The snow was still falling, and Fan Sizhe, who was next to the stone mill in the garden, finally completed fifty revolutions. Panting as he supported the stone mill, he felt sore and backache all over his body, unable to straighten his back at all, and the sweat on his face turned into steam. , Turning white in the cold, it looks like the whole person is smoking.
"Wipe, and then change into dry clothes, so as not to freeze." Haitang handed him a neat stack of clothes.
Fan Sizhe shook his head angrily, went into the back room to change clothes, came out of the room after a while, and shouted: "There is no place to take a bath, what should I do if I smell like sweat?"
Haitang glanced at him and said with a smile: "It's winter, and the set of things your brother made hasn't been shipped to Shanghai."
Fan Sizhe couldn't help but shook his head again, and said, "My brother drove me to the north... not to let you torture me."
"Jade can't be crafted without cutting it." Haitang said calmly, "I remember Fan Xian once said something when we were chatting in the palace, and I think it makes sense."
"What?" Fan Sizhe asked curiously.
"Therefore, when Heaven will send a great mission to human beings, they must first torment their minds and minds, exhaust their muscles and bones, starve their bodies and skins, empty their bodies, and chaotic their actions. Therefore, the heart and patience have been mobilized, which has benefited what they can't do."
In fact, when Fan Xian said these words of Mencius, he was thinking of the spring scene of crabapples among the reeds by the North Sea. However, Fan Sizhe and Haitang didn't know the man's dirty thoughts. Hearing this, Fan Sizhe felt a chill rushing towards his head, and said in a trembling voice, "Tonight...you don't have dinner, do you?"
Haitang smiled slightly and said, "I won't eat here at night."
While speaking, someone outside the garden answered very respectfully: "Second Young Master, this subordinate will be the host tonight."
Fan Sizhe was amazed that this person answered the words so naturally, looking back, he saw that it was Wang Qinian! Suddenly meeting relatives in a foreign land, thinking about the suffering of these days, and thinking of the possibility of getting out of the sea of suffering soon, Fan Sizhe looked excited, screamed strangely, and rushed over the fence.
"After dinner, I still have to come back." Haitang dropped a sentence lightly from behind, passed through the wind and snow, and got into Fan Sizhe's ear, which made him shudder and extremely disappointed.
When he rushed to the fence, he turned around and shouted viciously: "I came to Shangjing to earn money! I didn't come to work as a coolie!"
Haitang had already sat back on the recliner, and said with a blank expression: "One thousand taels of silver, how could it be so easy to turn into ten thousand taels? I think Fan Xian pushed you too hard. Don't forget, your All the money is in my hands now."
Wang Qinian, who was outside the fence, winked at Fan Sizhe, signaling that the young master had better not offend Miss Dodo. Even Master Xiao Fan didn't lose his whole body in this girl's hands, why are you bothering
Fan Sizhe snorted angrily, and pushed open the gate.
Wang Qinian saluted Haitang under the eaves with a smile, and said, "Miss Haitang, then I will go now."
Haitang glanced at him, suddenly fell silent, and said after a while, "Master Wang, are you really going to let him take over the Cui family in such a hurry?"
Wang Qinian's heart trembled. He really didn't expect that the other party even knew about Fan Tisi's arrangement. He didn't know how much tacit understanding there was between Fan Xian and Haitang, so he responded with a wry smile, "What are you talking about, Miss?"
Of course, Haitang was aware of Fan Sizhe's arrangement, she smiled slightly, and didn't say anything else, but said: "It's just started, don't be too anxious."
Wang Qinian asked his subordinates to get Fan Sizhe a hat and a snow cloak to cover him. On the one hand, he protected Fan Sizhe from the wind and snow, and on the other hand, he also covered his face. After that, he saluted Haitang and prepared to leave the garden next to the palace. .
"Did you also read the latest letter?" Haitang half leaned on the chair, looking at Wang Qinian who was about to walk outside the fence with a half-smile.
Wang Qinian was startled when he heard the words, and said with a wry smile: "It's the responsibility, Miss Haitang, please forgive me, and please say a few words on behalf of the little old man in the letter, so that Mr. Tisi will not bully my daughter."
Haitang chuckled, thinking that this resident of Honghe Temple in the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Wang Qinian, Ju Zhonglang of the Northern Qi Dynasty, was indeed an interesting person.
※※※
The garden became quiet, and Haitang just folded her clothes on the chair and fell asleep with her eyes closed. In Shangjing today, the wind and snow were mixed, whizzing by, the sound was soul-devouring, and the cold air was pressing. This village girl slept very peacefully in such a cold environment, and there seemed to be a slight smile on her lips. With her astonishing cultivation, she naturally doesn't care about the unexpected cold invading her body, but she can get closer to nature more easily than ordinary people, such as the soft and beautiful nature in spring, and the harsh world in winter.
The snow, piece by piece, gradually became colorful in the sky, and the girl in the cotton-padded jacket under the eaves slept very comfortably.
I don't know how long it took before Haitang slowly opened her eyes. The snowflakes falling outside the eaves and the ice growing by the eaves were reflected in her extremely clear eyes.
"Teacher, you are here."
…
…
In the stone path beside the Yuquan River outside the garden, the snow had fallen early. At this time, a person came slowly stepping on the snow. The wind and snow seemed to disappear at this moment. I could only hear the person's every step falling on the snow. The rustling sound.
The man stepped on the snow naked with no shoes on. He was firm and sincere. After a while, he reached the front of the garden. He lightly stroked Haitang's head and said, "Come and see you."
One of the four great masters in the world, Kuhe Guoshi is regarded as a god by all people in the world!
If Fan Xian were to watch this scene, he would definitely slander him for being so ordinary, far worse than Zhu Shuai, and even worse than Ye Liuyun's demeanor of sailing across the waves.
Especially when he took off the hat on his head to reveal that big bald head, he didn't have a sense of detachment from the world, he was just a very simple and common old man. It's just that the pure white simple clothes on his body and his bare feet declared his identity as an ascetic monk, although he never practiced asceticism again after returning from the temple that year.
Haitang bowed deeply to the teacher respectfully, and then invited this top person in the world to enter the room, served tea, and sat on the ground next to him with an innocent face like a little girl. Only in front of this great master, Haitang would obey so naturally.
Ku He has a clear face, extremely thin lips, and deep-set eyes, but his eyes are farther-reaching. With a trace of affection, he looked at his real closed disciple, and said with a smile, "I am a teacher from the west mountain."
Haitang showed a strange expression, and asked in surprise: "Have you found Master Xiao En's body?"
Ku He slowly put down the teacup in his hand, and with a smile in his eyes, he said, "In a cave among the cliffs, the remains of this old friend were found."
Haitang frowned and said, "West Mountain Cliff?"
After Ku He returned from the south, he couldn't stay out of seclusion. Some people in the Northern Qi Dynasty guessed that the grand master must be injured, but they didn't know who was on the other side of that terrifying duel that took place in an unknown place.... Some guessed it was Si Gu Jian, others guessed it was Ye Liuyun, and others guessed it was the most hidden great master of the Qing Kingdom, but no one thought that it was Wu Zhu who would suffer both losses.
After Ku He recovered from his injury, the first thing he did when the switch was on was to inquire about Xiao En's movements after returning to China. Although the grand master was a little bit angry at the vindictiveness between the mother and child in the palace, Tianyi had inherited the style of the temple and rarely interfered in political affairs, so he didn't say much. The great master, who has long been difficult to cherish, is very important.
The cliff in the west mountain has been searched many times, and Xiao En's body has not been found on the mountain or down the mountain. This has become the most piercing problem for the Northern Qi court. If the old man is still alive, I am afraid that Uesugi Tiger, who was under house arrest in the mansion, will become active again. stand up.
But for Haitang, since Senior Brother Langtao asserted that Xiao En was stabbed with a scimitar, there was no life left, she would naturally believe it.
Grandmaster Ku He never doubted the judgment of his first disciple.
So the Northern Qi people were just thinking about a question - where is Xiao En's body
…
…
I don't know how much effort was spent on the search. The West Mountain was searched all over, but the whereabouts of Xiao En and the mysterious person were not found. After all, the people of Northern Qi couldn't figure it out. There is actually someone in this world who can act like a gecko. Climb up on the mirror-like smooth cliff of Xishan.
Later, it was Master Ku He who spoke, and the Northern Qi people stopped searching angrily, but they didn't expect that the Grand Master put down his identity and went to investigate in person. I don't know how hard it took Ku He to finally find Xiao En's body in the cave on the cliff in this snowy day.
Haitang looked at the teacher in surprise, and then noticed a small wound on the teacher's ankles, and asked with concern: "How can I go down that cliff?" There was no time to ask Xiao En's question, of course what she was most concerned about was Ku He's body, after all, the teacher is old now, and he just recovered from his injury.
Ku He shook his head lightly, smiled and sighed: "Going down is a bit troublesome, but it's not impossible, just tie a rope. It's just that the person who was forced by Langtao to go down the cliff...can escape easily."
Haitang lowered her head slightly and said, "Maybe he has something like a hook on his body."
"There is no place to rely on the hook rope." Ku He looked at her with a smile, "You were so surprised before, of course you remembered the appearance of the West Mountain cliff."
Haitang sighed and said, "I really don't understand this matter. However, several months have passed. Could it be that Master Xiao En's remains were not eaten by goshawks in the mountains?"
Ku He's two snow-like eyebrows fluttered slightly, and said gently: "The cave is extremely shallow. Logically speaking, there should have been a fierce bird to help Mr. Xiao go to the sky. I didn't expect that when I went down the rope, I saw Mr. Xiao The remains are as good as ever. There are a few dead birds lying down beside him, and the birds have turned into dry bones, but his body has not rotted except for some dehydration."
Haitang was taken aback when she heard the words, then smiled calmly and said, "It's so poisonous."
Ku He nodded slightly, and changed the subject in a normal way: "Tell me about this young man, Fan Xian. I'm very curious about him."
Haitang's heart skipped a beat, but her expression didn't change a bit. She smiled and told what Fan Xian had done in the capital. Knowing that she couldn't hide anything for Fan Xian at this time, she said softly, "What happened to Xiao En after he left Beijing?" Fan Xian stayed at the mission all night, but no one saw him with his own eyes. When I went the next day, he was lying on the bed... Back then, the senior brother thought that the man in black who fell off the cliff with Xiao En was him , and he is indeed a person who is very good at using poison."
In this world, only Xiao En and Ku He have been in contact with the temple. Now that Xiao En is dead, only Ku He remains. The emperor rescued Xiao En back to Northern Qi through untold hardships, but Ku He tried his best to kill him. Now that he knew that Fan Xian might be the last person Xiao En saw before he died, Ku He was so careful about the secrets of the temple. Attitude... Haitang didn't know what trouble her words would cause Fan Xian, but she knew that the seemingly gentle teacher in front of her was actually a wise man with wisdom in his hands. a little yourself.
To Haitang's surprise, Ku He didn't continue this topic, but looked at her meaningfully and smiled, took another sip of the tea in the cup, and said, "Duo Duo's tea is getting better and better."
"Teacher's praise." Haitang replied softly.
…
…
"I think, I know who Fan Xian is." Ku He suddenly said softly. This sentence has no beginning and no end, making Haitang a little confused, so she stared blankly at the teacher.
Ku He stood up slowly, with a mellow smile on his face: "Before this young man came to Beiqi, he went out for his teacher and was injured. I think you must be curious, who in this world could hurt me."
Kuhe, the national teacher, represents the spirit of Bei Qi, so the matter of his injury has been kept secret. Although Hai Tang knew about it, she never heard the detailed process from the teacher. attention.
"It's a blind man." Ku He turned around, looked at the wind and snow outside the apprentice's garden, and said leisurely: "It's a blind man that my teacher has seen many years ago and has never forgotten."
Haitang was shocked, thinking that it would be a shocking thing for someone in this world to hurt a teacher, but she didn't expect that the other party was not a well-known great master, but a... blind man!
Ku He continued to say leisurely: "It's strange that this blind man with terrifying strength... seems to have forgotten something. He forgot that I met him many years ago."
Haitang listened quietly.
"This blind man has disappeared for many years." Ku He smiled again, "I didn't expect to reappear in this world suddenly, and the first person to look for was Teacher. Bo's heart is actually a little proud."
Haitang couldn't understand more and more.
"This blind man once taught that idiot Si Gu Jian a lesson. He used to beat Ye Liuyun to the point of abandoning his sword, and eventually became a master." Ku He sighed: "I guessed it was him back then, but I didn't expect him to take the initiative to find him this time. Fuck me, this is completely different from his secretive style in previous years."
Haitang suddenly asked: "Could it be that this blind man is the most mysterious grand master?"
Ku He shook his head, and his eyes that seemed to be able to see everything showed a trace of confusion: "No, the blind man never needs such a false name. As for the most mysterious of the four of us... he should still be in the palace of the Qing Dynasty. inside."
Haitang was a little puzzled, since no one had ever seen that mysterious grand master, why did the world believe that there was such a person, and that person existed in Qing's palace
"The reason is very simple." Ku He laughed, "Many years ago, Si Gu Jian tried three times to enter the Qing Palace to assassinate their emperor."
Haitang called softly in surprise, and only then did she know that Sigu Jian of Dongyi City had done such crazy things. But to be an assassin at the level of a great master, even if Emperor Qing was the most powerful person in the world, it would be difficult to resist.
As if guessing what she was thinking, Ku He said softly: "People who know about this matter all think the same as you, thinking that Si Gu Jian has great success... Unfortunately, within a month, he failed four times in a row. The second time, although there was no injury, it did not have any effect."
Haitang frowned and asked, "That blind man... Was he in the Qing Palace at that time?" She always believed that the blind man who could hurt her teacher was most likely to be the mysterious great master.
Ku He smiled and shook her head: "At that time, the blind man was working with the Ye family's young lady in Jiangnan of the Qing Kingdom to build the inner treasury."
"Miss Ye family?" Haitang was even more shocked. Although she is the most famous person in the younger generation in the world today, she also knows how great each of the old secrets that the teacher said today was, and how they changed What the world looks like.
Ku He turned the topic back very gently and naturally, turned to look at Haitang and said, "Now you understand?"
Haitang opened her bright eyes and shook her head.
"Who is Fan Xian?" Ku He calmly looked at his female apprentice.
"Fan Xian is Ye Qingmei's son... the son of the mistress of the Ye family."
…
…
Apart from being shocked, Haitang was even more confused. Fan Xian... the illegitimate son of the Minister of the Household Department of the Southern Dynasty, how did he get involved with the Ye family again? Ye family? The Ye family who ruled the world with commerce back then? The Ye family that set up the Overwatch Council, built the internal treasury, and continued its prestige to this day
Ku He rubbed his hands, sat down, and sighed: "Xiao En was locked up by Chen Pingping all the time, so he didn't know the identity of Miss Ye's family, but he just happened to know it as a teacher. The blind man can only be Miss Ye's servant, This time I will be transferred to the capital for my teacher, so it is natural for Fan Xian to do things conveniently. Fan Xian's identity has emerged, and he is the descendant of Miss Ye's family."
Haitang shook her head, and dared to express her opinion in front of the teacher: "Although this reasoning is credible, it is too forced. What if that blind... The master just came out to challenge the teacher because he was unwilling to be lonely in the mountain, and went north with Fan Xian. It doesn't matter, besides, wasn't the Ye family destroyed back then?... "
Before he finished speaking, Ku He had already laughed: "One thing can't explain too much, but think about Fan Xian's current official position in the Southern Dynasty, and think about the changes in the southern court after he came out of Danzhou Combining too many details, the truth of the matter is very clear. Don't say anything about exterminating the family, the shopkeepers of the Ye family were still alive and well. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Haitang smiled back with worry, for a moment she didn't know what to say. The teacher is right, even if Fan Xian is the illegitimate son of Fan Shangshu, even if he has the name of a poetic fairy and a real master, with his status, it is far from possible to reach his current height, let alone hold the Overwatch Council with his left hand. , the inner treasury in the palm of the right hand—the Overwatch Council and the inner treasury, isn’t this the most powerful thing that the Ye family left to this world back then!
Could it be that the gentle young man who often communicates with me has such a complicated and pitiful life experience behind him
"You just repeated the little poem that Fan Xian read in the restaurant..." Ku He patted the female disciple who was still in deep thought, and said with a smile, "You only found out from this little poem that the other party It's the author of The Story of the Stone, but if you look carefully, you might find that Fan Xian is still expressing some other emotions, such as anger, such as unwillingness."
In the summer, at the top of a hundred-year-old pine residence in Beijing, Fan Xian and Haitang drank wine, and once recited a small poem when they were intoxicated.
"Stay in Yuqing, stay in Yuqing, meet a benefactor suddenly, lucky mother, lucky mother, accumulate merits. Advise life, help the poor and help the poor. Don't be like my ruthless uncle who loves money and forgets flesh and blood! It is multiplying, dividing and adding Minus, there is the sky above."
Begonia in the winter garden thought about it in her heart, and finally realized the emotions the teacher said, suddenly raised her head, extremely shocked.
At this time, Fan Xian, who was soaking in the hot spring in Cangshan Mountain in Nanqing, if he knew that the pair of master and apprentice were so sloppy, he would have determined his parentage based on this poem, and he would definitely jump out of the hot spring in anger and run naked to the Go to Beijing, scold and explain, this is written by Lao Cao, but it just happens to be somewhat similar to his own life experience.
It didn't take long before Haitang regained her composure, and asked softly, "This matter can be big or small." Now that he knew Fan Xian's background, he could certainly imagine that there would be many problems between him and the Nanqing royal family. How to use it is a matter that requires careful consideration.
"The news that Fan Xian is a descendant of the Ye family... Let the whole world know."
Grandmaster Ku He said very gently.
"Blind?" Haitang felt a little perplexed, not knowing how to protect Fan Xian's interests as much as possible.
Ku He sighed leisurely: "Although the blind man...doesn't seem to know me, but I think, since he deliberately made a move to leave these clues, maybe...he just hopes to tell this interesting news to the world through the mouth of his teacher. people."
The great master finally came to a conclusion: "The blind man doesn't want to wait anymore, he wants to urge Fan Xian to quicken his pace."