The moon is dark and the wind is high, all the doors and exits have long been locked, and the night dew is slightly cool, braving the rustic air of poverty.
The night watchman yawned and picked up a dim lantern. He walked up a few steps, hungry, and saw a Tan Lang selling night food fermented glutinous rice by the side of the road. It smelled mellow and sweet, so he went over and asked for a bowl, and took a tube with his sleeve. Wiping the steps under the closed shop next to him, he patted his ass up and stretched comfortably. This place is not the Dongsan Alley where there are lots of music and wine, and there are not many people there at night, it is very deserted, and Tan Lang himself is lonely, so he chats with the watchman.
They all mentioned a strange incident a few days ago at the same time, and they were all amazed.
The way is that the prince of Li Guogong, who has been terminally ill for more than half a year and has made famous doctors inside and outside the capital helpless, was rescued by a heavenly doctor recently, but he suddenly recovered from his serious illness.
"I've heard that this disease is not curable at all. It's gone to the bone marrow. Please do what the world's famous doctors can't do. How can it be so easy?" The watchman pretended to be mysterious, and he drank it and it was still warm. The sweet fermented glutinous glutinous rice, sighed contentedly, and was grabbed by the curious Tan Lang again, then put down the bowl and continued, "I heard that these nobles will invite evil gods, and they have to use the blood of virgins as medicine primers. One bowl a day can save your life!"
"Ah?!" Dan Lang was taken aback, looked around and lowered his voice, "Really?"
The watchman old god is here: "It's still a holiday, you can see the nobleman when he came out of the mansion that day, surrounded by front and back, majestic!" He asked Dan Lang again, "You have also seen the appearance of the nobleman, jade. It seems that there is no blemish at all, such a beautiful skin, if not drinking the virgin blood day and night, how can it be nourished?...Hey, give me another bowl!"
Dan Lang nodded dubiously, took the empty bowl and scooped it up again.
Turning around, I suddenly felt a chill on the top of my head, and a gust of evil wind came from nowhere, and it just plucked the person's sky cap, making people feel very gloomy. Dan Lang rubbed his arms, and handed the fermented glutinous rice to the watchman. He didn't even want the bamboo bowl, and pushed the cart to try another place to squat. As soon as he pulled up the handlebar, a black shadow "Chu—" drifted past the corner of his vision, and he screamed in fright, almost knocking over the glutinous rice barrel!
The watchman thought he was making a fuss, so he looked up, and another dark shadow floated away, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a person or a ghost from a distance. The evil god who sucked blood to renew his life hurriedly pulled the cart, and the light turned on, and ran forward with two feet at a time.
Two pitch-black figures jumped in the streets and alleys, and after a while, they hid behind a red wall and green tiles, and turned into a high-rise compound with hooked corners and cornices.
I chose a secluded place to stand, and climbed up to the roof of a main house, crawling and waiting for the opportunity. One of the men in black looked around and muttered: "If someone doesn't want to, then he doesn't want to. Let our young master have a whim, and don't allow him to fall in love with you? Besides, what does our young master want? Obviously he can be the one." My son-in-law, but insists on rushing to become his brother-in-law, and now it is fine, and I have to force him in the middle of the night."
"Shut up." The voice was very familiar, but it wasn't Duan Ming. He looked at the little guard newly assigned to him with a headache, and said intimidatingly, "Why did you get into the guard team with such a talkative person? Young Master I don't like to talk too much, you are afraid that someone else is a spy, so I will cut off your tongue to prove the truth."
The little guard immediately covered his mouth and shook his head to express that he would stop talking, but after a while, he couldn't hold back and argued, "I was chosen by Mr. Min!"
Duan Ming has been with Yu Jinnian for half a year, and he has also learned to make jokes, so he said to him: "No wonder, then you should be slaughtered, you must be sent by Mr. Min to annoy the master to death."
Little guard: "..."
The little waiter got angry and ignored him.
Duan Ming was so happy that the two of them finally kept silent and stared at the movement below. Right now, the clouds cover the moon, and I can't tell exactly what time it is. I only hear the faint sound of clappers in the distance, and I guess it's about ugly time. sleep in. Only a small pavilion slightly below them was still faintly lit by candlelight.
The little guard couldn't hold back his temper, and lay on the ground for another half an hour, and opened his mouth to ask, "What exactly did the master ask us to do?"
Duan Ming only replied with one word: "Look."
The little guard was puzzled: "What are you looking at?"
The sky is dark and the stars are dark, but the rain can't fall, which makes people feel bored from the bottom of their hearts. With a flutter, the candles in the small pavilion went out, and then the figure inside moved slightly, it should be replaced with a new wax and re-lit. It's so late at night, Princess Ruyu is not always busy, so why doesn't she rest. Duan Ming gathered his energy and looked at the depths of the corridor in the courtyard. Suddenly, a small round lantern that was not very eye-catching lit up at the end of the flower path, which could only illuminate the distance of two or three steps before his feet.
A servant girl came walking on tiptoe, took two steps closer, and frequently turned her head to signal someone, her movements were so cautious that one had to wonder what they were up to.
After another three or two steps, a black and green official boot appeared in the halo of the small lantern—it was still a man in the middle of the night!
Duan Ming smiled, pushed the little guard to wake up, and said, "Here we come."
…
Three days later, there will be a palace banquet, which is intended to be a spring hunting banquet. After this banquet, the emperor will choose a day to pay homage to his ancestors, bring his favorite concubine and his son, summon noble men from aristocratic families, and order a few civil and military court officials who are handy. Ibid. Spring hunting in Penglin Garden is to start a year of national luck.
Its majestic momentum is the most rare grand scene in Beijing except for the New Year's Day.
The spring hunting banquet was placed beside the imperial garden, and they got busy before dawn, and the feast didn't begin until nightfall. All the families are seated, lined up in rank and rank, who is favored and who is left out, you can tell at a glance, someone is promoted every year, and there are people who miss the chance to see the holy face again every year. But even so, those who can enter the spring hunting banquet are all leaders in Beijing, even the last one, it is enough to shine on the family.
When Yan Chang arrived, the banquet hall with rustling voices suddenly fell silent, followed by an endless stream of flattery words, those he recognized and those he didn't recognize, those who obeyed him and those who disobeyed him, all had to be respectful Call him "King Yue". Not only was he the only one-word king of the southern lands in the Great Xia Dynasty, but also because of his outstanding achievements. Which of the injuries on his body is not for the peace of the Great Xia, and which one is not for the peace of the world
Even if the emperor is present at this time, he has to greet him with a smile.
Yan Chang looked around, walked to the lower left corner, brushed his clothes and sat down, and when he looked up again, he saw two adjacent seats diagonally opposite. The one on top was Min Xuefei, the son of Prime Minister Min. But he scolded him for being eloquent and sophistry. Yan Chang glanced over quietly, then moved his eyes again, and couldn't help sneering—the one next to Min Xuefei is naturally that Qingfengjiyueji Shuluan.
It is well known throughout the court that the young master of the Ji family never showed up at various banquets, even when invited by the emperor, he dared to use illness as an excuse, so that the emperor just sent imperial invitations as usual. As for whether he will come or not, But no one cares anymore. This year's spring hunting banquet, compared to his absence, his attendance was more speculative.
Some people said earlier that the Ji family would take action and come out to disturb the muddy water that had become stagnant soup. No one believed it before, and it was just a joke. , even if it is liked by the emperor, how much trouble can it cause? It's not like no one has seen his sick appearance, and it looks like he will die sooner or later, and he won't survive for a few years.
But now seeing Young Master Ji who is calm and not at all sick at the banquet, it makes people think too much. In addition, the blood-sucking rumors circulating on the streets these days have also described a few more things about him. Very mysterious.
After all, no one knows how he got better.
But Yan Chang knew, so Yan Chang looked at Ji Hong with a playful look from the beginning to the end, so naked that it was almost provocative. Ji Hong pretended not to hear the gossip of others, lowered his eyes slightly, his pupils quietly reflected the floating and sinking tea flakes in the teacup, the fragrance of tea moistened his eyelashes, he did not move, just like everyone else They are all at the royal banquet, and he is the only one in a celibate house.
"Hypocrisy." Yan Chang put down the teacup.
Saying that, the emperor came late, and naturally held the concubine Ji Gui, who was always favored by him, by his hand. Everyone got up and saluted, and then the banquet began. The Spring Hunting Banquet was not really for food and drink, it was really for wining over family relationships. The emperor ordered a few noble children who were flourishing last year, and nodded and smiled in praise one by one.
I don't know who it was, but no one in the crowd responded.
The chief eunuch Feng Jian cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Is Mr. Zhang here?"
All the officials whispered to each other and looked at each other.
This Lang Zhong is not that Lang Zhong, but Zhang Wenqing, the Lang Zhong of the Ministry of War under the Ministry of War. He has the right to select and examine military officers of the fourth rank. Zhang Wenqing is actually a talented person. His ancestors were descended nobles. Although he himself has talent and learning, it is difficult for him to meet Bole. A few years ago, the timing finally turned around, and he was recommended by the Minister of the Ministry of War to be promoted to the position of the Secretary of the Ministry of War. It was like shit luck.
Who is the Minister of the Ministry of War? It is the father of Yan Rong, the school secretary, who is strict and strict, who "if it is for flattery, he can throw away his sleeves". Others don't know his details, but Ji Hong has already found out about him. It is easier for Yan Zhi to recognize the pearls and the beautiful jade in the box than to give him real gold and silver to let him identify them.
Bole? There are others.
Feng Jian called again: "Master Zhang, the commander of the Ministry of War!"
Yan Chang: "..."
He called Zhou Feng and ordered him to look for it, but in the end Zhou Feng never came back.
——Now it's all right, the spring hunting banquet that the young master of the Ji family didn't quit, instead, Zhang Wenqing, who has only been popular for a few days, was absent from the banquet openly.
After passing it on for the third time, Ji Hong, who had been silent all this time, finally raised his eyes. He didn't look at anyone, and stepped straight across the crowd to look at King Yue. Those dark emerald-like eyes were cold and quiet at this moment, with a dark and indistinguishable hostility growing little by little. The heat of the tea lingered in front of his face for a long time, but it still couldn't warm the coldness and gloom in his eyes.
Suddenly, Yan Chang's tit-for-tat confrontation at that moment almost made him angrily overturn the plate in front of him.
But in the end he held back.
Because of Zhang Wenqing's blatant absence, the emperor was somewhat unhappy, and the imperial concubine was pregnant again, so the spring hunting banquet ended unhappily soon, all the officials stepped out of the palace, and Min Ji had something important to report to the emperor, so He only patted Ji Hong on the shoulder, told him to be careful when he went back, and left quickly. Ji Hong stood at the same spot, and followed the flow of people in a daze for a long time before walking out, but he walked slowly, and outsiders looked so lonely and alienated that no one wanted to get close to him and talk to him.
Everyone just looked at the king of Yue who was not afraid of "Fengshuang", strode forward, and approached him, and the two walked side by side.
It was not Yan Chang who moved first, but Ji Hong. He took out an object wrapped in oil paper from his cuff and handed it to Yan Chang. A bowl-shaped seal the size of a copper coin was printed in the mud, and the whole thing held a little weight in the palm of the hand.
Yan Chang took it and asked coldly, "What is it?"
Just about to open it, Ji Hong said, "It's not for you."
Yan Chang: "..."
The King of Yue was almost furious, Ji Hongcai said, "Golden Milk Cake is his favorite dairy snack." He didn't turn his head to look at Yan Chang, let alone ignore Yan Chang's staring gaze, and walked out of the palace gate , when they got to each other's carriage, they raised their eyes slightly: "King Yue, he is spoiled by me, he is very picky about food and drink, he likes spicy dishes, and sweet dishes, but sweet and not too sweet, spicy must also be spicy Otherwise, he would not even want to touch his mouth. He is not used to the food from your local area, so please take care of the King Yue and don’t make it too hard for him.”
Yan Chang frowned, who is this ordering.
"If there is no delicious cook in King Yue's mansion, Ji knows... the cook in Xifeng Building is good at cooking Sichuan dishes. If King Yue is free, he will take him there tomorrow. Ji will be the host and clean up the dust for King Yue. "
After speaking, he got into the car and left without looking back.
He never mentioned a word about the missing military commander!
Yan Chang wanted to throw the bag of golden soufflés back on Ji Hong's face.