Delong

Chapter 579 Crossing the Sea (3)

The Eastern Capital peacefully changed hands.

In this situation, everyone has their own thoughts.

Although the people of Dongdu had been looking forward to it for a long time, they couldn't help but cheer when the moment came. The aroma of aged rice porridge filled the city. The soldiers who had accompanied the Chulong Gang finally ended this war that had lasted for more than half a year and covered countless miles. They returned home to be rewarded, which naturally caused the aroma of wine to fill all the streets of Dongdu. It even led to the sale of all the cloth, jewelry, livestock, and even calligraphy and paintings.

This is just the most obvious manifestation, reflecting the feelings of ordinary people. Those who are politically conscious are also closely watching the changing situation.

The surrendered people were thinking about how to be appointed or how to avoid political turmoil and settle down peacefully; the meritorious members of the Exile Gang were thinking about the positions of leader, big leader, and head at the conference before the end of the year, and their subsequent job appointments; even more extreme, Chief Zhang disbanded all the administrative offices, including the Grand Administrative Office, with a single sentence and officially established the Southern Office... No one could stop this, but the status of Ye City suddenly declined, the people of Hebei were somewhat unsettled, and even fluctuations in housing prices were inevitable.

But what can be done? Who can stop all of this?
Zhang Xing handed over the affairs of the Eastern Capital, Western Capital, and Ye City to Bai Yousi, Shan Tonghai, and Wei Xuanding. Essentially, this meant that if these three, along with the original Grand Secretariat staff, couldn't handle the relocation of the capital, then everyone should just give up.

As for Zhang Xing himself, he seemed to have returned to the time when he was just loafing around at Jing'an Terrace, and was even more comfortable... The reasoning makes sense, just like how the lower-ranking soldiers are now going home on leave, and many leaders, big leaders, and big bosses whose families are in Dongdu are also taking leave to go home and visit, so Chief Zhang can certainly do the same.

However, Chengfu Lane only has houses, no family members; moreover, the houses in Chengfu Lane are rented; even worse, some are shared; and still others have only paid rent for three years, which is many years ago. I wonder if Emperor Zhang would be considered to have misappropriated public property if the owners returned. Does the newly revised "Great Ming Code" contain any provisions on equal rights for renters and owners?

Of course, none of this actually happened.

The original owners of that courtyard in Chengfu Lane never returned. When they left, they demanded three years' rent, which was a last resort because they couldn't sell it. It was essentially a low-price sale. So after Zhang Xing left, Qin Bao's family lived there for a few more years without anyone coming to collect rent. Later on, the population of Dongdu was bound to decrease. There were plenty of places to live in the surrounding wards, but places like Chengfu Lane, which were next to Sima Zheng's White Pagoda and Ziwei Palace, were strictly managed and no one encroached on them.

So Zhang Xing arrived at his old residence, and like those returning veterans, he started by weeding and repairing the house.

Zhang San was familiar with this job. Back when he returned from Luolongtan, he worked in Dengzhou weeding and building houses. When he first arrived in Hebei, he also pretended to be a builder... Besides, a grandmaster is never short of strength, and he also has Qin Bao as an assistant.

Weeding, sweeping away dust, replacing broken tiles, building new walls, and erecting stables—in just two or three days, the small courtyard was tidied up and looked presentable.

Then I went to the cross street in the neighborhood and found a few pieces of furniture that were neither new nor old, and that was about it.

Almost everyone in the Eastern Capital who was involved in politics pretended not to see this process, but almost everyone's eyes never left Chengfu Ward. Moreover, apart from the top few who could remain calm, rumors had already started to spread in strange and unusual ways among those below, including those who had entered the inner chambers of the palace.

One of the most famous explanations is that Chief Zhang was worried that when the Chulong Gang officially seized the world's hegemony and was about to make large-scale personnel adjustments and appointments, the morale of the gang would be thrown into chaos!
Specifically, at this time, some people will think about seizing power and profit in order to advance further. Once they take a step forward, some will not be able to resist becoming domineering. Others will not be able to resist excluding those who are different and forming alliances. There may even be some low-level people who may consider themselves meritorious officials, wanting official positions, money, and a big house in the Eastern Capital, and discussing how to change wives.

At this point, Chief Zhang took a step back, remaining hidden within the city and temporarily refraining from any specific political affairs. Instead, he could calmly observe and assess these people from behind, preventing them from easily crossing the line.

Anyone who makes a fuss or causes trouble should be kicked out! The Chulong Gang isn't short of people anyway! And Chief Zhang has plenty of prestige and ability!
You know what, this saying was widely circulated and highly effective, and for a time, people from all walks of life took a somewhat dignified stance.

Returning to Chengfu Lane, the house was tidied up, and the first group of people from Ye City had already arrived. Only then did Emperor Zhang take a new step under everyone's watchful eyes—he began to invite some people to visit this small courtyard.

The first to arrive was Tuli, the leader of the Wu tribe. Upon receiving the invitation, Tuli Khan was not flustered. He had witnessed Cao Che's behavior before and knew that most emperors in the Central Plains were eccentric. So he did not think much of it and simply prepared to attend the banquet. However, due to the short time, he could only roughly inquire about Emperor Zhang's hobbies and hastily buy some valuable gifts. At the same time, he naturally had to visit Li Ding and Zhang Shizhao first to inquire about possible solutions for dealing with the Wu tribe and his own future position.

Fortunately, he found Zhang Shizhao, and "Old Zhang San" immediately reminded him that this was a simple family banquet. It only showed that the emperor cared about the matter of the Wu tribe and would certainly show leniency in dealing with it in the future, but it did not mean that the emperor would directly deal with the matter. Therefore, there was no need to make any extra preparations. He could just wear simple clothes and bring whatever gifts ordinary people in Dongdu would bring when they moved.

Tuli then realized what was happening. After leaving Zhang Shizhao's house, he used his old connections to find Yu Changnan, who had just come from Yecheng, and asked for a "house-protecting sticker." He also bought a bag of pastries so he could go directly to Yu's house the next day.

As expected, it was just a simple family dinner. Zhang Xing accepted the "house-protecting sticker," and couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. He then hung it in the main hall. Afterward, he asked Jia Runshi to buy some simple food and wine from the street. The two sides ate a simple meal, chatted about the customs and traditions of the Wu tribe, and the most sensitive question from Emperor Zhang was nothing more than whether Princess Chengyi and Khan Dulan had any whereabouts...

And that was it; the meal was simply finished and the matter was over.

That very afternoon, not long after Tuli returned, Emperor Zhang issued a new imperial edict, simultaneously signed by the Emperor and the Chief, appointing Zhang Shizhao as the main person in charge, overseeing the unification of the remaining Wu tribes and the post-war restructuring, and ordering him to report directly to the Southern Court.

Now, everyone is keeping a close eye on Chengfufang.

The second group of guests was Feng Fu from Lingnan, accompanied by Xie Minghe. Bai Yousi also took time out of her busy schedule to come. The gift was quite interesting; it was a batch of dried fruit, a specialty of Lingnan, which seemed to have been brought from home. It was just a mystery how this person managed to find such a thing in the Eastern Capital.

The atmosphere was much more harmonious this time, with everyone praising the Holy Mother's great achievements, and the agreement to jointly send troops to attack Jiangnan was not even mentioned.

Upon returning, an imperial edict was issued, directly appointing the chief commander Feng Fu as the general commander of the Nanling Army, and dispatching some of the Nanling people who had come to provide support to take up positions in the Central Plains, Guanzhong, Hebei, and various places under the new imperial court.

The third wave of guests was truly authentic.

The main guests were Chen Bin and Chai Xiaohe, who had just entered the city at the end of April, accompanied by Xiong Bonan, Xu Shiying, Bai Yousi, Li Ding and other leading figures in the city.

No one knows what they talked about, but after they left, Chief Zhang, who was also the emperor, issued another decree, appointing Chen Bin as the temporary prime minister of the Southern Court and concurrently the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Li Ding as the temporary Left Prime Minister and concurrently the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Chai Xiaohe as the temporary Right Prime Minister and concurrently the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Xiong Bonan as the Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Xu Shiying as the Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Bai Yousi as the Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Wei Xuanding, who was still in Yecheng, as the Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. All of them were appointed to the Southern Court.

It was probably because of this incident that Zhang Xing encountered some uninvited guests the next day. Many leaders from Hebei Province came under the leadership of Liu Heihuang, mainly asking if they could not take back the houses in Ye City after moving to Dongdu. After listening, Zhang Xing told them to take the lead and vacate the houses in the first batch, and then chased them out without even leaving them a meal.

After this incident, the northerners and Henan people who had been restless settled down.

Even so, a new guest suddenly took the initiative to visit, and Zhang Xing had no choice but to give him face—the Dragon Head, Grandmaster, and Demon-Slaying Guardian, Yin Tianqi, came to visit. It was said that he had bought the wine and food at the Cross Street and brought it to Zhang Xing's door.

After the meeting, Zhang Xing issued an imperial decree, demoting Yin Tianqi, the former commander of the Northern Northern Army, to the position of Vice Minister of the Censorate and appointed to the Southern Army, and temporarily appointing Hei Yan as the leader of the Dragon Gang due to his merits.

This news was actually the first major political event since the Demotion Gang entered the Eastern Capital, because it was unexpected—how could a northerner have taken the position? How did the north suddenly become a leader? And everyone knows what the Censorate is all about, so why fill such an important position with someone from the Southern Court? Isn't this all too hasty?

Even if the people from the North have indeed made contributions this time, shouldn't we discuss it?
Soon, this discussion reached its peak after Chen Bin, Xiong Bonan, and Xu Shiying jointly issued the "Supplementary Announcement on the Regulations of the State, Provinces, Taiwan, and Ministries" the next day.

The proclamation clearly states that the ranks within a gang generally correspond to the ranks of the nation, and those without a certain rank within the gang are not permitted to hold corresponding national positions or military duties; this is a prerequisite.

As for the national system, it currently largely adopts the official rank system of the former Great Wei Dynasty, but there are also significant changes.

For example, in the Three Departments system, the Ministry of State Affairs (Shangshu Sheng) actually oversees all government affairs and guides officials, which remains largely unchanged; while the current Ministry of State Affairs (Zhongshu Sheng) actually controls and oversees the central government, and its responsibilities have completely shifted from the past; as for the Ministry of State Affairs (Menxia Sheng), the most core power of evaluation has been delegated to the overall concept of the Southern Ministry of State Affairs, and its current core responsibility is actually the power and responsibility of drafting and issuing proclamations that the Ministry of State Affairs previously held... It has inherited the original document department of the Chulong Gang.

Below the three provinces, instead of establishing six ministries, the original system of multiple ministries within the Grand Secretariat was continued, with the option to flexibly add or remove ministries.

Beyond the provincial and local prefectures and counties, there were special departments with independence and confidentiality, each with its own designated "Tai" (台). These were essentially continuations of the previous Jing'an Tai (靖安台) and Yushi Tai (御史台), with the addition of the Assistant Affairs and Military Affairs departments, establishing the Assistant Affairs Tai (帮务台) and Military Affairs Tai (军务台). Many people felt this was unnecessary, as the heads of these two departments already held the positions of deputy heads of the three provinces and were also officials in the Southern Court. In contrast, there's not much to say about Wei Xuanding's Sili Tai (司隶台). Previously, the Great Wei and Eastern Qi dynasties had highly prestigious capital city administrators, and before that, there was the famous Sili Xiaowei (司隶校尉), whose political status was exceptional. The original intention was to grant a unique position to the official actually responsible for the administration and oversight of the capital region.

This time it's perfectly legitimate.

Once you understand this, it's no wonder everyone is talking about it. This Censor-in-Chief is one of the two ministers that the Expelling Dragon Gang actually added after this battle. The other one is Li Ding, who made the greatest contribution in this battle. He made the greatest contribution and should be rewarded. But what about Yin Tianqi? He can't be called a surrendered person, but he is still half an outsider. Moreover, no matter how great his merits are in the North, can they be as great as those of the commander-in-chief Li Ding?

Moreover, this wasn't just a problem with one of the men, because they immediately added another dragon head to the Demon-Slaying Guards.

This makes people even more indignant.

Of course, soon someone from within the Demon-Slaying Guard spread a message—the Grand Commander wanted to retire, but Chief Zhang strongly urged him to stay for another two or three years, while also giving the Grand Commander honors and benefits.

After these words were spoken, the discussion subsided somewhat.

But some people were still dissatisfied. That was the prime minister! What more could they expect in three years? And finally someone shouted out, "We can't ignore the merits of Dou Lide, the deputy commander of the expeditionary force, just because he's been busy in the north! We can keep Dou Lide out of the Southern Court, but we can't let the Demon-Slaying Guards get past us!"
Hebei is the true base of the Expelling Dragon Gang, not the northern regions!
Zhang Xing ignored all of this and continued to entertain his guests.

One afternoon in early May, the weather was fairly clear, but the southerly winds kept blowing... Locals in Dongdu, including some Henan people who flocked to Dongdu, knew that this was a sign of continuous rain in May. The southerly winds brought moisture from the south, but it couldn't cross the major rivers, so the area from Henan to the Huai River would experience continuous drizzle in May.

Nobody knows when the rain will start!

In the south wind, a tall, middle-aged man arrived at the east gate of Chengfu Lane. He wore a small samurai hat but no sword. His clothes were ordinary, but he had a gold and silver belt around his waist, which attracted the attention of many people.

This person clearly noticed the strange looks from the crowd, but did not realize that it was a problem with his attire. Moreover, he had other matters to attend to and could not concern himself with such things.

After waiting for a while, a rider in brocade robes came along the main street, dismounted, and said something to the tall man with a slightly embarrassed expression. The latter had no choice but to wave his hand after glancing at the sky and go straight into the neighborhood.

Upon entering the neighborhood, the man kept his head down, yet it was as if he had eyes in his head. He turned left and right, and soon arrived at the small courtyard.

Before he could knock, the door opened from the inside, and Qin Bao came out, bowing respectfully: "Brother Sima, it's been a long time! My mother and wife were here that day, and we were fortunate to have your care..."

That person, Sima Zheng, smiled upon hearing this and opened his mouth to respond, but he still seemed a little stiff: "Actually, it was Li Shierlang who took care of Brother Qin's family more that day."

Upon hearing this name, Qin Bao, who had long prided himself on being as hard as iron and fearless in his life, couldn't help but feel a little dazed. He paused for a moment before coming to his senses and stepping aside to let the other person in.

Sima Zheng stepped in and was also momentarily stunned, because he could clearly see Zhang Xing building a chicken coop in the corner.

He was indeed a Grandmaster, and the White Pagoda was still standing, but he couldn't very well go around investigating whether the Emperor, the Chief, or another Grandmaster were building a chicken coop or cooking.
Moreover, why build a chicken coop?

Who will live here? If you, the emperor, were to actually stay here for an extended period, it would be far more than a simple incident like Dou Lide's failure to be rewarded for his merits.

“You need a chicken coop!” Zhang Xingxiao, noticing the person’s question, explained without even looking up. “If there’s no chicken coop, you’ll have to build a fish pond, but building a fish pond requires hanging a grape trellis, which is too much trouble… To put it bluntly, having this thing will make the house easier to sell in the future! When people come in and see a chicken coop, they’ll know it’s a house for serious living and will be willing to buy it.”

"That's true, but I'm afraid it'll be difficult," Sima Zheng said, realizing the situation and offering a serious analysis. "Right now, everyone in the Eastern Capital knows that this courtyard in Chengfu Ward is the very center of the world. Will it be able to sell?"

“They’ll sell.” Zhang Xing explained confidently as he continued nailing the nails in. “You should know that there are probably forty or fifty such long-term vacant courtyards in Chengfu Lane, all of which have been confiscated as government property… Whether they’re sold off in the future or used as dormitories for the Jing’an Bureau, no matter which house it is, they’ll all say it’s the one Qin Bao and I lived in. Do you think they can tell the difference?”

Sima Zheng thought for a moment and found himself unable to refute it.

Just then, the last plank on the chicken coop was silently nailed in. Zhang Xing clapped his hands and stood up, which seemed to save Sima Zheng, who didn't know how to intervene, from an awkward situation...

"I'm so sorry, I heard you like calligraphy and paintings, so I traced the source and found a painting that you supposedly really like." Sima was about to say something, but could only continue awkwardly. "But time was too tight, and the painting happened to have been put away a few years ago. Now the scroll is torn and needs to be temporarily framed... I asked them to bring it here later."

“I understand the rumors in Dongdu that I like calligraphy and painting.” Zhang Xing’s heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. “But actually, I don’t like calligraphy and painting.”

Sima Zheng was somewhat confused.

“I like reading novels and eating fried dough balls… As for calligraphy and paintings, I did have some involvement with several famous paintings back in Dongdu, but that was only because I needed to bribe people, and they happened to like calligraphy and paintings. Later, when I went to Jiangnan, I confiscated the works of the Eight Masters of Calligraphy and Painting. I couldn’t take anything else, so I kept a few pieces… Over time, I acquired this kind of reputation.” Zhang Xing explained briefly while washing his hands on a basin stand. “But it doesn’t matter… I don’t dislike calligraphy and paintings.”

Sima Zheng nodded, but it was clear that he was still somewhat stiff.

Come to think of it, even though they had a relationship back then, so much time has passed, and the major upheaval was only ten days ago. It would be a bit much to ask him to calmly face all of this.

All I can say is that it finally arrived.

Turning back to the present, Yue Niang has not yet returned to Dongdu, and even if she does, she cannot continue to live here, so no one cooks. Jia Runshi lives at the entrance of the alley, and he will personally buy wine and dishes if needed, and Qin Bao will just heat them up in a pot.

At this moment, Sima Zheng arrived, and Qin Bao set up a table in the courtyard and laid out the food from the pot. It was April, and since the capital was easily accessible from all directions, prices were high, and merchants from all over came, so there was no shortage of fresh vegetables and various supplies.

The three of them sat down and chatted casually about the prices in the Eastern Capital.

However, it wasn't long before the two of them calmed down. After a while, Qin Bao also noticed something and quickly went to open the door... When he opened the door, he saw Dou Lide, who should have arrived in Dongdu yesterday, dismounting outside the door.

Qin Bao helped tie the horse to the door, while Dou Lide carried a bag of snacks inside. He was quite composed, and upon seeing Sima inside, he didn't stand on ceremony and greeted him with a smile, "Chief, it's been a long time. Who is this hero?"

Zhang Xing stood up with a smile and introduced the two men: "Sima Erlang, this is Dou Longtou, Old Dou, and this hero is none other than General Sima, who protected the lives of millions of people in the Eastern Capital!"

Both of them were somewhat surprised and bowed to each other.

However, before he could sit down again, Sima Zheng stood there and sighed, "What kind of hero am I? The chief and all the heroes of the Expelling Dragons Gang will unify the world and end the war. They are the true heroes. Without this final outcome, no matter how much we struggle, we are just creating chaos."

Zhang Xing nodded slightly, it was unclear whether he agreed with something or didn't care about something.

“That makes sense,” Dou Lide said with some emotion. “But regardless of internal or external affairs, whether civil or military, if one can take steps to promote the unification of the world, wouldn’t that be considered a contribution to the world? General Sima, there’s no need to belittle yourself.”

Sima Zheng slightly composed himself, nodded, and sat down.

Dou Lide then turned to Zhang Xing and asked, "Chief, what's going on with Fang Xuanqiao? I gave a report at the Southern Office today, and many people were talking about how good his design for the Imperial Academy was, but why hasn't he been put to use or appointed?"

“He has something to do,” Zhang Xing blurted out. “I saw him back when we were camped in Xiaoshan… He’s determined to inherit the teachings of his ancestor, Master Jin Ge, and to establish the school system. He did a great job in Dongdu before, and I agree with him. However, his mentor, Wang Huaitong, went missing after the war, and he’s worried about him, so he wants to go and look for him first… We’ll make arrangements after he returns.”

Dou Lide gave an "oh" and immediately understood that this person's ambition was not in the court, but rather to use the establishment of a school as a means of self-cultivation.

Sima Zheng hesitated for a moment, then mentioned someone: "Chief Zhang, is there a reason why Wang Daiji has not been appointed for so long? If it is because of the matter in Luoyang, forgive me for speaking frankly, but he has not done much wrong. He was just implicated by me."

“You’re overthinking it.” Zhang Xing shook his head repeatedly. “Wang Daiji’s destination is to follow you, but your destination is currently in some turmoil, and it’s also related to Dou Longtou, so I’ve invited the two of you here this time.”

Dou Lide perked up, while Sima Zhengze became slightly nervous and uneasy. Qin Bao, on the other hand, calmly took out a dish from the kitchen pot and began to eat.

“The reasoning is simple. There are still three crucial destinations that haven't been decided,” Zhang Xing said earnestly. “One is the possible war against Liang after the autumn harvest, but that matter doesn't involve you two much. I can't use you, Sima Erlang, nor should I use Dou Longtou. But the other two destinations are exactly where you're headed. One is the Censorate. Yin Longtou truly wants to retire and live a carefree life, so going to the Censorate would actually mean taking responsibility…”

Dou Lide's eyes lit up, but he remained patient, while Sima Zheng was completely unmoved.

“The second is to go to Dengzhou,” Zhang Xing said, squinting. “Sooner or later we must conquer the Dongyi and the Demon Island to bring peace to the world! The Demon Island is small and isolated. If we really want to fight the last remaining force resisting unification, it will be in the Dongyi! Someone needs to go there to make preparations!”

Dou Lide immediately fell into thought, while Sima Zheng remained calm, his intentions unreadable.

A moment later, Dou Lide stated directly: "Actually, it doesn't matter where it is."

This is the truth. Staying in the Eastern Capital and entering the Southern Office, it is unlikely that he could really shake the original structure of the Grand Secretariat before the destruction of the Eastern Barbarians. He would either be able to supervise Chen Bin's Censorate or continue to leverage his advantages in the provinces. To put it bluntly, his political influence is not yet great enough and his alliances are not yet strong enough. Under these circumstances, he just needs to keep up.

In contrast, Sima Zhengze was clearly somewhat uneasy. After a moment's thought, he slowly shook his head: "How could I, a surrendered person, be directly appointed to such a position? Both of these positions are too important."

“General Sima is a Grandmaster…” Dou Lide actually tried to persuade him instead. “Besides, the chief has just said that there is more than just General Sima in the Eastern Capital. Isn’t Wang Daiji’s appointment precisely to follow General Sima? If you go to the Southern Office in the Eastern Capital, he will naturally stay in the Eastern Capital. If you go to Dengzhou, he will naturally go to the surrounding areas.”

Sima Zheng smiled bitterly.

Just then, Qin Bao suddenly got up again and went to open the door. This time, it was Sima Zheng's family who came to deliver the calligraphy and painting.

Everyone put aside their worldly affairs and pretended to look at the painting together. When they opened it, they were surprised to find that it was "Seven Horses".

Zhang Xing shook his head and laughed on the spot: "No wonder they say this painting has a history. It was given to Old Chai back then, asking him to protect Yue Niang... Where is Old Chai? How did he sell this painting? Wasn't his son Chai Yu doing quite well when I saw him last year?"

"Knowing I was coming, Chai Yu made special preparations for this." Sima Zheng also said with some helplessness.

He had thought it was some other kind of investigation, but he didn't expect it to be so direct. It turned out to be the bribe that Zhang Xing had given him that day. But this inevitably brought up the topic we had just discussed. It wasn't just Wang Daiji; wasn't Chai Yu also relying on him? No matter how embarrassed Old Chai was, didn't he still hold his nose and let his son bring out the painting that he had put away three years ago?
People like Fang Xuanqiao, who have their own plans and goals, are actually very rare.

However... however, Sima Zheng was ultimately pushed into this position by his seventh uncle, and there was still some hurdle in his heart, so he couldn't have things go as smoothly as others.

In stark contrast, Dou Lide, having received definite news and feeling relieved, and having roughly guessed Sima Zheng's awkwardness, did not dwell on the matter and simply chatted about trivial matters while eating.

Zhang Xing casually placed the painting on the chicken coop behind him, weighing it down with a compass, without rushing to put it away, and chatted and ate with the others.

Dou Lide spoke of his experiences in the North and Wudi, and how busy his wife was. He mentioned that he had to eat at his daughter's house for dinner after arriving yesterday, only to be met with disdain. Zhang Xing talked about the decadence of Jiangdong and the old affairs of Dongdu, stating that he wanted to clean things up. He also frankly admitted that he had ideas about everyone else, but Du Pozhen was neither here nor there, which annoyed him. Even Qin Bao mentioned that his spotted beast was unusually peaceful upon returning to this place, but he was also a little worried about the age of this dragon steed. Sima Zheng could join in on these conversations, but he only joined in; he himself did not initiate any topics.

Even though everyone knew perfectly well that he should have taken the initiative to say many things.

After a while, seeing that it was still early evening, someone opened the door and came in. It was Bai Yousi leading Wang Zhen, who had just entered the Eastern Capital that day.

Qin Bao quickly added a stool, then went to get the dishes from the pot, only to find they were a bit cold. He wanted to add more firewood, but there was none left. However, he didn't panic. He simply went to the alley entrance to find someone selling firewood.

Bai Yousi didn't care and sat down on his own.

Now, Sima Zheng knew that this was Zhang Xing and his wife's arrangement, otherwise Qin Bao wouldn't have put so many dishes in the pot... But meeting an old friend still made him feel emotional.

Not to mention Wang Zhen's temper; he immediately took Sima Zheng's arm and wept on the spot.

However, after finally sitting down again, Sima Zheng still didn't know what to say. Or rather, all sorts of emotions were welling up in his chest, but he didn't know how to express them, or even whether he should express them at all... Just then, Qin Bao returned from outside, calmly removed the threshold of Xin'an, and then helped an old man selling firewood, whose clothes were still relatively neat, push a small cart of firewood in.

After entering, Qin Bao unloaded the firewood in no time without anyone's help. He inquired about the price: 15 coins per bundle, 120 coins for 8 bundles. Then he went inside to get the money.

When the price was asked, everyone present listened intently, as if afraid that the person would rip them off. Once they heard that the price was within a reasonable range, they all felt relieved.

However, Zhang Xing turned his head and immediately noticed something. He glanced at the man and then checked with Bai Yousi and Sima Zheng. Seeing that the latter two nodded, he finally turned his head to carefully examine the wood seller.

Even when Qin Bao took out 150 coins, he noticed something was wrong and couldn't help but be surprised.

Seeing that the other party was dodging, Zhang Xing simply asked directly, "Do you know me, sir?"

The man was about to kneel down, but his knees seemed to be supported by something, leaving him nowhere to put his weight on them: "Although I had heard the rumors, I dared not believe them. But having just seen this 'Seven Horses' painting, I dare not doubt that the new sage is indeed before my eyes..."

Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment.

He had just noticed the other man staring at him, and since he was a firewood seller, he instinctively thought of him as the person who delivered firewood when he lived here years ago. But the age, complexion, and clothing didn't match up. Then the man started talking about paintings, and he realized: "You're the one who sold me the 'Panlong' painting at Tongtuo Workshop and also introduced me to this 'Seven Horses' painting?"

The man seemed both pleased and saddened: "I never expected that the sage would still remember this old man."

"Fourteen taels of gold couldn't save your shop back then, but seven or eight years later, it's still intact. It's truly..." Zhang Xing didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what to say either," the old wood seller sighed deeply.

Everyone was astonished by what they saw.

Zhang Xing thought for a moment and could only sigh: "It's alright. Today is a wonderful coincidence. The world is at peace now, and you have the skills in calligraphy and painting. It's just right to give you the capital to reopen your shop."

As he spoke, he took down the compass, preparing to return the "Seven Horses" painting.

"Let the chief calligrapher inscribe a word and sign it!" Sima Zheng naturally knew that this opportunity had brought him here, so he didn't hesitate. "Otherwise, a painting alone won't be enough to start a calligraphy and painting shop."

"That's exactly what I meant." Zhang Xing nodded.

Qin Bao remained silent, put down the money, and went to get a pen and ink from the house.

Zhang Xing picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and looked around at the people in the courtyard. With a slight thought, he asked, "Sima Erlang, San Niang, Qin Er, and Wang Zhen, do you remember that poem with varying lengths?"

After saying this, without waiting for a response from the two, he pressed down on the chicken coop and picked up a brush to write a few words completely unrelated to the content of the painting above the "Seven Horses" painting:

The road beneath Mount Beiman, past and present, is now dusty, where heroes have grown old.

Life is full of regrets, like water flowing eastward forever.

With whom can I share my melancholy thoughts? My gaze sweeps across the distant returning geese.

What use is unparalleled fame and glory? I wrongly blamed Heaven in the past.

A grand song, a thousand cups of wine.

A man's path is his own; he should not concern himself with poverty or wealth.

Upon writing the first line, Wang Zhen was naturally confused, and Dou Lide was even more clueless about the reason. However, Bai Yousi, Sima Zheng, and Qin Bao were all moved, and then couldn't hide their surprise... Immediately afterward, Bai Yousi read "Who can I share my melancholy thoughts with? My gaze is fixed on the returning wild geese in the distance," and his mind wandered as he stared at Zhang Xing without moving. Sima Zheng followed with "What use is worldly fame and glory? I wrongly blamed Heaven in the past," and was also struck dumb as if by lightning, momentarily lost in thought. Qin Bao heard "A man's path is where he is, so don't discuss poverty or wealth," and was also completely terrified.

Even after Zhang Xing finished writing, he recited a few lines of "Life's regrets flow like water eastward forever"... With so many people and so many things, how can one possibly cover everything? Now that the water is flowing smoothly, that's good enough.

At this moment, as if by some strange twist of fate, he finally wrote six characters on the painting "Seven Horses"—"Zhang Xing inscribed on the Panlong painting".

It was as if I had remembered it wrong.

A moment later, Dou Lide personally saw the old man off and then prepared to take his leave... He had just inquired about the whole story and learned that the long and short poem used to urge people to drink at the banquet was actually recited by Zhang Xing when they first met. He was also shocked. The collaboration between these grandmasters was too frightening... But when he returned to the courtyard, he saw that Bai Yousi and Qin Bao were still alright, but they were still muttering and losing their composure. Sima Zheng, on the other hand, was already in tears, as if he had poured out all the pent-up emotions in his heart!

Wang Zhen, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded.

The following day, before Zhang Xing moved into the West Garden, he issued his last two decrees from the small courtyard: appointing Dou Lide, the head of the Imperial Censorate, as the Vice Minister of the Censorate and filling a position in the Southern Office; and temporarily appointing Sima Zheng as the head of the Imperial Censorate and establishing the Eastern Expeditionary Command in Dengzhou, making it the military and political command.

That night, the May rain arrived in Dongdu as expected.