Out of the Verdant Canyon, they came to the real south of the Tang Empire. The fields were crisscrossed, the flowers and trees flourished, and the rivers flowed smoothly towards the south until they finally merged into the famous Great Swamp.
Because of the mountains in the north and the Verdant Canyon, the Tang Empire did not deploy a large number of troops on the southern plains, even though the South Jin Kingdom was powerful and the navy was even more famous.
As a result, this similarly rich and populous wilderness was less magnificent than the north, but more elegant and beautiful. The same was true for the houses on both sides of the road. Most of them had white walls and black eaves, high and low, and were faintly discernible between the green trees and waterwheels. It did not appear monotonous, but instead had a different kind of quiet beauty.
The black horse carriage continued south. The scenery along the way became quieter and quieter. There were more and more rivers and clear ponds and stone bridges. There were fewer farmlands, but more quiet manors.
They had arrived at Qinghe County.
There was a big city in Qinghe County, known as the first city in the south of the Tang Empire. It was called Yangguan. Although this city was not strategically located, it was located in a very important transportation route. Therefore, although the imperial court did not station a large number of troops here, the defense of Yangguan was under the direct control of the Defender-general of the State, Xu Shi.
Today, the governor of Yangguan was surnamed Zhong. The first surname in the city was also Zhong. They basically controlled all the industries in the city, and the Zhong family was just the most inconspicuous among the big families in Qinghe County.
These big families in the south of the Tang Empire owned vast tracts of land and countless wealth. What really made these families last for a long time was the importance they attached to education.
These families paid the most attention to education and inheritance. With more than a thousand years of history, no one knew how many famous people had come out. Not to mention the officials of the Tang Empire, the successive Empresses from many years ago, and even several Great Divine Priests of West-Hill. Today, many of the children of Qinghe County were serving as priests in the West-Hill Divine Palace, or were hired as instructors by the Revelation Institute.
The officials at all levels in Qinghe County were basically the descendants of the aristocratic families. However, due to the strict laws of the Tang Empire and the secret suppression of the imperial family for hundreds of years, the families in Qinghe County were relatively low-key. Moreover, they held office in their own hometown and always wanted to fight for face with Chang 'an City. Therefore, the entire Qinghe County could be said to be politically clean and well governed. It was very prosperous and lively. Coupled with the unique atmosphere of literati and a slightly comfortable religious atmosphere that could be accepted by the Tangs, it had always been one of the top three places to visit in the hearts of the Tangs.
There were many shops and tourists in Yangguan City. There were a total of one hundred and thirty-two lakes, big and small, so it was also known as the City of Hundred Lakes. The most famous one was the Thin Lake in the south of the city. Although the lake was not big, it was close to the government office. More importantly, there were the best brothels and inns in the south by the lake, and the most gorgeous pleasure boats on the lake.
The diplomatic corps headed for the Lanke Temple rested in Yangguan City for a few days and stayed in a relatively quiet mansion on the east side of the Thin Lake. The mansion belonged to the Song family, one of the seven families in Qinghe County. When they heard that the diplomatic corps was coming a month ago, the Song family did not hesitate to let them stay. It could be said that they had given the diplomatic corps enough face.
There was a post office of the Tang Empire about four blocks away from the Thin Lake. A black horse carriage was parked outside the post office.
Ning Que looked at the scenery of the city through the window. He looked at the scholars on the street who bowed to each other and could not help but smile. He thought of his former classmate in the Academy, Zhong Dajun of Yangguan.
The Zhong Dajun that the Zhong family of Yangguan had vigorously cultivated, the Zhong Dajun that used to be extremely hostile to him, the Zhong Dajun that he had slapped countless times, the Zhong Dajun that he had impersonated, the Zhong Dajun that he had locked up for a long time, the Zhong Dajun that he had not thought of for a long time.
"It's all in the past."
Ning Que recalled the days in the Academy and could not help but feel that it was a lifetime ago. Now that he and Zhong Dajun were people of two different worlds, he naturally had the right to feel this way.
Because of the Zhong Dajun that he hated, he naturally did not have a good impression of the Zhong family that controlled Yangguan. Incidentally, he also did not have a good impression of Yangguan City. Although he could not find any fault with the city from the horse carriage, he somewhat stubbornly believed that compared to Chang 'an, this city was lacking something. As for what exactly it was lacking, he was too lazy to think about it.
At this moment, Sangsang walked out of the horse carriage.
Ning Que asked, "Have you sent the money?"
Sangsang nodded.
Ning Que said, "Are you sure that you used the imperial court documents?"
Sangsang said, "Of course I won't forget to save five taels of silver."
Ning Que said with satisfaction, "That's good."
Ever since they left the City of Wei, or more precisely, since the Old Brush Pen Shop opened and began to earn a lot of money, they would send some money to the City of Wei on time every month. Although the amount was not much, it was still something. According to Ning Que, it was useless to send money to that shabby place. No matter how much money they sent, it would eventually end up in the gambling house and the wine shop. So there was no need to help those two guys.
Ning Que basically spent all his money on buying, renovating and repairing the house by the Yanming Lake. He even spent the next year's gambling house bonus. However, this trip to the Lanke Temple should be counted as a business trip, so he did not hesitate to deceive Professor Huang He of the Headmaster of the Academy's words and swindled three thousand taels of silver from the front yard. Then he threatened and lured Xu Chongshan to get a thousand taels of silver. His pocket was as full as yesterday.
He and Sangsang were still used to being thrifty. However, since they were rich, they naturally began to care about enjoyment. Although the carriage left by Master Yan Se was good, it was a little shocking to live in a carriage in Yangguan City. So he chose the most luxurious inn by the Thin Lake and asked for the best room.
He handed the Big Black Horse to the inn's waiter and told him not to feed it dry food like bean buns. The waiter was shocked and speechless. He thought to himself that Ning Que was indeed a rich man. His horse was so delicate that it could not even eat bean buns.
Ning Que was not afraid that the Big Black Horse would get a stomachache, but he was afraid that it would get angry because the food was not good enough. One had to know that this fool was already used to eating fresh fruits, sealwort, ginseng, and other nourishing things. How could he be interested in those bean buns? As for grass, he wouldn't even look at it.
It was originally a foodie. This year, it was led into the ditch by the old yellow bull. It began to pay attention to food like the Headmaster of the Academy and followed the rule that food was the God. If it really went crazy because of food, even Ning Que might not be able to control it.
After a simple wash in the room, Ning Que took Sangsang to the front yard of the inn and asked for a private room on the second floor. They leaned against the railing and looked at the Thin Lake. As expected, they ordered the most expensive dishes.
The food in the south was really unique. Greasy food like smoked duck and meat with soy sauce could also be made light. A green sprout on the side of the plate was elegant. Light food like tofu and green vegetables were dyed with thick soy sauce. Together with a few pots of fruit wine, it was really pleasing to the eyes and the mouth.
When Ning Que and Sangsang were eating happily, they suddenly heard some noises coming from the lake downstairs. Someone was talking about something that happened today, and the tone was quite angry and dissatisfied.
Ning Que listened quietly for a while and asked the manservant to call the innkeeper. He threw an ingot of silver to the innkeeper and found out what he wanted to know.
"Old Grandfather Cui is celebrating his 100th birthday. It is such a big event. Even His Majesty wrote a congratulatory message and asked the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites to bring it. The West-Hill Divine Palace also sent someone, Xian Zhilang, the General of the West. He is a general of the Tang Empire … He did not rest after entering Yangguan, but rushed to the Fuchun River Cheng Garden to visit Old Grandfather. How dare the House of Red Sleeves be so rude?"
The innkeeper said. It was obvious that he was really unhappy.
Ning Que then knew that the day after tomorrow was the 100th birthday of Old Grandfather Cui of Qinghe Prefecture. Perhaps the Cui family thought that the House of Red Sleeves seldom came out of Chang 'an, so they invited them to sing and dance at the birthday party. But it seemed that something went wrong.
…
…
The families in Qinghe Prefecture had been around for thousands of years, even longer than the Tang Empire. They had always been respected by the world. Except for the Zhong family, the other families did not live in Yangguan, but in the manors by the Fuchun River. There were many famous gardens on both sides of the Fuchun River, which silently proved the background and power of these families.
It was universally acknowledged that the Cui family in Ruyang was the leader of the families in Qinghe Prefecture.
The Cui family originated from Ruyang State.
A thousand years ago, when the Tang Empire was founded, the Cui family disregarded the opposition of other families and firmly supported Chang 'an. They agreed to let Qinghe Prefecture be incorporated into the Tang Empire. Although it was mostly due to the terrible pressure of Emperor Taizu of the Tang Empire, the Cui family's insistence was proved to be extremely wise. The families in Qinghe Prefecture not only survived, but also won the favor of Emperor Taizu and fought for a lot of benefits. The other so-called families that dared to ignore Emperor Taizu all ended up with a tragic ending.
In the subsequent history, the Cui family contributed a total of five empresses to the Tang Empire. In other words, His Majesty in the palace of Chang 'an must also have the blood of the Cui family. In addition, what was even more awe-inspiring was that the Cui family contributed two Great Divine Priests to the West-Hill Divine Palace.
Today's Cui family was still powerful and unattainable. Old Great Grandfather Cui, who was about to live for a hundred years, had once been the Prime Minister. Under the deliberate suppression of the royal family and the civil and military officials, an official from the families in Qinghe Prefecture could actually become the first among the civil officials. This was the first time in nearly three hundred years. Just from this alone, one could imagine how important the Old Great Grandfather Cui was.
Many years ago, the Old Great Grandfather Cui retired from the position of Prime Minister. Later, his second son was an assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Now he had resigned and spent his days leisurely in the manor of Fuchun River. The one who remained in the imperial court of Chang 'an was the eldest grandson of the third generation of the Cui family. He had also become the Junior Minister of the Supreme Court.
Such a person naturally deserved the Emperor's personal congratulation and the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites to come in person for his 100th birthday. Even many officials in the imperial court guessed that if it was not for the implementation of the national policy, perhaps the Emperor would have rewarded him more heavily.
Now, the House of Red Sleeves might have angered such a super family. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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