Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 28 Arrival at Jin County (asking for monthly ticket)

Xin County, November.

On the road from Xin County to Yongji Canal, there are many pedestrians and merchants coming and going.

Those with a small group of people pushed two or three wheelbarrows with a few people, while those with a large group of people used horse-drawn carriages to pull their carts. There were not only people with knives guarding them around, but also special carriages for merchants to ride in to protect them from wind and rain. It was very lively and impressive.

The Fuji family and their group hurried on their way in silence. Looking at the wild grass and forests on both sides of the road, which were all covered with white frost, they finally understood why everyone they met on the road said that it was hot in July in Xin County and people didn't want to go out. But sometimes, frost would begin to appear in October, and in November, it would be so hot that people would freeze to death.

Walking on the way to Xin County, no one in the Fuji family wanted to talk. The cold wind was blowing, accompanied by drizzle, which was really freezing people.

Even Aung was wrapped in a woolen blanket, breathing heavily, and trying to walk so as not to drag others down.

Fortunately, Xin County was not far from Yongji Canal, so everyone crossed the Zhangshui Bridge and arrived in Xin County.

Arriving at the gate of Xin County, Fu Zihou, who was helping his cousin push the cart, could finally stop and look at the tall and majestic city in front of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aunt, we're here!"

Fu Zihou turned his head to look at Aweng. Now that he had really arrived in Xin County, he felt a little nervous and uneasy.

Although the Li family of Xin County is not as famous as the Longxi Li family and the Zhaojun Li family, it is also a famous and wealthy family in Xin County.

The Fu family came here to seek refuge, but also to escape disaster.

Although along the way, Grandfather kept saying that the Li family was a famous family and had already lost their reputation by replacing the fourth daughter of the Fu family with the sixth daughter who was born with defects, when they saw the Fu family coming, the Li family did not have the courage to tear up the marriage contract and make things extreme.

But no matter what the old man said, when the matter finally came to him, looking at this magnificent city that he had never been to before, it would be a lie for Fu Zihou, as the person involved, to say that he was not nervous.

After all, no one wants something like breaking off an engagement to happen to them one day.

What's more, this is the first time I come to this strange place with my family, and I will soon meet those members of the Li family whom I have only heard about from Grandpa but have never seen.

And there is his fiancée whom he has never met.

Under the city gate.

"Where are you from?"

The soldiers guarding the city saw Fu Zihou and his group coming and asked about their origins.

"Huaiyang!"

Upon seeing this, Fu Zihou took out the circular and handed it to the guarding soldier.

Although Gao Shida had started an uprising against the Sui Dynasty in Xin County before, he had never done anything to harm Xin County from beginning to end. When he gathered too many people and attracted the attention of the Sui Dynasty, he directly led his people to move to Gaojipo!
Therefore, at present, the soldiers guarding the city gate of Xin County are still soldiers of the Sui Dynasty.

"Get in!"

Seeing that the letter stated that the family was seeking refuge with the Li family, the soldiers guarding the city did not ask any questions. After putting away the letter, they allowed the Fu family to enter the city.

This circular is the certificate issued by Huaiyang to arrive in Xin County. Now that this family has arrived in Xin County, the circular must naturally be collected and handed over to the government office for registration and preservation.

"Thank you!"

Seeing this, Fu Zihou nodded in gratitude, then he and his cousin pushed the wheelbarrow and slowly entered the city with his family.

When we arrived at the city of Xin County, we saw a constant stream of merchants and pedestrians coming and going, and the traffic had to move slowly.

“This city is so big!”

"Yes! Look, the shops on this street are probably no worse than those in Wanqiu..."

"They are right next to the Yongji Canal. All the trade in Xindu County passes through Xin County. I even heard from the boatman that Zhao County..."

Listening to the conversations of his aunt, grandfather and others in front of him, Fu Zihou also looked at the prosperous and bustling street.

After a tiring journey, everything finally settled down when we arrived in Xin County.

“This is so pretty!”

"Mom, look, there's that..."

Walking in this noisy downtown, Fu Zihou looked at the buildings and shops along the street, as well as the small stalls lined up on the roadside.

Looking at Grandpa and his cousin who was sweating beside him, and looking at his aunt, mother, and cousin's wife in front, they were talking and pointing at the vendors in surprise.

In Fu Zihou's eyes, no matter whether his marriage with the Li family would encounter any further changes, the Fu family would stay in this city.

Even in the worst case scenario, if the Li family still wants to cancel the engagement, Fu Zihou will use this engagement as a condition for Li to protect the Fu family and exchange it with the Li family.

There is no way back to Huaiyang County.

Right now, whether it is my aunt, mother, or cousin-in-law, they all urgently need a place to stay, and Grandpa's health also requires a place to rest as soon as possible.

During this period of time, the family has been physically and mentally exhausted from the hardships and constant fear.

on the street.

After asking around along the way, Fu Zihou followed his family and finally arrived at Li's house.

When I saw the Li family's house, even though I was prepared, I was still surprised.

It is so huge that as you walk along the street, you can see the high walls of the Li family's courtyard on both sides, and occasionally you can see many ancient trees within the walls.

If Fu Zihou was the only one who felt nervous because of thinking about the Li family when they were at the gate of Xin County just now, then at this moment, when Tao, Zhang and others saw the Li family's mansion with their own eyes, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.

No matter how you look at it, the Li family doesn't look like a down-and-out aristocratic family!
Can I still recognize the engagement with the Fu family?
"When Li Gang was young, he first served in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and joined the army for Prince Yuwen Xian of Qi. In the Sui Dynasty, he served as a groom for Crown Prince Yang Yong, so his family was very wealthy!"

Aong seemed to know the shock in everyone's hearts, so he began to explain.

"Dad, don't let the Li family turn their backs on us like the Lei family did! Now that our Fu family is in decline, if the Li family turns their backs on us like Lei Nian did, we won't even have a place to stay!"

Zhang looked at Grandpa, her words full of worry.

"Never will!"

Grandpa waved his hand and quickly assured his eldest daughter-in-law Zhang that the relationship between Li Gang and the Fu family was not that simple. In the past, the Fu family had taken good care of Li Gang. Given Li Gang's character, he would definitely not turn his back on them.

"It's hard to say! You haven't already denied me..." Zhang sneered and was about to speak when she was interrupted by Grandpa.

"That has little to do with Li Gang!"

Aong shook his head and told Zhang that the incident had little to do with Li Gang. In those years, Li Gang was in the court and not in Xin County.

"Then Dad, you are still angry..."

"I am angry at the Li family, not Li Gang! What do you know!"

Aong looked impatient, and was a little angry when he saw Zhang revealing his shortcomings. Then he angrily told Zhang that it was the Li family who looked down on his Fu family. He was naturally angry because they broke off the engagement. As for why he didn't contact Li Gang...

Aren't all the Li family members descendants of Li Gang? Could it be that he couldn't be angry with Li Gang for the Li family's actions?

"Okay, Dad, whatever you say is fine!"

Zhang was too lazy to argue with Grandpa.

Old Liu looked at the two of them. He was already used to it, but when he thought of Li Gang, an expression of admiration appeared on his face as he looked at the large mansion next to him.

"Let's do the math. Li Gang is already 68 years old now! I've also heard that a few years ago, after Yuwen Xian was killed, all his subordinates stayed away. Only Li Gang held the coffin and cried bitterly. He buried him alone, regardless of the risk of being killed! In the end, he even paid out his own savings and gave it to Yuwen Xian's daughter to send her away. In terms of benevolence and righteousness, Li Gang is praised by everyone!"

When Old Liu spoke, he was also indirectly telling Zhang that given Li Gang's reputation and character, he would not do such a thing.

After listening to what Old Liu said, Aung nodded and told Fu Zihou and Fu Zhi that it was during that period that the Fu family, which had not yet fallen into poverty, had formed a bond with Li Gang.

Afterwards, Aweng felt a little emotional. When Yuwen Xian was still alive, Emperor Xuan of Zhou, Yuwen Yun, was ready to kill Yuwen Xian, so he summoned Yuwen Xian's subordinates and framed him with fabricated charges, including Li Gang. As a result, Li Gang refused to submit and was almost beaten to death.

According to Aong's narration, the Fu family and their entourage gradually arrived at the gate of the Li family.

There were six servants guarding the gate of the Li family mansion. Not to mention Tao and Tai who looked uneasy, even Zhang couldn't help but look at the package on her shoulder, and then at the many pieces of luggage on the wooden cart.

This contrast.

It's really scary.

"Don't be afraid! Just wait here!"

Aong looked at everyone's nervous expressions, then handed the woolen blanket to Tao and asked Fu Zihou to come and support him.

Fu Zihou knew what Aweng meant, so he stepped forward quickly and helped Aweng walk to the servants. However, before Fu Zihou could speak, Aweng's voice was heard from the side.

"Is Li Wenji at home?"

The first words that Grandad said made the six servants look at each other in surprise.

Because Li Gang's name is Wen Ji!
"Who are you? How dare you address Mr. Li by his name?"

The leading servant asked with a frown.

He looked at the old man and the young in front of him, and at the men and women and their families not far away, and sized up their clothes. It was not that he looked down on them, but that the clothes these people wore were not as good as his own.

He started by calling Mr. Li by his full name. They had been in the Li Mansion for so many years, but this was the first time they had seen such a person.

"We are old friends of the Li family, and we are from the Fu family! If Li Wenji is at home, go tell him to come out and see me!"

The old man signaled to the servant to go in quickly and call for help.

Fu Zihou, who was standing by, did not expect that his grandfather would order people around so rudely, and he was immediately at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

In Fu Zihou's eyes, Grandpa was always polite to everyone in the past. Even if he didn't like someone, he would not show it in person, just like he did to the Lei family before, but would still speak and behave appropriately.

This is the first time I have seen Aung being so casual with outsiders.

However, looking at Aung, Fu Zihou felt relieved. He could see that Aung and Mr. Li had really gotten along with each other in the early years and they had a very close relationship, otherwise Aung would never be like this.

"Mr. Li is not at home!"

The leading servant, hearing the old man's impolite words, asked Mr. Li to come out. He couldn't help but look at the other people behind him. He was unsure of the old man's origins, but he spoke much more politely.

What if he is really an old acquaintance of Mr. Li...

"Then which of his sons, Li Shuyun, Li Shaozhi, or Li Liyan, is at home?"

When Fu Lao heard that Li Gang was not at home, he was a little disappointed, but then he was not surprised. After all, Fu Hong had said a long time ago that Li Gang seemed to have retired to Huxian County, which was even farther away from Chang'an in Guanzhong.

"Old man, you are not a local, right?"

When the servant heard what Mr. Fu said and the names he said, he was completely stunned. When he came to his senses, he realized that these people who had suddenly arrived might really be old acquaintances of the Li family, otherwise they would not have been like this.

Looking at the old man and the young, the servant thought for a moment and asked someone to go in and report first.

Then the servant turned back and told Fu Lao and Fu Zihou that two years ago, the third son of the Li family, Li Shuyun, was killed by thieves on his way back to Yan County from Chang'an. The fourth son and the fifth son were both in Wuyang County. Now the only one who was in charge in the mansion was the second son, Li Jingjie.

"Why is he still at home? Why was Li Shuyun killed by the thieves? Who is so wicked?"

Hearing the servant's words, Grandpa frowned, then mentioned Li Shuyun with a look of regret, and asked curiously.

Fu Zihou also did not expect that Li Gang’s third son was actually murdered two years ago.

On the way here, Fu Zihou heard his grandfather mention that among Li Gang's five sons, the eldest son Li Chongli worked in Nanhai in his early years and died for unknown reasons.

Among the remaining four sons, only Sanlang and Wulang are the most easy-going. The others, Erlang and Silang, are either incompetent or narrow-minded.

I never thought that as soon as I arrived at the Li family, I heard the news that the third brother Li Shuyun had been murdered.

"I heard it was a man named Xie..."

When the servant said this, an angry look appeared on his face, and so did the other servants.

In the Li family, these servants had all received Li Shuyun's kindness and care, but a man named Xie killed Li Shuyun. These servants wanted to avenge Li Shuyun personally.

As Fu Zihou supported Grandpa and talked with the Li family servants, they soon saw a man in his forties, wearing a silk robe, walking hurriedly towards them from the flower garden inside the gate.

(End of this chapter)