[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 140 [English]

Chapter 135 Er Jin

The rain stopped the next day, but it was still sunny.

Ms. Cai was reprimanded yesterday and said she was ill this morning.Luo Mu didn’t sleep well at night. After breakfast, his servants came to report that Cai Yu had sent him a message and invited him to the bureau.

Luo Mu accepted the post and knew the intention of Cai Yu’s invitation today.He wiped his hands, and without even changing his robe, he said bluntly: “Prepare the sedan. I’ll be there right away. Don’t keep my brother waiting for too long.”

Cai Yu was a big bandit in Chazhou, and Yan Heru in Hezhou called him grandpa. He was always generous and liked to support various grass bandits, so he had a reputation for being righteous and virtuous on the road.But he and Luoshan Lei Changming didn’t deal with each other. The reason was unknown to others. They only knew that before Lei Changming died, the two people ignored each other at the banquet of the bandits.

When Luo Mu arrived at Cai Mansion, Cai Yu had already invited people to eat.Cai Yu’s mansion was more luxurious than Luo Mu’s house, with more than a thousand servants inside. However, Cai Yu himself was not particular about red tape, and most of his dealings were with bandits and bandits, so the banquets were all meat and wine banquets, including barbecued meats and spirits.

As soon as Cai Yu saw Luo Mu, he leaned up and smiled, waving his hands and saying, “Mengzheng is late. I’ll punish you with three drinks. Sit down quickly.”

Luo Mu always bowed his head in front of Cai Yu, and he sat down according to his position. Seeing that there were strangers in strange clothes at the table, he didn’t ask any questions.Cai Yu waited until Luo Mu finished drinking and then said, “I heard that my sister was bothering you yesterday?”

Luo Mu looked panicked and said, “Brother——”

“She should be trained!” Cai Yu pressed Luo Mu’s arm and said with a smile, “You are her husband, and men are in charge of the front office. She really shouldn’t be allowed to dictate many things. She is used to being arrogant at home, and she is not old or young when she gets married. In the future, you can just train her where she needs to be, and don’t worry about my face. Doting on her will make her even more unruly.”

Cai Yu knew everything that happened in Luo Mu’s inner house.he The force holding Luo Mu down was not heavy, but precisely because it was not heavy, it seemed easy.He asked Luo Mu to go to the left, but Luo Mu did not dare to go to the right.Luo Mu was a serious official who went to the capital and then went to the capital to be inspected, but what happened?When he arrived in Chazhou, Luo Mu was a grandson.The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the banditry in Zhongbo was very serious during the Yongyi period. Before Zhongbo’s defeat, they did not take Jianxing King Shen Wei seriously.

Sweat broke out on Luo Mu’s forehead.

Cai Yu saw this in his eyes and felt satisfied, then he took back his hand, and then said with a smile: “It’s really a strange news. I heard half a month ago that Han Cheng was going to be replaced by someone else to sit in the Dragon Court. The commander of the Jinyi Guards made Han Cheng scratch his head and scratch his head anxiously, so he ran back to his hometown and found a boy to serve as the emperor’s heir. Unexpectedly, Mr. Haige disagreed and crashed to death in the palace. His blood and brains spattered Han Cheng, and he was so scared that Han Cheng peed his pants on the spot.”

They all laughed together.In this word-of-mouth news, Han Cheng has long been described as a wretched villain with a stooped body.

After Cai Yu finished laughing, he sighed and said: “But we must also pay attention to loyalty and benevolence. We admire the elders for doing this! It is said that admonishment is the best in Taoism and war is the death in military force. However, after three dynasties in the Great Zhou Dynasty, emperors died one after another, and there are very few such strong ministers among the important ministers.”

Luo Mu listened without interrupting or raising his head.He seems to be focusing on eating, and only dares to pick the things in front of him with his chopsticks. Although he looks majestic, he always feels weak and timid.

Cai Yu didn’t look at Luo Mu anymore, and he was excited when he said: “But I’m afraid Mr. Ge didn’t expect that the Dragon Court that the Han family’s son did not sit in would now be given to a woman. I don’t think there has been such a thing since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. Isn’t this a violation of the law?Is it contrary to the law of heaven, is the yin and yang reversed?This is a sign of the collapse of the Great Zhou Dynasty!I would rather listen to the words of an ignorant child than to listen to the orders of a woman.What does it look like for a man to worship a woman?Qi Zhuyin appears in Qidong.She is in a good time when the Queen Mother is in power. Otherwise, how can she be the commander-in-chief?If there is another female emperor in Qandu, it will be a mess!”

Everyone around agreed, and one of them with a beard slapped the table and said: “Mr. Cai is right. That’s it. What kind of thing is a female emperor? The first few are indeed not good, but men in power are the natural principles that Mr. Laozi said, and I am not convinced. If all the civil and military officials in the dynasty knelt down and paid her the courtesy of monarchs and ministers, they would be a bunch of cowards. No wonder we have been beaten by the Twelve Divisions of Biansha for so many years.”

“As a little girl, it’s her duty to marry well. If you love her and raise her well, it won’t matter. But letting her go out to fight and govern is a bad thing.” When Cai Yu said this, he said with emotion, “I heard that the students in Quduli are also very willing. I think they are bad at reading and stupid at reading! I can’t tell the difference between good and bad.”

They talked from the political affairs of Qudu to the military affairs of Qidong, and then from the military affairs of Qidong to the war in Libei, and finally fell on Lei Changming.

The bearded man said: “Lei Changming was also lucky. He met Mr. Yan in trouble and helped him to get up. But he can’t last long. He is very domineering. What if he wants to be a regular army in Luoshan? If he encounters the Forbidden Army, won’t he disappear immediately?”

Cai Yu snorted coldly.

The person next to him said: “Mr. Cai and Lei Changming are considered to be the two heroes of Zhongbo, but how do they match up? They are too far apart!”

Cai Yu was not moved by this flattery. He opened his arms, sunk comfortably into the chair, and said, “Do you know why I don’t like Lei Changming? I think he is dirty.” He pronounced the last word carefully, and just as the maid came up to offer the pipe, Cai Yu took two puffs and continued, “Lei Changming was an escort in his early years. You all know this, but why didn’t he leave later? He told people because heI want to marry my girl to the Zhu family in Duanzhou, so I don’t want to do this job anymore.This is a lie.He has a hobby.”

Luo Mu didn’t know when he put down his chopsticks.

Cai Yu recalled while puffing away the clouds, and said: “When I first started working in this business, when it was time to start my apprenticeship, my master said that being a grass bandit must also pay attention to benevolence and righteousness. There are some things that cannot be touched or made, which are detrimental to one’s moral character. Over the years, there have been many business travelers in Chazhou with families, but if I really encounter orphans and widows, I will never touch them. But Lei Changming is different, heIn the past, escorts also sent their families. One time, it was Dengzhou escorts. Half of the men who were in charge died, leaving orphans and widows. They couldn’t even afford the escort money. When they arrived in Dengzhou, the original husband’s family only wanted grandchildren, not a daughter-in-law.The woman refused to be separated from the children. She was desperate and wanted to die. Lei Changming took them back and said that he wanted to raise them.”

“I was still working as a thief in Chazhou at that time. After hearing this kind of thing, I regarded Lei Changming as a person. I felt that he was different from people like me. He was a knight in Master’s words. I admired him in my heart, and I kept an eye on him when I went out to do things. I wanted to find an opportunity to learn from him. But then I went to Dengzhou and heard that he had quit. I found the place along the way and found out that the woman and the child were dead. How did he die?He was drunk and violent, and attacked the five or six-year-old child. The woman refused and was beaten to death by him. The child did not live for a few days and was tortured to the point of death.”

Cai Yu pushed away the smoke, frowned and asked the maid to take away the pipe.

“heEven after I went to Duanzhou, this hobby didn’t change.This man cherished his reputation and never dared to act openly.When Lei Changming rescued Mr. Yan, he was still a child. I was friends with Mr. Yan at the time.Although I had never met Mr. Yan, I regarded him as my beloved.After hearing about this, I got on my horse and chased him. I chased him to Luoshan and brought him back.He was wearing a bright jade necklace and was very smart. When he saw me, he called me “grandpa”, which was very distressing.I saw that he was fine, so I didn’t argue with Lei Changming.”

Later, when Lei Changming saw Cai Yu again, he felt that he was a head shorter.Cai Yu looked down on him, and he didn’t approach Cai Yu. Everyone took their sides.

“Young master is a good boy. I am very grateful to Lei Changming for saving his life. For this reason, he has repeatedly helped the Luoshan bandits.” Cai Yu originally wanted to ask Luo Mu about Kongling today, but he was distracted by these past events. When he remembered, Luo Mu had already left.

* * *

Luo Mu got on the sedan chair, and after not walking far, he changed his route to the gouache shop, hoping to buy some popular powder in Qudu and take it back to coax Mrs. Cai.The largest gouache shop in Chazhou is opened by a merchant from Juexi, and Luo Mu is a regular customer. As soon as he got off the sedan, a steward came to greet him. He served tea and water in one go. Finally, he bent down and said to Luo Mu, “I’m sorry, Mr. Luo, but it’s unfortunate today. The shop is out of stock. The good things are all prepared in the east end shop and haven’t been delivered to us yet. Look, can we deliver them to your house tomorrow?”

Luo Mu nodded and raised his feet to leave. Then he remembered the way Cai Yu was holding him down just now. He couldn’t help but change his mind. He turned around and asked, “Which shop is on the east end?”

The person in charge called a waiter and personally led Luo Mu the way.

When Luo Mu arrived at the place, he saw that the shop was not big in size, but it was indeed next to the horse trail, making it easy to unload goods.He walked in and saw that there were few people inside.The waiter took him inside. There was a courtyard at the back and told him to wait for a while while he had tea.

Luo Mu sat for a while, then the curtain was lifted, and it was Kong Ling who came in.

“How did you…” Luo Mu asked in surprise.

But Kong Ling didn’t answer, he lifted the curtain and got out of the way, and a man in white came in from behind, bending slightly.As soon as Shen Zechuan raised his head, Luo Mu stood up.

Shen Zechuan came here in a sedan and was not wet.He looked at Luo Mu and motioned for Luo Mu to sit down.Qiao Tianya, who was following behind, came in to change the tea and delivered it hot to Shen Zechuan.

Kong Ling saw Luo Mu still standing and said, “Mengzheng, this is——”

“Sir Tongzhi,” Luo Mu saluted respectfully and said, “I have heard of Tongzhi for a long time, and my student Luo Meng is here to listen respectfully.”

“I have long heard Mr. Cheng Feng praise Mr. Luo for being cautious and having excellent eyesight. It is true when I see him today.” Shen Zechuan smiled slightly, “I am no longer a member of the Jinyi Guards. I don’t have a badge and no official position. I am just in ordinary white clothes. It is my turn to salute you.”

How dare Luo Mu accept it? Shen Zechuan, a close minister of the emperor, is afraid of the local state government just because he is the governor of the northern town of Jinyiwei.In the past, the Jinyiwei teamed up with the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate to go to local areas to audit accounts and performance.Shen Zechuan also had good relations with Cen Yu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Kong Qiu of the Criminal Department. Luo Mu had more than just heard about him.Officials like us who are sent to other places are originally mainly experienced. After they have achieved political achievements and take into account their seniority, they can be promoted to Qidu and become capital officials.What Shen Zechuan holds in his hands is their inspection and evaluation, as well as their wealth and lives.

The key to this can be seen from Luo Mu’s self-proclaimed “student”.

Shen Zechuan was different from the previous Zhenfu Tongzhi. He was not from an “upright” background. His biological father was Shen Wei, the king of Jianxing who was defeated in the Zhongbo war. He was admitted to the capital by Jin Yiwei from the Libei Iron Rider and was rumored to be executed.But not only did he survive, but he was promoted repeatedly by Emperor Tianchen. The post of Beizhen Fu was related to both the Qi and Du factions. Hai Liangyi was willing to nod. This man was even more fearful because of his young age.

Only then did Luo Mu realize that what Kong Ling said was confident was not a pretense, but he was really confident.

Fortunately, Shen Zechuan only talked and did not stand up to actually bow.Luo Mu calmed down a little and did not dare to sit down. He stood in front of Kong Ling with his hands lowered and said: “Your Excellency is coming to Chazhou in person. If the students are not welcomed from afar, send someone immediately…”

“I accompanied the Marquis of Dingdu out of the capital, and I am already a traitor to Qudu. You don’t have to be polite, sir.” Shen Zechuan drank hot tea, his voice felt better, and continued, “I have been in Zhongbo for a long time, and I have long wanted to meet Lord Luo. Fortunately, I have Mr. Cheng Feng to accompany me today.”

Kong Ling looked at Luo Mu, smiled, and said, “Mengzheng, don’t be cautious. Tongzhi is now the backbone of Cizhou. This time we are here to solve the banditry in Chazhou. They are all our own people.”

Luo Mu looked at he, his eyes less explicit than yesterday, and said cautiously: “How do you know I will definitely come?”

“Chazhou is such a big place, and you can know a lot of things with just a little inquiry. Your fourteenth-room concubine has a good background and a bad temper, and she loves Qudu Goufen. You have always been good at doing what others want, so in order to make the wife happy, you will naturally go there yourself.” Kong Ling smiled at Shen Zechuan and shook his head, “Don’t you know that Meng Zheng was very popular with girls when he was still in the academy. He is a very romantic man. He knew this very well before he became an official.”

When Luo Mu heard Kong Ling talk about the academy, he relaxed slightly and said, “I was very disciplined when I was studying. I stayed with you all day long. Where did the romance come from? You, on the other hand, have made countless friends and can be brothers with everyone.”

When they said this, the atmosphere relaxed a little, and Kong Ling took Luo Mu to his seat.

Shen Zechuan was sitting in the upper seat, and his speech was not as aggressive as Luo Mu expected. He said: “Mr. Cheng Feng must have discussed our purpose of coming here with you. It was inconvenient to talk in depth yesterday, and it is inevitable that you have concerns. Please speak freely today. If you have any difficulties, we can discuss them.”

Shen Zechuan spoke softly and looked natural, but there was obviously no room for “negotiation” in the last sentence.He Underneath that seemingly peaceful attitude was an irreversible victory. Luo Mu understood what Shen Zechuan meant after just hearing these words.

If there are any difficulties, we can discuss them.What is the purpose of the discussion?It’s about moving faster.Shen Zechuan gave Luo Mu no chance to refuse at all. As soon as he opened his mouth, Luo Mu had no choice.

When Luo Mu raised his head again, his flinching air was gone, and he said: “If Tongzhi can quell the banditry in Chazhou, I will be willing to follow Tongzhi’s horse’s head. But Cai Yu is not Lei Changming, and Tongzhi does not have the 20,000 strong soldiers of the Marquis. It is really difficult to do it with the strength of one person.”

Shen Zechuan said calmly: “The meeting between you and me today is worth a million strong soldiers.”