Liang Mao followed Lu Ji down the hall, stood outside the palace gate, sighing with depression in his heart.

It would be fine if he had a waste of time and humiliated himself, but he could not save anyone he wanted to save, which made him suffer a lot of setbacks and regret it inexplicably. If he had known this, it would have been better to seize the city and fight to the end. Yanzhou is also a country of etiquette and righteousness. There are many kind-hearted and ambitious people who sacrifice their lives for justice. How could they be slaughtered by others and suffer such a great humiliation?

"Bo Fang?" A full voice interrupted Liang Mao. Liang Mao looked closely and was a little surprised. In front of him was a thin-faced middle-aged man with a very good spirit, wearing a black crown and an official uniform. He was actually Mao Jie, the master of Yanzhou Zhizhong. Liang Mao was surprised and happy and hurried forward to salute. "Mr. Xiaoxian, it's great to meet you here."

Mao Jie waved his hand and signaled Liang Mao to follow him. Liang Mao hurriedly followed. He followed Mao Jie and took the opportunity to look at Mao Jie. Mao Jie was wearing an official uniform outside, and there was a single robe in Yue cloth inside. Apart from that, there seemed to be no more clothes. He had a pair of cloth shoes under his feet, with a leather base, covering half of his feet, until his ankle, which looked a bit like leather boots worn by Hu people.

Liang Mao couldn't help asking, "Sir, is this accompanies the local customs? It's so easy to wear?"

Mao Jie looked back and saw Liang Mao paying attention to his feet. He looked down and smiled. "Although it is not too far. Jiangdong is rainy, and this kind of cloth with a leather bottom can be waterproof." He looked at Liang Mao again. "You wear so much, isn't it hot?"

"I dare not be rude because of the heat."

Mao Jie raised his lips lightly. He actually knew that Liang Mao came here for a long time, and today he was waiting for him here. Seeing Liang Mao standing outside the palace gate with a dark face, he knew that Liang Mao and Sun Ce had a bad conversation. This is not surprising. Liang Mao was polite and self-righteous, and he was quite arrogant. He was inevitably proud of his words and deeds. Sun Ce was the one who refused to take this trick. Liang Mao was frustrated in front of Sun Ce, and was so angry that he had no place to talk and trouble with his clothes.

"Bo Fang, etiquette is in your heart, not in your clothes. If you are so hot that you sweat, isn't it absent from your manners?"

Liang Mao hit a soft nail and knew that he was impatient. He shouldn't have taken his anger on Mao Jie, so he closed his mouth awkwardly. He followed Mao Jie out of the palace and went down the mountain along the spacious mountain road. When he looked up, he saw the sunset in the sky, covering half of the river with red fire. The Qinhuai water at the foot of the mountain was dyed red, and the water waves were rippling. A small boat was moored on the shore. Two boat ladies were busy, talking and laughing, and having a sense of peace.

"Sir, it's not too late, are you... taking leave?"

"No, I'll take a break tomorrow. I can leave half an hour in advance today. I'll have dinner when I get home."

"This... is early enough." Liang Mao was very dissatisfied when he remembered Sun Ce's words that he wanted to rest early. Are the kings and ministers of the Wu Kingdom so negligent? He rested before dark. This is not a ruler of the country, it is simply a leisurely residence.

"Jiangdong is not short of people, and most of them are proficient in their duties and are efficient in their work."

"Is that?" Liang Mao asked back, his face gradually getting colder. He was very dissatisfied with Mao Jie's attitude. Is this a praise for Sun Ce? Jiangdong's literary affairs are not prosperous, so what talent can there be? How many years of studying in the county school is a talent? That is just a first-hand approach. Can people who can serve in the palace be trained in a short time? It is impossible to find a way without practicing in the county for a few years. He has been well-read for more than ten years, and now he is just a county magistrate.

Mao Jie did not refute, and led Liang Mao down the mountain and came to the waterside. A boat came up. The young boatwoman who was packing the bow of the boat smiled when he saw Mao Jie. "Sir, wouldn't it be a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?"

"Haha, it's natural to have fun, but it's too hot. Qi Niang, which qinian is more hand and footwork, what kind of clothes my friend wants to make."

"If you want to be quick, it is naturally Huang Siniang, who is on the side of Zhuque Bridge." The boatwoman smiled and led Mao Jie and Liang Mao onto the boat. As his eyes circulated, he could not help but cover his mouth and smiled. Liang Mao was embarrassed and tried to calm down. He followed Mao Jie to sit in the seat. The boat was ventilated on all sides. Liang Mao felt much more comfortable and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sir, drink a glass of ice water." The boat girl sent two glasses of ice water. "The rest is not very ice-free, just rinse your mouth."

Liang Mao took the cup and felt the coolness, very surprised. "This...is there any ice drink?"

Mao Jie picked up the cup and took a sip. "These ice is used for the basin of sea ships from Liaodong, and it is not worth it."

While busy, the boat girl said crisply: "It has increased a little recently. Mrs. Zhen went fishing in the sea and needed ice to preserve seafood and wrapped most of the ice. We are doing the business of the palace, and we can't do without ice. Mrs. Zhen took care of her and left some for us, but there was nowhere else. I heard that someone had to ship a boat to Liaodong to transport ice, but the cost was probably not low. It was unlikely that it would be as cheap as before. Someone asked before, saying that the price of Ruo Bing was increased by 30 or 50 yuan, but he was willing to buy it. Alas, it was all caused by the little emperor and Yuan Tan. He couldn't even have a safe life after eating ice, and it doubled as soon as the increase increased."

Liang Mao was puzzled when he heard this. "Mrs. Zhen... refers to the one from the Zhen family in northern Jilin?"

Mao Jie nodded. "Liu Bei entered Jizhou, and the Zhen family moved to Jiangdong. He bought ten sea boats and went out to fish. Bo Fang, are you here to plead for the families in Yanzhou?"

Speaking of serious matters, Liang Mao became serious and told the story. He was afraid that the boatwoman would hear it, so he used dialect. Mao Jie was from Pingqiu, Chenliu, and was more than 300 miles away from Changyi. His accent was different, but he could understand each other, and the difference was a bit big. In addition, he restrained and lowered his voice, so he didn't want the boatwoman to listen. The boatwoman also consciously sent a few plates of snacks and drinks, and then picked up a bamboo pole and helped the boat. When Mao Jie came to serve him, Liang Mao came to see him.

After listening quietly, Mao Jie frowned. "Since you surrender and have no worries about your life, why should you rush to Jianye?"

Liang Mao was a little anxious and raised his voice. "Sir, they are all people in Yanzhou. How can they be slaves?"

Mao Jie picked up a nut and crushed it, picked out the kernel and put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. Although Liang Mao was anxious, it was difficult to ask, so he could only stare at Mao Jie intently. After a while, Mao Jie said quietly: "Bofang, you may know that the envoy Cao wanted to submit to the King of Wu."

Liang Mao was stunned. He had heard of this matter a little, but the specific situation was unclear. Before Yuan Tan entered the country, there was indeed a rumor that Cao Ang planned to surrender to Sun Ce, but Sun Ce insisted on confiscating the land of the Yanzhou family. The Yanzhou family collectively opposed it, so the negotiation was not completed. Cao Ang was defeated by Yuan Tan, and in Yizhou, Yuan Tan took over Yizhou again, so today.

"Sir, did you support me?"

"I also opposed it at that time, but now I think it was my hometown wish." Mao Jie raised his head and looked at Liang Mao, with a little more ashamed in his eyes. "Actually, I am very familiar with the situation in Yuzhou and know that Cao Envoy's decision was right, but he didn't want to go against the public, so he opposed it."

"The situation in Yuzhou..."

"When you pass by Yuzhou, you should know that the Yuzhou families who handed over the land and bowed to the King of Wu are now living a good life. Even if the wealth has not increased sharply, they are not worse than before. The King of Wu is redeeming, not plundering. Bo Fang, at least I have seen the plan, there are no troubles because of this. However, many people's industries have increased rapidly, and they are slaughtering for the sake of paying taxes. Hehe, the war in Yanzhou is over, and Man Boning returns to Yuzhou, and he is afraid that he will have to kill a few more to contain this unhealthy trend."

Liang Mao couldn't believe his ears. "Sir, what do you mean is that Yanzhou should also operate business like Yuzhou?"

"What's wrong with running an industry and commerce?" Mao Jie waved his hand and told Liang Mao not to worry. "Estimating industry and commerce will affect the population of agriculture and grain production, but everything is appropriate and cannot be generalized. Everything is too much. Land annexation caused by evaluating agriculture has become a chronic disease, which is more problems than industry and commerce. It was precisely because the King of Wu saw this that he found a way to redeem land from the aristocratic family. Are there any problems that arise? There must be, but it is worth a try. Bo Fang and Master did not dislike industry and commerce, and Zigong was a big businessman."

Liang Mao didn't say anything. He was shocked by Mao Jie's attitude. He knew that Mao Jie was better than him and was a real gentleman. He would never say these words to flatter Sun Ce, but to give advice from the heart. He just didn't understand why Mao Jie said that. Mao Jie just mentioned the aristocratic family in Yuzhou and what happened to the aristocratic family in Yuzhou. Are those rumors true? It was not Sun Ce's lies to whitewash his own?

After a while, Liang Mao finally came to his senses. "Sir, Yuzhou... is really peaceful?"

Mao Jie frowned and looked at Liang Mao with some regret. "Bofang, you are just too anxious. If you walk slowly along the way, keep some snacks and take a look, maybe you don't need to come to Jianye at all. Okay, since you come, then rest assured and spend more time in Jianye and have a good look. If you are willing to stay, I can be your recommended person."

"Me?" Liang Mao was so amused and crying. "Enter the State of Wu?"

"What's wrong? You have knowledge and ability. As long as you are willing to be down-to-earth, you will be more than enough to be a county magistrate. Yanzhou will sooner or later submit to the King of Wu. You can also go back then. If you have the power in your hands, won't you be able to take care of the village party better?"

Liang Mao felt aroused, and he felt that what Mao Jie said was probably the same. "Can the King of Wu agree? I might have angered him just now."

"You're too worried." Mao Jie seemed to smile.

"What...what means?"

"Nothing." Mao Jie waved his hand, turned to the farewell with a smile, and looked at the distance. The boat was moving forward along the Qinhuai River. Not far away was a unique arch bridge. There was a pavilion on the bridge, and there was a big red bird spreading its wings to fly. It was the legendary beast Vermilion Bird. There were people walking on the bridge, and laughing. When you got off the bridge, you were wide riverside streets. Countless shops were lined up along the streets, and each was filled with goods.

Liang Mao was surprised. "Sir, why is there no wall in Jianye City?"
Chapter completed!