It turned out to be a bag full of gold, silver, and jewelry.
The jewels shone brightly in his eyes. When the boatman saw it, he was overjoyed. He hurriedly shook the oar and came to Fatty's side, pulling him onto the boat.
"Where did you come from and where are you going?”The boatman asked casually as he paddled the boat.
"I…I am a merchant who sells dates to Yingtian Prefecture. When I came here, I encountered a rebellion by the White Lotus bandits and lost my capital. Sigh!”
"I see!" The boatman smiled." It'll take about two hours to get to the other side of the lake. Why don't you go to the cabin and rest for a while? I'll call you when we reach the other side."”
"Thank you so much!" Xu Hongru went into the cabin and grabbed a fish basket to put under his head. He had been hiding in the water for an entire day. He was tired and hungry. For a moment, he felt sleepy and fell asleep.
In a daze, the boat seemed to have stopped. The boatman entered the cabin and patted his face." Hey, Your Excellency, we've reached the shore!”
" Oh…" Xu Hong Ru suddenly woke up and yawned. He opened his eyes and looked around, only to realize that the sky had completely darkened.
"Have we reached the shore?"
"We're here."
When the boat reached the shore, the boatman took off his bamboo hat. Xu Hong Ru could see clearly that the person in front of him was a fair-skinned and handsome young man. There was a strange smile on his face, causing his heart to thump.
"I have always admired a noble person, but I didn't have the chance to meet him. Today, I am grateful for your generous gift. Why don't you go with me to see this person?”
"Alright!" Xu Hong Ru happened to be hungry, so he followed him into a house.
"Please take a look, do you recognize this person?”
The two of them had just entered the courtyard when countless lights lit up in the courtyard. A fifteen-year-old youth stood in the middle of the courtyard with his hands by his side. He cupped his fists at Xu Hong Ru." Xu Hong Ru, how have you been?”
" You, you, you are…" With the help of the light, Xu Hongru could clearly see the four-clawed python robe that this person was wearing. His expression changed drastically." You are Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian!"”
"Yes, I am!" Zhu Youjian laughed and gestured to his left and right." Men, tie him up!"”
"You, you boatman, how dare you betray me? I will make sure you die a horrible death…"
Li Yan smiled coldly and walked to Zhu Youjian. He cupped his hands and said," I am Li Yan, the son of Qi City in the south of Henan Province. Greetings, Prince Xin!"”
Li Yan?
Zhu Youjian raised his head and looked at the handsome young man in front of him. He couldn't help but widen his eyes!
Li Yan, from Qi City in the south of Henan Province, was a scholar in the second year of Tianqi. He was broad-minded and resourceful. He was a figure like Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen. In the 13th year of Chongzhen, he defected to the rebel army and recommended Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and many other talents to help Li Zicheng seize the Ming Dynasty.
After capturing the capital, Li Zicheng listened to Niu Jinxing's calumny and killed him, destroying the Great Wall. Li Chuang was defeated and killed at Jiugong Mountain in Hubei.
I never expected to meet him here! Moreover, this person had even helped to capture Xu Hong Ru!
That's right, Zou County and Qi City were not far apart, and the Li family had a small family background. It was not a coincidence that they met here.
"I've heard of Brother Li's name. Seeing you today is enough to comfort me!”The two of them entered the house and sat down. Wang Chengen ran around and poured tea.
"Your Highness is too polite. This Li is here for nothing but to join your Highness and display my ambitions.”
" Congratulations to user for subduing the famous strategist Li Yan. Reward: 100 Emperor Points, mine blueprint, steamship blueprint…"
As expected of a famous strategist, he even gave so many rewards!
"Brother Li, you captured the bandit leader Xu Hong Ru with your wits. This is a great merit. I will definitely report it truthfully and ask for credit for Brother Li!”Zhu Youjian was also an honest person. He lifted his clothes and bowed to Li Yan.
He was the King, and Li Yan was the High Scholar. Naturally, there was no reason for the King to kneel before the High Scholar.
"Your Highness Prince Xin treats the wise with respect!”Li Yan nodded with a smile. As Brother Kang Nian had expected, the guest star who would turn the tables in the future and open up the prosperous Ming Dynasty would definitely be this person.
However, judging from the current situation, it would be extremely difficult for this person to ascend to the throne!
This matter still needed to be carefully planned…
Zhu Youjian called Cao Wenzhao, Xu Guangqi, and Song Yingsheng over to meet Li Yan. The two of them saw Li Yan's handsome appearance and good speech, so they were naturally very happy.
"Although Xu Hongru has been destroyed, many places in Southern Lu have been ravaged by war. The city walls are dilapidated and need to be repaired in time.”Zhu Youjian said," There will be a plague after the disaster. Now, the county magistrate and the county magistrate of Teng County have all died in the royal affairs. There is no master in the city. Brother Li has a high position in the imperial examination. Why don't you be recommended by me to temporarily replace the county magistrate of Teng County? I will clean up the people, repair the city walls, arrest the remaining criminals, and resume production. How about that?"”
"Thank you for not abandoning me, Your Highness. I'll do my best!”Li Yan had never expected that Prince Xin would recommend him to be the county magistrate of Teng County, a seventh-grade official, after just a few words. It was truly a pleasant surprise!
Zhu Youjian immediately ordered Xu Guangqi to draft an order: Li Yan, the son of Qi City, temporarily took over the responsibility of the county magistrate of Teng County. All matters, big or small, were left to his discretion.
"Sir, you must properly dispose of the corpses and order the villagers to kill the rats. The water must not be drunk unless it is heated.”
When the army returned to the court, Zhu Youjian repeatedly instructed him to leave a hundred men for him to command. Li Yan repeatedly promised, deeply understanding that this young prince was meticulous and meticulous.
It had been more than a month since they left the capital to quell the rebellion. The 1,000 new soldiers from the Capital Prefecture had suffered more than 100 casualties. Adding on the 100 elites left for Li Yan, there were only 600 or so people who had returned to the capital.
However, this time, he had gained two top talents, Li Yan and Cao Wenzhao, one civil and one martial. It was a pleasant surprise.
The whip struck the golden hoop, and the song of victory was played in unison.
The Tianqi Emperor had long been waiting for the return of the army in front of the capital's Sky Bearing Gate. Prince Xin Zhu Youjian sat on his tall horse and looked at the welcoming citizens of the capital, extremely excited.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]