Rui Hegui

Kyoto Jonan Bazaar.

Because it is late autumn and the north wind is cold, many shops only half open their doors to welcome customers. Only the cloth shop selling winter clothes and the hot noodle soup stalls are full of people, and stray cats and dogs will lie on the stove. Keeping warm near the fire is often driven away by peddlers with brooms, only to turn back after a while.

A Yangchun noodle shop next to the stone bridge had a good business at first, but recently people especially like to eat hot food, and it is overcrowded. Some customers came without a table, so the boss moved a few benches and placed them near the fire, so that They sat there waiting, and most of them knew each other. As soon as their butts touched the bench, they began to chat with Basheng as if they had never spoken before, covering everything from household chores to recent major events in Beijing and China.

"The day before yesterday, I went to the West Market to buy Xiaohongchun for my wife. The peddler saw that I didn't go there often, and he directly charged me sixty yuan. I only found out afterwards that it was really a thousand dollars. I had to sell a lot of calligraphy and paintings to make it Earn it back!"

"No, but it's our fate after all. Look at the butcher who sold meat in Nanshi in the past. He couldn't write a single big character. He didn't know what he did. He asked his sister to marry into the official's house as a concubine. Dai Yin, he himself also eats and drinks hot food, so why worry about the sixty Wen?"

"By the way, your sister is almost at the age of marriage. Has anyone proposed marriage?"

"Indeed, but my father loves her so much that he doesn't even like her. What's the matter? You can't marry a champion man. A woman should be content with a hardworking and capable man for the rest of her life."

"Don't talk about it, you love your sister even more... By the way, have you heard that the imperial court is currently investigating a case of private mining of iron ore."

"The salt administration and the iron administration have always had a lot of loopholes, and it's not a one-day or two-day problem. What can be found out, it's not nothing in the end."

"It's different this time. It is said that it has something to do with the Ministry of War. The Holy Majesty bypassed the Sanju Department and asked Jin Luanwei to investigate directly."

"Hiss, that must have caused some big commotion, and you and I should stop discussing it. When I heard that Jin Luanwei was investigating the case, I felt chills down my spine."

"Okay, let's talk about something else, such as the autumn that just passed?"

"There's nothing to say about it. This year's autumn, apart from Wang Yuncheng, the second son of the Wang family, a student of Mr. Tang in Kyoto, and the blockbuster Xie Yuan Zhao Liangyue from Maozhou, it has been spread from the Imperial College to the streets and alleys, and the ears can hear calluses. gone."

"Then what else can I say... Hey, did you see the fortune teller on the bridge over there? You're not moving, maybe you're asleep?"

"Oh, his taoist robe is shabby. I don't know how much it has gone through. Although I don't believe in ghosts and gods, why don't we ask him to do the math and give him some money for food."

"That's fine too."

The two of them talked, got up and came to the bridge, just as they were about to make a divination, a man in a purple brocade robe sat down first.

When fortune-telling, it is the rule for others to retreat, so the two of them had to back away a little, intending to sit on the stone bench and wait, but when they turned their heads inadvertently and saw the face of the master in the purple brocade robe, they immediately seemed to have seen a ghost. Just slipped away.

"Sir, how do you want to tell a fortune?"

Zhao Liangyue, who had been blowing in the north wind for almost an hour and a half, finally welcomed the first guest, but before he could say anything, the other party spoke first, and in a rather familiar tone.

Zhao Liangyue looked up, and glanced at the other party through the white gauze hanging down from the bamboo hat. The crown was inlaid with priceless gold pearls, and the purple brocade robe was made of fine Shu brocade with cloud patterns. Quite handsome, his pair of peach blossom eyes are the most eye-catching, with a three-point smile, but very coquettish.

Zhao Liangyue obviously didn't know him.

Zhao Liangyue raised his finger to point to the copper coins and sticks placed on the table, and said, "Master, just choose one."

"Don't tell me first that my seal is black, and I am afraid that there will be disasters in the near future? This is the best way to earn money."

Hearing this, Zhao Liangyue thought to himself that this person might have come to amuse him, after all, just now there were two scholars who were about to tell their fortunes, but this one in front of him took the lead, which shows that this person in front of him is not well behaved.

Zhao Liangyue chuckled and said: "If you need to buy some magic weapons to ward off disasters, I don't have them here."

"Hey, I don't need those magic talisman papers. I consider myself a lucky star." The other party said it quite shamelessly, but for some reason, when he said this with his face, people couldn't believe it.

Zhao Liangyue didn't want to answer the conversation, so the other party leaned his upper body over and asked in a low voice, "Sir, have we met somewhere?"

"When I first came to the capital, I have never met the young master."

"No, I've seen it before." The other party's tone was firm, as if it was true, "Sir, do you know that it's not just facial features that can tell people apart, sometimes just by body shape or voice? of."

Zhao Liangyue, who was wearing a bamboo hat, smiled lightly, and said: "That young master is really capable, I admire you."

"Sir, I'm overwhelmed." Although the other party said so, there was no modesty on his face.

Zhao Liangyue sighed softly and asked, "So, what is the hexagram that the young master wants to calculate?"

"Marriage hexagram."

"..." Zhao Liangyue was really speechless to this person, "I am not considered a marriage, my lord, please go back."

"Sir, why don't you earn money?"

Because I don't want to earn your money.

"Oh, it seems that the master is ruthless." The other party said, looking around, and said, "Speaking of which, there are so many people here, why is it that no one is willing to come to the master except me?" What about a hexagram?"

"That's true, what can the young man do?"

"Well, there is a good way." The other party looked straight at Zhao Liangyue with those smiling peach eyes, Zhao Liangyue felt that the other party seemed to be able to see his face clearly through the white gauze.

Zhao Liangyue was a little displeased at being stared at, so he lowered his head and coughed lightly as a signal, and the other party then looked away complacently.

"Is there any water here, sir?" the other party asked.

Zhao Liangyue glanced sideways, there are food stalls and teahouses everywhere not far away, why bother to come here to beg for saliva?

"No." Zhao Liangyue said.

"Then can you buy me a drink, sir?" The other party said with a smile, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

"I don't have any money, besides, you are rich and honored, will you have no money for tea?"

"Sir, this is a radical method, and I won't be fooled."

Zhao Liangyue didn't answer, he said in his heart, hurry up, if you really want to drink water, just jump into the Pangchenshui River, you can drink as much as you want.

"Well, in exchange, I will help you attract customers." The other party's tone was very firm, "Do you want to know what I will do, sir?"

Zhao Liangyue still didn't intend to answer, but the other party didn't seem to see his impatience, and said to himself: "Sir also said that I am rich and powerful, so it must be eye-catching. If I come here twice, come here twice, If you are only looking for the fortune teller for several days, everyone will think, could it be that this fortune teller is really good at divination, and let this young master ask for divination frequently?"

"..." It's also a good idea.

but……

Zhao Liangyue leaned his body back, deliberately stayed away from the other party, and said in a flat tone: "Young Master is kind enough to understand, but fate is unpredictable. Divination and divination have their own definite numbers. When fate comes, we will meet. You can't force it. .”

The other party smiled: "Then we are quite destined. Mr. met me the first time he came here for fortune-telling, and I just came here on a whim, so I saw Mr. at a glance."

Zhao Liangyue didn't want to talk to him at all.

"If sir can buy me a cup of tea, I will..."

Before the other party finished talking, Zhao Liangyue couldn't take it anymore, so he took out ten Wen coins and gave him, saying: "I just want a cup of rough tea, my lord, please help me."

The other party readily took it, and said: "Thank you sir, today's kindness of dripping water will be repaid by springs in the future."

After speaking, the other party stood up and straightened his robe, smiled sincerely at Zhao Liang, as if the ten cents were really like gold, and finally cupped his hands and said: "Sir, see you tomorrow."

The figure of the other party quickly disappeared at the bridgehead, and Zhao Liangyue breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master!" Youbai jumped out from behind the archway next to him.

"When did you come?"

"The young master came here shortly after he sat here."

Zhao Liangyue asked: "Then you don't know how to rescue?"

"I know how to fight, could it be possible to beat him down in the street?" Youbai curled his lips, "But that man is so good-looking, and he will please girls at first sight, son, tell me, this capital is really rich and rich Ah, all of them are so good-looking, and the one next door is also very good-looking."

"Apart from the face, did you find anything else?" Zhao Liangyue asked.

Youbai thought for a while, and said: "Yes, he looks like an ordinary romantic boy, in fact, he should know martial arts, and his gait is steady and well-documented, his skill is not too bad, but he deliberately Hidden, most people can't see it."

"It's not easy to mess with anyway." Zhao Liangyue frowned slightly, then asked Youbai if he had found out about the family next door.

"Yes, the beauty next door should be what they call 'One Finger'."

"One finger?"

"It's just a nickname. Everyone calls him that. He is very powerful. He is the best singer in Xuefangyuan. The dignitaries love to listen to it. It is said that even the Fifth Prince will join him."

"Have you heard anything else?"

"Nothing."

Zhao Liangyue nodded, raised his hand to let Youbai sit in front of him, and said, "Come on, let me make a fortune for you."

"What's the deal? Don't you know everything about me, my son?"

"Is it a divination?" Zhao Liangyue knocked on the table.

"Do the math!"

The two of them were separated by the north wind for half an hour, Zhao Liang took the opportunity to tease, Youbai couldn't say it, so he could only get angry, regretting why he came here.

Later, an old man in shabby clothes finally came to tell the fortune-telling. After asking, he found out that his wife had been ill for a long time, and there was really no way out.

Zhao Liangyue said a lot of words about the Book of Changes that the old man couldn't understand, and finally gave a kit to the old man, asking him to open it when he went home.

When the old man walked away, Youbai leaned over and asked, "My lord, what you gave me wasn't some magic talisman paper, but silver taels, right?"

Zhao Liangyue nodded slightly, sighed and said: "Birth, old age, sickness and death, a busy life, a few taels of silver can often kill a person, you see that old man is full of sorrow because of his wife's illness, but he is penniless, he is really suffering."

"My lord, we also saw a lot of people's hardships on the way to Beijing." Youbai sighed, "You said that the dynasty has been established for nearly a hundred years, why do you feel that you haven't recovered?"

Zhao Liangyue smiled slightly, and sarcastically said: "Isn't the capital city still prosperous and lively, and the aristocratic family still honored and rich?"

Youbai frowned and shook his head, "The sky will definitely change."

"Why do you say that all of a sudden?"

"Senior Wang said it. I don't know why, he is often drunk and likes to talk nonsense, but when he said this, I believed it without doubt."

Zhao Liangyue glanced at Youbai, and said with a smile: "Your master will be very pleased to see you like this."

Youbai snorted, and said: "He won't, he will beat me, scold me, and force me to practice kung fu."

"Oh, children are rebellious." Zhao Liangyue looked at the sky and said, "I don't think there will be anyone here today, so pack up and go back."

"Okay." Youbai said, "Before I leave, I asked Uncle Song to cook some fish this afternoon. I just need to use my chopsticks when I get back."

Sure enough, when the two returned to the courtyard, they could smell the smell of fish. Uncle Song was waiting for them, and when he saw them coming in, he set out the food.

"My lord, what do you think of the fish today?" Uncle Song asked.

"It's very good, the color and aroma are attractive, and it also gave me a taste of Maozhou." Zhao Liangyue greeted, "Also, Uncle Song, I really don't pay attention to red tape, the three of us live in the yard, and eating together is fine." Well, be casual."

"This……"

"Oh, Uncle Song, sit down!" Youbai stood up and pulled Uncle Song to sit down, but even with his strength, Uncle Song couldn't stop him, so he had to sit down.

Youbai went to get chopsticks for Uncle Song's meal, and kept picking up vegetables for him. Uncle Song was not used to it at first, but with Youbai making jokes, he got used to it after a meal.

Just after eating, someone knocked on the door, Youbai ran to open the door and saw the little boy next door.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Youbai looked down at him condescendingly.

"I have a name, Dongchan."

Dongchan introduced herself word by word, then smiled mischievously, and threw an invitation card to Youbai, who disappeared in a flash before Youbai could speak.

"Did someone come from the Xiao Mansion next door?" Zhao Liangyue asked.

"Really." Youbai ran back and handed the invitation to Zhao Liangyue.

Zhao Liangyue took it and opened it, and said: "Five days later, there will be a book "Looking for Spirits" in Xuefangyuan, and I'm invited to go."

Seeing this, Uncle Song nodded with a smile and said: "There is a saying in Beijing that 'it's hard to buy a finger for a thousand dollars', and this 'one finger' is Xiao Rong. It is indeed a rare opportunity for the young master to be invited by him. .”

Seeing what Uncle Song knew, Youbai said, "It sounds like he is also a fairy. I am a little interested. I wonder if Uncle Song would like to talk to me?"

"Young master's words really upset this old slave. If you want to know anything, this old slave will know all the answers." Uncle Song thought about it for a while, and said, "But speaking of it, the title of 'One Finger Nian' is It was only spread two years ago."

Two years ago, Xuefang Academy was quite famous in Beijing.

That day, the former master Xuefang played the piano and sang in front of the guests. There were no empty seats. After the song was over, applause and applause were heard endlessly.

The sound of the piano is like weeping and complaining. If there are mountains and snow covering the road, invite people to explore the quiet path and taste the red plums in the cold.

Immediately, a singing began, the voice has the power of suppressing the clouds, flying springs and jade, people can't help but admire.

Such a piano, a song, a song, and a song, people feel that the wonderful voice of the master Xuefang just now is overshadowed, and the breathing has become cautious, afraid of disturbing the fairy song in the slightest.At the end, people were still immersed in it, but the people behind the screen did not show their faces.

All of a sudden, there was an uproar in the rumors in Beijing. Everyone wanted to see the real face behind the screen that day, and then heard his fairy music. So there is this reputation of "One Finger" and the saying "It's hard to buy a finger with a lot of money".

It wasn't until the autumn of that year that the former head of the Xuefang hospital died of a sudden illness, and this 'Yizhinian' appeared to take care of his funeral. Only then did everyone see his true face, and they were immediately astonished as heavenly beings.

"Later, it was what the young master found out after he came to Beijing that Xiao Rong had already become the master of Xuefang, and was famous all over Jinghua." Uncle Song couldn't help feeling emotional when he said, "I never thought that such a fairy is right next door. , it can be seen that fate is mysterious and unpredictable."

After Zhao Liangyue listened, he thought for a while and asked, "Then do you know who the former master of Xuefang is? It is quite a skill to be able to invite such a godlike figure to your theater."

Uncle Song said: "It is said that he came from Maozhou. He used to be called Huaifeng. When he was in Kyoto, he was called Mr. Huai. He is also a very powerful person. After coming to Beijing four years ago, it took only one year to make other theaters come Far less than Xuefangyuan, the people he can fancy are naturally extraordinary."

That's it.

Zhao Liangyue had the answer in his mind, and raised his eyes to look at Uncle Song again. Seeing that he was neither humble nor overbearing, with a calm expression, doubts arose in his heart, but he didn't ask any questions. He just looked at the invitation in his hand and said with a smile: "So, I’m going to get to know more.”