early morning.
The rooster croaked three times, and the sky was bright and a little blue. Mingyue has already got up, packed her father's medicine box and backpack, and counted the time to go out.
The fallen leaves in front of the opposite door almost covered the already low steps.
Lord Situ still did not go home.
Mingyue sighed and walked towards the entrance of the alley with her head lowered. A hawker selling buns greeted her. She smiled but did not speak.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, there was a creaking sound of the door behind him, followed by a clattering sound of chains, Mingyue looked back inadvertently, and saw Situ Jin walking out of the house. Unlike in the past when he wore a majestic official uniform, today he is only wearing coarse linen clothes, carrying a small burden on his back, with shackles and chains on his ankles, which rattled as he walked.
The two officers and soldiers followed him out, his expression remained indifferent, as if he was not the prisoner being escorted.
Mingyue was shocked.
"Lord Situ!" Mingyue hurried over with her skirt, "You..."
"Girl, he is not an adult now." Some officers and soldiers said.
The voice like a tingling sounded behind his ears, and Situ Jin froze, subconsciously looking at his appearance today, the shackles on his feet pierced into his eyes, which made him feel less sad and less angry. A little annoyed.
Boldly turning around, Situ Jin politely called out, "Miss Zhu."
"Could it be convenient for a few adults? Let the little girl and Situ Da... Young Master Situ talk a little bit, just let it go!" Mingyue took out the money from her purse, "This is the money for the two of you to buy wine."
"Hey, no, no, just say it." The two officers and soldiers waved their hands quickly, "The prisoner who was originally exiled could see his relatives and friends again before he left the capital, but this guy said he had no relatives or friends, so we just let him come back. Pack your bags."
Mingyue thanked him and asked Situ Jin quickly, "Tell me quickly, what's going on here? How can I help you? You have someone in the palace who can talk to you, I... I want How can I get in touch with them?" Tears were already in his eyes, and it took a lot of work to speak fluently.
Situ Jin was stunned for a while, and said a little clumsily: "Don't worry about it, this matter was originally my fault, and there is no room for change." When they were about to part, Situ Jin dared to look at other people's faces generously. The corners of her eyes were already red, a thin patch, like the rouge on Hua Dan's face on the stage.
"Really... Really not? Don't be discouraged, I'm not discouraged, I still have some savings... You can try it!"
Said she was sensible but naive, how could her little money be enough for those nobles to stick their teeth? Besides, how could he be willing to let her run around begging for help for him? Situ Jin shook his head and said nothing.
Mingyue's heart cooled down a little.
A man like Situ Jin, who says one is never two, says that there is no room, that is, there is no room.
Tears finally burst, and Mingyue stood in front of Situ Jin, crying into tears.
Situ Jin was at a loss. He had never had any experience in coaxing his daughter's house. He wanted to help her to wipe away her tears, but he stopped at the marriage between men and women. He wanted to say "don't cry", but it seemed to be useless.
A handkerchief was handed over to his elbow, Situ Jin glanced at the officer gratefully, took it and handed it to Mingyue.
"Lord Situ." Mingyue said suddenly.
"Um?"
"My name is Zhu Mingyue, and my father is Zhu Qinglan. I know women's popularity, and I can distinguish medicinal herbs. My family's medical skills are passed down from male to female, but I have learned some secretly. I'm used to yelling, and many people say that I have no rules. Aunt Zheng next door said that no one would dare to marry a girl like me, and I will be an old girl for a lifetime. But... "
But she just liked him. Every day, I get up very early to get dressed, lie down at the crack of the door to see when he goes out, carry the medicine basket and step out of the threshold the moment he opens the door, pretending to meet him by chance. As long as you meet his eyes for a split second, your heart is pounding all day, like a little rabbit that can't be held back.
He was later transferred to the barracks in Shilipo, where he ate and lodged and rarely returned home. Her heart seemed to be empty, and she was unwilling to give up every day. A few days ago, she was wrong in prescribing medicine for a patient, and she was taught a lesson by her father. She sometimes went out of the city to collect herbs, so she made a special detour to the Shili Slope, where she could see the military camp's martial arts field from a distance from the highest point of the hillside. Every time she wondered whether the man with the sword was Situ Jin.
Now he's going to a place far away from her, where he might get married and have children, and they'll never see each other for the rest of their lives.
She cried very sadly, her long eyelashes fluttered, and big tears flowed out every time she fluttered.
"She lied." Situ Jin said.
Mingyue looked up suspiciously.
"That Aunt Zheng, she lied." Situ Jin looked at her, as if the evening wind blew away the broken ice, rippling, "You are very good, really, the best girl I have ever met."
Joy gradually filled his heart, and Mingyue's eyes lit up. Does he say that, does it mean that he has a place for her in his heart
"Lord Situ, where are you going, will you come back?"
"Go to the border town of Shuobei, you don't have to worry, Shuobei is my hometown, my swordsmanship is decent, but the Tartars can't beat me. As for whether I can come back, it depends on luck."
Mingyue wiped away the tears on her cheeks and said, "Master Situ, I am sixteen years old this year, and I will wait for you for five years."
Situ Jin was stunned for a moment, and his cheeks slowly turned red.
What does "wait for him" mean? Is that what he meant
He suddenly wanted to run away, if it weren't for the fact that there were two yamen behind him, and if it wasn't for the chains around his feet, he really wanted to escape immediately.
He hesitated for a while before saying, "Five years is too long, Miss Mingyue, you..."
"What are you, you, what are you?" Mingyue sniffed, raised her neck and said, "You have 'a gentleman's words, a horse is difficult to chase', what I said in Mingyue, ten horses can't pull back."
She is obviously a soft and weak girl who can be grasped by the shoulders. She is as weak as a weeping willow on the edge of the embankment, but she doesn't give in at all when she speaks. she. Situ Jin sighed and said hoarsely, "Forget it, if I haven't come back in five years, Miss Mingyue will look for someone else, don't worry about me anymore."
Mingyue shook her head and said, "No, if you haven't come back after five years, I'll go to Shuobei to find you. So, if I wait for you, you have to wait for me."
"girl!"
"This is the bracelet my mother gave me, for you." Mingyue took off a bracelet from her wrist, "It is very important, you must return it to me when the time comes."
"no."
Mingyue held back her tears and said, "I just want you to owe me, and if you owe me, you will remember me."
Situ Jin hesitated.
The officers and soldiers next to him came up and said, "A big man is still a mother-in-law and a mother-in-law, and he doesn't want a daughter-in-law if he falls from the sky. I really don't know what you think. We are still in a hurry, so why don't you hurry up and put it away." He took Mingyue's bracelet and stuffed it into Situ Jin's hands.
The jade bracelet was hot and still had Mingyue's body temperature. Situ Jin felt a little hot, and his face suddenly turned red.
Mingyue took a deep breath, put a smile on her face again, and said, "Lord Situ, see you in the future."
The girl's back figure is getting farther and farther, and the brown clothes are printed in the morning light, like a faint ink.
Situ Jin said silently in his heart, see you in the future.
evening.
The wood in the palace is mostly made of golden nanmu, which is good, but it looks gloomy when it is used too much. The sun had just set, and the supervisor's duty room was already dark, and the heavy shadows of the beams and pillars pressed down, making it hard to breathe. A candle light dimly shone on Weide's wrinkled face, as ferocious as hell.
Shen Jue stood at the bottom, always nodded and lowered her eyebrows. Yubai held a scroll of memorials in her hands and slowly read:
"Emperor Gao decreed that internal officials are not allowed to interfere in foreign affairs, only for the court to sweep and sweep, and those who violate the law will not be pardoned. Shengming is in the imperial court, but there are unscrupulous, turbulent and chaotic people, such as Wei De, the eunuch of the Dongchang factory. Dare to list his crimes, Speaking for Your Majesty. Wei De is a rogue in the city, illiterate, middle-aged and pure, and has entered the mainland. At first, he was Xiaozhong and Xiaoxin because of his good fortune, and then he dared to be a big traitor and a big evil to disrupt the government..."
His voice was really nice, slow and continuous, like the sound of a clear spring.
But everyone was silent for a long time, and they beat Weide's shoulders with a set of small fists that became lighter and lighter, and finally it was almost like a mosquito bite. Fortunately, Weide's mind was not on this. Sent out.
"My minister urges long live to kill Wei's eunuch and stop Dongchang, then the government will be clean and the world will be bright. The minister will bow his head first and then worship." Shen Jue closed the memorial and stood with his eyes lowered.
There was no sound all over, except for the sound of Weide plucking beads, like the pendulum of a Western clock. After listening to it for a long time, everyone felt that their breathing seemed to be in line with it.
The string of beads suddenly broke, and the Canaan Buddha beads rolled to the ground, and they drilled around without thinking. Everyone was startled and hurriedly bowed their knees.
"What a 'big treason', what a 'Ye Ting only knows Wei Yi, not His Majesty'! This is to cure a family member who cheated on the king and wanted to rebel!"
"Father, let go of your anger." Qian Zhengde, who was always bold, walked to Weide's side, served tea for him, and said, "Long live lord has long since ignored the government, this memorial is here with us, let's cut it off and find one. From the beginning, let Wan Xian be far away, if the father-in-law is difficult to keep his chest, he can do it all the time, kill him all at once, kill the chickens and show the monkeys, let the civil and military officials see, our Dongchang Secretary of Licensing is not good. provoked."
Weide rolled his eyelids and glanced at Qian Zhengde, but said to Shen Jue, "Shen Jue, you have always been a successful person, you can talk about it."
The quiet young man murmured for a moment, then slowly said: "Wan Xian, this person has been an official for more than 20 years, and this winter solstice will return to his hometown as a scholar. This time I suddenly impeach my foster father, my son thinks, maybe he just wants to make a name for himself."
"Well," Weid said, "go on."
Qian Zhengde angrily knelt back and glanced at Shen Jue quietly. The man's profile face was expressionless, his eyes were fixed on the carpet, and he didn't move half an inch. He was obviously just a little eunuch in the study room, but he was able to accompany Weide, but he was not very embarrassed for this newly promoted pen. Qian Zhengde secretly grinded his back molars.
Shen Jue continued to reply: "According to what my son sees, the adoptive father might as well just ignore it and let it flow. As the saying goes, if you can endure it will become a big deal. If you demote him, I'm afraid it will fall into the arms of this person, and it will become even more exciting. Qingliu has spoken and written to protect his colleagues, and even if the memorial is not seen in His Majesty's Dragon Eyes, I am afraid that the sound of the voice will be passed on to His Majesty's ears, and the loss outweighs the loss."
"It makes sense. Shen Jue, you are not as young as the weak crown, but you have a talent for foresight, which is very good."
"Father is wrong."
"His Majesty fell from a horse and hurt his leg. Long live is the time to be upset. Well, a son with all beards and tails has become a chicken, and the holy will is unpredictable. Although our family has been with the emperor for many years, it is not safe to take us. I'm a punching bag. These people who don't have long eyes are rushing to put eye drops on our family. It's really hateful!" Weide coughed in anger, and finally calmed down, and said, "However, our family has to let this old man go. Don't teach him a lesson. Doesn't he want fame? Our family will fulfill him! Humph, if you don't stretch him properly, he thinks Dongchang is a yamen that eats dry rice! Xiao Yan, you send someone to the outer court and the market Let's talk a little bit."
A eunuch hurriedly said: "Please publicize it."
"Father-in-law picks up ashes, daughter-in-law cheats, this drama will not disappoint. After tea and dinner, it's enough to make a joke."
In just a few words, Wan Xian became a man in the kitchen, and his son became a green turtle, which not only ruined his reputation, but also alienated his father and son's relationship, which has to be said to be very cruel. However, this is the style of eunuchs. You can't fight on the bright side, but you can also kill people secretly. Any kind of gentleman's style, any kind of progress and retreat, they are all bullshit here. As long as you can achieve your goals, you can use all the tricks.
"Father-in-law has a good plan. Now, let's see if the immortal Wan Xian dares to talk nonsense." Qian Zhengde said with a shy face.
Weide smashed a tea bowl on his head and scolded, "You're immortal? Who are you scolding!"
Wei De is over 60 this year, and the ordinary ministers have already reached the age of becoming an official. Weide himself can call others old donkeys, but he can't hear others say the word "old".
With blood and tea on his head, Qian Zhengde cried and kowtowed for mercy.
Wei De's anger was still not smooth. He paced to the window and looked outside through the brocade of brocades. The Forbidden City was dark, the eaves of the arches were intriguing, and the shadows on the ground were like warring soldiers. He took a long breath and said, "Everything that our family has ordered is urgently done. All day long, there is nothing serious except for stalking horses, and all of them are useless!"
Qian Zhengde Nuonuo said yes, this time he didn't even dare to lift his head.
"Our family is going out of the palace, Xiao Yan and Shen Jue will follow, and the others should do what they want." Weide put on a black gauze hat, and Shen Jue and Xiao Yan followed behind. Xiao Yan was from Dongchang and wanted to follow Wei. De Yi came out of the palace with a palace lantern in his hand, his body slightly behind Weide, and the palace lantern just shone at Weide's feet.
Along the way, the winding corridors, one after another, the lights are passing, winding like a long snake.
"Is the newly-appointed Li Cairen still in good health recently?" Weide asked suddenly after walking three shots.
The emperor has few descendants, and the eldest prince, who was the most proud of the spring breeze, fell from his horse and became a Pozi. After all, the king of a country is a person who is staring at thousands of pairs of eyes. He does not seek unparalleled talent and virtue, but seeks good health. If there are more sons, there is no way that the first prince will be on the throne.
Shen Jue knew exactly why Weide asked, and said: "The palace staff came to report, Cairen didn't see Tiankui last month. However, Cairen has always been in bad health, and there was a past example of having time to rejoice earlier. Seeing the pulse, my son has instructed the imperial doctor to check the pulse after 20 days."
Wei De's previously cloudy face loosened a little, and he said with a smile, "Jue'er, you are the most talented of our family, but you are also the least intelligent."
"What does the foster father mean, the son is unknown."
"This fellow Qian Zhengde only knows how to beat horses, but he can't do anything at all. Do you know why our family promoted him?"
Even if you know, say you don't know. Shen Jue responded, "My son doesn't know."
"Looking at people with a smiling face and being able to talk is the reason why our family promoted him. Look at you, we put on a dead face all day long. Although we have some authority, in the final analysis, we are the master's dog and the servant who serves people. With a smiling face, If you say something nice, the masters will be happy when they see it, and naturally they will be able to walk smoothly."
Shen Jue clenched her hands and whispered, "My son understands."
"Go back and practice well in front of the mirror. If we don't see results in a few days, you don't have to stay in the study room. What's the use of a dog who is not likable?"