"The Change of Heaven"
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 192 Who Can Interpret My Dream
After the court was dismissed, His Majesty did not summon me alone, so I could only go home feeling a little depressed.
I told Yinling about the morning court and what happened when I took Qiuluan there. As expected, Yinling first sighed for the poor Qiuluan, then frowned and fell into deep thought. I always think she thinks too much, unlike me, when I'm in a bad mood, I just think about having a good meal.
Usually when I’m unhappy I have a good appetite.
Generally, when I am happy, I also have a good appetite.
For this reason, I foolishly asked Yinling why.
Yin Ling finally relaxed her frown and replied with a smile: "Because you always have a good appetite."
Yinling even thought that I recruited my subordinates according to my appetite.
I think Yinling has a very serious discriminatory view of her husband.
Yinling ignored me with disdain and led me behind a screen, behind which were the group of young people from my family. She gestured to me to be quiet and listen to the voices over there.
I indicated that the smell over there made it impossible for me to listen carefully.
But after seeing Yinling's eyes, I quickly said that I was a good listener who could observe silence and eliminate other distractions.
"Ah... Can anyone tell me what was on the plate just brought up in front of me? I just helped Brother Dong serve a bowl of rice, how come everything is gone?" the **'s voice roared.
"Don't be anxious. You brought my bowl. Just look at Yuan, Ge Liang and Lao Hu's bowls and you'll know." Song's voice consoled.
"Ah, what's the use of knowing? It's all gone."
“I… used to… always eat alone. I never thought it would be so hard to eat with you guys… ah… if I don’t eat quickly, there will be nothing… um… nothing left.” Chuansheng kept stuffing food into his mouth while talking. It was indeed hard work.
"Give it back to us. You are always in the direction of serving the dishes, and the plates are always at your side first. Every time we want to take some, there is only food left at the bottom of the plate." The assistant was obviously not convinced.
"Stop arguing. Is it necessary for you to act like that just over a meal? Look how quiet Ge Liang is. Eating without talking is a good deed." Song acted like an elder brother.
"He doesn't talk because he wants to eat more. Look at his bowl and the plate in front of him. They're all stored... Oh, there's more. Brother, you're so thin, how come you eat so much? I serve you rice seven or eight times every meal."
"You talk less, and you can eat more... I've talked to you about this several times before. I used to have tuberculosis. I always felt hungry after eating. Later, the disease was cured, but my appetite did not go back."
"No matter how much I eat, I'm still so skinny... Hey, stop it, leave the meat for me, don't pour it from the plate into the bowl. You're from a wealthy family, how can you do this?"
"Your sister's father has been taken away, why are you still so heartless and want to eat?"
"What are you afraid of? The Marquis of Yue has entered the palace. This matter is probably over. Those lackeys who arrested people may have been dealt with by the Marquis of Yue." This guy has confidence in me, but I feel uncomfortable. How can I face them? Looking back at Yinling, she is also sad.
At this time, it seemed that a maid brought something and heard what they were talking about. She sold me out: My lords, the Marquis of Yue has returned to the mansion. But Sister Qiuluan has not come back yet.
All of a sudden, the five foodies put down their bowls and chopsticks.
There was silence behind the screen for a while. It was still ** who spoke first: "Brother, go find Yue Hou. I'm afraid he'll be in a bad mood and beat me up again. He thinks highly of you. It will be okay if you go and ask him."
Song said softly: Brother Yuehou is back, but sister Qiuluan is not back... I'm afraid it's bad. I think we should not go. Yuehou didn't summon us, I'm afraid something really happened. Wait for sister Qiuluan to come back and ask her.
I gestured to Yinling to let her go back first, and I would go over to meet them. Yinling nodded and left quietly.
I turned around the screen and saw six people looking at me. The maid realized she had said something wrong, so she quickly bowed, put down the dish, bowed again, and turned away.
I sat among them.
Add a call: Bring me a set of bowls and chopsticks.
Soon, bowls and chopsticks came: "Songtao, serve me some rice; also, ask the kitchen to serve some more vegetables and more meat."
This group of people stared at me with wide eyes, and for a moment, there was silence all around.
It was Hu Ze who spoke first: Lord Yuehou, Ze is an outsider, so please forgive me if I may be impolite. But may I ask where Miss Qiuluan is now
The other three seemed to be relieved at once, and seeing that I didn't say anything, the two who called me sisters and the one who called me sister started asking questions.
Suddenly, ** turned to Ge Liang with extreme dissatisfaction: You are so heartless, why don’t you speak up for Sister Qiu Luan
"You all asked, so what difference does it make if I ask one more or one less?" This may sound a bit heartless, but there is really nothing wrong with it.
I raised my chopsticks and asked everyone to sit down first: "Qiuluan's adoptive father was originally the palace's eunuch, in charge of palace affairs. He was afraid that there were some secrets that could not be revealed to others. He was summoned into the palace this morning, and he seemed unwilling to be involved in this matter, and he actually committed suicide by hitting his head against the pillar in the court. At that time, I didn't know he was Qiuluan's adoptive father, and I couldn't save him even if I knew. The only comforting thing is that the old man saw Qiuluan before he left. Now Qiuluan is with the people in the palace to handle the funeral. After dinner, I will take Hu Ze and Song Zai to the palace to see her."
"Why don't you take me and Yuan with you? That heartless guy doesn't count."
"Last time when I brought Yuan into the palace, many people thought that Yuan was a new eunuch. I was afraid that it would be bad for Yuan's reputation in the future." In fact, it was because he might have to face Qiu Luan, who was crying, and he didn't want to bring ** with him, fearing that he would be too excited and unable to comfort Qiu Luan. For this reason, he could only leave a few more people behind: "You can't leave Yuan here alone. You have the best relationship with Yuan, so you stay and wait for news."
"Why don't you take me with you?" Fangwai Sanren actually wanted to go, so he wasn't particularly heartless.
"Two left, two stayed. What difference does it make if there's one more of you here and one less of you there?" My mind always works very fast at this time.
Fangwai Sanren accepted the arrangement heartlessly.
I feel that Nangong is becoming more and more like my home, especially when I think of the Huangmen Temple Prison being here, I feel more like the guardian of this place, just like the two "me"s at the door of my house.
But I seem to be the first one to lead troops to attack Nangong after my dynasty was restored in Luoyang. Besides that, I also planned a prison break into Nangong.
I don't think I'm a good guardian. Just like the two stone "I", I am now mainly responsible for women's reproductive choices and the career development of my descendants.
Led by the others, they soon saw Qiu Luan in sackcloth kneeling in front of a coffin. She asked the people around her and it was the imperial physician who ordered the coffin.
Qiu Luan didn't cry, she just sat there with her back to us. Song wanted to call her, but couldn't. Hu Ze also had a serious look on his face.
I didn't know what to do. I could only stand behind her, just like an hour ago. I just ordered people to bring some linen clothes for us to wear. The dead are the greatest. There was nothing else I could do. I could only show my respect.
I don't know how long we stood there, but Qiu Luan seemed to notice our presence, or to have heard the gossip of the people around her, and slowly turned her head. Her red and swollen eyes were no longer filled with tears, but still showed confusion.
We looked at her, not knowing how to comfort her.
She also looked at us, and seemed not to realize who we were for a moment.
Suddenly, she burst into tears again, trying to stand up. She staggered towards us, finally fell into my arms, and then collapsed silently.
I quickly helped her up, but she was completely unconscious and just lay on my arms.
I was anxious and quickly called the imperial physician, and scolded the two people behind me for turning away and not coming over to help me.
That night, Yinling also came to Nangong, bringing with her several of Qiuluan's close sisters to accompany Qiuluan, who was still unconscious.
But that night, the nosy Emperor or Empress arranged for us to stay in that room again.
Although I know a lot of his foolish deeds, but to be fair, His Majesty the Emperor is not a completely evil person. He also felt that he did not handle this matter well. I was referring to Qiu Luan's matter; as for my resettlement, he seemed to think that I should live here.
I think if I were really that prince, this room would be the most depressing place for me, especially when I look at that box.
Yinling also thought the furnishings in this room were strange, so I had to explain it slowly, but Yinling didn't seem surprised. She actually fell asleep while listening.
It seemed like I fell asleep while sleeping.
I had a dream. I dreamed that I was playing hide-and-seek with Yinling. I climbed into a box and closed the lid. Yinling didn't seem to find me, but I couldn't get out. The more anxious I was, the more I felt I couldn't breathe.
I called out Yinling's name and pushed the lid of the box desperately, but I felt that the lid was soft. No matter how hard I pushed, I could not exert any strength. As soon as I relaxed my strength, the box returned to its original shape.
I was finally awakened by my nightmare. I opened my eyes and looked at the curtains and sky above, and finally felt relieved. I looked to the right for my Yinling, but found that Yinling was kneeling in dishevel, with her head down and facing my left hand side.
He turned around again and knelt down with Yinling to pay his respects.
"I don't know... Queen Mother is here. I'm lazy. I don't know why you want to go to my bedside... and wait for me to wake up." Her Royal Highness the Queen has been thinking about her son and got sick recently. What's going on
"Zhi'er is having a nightmare again." The Queen's eyes were filled with tears again: "At first, Mother was helpless."
"Don't be sad, mother. I just had a nightmare." I was nervous. Could it be that I was shouting in my nightmare
"That's because you can sense what you encounter here." The queen believed this stubbornly.
But I thought, if she thought so, why did she let me live here again and again? Was she forcing me to admit that I was the eldest prince
At least that morning I still didn't admit it, but I couldn't deny it either, so I just followed the Queen's mood and spoke freely.
By the way, I know that the eldest prince is also named Zhi, but it is a mole. At that time, I saw a mole on the back of his neck and named him after it.
Although I couldn't see it, I knew from many witnesses that there were too many scars on my back to be visible.
The queen left with a sigh, probably because she was unwilling to recognize her, or because there was really no solid evidence.
But I left an order that no matter what I do today, I must come back here to sleep at night.
Is there still law in this world? This is a blatant trampling of civil rights, a dark side of the palace that no one can understand.
That day, we helped Qiu Luan's adoptive father arrange his burial the next day.
That day, brother Dong Feng came back, and I helped him propose marriage to the Imperial Physician. The Imperial Physician was very happy these days and even set a date.
That day, I spent money to help Qiu Luan's adoptive father dismiss a few servants. He didn't have any other relatives to visit, and the servants didn't know about it. I gave Qiu Luan all the property deeds and other valuables. Let her spend as she pleases. If she wants to be free, I won't keep her. She should have no regrets here, and can go wherever she wants. She just kept shaking her head.
That day seemed to have passed just like that.
Later that day, my wife's brother arrived. I asked Yinling to accompany him to have a good talk, and I went to Nangong without hesitation. I was ready to die.
I can't remember whether the dream from the previous day happened or not, but it seems that there are a few boxes like this at home.
But looking at the box beside the couch was really frightening, and even if I didn't look at it, thinking about last night's dream was disturbing. I kept stretching my neck and felt a little breathless.
I must put aside the nightmare that night, so as not to have another nightmare like that, and think about Pearl.
I don't know what happened to Pei'er. She must be feeling bad when she is pregnant and thinks about me and Yinling being together all the time and I am not by her side.
I failed her.
That night I dreamed of our wedding day. She put the bridal clothes and accessories neatly there and left.
I seemed to see her leaving, and I ran after her.
I was standing by the white water with pear blossoms floating all over the sky, watching her on the other side.
We looked at each other all the way and walked slowly along the white water.
The bridge in my memory never appeared. I couldn't wait any longer. I jumped into the water and swam across.
I remember that I was a good swimmer, but my body kept sinking until I saw waterweed wrapped around my left and right arms, just like before. I hurriedly tried to pull the waterweed off my body, because I remembered that I was holding my breath and slowly untying it, and I was out of breath. But the more I untied the waterweed, the tighter it got.
Then the air was not enough after all.
I was awakened by another nightmare.
After waking up with a start, I slightly opened my eyelids. I secretly glanced from the deserted curtain to the left curtain. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Queen did not come today.
The nightmare disturbed my good sleep, so I should go back to sleep for a while. I am a little tired after doing a lot of things yesterday.
Then, through the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Her Royal Highness the Queen and Her Royal Highness the Princess were sitting on his right. He thought to himself that this was a serious matter and he didn't know how to deal with it, so he just continued to pretend to sleep.
I thought: This is Nangong, next to the emperor's bed, is there still justice
The two sighed and said, "Ru'er, look at Zirui. He sleeps the same way as when he was a crying baby. It's the same every time I see him."
I muttered to myself: Don’t you know how low the pillow on this couch is? My shoulders are so broad, this kind of pillow can only be comfortable when I lie on my back.
"Mother, my second brother seems to have had a nightmare again."
"Well, Zhi'er always dreams about being unable to breathe here. It must be the dream about the past."
I continued to complain in my heart: Don’t guess, I also have my own life experience.
After a while, the two nosy and nosy women finally left, and then instructed the palace maids to let me go wherever I wanted after I got up, but just tell me that I had to come back in the evening.
Is there such a mother? She is simply forcing her son to submit by giving him nightmares. This is the decline of family ethics.
That day, Qiu Luan's adoptive father was buried, but I didn't go because there was a court meeting that day.
That day, I wrote another letter to Pei'er. After Yinling reviewed it, I sent it out without making any changes.
That day, I proposed to Your Majesty that I return to the country, but Your Majesty said there was no rush.
Later that day, Yinling packed her things to accompany me. I asked her to help me find a way to get us back to Yue as soon as possible. I couldn't bear to let Yinling suffer this crime. Thinking about being watched by others when she woke up every morning, it was really sad. It was not something that a sleepy Yinling should endure, especially since she was pregnant.
That night, lying on the couch, I thought to myself that I couldn't think of Yinling, nor could I think of Pei'er. Could it be that I was thinking of her
I seemed to have been trying to put her out of my mind that night, trying not to think about anything else.
In the end, I still dreamed of her, as if we had known each other for a long time, starting from Qianshan, we met on the icy lake, and went down the mountain, and everything just passed by quickly.
Until we were together on Yunmeng Lake, she was still so beautiful in the mist. In front of me, we were the only ones left on the boat. I seemed to reach out my hand and say: It's so beautiful.
She gradually disappeared into the fog.
I was scared and tried desperately to grab her with my hands, but I couldn't pull her back from the fog until I saw the desolate scene in front of me.
I realized I was awake, dropped my hands, and closed my eyes again.
It's not that I need to sleep anymore, but I don't want to face someone or some people who may be here.
There were three voices today, one more than yesterday, "Your Majesty". However, their opinions were not much different from yesterday, but it seemed that they had seen my nightmare again. The three people's tone was celebratory and very cheerful.
What kind of family is this? How could their minds be twisted to this extent? This must be a systemic problem.
That day, I didn't hear them give orders to the maids, but I didn't feel proud for long before I found that they left an imperial decree and imperial edict for me on the table.
That day, I actually had a very pleasant conversation with Yuan Shu. I must have gone crazy.
That day, I actually called Yuan Shao a brother, I must have lost my mind.
That day, I unexpectedly ran into Yuan Yi, and we talked about all the affairs of the world together. I was so crazy that I was hopeless.
That day, I went home, provoked trouble, had a fight, and immediately felt like I was back to normal.
That night, I dreamed of myself crying as a baby, but my mouth was covered with a silver bell from my childhood in a cave. I could not think of anything until the nightmare woke me up.
And there was another person watching. What kind of world is this? Are they planning to use human wave tactics
Seeing my nightmare performance, they were in a very lively mood, like the New Year.
I think if this continues, I will have to put up a notice board before going to bed, saying: Everyone is welcome to visit, please do not make loud noises and disturb the exhibits.
That day, I kept thinking about who would be there the next morning. Strangely, I seldom dream. These past few days, I have been feeling weird, and every day I have bad dreams.
So when I came to my senses, I found that there was a barefooted person wearing mourning clothes beside me.
After a closer look, I found that it was Qiu Luan. I didn't expect that she had become so haggard in the past few days.
"Qiuluan, why is this?"
She suddenly knelt down, "I am a servant, and I know that the Marquis is an extraordinary person, and he is a noble man who is responsible for the country. I dare not bother you with my affairs. However, I have never known my father since I was born in the palace, and later I lost my mother. Only my adoptive father often took care of me. Now my adoptive father has passed away with an unjust grievance. Qiu Luan has no other choice but to ask you for help."
"Qiuluan, what do you want?" This girl is indeed pitiful, but I really don't know what she wants me to help her with.
"I think my adoptive father must be carrying some secret, which may be related to some powerful person. What did my adoptive father want to say to me in the end, but he didn't tell me, and I really don't understand. Qiu Luan doesn't want my adoptive father to go away in such an unclear way. My sisters know that only you are the reincarnation of Xiezhi, so you will definitely be able to see this clearly." I know that they must have firmly recognized me as the old mythical beast. Feudal superstition is killing people.
But compared to what happened yesterday, I felt that going to investigate was at least a positive thing, so I agreed.
I went to the palace to look for the Imperial Official. I remembered that I had met this man at Uncle Cai's house that day. Because the meat sauce was too salty, Brother Meng De teased me. Even now, I still feel thirsty when I see him. He is easy to recognize.
I asked him all kinds of questions about the Ye Ting Ling, and he answered all my questions. He was very respectful and reminded me that he had been the Ye Ting Ling before I was born. I always felt that this special reminder was a bit annoying.
The rest of the story was the same as what I had heard from Qiu Luan before, except that he had not been promoted for many years and had just retired a few years ago. He did not return to his hometown but stayed in the stable.
I asked him about other things, but he himself had only come up in the past few years. He knew most of what he heard, and the only people who came from that era in the palace were the emperor and the empress, except for the eunuch. He even suggested that I ask those two.
It would be even more troublesome if I asked, because those two nobles would definitely emphasize that he had been the Ye Ting Ling before I was born, and then change the subject to how likely I was to be a friend of some extremely noble family.
I can only ask who has been here longer than him. The Imperial Official thought about it and shook his head. He is still the one who has been in office the longest in the inner court. He also explained that the person who is in charge of the emperor's food is usually more likely to be in office for a long time. Generally speaking, only when a noble in the harem is poisoned to death, will the person be replaced.
I wanted to beat him up. But in the end, I had no choice but to leave. If I wanted to go and look through the official records, I think His Majesty would allow me to do so, and he might even give me a part-time job as the Grand Historian to avoid arguments. But I would definitely be criticized by outsiders, and I would always feel guilty, especially because I would be suspected by the two most respected people.
That afternoon, I changed into casual clothes and drove to the vacant home of Ye Ting Ling to find out what was going on.
Near this courtyard are the residences of many officials with several hundred shi of salary. At present, most of the heads of these families need to be at work and obey orders from officials above 1,000 shi. This place is much quieter, so it is a good time for investigation.
Perhaps he really didn't have much talent, and after a thorough inspection, he didn't find anything strange. Seeing the sun set, he thought that he needed to go back and spend some time with Ling'er. Secondly, the officials should also return to their homes. If they saw something was not going well on the way, they would go back. He couldn't walk two steps. He was unwilling to give up. He changed his mind and put his ears to several suspicious walls and pillars, and knocked with his hands to see if there were any hollow places. But he didn't expect to hear a faint but clear heartbeat.
The surroundings were unusually quiet except for this sound. He pretended to slowly walk along the wall, but he was actually trying to identify the strength of the heartbeat and guess its distance.
The sound was most clearly heard from the left pillar in the main room, and the stomping of the feet on the floor was also very real. Without hesitation, he leaned over to pick up a few cases, and when he looked up, he saw a black shadow protruding from the beam, and immediately threw the cases away.
The thief was very agile, he rolled backwards and dodged a few cases, I really used my strength, I managed to break through the tiles on the roof. As soon as he landed on the ground, he turned around and tried to escape.
I took a step to the left and lifted the table on the other side. I was about to throw it. Suddenly, I felt a flash in front of my eyes, and a bright object fell down. I didn't know why, so I used the table to protect my body. The thief seemed to notice the strange light in his peripheral vision, thinking that I was throwing something at him, and quickly rolled to the side. He avoided me behind the pillar and seemed to be leaning forward to take a closer look.
Suddenly, a hairpin-like object was inserted into the table. It was shining with gold, and the sculpture on the other end was a dragon head.
There is no need to think about where this thing came from. First, he snatched it and shouted at the thief: "How dare you, thief, steal your Majesty's things?"
"Hey, brother." The thief may have seen the big hole in the house and knew that I was not strong enough, so he did not dare to show his head, but his tone was still tough: "This thing is not mine. Maybe the corrupt official took it himself and hid it in the tiles. It was only revealed when you broke into the house. Why are you framing me? Are you an accomplice of the corrupt official, and you are destroying the evidence when you see your accomplice being brought to the palace for trial?"
"Bah, I came here to investigate a case, and I walked in through the main gate, openly and squarely, but why are you hiding in someone else's house and keeping silent?"
"Humph, I came here for an old friend. I wanted to save money and find a place to stay. I heard that the master of this house had died and dismissed the servants, so I came here to stay for a while."
"Then why don't you stay on the bed at the back instead of on the beam? Your skills look like a thief."
"You officials rob people of their money, rape their wives and daughters, and act lawless, but we are thieves. Those who are good at fighting are thieves. Most of the troops are thieves, and those famous generals are the biggest thieves."
"How could I steal other people's money and rape their wives and daughters? Don't frame me for that." I knew that there was no way to defend myself against those things in official circles, so I had to clear myself of them first.
"How can I speak nonsense? The world will have its own opinions. There is only one half official whom I respect in the whole world. Unfortunately, that one just passed away. I have never seen the other half. I just heard about it from my disciple, so I count it as half."
"Which one?" I suddenly became curious.
"One or half?"
"One of yours, of course." I couldn't think of any other famous person who had passed away recently.
"Lord Chen Taiqiu."
"Could it be the Lord Chen Zhonggong for whom Your Majesty ordered the construction of the Dexing Pavilion?" This person should have been mentioned by Lord Xun Shuang, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, at a banquet. The reason why I chatted with Lord Xun was, first, I thought this Lord Xun was worth making friends with; second, when I was summoned to Luoyang, he arranged a seat for me.
"Yes, that's right."
"What about the other half?" I feel that this thief is quite interesting. His voice sounds like that of a man in his thirties or forties, but his tone is a bit like that of an innocent teenager, although I haven't seen his face yet.
"It's Xie Zhi, Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun." Suddenly he felt like he was split in half in mid-air.
"I am Xie Zhi." Since I am the only official left in the world who is respected by a flying thief, even though only half of him is left, I am actually somewhat complacent.
"I don't think you are like him. My disciple Xie Zhi is thoughtful and open-minded, but he looks old. His wife, who is a few years older than him, looks like his daughter when standing next to him. You are clumsy and have a childish face. How could you be him?"
"Is Miss Su like this?" My mind suddenly became clear. At this time, I was thinking the fastest and everything went through my mind again.
"Oh, you know Su Mei? Do you know her son's name?" His tone began to sound uncertain.
"Yu didn't mention me to you?" I decided to continue expressing my indignation and show great sincerity.
The thief stuck his head out and said, "Put the cases down first."
I put it back on the table, took two steps forward and picked up the hairpin on the ground: "You really didn't steal this?"
“It’s really… it’s really not me.”
"You are Miss Su's master and lifesaver, so I will let you go. I also want to thank you." I went to find a purse in my arms, squeezed it, and found a few hundred dollars. I was planning to go out and find a restaurant to eat when I was hungry. I just threw it to him and said, "Go find an inn to stay. I'm afraid that the government officials will come here again."
"Hey, you didn't even ask my name?" This person was really straightforward, and I thought he was approachable. But I decided to keep a high profile.
"I once asked Miss Su about your name. She didn't want to tell me, and I didn't want to force her..." Suddenly, I remembered what Master Xun said about Master Zhonggong: "Now I know that you are the 'gentleman on the beam', which is enough."
"What a pity, I didn't get to see him before he left. I came here this time because his sons came here. Lord Taiqiu was driven out by the court, and I heard that his sons were taken to Luoyang. I was worried and wanted to take care of them, but when I entered Luoyang, I couldn't find out any news." Hearing this lamenting tone, this boy seems to be really kind, and I think he is related to his affairs. It is also quite rare.
"I can help you find out about this matter. How do you live these days?"
"I eat whatever the high officials eat. I stay overnight in the houses where the nobles don't live." It was really relaxing: "But you are really amazing. Taiqiu Gong was the first one to find me, and you are the second. You really deserve the respect of the two people I respect."
I feel like that half of my body is finally back.
"In fact, there are still many virtuous people in the world, but you just don't know them."
"I don't know. It's not a mess. Since Master Zhonggong taught me, I also want to change my job. Alas. Marquis Fengyun, let's sit down. I've been hiding from you up there for a long time. I can't breathe and I'm suffocating. Let's sit down and rest for a while." This guy is not tall and thin. He wears a tight black suit and a black scarf on his head. His appearance is between a rat-like face and a thief. It's better for him not to stay in the hotel. Looking at him, I want to check his personal belongings first.
After trying to find the sparkle in his appearance and failing, I sat down as well. He continued: "I thought I was quite skillful and could open any lock, so I thought about learning a craft. But no matter what other craft masters I met, they would not accept me because I looked too shabby. The women at home also complained that I looked like a thief and were afraid that their families would not be at peace. Finally, even the master who was almost hired by me asked me to leave."
I really want to express that I sympathize with the opinions of those women.
"What can I do? We don't have any other skills, so we have to steal. But we can't disobey Mr. Chen. Later, I went to a place and eavesdropped on others to see who was the biggest villain here. I would steal from him and then give most of it to the poor to survive. Later, I saved the Su family's sister. I was used to being alone, but this woman was troublesome, and she was pregnant, especially a teenage girl. She was not big, but her belly was big. Alas, I have to do my best to be a good person. First, I took care of her and gave birth to the child. Every day, I went back and forth to several villains in dozens of miles to pretend to steal chickens and fish, and I would go through clothes and quilts. I had to cook and boil water when I returned to my place of residence. Is it easy? I have a child, I can't sleep well at night, and I have to go back and forth dozens of miles to move things from the homes of those villains during the day. Is it easy for me? You have to know that if I keep stealing things from these few houses and don't develop new customers, they will notice it and be on guard. Do you know how much mental pressure I have to work hard every day? During that time, I had a lot more white hair. I am also a well-known gentleman on the beam in Yuzhou, with a name, and corrupt officials will be scared and unable to sleep all night after hearing my name. But at that time, I was with diapers and feces every day, and the Su family girl was still a child and couldn't help at all. Alas, it's hard to say this... "I thought he was straightforward and had something to say before, but now I feel that he seems to be verbose, as if Miss Su lived like this. It is estimated that as a professional operator, he should have little emotional and verbal communication with the owners who are doing business. A person is so depressed that he has to chat for half an hour to find someone who can talk.
"How many apprentices have you taught?" I felt the need to interrupt him. Before I get confused by him, I needed to investigate these unstable factors first.
"Alas, how can I teach more? This one is enough for me. I think this woman has a child and no skills, so I can't teach her anything else. She is still thin, think about it. She was only fourteen or fifteen years old at that time, and her legs and feet were flexible and her hands were skillful. She was considered a promising talent, so I taught her. As I taught her, she didn't finish her apprenticeship, and her feathers grew up. Alas, it's not a good thing to watch her every day, so I taught her together. Don't look at them as mother and son. In my sect, they are senior sisters and junior brothers. Hehe." He rolled up his sleeves. As if he was going to do something big, a circle of needle-like things appeared, and he quickly rolled it down: "Well, it can poke and remove locks and bolts, and it can also raise its arm to take a sword at a critical moment."
It was dark before I knew it, and under the moonlight I could still see his spit flying: "Ah, now that I think about it, I have to thank you, sir. My apprentice is not very good at learning. He didn't make a good start. I still rely on you to help me. Later, I thought I would rather live my life on my own. They would have no future if they followed me, and there is nothing to steal within a hundred miles of where I live. So I persuaded them to follow you, at least they can have a bowl of safe food to eat and a bowl of safe water to drink. Oh, I am thirsty. Wait, I stole some wine from the official house next door, some minister Cao. I hid it under the floor. Wait a minute."
After a while, he brought out a jar and placed two bowls. He poured the wine and handed me a bowl: "Come on, Fengyun Hou, drink first, and then we can continue chatting after you finish drinking."
The moonlight was good that night, and he should be able to see that I had a bad face.
"Uh, what's going on?"
"What happened to the house next door? Why did you steal?"
"Oh, you know what happened? That guy is not very old, but he looks like a high-ranking official. The officials around him are all rushing to bow and scrape to him." That's right, the Shangshu Tai is accompanied by memorials and imperial edicts all day long, and it has some real power.
"The assistant minister of the Secretariat seems to be a 400-stone official, which is not a very high-ranking official." The surroundings were still very quiet, and these officials with a salary of 100 stones should still be being tossed around.
"If all that is given to Guzi, he will bury me alive. But I have to live here. On the day I live here, I will check everywhere every night to see which official is bad and then take action against him. As for this fellow, I tell you, Fengyun Hou, you don't know, these few nights I saw him tying up a woman who is much older than him to the couch and doing that, with her mouth blocked. Only a young man from some powerful family can do such a beastly thing, he must have stolen someone's wife and abused her. Maybe he will abandon her after a while when he gets tired of playing with her. So, I will go to check every night, and if he wants to change women one night, I think I have to save that person. Alas, maybe he is the same as Su Mei." The moonlight is good, but it should not be good enough for him to see me blushing.
I basically know that Miss Su's pattern of choosing villains was learned from this master.
"Uh, you know my name, may I ask for the name of the hero?" I felt the need to interrupt, as it was getting late and I still had things to do in the evening.
"My name is Bai Mingtang."
I really think: Not really.
"As for the family next door, you know the situation as soon as you see me. His wife is much older than he is. Don't make assumptions about them."
"Oh, you don't. How should I know? They don't."
"You are talking nonsense. One of you can't speak, and the other can't answer. Of course, there is no need for that."
"Oh, yes, the nobles have so many ways to do this." The man seemed to be fantasizing maliciously.
I suddenly felt a chill on my back.
"You've never been to my house?"
"I heard from the public that you are in Luoyang. I found your mansion and even went there. But it seems that there is only one son living in it, sometimes two, and a few maids. I don't know which room you are in. After midnight, many old women come to your door to touch that strange thing, what is it called, that one-horned beast."
"Xiezhi..."
"Don't joke with me. I'm after that stone animal, not you."
"That's also called Xiezhi. Just the same pronunciation but different characters." I was really helpless.
"Oh, then why are they touching it?"
"Didn't you ask?"
"Oh, I went to ask, and this person turned and ran away when he saw me, and kept checking my belongings. It was really hateful. If it weren't for the Lord Taiqiu, I would have emptied their house. I eavesdropped, and this person didn't talk about this. He just touched me a few times at night and left. It was really weird."
Suddenly I heard the sound of a horse-drawn carriage outside, so I pulled him out quickly, got on my carriage, slapped the horse, then lowered the curtain and chatted with him inside.
"Hey, don't you need someone to drive the car?"
"An old horse knows the way. It knows where to go because it needs to be driven outside and then beaten when it comes back. It understands." In fact, it is mainly to avoid showing its face.
I took him back to my house. I was still thinking about why I wanted to bring him back, but I felt that it was more dangerous to leave him in the market. Especially if he got crazy and came to visit me again, and watched me and Yinling at night, it would make me feel uneasy.
This way, if he can see me every day and gets tired of seeing me, he won't be interested in coming again at night.
Of course, I need to introduce him to my father first. I need to explain the addition of another person to my family. I can also help him find out the whereabouts of the sons of Taiqiu Gong. For this reason, I kept asking Lao Bai several questions: first, if you live in my house, you don't need to climb the roof beam; second, ask the maid for food, don't go to the next door to check and bring it back; third, don't watch other couples having sex at night; fourth, he is my spy in Yuzhou.
He agreed, and his face was full of joy, especially when he heard that there was plenty of food there and it was available whenever he wanted.
My father hadn't come home yet. My mother was the first to see Lao Bai. She was very polite and dignified and leaned close to my ear and said: Why does this man look like a thief? He will be easily checked if he goes out as a scout with this appearance.
Lao Bai asked me what the old lady whispered to me and why she looked so strange. I said, I shouldn't deal with such important military and national affairs in front of her.
Lao Bai nodded very seriously, and there was a kind of shamelessness in his serious look.
Yinling saw this person, who was gentle and concerned. Old Bai was moved and began to call our master's wife in front of Yinling. But Yiren took a chance and whispered to me: Why didn't Zirui mention sending scouts? Choosing this person is just a show of force.
I tried to show that what I heard was not about Lao Bai, so I changed the subject as if I was talking about something else and asked where Qiu Luan was. I haven't seen Qiu Luan since I entered the mansion. Judging from her mood, she should be eager to ask me about it in detail. Yin Ling took some tranquilizers and fell asleep before noon. She hasn't closed her eyes for several days. She should have a good rest. It's better not to disturb her for the time being. I mentioned the hairpin to Yin Ling, and Yin Ling didn't seem too surprised. She whispered a few more words to me, and I nodded, indicating that I had the same guess.
Old Bai seemed to understand that we were discussing important military and political matters, and he told me that he could be my new servant in the future, so that others would not worry about leaking secrets. I thought that was too disrespectful, and at least he should be a Mr. Bai with extraordinary talents. This person was immediately satisfied and proud.
When the young people in our family saw him, they quickly had a common question: Where does this Mr. Bai stay at night
They also took the initiative to introduce the east wing, which was spacious and empty, and the west wing, which was quiet and vacant.
I think no matter how good his mood was before, Mr. White would feel a little resentful at this moment.
Soon, he and everyone else, including me, felt better: it was time to eat.
If everyone has enough food, the world will be at peace.
Note 1: According to historical records, during the reign of Emperor Ling, the Grand Historian reported: "Virtue stars gather in Kui, and there are virtuous people within 500 miles." Later, it was found that the retired Chen Shi led his descendants and Xun Shu and others to travel in the West Lake of Xuchang. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty then built the "Virtue Star Pavilion" in the West Lake of Xuchang.