On the afternoon of June 13th, in the Xinquan Inn in Dadong City, Chengdu, Yu Ho-chung is sitting in a private room on the third floor facing the street. Watching a middle-aged man in a green shirt pouring tea for him, he quickly stands up and takes the teacup, "Thank you, Mr. Yan."
"Sit down. Mr. Yu has been here for a few days. Have you had a good rest? "
The middle-aged man in a green shirt who pours tea has a dignified appearance and a warm smile. He has an admirable Confucian temperament. This man is Yan Daolun. He is a famous squire leader in the Dongting area. In recent years, he has been working for Liu Guangshi and has won the trust of the "Commander Wen". A month ago, he summoned Yu Ho-chung, who is an official in Shishou, and then took him to the southwest.
After the Huaxia Army in the southwest defeated the Jurchen, they announced that they would open their doors. General Liu Guangshi, who is called "Commander Wen", reacted the fastest. The civil and military representatives sent a team of people to Chengdu immediately. His words are quite generous, "Ning Liheng is good at running the army. It's okay to have a look."
In the past, when the Wu dynasty still paid attention to Taoism, because of the blood feud between Ning Yi and Zhou Zhe, there were countless secret transactions between the two forces. However, no one dared to come out on the surface. Now, there is no need to be so particular. Liu Guangshi is the first one who is regarded by some people as "generous" and "wise". This General Liu used to be the one with the most friends and connections among all the generals. After the withdrawal of the Jurchen, he and Dai Mengwei have become the closest forces to the Huaxia Army.
At this moment, Dai Mengwei had made it clear that she was absolutely irreconcilable with the Hua Xia Army. Liu Guangshi's figure was soft, but it could be considered a necessary move to "adapt to the circumstances". With his declaration, even in June, no one in the world, except for Dai Mengwei, really stood out to condemn him. After all, the Huaxia Army has just defeated the Jurchen and said that they are willing to open their doors to do business. As long as they are not stupid, there is no need to stand out at this time. Who knows if they will buy something from him in the future?
On the surface, Yu Ho-chung was not part of the diplomatic team. After he received the order, he followed the team of merchants over. Before they set off, Yan Daolun had told him that the mission was to secretly gather information about the Hua Xia army. However, after he came over, he guessed that the situation was not that simple.
He could roughly guess a possibility, but he had only been here for a short time, and it was difficult for him to confide in the literati he came into contact with during the few days he stayed in the inn, so he couldn't get enough information in a short time. He had also taken the initiative to talk about the woman by Mister Ning's side when others mentioned various rumors, but he hadn't heard the expected name.
Today, when Yan Daolun contacted him and met him alone in this inn, Yu Ho-chung's heart began to pound. He vaguely felt that a certain message was about to appear.
"… A long time ago, I heard people say that Mr. Yu of Shishou was a distinguished figure in Bianliang in his early years, and even had a close relationship with the famous Shishi family. All these years, the world has been in turmoil. I wonder if Mister Yu and Master Shishi have kept in touch? "
Sure enough, after a brief greeting and asking about Yu Ho-chung's opinion of the Huaxia Army, Yan Daolun brought up this matter. Even though he was somewhat prepared, when he suddenly heard Li Shishi's name, Yu Ho-chung's heart suddenly shook.
Yes …
Then, he maintained his indifference and shook his head.
"In recent years, I've been unwilling to mention this matter to others. But when Mister Yan asked, I didn't dare to hide it. My ancestral home is Jiangning. When I was a child, I had some childhood friendship with Miss Li. Later, I followed my father to the capital and filled a vacancy in the Ministry of Revenue. She became famous in Fanlou, and when we met again, we had some … contacts between friends. It's not that I'm talented and romantic, or that I could be on the stage of Fanlou's top courtesan. I'm ashamed … "
He said this to admit that he was not talented enough, and that he only had some private relationships. Yan Daolun's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Oh, oh, then … what happened next?"
"Ah, it's funny. Later, this Mister Ning killed the emperor and took Shishi away from the capital. A few of my friends and I were more or less implicated. Although we weren't implicated, I couldn't stay in the Ministry of Revenue any longer. I used some connections and left the capital to avoid disaster. Because of this, I was able to avoid the catastrophe of the Jingping era. After that, I moved around for several years before settling down in Shishou. That's what Mister Yan sees. "
Yan Daolun smiled and sighed. "These years of war, countless people have wandered from place to place. There are many people like Mister Yu who have experience in the Ministry of Revenue and seen the world. But now that you've entered the Marshal's tent, you'll definitely be put in an important position in the future … Speaking of which, I heard that Brother Yu has also met this Mister Ning of the Huaxia Army?"
"In his early years, Ning Liheng also lived in Jiangning, not far from the courtyard we lived in. Mister Yan may not believe it, but when he was young, he was a dull bookworm. His family wasn't very well off either. Later, he married into the Su family as a son-in-law. But later, for some reason, he was enlightened. That year, Shishi and I returned to Jiangning and reunited with him, he had already written several poems and earned the title of Jiangning's number one scholar. But because he married into the family, others couldn't help but look down on him … We reunited this time, and later, he assisted the Right Minister in entering the capital. That's why we had many meetings in Bianliang … "
Speaking of the matter of 'I used to chat cheerfully and wittily with Ning Liheng', Yu Hezhong's expression was calm. Yan Daolun nodded his head from time to time. Occasionally he asked, "Afterwards, Mister Ning raised the flag of rebellion and established this Black Flag Army. Could it be that Mister Yu did not have the thought of joining us in this grand undertaking?"
"Mister Yan, you're looking down on me. Although I'm a minor official now, I grew up reading the books of sages. I've never forgotten about the righteousness of the Dao."
"It was me who was rash."
"Also … speaking of Ning Liheng, Mister Yan has never had any dealings with him, so you might not know him well. In his early years, his family was poor, and he had no choice but to marry into the family. Later, he made a name for himself, but his thinking was quite extreme, and he was a little aloof. Shishi … she was the number one person in Fan Lou, and she had dealings with famous people from all over the world. She was used to fame and wealth, so she placed a lot of importance on old friendships. She would often summon us to meet up with her old friends, but Ning Liheng didn't have many dealings with us. Sometimes … he would talk about some ideas, but we didn't really agree … "
"I see, I see …"
"Of course, even so, we still have some friendship. If Mister Yan wants me to see Ning Liheng again, there's no problem."
"In the future, I will definitely rely on Mister Yan, but right now, Mister Yu and Master Shishi …"
"Ning Yi committed regicide and left for Little Cang River. Shishi was kidnapped by him. Speaking of which, I thought she would marry into the Ning family, but later on, I heard that they had a falling out, and Shishi left for Dali. I heard this news from someone else, but later … I didn't ask around, but it seemed that Shishi had returned to the Huaxia army. She has been traveling for many years, so I don't know the details. After all, we haven't seen each other for more than ten years." Yu Ho-chung smiled and sighed. "I don't know if I will have the chance to see her again after coming to Chengdu."
Yan Daolun picked up the small teapot and poured some tea for Yu Ho-chung. After a while, he smiled and said, "There will be a chance. Actually, I met you today because of this."
"Oh, Brother Yan, do you know about Shishi's recent situation?"
"Miss Shishi is still unmarried." Yan Daolun looked at him and smiled. "It's unclear what her relationship with Ning Liheng is now. She did run around for the Hua Xia Army a few years ago, and now she's quite influential in the army. Let's talk about last year, when the Huaxia army and the Jurchen West Army were at war. The Sixth Madam of the Ning family and the female marshal of Ba Dao led the army to clean up the rear. At that time, Miss Shishi cooperated with her to deal with foreign affairs. One civil and one military, black and white, they cooperated very well. "
Yan Daolun took a sip of tea. "Li Jingshen, Nie Shaotang, Yu Zhangqing … these are all important officials with deep foundations in the Fourth Sichuan Road. With Miss Shishi's mediation, we were able to avoid a disaster in this battle. This time, the Huaxia army is going to hold a representative meeting based on merit. Many of them are on the list of representatives. Today, when Miss Shishi entered the city, Nie Shaotang immediately went to greet her … "
When Yan Daolun said this, the teacup in Yu Ho-chung's hand trembled. He couldn't help but ask, "Shishi, she … is in Chengdu?"
"I heard that she entered the city this morning. One of our friends is old friends with Nie Shaotang, so he received this information. This time, many of the representatives said that they have received Miss Shishi's favor, which means that they are bound together with Miss Shishi. Actually, Mr. Yu, perhaps you don't know this, but this childhood sweetheart of yours is now an impressive figure in the Huaxia army. "
"…" Yu Ho-chung was silent for a moment, then said, "Back in the day in the capital, she was well-behaved and knew her limits when interacting with people. Now that she is in charge of this area in the Huaxia army, it can be said that she has made the best use of her talent. Also … other people say that she received this favor because she has designs on Ning Yi. The outside world has long said that Shishi is Ning Yi's exclusive property. Although she doesn't have an official status now, there are probably many people who are eyeing this rumor. "
"Brother Yu is wise and farsighted, to be able to see through the mystery in one sentence. Haha, actually, I think Brother Yu understands the mysteries of officialdom and the secrets of human relations very well in the past. It's just that you don't want to use underhanded means. For such integrity, I would like to use tea in place of wine to toast Brother Yu. " Yan Daolun raised his cup and took the opportunity to praise Yu Ho-chung. After putting down the cup, he said slowly, "Actually, there have been many problems since last year. I don't know if their bet this time is considered smart or stupid."
Yu Ho-chung frowned. "What do you mean, Brother Yan?"
Yan Daolun said, "The Huaxia army's combat power is outstanding. Speaking of war, whether it is the frontline, the logistics, or Miss Shishi's diplomatic mission last year, they are all extremely important and crucial tasks. When Miss Shishi goes on diplomatic missions, the various powers owe her favors. In the future, if they have any problems or requests, Miss Shishi will naturally be the first to contact them. But at the end of April this year, when Ning Yi led the army north and Qin Shaoqian defeated Zong Han, the Huaxia army in the rear suddenly had a new assignment regarding Miss Shishi. "
Yan Daolun looked at Yu Ho-chung, his body leaning forward as he lowered his voice. "They transferred Miss Shishi back from diplomatic missions and sent her to the rear to write scripts and do some cultural propaganda. It goes without saying which of these two tasks is better and which is worse. "
Yu Ho-chung thought for a moment. "Perhaps … with the war in the southwest settled, there is no longer a need for a woman to mediate in diplomatic missions and lobbying. After all, after defeating the Female Zhenren, no matter how unyielding the Huaxia army's attitude in Sichuan, no one will dare to stand up to them. "
"This is naturally one way of putting it, but no matter what, since Miss Shishi was the one who started the diplomatic mission, leaving her in a familiar position can also avoid many problems. Even if we take ten thousand steps back, what's so important about hiding in the rear and writing scripts? Is there a need to pull Miss Shishi back from such an important position? That's why there are many speculations from outsiders. "
He smiled as he poured himself a cup of tea. "First? They speculate that Miss Shishi wants to enter the Ning Clan. She almost has her own mountain here, so the other madams of the Ning Clan are very afraid of her. Thus, they took advantage of Ning Yi's absence to remove her from diplomatic missions. If this is possible, then her current situation is very worrying … Of course, there is also the possibility that Miss Shishi has long since become a member of the Ning Clan. When there are too few people, they had no choice but to have her appear in public. Now that they have empty hands, Sir Ning's people are always hanging around here and there, so they pulled her back … "
Yan Daolun spoke slowly and confidently. After listening to him talk about the struggle in the Ning Clan's harem, Yu Ho-chung felt inexplicably anxious. He couldn't help but ask, "I wonder why Sir Yan has summoned me today …"
Yan Daolun paused and looked at him. He clasped his hands together. "There are many things that I don't need to hide from you, Brother Yu. The Huaxia army has been enduring hardships for ten years, and suddenly won a great victory. Everyone is curious about what happened here. They are just curious, not malicious. General Liu asked me to choose someone to come to Chengdu to carefully see what the Huaxia army is like today, and what kind of quality it has. Whether we fight or not is a matter for the future. The goal now is to see. The reason I chose Brother Yu to come here today is because of Brother Yu's friendship with Grand Shishi and Mister Ning in the past. "
He reached out and patted the back of Yu Ho-chung's hand. Then, he smiled and said, "Wholeheartedly. Brother Yu, please don't take it to heart. "
Yu Ho-chung was greatly touched. He cupped his hands and said, "This little brother understands."
"It is already a little late today. Miss Shishi entered the city in the morning, and I heard that she is staying at the guest house by the Maha Pond. Tomorrow, you and I will go together and pay a visit to Brother Yu, your childhood sweetheart. I want to borrow Brother Yu's face to get to know Miss Shishi. After that, I will take my leave. Brother Yu and Miss Shishi can casually catch up. There is no need to have any ulterior motives. As for the strengths of the Huaxia army and how to handle things, the commander will need to rely on Brother Yu in the future … that's all. "
Yan Daolun smiled and looked at Yu Ho-chung. Yu Ho-chung's heart settled. The Huaxia army claimed to be open to all. He came to find an old friend, and he didn't need to do anything that directly made the Huaxia army his enemy. There was no danger at all. Moreover, now that he had a relationship with Shishi, he would definitely be respected and put in an important position by General Liu when he returned to the Stone Head. He immediately said solemnly, "I will listen to Brother Yan's instructions."
Yan Daolun laughed and stood up. "Again, there is no need to be nervous, and there is no need to be deliberate. When we meet tomorrow, Brother Yu can say that you and I used to be colleagues and that we came together. I will leave after meeting Miss Shishi, and I will not disturb you … With this relationship, Brother Yu's promotion under Commander Liu will be smooth. In the future, you and I will be in the same palace, and I will need Brother Yu to take care of me."
Yu Ho-chung said many more words of gratitude for the other party's guidance.
He was no longer a greenhorn in the officialdom. When he was in Bianliang, he and Chen Sifeng often interacted with Shishi and made many acquaintances. He still had some ambition and enthusiasm in his heart. After Ning Yi killed the emperor, he was anxious every day and quickly left the capital to avoid the disaster of Jingping. But from then on, he lost the drive in his heart. He had been a fly for more than ten years, and in times of turmoil in the world, he had seen countless people rolling their eyes and looking down on him. He did not have a chance in the past, and now the opportunity finally fell in front of him. It made his mind boil with passion.
He did not consider the possibility of joining the Huaxia army. One reason was that his family and children were all in Liu Guangshi's power, but the main reason was that he had heard of the fierce reputation of this army in the outside world. Now he could not see the shape of this force clearly, but it was definitely different from the outside world. He was almost forty years old. Even with Shishi's care, it might be difficult for him to stand out in the Huaxia army. But he was very clear about the rules of Liu Guangshi and General Liu.
General Liu had many friends and was most particular about managing all kinds of relationships in private. He did not have any relationships in the past, but now with the background of the Huaxia army, he could be sure that his future would be smooth sailing. After all, General Liu was not like Dai Mengwei. General Liu was soft and had broad horizons. He could feign civility and accept the Huaxia army as the first to be strong. Once he got through to Shishi, he could be the link between the two sides and be in charge of the Huaxia army's purchase of supplies from General Liu. This was the brightest future he could grasp.
With these thoughts in his mind, he said goodbye to Yan Daolun and left the inn where they met. It was still afternoon, and the streets of Chengdu were full of sunshine. His heart was also full of sunshine. He felt that the streets of Chengdu were full of tourists, which was similar to the scenery of Bianliang in the past.
Then he thought of Miss Shishi. They had not seen each other for so many years. How was she? He was getting old. Did she still have the temperament and beauty she had back then? Probably not … but no matter what, he still saw her as a childhood friend. What kind of relationship did she have with that Ning Yi? Back then, Ning Yi had some ability. He could tell that Shishi liked him, but the two of them did not have any results after so many years. Could it be … that there was no longer any possibility …
He already had a wife and a child. Therefore, even though they kept in contact back then, Yu Ho-chung could always understand that they were not fated to be together in this life and could not be together. But now that their youth had passed, and with Shishi's temperament back then, she was most particular about clothes not being as good as new. Could it be … that she would need some warmth …
That night, he tossed and turned restlessly on the bed in the inn. His mind was filled with many things, and he only closed his eyes for a moment when it was almost dawn. After breakfast, he dressed up and went out to meet Yan Daolun at the agreed place. He saw that Yan Daolun was dressed in an unprepossessing gray robe. His appearance was extremely ordinary, and it was obvious that he had made up his mind to be the leader.
The two of them walked towards the direction of the Maha Pond in the city. The Maha Pond was a man-made lake in Chengdu City. Since the Tang Dynasty, it had been a famous tourist attraction in the city. It was a place where the rich gathered. After the arrival of the Huaxia Army, a large number of rich people moved out. Ning Yi instructed Takeshi to purchase an entire street to the west of the Maha Pond. For this meeting, the entire street was renamed as Yingbin Road. Many residences and courtyards were used as guest houses, and the Huaxia Army was stationed outside. To outsiders, the atmosphere was indeed awe-inspiring.
This time, the Huaxia Army had endured for ten years and defeated the Jurchen West Army. After the meeting, there was no need to explain much to the outside world, so there was no political negotiation. The first round of representatives was elected internally. They were either members of the army or retired officials. For example, after the mediation of Li Shishi and the others, they helped the Huaxia Army, and only a small number of them got a place.
After ten years of war, not only did the soldiers on guard outside have a murderous aura, but the representatives who lived here and walked in and out of the area seemed friendly. Most of them were veterans who had their hands stained with the lives of countless enemies. Yu Ho-chung's imagination was running wild. When he arrived at the entrance of the guest house, he suddenly felt the terrifying atmosphere. He went over to talk to the soldiers calmly, but his heart was filled with trepidation.
Fortunately, not long after, a female soldier came out from the inside and invited the two of them in. Shishi and the group of representatives stayed in a large courtyard. There were many people waiting in the guest room outside, and they all seemed to be of high status. The female soldier said, "Miss Shishi is meeting with a guest. She said that she will come later and reminded me to ask the two of you to wait here." As she said that, she enthusiastically served tea and emphasized, "Don't leave."
There were probably other people in the guest room who were also here to visit Shishi. When they saw the two of them coming over and cutting the queue, some of them looked over.
There were people coming and going outside, and not long after, a woman wearing light white flowery clothes and white flowery cloth shoes came out. This was an extremely casual home style, and it looked very amiable. It was Li Shishi. Even after so many years, she still had a warm and charming temperament. When she saw Yu Ho-chung, her eyes narrowed, and then she revealed an extremely loving and nostalgic smile.
"— Yu Ho-chung!"
She tilted her head and greeted him, not caring about the looks of others. Almost at that moment, Yu Ho-chung's eyes became hot …
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