also a garden within a garden, covering an area of ​​three acres. It is a garden full of various exotic flowers and plants. The main building is a large two-story pavilion. Everyone lives and eats here. In addition, Chen Qing's inner study is also in the corner of Cuiyuan.

Behind the Jade Garden are several stone paths leading directly to the other seven courtyards, which are like a fan-shaped structure, and the seven courtyards are seven fans, connected together by the Jade Garden in front.

Today is the first day of the first lunar month, and it is also the first time for the three of Zhao Qiaoyun to have their own private courtyard. Zhao Qiaoyun's small courtyard is on the east side of Lvxiu's courtyard. It covers an area of ​​two acres and has no name yet. We are waiting for Zhao Qiaoyun to name it.

This courtyard is completely Zhao Qiaoyun's territory. There is no shadow of Lu Xiu here. Besides Zhao Qiaoyun, there are four maids and two female guards. Last night's bridal chamber wedding night was here.

At this time, it was still dark, and Zhao Qiaoyun couldn't sleep. She was packing her things, and all the clothes had been put into boxes. Next door was her study room, where she was sorting books. Her personal property was very meager, and the master only gave her a few hundred. Bring this book as a dowry.

The study room is very spacious, and she was quite satisfied. At this time, she saw the brocade bag on the table. It was the gift bag that the elder sister gave to the three of them when she served tea to the eldest sister last night. One for each of them. She didn't know it was before. What, her husband told her at night, this is for her dowry.

She took out a land deed from her bag, a receipt for saving money from Baoji Money Shop, and half a piece of jade. Save [-] guan, and withdraw it with this bill and half a piece of jade.

God!Five hundred acres of land and [-] pennies, her mother used to save only a few hundred pennies in the palace, and when she just got married, her husband gave her such a generous dowry.

Zhao Qiaoyun's nose was a little sore, she quickly put away her things, went out and said to the two maidservants: "Put on the lanterns, let's go to Cuiyuan!"

Chapter 596 Calling for Help

Chen Qing's inner study changed three places, and finally settled in the corner of Cuiyuan. The study also has two floors, the lower part is the study room, and the upper floor is a place for rest.

After the priest came back, Chen Qing took a nap in the study for an hour and a half, and was finally woken up by Yu Lian.

"Officer, wake up."

"What time is it? Is it dawn?" Chen Qing asked in a daze.

"It's dawn, madam urges you to have breakfast."

Chen Qing put his arms around her waist and smiled and said, "You still call her Madam? You should call her Eldest Sister instead!"

"Madam gets used to it, and besides, a lowly concubine like me is not qualified to be called eldest sister." Yu Lian's eyes turned red.

"Are you jealous?" Chen Qing held her in his arms.

"You promised me a long time ago that you would give me flowers and candles in the bridal chamber on the night of our marriage." Yu Lian lay on Chen Qing's shoulder and cried aggrievedly.

Chen Qing was a little embarrassed, he did promise, wiped away her tears and said with a smile: "Don't cry, wait for me to become king, and I will make you and Ah Ying the good concubine."

"What is Liangdi?"

"Liangdi is the third rank, which is equivalent to the wife of the county, and Shang Shu's wife is also the third rank."

When Yu Lian heard that she was the wife of Shang Shu, she burst into tears and laughed, "Don't coax me again!"

"I didn't coax you, let me ask you how much my wife gave you last night."

"Ah Ying and I each have five thousand guan, five hundred acres of farmland, five thousand guan! Hee hee, Madam is really generous."

"Actually, I gave it to you."

Yu Lian put her arms around Chen Qing's neck, and said with a charming face: "Then why do you thank the officials?"

Seeing that she was full of coquettishness, Chen Qing couldn't bear it anymore, and pulled her to cheer up beside the bed.

When the rain cleared, Yu Lian hurriedly straightened her clothes and put some rouge on her face. She suddenly remembered something and said with some fear: "Ma'am, we are not allowed to have sex with the officials during the day. They say it will hurt us, so we will still be fine." Once the house rules are established, if the officials want it, they can do it at any time at night, but not during the day."

"There are also house rules, why don't I know?"

"It's not the family rules, it's just the ten rules we talked about. You are not allowed to talk back to your wife, you are not allowed to form cliques, you are not allowed to fight and swear in the street, you are not allowed to insult and punish servants, you are not allowed to have personal relationships with guards, and you are not allowed to seek advice for others. Self-interest, you are not allowed to accept bribes from outsiders, anyway, there are ten rules in total, and the last one is not to promiserate with officials in the daytime, if you violate it three times, Madam will divorce us."

Chen Qing also understands his wife's good intentions in formulating family rules, which is also the way for her to control the family. Without rules, there will be no success. He nodded and smiled: "Just this time, it's not an example, you go first! Give me breakfast Come on, I still have something to do, and I need to deal with some official duties."

Yu Lian agreed and left, and came to the dining hall with trepidation, for fear that Madam would find out that she had a good time with the officials just now, Madam's eyes are very vicious, it's hard to hide it.

But she was very lucky, she didn't see his wife in the dining hall, and the maid next to her said she was breastfeeding the child, so Yu Lian was relieved, and hurriedly brought breakfast to Chen Qing.

……

The New Year's office has a five-day holiday, but it is not a holiday for Chen Qing, especially when spring is approaching, facing the impending counterattack of the Jin soldiers, Chen Qing must plan ahead and be fully prepared.

First of all, the Guanzhong Plain cannot be turned into a battlefield. In the battle of Fuping, not only the Song army was defeated, 10,000+ soldiers died, but hundreds of thousands of people died, and millions of people were displaced. The Guanzhong Plain was almost destroyed by the battlefield.

In the past few years, there has been no war in Guanzhong. A large number of people from northern Shaanxi have been moved into Guanzhong, and the people who fled before have gradually returned. The population of Guanzhong has gradually recovered to [-]% of the Xuanhe period. After five years of recuperation, the population will recover. It has reached the level of Xuanhe years.

Of course, it will take at least one generation for northern Shaanxi to return to pre-war levels.

If Guanzhong experiences another large-scale war, the fragile social economy will be completely destroyed. This is a scene that Chen Qing absolutely does not want to see.

If Jinbing attacked Shaanxi Road, which directions would it take? Basically, it can be determined that there are three directions. One is Tongguan Road, but Tongguan Road is narrow and the mountain road is rugged. Attacking Tongguan is not as good as attacking Pujin Pass.

However, in the fourth year of Jianyan, Wanyan Wushu broke through Shanzhou and entered Guanzhong from Tongguan, while Wanyan Lou's family entered Guanzhong from Luoshui Road. They did not go through Pujin Pass.

But whether it is Tongguan or Pujin Pass, they must attack the pass, and defending the pass is precisely what his army is best at. It is impossible for Jin Bing not to know this, especially if Wanyan Wushu wants to recover Jianghuai, and against Yue Fei, he will not It is possible to attack Shaanxi again, then the Tongguan line will hardly be in danger.

At this time, Chen Qing's eyes fell on the Luoshui line on the map. Chen Qing was almost certain that the Jin soldiers must have taken the Luoshui line when they came from Hedong Road, and entered Guanzhong from Yaozhou. That was the road they were familiar with.

If Jin Bing takes this path, then the first to bear the brunt is not Guanzhong, but Yanzhou. Jin Bing will inevitably seize the fire oil production area. How should this battle be fought?Chen Qing fell into deep thought for a long time.

……

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Intelligence Agency ordered Zhang Miao to report an important matter to Chen Qing.

"Liu Shiguang asked us for support?" Chen Qing seemed to have heard something incredible.

How thick-skinned Liu Guangshi needs to beg himself.

Zhang Miao said with a smile: "Maybe we have just reached a redemption treaty. He feels that the hostility between the two has weakened a lot. More importantly, he thinks that both of them are fighting against the imperial court, so it should be an alliance."

"Did the messenger say so?"

Zhang Miao nodded, "The envoy said that with them guarding the east gate of Bashu, the imperial army would not be able to enter Bashu. He said that we should fully support them against the imperial court."

"What about Zhang Shuling's opinion?"

Zhang Miao was an old civil servant recommended to Chen Qing when Wang Yan was transferred away. He had been in charge of military affairs for Chen Qing, keeping a relatively low profile. Chen Qing let Zhang Miao be in charge of intelligence because of his trust in him.

Facts have proved that he is a qualified intelligence director. He has organized the intelligence department in an orderly manner and continuously expanded intelligence points in various places. He himself is also thoughtful and unique. He can see the essence through phenomena and grasp the essence of problems.

Zhang Miao lightly stroked the goatee and said with a smile: "I think there are advantages and disadvantages to this matter. The advantage is not to guard the east gate for us. We don't need Liu Guangshi to guard it. Liu Guangshi's role is to block the sword for us. We are actually a good friend to Bashu. The semi-separatist regime, or the occupation of the army, the whole court must be extremely dissatisfied with us, and even criticized Dutong as a traitor and traitor, damaging the reputation of Dutong, but after Liu Guangshi, all the insults turned to him, especially with his comparison, On the contrary, the government and the public will feel that they understand the general situation and take into account the overall situation. In the end, the imperial court had to hold its nose to admit our military occupation of Bashu, so supporting Liu Guangshi and allowing the rebel Liu Guangshi to exist for a longer time is of great benefit to us. benefit."

"What about the bad side?"

"The downside is naturally to be in the same boat. Liu Guangshi is like a big blowfly. People don't like food that has been bitten by flies. If you contact Liu Guangshi or support Liu Guangshi, you will definitely be criticized by the world. Seriously damage the reputation of the capital."

Chen Qing looked at Zhang Miao's sly smile, and said with a smile, "There must be a way to get both benefits and fame."

"Humble job does have some ideas!"

"Please tell me the order, I'm all ears!"

"Humble post suggests that the official should not come forward, and sell a batch of soldiers to Liu Guangshi in a private capacity with the help of businessmen, which are captured soldiers. Once someone asks about it, the official firmly denies it. This is the side of profit. Then when the time is right, we will Send troops to destroy Liu Guangshi, and return Jingnan South Road to the imperial court, won’t the fame come?”

Chen Qing nodded slowly, and asked with a smile: "Is there no such businessman?"

Zhang Miao thought for a while and said: "There is no big businessman, we can create a big businessman, we publicly reject Liu Guangshi, and then let this big businessman go to the emissary."

"This matter must be planned well. It must be concealed from the court, but at the same time, Liu Guangshi must accept our favor. I will hand over this matter to the Intelligence Agency."

Zhang Miao bowed and saluted, "I must do this well."

Chen Qing said slowly again: "There is one more thing that needs to be strengthened by the Intelligence Agency, that is, the information about the Hedong Road. I believe that the Jinbing has already stationed in Hedong on a large scale. I need detailed information about the main force of the Jinbing. The more the better!"

Chapter 597 The Great Merchant

At present, the general in charge of Sichuan's military affairs is no longer Yang Zaixing, but Zheng Ping. Zheng Ping, as the commander of the Western Army, served as the military envoy of Sichuan, commanding [-] troops in Sichuan. The state capital deploys troops, and there are [-] troops stationed in Chengdu alone.

Zheng Ping arrived in Chengdu on the eighth day of the first lunar month to take up his post. The Sichuan-Shanxi Propaganda Commissioner’s office was located in Jingzhao. Chengdu also has a Sichuan-Shanxi Propaganda Commissioner’s office, the Sichuan Military and Horse Administration, the Salt and Iron Administration, the Transit Administration, the Mine Administration, and the Civil Corps Administration, etc. The official offices are all located in the official office of the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

This morning, Zheng Ping received Li Miao, Liu Guangshi's special envoy, in the government office. He flatly refused Li Miao's offer of weapon support, "We are also recruiting militia soldiers to participate in training. There is not even a single spear spare. I'm sorry. Can't help you guys."

No matter how Li Miao slobbered, Zheng Ping refused to agree, and told Li Miao clearly that this was the official reply from the Xuan Fu envoy.

Li Miao hit a thorn in his head and had no choice but to say goodbye and leave the government office.

Li Miao was really depressed. The [-] prisoners of war they received had no soldiers, and the soldiers from the states along the Jingnan Road were all collected by the imperial court to prevent the resurgence of water thieves. He was able to come to the Western Army for support, but was ruthlessly rejected.

Li Miao really didn't know how to explain to Liu Guangshi when he went back?

"What difficult things does this official need to do, I am willing to help!"

As soon as Li Miao walked out of the official office, a Yaman greeted him. The Yaman was an intermediary, who was responsible for making connections, finding ways, matchmaking, running errands, and earning commissions.

Li Miao waved her hands in a state of distraught, "Go aside, you can't do what I want to do."

"Hey! These days, as long as you have money, there are things we can't do?"

Li Miao gave him a hard look and said, "I have money, but I want to buy armor, can you do it?"

Yaren stuck out his tongue, "I really can't do it, but I know who can do it."

Li Miao looked at him suspiciously, "I want a lot, can it be done?"

Yaren patted his chest and said: "In our line of business, news is what we eat. The official will give me a lot of money. I will tell the official where it is going, and the official will be able to buy it on the black market."

Li Miao took out a small piece of broken silver and said, "This is three pieces of broken silver, which can be exchanged for [-] Wen. Let me tell you the news, and it will be yours."

Yaren's eyes were burning hot, and he quickly took out a small book from his pocket, found a page, and said in a low voice: "Go to Wanyi Yahang next to Qingyang Palace, find a man named Yang Wu on the westernmost side of the second floor. My Yaren, he is the one who introduces people to the business of Bingjia, and I heard that he has done big business."

Li Miao was overjoyed, and gave the Yaman three coins, and strode away.

The tooth man weighed the silver and looked at Li Miao's back with a meaningful smile on his face.

……

Li Miao found Yang Wu, who was shocked and said, "Twenty thousand sets of armor?"

"Didn't you say that you have done big business? Can't you do it?"

Yang Wu said with a bitter smile: "I have done business with a thousand sets of armor at most, which is already a big business. It is not easy to know that a set of armor includes armor, spears, swords, and daggers. I've never heard of anyone asking for [-] sets of armor."

"I'm Liu Guangshi's subordinate, do you understand?"