Chapter 606: Visiting an Old Friend North Jiangsu Road Daxing City As the northernmost Taoist seat south of the Yangtze River, Daxing City¡¯s current geographical location is particularly eye-catching. After Pang Ba, the former great general of the Sui Dynasty, raised the flag of the Qing Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River, he used Daxing City as his base for a long time. When Pang Ba's army crossed the river and headed north, it also used Daxing City as its starting point. Daxing City has a history of at least five hundred years. As the first important town in the south of the Yangtze River after Emperor Taizong of the Sui Dynasty ordered the southern expedition, there has never been a lack of attention here. The reason why Li Xiao chose this place as the place to attack Nan Chen was because of its extremely important strategic location. It can be regarded as an important hub between Jiangnan and Jiangbei. The most famous one in Daxing City is Meiyuan. ??This is a must-stop stop for emperors of the Sui Dynasty when they went to Jiangnan. As one of the seven famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, it has hosted five emperors of the Sui Dynasty. The owner of this Meiyuan is the Daxing Jin family, so its status can naturally be imagined. Speaking of which, people have forgotten how many years the Jin family has been the masters of Daxing City. No matter which dynasty or family rules the Central Plains, the Jin family has always had the final say in Daxing City. Even if this is the administrative seat of Xinnan County, there is a county governor; even if this is the administrative seat of North Subei Road, there is a governor. But no matter which adult you are, as long as you are still in Daxing City, if there is any important event, you must first visit Meiyuan. Zhou Huaien, the governor of North Jiangsu Province, is a frequent visitor to Meiyuan. People in Daxing City often see the governor's carriage parked outside Meiyuan. As one of the twenty-four governors of the Great Sui Dynasty, and a veritable official of the border areas, Zhou Huai'en's actions in Daxing City are inseparable from the support of the Jin family. If his decision conflicts with the Jin family, he will He will never have his own way but will do what the Jin family wants. Precisely because of this, Zhou Huai'en's governorship was particularly stable. The Ministry of Personnel of the Great Sui Dynasty would send people to conduct inspections of official administration every year, and inspection officials from the Ministry of Personnel would secretly visit various places to listen to the public sentiment. Then, based on the performance documents written by local officials from various places, we will comprehensively evaluate whether the local officials are qualified. Among the twenty-four governors, Zhou Huaien ranks among the top in the evaluation of the officials every year. Speaking of which, he does not have any particularly outstanding political achievements, but he is more stable. During his tenure, Subei Road had been stable without any incident that worried the court. Because it is close to the Yangtze River, there are naturally many floods, but he has never asked the Ministry of Household Affairs for a tael of silver to repair the embankment, but he has not failed to do anything that should be done. So even if he finally chose to side with the rebels, the local people didn't scold him much. After all, Zhou Huaien has done a lot for Subei Road over the years. Since Meiyuan can be called one of the seven famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, it naturally has its merits. This garden can be called a model of Jiangnan gardens. It is beautiful everywhere but does not look petty. Every time Zhou Huaien comes to Meiyuan, he will find different beauty in it. Sitting in the pavilion by the lotus pond, sipping a pot of first-grade bird's tongue worth enough for a middle-class family to live for a year, he looked at the koi in the lotus pond with some confusion. The eldest son of the Jin family, Jin Shixun, who is currently in charge of the affairs of the Jin family, glanced at him, smiled and said, "What is on your mind today, Lord Governor?" Jin Shixun If Fang Jie heard this name, he would immediately think of now. General Jin Shixiong struggled to support him in the northwest of the Sui Dynasty. In fact, Jin Shixiong did come from the Jin family in Daxing City and was Jin Shixiong's third brother. Jin Shixiong is already in his fifties, and Jin Shixun is the eldest son, already sixty-two years old. ¡°What¡¯s a pity is that he doesn¡¯t have the final say in this family. He has been waiting for this day for many years, but he has a healthy and long-lived old woman, and she is also an old woman who has an absolute desire for power. But even so, no one dares to underestimate this Jin family uncle. "Is there any news about the third master's return?" Zhou Huaien asked. Jin Shixun shook his head: "The situation in the northwest is very difficult for the third child. Gao Kaitai and Wang Yiqu control the waterway, and Luo Yao's people are blocking the middle. Even if I want to help him, I can't. Now let's see if he can. If we can lead the team ourselves we won't care so much about Yang Zhi, who has been imprisoned in the Northeast for more than ten years, let alone support a big tyrant. " "If it doesn't work, let the third master do it. Come back. The tens of thousands of remnant soldiers in the northwest are not worth his energy. With his ability to lead troops, he will not worry about being able to achieve great things in the future. " "Look, you also know that the stubborn temper of the third child is correct. "I can't even pull him back." "That's right." Zhou Huaien asked, "Why haven't I seen the old lady for a while?""She?" Jin Shixun shook his head: "I don't know anything about cultivation. My mother has left most of the things to me over the years. She spent almost all of her time in seclusion. She was very happy when she came out a few days ago. It is said that it has reached another level. I don't know much about this, so I don't ask much. However, the higher my mother's cultivation level, the more stable the Jin family's position in Tonggu Academy. That's why Dong Qingfu came back. The Jin family has always respected me, and it¡¯s not because my mother¡¯s cultivation is strong enough.¡± Zhou Huaien nodded: ¡°The old lady went out a few years ago, and it is said that she taught a few ignorant people a lesson in Tonggu Academy. Junior, we have never been able to match this level of courage. According to my guess, even if the old lady¡¯s cultivation level is not as good as that of the legendary Wan Xingchen, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be much worse.¡± ¡°Wan Xingchen¡¡± Jin Shixun curled his lips: "His time has long passed." As soon as he finished saying this, he was suddenly stunned. "Who is that?" Zhou Huaien followed his gaze and found that not far away there was a hunched old man walking slowly, carrying a package and a long sword. "They're not from Meiyuan!" Jin Shixun was slightly angry: "Those servants are becoming more and more unruly and let everyone go into the garden!" He was about to get up and order people to drive the old man away when he suddenly fell into a trance. The old man came to him somehow. Shi Shiran picked up the teapot on the table and took a sip, then there was some approval in his eyes. The old man, who looked like an old plum tree, squinted at him and said calmly: "Wan Xingchen has never lived in an era, but if he wants to, it is not difficult." Jin Shixun was stunned for a moment. Then he became furious. He pointed at the old man and was about to order his servants to take it down when he suddenly found something sticky in his hand. He looked down, then screamed and fainted from fright. A human head fell from his hand to the ground and rolled into the lotus pond with a splash. "OldOld lady" Zhou Huaien was so frightened that he fell down. When he looked again, the old man was nowhere to be seen, as if he had never appeared before. At this moment, a three-story wooden building behind Meiyuan suddenly fell in half. The fracture was so straight that it was like someone had cut tofu into two halves. The old woman's body was in the half of the building that had not collapsed, headless. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ There is a small courtyard on the far west side of the city in Liuzhou. It looks ordinary and no different from the houses next to it. But the owner of this yard has always been mysterious, and the neighbors have never seen him come out. Every day, only the servants of the family go out to buy groceries, and rarely talk to the neighbors. The neighbor's little girl was born. The man who had just become a father was overjoyed. He wanted to invite the neighbors to drink and knocked on the door of the small courtyard. However, a servant came out and asked what was going on. After he explained his intention, the servant He turned around and went in. Not long after, he handed him a letter of silver and said that the master of the house was unwell and the money should be used as a gift. Fifteen years later, on the day when the little girl got married, the man with a lot of wrinkles on his face thought about it for a long time and finally decided to invite his neighbor. Fifteen years ago, he received so much money as a gift, but he didn't even get a glass of wedding wine. To make up for it, it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want to, but that the owner of the house has always refused. So he knocked on the door again and found that the servant had changed at some time. After he explained his purpose, the servant went back and came back with a letter of silver and said, "There is a happy event in your family, and my master is also very happy. This is considered a blessing." Congratulations. Twenty years later, the man died of illness, and his wife asked her son-in-law to help inform the neighbors. The son-in-law knocked on the door of his neighbor's house. A stranger-looking servant asked him what was going on. He explained his intention. The servant came back after going back and handed him a letter of money and said, "The master of the house is also very sad about the misfortune of your family. Do you have any money?" The old neighbor left as soon as he said he wanted to leave. This small amount of money was probably the owner's wish. Ten years later, the woman with gray hair on her temples led her family to say goodbye door to door. After her parents died, she and her husband moved here. Now her son has married and is working as a clerk in the county government office. She plans to take their family to live in the county government. She also missed her son, so she decided to move away. When she knocked on the door next door, a little bookboy asked her what she wanted. She explained her purpose, and the little bookboy went in and came back, handing over a heavy money bag. It was then that she remembered that she had never seen the head of the house that the servants next door talked about since she could remember it. I don¡¯t know what kind of person he is. Now that she is old, the head of the family has never appeared in her sight. She finally understood something in a daze, and three words came from her mind.The inside is faintly emerging. Practitioner Yes, if you are not a practitioner, how could you have such a strange habit? How could he live such a long life? So she bowed deeply at the door, murmured that there was a god living next to her, and then left with awe. After that, her family was mysteriously killed on the way to the county government. If she hadn't muttered to herself like that, she might still be able to live her old age in peace in the county. Or maybe her father shouldn't have knocked on that door in the first place. She didn't even know that the old neighbors nearby had moved away for various reasons, and then they all died on the way. Therefore, the newly moved people have no idea who lives in that small courtyard. The two little book boys were talking quietly as they walked. Their voices were very soft and their footsteps were even softer. Today is the first day for the two of them to serve the master of the house in this courtyard. The previous servant was too old, so they were replaced. The two of them were selected from more than 300 servants of the Chen family in Haining, and they were shrewd and intelligent enough. And the old man who lives in this courtyard seems to particularly like the service of the handsome little book boy. They didn¡¯t know the identity of the tall and burly old man. They only knew that the head of the Chen family personally brought them here last night and explained a lot of things along the way. A little bookboy pushed open the door and lifted the curtain for his companion. Another little book boy walked in carrying a tray. On the tray was a bowl of japonica rice porridge and several plates of exquisite side dishes. When the two of them entered, they first bowed and saluted, and then they were startled when they straightened up. In the room, I don¡¯t know when there was an old man with a hunchback, sitting opposite the owner. "You Xiu Chan Gong regards this house as a cave, and it has shrunk for seventy or eighty years But your body is still in the cave, and your heart is never there, so you can't take that step in the end." The old man with a hunchback stretched out his hand to remove the rice porridge on the tray. He brought it over and then finished the rice porridge with the side dishes. The tall old man looked at him, and then asked seriously: "Why did you come out?" The hunchbacked old man wiped the rice grains stuck on his beard: "I'm going to die, so I took a few old friends down to drink tea." The tall old man was silent. After a while, he said: "You are really unreasonable. We haven't done anything for so many years. We just don't want you to come out, but you still came out in the end. You made this rule in the first place. People above the Transparent Realm are not allowed to participate. Come in, but now you are breaking the rules." The hunchbacked old man curled his lips: "I beat you into submission, so you abide by the rules I told you. This rule was originally made by an unreasonable person. Don¡¯t you understand that whoever has the toughest fist is the right one? Besidesone of the three that Zhang Yiyang killed was at the level of transparency. You really shouldn¡¯t test me like this.¡± After saying this, the hunchbacked old man said. Standing up, picking up the package and the ancient sword, they walked out of the house. The two little book boys looked at each other, not knowing what happened. After the tall old man pondered for a few seconds, a pair of transparent cicada wings suddenly appeared from behind and flew into the sky. A few seconds later, he turned into two corpses and fell from the high clouds, making two deep pits on the ground. Finally, he lived in the cave. Unfortunatelyit's a separation. The hunchbacked old man carried the ancient sword and continued walking forward, but disappeared in an instant. "I'm so tired" He sighed helplessly: "I don't know how many more doors I can visit and how many old friends I can meet."