Chapter 595: The mountain rain is coming, and the wind is filling the building! [2]

As Jia Dong spoke, he waved his hand and called Zhao Feng over.

Zhao Feng, having dismounted, came to Jia Dong's side holding a bright silver spear and wearing a white robe.

He first bowed to Jia Dong, then bowed to Zhen Jiang.

"Ziyang, you take the Zhao family's village braves and your younger brother Zilong to be responsible for protecting the Eldest Young Lady's safety."

"If anyone wants to harm the Eldest Young Lady, kill them without exception, no matter who they are, do you understand?" Jia Dong looked at Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng immediately cupped his hands and replied: "Zhao Feng understands."

Jia Dong smiled at Zhen Jiang and said: "Eldest Young Lady, this person is named Zhao Feng, from Zhending, Changshan, and is a brave guard I recruited."

"This person has superb martial arts, and he also has a younger brother named Zhao Yun; both have the courage of ten thousand men. Plus the village braves, even dealing with over a hundred people is not a problem."

"The Lord also gave instructions to protect the Eldest Young Lady's safety during this recent period."

"I am leaving him by the Eldest Young Lady's side."

In Jia Dong's view, Zhen Jiang was already one of Duan Yu's concubines, a certainty.

It was just that Duan Yu was currently in Liangzhou, and his reach was somewhat limited.

But judging from the current situation, it was very likely that something major was about to happen in Jizhou.

That was why Liangzhou had given him so many orders regarding Jizhou.

Zhen Jiang, sitting in the carriage, immediately shook her head and said: "There is no need for this, they..."

Zhen Jiang's gaze looked toward Zhen Jian and the others in the distance and said: "They... they wouldn't go so far as to harm me."

Jia Dong immediately shook his head and said: "Eldest Young Lady, your safety is more important than anything else; this is what the Lord specifically instructed."

"If the Eldest Young Lady were to be injured or something were to happen, my head would not be enough to bear the responsibility."

"This is the Lord thinking of the Eldest Young Lady."

Jia Dong, who was smiling as he replied, had already made his meaning very clear.

Hearing that it was Duan Yu's arrangement, Zhen Jiang, sitting in the carriage, immediately felt as if she were drinking honey.

A rosy glow also appeared on her pretty face.

"Then... what about you?"

The shy Zhen Jiang raised her head to look at Jia Dong.

"Me... I have other tasks."

Changshan State, Gaoyi.

Gaoyi was the location of the Jizhou government seat.

During the Zhou Dynasty, Gaoyi was called Hao.

During the Spring and Autumn period, it belonged to the Xianyu State and was called Hao Yi.

Later, after the Jin State destroyed Xianyu, it belonged to the Jin State.

During the Warring States period, the three ministers of Zhao, Wei, and Han divided Jin, and Hao was assigned to Zhao.

After Qin unified the six states, it established Hao County and assigned Hao County to Julu Commandery.

Therefore, Gaoyi and Julu Commandery were adjacent.

In the first year of Jianwu of the Eastern Han, Hao County was changed to Gaoyi County, and the Baixiang Marquis State was abolished and incorporated into Gaoyi.

In the twentieth year of Jianwu, Changshan Commandery was separated from Zhongshan State, and Gaoyi still belonged to Changshan Commandery.

Since then, Changshan was sometimes a commandery and sometimes a state, both governing Gaoyi.

Jizhou had the largest population of any state or commandery in the Central Plains.

The registered population of Jizhou alone exceeded six million.

The population of Changshan State alone exceeded seven hundred thousand.

This was two hundred thousand more than the entire Liangzhou.

It was more than one hundred thousand more than Bingzhou.

Changshan State governed twelve counties.

As the state seat, Gaoyi County alone had a population of nearly two hundred thousand.

And this was only the registered population.

For hundreds of years, it had been a common practice for noble clans and powerful families to hide population to avoid taxes.

Even the Zhongshan Zhen clan, which could not be considered a top-tier noble clan, had tens of thousands of servants and retainers in their household.

And throughout Jizhou, noble clans and powerful families like the Zhen clan were countless.

Besides noble clans and powerful families, Jizhou was also the place where the most kings had been enfeoffed throughout the Han Dynasty.

Even the current Emperor, Liu Hong, was from Jizhou.

Liu Hong was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhang of Han, Liu Da, and the great-grandson of Prince Xiao of Hejian, Liu Kai. Because his father, the Marquis of Jiedu Pavilion, Liu Chang, died early, Liu Hong inherited the title of Marquis of Jiedu Pavilion.

There were also families like the Geng clan of Julu Commandery.

That is, the home of the current Liangzhou Inspector, Geng Bi.

They were officials with two thousand shi for generations, with four people enfeoffed as marquises, three as marquises within the pass, one as a pavilion marquis, and nine as officials with two thousand shi.

The Weichang Liu clan.

The Qinghe Cui clan.

The Guangping Xia clan.

The Yuancheng Shu clan.

The Fanyang Feng clan.

The Yin'an Shen clan.

The Weijun Shen clan.

The Anping Cui clan... and so on.

If one counted the hidden households, servants, and retainers of these noble clans and powerful families, the population of Jizhou would be immeasurable.

In Gaoyi County, inside the luxuriously decorated Inspector's Mansion, the Inspector Li Zhao, who was plump, wearing a high mountain cap and a white long robe, was sitting in his study.

In front of Li Zhao was a middle-aged man.

At this moment, Li Zhao was holding a letter from Luoyang.

The first line of the signature on the letter was the two characters Yuan Kui.

Li Zhao, after glancing at the contents of the letter, folded it up and placed it in his sleeve.

"Please report back to Lord Yuan, and say that this subordinate understands and will certainly follow Lord Yuan's instructions," Li Zhao said to the middle-aged man in front of him.

The middle-aged man nodded with a smile: "Lord Li, rest assured, Lord Yuan has always been thinking of Lord Li. After this matter, Lord Li will be able to enter the court smoothly."

"The Situ has already arranged everything for Lord Li in Luoyang."

Li Zhao hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed in thanks: "Many thanks to Lord Yuan for his concern. This subordinate is extremely grateful and will certainly not fail Lord Yuan's trust."

The middle-aged man stood up and returned the bow: "Lord Yuan will remember Lord Li's contribution."

After some instructions, the middle-aged man in a black robe standing in front of Li Zhao left.

After the messenger from Luoyang left, Li Zhao was the only one left in the study.

Li Zhao, who had placed the letter in his sleeve, took it out again and carefully examined the contents.

His eyes were full of flowing brilliance.

Dong, dong, dong.

Just as Li Zhao was looking at Yuan Kui's letter.

A knocking sound suddenly came from outside the study.

Li Zhao immediately put away Yuan Kui's letter.

"Come in."

Outside the study, Li Zhao's trusted attendant walked into the room, then cupped his hands and said: "Fangbo, Zhen Jian of the Zhongshan Zhen clan sent a message saying that he agrees to the matter you mentioned before." ===== CHAPTER 597 =====