After sailing for several days, at noon that day, I finally approached a dock in Huijiang. Looking south on the boat, I vaguely saw a gray shadow in the distance. Chu Huan knew that it was Weiling Mansion City. He had naturally heard of this ancient city for a long time, but the one who remembered the most was a retired official who had lived in his old age in this city.

Fang Xi!

Chu Huan escaped from the Heavenly Palace tunnel and followed Feng Yuanpo and Chi Liandian, but learned from Feng Yuanpo that some of the things that the wolf soldiers advanced westward.

He remembered clearly that at the beginning, another strategist named Fang Xi, who followed the wolf soldiers westward. Later, he entered the Ministry of Revenue for his merits and even sat at the position of Minister of Revenue. After retiring, this person was living his life in Weiling Mansion.

But he remembers even more that a few years ago, a bloody incident occurred in Weiling Mansion, and the victim was Fang Xi, the retired minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Several important figures who were advancing westward, Feng Hanxiao was killed, Lin Qingyuan was dead, and Fang Xi was killed. Obviously, the bloody case in Weiling Mansion did not happen by chance, and it must have a great relationship with the murder of Feng Hanxiao and others.

The ship was stopped at the dock, and Chu Huan realized that there was also a military station at the dock, with Jinling soldiers stationed there.

Zhang Jian got off the boat first, Chu Huan and others waited for half a day. When Zhang Jian returned, he said to Ximen Yi: "Sir Ximen, if you have another half a day of journey, you will be able to reach Weiling Mansion City. We will escort here. Next, other brothers will escort you there. There are carriages here, but they are very simple and you will have to feel wronged."

Zhang Jian did not lie. A carriage was indeed coming to the dock station, which was very simple. In addition, a team of soldiers were specially arranged to escort them.

Ximen Yi didn't care. After getting on the carriage, Chu Huan and others naturally had to follow along on foot.

Fortunately, the journey from Weiling Mansion City is indeed not far from the pier. In less than two hours, it has arrived outside the city gate. The mottled Weiling Mansion walls bathed in the sun, appearing ancient and solemn.

However, there were already people waiting outside the city, and it was obvious that someone reported to Xu Chang in advance.

"I am the ritual officer under King Ren." The person who came smiled kindly, but anyone could see that it was just a polite smile: "King Ren knew that the noble envoy came, and he wanted to summon him immediately, but it was a coincidence. King Ren had urgent matters to do, so he could not receive him yet. He ordered the officials to take you to the inn first, and just wait for the matter to be done, and meet him immediately."

This man didn't talk much, and after he finished speaking, he led the way into the city.

Chu Huan had long heard that Weiling Prefecture City had always been prosperous and lively, but after entering the city, he found that the whole city seemed very cold and quiet. Wherever he passed, although shops were open, there were not many pedestrians passing by. Occasionally, people walked by, and they were all in a hurry, as if someone was chasing him behind him, turning several streets in a row. Moreover, the shopkeepers in the shop looked listless. Even if someone walked by in front of the door, they didn't even raise their eyes.

Ma Zheng and others were also confused.

They can actually see that, regardless of Tongzhou, even Shuoquan City in the northwest, is obviously not as magnificent as Weiling Mansion City. Weiling Mansion City has high walls and is old and old. You can tell at a glance that it is an ancient city with a long history.

Among the accompanying guards, some people also knew that Weiling Prefecture City was called one of the four famous cities in the world and the most prosperous city in the middle of the empire. As usual, it should be a constant flow of traffic, but the scenery seen in front of you was unexpected in the distance. Its lively level was even less than that of a county town in the northwest, not to mention that it was more prosperous than that of Shuoquan in the northwest.

Although there was a turmoil in Jinling before, Shuoquan had been occupied by the people of Xiliang. Although Shuoquan has not yet recovered to its heyday, it is also prosperous and lively, not as lifeless as Weiling Mansion City and has no vitality.

Logically speaking, the shops and stalls in the city should be hawking loudly, but wherever they pass, there is no shop that is hawking, and many of the mansions passed by are closed and silent.

Chu Huan even felt that he seemed to have entered an empty city. On the street, he saw more soldiers than pedestrians. Every time he walked a distance, he saw a group of street soldiers wearing guns and knives walking by coldly.

The ritual officer brought his group to the inn of Weiling Mansion. Like many cities, the ritual office also has an inn for officials to come and stay. However, when you enter the museum, you will know that the inn has not lived in a long time. The stone paths in the courtyard are covered with dust, and many walls even have moss climbed on. The ritual officer smiled and said, "Everyone, there has been no one here for a while, and I didn't know you have come here in advance, so I failed to clean it thoroughly, which made you feel wronged. But don't worry, we have sent someone to clean a yard, which is very clean and has all the necessary items. You shouldn't be embarrassed if you live in it."

Ximen Yi just nodded slightly and said, "It's okay to have a hard time. It doesn't matter whether the accommodation is good or bad. I just hope that King Ren can meet him soon. It's important to have a big event!"

"Don't worry," said the official of the ritual smile, "The King of Nin is out of hand and will definitely summon him immediately. Yes, we have arranged servants. If you have any needs, please tell them, and you can send everyone in this inn at will. If you need it, please speak without being polite."

Ximen Yi bowed his hand, but the ritual officer did not say much and said goodbye and left.

The group entered the tidy courtyard. As the official of the ritual said, it was indeed cleaned up, and there were two servants outside the courtyard at their disposal.

There are several rooms in the yard, enough for six people to live in.

Ximen Yi naturally lived in the main house, and Chu Huan and others also lived in the house next to the main house. After cleaning up, Ma Zheng immediately took someone to check the courtyard inside and out, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong, so he felt relieved.

"From now on, be careful whether you eat or drink." Chu Huan said softly: "Especially the food they send must be checked first and safe before entering. In addition, take turns on duty at night, even when you sleep, you must be careful and not neglected."

Ma Zheng asked softly: "Is the boss worried that someone will harm us?"

"This is Xu Chang's territory. We know very little about this person, so we have to be careful." Chu Huan said softly: "People's hearts are hard to predict, so you must be careful."

Ximen Yi nodded and said, "What he said is very true." After pausing, he said softly: "Xu Chang didn't see us, so naturally it was not a big deal, but just looking for excuses to let us go."

"I thought of this too." Chu Huan sneered: "He naturally knew what we were going to come. I thought he wanted to deliberately let us go and waste our momentum."

Ximen Yi smiled with his beard and Chu Huan signaled everyone to retreat. Ximen Yi whispered: "What do you think after the king enters the city?"

"Sir, do you mean the streets are deserted and full of death?"

Ximen Yi nodded slightly, Chu Huan chuckled and said, "Although Xu Chang has a lot of money and food, it seems that he has lost the hearts of people after getting money and food."

"oh?"

"I heard Zhang Jian say on the boat that in order to make money, Xu Chang charged a lot of taxes in Jinling, especially the gentry and wealthy businessmen in Jinling, and exploited fiercely." Chu Huan said softly: "Xu Chang occupied Weiling Mansion, and it seems that he was worried that people would not be convinced, so the city was full of whistles, and the gentleman also saw that there were many soldiers patrolling the city and the city was deserted, which was naturally related to this."

Ximen Yi nodded and smiled, "Yes, although Xu Chang occupied the Jinling warehouse, exploited and blackmailed countless money and grain, and had sufficient logistics, his actions were no different from those looted bandits, and they were unpopular. Now Weiling City can still be peaceful, but he was just because he shocked the people with force. The gentry of the people did not dare to say a word due to Xu Chang's brutality, but this already shows that Xu Chang's foundation is not stable." He paused, smiled and said, "If Xu Chang won consecutive battles in the future, and the soldiers and generals were fierce, that would be fine, but as long as he had a slight setback in the war and was not unexpected, it would inevitably catch a fire in the backyard. He started his business with Jinling, but if it was not done well, he would be swallowed up by a fire from Jinling."

"He wants to leave us alone, so we don't have to worry. See what tricks he is going to play." Chu Huan laughed and said, "Sir, you are tired after rushing on the road for several days. Eat some food and then take a break soon."

"The king also rested early."

In Jinling, he did not dare to neglect the reception of Chu Huan and others. Instead, he brought a whole table of wine and food for dinner, all of which were good wine and good food. After the servants put the wine and food on the table and left, Chu Huan carefully checked every dish, and naturally did not let go of the wine and made sure everything was safe. Then everyone started eating without hesitation.

After drinking and eating, someone came to clean up. There was nothing to say that night, Ma Zheng and others were divided into two shifts and took turns to be on duty.

One day the next day, no one came to disturb me, but every meal was served in time. At dusk, Chu Huan was listening to Ximen Yi, but he heard footsteps outside. Before the people arrived, he heard a loud voice laughing: "Where is the envoy of the King of Chu? Xu Yu came to visit!"

Chu Huan and Ximen Yi looked at each other, but they had never heard of the name "Xu Yu", but they had already stood up. When they arrived at the door, they saw the people standing in the courtyard. The ritual officer was in front of them, and there was a middle-aged man in brocade clothes and jade belts. He was thirty-six or seven years old, with a national face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was very majestic. He wore a few rings on his fingers, shining golden light, jewels and jade, and extremely luxurious.

When the ritual official saw Ximen Yi coming out, he bowed and smiled, "Master Ximen, this is Duke Liang, I'm here to visit him." He turned to the middle-aged man, "Master, this is the envoy sent by the King of Chu in the northwest, Ximen Yi, Lord Ximen!"

Ximen Yi looked at Xu Yu's eyes. Chu Huan stood behind Ximen Yi, his face remained unchanged, but he was amused. It was okay for Xu Chang to be the king himself, but he was impatient to be appointed as the duke and the duke. Suddenly, such a Duke of Liang jumped out. Qin State fought against hundreds of battles in the south to pacify the world. After twenty years of establishment, he only had two Dukes. Xu Chang was good, only half of Jinling. Not only did he become the king, but he had already appeared under his command.

However, since this person was named Duke of Liang and was only under the title of king, it can be seen that this person has an extraordinary status under Xu Chang and his relationship with Xu Chang must be very close.

Ximen Yi had already bowed his hand at this time, and Xu Yu had already walked forward and said with a smile: "Is this Master Ximen? Brother Wang has something to do and cannot meet him, but he cannot neglect the envoy. I will come and visit him."

When Chu Huan heard him call Xu Chang "Brother Wang" and thought that his name was Xu Yu, who had the same surname as Xu Chang, he immediately thought, was the Duke of Liang in front of him Xu Chang's brother?
Chapter completed!