Emperor Renzong of the Great Song Dynasty

Bao Zheng was stunned: "I have never been an enemy in my life, how could there be a powerful person chasing and killing me?"

The young man who jumped onto the deck raised his eyebrows and laughed loudly: "You have never been an enemy before? That must be because you are too stupid to offend people to death without knowing it."

Bao Zheng looked embarrassed: "This... this... I really don't know..."

Although he had expected the danger of this trip, after all, he had just experienced human affairs, and he still had some naivety to be a kind and peaceful people.

He didn't form a mortal hatred with anyone, so why would anyone want to kill him?

But he didn't know that cutting people's wealth is more vicious than killing their parents. Parents' enmity may be wiped away with a smile, but the hatred of taking money is endless.

The young man crossed his arms and leaned forward slightly: "Hey, are you an official?"

Bao Zheng hurriedly said: "Yes."

The man asked again, "What kind of official is it?"

Bao Zheng said: "I serve the imperial censor Quan in Xiatong Zhilang Palace and know that Bao Zheng was bestowed by the Jiangnan tea government. I don't know your surname?"

The man was speechless for a moment, and then said, "My name is Zhan Zhao."

Bao Zheng cupped his hands: "So it's Zhan Yishi."

Zhan Zhao waved his hand: "I won't hide it from you. Originally, I shouldn't be in charge of your government's affairs, but among those who chased and killed you, there was someone I've been looking for for a long time. I hope you can make it easier for me. Let me catch him and go back. As a thank you, I will keep you safe in Jiangnan."

Bao Zheng said: "According to Zhan Yishi, there are six killers coming to take my life. Can Zhan Yishi alone resist it?"

Zhan Zhao smiled: "You think this journey is safe and sound, who is helping you?"

Bao Zheng was dumbfounded: "Sure enough, a hero from ancient times born a boy."

Zhan Zhao saw that the people who got off the boat to buy came back, and said with a smile, "Okay, we can lift the anchor."

Turning his head and looking at the water and the sky in the distance: "Before, those were small fish and shrimps, but in Yangzhou, it is really a tough battle to fight."

Yangzhou is the most important hub city on the Grand Canal, and it belongs to Huainan Road. The tea from the entire Jiangnan mountain field is transported to Yangzhou for selection by tea merchants.

The yamen in charge of the tea administration in Yangzhou city is responsible for the goods business, specializing in the wholesale business of bulk tea.

In the Song Dynasty, there were a total of six qian cargo services, and Yangzhou qian cargo services were the largest ones.

Therefore, Bao Zheng, an official who knows the tea politics in the south of the Yangtze River, should also go to Yangzhou to take office.

Bao Zheng got off the boat and went to Yangzhou, and after reporting to the government of Yangzhou, he rested at the post station.

Since Zhan Zhao wanted to keep Bao Zheng safe, he naturally wanted to stay at the inn.

Bao Zheng was not from a wealthy family, and his family education has always been simple and simple. When he came back to Yangzhou to take office, he only brought along a servant, Bao Xing, and Zhan Zhao, only three of them. The upper two ear rooms are enough.

After the lights were turned off, Bao Zheng wanted to fall asleep, but he heard the window creak, and it was Zhan Zhao waving to him from outside the window: "Come here."

Bao Zheng put on his clothes and got out of bed: "Martyr Zhan, it's so late..."

He suddenly fell silent, because he thought that this was the fourth floor of the post house, and from his quick look outside the house in the afternoon, there seemed to be no place to stand outside the window.

Bao Zheng rushed to the window, grabbed Zhan Zhao and wanted to drag him into the house to prevent him from falling, but Zhan Zhao grabbed his shoulder with his backhand. After a while, he was carried on his shoulder by Zhan Zhao, flying over the eaves and walls, tossing and turning.

The moment he was dragged out of the window, he seemed to notice that there was really no place for his feet outside the window, and Zhan Zhao supported his whole body weight by propping one arm on the window frame.

Not long after, Zhan Zhao had carried him out of the post station, and placed him in a small alley.

The servant Bao Xing had been waiting there for a long time, and when he saw the two of them coming, he hurried up to help Bao Zheng: "My lord..."

Bao Zheng waved his hands at him, supported the wall, and vomited out the contents of his stomach.

After sitting on the boat for so long, he thought that he had already adapted to the turbulent wind and waves, but he didn't expect that there was still a sky outside the sky.

After vomiting, Zhan Zhao patted him on the shoulder, motioning him to look behind him.

Bao Zheng took a closer look, and saw that the direction of the original post station was full of people, and the flames were soaring into the sky. Even if he was separated by an alley, he could feel the oncoming heat wave.

Bao Xing was trembling all over: "My lord, my lord, if Zhan Yishi hadn't rescued us, we would have been burned to death there!"

Bao Zheng was furious: "I am an imperial envoy personally appointed by the Son of Heaven to know the tea administration in the south of the Yangtze River. How dare they assassinate me so blatantly!"

Zhan Zhao said coldly: "Who told you to run to other people's territory without even a guard. Setting this fire on you is considered as a compliment to an imperial envoy, and it's not worth burning a fire for him if you change it to an unknown person." What about the post station?"

He handed the bundle in his hand to Bao Zheng: "Here, you still have your official seal and official uniform. I took it out for you. If it is burned, you will not be able to be an official."

Bao Zheng took over the burden: "Thank you Zhanyi. It's just that the post station has been burned down, and these thieves are so blatant, where should we hide?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "It's not difficult, as long as Mr. Bao doesn't dislike it."

Bao Zheng smiled wryly: "In this situation, who else would you dare to despise?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, "It's fine if you don't dislike him."

He led Bao Zheng out of the alley, and there was a harnessed carriage at the entrance of the alley—it seemed that Zhan Zhao had already anticipated tonight's situation and was well prepared.

Bao Zheng and Bao Xing got into the carriage, Zhan Zhao sat outside the door, pulled the reins, and the carriage moved forward slowly.

Bao Xing sat down in the carriage, touched left and right, looked hesitantly: "My lord, why do you think there is something wrong with this carriage?"

Bao Zheng closed his eyes and meditated: "There's something wrong, it's just an ordinary carriage."

Bao Xing scratched his head: "The little one still feels a little wrong. Why is this carriage..."

He looked at the tender green cushions in the carriage, touched the dark pattern of lotus carved on the wall of the carriage, and smelled the vague fragrance of powder in the carriage, and suddenly realized: "My lord, this is a woman's carriage!"

There was a burst of wild laughter outside the carriage, obviously Zhan Zhao was amused by this sentence: "Yes, you are right, this is a woman's car!"

Bao Zheng opened his eyes, gave Bao Xing a helpless look, and said in a loud voice: "Your servant is innocent, don't blame Zhanyi."

Zhan Zhao continued to laugh: "It's easy to say, it's not strange, it's not strange!"

The carriage detoured a few more streets and drove into an alley hung with red lanterns.

The alley was full of fragrant BMW cars, and this carriage looked extremely inconspicuous.

The carriage finally stopped in front of a quiet courtyard deep in the alley. As soon as it stopped, a little boy came to greet him: "Masters, Master Jiang has been waiting for you at home for a long time."

Zhan Zhao jumped out of the carriage and handed the reins to the boy: "Go and feed the horse for Mr. Jiang, don't be wronged. The two of you here are the first time you come to this kind of place, so don't rush."

The little boy hurriedly said, "Put it on me."

Zhan Zhao shouted into the carriage again: "Come out, both of you, don't be shy, no one will see you."

The little boy covered his eyes in a strange manner, and shouted, "No one saw it! No one saw it!"

They sang together like this, Bao Zheng didn't understand what else, Zhan Zhao brought him to Fengyue Street.

He understood his current situation. The post was burned down when he first entered Yangzhou City. It can be described as dangerous. He should find a place to hide. Fengyue Street is a good place to hide.

However, he is only in his early twenties, has not yet married, his family is very strict, and he is also a serious person. How did he come to this kind of place?I didn't even think about it.

After struggling again and again, he got out of the car and covered his face with half of his sleeve.

Bao Xing saw that the adults got out of the car, so he got out of the car himself.

The little boy didn't even look at them, he drove the cart into the backyard with a smile, and went to feed the horse of "Master Jiang".

Bao Zheng lowered his head, followed Zhan Zhao into the Moon Gate, and said softly, "Master Zhan, are we going to hide here tonight?"

Zhan Zhao is serious: "My lord, don't get me wrong. I am a serious person who can't be more serious. I never come to a place like this. It's just that occasionally a friend invites me, and I can't avoid it because of affection. Hey, I'm only here once. Zhan Zhao is not a romantic person."

A long laugh came from nowhere: "It turns out that I have invited Nan Xia several times, but it's because I wronged Nan Xia?"

Bao Zheng raised his head to see who was talking, but he didn't see anyone.

Zhan Zhao pointed to the brightly lit small building in the distance: "He's upstairs, far away, you can't see him."

After finishing speaking, he led Bao Zheng and Bao Xing to divide the flowers and brush the willows, and walked for a long time before arriving downstairs.

But there was already a person waiting there, lean and well-dressed, seeing the three of them coming, he bowed his hands to Bao Zheng first: "I'm Jiang Ping, how dare I ask this friend?"

Bao Zheng hurriedly returned the gift: "My servant, Bao Zheng, has met Jiang Yishi."

Jiang Ping gave a "tsk", put away his smile, turned to Zhan Zhao and said, "I said Nan Xia, you said you would introduce a friend to me, but you didn't say you would introduce me to trouble."

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "How can you be afraid of trouble when making friends?"

Jiang Ping sighed: "Forget it, forget it, I don't sell tea anyway."

After thinking for a while, I added another sentence: "I don't sell food either."

Seeing Bao Zheng's doubts, Zhan Zhao explained to him: "Jiang Ping is a big businessman, I don't know what he sells, anyway, I don't see him making a lot of money."

Jiang Pingdao: "If I earn money, I'm afraid I will go to the post station to add fire."

Bao Zheng heard the words: "Does Jiang Yishi know who set the post on fire just now?"

Jiang Ping glanced at him: "What don't you know, they are those families anyway. Anyway, their family has a big business, they can set fires, and they can afford a post station. Unlike me, there is only one carriage. After you borrow it, you can’t go back home.”

At this time, a woman came down from upstairs: "Master Jiang is going home? But our sisters are not ready?"

Hearing this voice, Jiang Ping hurriedly said: "Where is this? How could I want to go home? Look, didn't I invite guests here?"

The visitor looked Bao Zheng and his party up and down: "I recognize Nan Xia, but these two are a bit unfamiliar."

Jiang Pingdao: "The surname is Bao Mingzheng, you must have heard of this, right?"

The woman nodded and said nothing, circled around Bao Zheng several times.

Jiang Ping asked: "What are you doing?"

The woman smiled and said, "Let me see what's so different about this head from ordinary people. It's worth ten thousand taels of gold."