The night is stormy.
The sky turned away, it was pitch black everywhere, the thunder and lightning hurried away, the wind whistled and the wind howled. The hawkers hurriedly closed their stalls, and the merchants leaned on the poles to hide from the rain under the teahouse, and bought a bowl of hot high crumbs by the way. The coachman hurriedly drove the carriage, and the wheel of the carriage ran over a dustpan rolling in the middle of the street. Passers-by ran with their heads in their sleeves, and after a while they got soaked all over.
In a small courtyard behind the Fuxiang Temple in Jinggongfang, Shen Jue was sitting under the eaves holding hot tea, with an oil-paper umbrella leaning against her feet. The fallen leaves in the courtyard rolled and fell, and he quietly listened to the crowd running outside, the sound of rain like boiling.
In the wind and rain, he could vaguely hear the rumbling thunder-like hooves getting louder and louder, and it was a group of black-clothed fans in minnows running in the rain. He sighed lowly, looking into the courtyard with his eyes as silent as the moon.
It's been ten years, since Leng Gong's departure, he and Xia Houlin have been separated for ten years.
At first, he could still hear the news of Xia Houlin, the nameless ghost who inherited Hengbo was a rising star of Jialan, walking in the dark night with his puppet Zhaoye, killing silently. Later, he heard that Xiahou Rin shuttled through the prostitutes in Suzhou and Hangzhou, indulged in singing, and let loose, and the singer and prostitute were proud of her blue eyes. Later, news came from Jialan's dark line that Xia Houlin assassinated Heart Killing alone, and Jialan was in civil strife, and Xiahoulin disappeared from then on without any news.
Xia Houlin disappeared without a trace like a drop of morning dew evaporating in the sun.
A year ago, his men accidentally discovered the auctioned Hengbo in the black market of Taizhou. He interrogated the auctioneer, and the seller confessed that Hengbo was found from the corpse after the Japanese pirates attacked Taizhou. But that doesn't prove that Xiahou Lin has ever been to Taizhou. In fact, it has been three and a half months since Xia Houlin left Jialan, and he has absolutely no chance of surviving.
At the beginning, Shen Jue was still holding on to hope, and the further back he went, the less hope he had, until today, it may be time for him to face reality. Xia Houlin, the assassin, may have already died on the day of the assassination, or maybe he died on the night of a poisonous outbreak in the middle of July. Bones rotting in the dust, eaten by vultures, bitten by maggots. Bliss, after all, was not delivered to Xia Houlin's hands.
From then on, he and Xiahou Lin had no chance to meet again except in the afterlife.
The courtyard was full of wind, rain and leaves. He looked down at the rushing water and the leaves drifting away from the eaves. He stretched out his hand to catch the raindrops that fell from the tiles.
Now, the old emperor is in critical condition, and a series of prescriptions are prescribed, but there is no improvement at all. He finally broke with Weide, pushing himself into a doomed situation. The civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty were half gloating and sitting on the sidelines, half contributing to the flames, wishing he died sooner.
Xia Houlin was gone, he had no hope, and he could finally put everything aside and give it a shot. In this battle, success or failure is a matter of life and death.
The sound of hoofs stopped at the door, and someone knocked on the door. He didn't answer, the door opened on his own, Qian Zhengde struttingly walked in with an umbrella, wearing a crimson embroidered python, a fat white face under the embroidered gold cap, and his eyes were squeezed into thin slits by the flesh on his cheeks. .
Shen Jue fell from power, he was promoted, and he took charge of the East Factory and became a majestic admiral with a lot of face. Feng shui turns around, this is very reasonable, Shen Jue has been so beautiful for so many years, and he is pressing him everywhere, and now it is finally his turn. He paced into the courtyard, looked down at Shen Jue condescendingly, the corners of his thin and red mouth slightly raised, and said with a smile, "Eunuch Shen, stay safe."
Shen Jue also nodded.
Shen Jue sat in the rosewood armchair, holding tea in his hands, motionless, laughing and talking freely, as if it was not him, but the cats and dogs on the roadside. Qian Zhengde looked at him coldly, sneering at his pretence in his heart.
"Your Majesty has issued an decree and ordered my father-in-law to go to Nanjing to guard the mausoleum, and we will set off today. After all, the old ancestor is a bodhisattva, and I am sympathetic to the fact that you have been with him for ten years. I specially sent my family to see the father-in-law for a ride." Qian Zhengde bowed. He smiled and said, "Nanjing is a good place. Our family hears the waters of the Qinhuai River every night, which is much more heartwarming than the capital. It's a good thing for Father Shen to go there so that he can live in peace."
"I used to go to Nanjing to guard the mausoleum, and it would be good to have an old horse to travel. I am a powerless and powerless person, and I am really flattered to ask the grandfather Qian to escort him personally." Shen Jue lowered her head and rubbed the celadon in her hands. Teacup, pulled the corners of his mouth, "I'm afraid that what Eunuch Qian is going to send is not Shen Jue, but Shen Jue's body. The assassin who came to assassinate me the day before yesterday, if I guessed correctly, is also the handwriting of my adoptive father. I am Shen Jue and He Dehe. Yes, it can make the adoptive father feel so terrified."
Qian Zhengde raised his head and laughed loudly, "Shen Jue, Shen Jue, you know what you know, why do you want to break it? Jinghuashuiyue, although it's a phantom, as long as you don't touch it, it's still pleasing to the eye. Our family wanted to wait for you to set off and add some ingredients to your meal to make your journey easier. Now, it seems that there is no need. "
As he said that, he shook his head again, "The tree fell down and scattered, but after all, it was a big tree with lush branches. The roots were coiled and tangled, and it was impossible to make a cut. The old ancestors were afraid of your former party members, and they couldn't sleep at night. Only You have gone to see Lord Yama, so that the ancestors can sleep peacefully. Alas, you are a sensible person, but you are a top idiot. You have done a good job in the East Factory, why do you have to challenge the ancestors? You ended up like this situation."
Shen Jue didn't answer, looked at Qian Zhengde with a slight smile, but asked, "Dare to ask the adoptive father of his old man's birthday this year?"
"The old ancestor is eighty-one." Qian Zhengde replied casually, not understanding Shen Jue's intention.
"Eighty one..." Shen Jue murmured softly, his eyebrows drooped, his eyelashes curled, and he raised his eyes again, but the haze was heavy, his brows and eyes were dark and thunderous, he almost gritted his teeth and said, "Eighty one. , Fengzhu waning years, who can guess when he will die? But how can I let him die!?"
"You..." Qian Zhengde pointed at him with trembling fingers, "you're crazy!" he shouted, "I didn't expect you to hide such misfortune, it seems that today, you don't even want to leave this door. Come on! Kill This beast!"
There were many pitch-black arrows protruding from the courtyard wall. Fanzi stood on the shoulders of their colleagues, put the crossbow arrows on the wall, aimed at Shen Jue under the eaves, the sharp arrows condensed a little cold silver light. Shen Jue did not move, the tea in his hand was already cold, the rain was still heavy, and the round hydrangeas in the corners were beaten to pieces.
Qian Zhengde yelled, "Fleet the arrow!"
Arrows shot out in response, and dozens of crossbow arrows cut through the gloomy night and plunged into the heavy rain curtain. Shen Jue's long and curved eyelashes trembled. In his field of vision, the plump eunuch knelt heavily on the ground, then fell face down, revealing the dense dark arrows behind his back. He was almost pinned into a hedgehog, his eyes wide open in disbelief, and the blood spread from under him, mixed with the rain, soaked in the cold green moss, and flowed into the gutter by the wall.
Shen Jue put down the porcelain cup, opened the oil-paper umbrella, and walked out the door with Qian Zhengde's blood past that fat white cheek. Fanzi stood in the rain, the black crossbow was dripping with rain, and under the scorpion, the black unicorn embroidered embroidered teeth and claws were glaring. Situ Jin put the mink robe on Shen Jue's shoulders, Shen Jue pulled the reins of the horse, and nodded to the fans.
"Thank you brothers."
"The governor's words are serious! Three years ago, if the governor hadn't investigated Jinyi's unjust prison, the villain would have already died in the prison!" You Fanzi shouted.
"The governor is only a matter of choice. If it weren't for the governor, the villain would still be an anonymous school captain today!"
"Weide is cronyism, and without the overseer, we can't get ahead at all!"
All the fans knelt on the ground in unison, and said, "I am willing to saddle the horse for the governor and swear allegiance to the death!"
"If there are no brothers, there is no me, Shen Jue!" Shen Jue got on his horse and looked in the direction of the palace, "The day I return to the capital will be the time of Weide's death!"
In the desolate wind and rain, the chariots rushed into the heavy rain curtain like a surging dark tide.
——————
It was just dawn, gray and blue, and the east was a little fish maw white. The silence in Rouge Hutong is far from that of the nightingales and lanterns in the alley. In the firewood room of Yunxian Building, Xia Houlin got up from the bed made of hay, squinted and walked out. He drew water by the well, brushed his teeth, rinsed his face, washed his face, cleaned up, went through the corner door, and went to the kitchen to boil water. When I met other servants on the road, they nodded to each other and said hello. He carried buckets of water buckets to the west wing of the backyard and placed them at the door. There was a wooden sign hanging on the door of the wing, with three big characters written in ink on it - "Gentle Township".
Xia Houlin carried the water into the ear room and poured it into the jujube wood tub. There was a mess all around, there was a shoe with impatiens embroidered on the ground, and a silver-red shirt under the incense table, wrinkled and wrinkled like a rag. The washbasin fell to the ground, the porcelain square bottle fell too, the water in it dried up, the tuberose was stepped on, and the petals shattered miserably on the ground. It can be seen that there was a "battle" here last night.
Xia Houlin pretended not to see it, poured all the water, and then sprinkled thick rose petals, making sure to completely cover the water.
This is the rule of Yunxian Lou's first brand, Achu, who takes a flower bath every morning without a hitch. Xia Houlin arrived at Yunxian Tower four months ago, and he brought Ah Chu's bath water for four months. He set the empty wooden barrel at the door, went to the kitchen to get a sesame cake, five white-flour steamed buns and a pot of water, and sat on the veranda to eat slowly. He doesn't have much work to do, so don't worry.
It rained heavily last night, the ground was still wet, and there was water in the cracks of the bricks. The flowers in the altar of the earth are gone, and the two most beloved pots of Clivia have died, and the tender and white petals are scattered on the ground. He forgot to put the flowers in the house last night, and when Ah Chi saw it, he had to make trouble again. There was a commotion in the yard next door. It was a maid of honor, and all the male prostitutes lived in it. There was a maid who had a bad temper. Oftentimes, the servant was beaten to death by him and came to complain to Xiahou Lin.
Time flies, and it has been three years since he left Galan. That day in Jialan, he thought he would lose too much blood and die, but he woke up well, he thought for a long time, and finally went to Qixia Mountain to find Qiushan. Qiushan was the abbot of Qixia Temple. He asked Xiahou Lin to work as a monk in the temple to help him cut his bones and flesh and change his face. He wrapped his head in bandages and swept the ground in the temple for five months. Every time the pilgrims in the temple saw him, they would give him some money with pity. They probably thought that Xiahou Lin was disfigured.
On the day when the bandage was removed, he saw his new face in the brass mirror. It was ordinary and ordinary, and it was impossible to find it in a pile of people. But it was quite attractive. His eyes and nose were not cut. He was very satisfied with his deep eyes and high nose. But the scar above the eye couldn't be removed. He covered it with powder, so he couldn't see it unless he looked carefully.
The enemies didn't even recognize him, and the man from Dongchang passed by him without turning his head. He went to Jinling to help him settle the account, and then traveled around the mountains and waters, holding the Fengqiao Post Bell, the Hanshan Evening Bell, and the Wujiang Sing. He walked and listened to them all. Beside the Canglang Pavilion, he burned the suicide note of Chian, and threw the ashes into the running water. From then on, there are hundreds of mountains and rivers, and everything in the world will not be missed.
On the half day of July, he dug a grave for himself behind Qixia Temple, and bought a thin coffin with the last bit of money on his body. He lay in the coffin, closed the lid of the coffin himself, and waited quietly to die. The coffin was very dark. He started thinking wildly, and then climbed out of the hut a few times. Once, he scared a woodcutter who was hitting the back of the mountain. He apologized repeatedly, lay back, and fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, it was already bright and he was not dead. He stepped on the red maple leaves everywhere and returned to Qixia Temple.
Qiu Shan was sitting under the porch drinking tea, and seeing his confused and overwhelmed appearance, he said, "The sky will not kill you, just live a good life."
"But I am a sinner."
"One thought to enlightenment, one thought to be good, and one thought to be able to transcend eternal kalpas and become a Buddha, what about you?"
Xia Houlin said goodbye to Qiushan and began to wander around. He has no fixed place to live, and he can count wherever he goes. But the trouble is, he has no household registration or household registration, and is a refugee. The government is very strict in arresting refugees. Once caught, they will either be listed on the Abandoned Resident Register and put in jail, or they will be sent to the border gate to guard the border. He was hiding, and he had to find ways to work and earn money to support himself. It was really hard work.
When he arrived in Taizhou, he encountered Japanese pirates besieging the city, recruiting soldiers and horses in the barracks, regardless of their place of origin. He was so poor that he was called up to the army and stayed in the camp for an autumn. However, in a street battle, a Japanese pirate knocked off Hengbo, and after slaughtering the Japanese pirate, he could not find Hengbo. Later, at the auction market, he saw that he had no money to redeem Hengbo, and watched helplessly as the people from the East Factory took Hengbo away.
He had to go to Beijing. Under the eyes of Dongchang, life is especially difficult. The inspection of refugees in Beijing is very strict. Every few days, the places where the refugees often gather together, such as broken temples, land shrines, and Yizhuang, will be checked once. The East Factory is heavily guarded, like an iron barrel, and there is no way to start. Last December, he was shivering in the woods on the outskirts of Beijing, and his stomach was empty. He didn't die in the hands of the enemy, he didn't die in the killing field of Jialan, but he would starve to death and freeze to death in the woods on the outskirts of Beijing. In the underworld, he might be laughed to death by his mother.
It just so happened that Ah Chu went to the nunnery to offer incense and returned, and brought him back to Rouge Hutong. Ah Chu told the prostitute that he was here to defect to her cousin, and left him in Yunxian Tower. With a place to stay, he finally solved the problem of food, clothing and accommodation. Ah Chu is a beautiful woman, with distant eyebrows and foggy eyes. When she looks at people with slanted eyes, she has the beauty of a fairy. However, her chin was thinner and her lips were thin, which made her look a little fierce. But some men like this kind of fierce-looking woman, and when they watch her tactfully accept joy, they feel the thrill of conquest.
Ah Chu is the oiran of Yunxian Tower. If the wind blows or the rain gets rain, the prostitute coaxes her. If a man wanted to sleep with her, he had to ask for twenty or thirty taels of silver a night. Sometimes Ah Chu got angry and refused to pick up guests, so she stayed in the house, and the bustard knocked on the door loudly. But Ah Chu is Ah Chu, the most famous prostitute in Beijing, and only she in the north class can challenge the skinny horses in the south class. The bustard still had to coax her, rushing Xia Houlin to help her line up to buy a bite of cake from the pastry shop, and Chu Lou's braised pork trotters.
Those benefactors didn't know that Ah Chu, who looked like a goblin in their eyes, liked to nibble on the braised pig's trotters with her bare hands while drinking with Xia Houlin. Ask Xia Houlin if she is old.
A crazy woman like Ah Chu, Xia Houlin could never understand it all his life. For example, in the question just now, Xia Houlin said that she was not old and she didn't believe it, and that she was old and she was angry. Xia Houlin had no choice but to pretend not to hear and drink by himself. The days spent in Yunxian Tower were very pleasant. Except for helping Ah Chu buy pig trotters, Xia Houlin didn't go out much.
But he still had to find a way to retrieve the transverse waves. He guessed that Hengbo was in Shen Jue's place, Shen Jue was the director of the Dongchang factory, and if the Dongchang factory got his stuff, it was bound to be handed over to Shen Jue.
Sometimes on the street, he could see Shen Jue's carriage passing by in the distance. The tassels decorated with fringed chariots, the flowered chariots, the four large Qingcong horse-drawn carriages, followed by the two teams of Dongchang Fanzi, are really a battle of mountains and seas. When Chu Lou was waiting for the pig's trotters, he also met Shen Jue twice. Every time, he would kneel on the ground with the people next to him and wait for Shen Jue to pass by. The brocade's drapery skirt slid before his eyes, and the golden thread was splendid and gorgeous. Shen Jue walked by, with his head on the ground, he secretly turned his face to the side, looking at Shen Jue Guhan's back, gradually disappearing, blurring, and disappearing.
He knew that he and Shen Jue were already two strangers in different worlds. He was a servant in the Goulan Washhouse, humble as dust, while Shen Jue was the admiral of the dignified Dongchang factory, the big one among the eunuchs, and he was hot. The memories of ten years ago were bleak yellow, and what happened with Shen Jue in Xie's house and the palace seemed to be the experience of a previous life. Those long-term memories were reincarnated and reincarnated into Xia Houlin's mind, which made him unable to explain. taste.
The former grumpy young master of the Xie family no longer exists, and now sitting in the carved four-carriage is the inscrutable supervisor of the East Factory, turning his hands into clouds and covering his hands into rain. Dongchang Fanzi hunted down the Jialan assassins everywhere, and none of the assassins who fell into Dongchang survived. Xia Houlin's wanted list is on the top of the list, and the streets and alleys are all over the city. Over the years, the old ones have been rotten and new ones have been posted. There was an abyss between him and Shen Jue, and they couldn't get close.
There was no way to get a map of Shen Jue's mansion, so he sneaked in twice, got lost, and came out in despair. The matter of Hengbo has been delayed, and he really has no choice.
After eating the flatbread and steamed buns, he clapped his hands, picked up the petals of Clivia, and buried them in the mud. Ah Chu suddenly rushed out of the room, her clothes were still messed up, and a large piece of white and tender breasts was exposed.
Xia Houlin: "..."
"Xiahou!" When Ah Chu saw him, like a savior, she ran over, out of breath, "I... I, I killed someone!"
Xia Houlin couldn't believe it, "Can you kill?"
Ah Chu was a little embarrassed, and stammered: "Did you die in bed..."
This means that the soul is dead.
Xia Houlin: "..."
A-chu pulled Xiahou Rin into the room, looked at him slyly, and made sure that there was no one else in the yard, so he closed the door and said, "Who knew this silver-like pewter head would be so useless! I only let him vent twice, It was fine last night, but this morning I saw him standing still, and I laughed at him for being immature. As a result, I opened the quilt and almost scared me to death!"
Xiahou Rong opened the curtain of the bed, revealing a gray face, eyes half-open, black blood flowing. Xia Houlin recognized him, the little fan of Dongchang, called Yan Xiaobei. Originally a poor man, he sent a sum from nowhere, and slapped the silver note on the table at the old bustard, and wrapped Ah Chu for one night.
"He was the secretary of the Dongchang factory. He died in my bed. What should I do? The boundary of the Dongchang factory is vertical and horizontal. How can a weak woman like me survive the punishment in prison?" Pazi, stomped in a hurry.
"You really can't stand it." Xia Houlin nodded in agreement.
"Should I run away? I have some savings, so eating is not a problem. Xiahou, please help me out of the city!"
Xia Houlin shook his head and said no, "East factory has eyes and ears all over the world, post shops, inns, carriages and horses, where are there no people from Dongchang? Unless you walk out of Daqi at once, or you don't want to live in peace."
"Then what should I do?" Ah Chi said.
Xia Houlin thought for a while, Ah Chu was his savior and could not help but save her. He sighed and said, "Lend me the fat powder."
Xia Houlin wanted to say something else, but a little girl under the window outside said in a soft voice, "Sister Ah Chu, Director Zhu has come to see Director Yan, waiting in the front yard, please call Director Yan."
Aki stood up abruptly.
Xia Houlin said to her with his mouth: "Promise her."
"Oh, come!" Ah Chu shouted through the window.
The little girl ran away kicking and kicking, and Ah Chu twisted her hands and said, "It's Zhu Shunzi! Yan Xiaobei's buddy, what should I do?"
"You go out and drag it, and leave it to me here."
Ah Chu nodded, took a deep breath, straightened her clothes and hair, and walked out with her head raised.
Zhu Shunzi is a man with sharp-mouthed monkey cheeks, high cheekbones, no flesh on his face, and looks like a chicken thief. Dongchang Fanzi, in the final analysis, is a hooligan who wears loose clothes. All day long, he doesn't do good things, and he drills around in the capital to inquire about other people's secrets. They are frequent visitors of Yunxian Tower, and Ah Chu is very familiar. On weekdays, he was as good as a fairy couple, but today he was upset when I saw him. Ah Chu was sitting in the armchair waiting, while Zhu Shunzi paced back and forth, making her dizzy.
My heart was in a hurry, and a man walked out of the hanging flower door. He was tall, with thin cheeks and a faint green beard around his mouth. Isn't this who Yan Xiaobei is? Ah Chu was stunned, almost thinking that Yan Xiaobei had deceived the corpse.
"Ouch, Lao Yan, you're awake!" Zhu Shunzi embraced him and waved at Achu, "Young girl, let's go first!"
"Walk slowly! Walk slowly!" Ah Chu smiled stiffly.
Yi Rong makeup is Xia Houlin's specialty, and it has been passed down by Master Qiu. Xia Houlin looked calm, glanced at Ah Chu, and followed Zhu Shunzi out the door.
"Lao Yan, father-in-law has given us an errand again!" Zhu Shunzi looked excited, "Look, I knew we could get father-in-law's eyes! Not only let us assassinate that ungrateful son of a bitch Shen Jue, but also sent us both this time. Go to Jiading!"
Assassinate Shen Jue! Xia Houlin's heart skipped a beat, and he raised his eyes suddenly.
Zhu Shunzi sighed: "Shen Jue, I didn't expect to be able to use martial arts! I thought he was so weak that he couldn't even lift a knife! Luckily, we were very lucky, and we ran away when the situation was not good, or else we could It's worth it. Fortunately, Eunuch Wei was sympathetic. Not only did he not hold responsibility, he also gave us a bounty, and this time he sent us such an important errand! As the saying goes, if a scholar dies for his confidant, he will go to Eunuch Wei. Appreciation, we should also swear allegiance to the death!"
Xia Houlin let out an "um" and calmly slapped the side: "What's wrong with Shen Jue now, does Eunuch Wei still want to send someone to kill him again?"
"No need! Your Majesty has decreed that he should go to Nanjing to guard the mausoleum. Now there is no need to sing. The eunuch guarding the mausoleum will only be like that in his life, so he can't make waves!"
Better than dying. Shen Jue is fine, Xia Houlin breathed a sigh of relief.
He felt uneasy in his heart. That kid had worked hard and worked so hard for so long, but he ended up in this field. Shen Jue isn't like him, he's just rambling, he's used to rolling in the mud. So proud of one person, finally climbed to the cloud, and fell down again, I don't know what will happen.
Alas, what a godsend.
Anyway, Nanjing is not bad, after all, it is Shen Jue's hometown. Drinking tea, yo-yoing cats, teasing birds, and passing away for a lifetime, even if it's over.
Xiahou Rong raised his chin at Zhu Shunzi and asked, "Why are you looking for me?"
"Hey, how do you say Shen Jue is gone!" Zhu Shunzi took out a letter from his bosom and said mysteriously, "This time we have come to the end of our hardships. Long live is about to kick his legs, and he still hasn't summoned the vassal king to the capital. I'm afraid it was intentional to pass the throne to the Second Highness. Eunuch Wei sent us to Jiading, and quietly brought His Royal Highness Fu Wang back to Beijing. This is from the Dragon's work, and when His Highness ascends the throne, we will be first-class heroes!"