Old Xu's spirit was lifted. That Xu kid was here. He had met this kid four or five years ago. It was said that he was caught climbing the wall to watch a girl bathe and was chased to the riverside. He then borrowed Old Xu's thatched cottage to hide. It could be said that they had formed a decent relationship. Old Xu knew that the pretty daughter of a humble family in Lanting Tavern was a pretty girl from a humble family. Although he couldn't see, Old Xu's ears were good. He could always hear some wild men gathering together and drooling over her when they had nothing to do. They were all saying that the little girl's chest had become heavier over the years, her little round face had become sharper, and she was becoming more and more beautiful. Old Xu had gone to the tavern to buy distillers grains and smelled the fragrance on the girl's body. Tsk tsk, it smelled really good. It was comparable to Lanting Tavern's signature green plum wine.
Back then, Xu kid was chased and beaten for her. He wasn't wronged! If Old Xu was a few decades younger, would Xu kid even have the chance to climb the wall? He would be more like a lookout for him.
"The pot is in the same place in the house. Remember not to throw the duck into the river when you pluck its feathers. Be careful that the moment you leave, my thatched cottage will be torn down." Old Xu took the wine pot and sniffed it. He smiled contentedly and said, "This green ant can't compare to the green plum from Lanting Tavern, but it's still much better than distillers grains."
The customer stuffed the broken duck into Old Xu's arms and said angrily, "Do I have to pluck its feathers? I'll go boil some water. "
Now that Old Xu had wine in his hand, he was easy to talk to. He leaned on his walking stick and went to pluck the duck's feathers.
Not long after, the thatched cottage was filled with a fragrance. Old Xu chewed on a greasy duck leg and asked with a smile, "Xu kid, I haven't seen you for more than a year. You've either been missing for three years or haven't been heard from for an entire year. What do you do for a living? Listen to Old Xu's advice. Don't do anything outrageous. It's fine if you peek at a girl bathing since you won't lose anything. But if you play with knives and guns, it's hard to say. Let's not talk about this. Even if I did, you probably wouldn't listen to my advice. I know I can't drink your wine for free. Tell me, what do you want to hear this time? At my age, Old Xu can't speak more than a few times, so I'll tell you as much as I can. "
The man chewed on the duck meat and said with a smile, "Let's talk about Liaodong. My ancestors lived there, in Jinzhou."
The only one who could stroll around so idly was naturally His Royal Highness, Hsu Fengnian.
Old Xu laughed and said, "How could I not be familiar with Jinzhou? The whole of Liaodong is the same. Although nine out of ten military governors claim to be poor in front of the imperial court, they are not poor at all. The only poor ones are people like us who don't have land. We are just short of rebelling. "
Hsu Fengnian frowned and asked, "According to the law, isn't every soldier given 40 mu of farmland? Liaodong is worthy of being called a dangerous place in our dynasty; the plain and the wilderness stretches as far as the eye can see for a thousand li, it is difficult to defend. If we abandon it, Beimang will drive straight in, and the northern part of the country will not be restricted by any gate or court. Therefore, if Liaodong is safe, the Central Plains will not be disturbed; if Liaodong is disturbed, the golden drums of the world will resound together. Revolt? I haven't heard of any disturbances in Liaodong these years. "
Old Xu sneered and said, "Xu kid, you know fart. I, Old Xu, don't understand your literary words. Which scholar did you hear it from? I only know that when I left Liaodong, Liaodong had twenty-one guards, while Liaoxi only had six guards. Not to mention Liaoxi, the twenty-one guards of Liaodong stored a million shi of grain a year, how many shi of grain fell into our pockets? Xu kid, think about it, not to mention the Viceroy of Liaodong, the military governor of Liaodong, the military governor of Liaodong, the military governor of Liaodong, the military governor of Liaodong, the military governor of Liaodong, these big shots, even some seventh-rank, eighth-rank officials have to do some shady business, such as relocating the army and changing the channels. If they did not specialize in water conservancy and occupy the fertile land, where would they get the money to show filial piety to the higher-ups? In those days, the Great Pillar State was in charge of the whole of Liaodong, which was a rare blessing for the two Liao people. As soon as the Great Pillar State left, who cared about the life and death of the soldiers? A lot of border troops were sent to Liaodong because of their crimes. Otherwise, who would be willing to go to Liaodong, this bitter and cold place to live? Once they went there, who would really think that there would be fields and grain? I, a Jinzhou native, don't even have half a piece of land, let alone these outsiders. "
Hsu Fengnian chuckled and said, "That won't cause any rebellion. Liaodong is poor, they're used to suffering. As long as there's even half a mouthful of rice to eat, nobody would be willing to start an uprising. "
Old Xu sighed, "If we don't really want to starve to death, who would be willing to go against life? But if this goes on, it's really hard to say what will happen in Liaodong. I've left Jinzhou for nearly thirty years, I've endured for thirty years."
Since ancient times, Liaodong had been the land of a hundred battles. As the saying goes, the tiger steps like a dragon, the superior is in the heart. The safety of the world was always related to the two Liao. Xu Xiao advised that they would not hesitate to use all the strength of the world to protect it, but from top to bottom, very few people were willing to take it seriously. This was not to say that nobody could see the stakes, it was just that the world's situation was temporarily settled. What would happen fifty or a hundred years later? What benefit would it bring to the current official position?
Hsu Fengnian said softly, "Old Xu, tell me more about the local customs and customs of Liaodong."
Old Xu spilled beans from a bamboo tube. By the time the pot of stewed duck was finished, Old Xu was also very tired, but most of his energy was used to deal with the duck meat.
In the end, Old Xu wiped his mouth and said, "When the Great Pillar State entered Beiliang, it was really awe-inspiring. What does the Princess Consort's poem say?"
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "The Green Ox Road is on a thousand mounts, the children under its banner hold mulberries."
Old Xu leaned on his walking stick with a fascinated expression.
Hsu Fengnian left the wine pot and quietly walked out of the thatched hut.
Blue Bird stood in the distance, watching His Royal Highness slowly walk over. Every time he came to the thatched hut by the river, she accompanied him, and she never asked why His Highness was dealing with a blind old soldier.
When Hsu Fengnian saw Blue Bird's cold face, his eyes were a little absent-minded.
Back then, when the blind Old Xu was in the Thousand Mounts, his legs had not been broken.
That child still held the mulberries and raised his head to ask his mother if they tasted good.
Blue Bird was a little confused by his gaze. Hsu Fengnian suddenly bit her cheek and said with a smile, "Delicious, it tastes like mulberries."
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