Chapter 2549
When you leave Hangzhou City from Yongjinmen, you are already on the shores of the vast West Lake. Although everyone except Wang Anguo came here for the first time, they had all heard of the name of West Lake and got out of the car to stop and admire the scenery here.
Bai Letong couldn't help but admire: "I have read poems by our ancestors describing the beautiful scenery of the West Lake in the past. The saying is, 'I love the lake most when it goes eastward, and the white sand embankment is in the shade of green poplars.' I saw it today. The scenery is indeed beautiful and worth visiting." Travel!”
Wang Anguo responded: "The poem recited by Brother Bai is a masterpiece by Bai Juyi, a poet from the Tang Dynasty, right? I didn't expect that Brother Bai and Bai Juyi have such a connection! Brother Bai, please look to the northwest. The earth embankment that runs through the lake. It is the famous Bai Causeway. According to legend, it was named in commemoration of Bai Juyi’s post as governor of Hangzhou. The Broken Bridge with Snow, one of the ten scenic spots in West Lake, is also on the other side of Bai Causeway.”
Bai Letong heard that Wang Anguo classified himself and Bai Juyi as the same clan. Although he knew that the other party was deliberately flattering, he was happy to enjoy it and did not intend to take the initiative to clarify this.
Wang Anguo's introduction, which quoted from classics, immediately made everyone look at him with admiration. These simple sentences reflect Wang Anguo's knowledge in literature, history, and geography, and show that he is not a brave man who can only lead troops to fight.
After everyone watched the scenery by the lake for a while, they boarded the carriage again and set off. According to Wang Anguo's guidance, Shi Diwen's mansion is not far from the lake in the south.
Not long after traveling south, there is a large-scale ancestral hall building on the side of the road. Wang Anguo introduced that this was the Qianwang Temple built in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was built by later generations to commemorate Qian Liu, King Wusu of Wuyue Kingdom. It has a history of nearly 600 years, and various dynasties have repaired and maintained it. It can be regarded as a well-known historical site.
Bai Letong couldn't help but ask: "Brother An Guo is so familiar with the scenic spots in West Lake, do you think he should have visited this place often before?"
Wang Anguo did not deny it, and responded readily: "I used to live with my father by the West Lake for some time. Every morning, my father would take me to run around the lake as a morning exercise, so I am not familiar with the surroundings of the West Lake." The scenery is quite familiar.”
It was three years ago that Wang Tom took the advance fleet to the other side of the ocean. The experience Wang Anguo mentioned was obviously not a recent event.
Ha Jianyi said: "That was before our country took over Hangzhou?"
Wang Anguo nodded and said: "It must have been more than ten years ago. When my father was on vacation, he took me to Hangzhou for fun. I was still young at that time, and I didn't know that West Lake was a famous landscape in the world. I just felt that this place The scenery is good, so after I came here, I begged my father to stay here for a longer time.”
With his identity as Wang Tom, he would actually take his family to Hangzhou for vacation without any fear of getting into trouble from the local government. This shows that Haihan's control over this area more than ten years ago was beyond imagination. Of course, maybe Wang Tom had not only Wang Anguo with him at that time, but also his guard company and armed fleet, so the local government naturally did not dare to make mistakes.
After passing King Qian's Temple and walking a short distance along the official road, Wang Anguo asked the driver to turn into a side road. This road is said to be a branch road, but its width is similar to that of an official road, and the road surface has been hardened. It is obvious that the place it leads to is not an ordinary residence. It goes without saying that the front should be Shi Diwen's mansion.
Wang Anguo continued to introduce the situation here to everyone: "This is also one of the ten scenic spots in the West Lake, called Liulang Singying. It was the location of the imperial garden in the Southern Song Dynasty, but it declined in the Yuan Dynasty. Master Shi chose this place. He bought an old house, renovated it, and then used it as his own residence." Tao Hongfang found something wrong with Wang Anguo's words and couldn't help but asked: "Our country only took over Hangzhou last year, and Brother Anguo should have been there at that time. How do you know so much about the situation in Lord Shi's mansion on the other side of the ocean? ”
Wang Anguo waved his hand and said: "Master Shi purchased and renovated this place several years before our country took over Hangzhou. At that time, the administrative seat of the Donghai Region was still in Ningbo Prefecture, and the mansion here was only for his occasional business trips to Hangzhou. I will stay there for a few days. Although I know this place, I only visited this house once before leaving Zhejiang.”
Tao Hongfang nodded silently, thinking to himself that Shi Diwen had prepared a mansion in Hangzhou a few years ago. In this way, he probably had plans to settle here for a long time. This plan to move the capital to Hangzhou must be At that time, we were already trying to promote it.
Of course, such a move may be difficult for ordinary people, but for a powerful figure like Shi Diwen, it is probably just an order, and someone will naturally come forward to help him handle it from beginning to end. Appropriate. And residences like this may not be limited to this one by the West Lake. With Shi Diwen's financial resources, it is not surprising that such properties are purchased in major cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
The carriage had just turned into the branch road and had not gone far when it was stopped by the guards here. This area seems to have no facilities such as fences and walls to isolate outsiders, but in fact there are dedicated security personnel on duty day and night. Once outsiders enter, they will be stopped.
The guards had obviously received instructions in advance and quickly released them after verifying their identities.
Wang Anguo said that it was not far ahead and suggested that everyone get off the car and walk. It happened that these people also wanted to see the surrounding environment, so they readily agreed. So the group of people got off the carriage and walked slowly along the avenue.
Not far away, someone came out to greet him. Wang Anguo saw clearly and introduced to everyone: "He is Master Shi's butler."
The butler had gray hair and looked very old. He stepped forward and bowed to everyone: "This little man, Mo Yuan, is Marshal Shi's butler. I welcome you all!"
Ha Jianyi heard that Mo Yuan's name for Shi Diwen was a bit special, so he asked: "Was Butler Mo in the army before?"
Mo Yuan glanced at Ha Jianyi, nodded and said: "This sir has good eyesight. When I was young, I was the captain of Marshal Shi's bodyguard. Now that he is older, he asked the Marshal for a job as a caretaker. It’s my errand. Thank you, Marshal, for letting me be a housekeeper in this house.”
Ha Jianyi understood immediately after hearing this. The personal guards around a big shot like Shi Diwen generally rarely change frequently, and there are many who have served continuously for 20 or 30 years. These personal guards are usually carefully trained dead soldiers who know the basics and their loyalty is unquestionable, so even after they are old and frail and retire, they can often get a good pension job. If you don't want to leave the host's house, staying at home as a steward is also the most common arrangement. Not to mention the distance, Ha Jianyi's family also has an old man like this.
(End of chapter)