The weather was gloomy and gloomy again, and the light rain fell all day long.
The guards became more and more irritable. In the past, when they were in the palace, they only needed to patrol a certain palace gate or near a certain palace, and then when they arrived at the Wen's house, they only patrolled near the Wen's house.
Now it's good, everyone's workload has greatly increased when patrolling from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain.
And that's not to mention, the living conditions are getting more and more rudimentary. Dozens of people live in the Chase shop, and it is not convenient to go to the little emperor's pantry to open a small stove. The mood of everyone can be imagined.
"Damn the rebels," Rong guard irritably brushed the raindrops on his body, "I..."
Seeing that he was about to speak ruthlessly again, his companions quickly stopped him, "Brother Rong hasn't found out yet? Last time, the assassin didn't flee after being forced out of the Sacred Upper House, but instead came to our brothers."
That Rong guard quickly stopped talking and said suspiciously: "No way? This is just what our brothers said in private."
"Who knows? One more thing is worse than one less thing, Brother Rong, speak carefully!"
These people have never been on the battlefield, and their knowledge of the rebels is limited to court rumors.
The other party even has evil generals who tear up living people, or there are also people who can listen to the sound from a thousand miles
Anyway, it's always heart-wrenching.
Guard Rong said no more, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a tall figure carrying a bucket and limping down the mountain.
"Stop!" The angry guard Rong shouted in a deep voice.
However, the other party didn't stop at all, and some of his peers also sneered and said, "Brother Rong, did the rebel assassin be fooled? Forgot that the trash is a deaf and dumb person?"
Guard Rong's face turned red, he stepped forward quickly, and kicked a bucket.
Only then did the young man stop, and when he turned his head to see them, he immediately cupped his hands to accompany the smiling face, and bowed his hands in salute.
"What are you doing here?" Guard Rong asked, pointing to his bucket.
It took a long time for the young man to react, and he made a gesture of fetching water with a bucket.
There is no well on the mountain, and the water for eating needs to be transported from a clear spring halfway up the mountain.
Naturally, someone is responsible for the food of the little emperor. This kind of work of fetching water for the large army is thankless, and ordinary palace servants are unwilling to do it, so it naturally falls on this young man.
Guard Rong simply had nowhere to vent his anger, so he specifically stopped him. He was about to find a reason to teach the young man a lesson when a dark shadow flashed across the corner of his light.
"Who is it?!" He drew his sword instantly, and the other guards followed suit.
However, the rain was still falling, and the sky and the earth were foggy, and the group of people's vision was blocked. They looked around with difficulty, but found nothing.
"Brother Rong is really frightening, who is there?"
"That's right, there are too many birds and beasts on this mountain. Brother Rong doesn't have to award big monsters."
That Rong guard was ridiculed for a while, and he lost face even more. He raised his foot and kicked the young man on the lower back, "Get out!"
The young man didn't dare to get angry, he even crawled to pick up the bucket on the ground and hung it on the other end of the pole, and stepped on the muddy mountain road one foot high and one foot low.
When he walked to the mountain spring, the cowardly and flattering look on the young man's face faded. He pointed a little, and the rabbit rose and fell, and he grabbed a child from a very inconspicuous bush behind him.
Gu Ye was like a kitten being lifted off the back of his neck, so he grabbed the back of his neck and grabbed it out.
He twisted his body trying to break free, but the skills that Guan Huotou taught were of no use in the hands of the young man.
It was only now that he regretted it, and he heard from the guards that the young man was deaf and dumb, so he dared to follow him closer, but he didn't expect that the other party would find out all of a sudden.
The person who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger in the book is the most difficult to deal with. Gu Ye doesn't dare to say anything, because he is afraid that the other party will know that he has seen through his disguise and kill him.
The young man was amused as he watched the little boy struggling like a monkey in his own hands.
He could tell that the child had studied martial arts and had a good talent. He already had such skills at this age.
It's just that his martial arts are all trained to kill the enemy in battle, and he can defeat ten times with one force. The kung fu of a child is naturally nothing in his eyes.
"You are Gu Ye." The young man said affirmatively.
Gu Ye was shocked, but soon he tilted his head and pretended to be innocent, "Uncle, how do you know my name?"
After he finished speaking, he said to himself: "I am the child of the hunter here. My parents said that there are no bandits on the mountain. If people are curious, just come and see."
This little clever ghost, the young man couldn't help bending his lips, he didn't look like his mother, but this clever appearance was very similar to his mother.
He said no more, and took out a small and delicate porcelain jar from his arms.
It was one of the seasoning jars that Chef Xu gave to Gu Yin during the Chinese New Year.
Gu Yin carried it with her every day, and she also took it with her when she was recruited into the Wen family. Although the condiments in it were all poured out by the palace servants, the porcelain jar still let her stay.
After Gu Ye saw the porcelain jar, the innocent look on his face immediately faded, "Why is my mother's stuff here with you?! I killed you!"
His eyes were red, and he struggled to break free.
The young man saw that his neck was red, afraid that he would hurt himself, and immediately put him down.
"Your mother is safe." The young man was not able to communicate with the child, and was thinking about how to explain the situation to him.
But he suddenly calmed down, "Yes. This is something unique to my mother. If she doesn't tell her, even if you do something to her, you won't know to take this, and you still know my name. "
The young man was slightly surprised and nodded, "It's true."
Gu Ye sat down on the big rock next to him, "Are you my mother's friend? How is she now?"
This young and mature manner is what Gu Ye originally looked like, and the young man chuckled again and said, "She is still in charge of cooking. Now she is in the same kitchen with the other two cooks, and the situation is not bad. I am worried about you, so gave me this."
Gu Ye turned his face and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. In the end, he couldn't wipe it clean, so he put the hood of his cloak over his head again, and asked in an angry voice, "I know, mother doesn't want me to come. But I I'm also worried about her and want to do something for her."
Gu Ye used to think that he was amazing. When other children would only cry, he would be alone outside to make a living. Later, when he met his mother and his milk, he could help them again, and in less than a year, he became the king of children in the town.
But this time the storm let him know, where is he so powerful? It's useless, even his own mother can't keep it.
Even if he grows up a bit more? Like the person in front of him, pretending to be deaf and dumb to sneak in is better than being in a hurry outside and can't do anything.
The young man didn't think much of him at first, but at this time, when he put on the hood, only his small straight nose and pointed chin were exposed. This made him look very familiar, but he couldn't remember who he looked like for a while.
Should still follow his mother.
Seeing the child in front of him shaking slightly, obviously suppressing the cry, he reached out and patted Gu Ye's shoulder, "I'll help her escape, don't worry."
Gu Ye nodded, there is no doubt about the person's ability in front of him, and her mother is quite accurate in seeing people. Since she will ask him for help, she must believe him.
"I'll help you," he said nasally after nodding his head. "What do you need me to do? Send a letter or anything else, I can do it."
In the past, when he was in Wen's house, the young man could not get in touch with his companions, but it was different on this mountain. The place was big, and there were always places that the Imperial Guard could not guard, and he also had a reason to go in and out, which made it a lot more convenient.
"No need, your mother meant to let you stay at home."
Gu Ye burst into laughter, "Then I'll wait for you here next time."
Saying that, he jumped off the big rock, turned around and waved, "Thank you, Uncle Ugly."
He's really an unruly child, no wonder his mother is begging for him in a hurry.
After trotting two steps, Gu Ye thought of something and tore off a small piece from the cloak, "Please bring this to my mother. Let her not miss me too much."
Although he will be searched when entering and exiting the checkpoint, a small piece of cloth can still be hidden. The young man stuffed the cloth with the size of a finger into his hair.
The two separated, and the young man resumed his walking posture of one high and one low. Before leaving, Gu Ye suddenly said, "Uncle, you didn't seem to be lame just now."
The young man paused for a while, and then heard him grinning again: "I lied to you, this time I'm really gone."
Gu Ye lowered his body and disappeared in the bushes like a swift black rabbit in this foggy rainy day.
…
In the kitchen of the bandit village on the Tianshan Mountain, Gu Yin was in charge of the night.
Although Shopkeeper Zhou and Master Yuan both felt sorry for her and wanted to do it for her, the little emperor became more and more difficult to serve since he left Hanshan Town, and changed his pattern to ask for different meals.
The day before, Master Yuan was dragged out and beaten ten sticks because the things he made did not suit his taste.
Although Master Yuan was in good health, the ten sticks still beat him all day without coming to bed.
So now Gu Yin is the only cook who cooks food for the little emperor.
In the evening, the little emperor passed the meal again and wanted to eat chicken noodle soup.
There are live chickens in the kitchen, but because of the continuous rain and the humidity on the mountain, the firewood sent in the morning is already damp.
She reported to the eunuch Shangshan, and after a while, the eunuch Shangshan asked the young man to find him and asked him to chop wood in the kitchen.
Gu Yin added eggs to the flour and kneaded the dough. When the young man split the firewood and put it in the stove to make a fire, her hand-rolled noodles were also ready.
Cut the whole chicken into pieces, soak it in water to remove the blood, blanch it in water, put it in the pot and simmer for two quarters of an hour on high heat. After the chicken taste is cooked, put the noodles into the pot.
Wait until the noodles are cooked and take out, put them in a small bowl, then tear the chicken breast into chicken shreds, put half into the noodles, and mix the half with sesame oil, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, etc. to become a side dish with noodles.
The eunuch Shang Shan was drowsy, and he forcibly endured the drowsy supervisor.
The young man was beside him with no distractions to help him, and he felt that Gu Yin was tearing chicken silk while peeking at herself from the corner of his eye.
The young man looked back helplessly. He was indeed much stronger than ordinary people, but he had never done such cruel things as tearing up a living person. It was just a rumor on the battlefield. In addition, this rumor can really boost the morale of the rebels, so there is no rumor.
A gust of cold wind blew past, and the eunuch Shangshan sneezed coldly and woke up all of a sudden.
Seeing that you look at me and I look at you, he coughed lightly, and Gu Yin and the youth looked away from each other.
Gu Yin quickly prepared the noodle soup, and the eunuch Shang Shan tried poisoning and immediately took it away to the little emperor.
Before leaving, he stopped again and sighed
There are also eunuchs and palace maids in the palace who eat in pairs, and the eunuch Shangshan has company in the palace. It's a pity that when the emperor fled, he didn't bring his companion, I'm afraid it will be hard to see him again in this life.
Seeing the two people staring at him with tired eyes, Eunuch Shang Shan felt that it was unsightly, but he didn't act like a wicked person who beat mandarin ducks. Don't do that kind of pickled stuff!"
"Thank you father-in-law, the women will save it!"
Gu Yin smiled and sent Eunuch Shang Shan away.
Turning his head again, he saw the young man drooping his eyes awkwardly, not looking at her, and said softly, "I'm sorry for you."
Nowadays, women pay attention to their reputation. If they are thinner-skinned women, people will misunderstand that they have an affair with the person who looks like him. I am afraid that they will be embarrassed and dare not meet anyone again.
"It's okay, my son is so old, and he's not a little girl." Gu Yin said indifferently: "Misunderstanding is a misunderstanding. Besides, I won't be with these people all the time, and I will go back to town. , and the rest of the town won't know about it."
The two sat in front of the stove, pretending to be burning a fire together, and at the same time they were facing the door of the stove and could see the movement outside.
The young man took out a small cloth strip from his hair and handed it to her. Gu Yin's eyes turned red when she saw it.
She held the cloth tightly in her palm, "Have you seen him? How is he?"
"He looked very good, he said he missed you and wanted to do something for you." Thinking of the sly and intelligent child, the youth's eyes softened a little, "I helped you spread the word, let him be honest at home. Waiting, but he should not, just said that next time he will be waiting for me at the spring where I draw water."
"That's what this kid is like," Gu Yin hid the cloth strip and said angrily, "As long as I can't see him at a glance, no one can control him. When we were in the town, our county magistrate escorted the prisoner to Fucheng for trial. He dared to go along with him. I spent a whole night with his mother, and then I heard that he was out of the city... "
Perhaps it was because of the news of Gu Ye that she was excited, or she had formed a habit of casually nagging with the youth before, and before she knew it, Gu Yin said a long series of words.
The firewood in the stove made a "beep" sound, and Gu Yincai came back to her senses and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much."
The young man fiddled with the firewood with a firewood tong, and said softly, "No problem."
In fact, he could not remember how long it had been since no one had spoken to him like this. When he was young, he only thought that these trivial things were not worth mentioning. Now, when he turned around, he realized that this kind of piecemeal and bland daily life has nothing to do with it. How precious.
Gu Yin sighed as she watched the flames throbbing in the stove. However, in front of her, she was begging for retribution, begging the young man to help him pass the word, but at this time, it was not easy to ask the other party to take care of her cub for a long time.
With something in her mind, she couldn't sit still. She got up and rolled out some noodles and put it in the pot. She also took out the rest of the chicken and mixed it with sauces and seasonings.
When the noodles were fully cooked, she served them out in a sea bowl, put the remaining dishes such as shredded cucumber and shredded fungus that she had prepared for the little emperor, and put a chicken leg on it, and sat back in front of the stove again.
"Eat."
The young man prides himself on not being a big eater. After all, although his family background is not bad in the village when he was young, his mother's craftsmanship can be described as bad. If he joins the army later, it is even more so that he can sleep in the open air and eat a bite. Warm is fine.
However, after staying by her side for a month, the tongue actually became tricky.
When he got to this mountain, he stayed outside for a longer time and ate a big pot of rice from the big kitchen. I heard that the master is also a very famous master in Hanshan Town, but I don't know what happened. Better than what she does casually.
"Thank you." He took the sea bowl and ate it in a big mouth. The noodles were chewy and the chicken soup was fragrant and refreshing. The sauce of the chicken legs is slightly heavy, and it is very delicious with slightly lighter noodles and soup.
He wasn't hungry, but he ate a big bowl before he knew it.
In this cold mountain, sweating all over, he sighed comfortably.
"Do you still want to eat?" Gu Yin really likes to watch him eat. If it wasn't for the fact that his identity was fake, he hired him to be the god of food, and let him perform in the front hall every day, even if he couldn't increase the sales of food. , looks comfortable.
"No, I'm not very hungry."
Gu Yin gave a pity "Oh", took the bowl in his hand and went to wash it by the sink.
The young man didn't understand why she looked a little lost, and followed her to the sink.
After hesitating again and again, he asked: "Your husband... Where is the father of the child? Don't misunderstand, it's not that I want to ask more, but I promised you earlier that I would help you get out of here. So if he can respond outside, naturally Do more with less.”
"He's gone."
"I'm sorry." The young man frowned.
Also, any man with some blood will not let his wife fall into this situation, let alone let his five-year-old son wander around in a hurry, and the soldiers follow him in a dangerous way, and almost let people find out. .
His eyes fell on the side of her face. Although she deliberately painted her face black and covered the upper half of her face with ugly bangs, her nose was small and delicate, and her thin lips were slightly pursed when not speaking. The horns are always slightly raised, and the whole person looks quiet and weak, but with a tenacity that will not admit defeat.
It was the man who was unlucky.
If it was him, even if he crawls, he has to crawl out of the underworld. How could he be willing to let her live alone with the child
This thought passed in a flash in his mind, and he closed his eyes immediately, suppressing the thoughts he should not have.
"It's okay, it's been many years ago." Gu Yin deliberately didn't mention that Wu Qingyi died on the battlefield - the other party was a member of the rebel army, and Wu Qingyi died for the court, so the two sides' positions were natural opposition.
Although she said it lightly, the young man had also tasted the pain of losing his family. The pain that burned his heart and his bones had kept him up at night for a long time, and he didn't know how to eat. The pain was burning within five.
He is not very good at comforting people, so he just changed the subject and said, "Don't worry about the child for now. The spring where I carry the water is inaccessible, and he also has some martial arts skills. No one should find it in the short term."
"Trouble you." Gu Yin was a little embarrassed, "I don't know how to thank you."
"You have already thanked me." The young man pointed to the bowl in her hand.
This made Gu Yin even more embarrassed. The other party was here to do a big thing, but she troubled others to look after her children. A bowl of chicken noodle soup was saved from the ingredients eaten by the little emperor. It is really not enough to be seen as a thank you gift.
The young man didn't find it troublesome, and it was strange. In fact, he was not a nosy person, but the woman and the child in front of him would not make him feel bored.
"If I have something to gain from me, just speak up."
Gu Yin is just an ordinary person, she knows that the old dynasty is abominable, and the rebels have a good reputation, but the world is very far away from ordinary people like her. Strictly speaking, she is not a fan of anyone. But after coming into contact with her during this period of time, the people of the old dynasty really disgusted her, and the young man in front of her has helped her several times with righteousness.
Now her heart is completely on the side of the new rebel army, and she only hopes that they can win a big victory and end this storm.
After that, they didn't say much more. In the middle of the night, after confirming that the little emperor had rested, Gu Yin and he went back to their rooms to rest.
…
Three days later, the weather was cloudy and sunny, and the Praetorian Guards did not start again.
Gu Yin was busy in the kitchen that day—the noble children headed by the guard Rong showed the fox's tail again. Knowing that the little emperor didn't come out very much now, he touched it again to eat and drink.
Of course, because the kitchen was not far from the little emperor's residence, they didn't dare to drink and gamble any more.
The young man came staggering with water, and when the guards saw it, they laughed and said, "The ugly cook is coming out, you are here!"
Shopkeeper Zhou was also in the kitchen, and when he heard this, his hand clenched the kitchen knife.
"It's okay, don't care about them." Gu Yin said indifferently.
This kind of thing doesn't happen once or twice. If you really want to get angry with these dudes, you don't have to make yourself angry.
The young man entered the house to pour water, and Gu Yin followed him to help him carry the bucket.
He rarely spoke in front of people, but this time he said in her ear, "I want to see Mrs. Wen."
After a sentence, he said no more.
Gu Yin calmly helped him pour the water into the water tank, and then went back to the pot table to work.
After the young man went out, the guards naturally laughed together again, but because one of them was deaf, and the other was very good-natured like looking at dough, they felt bored after they finished talking and didn't say more.
After that day, when Gu Yin made food for Mrs. Wen, she made porridge with preserved eggs and lean meat for two days in a row.
The preserved egg was brought from Wen's house, just because the little emperor said it was good, the palace servants didn't even forget to bring it when they fled for their lives.
"What does this mean?!" The next day, the bedridden old man threw the bowl when he was eating the evening meal, "The sage didn't see me, and the kitchen made me the same food. This is to dislike me, the old man. Have you lived long?!"
The porridge bowl fell to the ground and was torn apart.
This old man has been ill for almost a month, and several imperial doctors brought out from the palace looked at him and said that he was too old and could not stand his mood swings. .
In fact, Emperor Longqing didn't care much about the body of the old man. As long as the old man didn't die, he could use the old man's reputation.
"I want to see the sage, and the sage decides for the old minister!" Mrs. Wen struggled to sit up.
The servants were so frightened, not to mention that Emperor Longqing couldn't see anyone now. Even if he could, this old man could die at any time. If he was really angry, Emperor Longqing had to take off the heads of all the people in the room. !
"Don't be angry, Boss, the sage respects you, how can he treat you harshly? Naturally, the people below are neglecting you!"
The palace servants persuaded him to stop him, and quickly called for the eunuch Shangshan to come.
Mr. Shang Shan was listening to people saying that Mrs. Wen was so angry, and immediately confessed: "The boss knows clearly, how can the servant dare to neglect you? It's the cook in the kitchen, who swore to the servant that you used to be I like this porridge very much, and I once said that I will never get tired of eating it every day. The servant sees that she is usually safe and meticulous in handling errands, so I listened to her, and you should calm down!"
Mrs. Wen pointed to the door and said, "Go and call her here! The old man should ask her carefully. The old man and her also have some connections. Ask yourself how you can play tricks on me if you have never treated her harshly?!"
Not long after, Gu Yin was also passed over.
"It's not the woman's fault, it's the firewood in the stove, it's not enough."
Of course, the firewood used by the little emperor was provided by a special person, and the firewood for other people to eat was not so fine. Gu Yin used to only eat for the emperor and the old man, so she could handle it naturally.
But the guards also came to shout five and six places to eat and drink, and Master Yuan did not take good care of his body and bones. Shopkeeper Zhou had to do a big pot of rice and could not be idle for a moment, and her cooks were also responsible for the rough work on the whole mountain. She was very weak. Thinking that the old man didn't eat much during this time, it was normal to be lazy.
The eunuch Shangshan had taken bribes from the guards, lest Gu Yin would reveal the fact that the guards were eating, drinking and beating teeth, and immediately said: "This little lady has a relationship with the helper in the kitchen, she must be distressed for his relationship, so she deliberately how about this!"
"You!" Mrs. Wen pointed at Gu Yin in disbelief, a look of real astonishment on his face.
Gu Yin didn't care what others thought before, but Mrs. Wen was different. In her heart, she was the same person as her own parents. Now being pointed at by Mrs. Wen, she was so frightened that her shoulders shook and her neck shrank.
This utterly guilty state fell into the eyes of the eunuch Shang Shan, and he continued: "Look, old lady, this lady Gu has a guilty conscience!"
Thinking of Gu Yin's reward, he didn't pay less for him, and Eunuch Shang Shan didn't step on her any more, "So when it comes to the end, the fault is still with the gang of workers!"
"Then send those workers over!" Mrs. Wen handed Gu Yin a knife, and almost said that she would settle accounts with her in the future.