Ruan Xiaojiu was pacing under the big tree outside the conference hall. After the beginning of the new year, the peach blossoms in the mansion began to bloom one after another. When the wind blew, the early bloomers were mixed in with the red plum blossoms and began to float in the air with the wind, filling the entire garden.
He had no mood to appreciate it. He just walked around under the peach tree in the mansion, which was said to be forty or fifty years old. His face was solemn. When he raised his eyes and saw Su Yao coming over, he hurriedly called out "Young Lady" and followed Su Yao into the meeting room.
The weather gradually warmed up, but it was still very cold at night. As the sky gradually darkened, Ruan Xiaojiu rubbed her hands and whispered, "Girl, I have already found out everything."
Su Yao nodded, motioned him to sit down, then raised his eyebrows and waited for him to speak.
"I heard that this Taoist Priest Xuanyuan was picked up by the previous abbot of Baihe Temple by the stream when he was young, and was then raised by the abbot. He was very naughty since he was young, unlike other children." Ruan Xiaojiu considered and sorted out the information he had heard: "I heard that he was originally very talented. He could draw talismans to summon gods since he was young, and he wielded a peach wood sword very well. But later... I don't know what happened to him. After he went down the mountain to train, he got into trouble and lost the abbot's daughter..."
Baihe Temple, like Longhushan Temple, is a Zhengyi Taoist temple that does not prohibit marriage.
Su Yao's eyes moved, and he suddenly felt that the story was somewhat familiar.
Then, Ruan Xiaojiu continued, "Everyone said that he... raped the daughter of the abbot. There was a big quarrel in Baihe Temple, and finally the Discipline Hall expelled him from the sect. He has been wandering around. Somehow, after a few years, he returned to Baihe Temple... The previous abbot had passed away. He explained why he lost his junior sister that year, saying that his junior sister was killed by bandits. He traveled around Shu and finally killed the bandits, proving his innocence... From then on, he returned to Baihe Temple, and he was very accurate in his predictions. He was very popular with the noble ladies in the capital, and even went to the palace to preach to the Queen..."
That’s right.
Su Yao's heart skipped a beat.
She said how could such a coincidence happen in the world, and it turned out to be no coincidence.
The period when Xuanyuan's junior sister got into trouble was the time when the prince led his troops to wipe out the remaining forces of the deposed emperor in Shu.
They all match up.
Su Yao silently thought of Qi Yunxi, the Qi family, and the Xu family. His eyes lit up. Seeing Ruan Xiaojiu looking at him, he raised his chin and said, "Go on, what else?"
"Later, Taoist Xuanyuan became famous, but he still spent most of the year traveling outside and rarely returned to Baihe Temple." Ruan Xiaojiu looked at Su Yao, a little puzzled: "Miss, is there something wrong?"
Of course not.
Su Yao pondered for a while, thought of something, sneered, and whispered to him: "Xiao Jiu, go to Baihe Temple now and do me a favor."
Ruan Xiaojiu quickly agreed.
The girl was rarely so anxious. He felt that something big must have happened, so he tensed up and listened to Su Yao's instructions, and then he couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
Even after he went out the side door, he still felt as if he was walking on clouds and was unable to react.
What did the girl say just now
He scratched his head, his eyelids drooped, and he sleepwalked on the street for a while. The cold wind blew and he sneezed violently. He woke up and slapped his forehead with a cry, "How stupid! Since the girl asked you to do it, she must have her reasons. Why don't you just do it?!"
The girl never missed it anyway.
When he thought of this, he became energetic again. He went back home, changed his clothes, and went out at night. Having helped Su Yao for a long time, he was now experienced. No one knew better than him which areas were patrolled by the Five Cities Army and where they could move. He bypassed the patrols and carefully went to the eastern suburbs of the city.
Most of the refugees and beggars gathered here.
Ruan Xiaojiu, wearing tattered clothes, squeezed into a dilapidated temple in the dark.
It was late at night, but many beggars and refugees were still awake. They gathered together, gambling around a brazier lit with firewood they had collected.
They had been busy all day and were cold, frozen and hungry. They usually only came back late at night when they could relax a little. After gambling, they would go to the shabby tavern nearby to get a jug of wine and share it among themselves.
Ruan Xiaojiu squeezed over with his hands in his sleeves and played a few rounds. He lost thirteen copper coins and suddenly became a little angry. His face flushed and his neck thick, he shouted that he wanted to play another round.
Every winter, many refugees come to the capital. Most of them will be driven away, but a few are smart and use various means to stay.
They gathered here, they are all from the lowest class of society, they don’t know what will happen tomorrow, they can only survive by begging or doing hard labor, as for friends, that is even more impossible.
No one knows Ruan Xiaojiu, but that doesn’t matter because this guy has the money.
Everyone burst into laughter. Knowing that he was a novice, they deliberately provoked him: "Don't come, don't come. Your luck is so bad. No matter how much you come, you will lose. If you lose, you have no money to pay. We are not worthy of your company!"
Ruan Xiaojiu gritted his teeth. He was really anxious. He slowly felt around in his sleeves again and again. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, took out a whole piece of silver, and dropped it on the ground with a plop.
Under the light of the torch, the silver seemed to have magical powers, attracting everyone's attention.
The banker's eyes flickered. He looked at Ruan Xiaojiu for a long time and suddenly asked him, "You... you didn't steal this, did you?"
One of the consequences of the large influx of refugees was that many of them began to steal and rob. Because of this, last year Shuntian Prefecture and Wucheng Bingmasi arrested and beat a large number of people, and the Shuntian Prefecture jail was almost full to the point of being unable to accommodate them.
Because of this, the capital's public security has become increasingly strict. If vagrants are found stealing or robbing, all the people who are with them will be punished as well.
Although everyone loves money, no one wants to be beaten to death, and their eyes looking at Ruan Xiaojiu are somewhat fierce.
Ruan Xiaojiu seemed a little uneasy, and he stiffened his neck and shouted unconvincedly: "Who dares?! I'm not crazy. The police have been arresting people very strictly recently. I don't want to die!"
"Then where did you get this silver?" The banker swallowed his saliva and looked at the silver, and began to be a little dazed: "This is ten taels of silver!"
Ruan Xiaojiu snorted, raised his chin and looked arrogant: "This is none of your business! Just tell me, are you going to gamble or not?!"
How can you not eat the fat meat that is delivered to your door? !
This is ten taels of silver!
In today's world, buying a strong laborer only costs five taels of silver.
With these ten taels of silver, it is enough to rent a nice house and then gradually think about other ways to make a living.