August passed in a blink of an eye.
It was late autumn. The leaves in Hangzhou had fallen and piled up on the road. The wind had become warm and cool.
In the past, this was the best time in Jiangnan. Hangzhou was bustling with peddlers. People called their friends and went hiking. There were all kinds of poetry meetings in the city. The banners in the teahouses and pubs were filled with the fragrance of ink. The brothels were full of singing and dancing all night long.
"Now I have to make do with it."
Chen Fan put down the stone roller he used to exercise, clapped his hands, and heaved a sigh of relief. It was still morning. The man was topless. He had finished his routine exercise and put on his clothes. The sun shone down and the leaves fell in the wind.
As a disciple of Fang Qisfo in Fang La's army, although he was in charge of the security of Hangzhou, the courtyard where the man named Chen Fan lived was not luxurious. There was even a hole in the wall, which had been repaired. However, the bricks and tiles made of mud were placed in the corner. It seemed that it had not been done for a long time.
People who knew Chen Fan well knew that he lived a simple life. Or those who were closer to him knew that he lived a rough life. He didn't care much about life. His biggest interest was to argue with others, pick a fight, or pick a fight. He didn't have a family, but the three servants in the courtyard were a family. They were an old man, an old woman, and a fat woman with a lame leg. Even the fat woman, who was his daughter, was in her early forties and had lost her husband. The three of them had been living in Chen Fan's family for years. Although they were servants, in the eyes of others, it seemed that Chen Fan had asked them to make do with him.
Therefore, for people like them who had always made do with what they had, saying that they had to make do with him was not a good idea. An Xifu, who came to see him, chewed on a roll and looked disapproving.
"Life is good. There are three poetry meetings in the south of the city today. It will be interesting to see these scholars compete with each other. I heard that the girls in the Wenjun Building are good. They are looking for a new courtesan and they are working hard. There is a girl called … Ye Zhi, or Ye Jun. Every night, a lot of generals go to her. You won't have a chance, but if you meet someone you know, you can go. "
"It's more interesting to find an excuse to fight over a girl's affections."
"Everyone knows your temperament, so they won't fight you. I've always heard you talk about the war in the north. Why don't you go now? "
"It's almost over." After putting on his clothes, he went to the well and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Chen Fan took a roll wrapped with cucumber and meat and took a big bite. "Moreover … the recent events at Wenlie Academy are quite interesting."
An Xifu hesitated for a moment, then laughed. "You're taking a child's matter seriously."
"It's different. It's very interesting … and I'm talking about that Ning Liheng, not those kids."
An Xifu sighed, "I believe it. Do you believe it?"
"Haha, I believe you."
The two chatted as they walked out of the courtyard. Before they left, they bumped into a fat woman who lived in the same courtyard as Chen Fan limping in. Chen Fan waved the roll in his hand and said, "Auntie Yu, if you have time in the morning, take a bag of grains from the warehouse and go to the academy to get some. I'm afraid it won't be served if it's too late."
"Yes, Young Master," Auntie Yu answered obediently, "I'll take a few more bags and finish it today."
"No, I need some too. Take it slowly."
It was autumn, and the air was refreshing. Everything that could be seen seemed to be at ease. Two young generals in Fang La's army talked as they walked toward Xiliu Street, which was occupied by the Tyrannical Blade Camp. Wenlie Academy was located in the middle of the street. Chen Fan gave them some directions as they passed by. An Xifu knew that Chen Fan had been paying attention to the kids in the academy recently.
An Xifu had been busy ever since he took over Chen Fan's position. He came today to talk to Liu Tiannan of the Tyrannical Blade Camp about some things.
Hangzhou was now a city occupied by the rebel army. The peasants' uprising was said to be enforcing justice on behalf of God, but in fact, it was nothing more than burning, killing, and looting. The army, which was used to getting everything with their fists, was like a fire. It was impossible to ask them to live a peaceful life and obey the rules. The affluence of Hangzhou was like old charcoal that had accumulated firewood. If the unruly days went on, it would be burned up in less than half a month. Even if Fang La spoke, he could not stop it.
Chen Fan used his fists to talk in order to make some of the people who had gone too far restrain themselves, so that more people would have a way to live. But that was as far as they could go. An Xifu was the same, but he didn't have Chen Fan's background. Even if he killed many people according to the military law on the battlefield, others wouldn't take this reticent young general seriously. The military law that people were afraid of was nothing more than the shadow of Fang Baihua behind An Xifu.
To be in charge of military law, one had to be cold, impartial, and impartial. An Xifu didn't have many friends before. Fang Baihua was kind to him, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't a bargaining chip that could be used openly. His position in the army was actually very different from Chen Fan's. He basically couldn't touch the generals who had real people and power. However, in a short span of ten days, he still used another method to brand An Xifu's name in the eyes of many people with ulterior motives.
Chen Fan's way of doing things was to find a few people who had gone too far at a few key points and beat them to death regardless of the consequences. He wanted everyone to know that he was a madman and his purpose. Although An Xifu had beheaded countless people on the battlefield, he couldn't find people to do it in Hangzhou. In these ten days, the way he made people remember was that whenever someone went too far, he would immediately take action. If the higher-ups couldn't take action, he would catch the people below.
Most of these people were involved in blocking the transportation, killing and robbing people, and other really unbearable things. An Xifu seemed to be gentle when dealing with people, but in fact, once caught by the Black Feather Guards, more than seventy percent of people would die. If they had a backer, they could still get the person out if they asked for help. An Xifu also let the person go quickly. If he was a little later, the person would most likely die. It was still the strict way of the military law team. This quiet young man would also respectfully apologize to people. He would apologize to whoever came to make trouble, but in the end, no one dared to draw a knife in front of the Black Feather Guards who were in charge of military law. In the past half a month, the Black Feather Guards had killed more than a hundred people. It finally made people realize that if they offended this young man, they would most likely "cherish their luck".
They asked acquaintances at the entrance of the Tyrant's Blade Camp and found out that Liu Tiannan wasn't here in the morning. The two then went to the academy to take a walk. When they passed by the clinic, Chen Fan greeted a busy girl wearing a headscarf. The girl was called Xiaochan. Chen Fan had been here a few times and knew her.
"Ning Liheng's concubine." He introduced her to An Xifu.
"She's his maid." An Xifu nodded. "I know her."
"Yes, you were the one who caught her … Fortunately, she doesn't know." Chen Fan said in a low voice. He then raised his voice and asked Xiaochan, "Auntie Yu will bring the grains over later. Is there anyone using the … arena in your house?"
The girl was carrying medicine inside. She tilted her head and stroked her hair. She nodded and said, "Someone is using it. When I came out, they were all chatting inside."
"Oh, then I … I'll go and reserve a seat later."
Most of the people in the Liu family's clinic were wounded, and most of them were soldiers. After Chen Fan finished speaking, a man with an injured leg leaned over and patted his hand. "Hey, brother, whose wife is that girl? She looks really …"
Chen Fan pointed to his companion beside him. "His name is An Xifu."
"I'm asking …" The man seemed to want to emphasize his question. However, halfway through, he seemed to realize the meaning of An Xifu's name. His expression changed slightly. Chen Fan had already turned around and was about to leave. "That girl is not someone you can think about. If you ask again, I'll kill you."
After leaving the clinic, An Xifu looked back. Chen Fan said as he walked, "Grandpa Liu has no children, so he takes good care of her. Ning Liheng often comes over and says some … interesting things about how to treat injuries. Grandpa Liu doesn't like him. Hehe. "
An Xifu said, "I admire that Ning Liheng a lot. I wanted to visit him a few more times. Unfortunately, I've been a bit busy recently … It seems that you come often."
"That person … is very interesting." Chen Fan frowned and then nodded. "He made … two things used to grind rice. One is called an arena, and the other is called a windmill. At first, everyone guessed that it was a wooden ox … He's a bit strange, but he's someone worth befriending. "
Chen Fan thought for a moment and nodded again. He whispered, "He's also very scary."
"I've heard about it." An Xifu nodded. "Is he really used to grind rice?"
"Absolutely. The pancake you ate before was made from wheat flour that had been ground. You also know that it's difficult to peel wheat, and that kind of wheat flour is extremely expensive in the market. The two things he made can be peeled off easily and cleanly … "
As the two talked, they had already entered the academy. The sound of reading came from the shadows of the trees in the academy. The two passed through a few courtyards and walked toward the back of the academy. In a room on the side, several men and women who belonged to the Tyrant's Saber Camp were already sitting there. The two things in the middle of the room were being operated by someone. The others were eating melon seeds and chatting. It was a rather leisurely life. Chen Fan and Liu Dabiao often had conflicts, but he knew many people in the Tyrant's Saber Camp. When he led An Xifu in, he greeted everyone.
The men and women in the farm actually did not have many barriers. Although the Tyrant's Saber Camp was a mountain village that mainly used sabers before the uprising, most of their lives were no different from those in the countryside. The women might have been a bit reserved before they got married, but the women who had actually married and had children would often make the men blush when they talked dirty. There was no difference between men and women. At this time, a group of people were chatting about trivial matters.
There were two things in the middle of the room. One looked like a mill with a structure similar to that of a stone mill, but it was made of bamboo and wood. The other was a windmill that looked like a wooden ox. It had a big belly and a hand-operated fan in the middle. The two things were called a ring and a windmill. The ring was used to peel wheat or grains, while the windmill was used to remove impurities such as grains or wheat husks from the grains. They were both made by Ning Yi and a few students in the past month.
In fact, it was not easy to peel rice or wheat in the market at this time. Although it was not impossible, the process was very complicated. The southerners ate rice, while the northerners ate wheat. Most people ate wheat and boiled wheat rice that was not completely peeled. This kind of rice was very fragrant, but it was extremely unpalatable. Eating a bowl would cause one to poop. Of course, although the process was complicated, it was not impossible. It was just that the price was relatively high. When Ning Yi was in Jiangning, the Su family could eat white rice. However, the flour that Yunzhu used to make pancakes still contained some wheat husks. Ning Yi had been planning to make these two things for a long time. He was not in a hurry when he was in the Su family, but he had the leisure to make them.
Previously, Ning Yi had used gunpowder to make Liu Dabiao and the others disheveled. Although the others did not stop him from getting something, they were naturally somewhat concerned. When they first learned about the structure of the windmill, they thought it was some kind of divine artifact. Liu Dabiao asked someone in private, and Chen Fan was also very curious. He had paid a lot of attention to Ning Yi, but they did not have much contact. One day, he passed by and was curious, so he came over to take a look. He was a frank person, and when he saw Ning Yi adjusting the two things, he asked directly. Ning Yi explained the idea to Chen Fan. Chen Fan was dumbfounded. He originally thought that Ning Yi was an outstanding strategist and would be an ambitious person outside. How could he make such a messy thing? However, after chatting with him for a while, he found him interesting.
The people in the Tyrant's Saber Camp originally kept a respectful distance from this Mr. Ning. He gave advice and management to the Tyrant's Saber Camp. Even if they knew that he was a scholar, they only thought that he was a high and mighty scholar. It was just that Xiaochan gave them the impression that she was approachable. However, after the arena and the windmill were made, someone asked if they could borrow them, and Ning Yi opened the place to them.
After all, it was a new thing, and the arena was made of bamboo, so it broke a few times or needed to be adjusted. It took Ning Yi a lot of effort to come and fix it himself. He was a gentle person, and his words were also humorous. Gradually, people regarded him as a hermit. Although they were still in awe of him, many people felt close and familiar with him.
Of course, what really interested Chen Fan was not these things, but some things that happened in the Academy in the last half a month. These things were subtle and interesting. In the beginning, Ning Yi only told stories in the Academy and talked about moral principles. This pattern had never changed. However, for some reason, the students who were originally peasants were infected so quickly.
About ten days ago, some of the children in the Academy who were listening to Ning Yi's class did something. The cause was that one of the children had heard of a tragic story. A soldier in the Revolutionary Army had offended a superior, and his family had been destroyed. His wife had been raped and raped by the superior, and almost all of his family members had died. One of his hands had also been chopped off. To be honest, after the fall of Hangzhou City, many things happened. Foreigners were not the only ones who bullied the locals. Most of the Revolutionary Army were farmers, and it was common for those who had power to look down on the people below them. Such things were not uncommon. The other party had done it skillfully, and it did not cause too much of a stir. It was supposed to be over, but at this time, it was reflected in the eyes of these teenagers and children.
What happened next was simple. These children all had powerful backgrounds, so they started to investigate. During this period, they asked Ning Yi, and Ning Yi gave a few opinions. Not long after, they found two pieces of evidence, and the children handed them to the Black Feather Guards.
An Xifu must have known what was going on here, from what he had said before. With the evidence, An Xifu did not hesitate. He arrested one of the Eight Cavalrymen, a subordinate of General Zhencheng of Flying Mountain. When Zhencheng arrived, the General's neck had been slit open, and the blood had been drained. It was said that the General had committed suicide. An Xifu apologized profusely, and Zhencheng threw a tantrum, but in the end, he had no choice but to leave. To An Xifu, this was something that he could have done or not.
When the man with a broken hand came to the Academy and knelt before the children, he saw their proud chests and bright eyes. Chen Fan knew that things would be different in the future.
Some scholars spent their whole lives reading about morality, but they never knew what morality was. But some things, as long as it happened once, could determine a person's life.
This group of children all came from peasant families. A few months ago, none of them knew how to read moral essays. What they came into contact with was robbery and killing. What they saw was blood and panic. Some of them had killed people, and some of them were very good at using slang. Even now, they still did not know how to read about morality. However, after doing this, they even talked in a different tone.
Chen Fan knew what this meant. When he was twelve, he became the disciple of Fang Qifu. When he was fourteen, he killed someone for the first time. He saw an old woman kowtowing in front of him. At that time, he was at a loss, but he remembered the feeling. Later, he joined the Manichean Sect, and shouted that the law was equal. Unfortunately, the more battles he fought, the more helpless he felt.
He didn't know what would happen to these children in the future, but things might be different. In a few days, these children helped another soldier get food and pay. What made him shiver the most was the third thing that happened five days ago.
At that time, these children were prepared to continue working hard. They went around asking where there was a grievance that they could help with. Then, they heard from an old couple that a deputy general named Han Wanqing had killed their son and caused the death of their colleague. Now, no one was willing to help. The children were ready to seek justice for the old parents, but at this time, another group of students in the academy who were originally against Ning Yi jumped out and stood on Han Wanqing's side, saying that they had wronged a good person.
"I actually heard about Han Wanqing." An Xifu lowered his voice in the corner of the room. "He was good friends with the deputy general named Duan. During the battle of Yellow Mountain, he wanted to save him, but he failed. I don't know why the two elders of the Duan family put the blame on Han Wanqing. This case has always been clear. "
"I also know." Chen Fan smiled. "But the two groups of children were at loggerheads, and it was hard to get off. When Ning Liheng saw them quarreling, he came out and said that if we made a mistake, he would pour tea for you and apologize … The most amazing thing is that he also knows very well. "
An Xifu frowned. "This matter hasn't been reported to me these days …"
"Of course I won't report it. Everything is clear to me. Three days ago, I came to talk to Ning Liheng about this. Do you know what he said? He said that I already knew it. Both sides found witnesses, put up evidence, quarreled all afternoon yesterday, and then it was settled privately … "Chen Fan lowered his voice." Ning Liheng poured tea for the children over there and apologized. "
"Then he told those children that they made a mistake, but the most important thing was that they didn't wrong anyone, and they couldn't lose their conscience. These children said that at least they were doing something, and the children over there also said, 'I'm also doing something big.' Now, these two groups of children have been divided into two groups, but the methods and principles of doing things are all taught by Ning Liheng. They have to talk about evidence and be good people … He has only been here for a month, and half of the people are still against him. But these children are completely different now. You can see the way they read, shaking their heads. Hey, who the hell wanted to read this before? Now, they all want to be real heroes who save the world and the people. "
While the two were talking about these things in the academy, Xiaochan walked over outside the room. There seemed to be someone in the courtyard that belonged to Ning Yi, and a servant carried a box in. Everyone knocked on it, and the person in front was indeed a beautiful and dignified woman. The women in the room whispered to each other, but they said things like "Mr. Ning's confidante", "She has been here once", "I heard that her family is very rich" and so on. An Xifu frowned. "She is Lou Shuwan."
"I know," Chen Fan raised his eyebrows. "Her eldest brother has visited me a few times before, but he couldn't visit me, so he went to curry favor with Bao Daoyi."
An Xifu nodded. "I have seen her once, and this woman from afar. I heard that she doesn't have a good reputation."
"Women in big places are different from those in small places like us."
An Xifu looked at the woman's temperament. "Maybe so …"
Regardless of the identity of the person speaking, gossip was gossip after all. The room was filled with the sound of rice milling and idle chatter. Not long after, there was a hubbub in the academy outside, and Ning Yi walked over after class. In the autumn wind, Lou Shuwan who came to visit was bright and natural. As a servant from a big family, Xiaochan, who was now a concubine and mistress, greeted her generously. Yellow leaves fell in the wind. Perhaps all of this was a rare symbol of leisure. Whether it was the sound of rice milling, idle chatter, Ning Yi's confidante, or the two groups of students in the academy who were at loggerheads, they all symbolized a rare peace. However, whether it was Chen Fan, An Xifu, or even Ning Yi who only dealt with the internal affairs of the Tyrant's Saber Camp, they all knew from the data that this kind of atmosphere was not the mainstream within a few hundred miles of Hangzhou.
The stalemate of the war, the number of people dying in battle every day, the one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers led by Tong Guan pressed in from the north, the oppressive atmosphere that everyone inside and outside of Hangzhou was aware of, and even the continuous political struggles within the La Army in the city, as well as the thoughts of many people wanting to kill Ning Yi, were only isolated by certain existences in the Tyrant's Saber Camp, which was a small area, so people could not feel it for the time being.
Life, lectures, "inventing" the rice milling machine, inciting a group of children to engage in a tit-for-tat campaign of "being a good person", and several contacts with new "confidantes". In this rhythm, which was like falling autumn leaves, at the beginning of September, Li Tianrun returned to Hangzhou. What followed was a political change that almost affected the entire La Army. Li Tianyou's hostility to Ning Yi finally meant that a powerful enemy who could shake the barrier of Liu Dabiao appeared in front of Ning Yi for the first time after his return to Hangzhou …
*****
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