Although Weng and Lu were angry and itchy, they did not dare to delay matters in the cabinet. When they were angry, they would deliberately talk about things to make people anxious, but Xu Guangzhi was used to it.

"There is a Cheng residence in Wuyi Lane in the south of the city. It is the residence of Cheng Zheng, the Minister of the Secretariat. Please keep an eye on this section. If there is anything unfavorable to Cheng's residence, please help me."

The two looked surprised when they heard this. The elder Weng stared and said, "When did the pavilion increase the business of caring for people in the hospital?"

Xu Guangzhi shook his head: "No."

"Then why do we need to protect him? Even if he stores gold, silver and jewelry in our pavilion, what does his life and death have to do with our Tongbao Pavilion?" Elder Weng said angrily.

"Master Cheng's daughter was forced to marry. I was afraid that someone would do something bad to him, so I asked two elders to protect her secretly." Xu Guangzhi smiled.

The elder Lu was furious when he heard this: "The master of the pavilion has made it clear that he is not allowed to get involved in matters that have nothing to do with the business of the pavilion, especially matters involving the grievances of court officials. Did you hit the wall in the passage? It's okay."

talk."

Normally Xu Guangzhi would have chatted with them for a while, but this time he didn't say much. He reached into his sleeves and took out the bronze medal and put it on the chessboard. Elder Weng picked it up, stared at it for a while, and said in silence: "Treasure

Character plate?”

Elder Lu grabbed it and turned it over in his hands: "Where did it come from?"

"Master Cheng brought it."

Elder Weng asked suspiciously: "Then where did he come from?"

"I checked the rubbings and found out that this treasure-character tablet is real. Seeing the tablet is like seeing the master of the pavilion. How could I dare to ask?"

These two elders are also vixens. They know that Xu Guangzhi is as capable and shrewd as his name suggests. He will never act blindly. If he doesn't tell the truth, there must be something unspeakable. Elder Lu looked at Elder Weng and blinked. Elder Weng smiled and said: "

Since there is a treasure card in the hands of Mr. Cheng, we seem to want to help him, but should we inform the pavilion master?"

Xu Guangzhi knew that he was making things difficult, so he laughed and said, "I'll be drunk when I return from the altar."

The two of them were overjoyed when they heard this. Elder Lu handed the sign to Xu Guangzhi and said with a smile, "How long will it take to take care of it?"

"Twenty days at most."

Elder Lu nodded: "Then give me one jar first."

Xu Guangzhi laughed: "Okay, it's a deal, and I'll give it to you after everything is settled."

At eight o'clock in the eighth lunar month, a group of people came in front of Cheng's house in Wuyi Lane. The leader was a man in brocade clothes with a tall figure and bright eyes, about forty years old. Behind him was a carriage, and on both sides followed eight people dressed in high-end clothing.

A man with a sword.

The man in brocade clothes glanced at the plaque with the name Cheng's House on it, raised his hands to the suspicious-looking servant at the door and said, "Zhuo Wu is here to deliver the betrothal gift on the orders of the Protector of Yuzhou. Please let me know."

When the servant heard that he was here to deliver a betrothal gift, he hurriedly returned the gift: "Master Zhuo, wait a moment, I will go and report it immediately."

After a while, Cheng Zheng was seen walking out of the house. He looked at Zhuo Wu and saluted, "I, Cheng Zheng, have met Mr. Zhuo."

Zhuo Wu bowed his hand and returned the gift: "Zhuo Wu met Mr. Cheng. On the order of Mr. Wu, he sent the betrothal gift. Mr. Wu originally wanted to come in person, but there were many guests in the house, so he couldn't come. I hope Mr. Cheng will understand that the tenth day of the lunar month will be auspicious.

Zhuo escorted the newcomer to the state capital."

Cheng Zheng smiled bitterly in his heart, but did not dare to show it on his face: "Then there is Lord Laozhuo."

"I don't dare accept it," Zhuo Wu cupped his hands, turned around and waved to his men, "You will bring the betrothal gift to the house."

The eight well-dressed men saluted in unison and responded: "Yes". Then they moved the boxes on the carriage to the house with quick hands and feet.

Cheng Zheng said to Zhuo Wu, "Master Zhuo, please come and sit in the hall."

Zhuo Wu nodded, followed Cheng Zheng to the hall, and sat down according to host and guest. Immediately, a maid served fragrant tea. Zhuo Wu took out a red list from his arms and presented it to Cheng Zheng, saying: "This is the gift list.

Please take a look at it, Mr. Cheng."

Cheng Zheng took it, but didn't look at it. He put it on the coffee table next to him and said with a smile: "Hey, there's no need to look at it. There will be no mistakes. Mr. Zhuo, please have tea."

Zhuo Wu picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea: "We have made a reservation at the Fu'an Inn on Taiping Street. If Mr. Cheng has something to say, please send someone to inform him." Cheng Zheng nodded.

At this time, those well-dressed men had carried all the boxes and items into the hall. After putting them all away, they bowed to Zhuo Wu and said, "Sir, the boxes have been moved."

Zhuo Wu stood up and left, but Cheng Zheng did not hold back. He walked to the door to say goodbye and then returned to the hall. Looking at Mr. Chu who was standing by the box with a smile on his face, he shook his head, walked to the main seat and sat down, sighing: "

Alas, what should I do?"

Mrs. Chu smiled and said, "Let's just pretend to be real in the past two days and get a taste of the atmosphere of marrying a daughter."

"You...you are still joking. There are only two days, and there is no news from Nanfeng, you..."

Glancing at her sulky husband, Ms. Chu smiled and said, "Didn't Manager Xu say when he returned the signboard that day that if Nanfeng was not in the mountain, he would definitely come and inform him within five days. It's only half a month now."

Yes, it can be seen that my brother has received the news and will definitely arrive today and tomorrow, sir, please don't worry."

After saying that, he ordered the maid next to him to open the four boxes. He saw that one box was full of gold ingots, with a layer of fifty ingots, the other box was full of silver ingots, and the other two contained silk and satin, and

Liaodong ginseng, deer root and other medicinal materials, Mrs. Chu took a breath, picked up a gold ingot and said: "This gold ingot is enough for an ordinary person to eat for a year. It seems that this Wu Duhu is

A lot of people's wealth has been confiscated, and it is indeed not a good thing."

Cheng Zheng pointed to the box in front of him: "What should I do with these belongings?"

Mrs. Chu blinked and said with a smile: "Of course I'll ask Manager Xu to save it."

"You...hey." Cheng Zheng was speechless for a moment.

Mrs. Chu chuckled lightly and then told the maid accompanying her: "Go and tell Butler Song to go to Tongbao Pavilion and say that the master has invited the steward to come and taste tea."

When the maid left, she looked at Cheng Zheng and said with a smile: "Let's just think of it as compensation for the master's expenses for abandoning his official position. Besides, after we leave... these servants who have been with us for many years, won't we all have to pay for the family expenses when we are dismissed?"

?" Cheng Zheng was stunned.

Half an hour later, Xu Guangzhi came to Cheng's house with a big belly. After asking Xu Guangzhi to sit down, Mrs. Chu pointed to the box and said, "I would like to ask the steward to send someone to check these two boxes of gold and silver and store them in your pavilion first."

"

Xu Guangzhi took a sip of tea and smiled: "Okay, okay, I will send someone to handle it as soon as I get back to the pavilion. I wonder if Mr. Cheng and Madam have any other instructions?"

Mrs. Chu actually wanted to find out about her younger brother Chu Nanfeng. After hearing this, she asked, "Does the steward have any information about my brother?"

Xu Guangzhi secretly complained in his heart. Now that Chu Nanfeng has not arrived, he is worried, but he is an old man. The Arrow Guards have confirmed that the letter delivered was received by Chu Nanfeng personally, and it is expected that Chu Nanfeng will be there within two days.

He will definitely arrive, so he said: "According to my judgment...Mr. Chu will definitely arrive either today or tomorrow."

Cheng Zheng hesitated for a moment: "Your pavilion has many branches, could you please inquire...Today, the Wu family's bride-to-be arrived with this betrothal gift. There is no news about my brother-in-law, so Cheng is worried..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Cheng." Xu Guangzhi interrupted, paused, pondered for a moment and then said: "Although I have never met Mr. Chu, I know that he is an extraordinary person. In my letter, I also emphatically informed you of Mr. Cheng's difficulties.

Mr. Chu will never sit idly by and ignore it."

Cheng Zheng nodded: "Nanfeng has always respected me and my wife, and he also loves the dog girl. He will definitely come after receiving the letter, but Cheng is worried that something will happen to him on the way..."

Xu Guangzhi thought for a while: "Master Cheng's consideration is not unreasonable, but please rest assured that if Mr. Chu cannot arrive at your residence before tomorrow, I will definitely try to let Master Cheng and his family escape safely."

"Oh?" Cheng Zheng and his wife looked at each other and said in unison to Xu Guangzhi: "Then I'll let you take charge."

"In any case, your Excellency, you can just wait with peace of mind. Don't get impatient and reveal your faults. I'll go back and make arrangements first, lest things change." Xu Guangzhi stood up and left.

Cheng Zheng and his wife were extremely grateful and sent Xu Guangzhixiang out of the house.

111111111

On the seventh day of August, on the mountain road more than fifty miles away from Fenzhou City, four horsemen and horses were galloping north. The two horsemen and horses in front were parallel. The one on the left was a middle-aged man with a saber, dark skin and a beard.

The man on the right is a square-faced man with a square scarf on his head, a long sword on his back, and a short beard.

Among the two riders behind, the one on the left is a middle-aged scribe with a long sword on his back, his hair tied with a dark jade hairpin, elegant temperament, fair face and beardless in his forties. The rider beside him is a man about seventeen or eighteen years old.

, a young man in Tsing Yi with a cross-body bag and a long sword tied to his waist.

After walking for a while, I heard the sound of horse hoofbeats coming from the north. The sound got closer and closer, and became louder and louder. It was like thunder in the mountains and fields. It was obviously a large group of people galloping. Four people reined in the horses. The middle-aged scribe

He glanced to the left and said, "I think it's the cavalry of the Northern Han Dynasty. Junior Brother Min, Junior Brother Zhao, and Xiaoyao took shelter in the forest on the left first."

When the four horsemen and horses had just galloped into the hills and forests more than a hundred feet away from the mountain road, they saw dust flying on the road, and a group of cavalry galloped past. The sound of horse hooves roared, and there were as many as one or two thousand people. The man surnamed Zhao was right in front of them.

The Nian scribe said: "Captain Shan, judging from the costumes of these men and horses, there is no doubt that they are Khitan people."

The middle-aged scribe who was called the Chief of the Mountain nodded and sighed: "In the past two months, I heard in the academy that the Northern Han Dynasty was defeated in the attack on the Great Zhou Dynasty. I didn't expect that now they would collude with the Khitan people. Alas, the people of the Central Plains will suffer the disaster of war again.

It’s so painful.”

"When will the world be peaceful? In the past few decades, there have been more than a dozen emperors in the Central Plains, and none of them is an emperor with great talents and great strategies to make the people live in peace. No wonder the master tells his students every day not to enter an official career..."

The man surnamed Zhao glanced at the middle-aged scribe and shook his head, "Chief, if we receive Mr. Cheng's family, we may not have peace on the way back."

This scribe who was called the Mountain Chief was none other than Cheng Zheng's brother-in-law, Chu Nanfeng, the Mountain Chief of Taibai Academy. The other two were his junior brothers Min Xingwu and Zhao Yinshan. The young man was Luo Xiaoyao, Chu Nanfeng's direct disciple.

Min Xingwu chuckled when he heard this and said: "Hey, I'm afraid of what he will do. I have studied martial arts for decades and have never used it except to kill some mountain beasts. I heard that the Khitan people are cruel and brutal. As long as the mountain chief agrees, I will kill him personally."

Look up..."

Chu Nanfeng looked at the cavalrymen who were gradually retreating on the mountain road. He shook his head slightly and did not answer. He galloped out of the forest and Luo Xiaoyao led his horse to follow.

Min and Zhao looked at each other, smiled bitterly at each other, and followed each other.

After half a stick of incense, they heard a hoarse cry coming from the corner ahead. The four of them led their horses forward, and saw a carriage overturned on the ground on the slope on the right side of the curve.

There were several arrows stuck in the belly of a horse. It was turning on its side and jumping wildly with its four hooves. Its hissing was getting weaker and weaker. It seemed that it would not live long. Two people were lying on the grass not far from the carriage, with two or three arrows stuck in each back.

There were two women lying next to each other, their bodies covered with blood. A boy was lying on one of the women, motionless, and his life and death were unknown, while another boy was kneeling and crying: "Daddy, Mommy."

…”
To be continued...