Legacy of the old dynasty

Before Wang Meng left, he explained some things, Wu Xie got impatient and wanted to drive him away, but Zhang Qiling was so serious that he almost took notes.Wu Xie was still thinking about the painting, and after Wang Meng left, he asked anxiously, "How?"

Among the paintings they brought back last night, there were no ladies he remembered to have seen painted by his second uncle, and now he only pays attention to the changes in the operation of pen and ink.Zhang Qiling looked again, and spit out the word "like".

A big stone in Wu Xie's chest has fallen.

After a while, he said again: "How sure are you? Last time, Mr. Wang said that he had seen the original "Picture of Dissipating Summer", why don't you let him take a look?"

Zhang Qiling pondered for a while, then nodded.

Half a month later, Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie arrived at Huangzhou Mansion.According to Wang Meng, the second master asked someone to bring a letter from his family when winter first entered. The person should be in Huangzhou, but the exact address is unclear.The master also sent people to search for it in Huangzhou, but they returned without any results.This time, on the way here, Zhang Qiling received news again, saying that his uncle had caught a cold while guarding the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and was seriously ill, and he hadn't seen improvement for ten days.

As a result, the two became more anxious. They visited the Taoist temples in the fairy mountains in Huangzhou, but they found nothing. They were so anxious that Wu Xie poured mung bean soup on the fire in winter, but it was useless.Zhang Qiling knew in his heart that if that person's illness could not be overcome and he passed away again, the emperor would definitely not care about his old relationship, if he ordered a thorough investigation, the Zhang family would be in danger, and his brows frowned even deeper.Until they came to Cang County.

Here in Cang County, surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is a Cangshui River flowing through the city, with beautiful scenery.Although it is winter, it does not look bleak.When the two first came here, they walked around for a while, then sat in the inn and listened to the shop owner talk about the situation here.

The owner of the shop is also a sharp person, seeing that the two guest officials gave a lot of money, and they are well dressed and talkative, so naturally they know everything and talk endlessly.The most famous thing in Cangxian County is Jiudu Mountain. On Jiudu Mountain, there is a Nine-Buddhist Temple built on the top of the mountain.

But this Nine Buddha Temple is a private Buddhist temple, and it has never even been reported to the Yamen. Therefore, the government has neither allocated funds for its construction, nor collected a penny in taxes, and has no affiliated sects. It is completely a "three-way" temple.But there are many believers, and the monks will go down the mountain from time to time for alms, but they are not monks or common people.

Hearing what the shopkeeper said, Wu Xie smiled: "Not a monk but not a vulgar? But what does it look like? Could it be like Lu Zhishen in the Water Margin?"

The shopkeeper twirled his beard, shook his head and said: "It's not that kind of rough man, especially the leader. The monks are reserved, but he shows his sharpness. But maybe it's a small blindness, and he can't recognize real people, it may not be."

While the two were talking, suddenly there was a commotion outside the door, and someone shouted something unclear, and all the people in the lobby rushed to the door with a "hula la".It was already too late when Wu Xie stood up, and only saw a few bald heads pass by the door through the gap between the crowd of people blocking the door.

The spectators were obviously not satisfied, and they only heard someone asking passers-by: "Isn't this someone from Jiudu Mountain? What happened today?"

The person who was asked was obviously a talkative person, and he slapped his thigh suddenly and said, "It's terrible! I heard that this time I went to the house of Widow Li in Zhuba Lane in the south of the city for alms! Widow Li..."

Immediately someone answered: "Widow Li's son won the exam this year, and I heard that he plans to ask the imperial court for a chastity memorial archway for his mother. The Nine Buddha Court is so noisy, the memorial archway may not be available..."

The other said heartbrokenly: "Don't tell me, the people in the Nine Buddha Court have always been informal. How could the Yamen master let their people be so unruly? Widow Li's son is not allowed to go up the mountain this time!"

This one laughed: "How could the master of the yamen not know, I'm afraid he can't offend the people on the mountain. Do you know that last time..."

Wu Xie listened for a while, then sat back.Zhang Qiling raised his hand and poured some more tea into his cup, and asked leisurely, "Is there anything interesting to hear..."

Wu Xie didn't seem to hear, frowning and staring at the cloud of air in front of her, she slammed down the table and said two words.

"Go up the mountain!"

The boys sweeping at the entrance of the Buddhist temple are no more than Zongjiao, and they wear ordinary clothes, not like Buddhist disciples.Even so, Wu Xie clasped his hands together and called out "little master".

The boy turned around and looked him up and down, and asked, "What's the matter, young master?"

He doesn't speak like a monk either.Wu Xie glanced back at Zhang Qiling, and then said: "We want to see the abbot, and we hope that the little master will let us know."

Although the boy was not very old, he didn't show any timidity at all, and he replied firmly: "There is no abbot in this courtyard, so please go back, my lord."

Wu Xie didn't expect to hear such an answer, and was a little dumbfounded for a while.Just in a daze, Zhang Qiling squatted down, took out something from his bosom, stuffed it into the boy's hand, and then said: "Then there is always a master in charge in your yard, we should see him."

The boy looked at the thing in his hand, it turned out to be a mud whistle, a smile appeared on his face immediately, he put it in his mouth and blew it, it really sounded.Grinning almost to the ears, he turned around and ran into the courtyard gate.Wu Xie was so surprised, he didn't know when he hid this child-coaxing thing on his body, so he turned to look at Zhang Qiling.

Mr. Zhang stood up slowly from the ground, brushed off the corner of his robe, and said, "I bought it because I saw it interesting on the street. I wanted to give it to you."

"..."

The little boy who had just entered the door ran out again, panting and asked the two of them: "You haven't told me who you are, and where you are from. The master asked me, what should I say?"

Zhang Qiling glanced at Wu Xie, smiled at the little boy, and said, "Just say that you are from the Wu family in Shuntian Prefecture, that's fine."

The little boy blinked vigorously, indicating that he remembered.

Zhang Qiling asked Wu Xie on the way, but he was somewhat sure.Just after Wu Xie heard about the widow, his face was so cold that icicles fell off. It took a while before he said angrily: "[-]%!" .

No wonder no one could find the second master of the Wu family. Everyone said that he must have lived in seclusion in the fairy mountain and became a monk. Who would have thought that he would cut his hair and become a monk.Wu Xie said that among the bald heads he saw, the leader looked like his second uncle.But with his second uncle's self-cultivation, how could he provoke widows in public?He was entangled and annoyed, wishing to go up the mountain immediately, and unwilling to go up the mountain again.

The two chatted a few words at the door, and saw that in the mountain gate, far away, the boy led someone over, and said he was a monk, but he was not wearing a monk's robe, and the one with a wide robe and wide sleeves looked like a Taoist priest, so he said he was a Taoist priest , but shaved his head.When they got closer, the three of them were stunned. The person standing in the mountain gate was not the second master of the Wu family, Wu Erbai.

Seeing the two of them startled, Wu Erbai joked, "Stinky boy, why are you still standing there stupidly? Why don't you come over to see the ceremony?"

Zhang Qiling reacted first, bowed respectfully, and called "Second Uncle".He touched Wu Xie who was beside him again.

Wu Xie simply cupped his hands and yelled perfunctorily.His second uncle just smiled and didn't care about it, he turned around and led the two of them to the temple.

On the way, Wu Xie couldn't bear it any longer, and asked his second uncle angrily: "It's so good, what kind of family did you come from... You really gave up on us?"

Wu Erbai turned his head and saw Wu Xie's aggrieved face, he couldn't help but half annoyed and half smiled and said, "Who says I'm a monk? Do you think I have ring scars on my head?" As he spoke, he pushed his head over for the two of them to see. "I couldn't stand the heat in summer, so I shaved off my hair."

Wu Xie said: "It's winter moon now, can't you bear the heat?"

His second uncle smiled, patted his head and said: "Now that I'm used to it, I also feel the beauty of hairlessness. Three thousand troubles, this is really not bad at all."

Wu Erbai's abode is in the back mountain.The two followed him all the way back, and they could see that this was indeed not a formal temple, but a private Buddhist hall.In the courtyard, there are monks who have received precepts, laymen with long hair in common clothes, and some scholars in long gowns.Seeing the three of them approaching, they all clasped their hands together and called out "Second Master" to Wu Erbai.

Wu Xie was surprised when he heard it, so he couldn't help but ask: "This 'Second Master' is so strangely called. It's neither a monk nor a vulgar, so what does it mean?"

His second uncle twirled his beard and smiled: "The person in charge in this temple is of course the abbot, and I'm not a monk, of course it's the second master." After speaking, he shook his head, as if blaming him for being rare and more strange.

After the three sat down, Wu Erbai asked, "How did you find this place? Is there something wrong at home?"

Let alone mentioning it, Wu Xie had mixed feelings when he mentioned it, he felt both wronged and fortunate.Looking at the second uncle's current food, clothing and housing, they are all simple and crude, and they are completely different from those at home. It can be seen that life cannot have both.After all, Wu Xie has calmed down a lot now, and his heart gradually calmed down.This side of him was a little lost in thought, but Zhang Qiling spoke first.

"Uncle, do you remember the "Picture of Summer Extinction"?"

Wu Erbai was waiting for Wu Xie's reply, thinking that the two of them had traveled thousands of miles, there must be some urgent matter, but Zhang Qiling was stunned for a moment when he asked this question.But after all, he was experienced, so he quickly reacted, and said, "There are many paintings with "Summer Picture" in their names. I don't know which one you are referring to?"

There were no scruples between Wu Xie and his second uncle, so he immediately said, "What else could it be? The one by Liu Guandao!"

Wu Erbai imitated this painting in his early years because he was interested in copying it. He had no intention of making a fake. He gave the painting as a gift to a friend. Later, he got the news that the painting was resold.He knew that he was not a good person, and he didn't want to bring up the old things again, so he didn't know the details of the future.But now in front of these two people, there is no point in concealing it. He simply admitted it generously, nodded and said: "I have good eyesight, I imitated it."

I thought that Wu Xie was here to inquire about the crime, but I didn't expect that the two people looked at each other and were overjoyed.

Wu Erbai was completely confused.

After Zhang Qiling finished explaining the whole story, from the time when Wu Sansheng was in trouble, until now he was forced to such a difficult situation.Wu Xie added fuel and vinegar to the side again, which made Wu Erbai sigh.The three of them chatted from noon until the sun went down, and they didn't bother to eat the meal, which was brought to the room by the boy.

When Wu Erbai heard "A Picture of Shanghe during the Qingming Festival", he didn't even care about eating, and kept asking where the picture is now.

Wu Xie's mouth was full, and he said inarticulately: "It's not on..."

"It's inconvenient to carry it with you, so it's temporarily stored in the town's bodyguard bureau."

"Is it safe?"

Zhang Qiling put down his chopsticks and nodded: "Don't worry."

Wu Erbai rushed people down the mountain in a hurry, grabbed Wu Xie's bowl and said, "I don't think you can get used to this cabbage and radish. It's serious to go down the mountain and get the painting back. It will take a long time to go back and forth. , let's go, let's go."

Wu Xie watched helplessly as he ate half of the meal, and couldn't laugh or cry: "Second Uncle, you are too stingy..."

"I'll keep it for you, come back and eat the same..."