"... Suiyu Spring has also dried up. Last month there was still some water, but this month there is no water. Elder Yan especially likes Suiyu Spring. Whether it is drinking tea or refining medicine on weekdays, it is inseparable from this spring water. It has been used a lot It's been a year. Now it's gone suddenly, and Elder Yan's face is particularly ugly these days... "
Zhang Zheng felt that what he said were the most insignificant things in the city, and he couldn't inquire about the important things, but the two Shuge disciples in front of him listened with great interest, and didn't know how closed their daily life was. Most of them work with books all year round, and they are obviously not good at dealing with people.
Originally, Zhang Zheng was worried about how to please these two, but now that he saw it, it was quite good, so let's continue.
It seems that no matter how noble a person usually looks, no one is not interested in these gossip.
"Come on, the shopkeeper serves another pot of good tea, the best." Zhang Zheng greeted the tea to be served, he poured it for Mo Chen and Xiaodong, and drank a cup himself.
After talking for a long time, my mouth was dry as if I was going to get angry.
After drinking a cup of tea, he went on to say: "Oh, Elder Yan ordered the fetching of water to the senior brothers, and the senior brothers assigned it. Things didn't go well, and I also suffered a lot."
Mo Chen asked: "Can't we use other water instead?"
"Well, we have also thought of the method that Brother Li said, and we have tried it, but it doesn't work. There are only two good springs in the inner city and the outer city. The water in Jicui Spring has changed since about six or seven years ago. The taste is bitter, and the amount of water is less than a year. We are still thinking of using lake water instead, but the lake water is no better than spring water. It rained yesterday, but a senior brother took a jug of rainwater and deliberately Filtered and clarified, took it away, what's the result? Brother Li, you might as well guess."
"The rain last night? Was that brought this morning?"
"Yes, it turns out that there are many vats and urns in the city, which are placed on the roofs of the palaces to catch rainwater. They can be used in alchemy and medicine. Yesterday I thought that rootless water is clean, even if it is not as good as spring water, It must be much better than the lake water, so I sent it to the elders. As a result, Elder Yan’s face changed when he heard the water, and the person who delivered the water was kicked out. This is not bad, at least Elder Yan did not anger him. It would be lucky to give him any punishment."
Xiaodong glanced at Mo Chen, hesitated to speak.
Zhang Zheng noticed his expression, nodded and said, "This Junior Brother Meng also finds it strange, doesn't he? It seems that everything has not been going well in the past few years, and the elders have bad complexions and bad tempers." .I heard someone say that this is a problem with the Feng Shui in the city..." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew he had made a slip of the tongue. How could he say such things casually? If someone hears it, and give him a name of spreading rumors, bewitching and plotting to commit crimes, will his life still be lost
He quickly took a sip of tea, and said under cover: "Hey, I just said it casually, and I forgot who mentioned it, so don't take it seriously."
Mo Chen said: "It's nothing. Is there anyone in the world who can have smooth sailing without some setbacks? The elders must make their own decisions about these important matters. We just need to follow orders and do it."
Zhang Zheng hurriedly said: "Senior brother Li is right, after all, what you educated people say makes sense, and it is much better than us."
But Zhang Zheng didn't dare to say these unlucky things anymore, lest he be heard and reported on him, wouldn't that be a living misfortune coming out of his mouth? He quickly changed the subject: "Senior brother Li, have you met the young master?"
Mo Chen nodded slightly: "I have seen it."
Zhang Zheng immediately revealed an envious look: "Senior brother Li is really blessed. I heard that the young master is very talented and has excellent bones, which is highly valued by the elders. If brother Li has friendship with the young master, the future will be greatly improved. Can't make a mistake."
Looking at the sky outside, it was getting late, the shadows of the sun reflected on the houses, like mountains, casting continuous shadows.
Zhang Zheng turned his head and took a look, and got up quickly: "Oh, I was too busy talking, but I didn't expect it to be this hour. We have to go back quickly, we won't be able to get in the door when it's too late."
Xiaodong glanced at senior brother.
They have been hanging around with this Zhang Zheng for a long time, watching the elder brother coax this man around, and get a lot of news from him. It seems that these messages are fragmented, with one hammer here and another, as if they have nothing to do with each other. But pieced together, the combined content is shocking.
But if Zhang Zheng went into the inner city with them, I'm afraid that the identities they pretended to be will be leaked. You must know that they are not Shuge disciples. If they go back together later, Zhang Zheng will watch them helplessly, what will they do? The bamboo stick imitated by the elder brother can deceive the guards of the city gate, but it must not deceive the others, they cannot enter this book pavilion.
They should have found an excuse to dismiss him, and said that they still had things to do, and it was the best policy to separate from Zhang Zheng as soon as possible.
But Mo Chen said: "It's really getting late, it's hard to explain if I don't go back."
Xiaodong followed behind tremblingly, and Zhang Zheng closely followed Senior Brother Li in this bookstore—but he had to take advantage of the time on the way back to get close, or else he might have lost the idea he had promised to copy. Too lazy to give it. After all, he can't come up with any decent benefits, it's just a one-sided relationship, why should people have to spend time to help him
Xiaodong murmured in his heart.
He originally thought that the senior brother wanted to enter the inner city and then separate from this Zhang Zheng, but he didn't expect that the senior brother had no intention of getting out at all as he got closer and closer to the City Lord's Mansion along the way.
this…
Xiaodong suddenly paused.
Eldest senior brother doesn't want to sneak into the city lord's mansion, does he
Isn't this self-inflicted
Xiaodong was so anxious that he was sweating.
Naturally, they didn't have the qualifications to go through the main entrance, they entered through the side entrance. Still a dozen steps away, the gatekeepers stopped them with a voice.
"Which academy are you disciples from? What have you been doing?"
Zhang Zheng stepped forward and smiled politely: "Hello, senior brother. I am a disciple of Zhenren Zheng, and I was sent by senior brother Fang to deliver things in the outer city. These two are disciples of Shuge, and they happened to meet in the outer city. We came back together together." While speaking, he took out a sign from his bosom.
Xiaodong's attention was completely attracted by the sign.
This is the real thing, and it is not the same as the fake card they used to deceive people yesterday.
Do you have to check this brand when you enter and exit? They don't have this brand. Even though Xiaodong believes that senior brother has great powers, but he has never seen this brand before, so it is impossible to make a piece like this beforehand.
As a result, the gatekeeper glanced at Zhang Zheng's sign very perfunctorily, without even asking Mo Chen and Xiaodong, and said impatiently: "Next time, don't come back so late, the gate will be closed later. Don’t blame others if you can’t come in.”
Zhang Zheng said repeatedly: "Yes, I will definitely remember."
Mo Chen pulled Xiaodong indiscriminately, motioning him to follow quickly.
Brother, this is too risky!
After Xiaodong entered the door, he felt shocked.
Eldest brother is really courageous!
Yesterday he revealed that he wanted to enter the city lord's mansion to inquire, but Xiaodong was against it at that time because it was too dangerous.
Unexpectedly, the elder brother gave up his plan to sneak in in the middle of the night, but used a more daring method, following Zhang Zheng in such a blatant way.
Seeing someone walking towards him, Xiaodong was so nervous that he almost lost his breath.
He always felt that everyone here was staring at him, did they see any flaws? Maybe the next moment someone will point at them and yell, "Grab them!"
The sun has already set, Xiaodong has never been so eagerly looking forward to the dark.
Anyway, it's dark, no one else can see them, so it's safer.
After entering another door, Zhang Zheng couldn't bear to go with them, so the man asked rather reluctantly: "If senior brother Li has spare time recently, my younger brother would like to ask you more about spiritual practice. Afraid of causing trouble to senior brother..."
"It doesn't matter, there may be more things to do in the next two days, and you will be able to relax after the busy few days."
Zhang Zheng reluctantly left.
Xiaodong didn't feel much relieved now that Zhang Zheng was gone. On the contrary, Zhang Zheng is their exit card and amulet to enter here. Now that he was gone, no one was covering for them, Xiaodong became a little flustered instead.
"Go this way."
Xiaodong hurriedly followed the elder brother.
The City Lord's Mansion is very large, extraordinarily large, and magnificent.
It was exactly the same as what Xiaodong saw in his dream.
The walls, floors, and houses here are mostly built of white stone. As soon as the sun went down, the stone lanterns far and near lit up gradually, and the dots of lights decorated the city lord's mansion built of jade with brilliance. The evening wind blew away the floating clouds, and the nearly round moon seemed to be hanging on the sky. The eaves and tiles are so close to people, so close that it seems that the moon can be picked off with one hand.
I just don't know where the Shouyuan Pavilion is.
The Shouyuan Pavilion can be put aside first, that is not important. What matters is, where are they going now
Eldest senior brother has obviously never been here before, but like an old horse who knows the way, he doesn't hesitate.
On the picture he took out at that time, there were obviously no details of the city lord's mansion. No matter how wise the elder brother is, he can't make something out of nothing, right? If you don't see it from the picture, how did the senior brother know? Xiaodong couldn't figure it out, so he didn't want to.
Anyway, he made a deal with the elder brother. Senior brother is smarter than him, more talented than him, more experienced than him, taller than him, and more handsome than him... Anyway, it is right to follow senior brother, senior senior brother will never lead him into the fire pit.
Even if the road led by the elder brother is a fire pit, Xiaodong will jump down without hesitation.
I have met several people along the way.
As soon as they held the lanterns, they looked like they were patrolling, and when they saw them, they greeted them casually. The other group walked in a hurry, as if there was something urgent to do, and when they saw them, they turned a blind eye. (to be continued)