The line to get the buns was like a long dragon with no end in sight. Hu Shanwei and others were mixed in it, chatting with passers-by in the queue. Next to an enthusiastic old sister-in-law, she successfully changed the topic from "Young man, where are you from and where are you going? How many people are there in your family? Do you have a wife? I'll introduce you to a good one" to: "I heard that the people sent by the court disappeared in Xi'an. Have you heard of that, sister-in-law?"
Middle-aged and elderly women just like young and fresh men. "How come I haven't heard of it? It was just the beginning of autumn, and the Qin/Wangfu cleaned the road early, and ordered the streets that must be passed to scrub the storefronts, repaint, and replace the old signboards. It was a lively scene. We all thought that the emperor had come and the city of Xi'an was going to welcome him..."
From the old sister-in-law's words, it can be seen that the Qin/Wang Mansion warmly received Liu Siyan and his party.
Hu Shanwei asked again: "What about when we left? Did my sister-in-law go to watch the fun?"
The old sister-in-law shook her head. "It seems that the people from the capital left after staying for a few days. On the day they left, I heard that the Northern Yuan army disturbed the border. For safety reasons, the city gates were strictly checked during those days. We local people in Xi'an had to bring our household registration when we went in and out. It was said that this was to prevent Northern Yuan spies from sneaking into the city. So when the people from the capital left Xi'an that day, the palace closed the streets they had to pass through, and the shops were closed. There were palace soldiers standing at every street corner and alley entrance. We wanted to watch the excitement, but we couldn't get in."
That is to say, on the day of departure, the Northern Yuan invaded the border, the atmosphere was tense, the streets were blocked, and ordinary people could not get through at all. They saw the envoys from the capital leave with their own eyes...
At this time, eight people including Shi Baihu who were mixed in the crowd of people who were receiving buns also heard the news. They gathered together to exchange information, and their descriptions of Liu Siyan and his party entering and leaving the city were similar. Individuals may lie and may have misunderstandings due to personal likes and dislikes, but the news coming from the masses and the group memory are still relatively objective.
In other words, except for the people of the Qin/Wang Mansion, no ordinary people saw Liu Siyan and his party leave the Qin/Wang Mansion with their own eyes.
Finally, it was Hu Shanwei's turn to get the buns. From a distance, he could smell a mixture of meat, steam and grains, which made his mouth water.
Especially when there is heavy snow in the sky and the north wind is howling, even if you are not hungry, you will be frozen to hunger. Taking a bite of the meat bun is like seeing a peerless beauty. The taste is simply amazing.
The buns would not taste good if they were cold, so Hu Shanwei and others followed the example of the local people and squatted under the tall wall of the Qin/Wang Mansion to eat the meat buns while they were hot.
The golden grease flowed from the corners of Shi Baihu's mouth. He was reluctant to wipe it off, so he stretched out his tongue and licked it as if he had a hook.
He was indeed a bandit who had just come ashore and had no official authority at all.
Hu Shanwei handed her buns to the eight of them and said, "I won't eat any. Share them among you." She was afraid of hurting her stomach by eating outdoors in the wind and snow.
The eight people cheered: "Thank you, Young Master!"
The meat buns made in the Qin/Wangfu are so delicious, with thin skin and large fillings. Eight grown men can share one bun and each can eat one bite.
According to the agent of the inn's meat shop, half of the goods in the meat market today flowed into the palace in order to give out meat buns.
Hu Shanwei squatted in the corner and looked around the Qin Palace. He asked the captain, "Can you climb over such a high wall?"
Bai Hu immediately begged for mercy: "I can climb over, but it's easy for the guards to find me. When I was a thief, I hated working in the snow. It's easy to leave footprints and expose my whereabouts. Besides, the night of a snowy day is almost the same as the daytime dusk. The snow reflects light, and the leaves have fallen. There is almost no place to hide."
It seems that it is impossible to explore the palace at night.
A meat bun was quickly eaten up, and the people smacked their lips and savored the aftertaste, sighing at how kind the royal palace was, how it loved the people like its own children, and how it had given birth to a fat son while not forgetting the people in the fiefdom.
Hu Shanwei listened to the people's discussions. In the past two years since the King of Qin came to power, he has been conscientious in governing the vassal state and protecting the border. He is a kind and prestigious vassal king, and is quite loved by the people.
But... why did Liu Siyan and his group disappear mysteriously? Is the Qin Palace hiding some unspeakable secret
Hu Shanwei was standing in the corner, but his heart had already flown into the palace.
The next day, Hu Shanwei and others took silk samples and followed the broker from the silk shop into the Qin/Wang Mansion.
Last night the agent came to remind us to dress nicely and give a good impression to the palace steward. The better you dress, the more valuable the goods in your hands will be.
So after Hu Shanwei glued a fake Adam's apple on his throat, he simply put on the fox fur coat that Cui Shanggong gave to Liu Siyan over his cotton coat, looking like a nouveau riche.
This fox fur coat is made of pure white satin with warm and windy fur inside. It is suitable for both men and women. When put on, it feels like wearing a piece of pure white and soft snow, like a banished immortal floating in the air.
The agent looked at it and clapped his hands in applause: "Young Master has such a good product, why didn't he take it out earlier?"
Hu Shanwei said: "This is the treasure of my shop. I use it for decoration. I won't sell it."
The merchant was of low status. He entered the palace from the west corner gate at the back door, first passing the stable and servants' room, and then a large kitchen. People kept carrying meat into the kitchen. The palace would continue to give out meat buns until the eldest son's third birthday. The kitchen was running day and night, and the sound of galloping horses could be heard from a long distance away. The stuffing was being chopped inside.
At that time, Baihu's saliva was like the Yellow River flooding and breaking the dam. He swallowed it with a gulp.
Hu Shanwei said, "Are you greedy now? When we get back to the inn, I'll buy you a tray of meat buns so you can eat as much as you want."
Baihu Shi scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "No need, I just think the free meat buns are more delicious."
The broker of the pawnbroker led Hu Shanwei and others to a courtyard in the outer yard and waited for the call.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, a respectable servant wearing a black six-combination hat came to deliver the message. The agent smiled happily and stuffed a red envelope into the servant's hand to express his gratitude. Then everyone followed him into the house.
The room was heated by a floor heating and was very warm. The snow on the tips of Hu Shanwei's boots melted instantly. There was a large Western clock that was as tall as a person in the corner. When they entered the room, the hammer-like pendulum began to strike, "dong dong dong", ten times in a row.
The big clock was extremely valuable. When Concubine Hu was in power in the palace, she had given it to the court lady Jiang Quan. The broker was right. He really knew the high-ranking butler.
Even the butler's study can use a large clock, which shows the luxury of the Qin/Wang Mansion.
Clothes make the man. Hu Shanwei imitated the man's steps and walked in with big strides. Her pure white fox fur fluttered in the wind. Even the butler, who was looking down at the account book, couldn't help but look up and glance at her.
Hu Shanwei bowed and handed over the list of goods. Shi Qianhu and others placed the silk samples on the table for the steward to choose.
The butler took the list of goods, picked up a few pieces of cloth at random, touched them, and said, "I want all these goods. Name your price."
Hu Shanwei stretched out his palm and quoted a price that was close to the market price, saying, "Just five hundred taels. I hope the palace will take care of our business in the future."
The agent looked disappointed.
Hu Shanwei's goal was not to make money, but to complete the deal as soon as possible and have another chance to enter the palace.
The butler nodded and said, "Okay, come over at the same time tomorrow to deliver the goods, and the accountant will give you cash."
Hu Shanwei and the others said goodbye. The housekeeper looked at her white fox fur coat and asked casually, "Do you have any more fox fur coats similar to the one you are wearing? This color is very nice, the masters will definitely like it. If you have any, bring them over for me to see. As usual, I will take as many as you can."
Hu Shanwei said hurriedly, "Butler, you have a good eye. My family is mainly engaged in the silk business and rarely deals in furs. Occasionally, I will buy some good ones. This is the treasure of our shop. I have worn it and it is not easy to resell it to the palace. If you have similar top-quality furs in the future, you must first come to the palace to present them."
After leaving the room, the agent sighed, "Young Master, your price is too low. Why don't you quote six or seven hundred taels as we agreed last night?"
The broker takes a 20% commission, and the higher the price, the higher the commission.
Hu Shanwei said, "We are in no hurry to sell out and go home for the New Year. We will cooperate for a long time in the future. Let's make a good impression on the butler first. There will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future, don't you think?"
The agent sighed: "The young master has already spoken, what else can I say? Come back tomorrow."
Hu Shanwei looked at the rockery in the palace like a countryman entering the city and asked, "How did you get close to the butler? What a magnificent palace! I really want to come in and take a look around. It would be worth my life."
For the sake of future cooperation, the agent deliberately showed his face in front of her, "My sister's neighbor's daughter married the maid of the housekeeper's daughter-in-law. I have someone supply the flowers and trees for the palace every year. If you want to come in and take a look, it's not that you don't have an opportunity. The day after tomorrow, we will send a few carts of newly blooming daffodils to the palace. You can pretend to be gardeners and come in. I will greet the maid of the housekeeper's daughter-in-law and take you around. However, I have to say it in advance. You can go to the outer courtyard, but where the women of the inner courtyard live, outsiders are not allowed to set foot in, otherwise they will be beheaded."
Hu Shanwei smiled and said, "Of course."
Don't be anxious, take it step by step and find out the outer courtyard of the palace first.
When Hu Shanwei and his companions went out of the back corner door, the line of people waiting outside to get the meat buns had already circled the Qin/Prince's Palace.
Baihu Shi wanted to queue up to get a free meat bun, but when he saw the length, he completely gave up the idea.
Qin/Wangfu, the chief steward went to the military base of the Wangfu and found the real General Lu.
Emperor Hongwu stipulated that the princes' palaces could have 5,000 soldiers to protect the safety of the palaces and obey the princes' commands. The princes had the right to appoint officials for the soldiers, so General Lu was the confidant of the Prince of Qin.
The chief steward said to General Lu, "Today, a southern silk merchant came to the palace. His goods were ordinary, and we bought them to give as a reward for our eldest brother's third birthday. But the fox fur coat that merchant was wearing looked familiar. It looked like one of the gifts that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin gave to the Empress last year."
When General Lu heard the word "Beijing", his brows knitted tightly, "Are you sure?"
The butler said, "I'm not sure, but it's almost there. I personally prepared the New Year gifts and picked the best to send to the capital to show the prince's filial piety. Fox fur is precious, and white fox fur without a single stray hair is even more precious. A fox fur made from a whole piece of top-quality white fox skin is even rarer. So when I saw the fox fur on the merchant, I immediately suspected his true identity and ran to tell you the news. I have sent people to follow them and placed spies in the inn where they are staying to investigate their background."
This was also a coincidence. The King of Qin gave annual gifts to the Emperor and the Empress. Empress Ma did not like luxury, and these precious furs were generally used to reward people. Shang Gong Cao from the Shang Gong Bureau was the most capable assistant of Empress Ma in the harem, and Empress Ma treated her very well. Shang Gong Cui Cao was arrogant and did not care about ordinary things. She liked to compare with other Shang Gongs, always wanting to suppress others.
Empress Ma knew her subordinates' personalities very well, so she gave the best fox fur coat to Cao Shanggong, who was busy all year round. Cao Shanggong was worried about Liu Siyan's safety, so before Hu Shanwei left, she asked her to bring her favorite fox fur coat to Liu Siyan.
After many twists and turns, it fell into Hu Shanwei's hands. But before leaving, Cao Shanggong and Hu Shanwei had a big quarrel over the cotton-padded jacket given by Meixiang. Cao Shanggong left in a rage. How could she have the chance to tell Hu Shanwei the origin of the fox fur
In order to show off and seal the deal, Hu Shanwei put on a fox fur coat and walked into the Qin/Wang Mansion, but was discovered by the chief steward at a glance!
General Lu nodded. "You did a good job. Keep a close eye on them and don't alert them. What if there are other people behind them? We must find out first. As long as they are still in Xi'an, they will not be able to escape our grasp."
The chief steward asked, "What about the King of Qin... What did you tell the prince? The eldest son was born yesterday. The prince was 25 years old when he had a son. He was so happy that he didn't sleep all night and kept staring at the eldest son. He just closed his eyes and went to bed. I dare not disturb him."
General Lu said, "Let's wait until we find out the truth before we speak. Don't be alarmed. If it turns out to be just an ordinary merchant, you will spoil the prince's fun if you make a scene."
"Yes, I will listen to General Lu." The butler took the order and left.
The butler hurried back to the palace, and the servant wearing a black Liuhe hat hurriedly took off his snow coat and changed him into regular clothes. After a busy period, he looked around and quietly ran into the backyard of the palace.
After a while, the maid in the backyard came to the butler and said, "Now the palace has a new baby, and the prince has a baby boy. The princess once made a wish at the Da Ci'en Temple, and now her wish has come true. Although the eldest son was born to Concubine Deng, the princess is the legal mother, and the eldest son is also her child, so the princess wants to go to the Da Ci'en Temple to burn incense and fulfill her wish. You should get ready and leave immediately. If you go too late, the Bodhisattva may blame you."
Now in the Qin/Wang Mansion, nothing is more important than the eldest brother's health, and the butler quickly agreed.
Hu Shanwei and others were unaware of the impending crisis. They returned to their room in the inn to discuss how to find an opportunity to explore the palace when delivering the silk tomorrow.
In order to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, Hu Shanwei's room was in the middle, and the rooms on the left and right were occupied by Shi Baihu and others. The nine of them were drawing a map of the palace based on their memory when someone knocked on the door: "I'm the waiter, I'm here to bring you some snacks."
Hu Shanwei said: "We didn't order any snacks."
The waiter said, "It was given to me by someone else and I've already paid for it. It would be a waste if I don't eat it."
Could it be that Ji Gang and his men were about to enter the city to report the news? Hu Shanwei put away the drawing paper, and the captain opened the door. The waiter was carrying a food box and had filled the table.
Everyone opened the cakes one by one, and found a note and a coin-sized jade token in a stack of yam cakes: "Your identity has been discovered by the chief steward. Someone is following you and wants to know where Liu Siyan is. Immediately get rid of the eyes and go to Da Ci'en Temple. Enter through the back door with this jade token, and someone will take you to see him."
A feeling of failure came over them like a mountain, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They thought they had done it perfectly, so how did they get discovered
Hu Shanwei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and said, "This is an urgent matter. Now we have no choice but to take a gamble."
The nine of them left the inn and pretended to go shopping to see the market, splitting into groups of three to separate the spies. Hu Shanwei, Shi Baihu and another bandit Baihu went to various clothing stores.
The three of them dressed up in a shop, the captain dressed up as an old woman, the tall man dressed up as an old man, and the two became a couple. Hu Shanwei changed into women's clothes and pretended to be their granddaughter, and they walked away affectionately, throwing off their eyeliner.
Da Ci'en Temple. At this time, Da Ci'en Temple had been cleared in order to welcome the Princess of Qin to burn incense and restore the temple.
Hu Shanwei and the other two went to the back door. When the monk guarding the door saw the jade token on her waist, he immediately opened the door and led the three people into the temple and all the way to the top floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Hu Shanwei saw a man in a black mink cloak standing there quietly, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance. Flakes of heavy snow fell on the black cloak, but they remained in their original state and never melted.
She must have been standing there for a while, with a thin layer of snow on her cloak, like a snowman.
It was just a back view. Hu Shanwei was very disappointed: "You are not Liu Siyan. Liu Siyan is not as tall as you. You lied to me. Who are you?"
"Who am I? Who am I?" The man turned sideways, as if in a trance. Hu Shanwei could only see a delicate, thin chin like a piece of jade under the hood of his cloak.
Her voice was cold and crisp, like the sound of a jade hairpin breaking on a stone slab. "They used to call me Princess, but now they call me Princess Qin. Who am I? I am... confused."
Hu Shanwei was shocked: she was actually the sister of Northern Yuan Prime Minister Wang Baobao, the Princess of Qin!
Why would Princess Qin help us
Bai Hu Shi said, "Don't say these mysterious words. I am a rough man and I can't understand them. You put a note in the snack saying that you should take us to find Liu Siyan. Where is Liu Siyan?"
"Come here." Princess Qin waved at them, "You can see Liu Siyan and his seventy-plus people here."
Climbing to the top and looking into the distance, Hu Shanwei and others also walked to the railing of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to look into the distance. It was snowing heavily, and they could only see the majestic, neat and magnificent Qin/Prince's Palace in the distance. The people had already surrounded the palace like ants and were queuing up to get meat buns.
Where is Liu Siyan
Hu Shanwei said, "Princess, please don't play tricks on us. We are here under the order of the Queen Mother to investigate the whereabouts of Liu Siyan and his group. If you don't cooperate, you are disobeying the order."
Now Hu Shanwei dared to show off his official power in front of the princess.
The Qin Princess laughed so hard that the snow on her black mink coat fell to the ground. She looked like a madman. She pointed at the ant-like long line and the smoke rising from the kitchen of the Qin Palace and said, "Where are Liu Siyan and his group going? They are right in front of you. They are in the ice room in the cellar of the palace, on the chopping board in the kitchen, in the meat buns, in the air filled with the aroma of meat, in the stomachs of the people in line, and some are already in the toilet."
The princess paused and said, "They are everywhere!"
The author has something to say: In order to appease the frightened readers, I will give out 200 red envelopes tonight, which is double the amount. Basically, you can get one if you leave a comment. Come and get the red envelope.
In addition, there is a quiz with a 100-point red envelope prize, which is about the Ming Dynasty on the tip of the tongue.
Please listen to the question:
During the Hongwu period of the early Ming Dynasty, Hu Shanwei and eight bandit centurions went to Xi'an incognito and had a meal at a restaurant. The only dishes that could appear on their table were:
a. Hot and sour potato shreds b. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes c. Fried peanuts d. Lamb chops stewed with carrots