Chapter 643: We Are Relatives of the Xu Family [Many Thanks! Bowing Again! In Debt]

In early September,

at Jiuyuan City, one thousand five hundred li from Bianjing,

in the southwest direction of the city,

lay the Jinjin Ferry.

This ferry was located on the upper reaches of the Yellow River,

positioned near the right corner of the Yellow River's 'Ji' shape.

Not far from the ferry,

a military stockade had been built to guard it,

with tall wooden watchtowers atop the stockade walls, beside which stood the banners of Great Zhou.

Near the riverbank,

a squad of Great Zhou cavalry clad in vermillion uniforms stood mounted on the shore,

their leader, a rider whose face beneath his helmet appeared exceedingly youthful, seated upon a pale chestnut horse with a silver mane.

This pale chestnut horse possessed fur that was glossy and sleek, its build a full head taller than the surrounding horses, clearly marking it as a fine steed.

The setting sun slanted down,

casting a golden hue upon the river surface of the autumn afternoon at the ferry,

the water shimmering with ripples that danced with sunlight,

forcing the cavalryman standing by the shore and gazing westward to raise his hand to shield his eyes, squinting slightly.

Clumps of reeds grew not far from the riverbank,

their stalks now yellow and their flower spikes white, with only the leaves retaining some green,

when a gust of north wind blew through,

causing the white flower spikes of the reeds to lean southward along with their stalks, while the colliding leaves emitted a 'rustle-rustle' sound.

The movement of the reeds caused the youthful cavalryman at the head of the group to turn and look, offering his sun-strained eyes a brief respite.

"Look quickly! They're coming!"

Hearing the shout from his comrade behind him, the youthful cavalryman at the front hastily squinted and looked westward.

Indeed,

a fleet of ships was approaching from within his field of vision.

Atop the mast of the lead wooden ship, a large banner bearing the character 'Zhou' fluttered in the wind.

Beneath the mast hung another banner, inscribed with the two characters 'Hu Yan'.

Very soon,

the massive fleet, drifting downstream, began to approach the shore in batches, moving slowly.

From the military stockade near the ferry, large groups of soldiers and auxiliary troops walked toward the riverbank, preparing to unload the various supplies transported by the fleet.

On a ship in the river,

Seeing Hu Yanjiong stood at the stern, gazing at the fleet behind him;

this fleet had departed from Xingqing Prefecture, passed through the region of Houqu, and arrived here.

Such a massive fleet, stretching for several li, was almost entirely established by Seeing Hu Yanjiong himself.

Now, having stayed in the northwest for some time, Seeing Hu Yanjiong's skin had long since been tanned somewhat dark, and his face, often exposed to wind and sun, bore quite a weathered appearance.

Shifting his gaze away from the fleet, Seeing Hu Yanjiong looked northward, where the dark cyan mountains stretched endlessly into view.

Seeing Hu Yanjiong's personal attendant, Fu Ding, crossed through the cabin to the stern, looked at Seeing Hu Yanjiong, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Commander, this humble officer spots cavalry dressed as the Hou Fu's personal guards at the ferry on the shore."

"Oh?"

Seeing Hu Yanjiong withdrew his gaze and looked toward the ferry.

"Make haste to dock."

"Yes."

Very soon,

Seeing Hu Yanjiong, accompanied by his personal attendant, stepped onto the ferry at the shore,

and seeing the youthful cavalryman dismount and run over quickly, Seeing Hu Yanjiong smiled and said, "How did you little rascal come here?"

The youthful cavalryman smiled, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Greetings, Commander! There is an urgent letter sent from the capital, along with some family letters for the soldiers under your command; the Marquis ordered this humble one to deliver them all to you together!"

Speaking thus, he pulled a small bamboo tube and a stack of letters from his bosom.

With a moment's thought, Seeing Hu Yanjiong vaguely guessed what the matter was.

Fu Ding, standing behind Seeing Hu Yanjiong, smiled, stepped forward to take the items, and handed the bamboo tube to Seeing Hu Yanjiong.

While extending his hand to receive the bamboo tube, Seeing Hu Yanjiong smiled and asked, "Do you little rascal already know everything?"

The youthful cavalryman chuckled, nodding repeatedly.

Then the youthful cavalryman stood on tiptoe to look at the fleet on the river surface and laughed, saying, "Commander, do any of these ships carry the corn cultivated by Elder Deng of the Hou Fu?"

Seeing Hu Yanjiong nodded while looking at the note in his hand and replied casually, "There is quite a lot; most of it was loaded onto the ships by my brother-in-law."

"Oh, oh!" the youthful cavalryman continued to watch the fleet as he responded.

Seeing Hu Yanjiong, a smile on his lips, read the note at a glance of ten lines, learning that he had gained a younger sister-in-law who was extremely young.

Putting away the note and looking at the appearance of the youthful cavalryman before him, Seeing Hu Yanjiong laughed and said, "Let me ask you, Chu Zhan, you little rascal, are you craving the Hou Fu's roasted corn?"

Chu Zhan shook his head: "Brother-in-law, what I crave is steamed corn, and also the Hou Fu's sugarcane."

After smiling with some helplessness, Seeing Hu Yanjiong beckoned with his hand toward those behind him.

Understanding the signal, Fu Ding ran back to the ship and soon returned carrying a bamboo basket.

"Grapes from Xingqing Prefecture; take them and eat."

As Hu Seeing Hu Yanjiong spoke, the bamboo basket was handed over to Chu Zhan.

"Thank you, young master son-in-law!"

Chu Zhan shouted, laughing so hard his mouth couldn't close.

Just as they were about to leave,

a sound of hooves arrived,

and the cavalry under Chu Zhan's command hastily moved aside.

A sturdy cavalry Captain brought men to the forefront.

"Whoa!"

That sturdy cavalry Captain, holding a riding crop, nimbly flipped off his horse and strode quickly toward Hu Seeing Hu Yanjiong.

On his way over, he even cast a glance at the pale chestnut silver-maned horse by the roadside.

Holding the bamboo basket, Chu Zhan, seeing the newcomer was sharp-eyed, bowed respectfully before walking toward his own mount.

Arriving close,

that sturdy Captain cupped his fists in salute and said, "Greetings, Commander Hu Yan. Young General Xu has ordered this humble subordinate to come and ask if there are any fine feeds for horses within the fleet!"

"If there are, please divert one or two loads to speed up the disembarkation!"

"There are! I will personally go to arrange it."

"Many thanks, Commander! This humble subordinate takes his leave!"

That sturdy Captain cupped his fists in salute once more, flipped onto his horse, and as he whipped his mount into motion, he even smiled and nodded toward Chu Zhan at the side.

By the riverside,

Chu Zhan, smacking his lips, plucked a few grapes from the bamboo basket and handed them to his cavalry comrades nearby, saying, "Huang Mo, this one is yours."

For every person he gave grapes to, Chu Zhan would eat one himself.

His comrade nearby, Huang Mo, watching the dust cloud raised by the departure of that sturdy Captain, said, "Little Chu, which unit's Captain was that just now? He looked truly sturdy, radiating killing intent all over! Do you know him?"

After spitting out a grape seed, Chu Zhan said indifferently, "I know him; that one is surnamed Liao."

"Liao? The Cold-Faced Killing God Liao Liao Shuye, Liao Si Lang, rumored throughout the army? Was it him?"

"Mn!" Chu Zhan nodded.

"Why did he nod to you, Brother Chu?"

After Cavalryman Huang Mo asked, another cavalryman said with disdain, "Are you foolish? Brother Chu is by Marquis Xu's side! Perhaps they became acquainted while transmitting orders."

With grapes in his mouth, Huang Mo widened his eyes and said, "Do I not know this? But I heard that since joining the army, that Liao Si Lang has worn a cold face for everyone! Many cavalrymen transmit orders; when has he ever smiled at anyone?"

Having finished speaking, Huang Mo leaned close to Chu Zhan and whispered, "Little Chu, are you and that Liao Si Lang relatives? These grapes are truly sweet."

Chu Zhan raised an eyebrow, divided another branch of two or three grapes for Huang Mo, and shook his head saying, "No! It might be that Fourth Brother Liao knows I am close with Fifth Brother from my family."

After glancing at the grapes in the bamboo basket, Chu Zhan hung the basket on the saddle pad in front of him, covered the basket with the outer robe he had taken off due to the heat, tugged the reins, and said, "Let's go! Enter the city to fetch the laundered clothes for several older brothers."

Having finished speaking,

this troop of cavalry began to turn their horses' heads and ran along the official road leading to Jiuyuan City at the side.

All along the way,

Chu Zhan and the others occasionally passed convoys transporting military supplies on both sides of the road.

The convoys heading to Jiuyuan City were fully loaded with supplies, while those heading to the ferry crossing were mostly empty carts.

The horses beneath the few of them moved at no slow pace; the dust kicked up by their iron hooves was blown by the north wind to the roadside.

People in the roadside convoys occasionally ate the dust they kicked up, spat several times with 'pui pui', and after they had run far away, cursed hatefully a few times.

Very soon,

Chu Zhan and the others rode their horses into Jiuyuan City.

There were many commoners and soldiers in the city, so Chu Zhan and the others all slowed their horses' pace, ambling through the city.

Naturally, there were soldiers in the army who washed clothes, but clothes washed in the army were never as clean as those washed by the laundry women in the city, nor did they have a fragrant scent.

Furthermore, because the camp was just outside Jiuyuan City, Captains with even a little military merit would send their clothes into the city for laundering.

Arriving near a shop in the city,

the shop and courtyard were full of the 'shua shua' sounds of washing clothes, occasionally accompanied by the voices of women talking and the sound of splashing water.

Along the street, every kind of business was conducted; the air drifted with the scent of rouge and powder and the aroma of food.

The group reined in their horses at the shop entrance,

"Little Chu, you don't need to dismount; Old Huang and I will go in."

As he spoke, two people dismounted and entered the shop.

Chu Zhan, whose buttocks were somewhat uncomfortable from riding horses all the way, stood up in his stirrups to stretch his body, then looked at the city streets.

Chu Zhan's mount was originally a fine steed; this action of his also attracted many people to look at him.

Not far away stood a two-story wooden building, separated from Chu Zhan by several courtyard gates of city commoners.

On the wooden building, several brothel Misses holding handkerchiefs waved at Chu Zhan, calling out, "Little brother, little brother, your horse is so divine and handsome, where did you buy it?"

Hearing the shout, Chu Zhan looked up, and although he smiled, he did not reply.

"Little brother smiles so beautifully; come up to the floor to play when you have time! Big sister won't charge you any silver."

Having stayed in Hou Fu for so long, ordinary rouge and common powder simply could not enter his eyes.

There were also men coming out of that wooden building who, upon hearing the ladies upstairs shouting, turned their heads to look at Chu Zhan a few times, especially at Chu Zhan's mount.

But seeing the attire of Chu Zhan and his group, and the way they looked over, they hastily withdrew their gaze, squeezed out a faint smile, and entered an alley nearby.

At the courtyard gate ahead, a young servant also poked his head out, curiously watching Chu Zhan.

Subsequently,

inside the laundry shop, two of Chu Zhan's comrades walked out carrying several bundles.

Ahead of Chu Zhan and the others,

a well-dressed old woman led a ragged group of men and women walking toward them.

Soon, this group stopped at the courtyard gate not far from Chu Zhan and his companions.

The leading old woman flashed a ingratiating smile at Chu Zhan,

then stepped up onto the stairs before the courtyard gate,

and smilingly said to the young servant standing at the door: "Young master, please trouble yourself to go inside and announce us; say that people from the brokerage have arrived."

As she spoke, the old woman slipped a small string of copper coins into the servant's hand.

The servant weighed the copper coins in his hand, scanned the crowd at the gate, nodded, and said: "Wait!"

Watching the servant turn and enter the courtyard,

the brokerage old woman turned around, her ingratiating smile vanishing instantly, and looking with disgust at the sallow-faced woman behind her whose high cheekbones gave her a mean appearance, she said:

"Wife of the Cao family, this household originally belonged to a Military Affairs Adjutant under Xining Fu, who previously earned some merit following our dynasty's great army at Bai Gao Li, and has now been promoted to Jiuyuan; his future prospects are vast indeed!"

"If this my lord did not desire a concubine who could read and write to accompany him in his studies, your family's girl would have no chance to come here at all!"

After the brokerage old woman finished speaking, the sallow-faced woman in ragged clothes hurriedly smiled and said: "We are grateful for your efforts! If this matter succeeds and my daughter is sold, we will certainly not forget to reward you, Madam!"

"Yes, yes, my mother's word is always good!" the several men following along echoed in unison.

Only the girl beside the Wife of the Cao family, thin and frail, wearing new clothes that did not fit her, kept her head lowered and remained silent.

Chu Zhan, mounted on his horse, looked at the several men beside the ragged woman; each of these men bore tattoos on their foreheads, clearly marking them as exiles.

Listening to the conversation ahead, Chu Zhan shook his head with considerable disgust.

The brokerage old woman rolled her eyes at those several men and said: "You are all healthy; you could find work at the ferry crossing to support your families, so why must you sell your daughter?"

At these words, the several men beside the Wife of the Cao family said indifferently: "That, Madam, is none of your business! With her here, we would surely starve!"

As they spoke,

the young servant from that household came out accompanying a stout woman clad in brocade, her face covered in rolls of flesh, who pointed at the crowd at the gate and said: "Wu Da Da Niangzi, these are the people!"

The Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household, dressed in brocade, frowned as she looked at the crowd and said: "Which one is to enter my household?"

"This one, she, she is here!" the brokerage old woman hurriedly pushed the girl forward.

"Skinny as anything. Lift your head!" the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household commanded.

Looking at the girl who raised her head, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household frowned with disgust and said: "Aiyo, this little wretch has characters tattooed on her forehead! Even having her tend the fire in my kitchen would make me feel sick!"

"Wu Da Da Niangzi, she... this girl can read! She can read!" the brokerage old woman hurriedly said with an apologetic smile.

"Can read?" Saying this, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household scanned the girl up and down, shook her head, and said: "My family does not want her! You call yourself a broker, yet you bring such goods to my house? Do you still wish to do business?"

"Wu Da Da Niangzi, it is just that those who can read are hard to find!" the brokerage old woman added hastily.

"Cheaper, cheaper and we will sell her!" one of the men beside the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family shouted: "Yes, yes! We will sell her!"

"Get out, get out! If you bring such ones again, do not blame me for slapping your face!" the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household waved her handkerchief, pointed at the brokerage old woman, and cursed with utter disgust.

"Mother, you must think of a way! We are all going to starve to death with no food in the pot!" the man beside the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said.

Hearing these words, the sallow-faced Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family hatefully shoved the girl in front of her, her eyes darting about constantly, clearly thinking of a plan.

Chu Zhan and the others had already secured the bundles containing robes and were preparing to urge their horses to depart.

The brokerage old woman hurriedly smiled apologetically: "Wu Da Da Niangzi, there will absolutely be no next time! Rest assured!"

Just as the old woman finished speaking, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said: "Wu Da Da Niangzi, Wu Da Da Niangzi! This honored lady, we... our family has kinship ties with the Xu family!"

Hearing these words, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household turned around, narrowed her eyes to stare at the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family, and said: "The Xu family? Which Xu family?"

"It is... it is the Xu family of Marquis Marquis Yongyi, the Great General stationed outside the city!" the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said, pointing toward the area outside the city.

"Hmph! I say you thieving woman, you truly deserve a slap, making empty claims to claim kinship with Hou Fu? If you had such extravagant relatives, would you still be selling your daughter?"

The Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household glanced at Chu Zhan, who had halted his horse nearby, and said sternly: "If you thieving woman dare speak nonsense again, I will have someone smash every tooth in your mouth!"

The Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family smiled apologetically and said: "Wu Da Da Niangzi, we have only just been relocated by the court from Xining Fu to this place, and only just learned that the Great General outside the city bears the surname Xu! We truly are not randomly claiming kinship! Just now the brokerage Madam also said that your household also came from Xining Fu; is this not fate?"

"Kinship? What kinship?" the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household glanced at Chu Zhan and continued to ask.

"I... my elder sister's mother-in-law was on good terms with the Old Lady of the Sheng family, and that Old Lady is the great-aunt of Marquis Marquis Yongyi!" the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said with a trembling voice.

The brokerage old woman glared at the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family, her eyes full of the expression 'Why did you not tell me about this matter?'

The rolls of flesh on the face of the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household trembled; after glancing again at Chu Zhan, she said hesitantly: "This... you..."

Huang Mo and several others beside Chu Zhan exchanged glances.

Chu Zhan reined in his mount and said: "Zhang Zhang Fu Ren, what is your family's surname and given name, and where is your ancestral home?"

Hearing these words,

the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family turned to look, and upon seeing the cavalry uniforms of Chu Zhan and his companions, her whole body shivered, her legs going so soft she nearly knelt down.

The Cao family men nearby hurriedly supported the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family, cowering like quails and not daring to lift their eyes to look at Chu Zhan.

"Speak in detail; if you truly are relatives of Hou Fu, we naturally will not turn a blind eye," Chu Zhan continued.

Listening to Chu Zhan's words, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Adjutant's household smiled ingratiatingly and said: "Yes, yes! This young master looks formidable; you must speak quickly!"

The Cao family girl, who had kept her head lowered all along, now raised her head and curiously glanced at Chu Zhan and the others.

After swallowing hard, the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said: "My husband bears the surname Cao, our ancestral home is Sunan, he formerly served as a County Magistrate, and we have genuine kinship ties with a collateral branch of the He family, who founded the Bai Shi Tan Academy! My elder sister was married into the He family!"

Chu Zhan nodded and said: "Then for what matter were you exiled here?"

The entire Cao family lowered their heads, and the Wu Da Da Niangzi of the Cao family said hesitantly: "When my husband was in office... there were some oversights in official duties, and thus..."

"Where did he serve as County Magistrate?" Chu Zhan continued to ask.

"Wushang County in the Two Zhejiang Circuit."

Hearing this, Chu Zhan scanned the several people again, frowned, and asked: "Wushang County? What exactly was the matter? Do not think to hide it from me; if I wish to investigate, a trip to the yamen will suffice! How long have you been exiled?"

"It was because the mine... the mine collapsed..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Zhan narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "Little Liang Shan?"

The Cao family members looked up in surprise, only to see Chu Zhan wearing a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Little Chu, what is it?" a comrade beside him asked, noticing Chu Zhan's expression.

The Adjutant's Wu Da Da Niangzi beside them also looked at Chu Zhan and the Cao family with a face full of confusion.

Chu Zhan sneered coldly: "Nothing! To think we would gain such a harvest just by coming out once."

Standing within the crowd, the Cao family Miss watched Chu Zhan's expression, and her heart turned cold.

Just moments ago, she had thought this person might be a savior, but now, looking at his expression, he seemed less like a savior and more like an enemy.

Chu Zhan took a deep breath and said to the Adjutant's Wu Da Da Niangzi: "This Wu Da Da Niangzi, please keep a close watch on this family."

"Ah, ah, may I ask how we should address you?"

"This is Young Master Chu, hailing from the Bianjing Hou Fu," the comrade beside him explained.

The crowd at the gate hurriedly put on smiling faces to accompany him.

"Young Master Chu, shall my household treat this family well?" the Adjutant's Wu Da Da Niangzi continued to ask.

"No need; do not feed them until they are full, but do not let them starve to death either!"

"Good! Good!"

Having spoken, Chu Zhan lightly tapped his horse's flank and, together with his comrades, walked toward the great camp outside the city.

(End of Chapter)