Kaifeng Bistro

"Who did it?" After a moment of surprise, Yi Yi frowned and pondered: "Of course, it should be...it was him. But why did he do it?"

"Scary, frightening... frightening..." After listening to Tan Zhifeng's description of the word "Xia" in the sky, and the floating gray-white snake shadow, Shangshang really shivered: "I, I'm a little scared .”

"I was thinking about Xu Gan's words," Tan Zhifeng said, "Next. Who is next? This time is different from last time. He didn't do it on a whim, he... was all arranged..."

"Then," Zhuo Zhuo said anxiously, "How do we know? Maybe he has no purpose, just catch one and count?"

"It's also possible, so in order to find out, I think uh..." Tan Zhifeng paused, "I want to know where the previous incident happened..."

"Leave it to me." Yi Yi straightened up: "I'll go out to inquire later. Tell me which direction you saw the gray smoke for the first time."

"West side." Tan Zhifeng thought for a while, and probably pointed.Yi Yi said thoughtfully: "It's close to the inner city, and the people living there are all famous families..."

After that, he glared at Tan Zhifeng: "Stay well at home, don't go out and wander around just because you have some broken pendant, if something happens to you, we will never take care of you!"

Tan Zhifeng immediately showed a harmless smile.In fact, in the past few days, he did repeatedly think about going out to find out news, but during the day, Yiyi and Zhuozhuo stared at him, Shangshang and Ling'er pestered him, and there were still a lot of things to take care of in the store. He couldn't walk away at all.

At first, he had hoped that one day Zhan Zhao would come to tell him the ins and outs of the matter, but Zhan Zhao never showed up.

Moreover, thinking of the appearances of Zhan Zhao and Xu Gan when they left, he always felt that they had worried and uneasy faces on their faces, but it wasn't for Xu Gan, but...for him.Tan Zhifeng knew that Xu Gan didn't like Zhan Zhao very much, but after defeating Bo in the last winter solstice, there should have been at least a little friendship between the two of them fighting side by side, but Xu Gan was taken away that day, and he seemed very calm , Zhan Zhao also looked businesslike, as if they all knew that all this would happen.

He was the only one kept in the dark, and Tan Zhifeng didn't like this feeling very much.When Xu Gan came back, if he came back, Tan Zhifeng thought, he must make it clear to him.He Tan Zhifeng is not a person with a good brain, no matter what happens in the future, Xu Yan has to tell him clearly.

However, Tan Zhifeng suddenly thought, did he just say everything to Xu Gan, did he not hide anything?

This mental torture made Tan Zhifeng even more depressed. Fortunately, at this time, the early guests walked into the tavern in twos and threes.So Tan Zhifeng stopped thinking about it and started preparing for breakfast seriously.

Without Xu Gan, Tan Zhifeng felt that the whole kitchen was empty, and he was extremely sensitive to the movement outside.He glanced outside and found Chen Qing coming.Since that night, he hadn't seen Chen Qing, and he didn't even know if he was at home.But his strange behavior that night kept lingering in Tan Zhifeng's mind. Seeing Chen Qing and Zhou Yanjing sitting near the back, Tan Zhifeng couldn't help using a little spiritual power to listen carefully to their conversation.

Zhuozhuo brought hot tea to the two of them, Zhou Yanjing took a sip of it, and began to persuade Chen Qing: "Zijin, why do you have to make trouble with your father? He only has a son like you, and you don't go home to visit him during the Chinese New Year. Can he feel better?"

Chen Qing lowered his head and said nothing, and after a long while he said intermittently: "Brother Zhou, don't worry about it, he... just wants me to give in to him because he has a lot of bad money! After so many years... ... Forget it, if I really get a title on the gold list one day, I won't recognize him either!"

Zhou Yanjing seemed to have discussed this topic with Chen Qing many times, and seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, he stopped arguing with him, but changed his voice, and said again: "By the way, the test will be released in August this year. , how are you preparing? Do you want to enter the arena with us and try your luck?"

"Ah!" Chen Qing sighed after hearing the words: "Brother Zhou, you know that I can still handle the classics and righteousness, and poetry and Fu are also passable. I am old and pedantic, and the approval documents are always those few sentences, I am tired of reading them."

When it comes to academic matters, Chen Qing always has a sad face: "Last time in the Guangwen Museum examination, even brother Lu was ranked ahead of me. If you keep going on like this, what's the point of reading my book... I think , why don't I stop humiliating myself this year, how about I try to take the imperial examination like you first?"

Zhou Yanjing patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Why are you so anxious, you are only 16 years old. When I was your age, how could I know how to make a fuss, and I was still dawdling in the countryside..."

After finishing speaking, he shook his head again and said: "Speaking of this Taixue, in fact, Taixue's life is not easy. The Taixue takes an exam every month, and only one out of ten people in the outer house can be promoted to the inner house. The inner house is promoted to the upper house. Not to mention, look at me, there is no hope for a few more years."

"Hehe, what kind of outer dormitory and inner dormitory, upper dormitory and lower dormitory, it makes me dizzy." Zhuo Zhuo didn't know when he wandered back again: "You scholars really have nothing to do, the imperial examinations are not enough, you still have to What is the point of going to the Taixue to suffer this crime?"

"Hmph, ignorance limits your imagination." Yi Yi, who was about to go out, said contemptuously: "When you get into the upper house, the benefits will come naturally. The upper house is divided into three grades: the lower class upper house, you can be exempted from the exam , to directly take the provincial examination; for the middle school, even the provincial examination is waived, and you can directly participate in the palace examination; for the upper school, you can directly be awarded an official!"

He rolled his eyes to the burning face of the listener, and said: "You, you don't work, you don't study, you don't know how to play, play and sing, you just sit in the sun and daydream all day long. Maybe, the sky will drop a bowl of hot soup cakes and scald you to death, hehe..."

"Ah..." Seeing Yi Yi revealing his shortcomings in front of Chen Qing and Zhou Yanjing, Zhuo Zhuo suddenly became furious, jumped up and ran to the back to grab the rolling pin in Tan Zhifeng's hand, and chased after Yi Yi. Calling Tan Zhifeng's name.Tan Zhifeng, who had been robbed of the rolling pin, looked bewildered, and came out frantically to stop them, patting the flour on his hands.

Chen Qing and Zhou Yanjing were used to it for a long time, each took out [-] Wen and put it on the table to pay the bill.Chen Qing didn't seem to remember what happened that day at all, he looked at Tan Zhifeng with some nostalgia, and seemed to want to say a few words to him.But he quickly thought of Mr. Guangwen's stern gaze and the ruler in his hand in the morning. After hesitating for a moment, he put on a padded robe with a face of reluctance, and walked out with Zhou Yanjing.

Seeing that there was nothing going on in the store, Yi Yi tidied up the counter and went out according to what he had discussed with Tan Zhifeng.The guests who came in one after another were all the scholars nearby, and there were also a few small officials in the government office. Tan Zhifeng also heard some recent gossip from them.In the past, he didn't care too much about the content of these people's chats. When Zhuo Zhuo told him, he also went in his left ear and out of his right ear, but now that Xu Gan is locked up in Kaifeng Mansion, he wished he could listen to everyone's words Clearly.

"It's Wang Fushi who just returned to Beijing..." It was the civil servant who came with Zhan Zhao and the others from Kaifeng Mansion that day who spoke, his voice was very low, but Tan Zhifeng still heard the following words: "Fortunately, Mr. Read, I didn't sleep in the bedroom, but rested in the warm pavilion on the side... But a young man died... someday..."

He pondered for a while, and Tan Zhifeng felt his ears were almost pressed against the wall, and finally heard the man put the wine glass down, and said: "It's been a while, and not many people know about it, until later there was another incident ..."

"Guard Zhan and the others have been very busy recently. They arrested one person, but they were only locked up..." Another person said.Tan Zhifeng knew that they were talking about Xu Gan, so he listened more seriously, and only heard him continue: "You said that later time, it was...it was..."

"It's Du Xianggong!" Another person said: "That's really tragic. The door of his house was cut on the neck, and he was thrown at the door so bloody. The case has not been solved until now!"

Tan Zhifeng took a breath nervously. At this moment, the conversation of two scholars rang out on the other side: "...the government tried their best to suppress it, but many people have seen it. There are many people living near Tianqing Temple... ..."

"That's clearly the word 'Xia' for Western Xia!" Another scholar sitting opposite him lowered his voice desperately: "But... but we must not let others hear what we say, or we may be caught in prison I went. A few days ago, there was a mother in the Killing Pig Alley next door who was taken away by Kaifeng Mansion for gossiping and 'spreading rumours', this...she hasn't come back yet!"

Sure enough, fire cannot be contained in paper, Tan Zhifeng thought, only a few days later, so many people already know about it.

Fear is often followed by rumors. Tan Zhifeng thought of Shangshang's frightened eyes. Yes, no matter whether Bo's original intention was to kill Lord Wang and Du Xianggong or not, the blood splattered in the sky was formed by gray smoke. The word "Xia" is like a huge evil ghost, with empty eye sockets and a bloody mouth, looking down at the prosperous and peaceful capital of Song Dynasty fiercely and full of hatred.

On the surface, people ate the hot breakfast in front of them as if nothing had happened, then took out copper coins from their bulging purses to pay the bill, and left with a smile, but their eyes were no longer the same as they were a few days ago. Carefree and full of hope and anticipation for the new year.

The shadow in their eyes came from these rumors, and also from the worry they caused about the days of war and peace in the future.