Changle Floating Life

When Ye Jianqing and Lanshan came out of Dingxiang Xiaozhu, it was still early, and it was not yet time to rush into the shop.

"Can you go somewhere with me?"

He took Xiao Lanshan to Shengping Street.In the distance, I saw a scorched black hill with no grass growing and jagged rocks.It used to be "Pinggang Yanxue", one of the eight scenic spots in Xuzhou. Plum trees were planted all over the mountain, and the flowers were like snow when they bloomed.The amber steps of the Golden Building are like a tortoiseshell banquet on a couch, the guests come like clouds, and the voices are full of people...

Ye Jianqing stood at the foot of the hill, the "Xieshan Building" still had a crumbling gatehouse left, the "Euphemistic Mountain House" on the mountainside and the "Xichun Hall" on the top of the mountain had disappeared.

Small snowflakes suddenly floated in the sky, and the south of the Yangtze River has also entered severe winter.The mountains and rivers are never dark and the moon is thousands of miles away.Ye Jianqing took a last look at the ruins, and dragged Xiao Lanshan into the bustling crowd on Shengping Street.

In an alley behind Shengping Street, Ye Jianqing knocked on the door of a hut.The woman who opened the door saw him and let him into the room quickly.The thatched hut was ventilated from all sides, and there was a smell of medicine that lingered for many years, and a hoarse cough came from the inner room.The mother-in-law said softly: "Miss, the young master is here." Before she could answer from inside, she opened the curtain to let them in.

A woman was lying on the bed, her head and face were wrapped in cloth strips soaked in liquid medicine, only her mouth and nose and two big haggard eyes were exposed, and she was almost blind because of tears all the year round.Ye Jianqing walked to her bed and said softly, "Madam Zhao, I'm here to see you."

Ning Mengchen's eyes suddenly came into focus, and she stretched out an arm that was also wrapped in cloth strips from under the quilt.Ye Jianqing took hold of the sick hand with broken chicken bones, choked up and said, "Nan Xing is in a very safe place, don't worry. One day, when the limelight passes, he will come back to see you. Before that You have to take care of your health." Ning Mengchen shook his head and said: "He is fine, so I am relieved. Don't ask him to come back to see me."

Ye Jianqing choked up for a moment, then turned to the woman and asked, "What's the problem? Nan Xing and I are brothers who have been worshiped before, and his affairs are my affairs." The woman just wanted to open her mouth, when she glanced at the person on the bed , suddenly fell silent again.Ye Jianqing turned to look at Ning Mengchen, unexpectedly she said softly: "There are some medicinal materials that cannot be bought, and there are money difficulties. The Ning family's property has been confiscated..."

Xiao Lanshan pointed out at the door: "Mrs. Zhao, Young Lord, leave it to me." She said and gestured to the woman, who saw the acquiescence of the mistress and went out with Lanshan.

Ning Mengchen asked: "This girl is..." Ye Jianqing smiled wryly and said, "It's a friend I met on the road, she was very naughty and fierce." But Ning Mengchen heard "very smart", and sighed Said: "The only time Nan Xing talked to me, eight out of ten sentences mentioned you. I thought he was clinging to boast, but after my family accident, the only one who has been sending medicine to the doctor is Yang Steward of your house gone."

She was born in a prosperous and snobbish family, and she was full of prosperous and snobbish people.Suddenly one day a catastrophe occurs, the family is ruined and the family is destroyed, and he himself makes people neither human nor ghost, only then can he truly see through the ways of the world.Rich and powerful families compete for favors, but back alleys have no right to keep guests away.Even among relatives, if they have money and power, they will get acquainted, and if they have no money or power, they will travel with each other.

"This is all retribution." Ning Mengchen's eyes were moist again: "The money from the salt merchants is too easy to come by. Money is like sea water, the more you drink, the more thirsty you become..."

Ye Jianqing quietly listened to the proverbs she escaped from this narrow escape, and was speechless for a while.

The two waited until the moon set and the crow crowed, then they said goodbye and went out.Ye Jianqing asked Xiao Lanshan what they had said to the housekeeper, Lan Shan patted his chest and said that it was just some frankincense, myrrh and the like, all wrapped in himself.She turned her head again and again, sighing as if something had hurt her, "Miss Ning must have been a beauty before she got burned."

Ye Jianqing just lowered his head and walked straight forward. If Lanshan didn't pull him, he might not know where he would have gone.In the evening, Lanshan was still looking for a private house. The landlord was a girl named "Yaqin", who seemed to know her.Ye Jianqing fell asleep with his head next to the pillow, and had nightmares all night.

Waking up in the morning, Yaqin happened to come over with the toiletries.Seeing her roll up her sleeves, Ye Jianqing said "Come by yourself".Seeing that she was only in her early twenties, the girl smiled and said, "Miss Lan went to the herbal medicine store to gather things at dawn, and they will send them to Mrs. Zhao when they are all together. Don't worry, little lord. From now on, we will go to Mrs. Zhao's side Will pay more attention."

"Miss Lan? You?" Ye Jianqing wrung out the towel, a bit confused by Monk Zhang Er.

Yaqin covered her mouth in surprise, and immediately said clearly: "Young Master should not know that we should. The big case happened the year before last, and you were trapped in the Red Leaf Waterside Pavilion. Didn't someone hand you a prescription? Angelica, Polygala, Shengdi , Duhuo, Fangfeng, Pangolin. This recipe is from my own hands."

"Splash", the towel in Ye Jianqing's hand fell into the basin, splashing a burst of water.

"Have you heard of the Qingshang Pavilion? It was popular five or sixty years ago, and gradually disappeared after Emperor Taizong Ren. My parents were in the Qingshang Pavilion. In its heyday, there were thirteen books in the hall. Now, There are still four old departments of He, Jing, Qing, and Ji. I am the head of Jibu. In Jiangnan, few people know my identity. But your grandmother is an old friend of our Qing Shangguan. Master Gu He also sent a letter asking us to make early preparations."

"Then Lanshan?" Ye Jianqing was a little restless.

Yaqin said solemnly, "Miss Bai Lan has been the owner of our Qingshang Pavilion since she was ten years old. But she has been in Ganjing all year round, and I only met her once a few years ago."

The "Boom" washbasin was knocked over by Ye Jianqing.At this time, Xiao Lanshan's noise came from outside: "Have you woke up, little fool? If you don't come to breakfast, it will be all mine."

Breakfast is served in the flower hall.Lanshan went out in the morning, and his forehead was already wet with sweat.Ye Jianqing saw how she was devouring, and couldn't help stretching his head and asked: "Are you really the owner of the Qingshang Hall? That famous Qingshang Hall?" Lan Shan glared at him, knocked on the rice bowl and said: "You Why don't people eat?" Ye Jianqing sighed secretly in his heart: Han Qingshang, the former owner of the Qingshang Pavilion, was so elegant and famous, how resounding was the name of "Fingering Luomei".How could it be passed down to this generation that such a strange little girl came out?

Lan Shan wiped his mouth after eating, "You're scolding me in your heart, aren't you? It's a pity that I went to find medicinal materials for Miss Ning early in the morning." Ye Jianqing felt guilty and grateful, poured her a cup of tea, But he asked curiously: "How many people are there in the Qingshang Hall? Can they all be mobilized to help us investigate the case?"

"What are the four essences of the tea ceremony? Harmony, respect, purity, and silence. The Qingshangguan tells you to sit at home and drink tea, and not to make trouble outside." She pushed the teacup to Ye Jianqing again.

"..." Ye Jianqing still didn't give up, and asked: "What if something comes to you?"

"Then let's do it first!" Xiao Lanshan picked up the teacup and drank it.

Yaqin was sweeping the floor in the yard, when she suddenly heard hearty laughter from the flower hall, she also pursed her lips and said with a smile: "It's going to be lively for a while."

After they had breakfast, they went out to find a man named "Wu Xiaocun".This person used to be the book office of the magistrate of Xuzhou, and also worked as a prison code.Yuan Huaike had approached him back then and wanted to get his son out of the case.Later, Pei Zhaoye also found him, and he became a "tainted witness" on the side of King Duan, proving that Yuan Huaike intervened in the investigation.

Arriving at Wu Xiaocun's house, he opened the door and saw that it was a mess.This Wu surnamed ate, drank and slacked in the house, making the three houses left by his ancestors dirty.This person is an old bachelor, and the Wu family doesn't even have a single servant.The neighbors didn't know whether he was in the casino or the wine shop, and they both looked disgusted when they asked him about him.The two of them had no choice but to go back home. Just as they walked out of Wu's house, they saw a man with a poor description, shabby clothes and reeking of alcohol walking in the alley in front of him.

As soon as Ye Jianqing's eyes lit up, Lan Shan wanted to step forward to ask.Wu Xiaocun had just taken two steps in a straight line, and then vomited crookedly against the wall, so frightened that Xiao Lanshan held his nose and jumped aside.While throwing up, he muttered: "What kind of old man, I've been with you for a few days, only for food, and I haven't seen a penny, so I'm so embarrassed to be alive. Ah, bah!"

It turned out that after the big case at Princess Zhenguo's mansion, people in Xuzhou gradually knew that he helped Yuan Huaike make a false statement, and before the ink was dry, he sold his old owner.Everyone didn't dare to ask him to do anything anymore, for fear that he, Mr. Wu, would say nothing.Wu Xiao couldn't save his pen and ink business, so he had to go to a rich family to be a husband with strips of bamboo strips. If he made the master happy, he would reward him with a few small coins.He lives on this.

"Mr. Wu, Mr. Wu?" Ye Jianqing called him several times, but he didn't respond.Xiao Lanshan said disgustedly: "He's so drunk, what's the point of calling him stupid? If you're knocked out, carry it back first."

In the nine-year-old winter, dripping water turns into ice.Wu Xiaocun was suddenly splashed with a bucket of well water over his head in a daze, and suddenly came to his senses, yelling, "Who hurt me, who wants to hurt me?!" He opened his eyes and saw that he was tied to a chair, as if he was In my bedroom.A man and a woman stood in front of them with treacherous faces, and the woman was holding a bucket in her hand.

Ye Jianqing stepped forward and asked him: "Mr. Wu, do you recognize me?" Wu Xiaocun shouted while struggling: "You are not my father, why should I recognize you?"Wu Xiaocun hurriedly said, "Wait, wait, let me take a look."

"What about mourning? Keep your voice down, and if you dare to yell again, your tongue will be cut off!" Lan Shan took out a dagger from his waist and waved it.

Wu Xiaocun looked carefully at the person in front of him, and suddenly said: "Little Marquis, what's your business?" Anyone who wants to make progress in Xuzhou doesn't remember his honor as Marquis of An Ning.

Ye Jianqing smiled and said, "You're sober, Mr. Wu." Like Ding Meiniang, it was the first time he spoke face to face, but he greeted him so affectionately, like an old friend.This kind of self-teaching ability is really amazing. "Mr. Wu, I want to ask you about the big case the year before last. Can you tell me the whole story. You have worked in the Yamen and handled the case. Tell me about the ins and outs."

Wu Xiaocun couldn't figure out his reason for coming, he said puzzledly: "The case is an imperial decision, the grassroots dare not comment on it, and it is a capital offense to make false comments on the government."

Xiao Lanshan picked up a handful of water and threw it at him, and said impatiently: "You can tell me what you want. How do you work? The master talks a little bit, but the slave has to do everything. He knows everything without saying nothing."

Wu Xiaocun's clothes were dripping with water, he shuddered, and looked at Xiaolanshan, not knowing where she was.Ye Jianqing stopped her and said, "Go and make a bowl of ginger soup for Mr. Wu. You can talk when you are warm."

Seeing that the little girl had gone out, Ye Jianqing said to Wu Xiaocun: "Mr. Wu..." "Young Master, I can't afford the word "Mr." Wu Xiaocun interrupted: "I am the one who does all kinds of evil in Xuzhou. A traitor, I have nothing to say about what you asked."

"Official Wu seems to be living in poverty." Ye Jianqing glanced around the room, and took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, all of which were the banknotes of the capital bank "Polaroid": "This is 500 taels of banknotes. You hire someone to tidy up."

Such a generous move made Wu Xiaocun feel even more unpredictable: "Thank you, Lord Hou, for your kindness, but you have always been rewarded for nothing. I'm afraid I'll have my life to take this money, and I'm not going to spend it."

Ye Jianqing moved a chair, sat opposite him, and said solemnly: "Your ancestor was an official in Xichuan, but in your father's generation, it gradually declined. You only passed the examination of scholar, and then fell every year. , and did not turn around the fortune of the family. I know you are not willing to be an ordinary teacher, so you have also worked as a secretary and prison, but you just want to do more practical things."

"The teacher is poor, and the subordinates are closer to the center of power in the yamen, and they are more lucrative." Wu Xiaocun corrected him: "Young Lord, you see that I have no official luck, and I will not pretend to be noble."

"I've read your article in Plum Blossom Academy. With your talent, you shouldn't be a candidate. Could it be that you have encountered fraud in the examination room?"

Wu Xiaocun choked for a moment, and after a while he said: "Young Master, these have nothing to do with you, it's always my bad luck."

Ye Jianqing knew that he was difficult to deal with, picked up the banknotes on the bed, looked through them one by one, and said: "If you don't frown in your life, there should be no people who cut their teeth. The eyes of money are the same in this world. Anyone who sees money will not want it." What? It’s just a few words, and they don’t leave any handwriting, and they don’t know how to write wrong. Officer Wu, why are you so unreasonable?”

Wu Xiaocun watched him count the money until his mouth was dry, so he closed his eyes and shouted, "Where's the ginger soup? Come up quickly! I'm freezing shit out."

Xiao Lanshan wanted to stick a bowl of soup on his face.After feeding Wu Xiaocun and finished drinking, I saw that his face turned warmer, his teeth stopped chattering, and he said more fluently and dissatisfied: "Is there anyone who is tied up and begging for help?" Xiao Lanshan smashed the soup bowl on his head: "Go to shit!" !"

Ye Jianqing said apologetically, "I'm sorry. Officer Wu, let me let you go. You won't be able to escape even if the acupuncture point is tapped. You'd better be honest." Wu Xiaocun shook off the porcelain on his head, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Would you like Ask about the big case of Princess Zhenguo’s mansion, why don’t you understand? It’s the emperor who wants to copy your house, and Prince Duan is doing fishing under the order. Even Yuan Huaike and his prodigal son are cooked to death. , do you think the emperor is determined?"

Xiao Lanshan said: "Speak human words!"

Ye Jianqing was silent for a while, and asked: "Yuan Huaike was once a subordinate of grandmother, why did he blame our family?"

"It's because of the old friendship, that's why the emperor valued him and asked him to be the salt official of Xuzhou. He wanted him to carefully investigate and monitor Princess Zhenguo's words and deeds in the feudal land. As the saying goes, whoever eats a dog, He just guards the house. He is an official of the Holy Majesty, so naturally he has to work hard for the Holy Majesty. Princess Zhen Guo also knows this reason, and she is always tolerant and protective, and dare not disobey his wishes, for fear that he will make a secret report or something. This kind of cover-up and indulgence is not a day or two, nor is it a year or two, it is a long time of more than ten years. Fame and fortune are stronger than alcohol, and people are so drunk that they will die endlessly. One term of office will cause harm to one party. The atmosphere in Xuzhou is so bad of."

Ye Jianqing bit her lip and said, "You said that the Holy Majesty wanted to clean up the Princess Zhenguo's mansion, why? Today, it was my grandmother who helped her in charge."

"The birds are all hidden, to clear the obstacles for the prince to inherit the great rule, or there are other reasons." Wu Xiaocun was a little gloating: "People's desires are endless, and people's hearts are higher than the sky. If you become an emperor, you want to become a fairy. .”

Xiao Lanshan's eyelids twitched a few times, stepped forward to pat him on the chest, and said with a smile: "A big heart hurts the liver, and too much desire hurts the body, don't you think so?" : "The girl is right. Eat all kinds of flavors and add some salt, people should live a little bit more carelessly."

Ye Jianqing asked again: "Shi Qian, who died 15 years ago, was really wronged? At that time, you were the jailer of Zhizhou Prefecture."

"This, I can't remember clearly." Wu Xiaocun rolled his small eyes, and pretended to be stupid when he asked the key point.Ye Jianqing became anxious, knowing that without this person, he would definitely not be able to help Zuo Fengmian reverse the case.He raised his face and said threateningly: "Wu Xiaocun, are you tired of working? I can cut off your dog's head today, and no one in Xuzhou will complain for you."

Wu Xiaocun stretched out his head, and said generously, "Here it is. It's the same whoever cuts off the good head."

This person is hard and soft!

Xiao Lanshan squatted down to look at him, and said with a smile: "You are living well, why are you going to die? What do you ask for when you die? You don't have a good reputation, and you don't have much money to spend. People just say you drink flowers." It's not worth it to drink to death." Wu Xiaocun cocked his neck and closed his eyes not to look at her.Lan Shan leaned into his ear and said: "The only way to die is through the ages. Wanting to die is not that simple. The girl has twelve ways to make your life worse than death, believe it or not?" Wu Xiaocun opened his eyes, and a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water: "Then You talk about each kind first, and we will learn from each other. I have been in prison for ten years."

Xiao Lanshan suppressed his anger, and said with a sweet smile: "Master Wu! Officer Wu! Master Wu!" Wu Xiaocun's whole body was so hot that he almost answered "what's the matter".Lan Shan smiled and said: "You have an official addiction! You are not afraid of death. The official addiction is so serious that there is no cure. I will give you a good medicine. If you help us, the young master will ask Duan Wang for you a Xuzhou Parents are in charge, okay?"

How can this be!King Duan would not sell his official status!Ye Jianqing opened his mouth to deny, but Lan Shan gave him a wink.Ye Jianqing turned to look at Wu Xiaocun, his face gradually froze, but his two small eyes were shining brightly.

He was already moved, and began to imagine the scene of his taking office in his mind.First, the big green sedan chair was carried all the way to the yamen, and the common people shouted to each other; then, each of the rich men who laughed at him was given [-] boards; then, the ancestral tablet was invited to the yamen lobby...

Lan Shan desperately waved his palm in front of Wu Xiaocun, calling out his sanity.Wu Xiaocun coughed in embarrassment, and asked: "The little girl is very smart, Gui Geng this year, did you invite a master to teach..." Ye Jianqing stepped forward, pushed Lan Shan behind her, and stared at Wu Xiaocun, Said: "Officer Wu, you promised me, right?"

"Young Master, people's hearts are unpredictable, and pen and ink are tricky. Let's agree first, I will only talk and never do anything. This is the first condition." Wu Xiaocun began to make conditions.Ye Jianqing nodded and said: "Okay, as long as you tell me everything you know." Wu Xiaocun said again: "Secondly, I don't want to stay in Xuzhou, I want to go to the capital and stay by your young master's side. Living in Chang'an is not easy, of course all expenses are yours."

Brave enough, the lion opened his mouth, parents and officials looked down on him, and wanted to be a Beijing official!Arashiyama rolled his eyes frequently.

This is a bit difficult.Ye Jianqing hesitated for a moment.Lan Shan pulled him out of the house, and whispered in the yard: "Accept him first. At that time, just find him a position as Bi Mawen, and make sure he doesn't stay long before he comes back in disgrace."

"That's not good, it's hard to chase after a word..." Ye Jianqing was still hesitant.

Lanshan beat his chest and said, "It doesn't matter how small it is to achieve great things! Human beings are like a dirty river. In order to accept this river, you yourself must be the sea."

Ye Jianqing finally made up his mind, went back to the room and said to him: "I promise you! But I won't go back to Beijing immediately, I will go to Jinling."

"That's fine, as long as Master Hou doesn't forget about me." Wu Xiaocun nodded and said, "There are three conditions, that is, I want this little girl to be my apprentice, serving me tea and water."

"Ga..." Lanshan was dumbfounded on the spot.

Ye Jianqing turned to look at her and begged, "Promise, I beg you, no matter how small it is..."

Xiao Lanshan finally knew what it means to shoot a stone in the foot...

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