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    Chapter Index

    Chapter 118 Old things

    Kong Ling didn’t dare to slander, for fear of letting Xiao Chiye catch the clue.After he finished wiping his sweat, he took a sip of tea and nodded, saying: “The Marquis returned to Libei to fight with the Biansha tribe, and Cizhou can no longer labor the imperial army. Besides, there are colleagues here, I think even if Lei Jingzhe comes back, it will be difficult to gain any benefits.”

    Zhou Gui didn’t understand the meaning at this moment and just said: “It is difficult to march thousands of miles. Cizhou is on the south side of Libei so that Libei has no worries. If there is any place where the Marquis will be useful in the future, Cizhou will do his best. So what do you want the Marquis to do with the bandits who are now in prison?”

    “Several of these bandits were also one of the few bandit leaders in Luoshan. Killing them is of no use. It is better to cooperate with Lei Jingzhe and let them go together.” Xiao Chiye already had a plan. He said, “I have bribed a few bandits and asked them to spread the news that Lei Jingzhe was released by the Forbidden Army. In half a month, they will escape from prison with Ding Niu and Liu’er. At that time, Cizhou will send people to hunt them down.We just need to rush back to Dunzhou. Some of us died in the hands of the imperial army.Once we believe that the siege in the east is the result of Lei Jingzhe’s leak, we will not let Lei Jingzhe go.”

    Zhou Gui and Kong Ling nodded together. Zhou Gui thought that Xiao Chi was going to return to Libei soon, so he had to talk about the military rations.They discussed with Shen Zechuan a few days ago about subsidizing food for the Forbidden Army next year, but Shen Zechuan rejected it at that time.

    “Cizhou originally planned to subsidize 16,000 shi of grain for the Forbidden Army after next spring,” Zhou Gui faced Xiao Chiye and said carefully, “We know that there is a shortage of food, but this is Cizhou’s kindness to the Marquis. I have already told Tongzhi about this, and Tongzhi understands Cizhou’s difficulties and asked us to sell these grains to Chazhou at a suitable price to use as preparatory silver for reconstruction.We have been thinking about it for the past few days, but we still feel sorry for it.Mr. Hou, there is an open space in the northwest of Cizhou, which is the former site of Beiyuan Hunting Ground.But the soil is not good and the food cannot be produced, so we can only sow some rapeseed.Now, instead of leaving it idle, we might as well give it to Mr. Hou and build a racecourse or build a new camp.”

    Beiyuan Hunting Ground appeared before Nanlin Hunting Ground. Later, because of Xiao Fangxu’s rise in the north, Li canceled the annual ritual of going to Beiyuan Hunting Ground and changed the location to Nanlin Hunting Ground, which was more secure.This piece of land is not small, bigger than Xiao Chiye’s Fengshan School Ground in Qudu. It can threaten Dan City from a distance, support Cizhou from a short distance, and is located far from the northern border. It is an excellent position for advancing, retreating, attacking and defending.

    Xiao Chiye really became interested. He was afraid of the Qidong garrison in the south. Shen Zechuan stayed in Zhongbo. If there was no place where he could garrison troops, he would run in both directions.It’s just one person, but running like this with tens of thousands of people will not only expose his traces, but also cause unnecessary trouble.

    But Xiao Chiye has no money, and the Fengshan school ground was built by him through frugality. It is not as impressive as the school ground in the Eighth Camp, but it still costs real money.Nowadays, his title is no longer useful, no one pays him a salary, and the houses in Qudu have become dead things that can only be looked at but not eaten. A handful of copper coins can stump him.

    The small jade beads that Shen Zechuan now wears on his right ear were polished by Xiao Chiye himself.In the past, Xiao Chiye wouldn’t even blink if he threw away a few ivory fans. Now that Lan Zhou’s small bamboo fan was dirty, he agreed to replace it, and he wanted to make another one himself.

    Seeing Xiao Chiye’s silence, Zhou Gui thought that he had not set his sights on the land, so he said: “The place is big. Although it is a hunting ground, it has been in disrepair over the years and all the handymen have disappeared. I think the wall there is still quite strong. After the Marquis took over, it only needs a little reinforcement before it can be used.”

    Kong Ling also said: “Master Hou has solved the problem for Cizhou. Naturally, we can’t fool Master Hou here. I also mentioned this place to Tongzhi yesterday. Tongzhi said that he would go and see it in person if he had time in the past two days. I thought he would like it.”

    Last night was so passionate that Shen Zechuan didn’t have time to mention it. In the morning, Xiao Chiye was walking in a hurry again. He was not awake at that time.

    “The place is good and suitable for the Imperial Army to stay. Lan Zhou and I both like it.” Xiao Chiye’s expression remained unchanged and he said, “You two don’t have to be so polite. Thank you very much.”

    * * *

    Shen Zechuan got up and wore plain white clothes.I originally wanted to go out, but the traces of being in love were too obvious.The traces on the chest, waist, sides of legs, and neck can be covered with clothes, but he is thin-skinned, so as long as he works hard at night, the redness around his eyes will not be completely gone the next day.

    Ding Tao stood on the porch feeding the red carp, and he kept telling stories to Gujin. The bait in his hand kept leaking down and fell into the tank. The two red carps followed and devoured it. By the time Gujin reacted, one of them was so full that his stomach turned.

    Gu Jin wanted to beat Ding Tao, but Ding Tao saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly stuffed the remaining fish food into his pocket, jumped up and down and ran to the main room, shouting: “Master! It’s not good! Brother Jin has fed the fish to death!”

    Shen Zechuan brought sweet soup from the tray, gave Ding Tao a bowl, asked him to sit under the eaves to drink, and asked Gu Jin: “How is your injury today?”

    Seeing Shen Zechuan wearing clogs, Gu Jin knew that he was not going out today, so he saluted and said, “It’s much better. The doctor will come to change the dressing on time. Since the young master is not going out today, shall we let the kitchen prepare it now?”

    The courtyard is covered with shade trees, and the door panels pushed open on both sides are printed with flower shadows.The weather is nice today, and it has already started to get hot before noon.Shen Zechuan’s slender fingers were exposed to the sun, like holding a handful of clear amber.He is intolerant of cold and afraid of heat. He looks very tired today and seems a bit lazy.

    “It’s hot, Master is afraid of getting tired, and Ce’an is easy to dry, so just let the cook choose something lighter. Now that you are injured, just follow the doctor and master’s instructions and let the kitchen cook a portion for you alone.” Shen Zechuan stepped back half a step and returned to the shade under the eaves, “Ding Tao, go to the yard and call master.”

    * * *

    Ji Gang did not live in the private courtyard originally given to Shen Zechuan, but lived in a courtyard with Qiao Tianya and the others.When people get older, they are afraid of loneliness. Now that there is no Qi Hui to quarrel with him, he will inevitably be hurt when he is alone.Fortunately, these guards include those from Libei and the former Jinyi Guards. They all respect Ji Jiaquan and hope to get Ji Gang’s guidance, so they like to stay with Ji Gang when they are not on duty. They are all boys who have not yet started a family. Ji Gang feels lively and happy.

    Ji Gang goes to bed early and wakes up early now.He got up at 10:00 today. He was watching Qiao Tianya and his friends boxing in the yard. After eating tea, he walked out and found that Shen Zechuan didn’t get up.He walked around again with his hands behind his back, and when he came back, he found that Shen Zechuan still hadn’t gotten up, so when he saw someone, he asked: “Why are you up so late today? Are you sick?”

    Shen Zechuan was stunned, paused for a moment, and said: “…I slept too much in the morning and missed the time.”

    Ji Gang saw that he was not in good spirits today, so he said: “Although there are many things now, we must take care of our health. I will cook for you in the evening and make two fish dishes for you.”

    While they were chatting here, Xiao Chiye came back.When he saw Ding Tao at the entrance of the courtyard, he knew that Ji Gang had arrived.He took off his coat and when he was cleaning his hands, he asked Chenyang: “Master is also here this morning?”

    Chen Yang said truthfully: “The young master bought a little skylark for the master a few days ago. The master walks the bird every morning when he gets up. Today when we arrived at the gate of our courtyard, we didn’t see the young master getting up. I asked him several times.”

    Xiao Chiye wiped his hands, walked along the corridor to the door, and bowed to Ji Gang as a disciple before entering.He was very respectful to Ji Gang and Zuo Qianqiu when he was at Mei Zhai, but Ji Gang could not forget the kick he made six years ago.Now that Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye are in the same boat, Ji Gang thinks that the two of them have just settled their differences privately and are somewhat close friends, so for Shen Zechuan’s sake, he will not show off to Xiao Chiye easily.

    Ji Gang and Zuo Qianqiu are brothers. According to their seniority, it is etiquette for Xiao Chiye to bow to him.He nodded and said concisely and concisely: “Master Hou, there is no need to pay such a big courtesy.”

    Xiao Chiye sat down at the table, Ji Gang was on top, and he and Shen Zechuan were facing each other.During the dinner, Ji Gang would ask about bandit suppression and Zuo Qianqiu’s affairs.Xiao Chiye answered everything accurately. He didn’t ask for a good answer, but a true answer.

    Ji Gang is a person who attaches great importance to emotions. In his early years, he missed an errand because of drinking, which made his adoptive father Ji Wufan fall out of favor with Emperor Guangcheng. Therefore, he has always been brooding about himself. After Duanzhou fell, he never touched wine again.He is not as talented as Qi Huilian, but he is very prestigious among the Jinyi Guards. The reason why the group headed by Ge Qingqing was willing to do their best to help Shen Zechuan in the imperial staff, the imperial edict, and even later was because of Ji Gang.When Ji Gang was still serving as a co-president in Jinyiwei, he rarely used his power to pressure others, and he also disliked Pan Rugui’s superiority. He even helped innocent people clear their grievances many times, which offended many powerful people.

    For such an elder, Xiao Chiye will not take advantage of others. He has to show all his sincerity to make Ji Gang really look at him differently.

    After half an hour of eating, Ji Gang thought they still had important things to talk about, so he didn’t sit for a long time and left early.

    * * *

    When Xiao Chiye was changing clothes and his upper body was naked, he took Shen Zechuan’s hand and touched his back.

    Shen Zechuan was still sitting on the mat, holding a pen in one hand and calculating the expenses during this period.He touched Xiao Chiye’s sweat, raised his eyes and said, “So nervous.”

    “I’m scared to death,” Xiao Chiye quickly put on his clothes. “I’m worried that my answer is not sincere enough and will make Master feel alienated again. I’m really busy during this period. I have to find a day to have a good talk with Master later.”

    “A loving father loves his son, not just for repayment. 1” Shen Zechuan put down his pen, “Master, there is no exchange of interests at this level, only true love. The second son has a long road ahead, but that kick kicked you far away.”

    Xiao Chiye fell into the wicker chair, thought for a moment, and said, “If it were my father today, he might not be able to finish the meal.”

    Xiao Chi touched his chest with lingering fear and looked at Shen Zechuan.Shen Zechuan was meditating on the account book, holding and placing the pen, and the cuff of his sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of white.He’s face was very calm, and there was no one else in the room. Because of the heat, his slightly open collar was exposed white, with traces of kisses and bites on it.

    So thin.

    Xiao Chiye was in a daze for a moment. He looked at Shen Zechuan blankly, thinking a lot, but seemed to think of nothing.

    “Lan Zhou.” Xiao Chiye called out of nowhere.

    Shen Zechuan’s mind was not here. He was just thinking about asking Ge Qingqing to find some stewards from Juexi who were good at accounting. Suddenly he heard Xiao Chiye’s voice. Although his eyes did not leave the account book, he turned his face and replied: “Tell me something.”

    Xiao Chiye suddenly stood up, turned around a few times, and suddenly squatted behind Shen Zechuan and hugged him full of arms.Shen Zechuan was still writing, but thanks to his concentration, he didn’t write the strokes crookedly.

    Xiao Chiye rubbed Shen Zechuan’s cheek from behind, making Shen Zechuan’s face feel hot.He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t say anything. He touched the person all over and held him in his arms until he was so sticky.

    Shen Zechuan just sat in Xiao Chiye’s arms and continued to settle accounts. When he figured out the difficulty, he asked Xiao Chiye to stretch out his finger.Xiao Chiye refused, and he calculated with his mouth, and his calculations turned out to be very fast.

    “Second Young Master,” Shen Zechuan said, “You have some skills, just forget about this.”

    Xiao Chiye pulled the abacus back again and said, “After a long time, the abacus becomes messy. It is so complicated that it has to be left to someone who specializes in this business. Do you know who is the best at abacus in Qudu?”

    Shen Zechuan said: “I really don’t know.”

    “Miss Hua Xiangyi.”

    Shen Zechuan asked: “Then do you know who is best at luring enemies in Zhongbo?”

    Xiao Chiye said: “…Tantai Long?”

    “Xiao Ce’an,” Shen Zechuan finally looked at him and said seriously, “I’m so distracted that I have no time to get down to business.”

    “The name is not worthy of the name,” Xiao Chiye came closer, “I saw that the young master was sweating and disheveled, so I came here to remind him.”

    “Then you are a gentleman,” Shen Zechuan said with his fingertips dipped in tea and across the back of Xiao Chiye’s hand. “Unlike me, you think so much.”

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    The author has something to say:

    1: Original sentence “A loving mother loves her son, not just for repayment.” – Liu An

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