Chapter 52 The Rightful Owner
"Brother Zhang, you are right. He is Li Yuanhui, who killed Brother Yang Xun and was named Marquis of Ye by the Saint. He will marry the Princess Jinyang of the Saint's family after the New Year. We have a gift for Princess Jinyang on this trip!"

When Chen Xiaotong mentioned this, several people immediately remembered who Li Yuanhui was.

It turned out that their boss Murong Xuan was from a royal family and had served as a palace guard. At that time, he was on duty in Concubine Wei's palace, so he was very familiar with Prince Wu Murong Yang and Princess Jinyang.

This time, Murong sent people to Chang'an to deliver gifts. In addition to the positions of several bigwigs in the court, there were gifts for Concubine Wei, King Wu, and Princess Jinyang.

Zhang Jian was stunned holding the wine glass for a moment, then laughed: "Hahahaha, to be honest with you brothers, I actually came to Chang'an for Princess Jinyang's marriage. You brothers may not know that when the saint was the crown prince, he led the army to conquer the Southern Wei and stayed in Jiangdu. At that time, a garden in my family was converted into a temporary palace for the saint to live in. Later, when the army returned, they visited Jiangdu again. Later, when the late emperor heard about it, he also bestowed a title on my father."

It was the first time that Zhang Jian talked about his family affairs. Before, the five people from Qi County only thought that Zhang Jian was a wealthy man from Yangzhou, but they did not expect that his family even had a title.

At this time, Yang Xianguo suddenly thought, "Could it be that Brother Zhang is from the Wucheng Marquis family in Yangzhou?"

Zhang Jian smiled and nodded, "Marquis of Wucheng, Zhang Gongzheng is our ancestor."

Zhang Lin, Marquis of Wucheng, is a household name in Dayan, because he was originally just a salt merchant. However, when Murong Ying was conquering the Southern Wei in the south, he donated a large amount of money as military supplies and gave a piece of his own garden to Murong Ying as a temporary palace.

As a result, he won the favor of Murong Ying, and was named Marquis of Wucheng. He became the leader of the salt industry in Yangzhou and the richest man in Yangzhou.

This time, he sent his very capable grandson Zhang Jian to Chang'an to offer gifts, also wanting to let his grandson see the world and see if he could get an official position.

"I never thought that I would have such a fate with you brothers. Come and have another drink."

"Please."

Although Zhang Jian looked a bit old with his curly beard and strong build, he was actually not very old, only about 27 or 28 years old. Among the five people in Qi County, Cui Xiaotong was the oldest, 32 years old, Qin Bogui was 29 years old, Yang Xianguo was 27 years old, Qin Zhongyu was 24 years old, and Chen Dengyun was the youngest, only 20 years old.

Since Zhang Jian had introduced his family background, the others also told him about their own backgrounds.

Among them, Cui Xiaotong was the illegitimate son of Cui from Boling. He was considered to be both civil and military. However, because illegitimate sons were not valued, he was only given a clerical job at the time. Later, Murong Xuan came to Qi County as the prefect and felt that Cui Xiaotong was a rare talent, so he made him his legal officer.

The brothers Qin Bogui and Qin Zhongyu were wealthy families in Qi County and were famous warriors in their village. Because bandits were rampant, they recruited local warriors to build a stronghold to protect themselves, and were later granted official positions by Murong Xuan.

Yang Xianguo was born into the Yang family of Taishan. It is said that his ancestor was Yang Kan, a famous general of Cao Wei. However, his family has fallen on hard times. When Murong Xuan was recruiting strong men, Yang Xianguo responded to the call and was chosen as the captain because of his bravery.

Chen Dengyun is Murong Xuan's brother-in-law. He comes from a military family, has studied military tactics, and is good at riding and shooting. His grandfather was Chen Wandi, the Duke of Xuchang, a fierce general during the reign of Taizu. However, his family has fallen on hard times now, and because of the support of his brother-in-law, he is now the county lieutenant of Linzi County, the seat of Qi County.

After listening to the details, Zhang Jian said proudly: "I see that you are all talented. Now that bandits are rising up all over the world, it is time to make achievements." Cui Xiaotong smiled bitterly and said: "Let alone making achievements, it is difficult to survive in this world. We are all supported by the governor Murong Fujun, but now Murong Fujun is unsuccessful in suppressing the bandits and will inevitably be punished by the court. Our future is in jeopardy."

Zhang Jian said: "The governor Murong promoted several brothers, so he must have the ability to judge people. Why is it that he is not able to suppress the bandits?"

Cui Xiaotong sighed, and Qin Bogui explained, "Brother Zhang, you don't know. It's not that Lord Murong is incompetent. We are not brave. We are controlled by others. Lord Murong is not on good terms with Gao Zhendong, the military governor of Qingzhou. Gao Zhendong only allows Qi County to recruit 3,000 soldiers, and does not allow Qi County's troops to cross the border to pursue. You must know that Qi County is a large county with twelve counties, and it is close to Lushan, Taishan, and Yishan. Bandits can come and go freely, and the military equipment issued by the governor's office is not enough. Lord Murong does not dare to make weapons privately, and the court is pressing taxes so hard that the people can't bear it. Many of them abandon their homes and become bandits and scatter in all directions. This time, I only hope that the court will give Lord Murong the right to recruit soldiers and replenish military equipment. Otherwise, Qi County will sooner or later be in trouble."

Zhang Jian angrily scolded, "This Gao Zhendong is the son-in-law of the emperor and is from the Bohai Gao family. How could he be so confused about public and private affairs? I heard that Gao Zhendong was a famous general of Dayan, but I didn't expect him to be such a person. The Bohai Gao family is now very powerful. Although Lord Murong is a member of the royal family, he is a distant branch. Can you find a way out, brothers?"

Cui Xiaotong said, "We have met with the steward of the Prince Wu's palace and presented him with generous gifts, hoping to ask the Prince Wu to mediate for Lord Murong. Now, Minister Wei of the Ministry of War is the father-in-law of the Prince Wu. As long as the Prince Wu is willing to say a word for the Lord, this matter can be accomplished. But now that my dear brother has this opportunity, I have to ask you for a favor."

Zhang Jian said generously, "Brother Cui, please feel free to speak."

Cui Xiaotong said, "Since you are acquainted with Marquis Li Ye, could you please take us to the Tang Palace to ask for an audience with Marquis Li Ye? Marquis Li Ye is the fiancé of Princess Jinyang, and our Lord Murong has some affection for His Highness Jinyang. If Marquis Li Ye can bring a message to His Highness, our trip will not be in vain."

Zhang Jian frowned upon hearing this. "Brothers, you have fought side by side with me and have been through life and death together. So now that I know this, I cannot refuse. However, I have only met Mr. Li once and exchanged a few words. We have no friendship, so I cannot guarantee success or failure. Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and every family will offer sacrifices to their ancestors. In a few days, I will take you to the Tang Mansion to ask to see the Marquis of Ye. If it is really that young man in person, it will be a helping hand for you brothers."

"Brother Zhang, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness."

"Brother Cui, you are too kind."

The people from Qi County had found a new way out, so they were in high spirits. Zhang Jian was a man of generous character and good at drinking, so when they got drunk, they started talking about martial arts and riding and shooting.

Qin Bogui said, "I saw Brother Zhang on the boat that day. Although you were using a long spear, the way you wielded it showed that you must be an expert at using a spear on horseback."

Zhang Jian laughed and said, "I have practiced horse lance a little, but I dare not show off in front of you brothers."

Qin Bogui shook his head and said, "Brother Zhang, you are too modest. Erlang and I have both learned martial arts since childhood and are quite proficient in horse lances, but we are not as good as Brother Yang. This brother of mine uses a large lance that is 24 feet long and has two sharp edges. He can strike with the left and stab with the right on horseback. Three months ago, we followed Lord Murong to eliminate the bandits in Guang County. This brother of mine killed dozens of bandits by himself."

Yang Xianguo, who was praised, smiled shyly, then looked at Zhang Jian's calloused hands and said eagerly, "Brother Qin, you are too kind. This brother Zhang must be an expert in using the lance, but I wonder if there is a chance for us to spar with him?"

Zhang Jian said with a smile: "Since Brother Yang is so interested, I will certainly accompany you. However, today is New Year's Eve, so let's drink first. After a few days, when you guys have finished your business, how about we find a secluded place to compete?"

"I can't ask for it."

(End of this chapter)