In June, the depressing summer arrived in Bianliang City. Walking through the courtyard of the Fanlou, Li Shishi heard laughter coming from under the eaves.
"… The martial arts story Takeshi told recently is really good …"
"… Do you have the manuscript? Do you have the manuscript? Bring it to me …"
"I don't have a new one yet. I went to Takeshi to listen to it last night …"
"It's a long story. It's so hard to wait for it every day …"
"The motorcade Takeshi went out told a short story, but the long one is better …"
"Because of the stories Takeshi told, there are too many reckless men in the capital recently …"
"He came to participate in the martial arts competition. I heard it's in August …"
"… But he's in good health …"
The chatter was mixed with some low laughter, and the girls in the building teased each other. Because she heard Takeshi, Shishi stopped to listen for a while, then she pursed her lips and walked to the front courtyard.
In the months after the beginning of spring, things about Takeshi had never left her sight.
Last year's disaster relief in the north and south had continued until this year. At this time, the autumn harvest had not arrived, and many places were still suffering from famine. However, because the difficulty of roads blocked by heavy snow had been removed, and the control of the central government had also been strengthened, at this time, although many places were still hungry, there was no large-scale starvation.
It was just that there were more beggars wandering around the capital than in previous years.
Takeshi had participated from last year to this year and made great efforts, but because of this, he had established relationships with all kinds of merchants in the north and south. This huge network had played a great role in the development of Takeshi. Not only did the branches expand around the market like mushrooms, when Shishi got rid of the mood of disaster relief and began to observe it with the information she got from the brothels, she found that the things that Takeshi dabbled in had begun to wildly expand in many other directions. This development was extremely fast, but it was so hazy that it was difficult to describe the specific details. Only someone like Shishi, who was well-informed, could sense the tentacles that seemed to have a consciousness and the thousands of threads of influence in it. But at present, it had not been shown clearly.
Since she had been in contact with Ning Yi so far, Shishi had been able to realize what kind of ability this childhood friend of hers had. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder whether he had foreseen that Takeshi would get such a great help before he took charge of the disaster relief. Of course, this was understandable. However, there were always some things that she couldn't figure out.
In terms of ability, she didn't know how to do business, but Shishi, who was used to dealing with high officials and nobles, could understand some of the hidden rules. Generally speaking, money was not important. Even if one was rich enough to rival a country, he would not be able to resist the three-foot steel knife of the county magistrate. Most of the rich merchants would build bridges and pave roads after their wealth had accumulated to a certain extent. They would then try to improve the status of their family and develop in the direction of power.
In this world, no matter who it was, power was the ultimate goal. Money was certainly helpful, but it was enough after reaching a certain level. If it continued to develop, it would only arouse the hatred of others and cause one to be harmed.
However, Ning Yi had the background of the Prime Minister's Residence from the beginning. In the disaster relief incident, although he was enemies with most of the big families who stored grain, he had also accumulated enough friends. With such a friend, if he wanted power or power, it wouldn't be troublesome for him to get rid of the identity of a son-in-law or an official of the Prime Minister's Residence. But now, he was doing the exact opposite of what was expected.
Taking advantage of his own influence, he converted a large amount of money and expanded the Bamboo Record at an astonishing speed. Although the speed seemed to be astonishing, and he indeed controlled every step of the expansion, what was the meaning of it? It was like a rapidly expanding bubble. No one knew when it would burst.
Of course, she believed that Ning Yi could also understand what she could think of. However, she couldn't figure out why he was still doing all of this in such an orderly manner even though he knew what was going on. Sometimes, she wanted to ask him personally, but the person behind the scenes had disappeared since April.
That inspiring but powerless disaster relief and Takeshi's development were accompanied by a series of events. Some of the bandits saw Ning Yi as a thorn in their side and even came to the capital to kill him. His counterattack was incomparably swift and fierce, not showing the slightest mercy to these bandits. The incident at the Peach Pavilion not only alarmed the bandits, it also alarmed many officials.
More than a hundred bandits were killed on the spot, and more than half of those who were captured were sentenced to be beheaded. In the past, people looked down on these bandits from the Green Forest, who were like thugs, but they generally turned a blind eye to them. But Takeshi's counterattack through the Prime Minister's Residence was too ruthless. Some of the officials who came to Fan Lou said that this would be very troublesome, that Takeshi was a fugitive and so on, and predicted that the Prime Minister's Residence was in big trouble.
In the days that followed, there were sometimes rumors that Takeshi had a conflict with some fugitives, and Shishi didn't know if this was the prophecy being fulfilled. But Takeshi's influence was growing, and at the same time, the storytellers under Takeshi began to tell stories about the martial artists from the Green Forest, which caused a stir and caused a resurgence in the martial culture in the vicinity of Bianliang.
At this time, in the novels on the market during the Wu dynasty, there were stories about immortal foxes and wild monsters, talented scholars and beautiful women, and there were also stories about heroes in the wilderness. But on the whole, most of the novels were written by down-and-out scholars, and the wilderness was not the mainstream. Even if there were, they were basically small books that used martial arts to break the law, based on accumulated resentment.
But Takeshi's stories were all very grand, and the stories had both truth and falsehood. Most of them talked about "a great hero for the country and the people". A story that imitated the background of the Wu dynasty and was known as the Song Dynasty, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" made paper expensive in Bianliang. Every night when Takeshi's storyteller finished a paragraph, someone would immediately copy it and compete to read it. And because of this, the number of martial artists who came to Fan Lou had increased recently. There were even a few scholars who had practiced some self-defense martial arts, so they imitated the heroes of the Tang Dynasty and equipped themselves with treasured swords. They swaggered around and began to make friends with martial artists. Many of these people had backgrounds, and it was said that Kaifeng Prefecture, who was in charge of public security, had a headache for a while.
Of course, even if a trend was respected by some people, it was still only the "non-mainstream" of this era. At this time, Takeshi's way of doing things also attracted some criticism. Novels that wrote about heroes in the wilderness did not have much influence, and people were too lazy to care about it. But the heroes used martial arts to break the law, and these hot-blooded men who had no way to vent were originally a hidden danger to public security. How could they be publicized?
For example, Zhou Bangyan, who had returned to the capital to report on his work, was also quite dissatisfied with Takeshi's guidance. But fortunately, as he told the story of the wilderness, some other stories that Takeshi told attracted the admiration of the literati. Especially when they were trapped in Hangzhou, the story about the old man Qian Xiwen that happened made the scholars in the capital very solemn and respectful.
Even in Bianliang, there were many people who were directly or indirectly related to the Qian family in Hangzhou. In the past, Old Qian's death was just a concept to them. After the story was told, these people remembered or mourned in their own ways. There were also a large number of scholars who came to Takeshi to hear this story, and then their blood boiled, and then their lapels were covered with tears.
It was uncertain whether these people had the same courage as Old Qian after hearing the story, but because Ning Yi was the last person to talk to Old Qian, Takeshi received some leniency and care. The matter of promoting heroes in the wilderness was not attacked one-sidedly. Instead, it was divided into two groups, either cursing or discussing. It also became the central topic of discussion among the scholars in Bianliang recently.
And while all these complicated things progressed, the man behind it still did not appear in front of people …
As she thought of this, Shishi walked into her courtyard. The big banyan tree in the courtyard cast a thick shade in the slight wind. Cicadas chirped, but the air was still a bit stuffy. Zhou Bangyan sat on the wooden floor in front of the tea table and waited for her. This man, who was famous in the literary world of the Wu dynasty, was almost 40 years old. Although he was not handsome, his meticulous clothes, the slightly white sideburns, the dust on his body over the years, and his experience as an official still made him a rather charming man. Seeing Shishi come, Zhou Bangyan raised his hand and asked her to sit.
The two had known each other for several years. If one had to talk about the feelings of knowing each other, in this era that was not strict about love, they probably had. After all, in a sense, this man should be one of the men closest to Li Shishi's heart, so they got along well. After sitting down, they sipped tea and chatted for a while. Zhou Bangyan said, "Shishi, do you have an answer about what I said last time?"
The last time they had come to Fan Lou, Zhou Bangyan had brought up the matter of redeeming her freedom. In a sense, it was the right time for the two to talk about this matter. Shishi's age had already passed the golden age of being a top courtesan. Although there were still many people who supported her, there was no doubt that she would go downhill in the future. Getting married would also become a matter of course.
And in terms of status, although Zhou Bangyan's official position was not high, he had enough talent and reputation. In the past, he had also been close to Li Shishi. If he took her as a concubine, it could be considered a very good ending.
Shishi held the teacup and opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not speak. In the courtyard, the cicadas were chirping. Zhou Bangyan waited for a while and poured more tea for the two of them. "Actually, I also know you. Among the people around you, I understand you. In the past, you loved to travel everywhere and learn from famous people. After we get together, I'm afraid only I can support you. Therefore, it should be the best for us to be together … You will eventually have to get married. "
Shishi was silent for a moment. When she raised the teacup again, she looked out at the courtyard and said in a low voice, "Brother Meicheng, actually recently I have been thinking, maybe … I don't have to get married …"
"… When we were on Mount Wutai, Zen Master Kong Du once said that you have Buddha nature … It seems that he is not the first person to say that." Zhou Bangyan was stunned and then smiled. "But at that time, you said that sometimes you can see through things, but it doesn't matter. People always have to be like others to be happier … What's wrong? Is there something that you can't see through? Or is it that you have seen through things and can't get over it? "
"Ah …" Shishi sighed and then said, "Ah …" But it also sounded like a sigh.
"I heard that you went to the disaster relief, and I also heard that recently … you often go outside the city to give alms to those beggars … Mama Lee told me a lot …" Zhou Bangyan paused. "Actually, among the friends around you, although you are close to Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng, it is unlikely that you will be together. But that Ning Liheng is a very powerful person."
Shishi did not speak. Regarding the matter of Ning Yi, it must have been Li Yun who told Zhou Bangyan. After a moment of silence, Zhou Bangyan said, "It's just that … this person seems to be interested in business. In the early years, I thought that he was a gentleman indifferent to fame and fortune. But later, I saw that this person's conduct is both good and evil, not the way of a gentleman. At least, he let Takeshi preach about being a hero, which I strongly disapprove of … "
Zhou Bangyan's reputation was very high, and his conduct was relatively upright. In fact, his speech was also very straightforward. At this moment, he looked at Shishi for a while. "I know that the matter of you going to the disaster relief was also presided over by him. Do you like him? "
Shishi's gaze had originally been looking to the side, but now it seemed as if she had been startled. Then, she smiled and shook her head. "No, I also haven't seen him for a long time."
"He is not a good match." Zhou Bangyan took a sip of tea. "… The imperial court's decree has been issued. I will only stay in the capital for five days."
"Mm." Shishi nodded and raised her teacup with a smile. "Where are we going next?"
Amidst the chirping of cicadas in the courtyard, the two continued to talk as if it were a family affair. A light breeze caressed the leaves, and a monotonous rustling sound was mixed into their conversation. In the summer afternoon, the air actually seemed quiet in such an atmosphere …
Thousands of miles to the north, Mount Lu Liang.
The shouts of the caravan and the ringing of bells broke the oppressive summer air. In the afternoon, another caravan entered the outpost of Green Wood Stronghold. This caravan was not small. It had a lineup of nearly two hundred people, and they were transporting dozens of carts of goods. It was a large order that was rarely seen in Green Wood Stronghold. Because of this, the stronghold had also sent out many people to escort the caravan. Now that they had arrived safely, the entire outpost immediately became lively.
From the outpost of Green Wood Stronghold to the inside of the stronghold, one could see that there were frames and traces of construction everywhere. Some places had been dug up and had just been filled in. The traces of new soil also had a different atmosphere from before. Because of the unified planning, the new buildings that had been built in the old stronghold appeared neat and orderly. Although there were not many, at least compared to the crowded and chaotic Green Wood Stronghold two months ago, everything had become brand new.
Sometimes, order itself could give people an obvious and positive impression. When they saw the stronghold expand and renovate like ants carrying mud, most people in the stronghold would also feel happy. Especially after feeling the contrast, most people would remember who had brought all of this over.
After two months of changes, most of the managers of Green Wood Stronghold had also felt the improvement of many details, which brought about an increase in efficiency. Of course, the pursuit of absolute mechanization for efficiency would sometimes make people feel that their individual existence was lacking. However, the current Green Wood Stronghold would not come into contact with this kind of feeling. For example, in the summer, when it was close to noon, everyone did not need to work. Many things would be done in the morning and evening. Although for these poor people in the mountains, as long as there were some benefits, even if they were forced to work under the hot sun, they might still be able to endure the hardships. But for now, Ning Yi did not intend to pursue efficiency to such an extent.
Ning Yi no longer interfered with the aspect of efficiency. However, he still interfered with the management of the residents of Green Wood Stronghold for a period of time.
In two months, the number of residents of Green Wood Stronghold had increased from six thousand to nearly eight thousand. Among them, five to six hundred were able-bodied men who had recently joined. They were obedient, trained, or talented. The rest were the family members they had brought with them.
Due to Ning Yi's interference, the expansion of the population and the settlement of the residents were carried out in an orderly manner. However, there would naturally be problems with the sudden addition of so many new people. Ning Yi, who was living a normal married life with Hongti, would have a meeting with a few of the Stronghold Masters and the leaders in charge of this matter every three days or so. He was basically not in charge of the specific affairs, but was only responsible for setting the policy and doing ideological work.
The new people had merged into Green Wood Stronghold, and there would be more new people in the future. How to prevent the old people in the mountains from bullying the new people was a problem, but there was no need to pursue pure fairness. Ning Yi had Zheng Ashuan's daughter lead a small law enforcement team to record and intervene in the differences between the new people and the old people. This way, the old people would receive a certain degree of preferential treatment, but the new people who joined the stronghold would not receive too many supercilious looks.
The main part of this kind of meeting every three days was equivalent to ideological work. For long-term development, they should not only care about what was in front of them, but also the strength of the group. They should not only look at their own short-term interests. In fact, in the early stages of the development of a small organization like Green Wood Stronghold, the few stronghold heads still had a very strong control over their subordinates. As long as they obtained their approval, everything would become very simple. Ning Yi was only laying the foundation for the future development of the stronghold. Of course, in the eyes of a small number of people, this outsider son-in-law was a bit naggy. He would confirm things every few days and always repeat the same old words …
Although there were all kinds of questions, under Ning Yi's simple management, the current situation of Green Wood Stronghold was already much better than many places outside of Mount Luliang. No matter where it was, the indigenous people were always xenophobic. Even if there was a dispute, the county magistrate's handling was often not considered smart. This was even more so in Mount Luliang. It was often easy for many strongholds to accept new people, but when they really arrived, they often still had to stand in line and fight with each other. Sometimes, the old people in the stronghold would beat the new people to death, or the leaders would use their power to play with the new people's wives and daughters. How could it be like Green Wood Stronghold, where there were actually people to mediate and handle things?
When there was a conflict between the new people and the old people, even if the new people were beaten, there was no place where the old people would be reprimanded. Although it was not absolutely fair, even if it was relative concern, it was already very precious. Although there were still many small conflicts, big problems — such as the situation of people taking advantage of their power to bully others and rape women — were strictly prohibited by the higher-ups of Green Wood Stronghold. And often, after the small problems appeared, the law enforcement team would appear, intervene, and mediate. The people who were bullied would even feel warm inside.
After all, this was the way of the world. A little bit better would be a lot better.
Sometimes, looking at everything that had happened in the village in just two months, the old man named Liang Bingfu would also ask himself why he couldn't do some things that he had thought about before. However, with Ning Yi, it was just a few simple things. Of course, sometimes there's an answer, and sometimes there isn't.
At that moment, he was sitting under the shade of a tree in the small square. Hongti's Husband was writing and drawing on a wooden board beside him. Hongti sat behind him and fanned the old man with a fan. Occasionally, she fanned her Husband as well. There were not many people in the small square. A few children were playing with stones. Not far away, a young man named Yuwen Feidu was sparring with another dark skinny young man.
"Look at this! I'll turn from the side, hit your knee, sweep! Sweep! Heh, you definitely won't be able to dodge it … "
"There's also this move. I'll hit you in the chest! If I hit your stomach again … "
"And my Sky Rocket Hammer, I'll hit you a hundred times, wa la wa la wa la —"
Yuwen Feidu was a young man. He was talented and outgoing. He had many masters in the Lone Dragon Ridge Camp and had learned a lot of martial arts. At this time, he was gesticulating in front of the young man who usually took care of Liang Bingfu. He jumped here and there and moved like the wind — this was because Hongti mentioned that there was a young man named Little Black who also practiced martial arts and was very talented. Yuwen Feidu wanted to spar with him. Unfortunately, Little Black was quiet and boring and did not want to talk to him.
At the moment, Yuwen Feidu was dazzling Xiao Hei. His fists were close to Xiao Hei's face. A few kids were watching with their chins in their hands. Someone exclaimed, "Wow, Brother Yuwen is so good …"
"Brother Xiao Hei doesn't know martial arts. Brother Fei Du, don't bully him …"
Ning Yi was writing and drawing on the wooden board. He raised his head to take a look, then lowered his head and commented with a smile, "Hehe, so cheap."
Then, Little Black suddenly screamed, grabbed Yuwen Feidu's waist, and rushed forward. Yuwen Feidu tried his best to hold his lower body, but the two had already run out of the square. With a loud bang, they fell into a pile of firewood on the small square. Of course, Yuwen Feidu was in a much more embarrassing state.
"Sneak attack — ahhhh, eat my Black Tiger Heart —" Yuwen Feidu crawled out of the pile of firewood and charged at Little Hei with a flustered expression. Little Hei turned tail and ran. The small square became noisy. Ning Yi, Hongti, Liang Bingfu, and the others looked up and watched the two young men chase each other from one end to the other, then back to the other.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Almost." The old man with the cane narrowed his eyes. He was also interested in the fight and joined in.
His wife, Hongti, smiled and did not say anything. She put a half-eaten shoe on her leg — she had been doing this before the old man came out.
Not long after, a figure came from afar. It was Han Jing, the Fifth Stockade Master of the Green Wood Stronghold. Seeing the two teenagers fighting, he circled around and greeted Liang Bingfu before sitting down beside him. He said to Ning Yi, "I've caught up."
"How is it?"
"Ma Jun and his men caught up with them. They said they would give us an explanation. "
"What do you think?"
"Wait for them to give us an explanation. Either we hand over the men or their heads. Otherwise, we'll just kill all two thousand of them. "
"Oh, that's fine …"
Han Jing was talking about the two thousand Liao soldiers in the north of Lv Liang. Now that the Liao Kingdom had fallen, the original Liao soldiers had lost their homes. After their leader came here, he changed his name to Ma Jun and temporarily gathered in the north of Lv Liang. After the battle at Huo Chuan Ridge, Greenwood Fort had been preparing for the battle. But Lv Liang was a big place. If the enemy wanted to run away, it would be difficult to annihilate them.
After the news of the battle at Huo Chuan Ridge spread, the Liao people were quite sensible. They did not want to have conflicts with Greenwood Fort and even wanted to form an alliance with them. Ning Yi naturally refused. This time, it seemed that a few dozen people had split from the other side of the stronghold and almost robbed a group of caravans under the protection of the Green Wood Stronghold. Ma Jun's side sent people to apologize and expressed that they would give the Green Wood Stronghold an explanation.
In fact, they didn't really care about any sort of explanation. The Liao people's policy had already been set. They would either submit to the Greenwood Stronghold and become the outskirts of the Greenwood Stronghold, while Ning Yi and the others had long since prepared to crush their bones and suck their marrow. They would take their elites for their own use, and the rest would be sent to mine for coal. Or they could make them the periphery of Greenwood Fort after the battle, crush their bones and suck their marrow, and send the rest to dig for coal …
Of course, because there was no possibility of annihilating them, the matter was still kept under wraps. However, Ning Yi wouldn't care too much about these details. When and how big the fight would be, that was up to Han Jing and the others to decide. What he needed to do was to give this fight a nasty name called "Beating the Big Rooster". That was all.
Because of this, after nodding, he changed the topic, "… Who do you think will win?"
Han Jing looked at him, "Yuwen, his martial arts is very solid."
"It's hard to say, I think Little Black is quite intelligent …"
Everyone sat and watched the fight.
After a while, Liang Bingfu straightened his body and said, "Liheng, have you sent people to the old village?"
Ning Yi looked at him, "Yes, some of them have gone there."
"Fu Duanyun has been living there …" Liang Bingfu sighed, "When will I go back and have a look?"
Ning Yi furrowed his brows and said, "I must be tired from the long journey …" Green Wood Stronghold was, after all, still more than twenty li away from the old village. These days, even the best horse carriages would experience huge jolts. During this period of time, although Liang Bingfu no longer worked hard for the village and even looked younger, his body was deteriorating after all.
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