Chapter 10: What a Coincidence

Unable to explain his plans to military advisor Xie Chongming, Zhou Shengchen just replied indifferently: "We have dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops southward. Now that the situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is slightly stable, it is a great opportunity to counter the rebellion. If we cannot take advantage of it, we will be in trouble in the future. It will only use up more troops and food, which is really not cost-effective."

Regarding his decision, Hong Xiaoyu and others obeyed without hesitation. Xie Chong finally felt that the rebuttal was not sufficient and subsequently agreed.

With such a large-scale troop dispatch, Zhou Shengchen naturally wanted to do it as quietly as possible. The purpose of this was not to worry that Xiao Wen on the south bank would take advantage of the situation to attack, but to keep the rebels in the dark and not take more precautions.

As he wished.

After Xiao Wen returned to Nan'an, he had to first report to Jiankang's father, Xiao Xu, the fact that the raid had failed and that rectification had to be made temporarily, and the other was to apologize.

Although Xiao Xu was heartbroken over the loss of many soldiers and horses, after knowing that his beloved son was safe, he did not blame him too much and only ordered him to defend himself and not risk any more attacks.

The other thing is, like any war, if you can't win, sit down and negotiate to see if there is a possibility of reconciliation.

Envoys from both sides of the Taiwan Strait have resumed exchanges, and the trade of some commodities has been recognized by both sides. As for important commodities such as tea strings and furs, negotiations are still going on with difficulty.

Regarding this situation, Zhou Shengchen in the north of the river and Xiao Wen in the south were no longer anxious and left it to the envoys to discuss it over and over again.

Because Zhou Shengchen had to deal with the military planes coming from the counter-rebellion, but Xiao Wen was not idle and fell into his own troubles.

When Xiao Wen was young, his mother, a queen, died of illness. Fortunately, his father Xiao Xu loved him very much and was almost certain that he would pass on Nan Xiao's empire to him in the future.

But as he grew up, Xiao Wen became suspicious of his own life experience. First, there were a few words from people in the palace, and later there were rumors among the royal family, which made Xiao Wen doubt whether he was Xiao Xu's biological child.

As he continued to investigate, a rumor that he couldn't believe or accept was confirmed by him: Emperor Xiao Xu was not only not Xiao Wen's biological father, but he also usurped his brother's position and usurped his brother's position. The wife of a wicked man!

In other words, Xiao Xu killed the original emperor, took possession of the pregnant queen Xiao Wen, and easily captured Nan Xiao, who owned a world thousands of miles away!

This was a royal dispute. The important ministers at that time were either executed or surrendered, and no one could mention it again.

Xiao Wen was originally confused about this. But when he was captured during the raid on Beichen Camp, he actually heard about it from Zhou Shengchen's mouth!

Zhou Shengchen said it vaguely, but if there are differences in appearance and personality, wouldn't it be obvious that Xiao Xu and Xiao Wen are not biological father and son?

Even people in Jiangbei knew about this, and Xiao Wen immediately fell into depression as if he had been struck by lightning.

He thought about leading troops to rebel immediately, but he also knew that Xiao Xu clearly delegated power to him, but there were also many supervisory generals watching.

If you just run away, will you return in the future to avenge the late emperor and empress? Xiao Wen couldn't make up his mind because he didn't think it through well.

Always investigate the matter further to make sure it is clear. After he pondered for a long time, he couldn't help but think of someone.

That person will definitely solve his doubts, but Xiao Wen feels very entangled in his heart towards Xiao Xu, who raised him.

Knowing the details, the two of them immediately became enemies. At least Xiao Wen would not, nor could he, call the enemy who killed his father and humiliated his mother any more titles like "father and emperor".

After all, Xiao Wen couldn't make up his mind after being favored by him for many years. After thinking about everything, he put on his big cloak and walked to the riverside.

Looking across the bank at the lights of Beichen Camp, he couldn't help but sigh.

Living in this world is not easy.

Even if he is as heroic as King Xiao Nanchen, he must be forced to swear a strong oath before he can continue to lead his troops!

Looking back on his own experience, Xiao Wen only felt extremely ashamed.

When he was anxious, he suddenly clenched his fist secretly: King Xiao Nanchen is brave and invincible, and he is also heroic and loyal. Can't I borrow his soldiers to avenge my country's subjugation? !

When he thought about colluding with other places to attack and destroy his own country, he was shocked by this idea and became suspicious.

Borrowing troops may be possible, but will King Xiao Nanchen also destroy himself?

Feeling worried about this problem, Xiao Wen made repeated deductions in his mind.

A meteor streaked across the sky. After seeing it with his peripheral vision, he quickly followed its traces.

The long tail of the meteor disappeared, and Xiao Wen suddenly felt enlightened: No matter what, if the revenge of his parents is not avenged, how can he still stand in the world? !

Xiao Nanchen and Wang Zhongyi may not be able to seize the country. Furthermore, I might be able to stop him from seizing the country. Or, even if such a person is in charge of state affairs, he will be kind and righteous to the people and will not abuse the people.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wen decided not to worry about the long-term results. The most important thing was to find out his life experience first.

The best and most accurate way to get the facts is to go to the nearby Jiangling City and visit Mr. Huan Yu who is assisting in the revision of "History of Southern Xiao" at Longkang Academy!

Having made up his mind, Xiao Wen first made careful arrangements for the affairs of the military camp and asked the envoys traveling to and from the north bank to give some instructions on trading goods.

Later, he secretly entered Jiangling City with his trusted personnel on the grounds that he was frightened during the raid across the river.

Without disturbing the local government, he rented a vacant house and just thought of it as a place to rest in peace.

In order to avoid being under surveillance, he also brought several beautiful wives and concubines (main concubine and concubine), two sons and three daughters here together.

Externally he claims to be a businessman, but internally he only says he is recuperating. He seems to be living a leisurely life. But he does not live in the back house, but only spends time alone in the front hall.

Usually, he would also go out to wander in the market, or just visit nearby scenic spots.

After a month of this, Xiao Wen took two attendants out again. It didn't take long to get rid of the two people, and he went to Longkang Academy alone.

Because he was wearing ordinary clothes, he only said that he was a traveling scholar from Jiangbei. He hoped to get advice from Mr. Huan Yu, so he sincerely asked to see him.

A scholar reported it to Mr. Huan Yu, but Xiao Wen did not get a chance to meet him.

Feeling very disappointed, he lingered inside and outside the academy for a long time, and had no choice but to drag his tired footsteps away.

There was a ferry terminal nearby. To amuse himself, he took out a couple of silver coins and took a boat trip on the water.

It was getting dark, and the boats in the river lit up oil lamps or red lanterns.

Those who light oil lamps are ordinary fishermen; those who hang red lanterns beside the boat canopy are those on the boats with female dancers.

"Sir, would you like to find a wife to accompany you?" the boatman asked with a smile.

Seeing the beautiful river scenery, Xiao Wen, who was originally free and easy-going, had no interest in it at this time.

"It's fine if I can have a few glasses of wine. As for the female actress, I don't want to listen to her songs." Xiao Wen refused.

"What a coincidence." The boatman couldn't help laughing after hearing what he said.

Xiao Wen couldn't help but feel surprised when he saw the boatman's expression and words, and subconsciously asked, "What's such a coincidence?"

The boatman stopped rowing with a smile, pointed to a large flower boat over there and said: "There is a gentleman on the boat over there who is touring the night scene here. Although he is accompanied by several beautiful female dancers, he still feels bored."

Xiao Wen turned around and saw a large flower boat, more than ten feet long and with a flower tower over three feet high erected on it, swimming in the clear river.

Pink curtains are hung in every window of the flower boat, revealing the light of candles inside. Its candle shadow shines together with the lights of the singing house and restaurant on the shore, and its reflection floats slightly in the river.

Accompanied by the beautiful singing voice of the female actress, pleasant silk strings came out. In the meantime, there were occasional compliments and laughter from the master.

"It's indeed beautiful." Xiao Wen couldn't help but praise when he saw this scene.

"Yes. No matter whether it's a scholar or a commoner, who doesn't want to live such a peaceful life?!" The boatman said and sighed again.

"Why did the boatman sigh at this beautiful scenery?" Xiao Wen asked in surprise.

After hesitating again and again, the boatman looked around vigilantly and said in a low voice: "Young Master naturally knows that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been fighting for more than half a year. Although the people hope that Jiangnan will win, they always pray for peace. "

Xiao Wen nodded silently and said nothing more.

The boat sailed slowly into the distance. He thought about it again and asked, "What did the boatman mean when he said 'what a coincidence'?"

"Oh, I know the boatman of the flower boat. When I came out of the pier just now, I heard him say, 'Sir, he only wants to be lively, but unfortunately there are not enough people to drink.' I saw that the young master was lonely, so I tried to talk." The boatman said. Come on, start the oar and oar again.

"Sir? May I ask who it is?" Xiao Wen asked curiously.

"Young master, I wonder. The gentleman I mentioned is extremely famous. Even the emperor paid him three respects!" the boatman said with praise, "I also heard that the emperor asked him to be a master. But the gentleman did not agree."

Xiao Wen immediately sat up straight and asked anxiously: "This gentleman,"

"That's Mr. Huan Yu, the owner of Longkang Academy." The boatman said and paddled hard.

"What a coincidence!" Xiao Wen blurted out, "The boatman, come closer! I just don't know if Mr. Huan Yu is willing to let me board the boat!"

The boatman had already received the order. At this moment, he smiled secretly and said, "Young Master is right to be worried."

Xiao Wen immediately regretted his words and quickly took out a piece of silver from his sleeve: "The boatman just come closer."

The boatman took the silver and happily stuffed it into his arms. With more strength in his hands, the boat quickly moved closer to the boat.

"Be careful!" the boatman of Huafang shouted, and the boatman here quickly replied: "The guests invited by Mr. Huan Yu have arrived."

Several boatmen on the Huafang side agreed and used their pennies to catch the boat.

As the two boats approached, Xiao Wen praised in a low voice: "The boatman is so eloquent." He quickly got up and stepped onto the boat from this side.

The boat left. Xiao Wen stood on the side of the boat, raised his hands and said loudly: "I have taken the liberty of disturbing Mr. Huan's enjoyment!"

The sound of silk and bamboo stopped immediately, and the people gathered in the flower building were silent for the time being.

"I have come all the way to see you sir!" Xiao Wen saluted again and said loudly.

After a long time, a reply came from the flower tower: "I have another distinguished guest here, and it seems inconvenient for anyone to disturb me."

Hearing his hesitation, Xiao Wen quickly replied: "I am naive and don't dare to disturb the distinguished guests. I just pretend to be listening and sitting by with my ears but not my mouth."

The people on the flower floor couldn't help laughing after hearing this.

Xiao Wen didn't hear the reply and was feeling worried when he saw a female actress coming down from upstairs. She bowed solemnly and saluted, "Sir, sir, please speak upstairs."

Xiao Wen was immediately overjoyed and walked quickly. The female actress stepped aside and he ran up the flower building with brisk steps.

The flower building on the second floor was filled with a group of singers and musicians. Seeing him walking in a hurry, they all burst into laughter.

Ignoring it, Xiao Wen went up to the top floor again, and the two maids bowed and stepped aside. Looking inside, he suddenly felt that his eyes were very clear.

There were pink curtains hanging all around, but there were only two men sitting at the wine table in the huge space.

One of these two people is elegant and elegant, with a look in his eyes that is full of knowledge and cultivation.

Xiao Wen, who had met Huan Yu several times before, was immediately overjoyed. He raised his hands and said seriously: "Mr. Huan, I hope you can find him easily!"

Not daring to publicly acknowledge Xiao Wen's status as the prince, Huan Yu smiled calmly, stood up and returned the courtesy: "I know that 'Young Master' has many affairs, so I didn't dare to disturb him."

"I'm just trying to clear up my confusion, so I came here to ask Sir for help. Hope," Xiao Wen didn't finish his words, but because he saw the man next to him from the corner of his eye, he stopped talking immediately and froze on the spot.

The man next to him had also stood up at this time, with his scarf draped casually on his chest. He was wearing a white brocade robe and a pair of black cloth boots.

He raised his eyebrows, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "We are destined to meet each other not long after we separated."

"Xiao," Xiao Wen blurted out and quickly changed his title, "Mr. Zhou is here?"

Huan Yu looked at the two of them, laughed and said, "Since we are old acquaintances, we don't need to be polite."

With that said, he stepped forward and took hold of Xiao Wen's arm.

Xiao Wen hesitated and sat next to Huan Yu heartily. The three of them were silent for a moment, and then Huan Yu ordered the maid at the door to retreat.

The room became quiet, with only the night wind blowing the curtains, making a slight rustling sound.

After a long silence, Xiao Wen looked at Zhou Shengchen and said in a low voice: "Mr. Zhou is very courageous. Do you think that there is no one in the south of the Yangtze River and you can let your subordinates come and go as they please?"

Zhou Shengchen smiled and replied: "Mr. Huan is very kind to us as a guest from afar, but Young Master Xiao wants to reject people thousands of miles away?"

Seeing his magnanimity, Xiao Wen had no choice but to pick up the wine glass in front of him and reply: "I'm polite."

Huan Yu immediately said with a smile: "When it comes to the elegant things in the world, Mr. Zhou has done almost half of it. The other half can only be done by ordinary people like us."

The three of them looked at each other, smiled, and each drank a glass of wine.

"Both of them got away from their busy affairs and came to talk to me, an idle person. From this point of view, Huan is the most glorious person." Huan Yu said with a smile.

Although he joked, Xiao Wen still couldn't ask his doubts in public and just nodded in agreement.

But Zhou Shengchen said frankly: "Sir came from the north, and I personally sent him to the riverside. Now I intend to invite you to live in the north. I hope you can understand my painstaking efforts of not having a confidant."

When Huan Yu was in trouble a few years ago, he was escorted by Zhou Shengchen for thousands of miles until he was seen crossing the Yangtze River.

The reason for this was not that Zhou Shengchen did not want to keep Huan Yu, but because he felt that the government in Beidi was in chaos after all and could not accommodate a desk for a talented person like Huan Yu.

Hearing what he said, Huan Yu raised his hands and said, "If it weren't for Mr. Zhou, there would be no trace of Huan's body."