bookcurios Chapter 223 Chen Xiu
Chapter 223 Chen Xiu
three days later.
The drizzle has just stopped.
The Jiangzhou City, which used to be deserted, has now become bustling.
Ever since the news was released in Jiangzuo, caravans traveling from north to south and civilians from all over the country began to flock to this small border town.
Among the crowd heading to Jiangzhou City, there were several young people dressed in ordinary clothes.
The leading man was no more than twenty years old, with an imposing bearing and an extraordinary appearance.
Judging from his attire, it is hard to guess that he is the Ninth Prince Chen Xiu.
Chen Xiu had previously been stationed in Pingcheng in the northern border, responsible for dealing with the people of Mobei.
But now Mobei has been almost pacified. The various tribes in Mobei have fought against each other, and some have already pledged loyalty and paid tribute to the State of Yan.
Chen Xiu also recently received an order from His Majesty to come to this small town on the southern border.
There were only five followers traveling with the Ninth Prince.
They had just arrived at the outskirts of Jiangzhou and had not yet entered the city.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the scenery in Jiangzhou is beautiful. Today, I see that it is indeed so."
The follower said beside Chen Xiu.
Chen Xiu said calmly, "We didn't come to Jiangzhou for fun this time. Put away your thoughts."
He came here on the orders of the Emperor to assist Jiangzuo in attacking the State of Chen.
Now Jiang Zuo has become a popular figure around His Majesty, and Chen Xiu is quite curious about who Jiang Zuo is.
It is not an easy thing to gain the emperor's trust.
Previously, when he was in the Six Towns of the Northern Border, Chen Xiu had some interactions with Jiang Zuo, but they had never met.
I heard that this person is also very talented in Anding County, and the current stable situation in Mobei is also due to his efforts.
This time when Chen Xiu went south, he did not want to reveal his identity so quickly. He wanted to get along with Jiang Zuo as an ordinary person to see what kind of person he was and whether he was qualified to be assisted by him, a prince.
Although Chen Xiu was in the northern border, he had heard a little about what was happening in the court. It seemed that all the officials in the court had complaints about Jiang Zuo, and many officials even wrote letters to impeach Jiang Zuo.
Can such a controversial person really gain the emperor's trust?
The Ninth Prince has always been serious in his work, and he doesn't want to serve a person without moral character.
Only after confirming it first would Chen Xiu feel at ease.
"Why is it so lively outside this small border town?"
The follower asked in confusion.
Chen Xiu also found it strange. He looked around and listened carefully. The people passing by spoke with southern and northern accents, and seemed to come from far away.
"Meng Cheng, please find a place ahead. Let's rest for a while before going into the city."
Chen Xiu ordered.
The attendant behind him leaned forward and said, "Yes, Master Wang...
After a while, Meng Cheng returned and took them to a tavern outside the city.
"Hey, bring me a pot of tea, five bowls of noodles, and two pounds of beef."
Meng Cheng shouted.
"Okay, sir, wait a moment."
The waiter responded.
Chen Xiu sat down slowly and looked around.
The tavern was filled with people dressed in different styles.
Suddenly, I heard a man beside me say loudly: "I heard that the city is hiring carpenters, and the salary is 20 taels of silver a month. Is it true?"
"Of course it's true. If you hesitated for a moment, your job would have been taken away by someone else."
someone replied.
"Then I have to eat faster."
The man said again.
Hearing their conversation, Chen Xiu was quite curious.
What kind of carpentry work is this that pays twenty taels a month?
You know, in the capital, the best carpenter only makes ten taels of silver a month.
At this time, a caravan passed by Chen Xiu. One of the caravan members put down the goods in his hands and sat on the right side of Chen Xiu. He said, "Damn it, why is it raining every day in the south? It's so hot and stuffy." Then he asked Chen Xiu, "Hey, brother, is anyone sitting on this chair?"
"No, you go ahead." Chen Xiu said.
"Thanks."
The man's voice was rough.
Chen Xiu turned his head curiously and asked, "From your accent, you seem to be from the North."
"Yes, we are all caravans from Daizhou."
the man said.
"Daizhou?"
Chen Xiu was slightly stunned.
All of them also set out from Daizhou.
"Daizhou is so far away from here, why do you have to come to Jiangzhou to do business?"
Chen Xiu asked doubtfully.
The merchant smiled and said, "We heard that Lord Jiang Zuo is in Jiangzhou, so we must come to show our support. With Lord Jiang here, we won't have any trouble selling our goods."
Hearing this, Chen Xiu frowned.
Does Jiang Zuo have such a strong appeal?
Chen Xiu was even more curious.
In his mind, he had imagined what Jiang Zuo looked like.
But on second thought, Jiang Zuo was in Jiangzhou City this time to be responsible for the expedition against the State of Chen, so how did he end up doing business with these caravans?
With some doubts, Chen Xiu led his men towards the direction of Jiangzhou City.
"Master, Jiangzhou City is not a rich place, why does it attract so many caravans?"
Meng Cheng on the side also asked in confusion.
"This matter is definitely related to Jiang Zuo."
Chen Xiu said in a low voice.
When we arrived at the city wall, there were crowds of people.
A rough calculation shows that there are at least thousands of people waiting to enter the city.
They lined up in long queues and were inspected by the officials.
"There are too many people here, Master. Why don't we just reveal our identities and avoid waiting in line?"
Meng Cheng suggested.
After all, as the Ninth Prince, Chen Xiu must have some privileges. It is impossible for him to queue up with this group of common people.
But Chen Xiu was a straightforward person and flatly refused, "No, we must abide by the rules and our identities cannot be revealed for the time being."
If he were to interact with Jiang Zuo as the Ninth Prince, he would definitely be met with concealment and deception.
What's more, Chen Xiu is an upright person and does not want to use this privilege.
Hearing what the Ninth Prince said, Meng Cheng and the others had no choice but to line up at the back of the queue.
Looking at such long queues, I wonder how long the queue will end.
"There are too many people here. What the hell is going on in Jiangzhou City?"
Meng Cheng said with a hint of complaint.
Chen Xiu remained silent and looked around.
Outside the city gate, there seemed to be quite a few people working.
They were putting up a wooden shed, and it was unclear what they were building.
The sky is gray.
After a while, it started to drizzle again.
Days of rain have made the roads muddy and difficult to walk on, which makes people even more upset.
After waiting in line for an unknown amount of time, Chen Xiu finally saw the city gate.
In front of them, there were more than ten people being interrogated by the officials.
Finally, the officer came to Chen Xiu and the others and said impatiently, "Do you have any weapons on you? Hand them over. You are not allowed to bring them into the city. We will return them to you when you leave Jiangzhou."
Chen Xiu hesitated for a moment, turned around and winked at his followers, who took out their weapons and handed them to the officers.
"This sword of mine is extremely precious. You must not lose it. You must keep it well."
Meng Cheng instructed the officer.
"Okay, okay, your stuff is the most valuable." The yamen runner handed him a piece of stuff and said, "Come and claim it with this receipt. I'll keep it for three hundred coins a day."