The morning sun shone on the earth, and the leaves of grass that had begun to turn yellow carried the dew of the previous night, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and earth. In the distance, birds soar from the meadow to the hill.

Xu Ping accompanied Wang Su and Han Qi to walk on the grass, breathing the breath of the early morning meadow, looking at the herd of horses that sometimes graze quietly and sometimes whizz in the distance.

"It is said that in the capital, in addition to the Qingtang horses from afar, the horses of the Xu family are the most majestic. When I saw it today, it really lived up to its name! The horses in Yunxingzhuang are far better than the surrounding horse supervisors, and they are not inferior to Qiji Courtyard......"

Wang Su looked at the horses and admired them sincerely.

Xu Ping didn't dare to do it, but there was a look of pride on his face.

When I was in the manor, although I had ideas, I didn't have the opportunity, and I didn't have the energy to prepare for the imperial examination, so I just raised some horses to ride, and I didn't raise horses on a large scale. Later, the sugar shop was handed over, and the third division allocated a large part of the abolished Chunze Prison to the Xu family as compensation, so there were conditions for raising horses.

The area of this Zhuangzi is now too large, and all reclamation requires huge manpower and material resources, which cannot be completed in just a few years, and a large part of it is still reserved for pastureland. The cattle lost money, and most of the sheep were still kept in the pen, so they had to raise horses.

In the past six years, Xu Ping and Lin Suniang have taught her how to prepare pasture grass and how to make simple horse breed selection through letters, and finally raised a horse herd composed of hundreds of horses in the village. Although the herd is still small and unstable, it is much better than the waste raised by the herd. In particular, the stallions are all carefully selected Qingtang horses, and they are also well-known in Bianliang, Tokyo, where good horses are scarce.

A large area of the Zhuangzi is planted with fine alfalfa, and when Xu Ping was there, he set the rules for storing hay after concoction, which is a fine forage, which is much stronger than the forage collected by the herd priests.

There is a shortage of horses in the Central Plains. Raising horses is really the only way to get rich. Of course, it is necessary to be able to raise, although Xu Ping does not know much about veterinary knowledge, but he knows the commonly used forage machinery, and he knows a rough idea at a casual glance, which is enough to cope with this era.

Wang Su and Han Qi's families are quite wealthy, and they usually ride good horses. Shi Yannian is fine as long as it is a horse, and he doesn't pick and choose, and others such as Zhao Yan and Wu Yu look at the horses with envy. In this era, sedan chairs were not popular, and even oil-walled cars were mostly sat by women, and officials and wealthy people mainly relied on horses to travel. A good horse is not only a face-saving experience, but also practical.

The price of horses in the capital is nearly fifty yuan for a horse that can be ridden, which is not a small amount. Xu Ping is not generous enough to give people away. It's just to lead everyone over to take a look, so that they know how to raise it right away.

On the twentieth day, almost everyone had taken their leave, and they all said goodbye and left. After a few days of conversation, Xu Ping had a general understanding of the current political situation in the capital, and he had a number in his heart. Especially the Salt and Iron Division, which is closely related to Xu Ping, Xu Ping's background from top to bottom is basically clear.

Cheng Lin, the third envoy, Cheng Tianqiu, is quite talented. He has political achievements in both the local and imperial courts, and has a tough temperament. is also a bit arrogant, unwilling to be under others, basically a person who is self-contained, not a group or a party. No, Cheng Lin is more greedy for money, which is also a common problem of many officials in Beijing, and she is not as free as the local government to use money. Stretch out your hand everywhere in the capital.

Ren Bu, the deputy envoy of salt and iron, was once appreciated by Kou Zhun and was also implicated and demoted by Kou Zhun, but it is difficult to say that it is Kou Zhun's party. Basically, he is an honest bureaucrat who does not form a party, and he is honest and honest as an official.

The most complicated is Xu Shen and Xu Weizhi, who are also salt and iron judges with Xu Ping. He was known to Chen Yaozuo when he was young, and Chen Yaozuo had a great relationship with Lu Yijian, but he didn't know what his relationship with Lu Yijian was. Lü Yijian has been in power for many years, and he is also the nephew of the famous minister Lü Mengzheng, and the relationship network formed is extremely complex. And Lu Yijian is not ostentatious, and the city government is also deep, even if he seeks benefits for himself or his own party, he does not leave a handle, and it is difficult for outsiders to see clearly.

What Xu Ping is most afraid of is a group of intertwined old fritters around him, he has to be careful in everything he does, and he will offend a big man if he is not careful. The current situation is not too bad.

On August 21, Xu Ping got up early and prepared to leave Zhongmu and return to the capital to go to the Salt and Iron Division to officially start his career as a middle-level bureaucrat in the capital.

When I arrived in Beijing in the future, I usually saw big people, so I didn't want to lose face, so I went to the stables in the backyard to choose horses. stepped on a good horse, rode comfortably, and advertised the Xu family's horse.

Xu Chang went to the backyard to help Xu Ping's staff. Now that Zhuangzi is in charge of him, he is naturally most familiar with these things.

Helping Xu Ping choose a horse, Xu Chang said in a low voice: "Official, Xiuxiu left the Xu family today, and she was still looking at the door just now, thinking that she was a little reluctant to be an official." ”

Xu Ping was stunned: "When did it happen?" How I didn't know! ”

Xu Chang sighed: "Madame's decision, I'm afraid it's the heart of the officials, I didn't tell the officials." ”

The leaves of the large poplar tree in the backyard have turned golden yellow, and from time to time a piece of it floats down from the tree in the autumn wind, drifts in the wind, and falls gently to the ground.

Before you know it, it's autumn, and the rising sun in the east is red and round, and you feel warm at a glance. Xu Ping felt that the autumn wind was blowing on his body, and there was a coolness that he had not noticed before, and the coolness went deep into his bones.

After being silent for a while, Xu Ping asked Xu Chang, "How long have you been gone?" ”

"It didn't take long for me to come over when I saw Xiuxiu's figure disappear. Alas, Mrs. was also good to Xiuxiu, remembering that she accompanied the officials to Lingnan for six years and returned her deed to her. Also, Mrs. also prepared a large dowry for Xiuxiu, but Xiuxiu didn't ask for it, and Mrs. asked Shichiro to send it to her house tomorrow. ”

Speaking of this, Xu Chang shook his head and sighed: "It's just that Madame is too anxious, so why don't you tell her family and let Xiuxiu's father or her younger brother Huzi pick her up." ”

Xu Ping didn't speak, looked at the rising sun in the east, and watched for a while.

Exhaled, Xu Ping said to Xu Chang: "Director, put on the saddle, I'll go out and try the horse." ”

Xu Chang nodded, went over to bring the saddle next to the stable, and put it on the selected horse with Xu Ping.

Leading the horse, Xu Ping walked out of Zhuangzi through the back door.

Zhuangzi is already very different from when Xu Ping left, and more than a dozen families lived in Zhuangzi. All of them were converted from a banker to a tenant in Xu Pingzhuang. Many of them have started families, have their own homes, and have their own wives and children.

Xu Ping walked slowly, and someone saw it and greeted Xu Pingli. Xu Ping smiled slightly and greeted the salutes one by one. These people are the closest people to Xu Ping. With the arrival of this petty official of the Xu family, his life was changed.

Leaving the house and arriving in the wilderness after the autumn harvest after the Zhuanghou, Xu Ping's smiling face unconsciously shed two lines of tears. In front of his eyes, Xiuxiu who walked into the Xu family with a small flower cloth burden, Xiuxiu who sat on the steps in front of him all night with dew on his hair, Xiuxiu who was accustomed to being ignorant and fearless when he arrived in Lingnan, Xiuxiu who returned to the Central Plains with his thousands of miles of travel, Xiuxiu who had grown up and was taciturn and didn't like to talk.

For nine years, Xiuxiu has been by her side. Growing up together, sharing the happiness and bitterness of this world together. Back then, she walked to Xu Ping's side with a small burden, and she looked timidly just like Xu Ping came to this world, her heart was full of curiosity, panic, and hope for her future life.

In nine years, Xu Ping has gone from a wealthy boy in the countryside to today, changing the fate of hundreds of thousands of people. He destroyed a neighbor who was infrequently rebellious and became a high-ranking official in the imperial court. There was no longer the panic in his heart. Rather, he is confident in the future, and his own destiny only requires him to choose a little better, and there is no suffering for him to overcome.

Xiuxiu learned to read and write from a shepherd's daughter, and even sometimes learned to play a small temper, but in the end she became taciturn by life. An ordinary female envoy who only silently cleaned up his personal things by Xu Ping's side.

In the past nine years, Xu Ping has changed a lot, and Xiuxiu has become more.

The sun is warm on the body, just like the leaves in the autumn wind, turning into a warm golden yellow in the autumn wind. But helplessly fell from the tree, floated down to the road, and floated into the ditch.

Looking at the sun in the sky, Xu Ping exhaled a long breath, turned over his horse, and galloped into the distance.

The rice fields in the village have expanded a lot, and ditches have been built everywhere, and they are spread out on the earth like the roots of a big tree.

Xiuxiu sat on the edge of the ditch by the roadside, next to the green donkey she rode out of Xu's house, leisurely eating the grass that turned yellow on the ground.

In autumn, the water in the ditch becomes very shallow, so shallow that you can see the yellow mud at the bottom of the water at a glance, and you can't even see your own shadow. Unknown pond fish churns in the water, occasionally making a small splash.

Xiuxiu hugged the little flower cloth burden tightly, the little flower burden that her mother made for her back then, and walked into Xu's house.

In addition to a few of her old clothes in the baggage back then, there were also snacks that she brought to please the petty officials of the Xu family. At that time, others told her that when she went to someone's house to be a slave and a maid, she would have to endure hardship, be beaten and scolded, make her master happy, and ask for some money and go home.

In the past nine years, Xu Ping has never beaten her or scolded her, let herself grow up like an ordinary girl, she has learned the good and the bad, and finally learned to be an ordinary girl.

Now in her baggage, there are still a few pieces of her own clothes, which Xu Ping made for her. In addition to clothes, there are also pen, ink, paper, inkstone and inkstone given to her by Xu Ping, as well as a few gadgets that she gave her when she was a child, and she feels that she has nothing else to bring.

The Xu family is a good family, and she didn't let her open her baggage when she went out, where have you heard of such a good family? Madame even prepared a rich dowry, and she was almost regarded as the daughter of the Xu family.

But Xiuxiu didn't like it either, she just had to leave the Xu family with this little burden and didn't want anything else. She only cares about these, as well as the bits and pieces of the past nine years hidden in her heart.

Holding her little baggage, Xiuxiu looked at the water in the ditch and smiled, there was no way she was smiling in the water, but two lines of tears flowed from her face. Sometimes, the most precious thing about life is just that memory.

There was the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, Xiuxiu turned around, and saw the shadow of Xu Ping on the horse.

Xiuxiu smiled, and the officials finally came to see themselves, sent themselves, and sent the memories of the past nine years.

Seeing Xu Ping come to him and dismount, Xiuxiu got up from the ground, patted the soil on her body, and smiled at Xu Ping: "Xiuxiu is gone, official, remember Xiuxiu's good, forget those naughty things and things that make you unhappy." ”

The sun rose, the red light faded, and the heavens and the earth gradually lost their color.

Xiuxiu led the green donkey and walked towards the home in the distance, pulling down a long shadow behind her. (To be continued.) )