Chapter 117 nine questions
The capital more and more difficult to live in, not only is the foreign businessman so lamented, is that those Beijing officials have to worry about pulling off a few mustache, the dynasty of Tai’an City in the first twenty years of each acre of land, but six hundred taels of silver, is still expensive silver cheap copper, has risen to eye-watering two thousand and five hundred taels of each acre, no wonder the door to the province of the left servant Sun Xizi has a foot of land with the same price as the price of gold, the saying. A small house, even in the capital’s most marginal, but also to the price of nearly a thousand taels, into the capital will be the examination of the scholars are complaining about the pain, the good thing is that there are born out of time tends to flourish in the same hometown hall, so that most of the shy readers did not have no way out, and then there are temples and temples can be rented, the general readers can afford to pay the rent, there is no complaint, only those who are empty of the reputation of the great great writers without the gold and silver, the whole life is not money! In the capital to buy a residence, will often chat to self-deprecating write a few poems, not only can express their feelings, but also to win the empathy of the poor, two birds with one stone. Some have been out of the size of the yellow door or Hanlin’s hall, often hanging out the scholar’s auspicious land daily rent of a thousand signboards, these Feng Shui land, but also in short supply.
The size of the capital will be a total of six hundred, most of them adjacent to the fall, is located in the southeast of the city of Tai’an, every time the imperial examinations, lively, people not in vain, this large area of the club area of food and color, restaurants and restaurants, as much as hair, was to go to the exams of scholars also worried about the alienation of the people, that a mouthful of accent by the capital of the locals spit on the white eye, into the city of Tai’an, living in the clubs, and only then found that surrounded by the people of the hometown, the lack of money is also happy, and the money is also a good thing. A little better family, pocket money, but also hate to throw money all the fun, really think that these children are more money people stupid? Naturally not, qualified to go to Beijing to catch the examination of the same hometown readers, most of the hard work, just short of breaking the last layer of windowpaper, once jumped through the Dragon Gate, will always remember the time when others only a few pennies a cake, or a couple of silver a full meal, and his day to soar, as long as it is within their reach, would not be happy to help a fellow townsmen who have benefited from their own year? So this is known as the fish and dragon piece of the Guild District, almost all the stores business than in other cities, seems to be particularly good, and many have been in the capital as an official in charge of the outsiders also like to every now and then to this side of the call for friends to get together, to the fellow countrymen to cheer up or teach tips.
This scene, but is a small microcosm of the four parties of the Liyang dynasty, but unfortunately, with the gradual fading of one of the dead party of the Qing party, in previous years, the rich and powerful Qingzhou scholar became a rootless lonely ghost, in the fish and dragon piece of this area to talk more and more voice is smaller and smaller.
White Lion House was not called this name, called Tianxiang House, then business is flat, this year’s financial resources, is to earn a full full, thanks to the last year, the leader of the Green House Li Baishi sent a nearby big hooker, this big beautiful people do not need to say, is the only rouge evaluation of prostitutes, for the men of the capital, just based on this point will be enough. Li White Lion is known as the sound and color double A, reputation is very good, the dynasty several positive red celebrities and officials have been funded by her, she is also the East Vietnam officials, their own family history and very rendering power, not only the White Lion House, many nearby restaurants have been stained with a great light, overcrowded, are admiring to come to the affluent gentlemen. White Lion House also has a few specialties, do spicy, for the taste of heavy diners, is undoubtedly a spend not much to feast on a good place, today came a set of guests, the number is not much, only three people, but the owner of the restaurant is different from the family in the past is still to give full face, personally serve in the kitchen, there is no other reason to lead the way to that Zhao Gongzi will be doing, and the shopkeeper has known each other for many years, and often together with farting! The owner, Mr. Zhao, is a good cook and has known the shopkeeper for many years. Surnamed Lu shopkeeper is not blunt, not only the kitchen, even serving dishes are on their own, in addition to the love with Zhao Gongzi accumulated over the years, there is Zhao Gongzi next to the two friends do not look like a commoner, one of them, a woman dressed as a man, the method of childish, where to escape Lu shopkeeper’s fiery eyes, a look know that is a great girl, dare to Zhao brother to the daughters of the dignitaries to see the eyes of? Hey, this is a good thing, in the future if you can drink a few cups of wine, see the capital of the big shots, it would be better. As for the other man with a white beardless face, Boss Lu wouldn’t dare to take a look at him, wearing a strange satin that doesn’t say how exquisite the handwork is, and the rich people’s attire that he has seen in the past, once compared, it seems that all of them have become the small style of the landed rich.
After Duke Zhao took his seat in the separately partitioned elegant room, he smiled at the poorly disguised woman and asked, “My Duke Sui, how is this place?”
She grunted coldly, “Shabby to the core!”
Duke Zhao wasn’t surprised by this answer and said with a smile, “The dishes made aren’t pretty either, just one feature, spicy. But don’t you always say you can eat spicy food, when the time comes, don’t drink a mouthful of water if you have the ability.”
She said with blank eyes, “I can’t drink water when I’m thirsty, Zhao Kai, what can you do to me?”
The youth called Zhao Kai leaned against the back of his chair and stuck out his thumbs, “Princess Sui Zhu is true to her character, admire admire admire.”
The woman’s willow eyebrows rose and she slammed the table, saying angrily, “Surname Zhao, call me Princess Sui!”
Zhao Kai helplessly said, “Gotta have it, who let you be my sister. Sui Duke is Sui Duke.”
The woman didn’t know if it was a gamble or a genuine one, and said very hurtfully, “Anyway, I don’t think you’re my brother, what you think is your business.”
Zhao Kai face sadness, the woman added insult to injury, a sneer: “still with me pretend!”
Zhao Kai was not amused and laughed, instead he was happy.
The man who was supposed to be the most like an official lord among the three stood with his hands tied in respect. Watching the two young men and women fight, his face was expressionless.
Zhao Kai turned his head and laughed, “Great Master, come and sit down, this is not the palace with strict rules, let’s ah, how comfortable how to come.”
The man with two strands of white hair hanging down near his chest shook his head and said, “We don’t need to kneel to be comfortable.”
This we harmonic miscellaneous, always is the eunuchs of the dynasty call themselves, but also those who have some status and power eunuchs have this qualification and courage. But since the young man is Zhao Kai, the illegitimate son of the current emperor, and the woman is His Majesty the Emperor’s doting Princess Suizhu, the identity of this eunuch whom Zhao Kai respectfully called the Great Master also came out, the dynasty’s first eunuch, Han Diaoji. This old eunuch who can not be called a man, nicknamed the human cat, if he is not to be the sea god pin in the imperial palace, time and again obstruction, Xichu Cao Changqing I’m afraid that the emperor’s head has long been removed. Can the last generation of the four great masters of the jianghu warlords, one of the four great masters of the Fu will red armor, to live through the armor peeling, Han Diaoji finger Xuan realm, but also too metaphysical. Such a number of courtiers have to be afraid of the damned eunuch, every time Lu shopkeeper knocked on the door to serve food, have to say a confession, and then first tasted a mouthful, before letting the two little masters down chopsticks.
Only after eating two dishes, Princess Sui Zhu suddenly put down her chopsticks and sulked: “What’s the difference between eating dishes like this and in the palace, Zhao Kai, let’s go downstairs and pick a lively table!”
Zhao Kai laughed, “As you wish. Great Master, today Sui Da Gongzi speaks the most useful, we all listen to her, okay?”
The corners of Han Diaoji’s mouth tugged for the first time in his life, and he nodded his head gently. The human cat wasn’t making fun of Princess Sui Zhu’s childlike nature, but was grateful for the little master’s gift of deliberately arranging to have himself sit at the same table. In this world, Han Sable Temple had seen far too many people whom you treated well but did not think well of. When Han Sable Temple is still just an ordinary eunuch, follow the big master traveling, met the identity of the humble woman, she is also so sincere to invite him to eat with him, even if you know his identity of the eunuchs, as always, those meals, Han Sable Temple will remember for a lifetime.
If people honor me Han Shengxuan one inch, I will honor him a hundred feet. If people bully me Han Shengxuan for a while, I will bully him for a lifetime. I don’t know how many civil officials and military generals who were abused by this human cat Manchu, before they died, they had to be glad that there was no afterlife to suffer again.
Since it is a piece of fish and dragons, White Lion House, of course, a mixture of fish and dragons, there are scholars and scholars, there are also the rich and powerful gentry, but also some of the youth as a hitman of the rascals, Lu boss for the change of the table has no objection to the matter of the rich is not how to happy how to act.
Restaurant business is good, and is the point of eating, the shopkeeper’s hard to vacate an empty table, let the guys neatly clean up, Zhao Kai three people sat down, heard the next table a bare chest man a foot on the bench, buckle teeth cursed: “Fuck, a few days ago to come to our Dingfengbo whoring women of the little white man, pocket no silver pretending to be a big man, take a few articles of dog shit to Idle, poetry is not like poetry, words are not like words, listen to the croak, I have to take a stick on the spot to clean up this itchy mouth owes the little son of a bitch.”
The same table is a few hand is not too rich foreign scholar, in that named Ding Feng Bo of the brothel hang out for a long time, the leader of the lead is responsible for pulling out the whoring money of the readers suffering from the money bag more and more deflated, sisters and sisters of the price is high, thinking about the long term past is not a thing, it is looking for with the eyes of the head of this courtyard guards to close the relationship, not to say that the price of the extravagance of lowering the price of the yard into the bed before, at least you can also get rid of some of the unnecessary The reward money, brothel hook bar, doorway, face this thing want to hold up, very costly, in the extra expenditure on the maids and slaves, little by little added up, the number of broken silver is also very scary.
A face is not like the eloquent man of the scholar hesitated for a moment, not enlightenment said: “I have heard of this person, is a recitation of three words, this moment the fish and dragon piece of children know, are not bad, which ‘lonely light from the light, liver and gallbladder are all ice and snow’, ‘the east wind of spring, first on the small peach branch’ a few lines. Little Peach Branch’ can be considered good lines.”
Protector of the strong man’s face changed greatly, no mercy pooh a bit, get up to go, the lead of the scholar in the world, persuade and persuade to pull back to the seat, the sheep to mend: “the word is written even better, but also just a small road, on the Yin Palace of Poetry Xiong Xu Weixiong also said that the word is just a ‘poetry Yu’, the contemporary literary world of the words, most of them are only in the previous generation of poets, and the word is not the same. Most of the contemporary literary wordsmiths are only in the former poets of the pile of old paper to pick up the leakage, can not be said to be true talent, not to mention the self-establishment of the door. In my opinion, what the liver and guts of ice and snow, if the real ice and snow, will go to the greenhouse blind yelling? This is not still a gimmick, on the character, far less than Instructor Hong this straight and bold!”
The strong man this love to hear, tore a mouthful of fat and spicy chicken legs, out of the corner of his eye glanced at a nearby table a young man in the appearance of a son of the young man in the side of the fun, glared: “You kid laugh at the eggs!”
Zhao Kai said with a sincere face, “The strong man is right, those who sell their names to the readers, should be beaten up.”
The man saw that he did not look like a hypocrite, not like irony, then laughed and said: “Your kid is quite on the road, one day to go to Dingfengbo, report the name of my Hong Sanlong, the price of the girls to keep a fair!”
Zhao Kai clasped his fist and thanked him.
Princess Sui Zhu lowered her head and blankly stared.
That man should have some power in this area, after the topic more, more and more talk without fear, very rough and harsh, “from the mother’s womb out of the bitter days, you want me to say good words for the gang of rich kids? Whether they are good or bad, better than Lao Zi reincarnation, Lao Zi hate to chop them to death, can not see them half good.”
“If those rich kids are diligent in studying and treating people well, then they deserve to die even more, and give us no way to live?”
“Haha, Mr. Liu, don’t worry, I’m not talking about you, your kid is thick, and you’re not ambiguous, it’s good. Since a pot of congee can have fly poop in it, then a pile of poop can also have a few grains of rice in it.”
The scholar surnamed Liu who was tapped on the shoulder smiled awkwardly, being praised was even worse than being scolded.
Han Diaoji narrowed his eyes and said softly, “Rising people, also dare to carry a dragon character.”
Zhao Kai, who was more than familiar with his Grand Master, hurriedly laughed and said, “Ignore these small matters. Let’s go, when Grand Duke Sui has had enough tea and is not thirsty anymore, let’s go and meet that Li Bai lion.”
The spicy Princess Sui Zhu stepped on the back of Zhao Kai’s shoe under the table without forgetting to twist it fiercely.
Zhao Kai put on a bitter face.
After settling the bill and leaving the White Lion House, Zhao Kai cautiously reminded, “When you get there you will definitely have to wait, don’t be angry, since it’s sneaking out of the palace, you can’t go along with your temperament and fool around, or else you can hang a sign on your body to say that you’re the Princess Highness.”
Princess Sui Zhu didn’t have a good temper and said, “Why not you hang a sign of the prince? Wouldn’t it be more useful?”
Zhao Kai playfully laughed lightly, “There are a few people outside the palace who know that I’m such a prince, so it’s useless to talk about it.”
She froze for a moment and turned her head away, “How dare you laugh.”
Zhao Kai clasped his hands on the back of his head as he walked down the street, “Great Master said that standing is better than kneeling, and wouldn’t think of sitting, that’s being content. Then I think being able to smile is also always more festive and less annoying than crying, isn’t it?”
She hesitated, “Then did you laugh or cry when Xu Fengnian snatched away a few talismanic generals’ red armor?”
Zhao Kai laughed, “Anyway, it’s my brother-in-law, it’s a family, it’s all the same to whom things are put aside.”
She sneered, “You have a brother-in-law and a brother-in-law, but in the end, you still have to kill each other, it’s so much fun, it’s really hard for me to cry.”
Zhao Kai suddenly said, “The Northern Liang side is going to be in chaos.”
Princess Sui Zhu’s words were even more ridiculing, “Anyway, that guy is no good when it comes to His Royal Highness, and then practicing the sword is also humiliating. Bei Liang really want to mess up, will only hide. Hmph, worse than you.”
Zhao Kai sighed, “How nice to not have the end sentence.”
She said seemingly carelessly, “Father is more satisfied with that Red Sect female Bodhisattva you introduced to the court. For the red and yellow dispute over there, as well as your proposal of the silver bottle switch to determine the living Buddha, is very interested, and may let you go to the West with her in the future.”
Zhao Kai also diffidently oh’d.
※※※※
Xu Fengyen and Helian Wuwei walked a lot of places, in addition to the military affairs did not interfere, the other regardless of whether it involves people’s livelihoods of the big things or small things, there are on the sidelines, and even some of the military and political approvals, the old holding orders do not mind Xu Fengyen read through the five days of running down, Xu Fengyen on the outline of the West River State has a rough knowledge, a year old and a young in the day is always busy to go to the stagecoach road near the two people first met the place to sell watermelons! Xu Fengnian did not hide, sitting on a small bench waiting for customers, directly said: “from the uncle side to the hand about the Dragon Tree monks in the Daode sect of the speed of news transmission, can see that the North Mang for the importance of the stagecoach post road, no less than in the Spring and Autumn single-handedly built the stagecoach system of the Xu Snapdragon, especially in the West River State is located in the east of this line, has been completely comparable to the Liang Mang confrontation with the western line. . I’ve traveled all this way and seen many small and insignificant things that are actually North Mang slowly piling up military power.”
Helian Wuwei smiled in delight, “Seeing the small things, not bad, not bad.”
Turning his head to see Xu Fengyen’s gloomy face, he handed over half a watermelon and smiled lightly, “In fact, a court, even the ones that died in the Spring and Autumn period, there are certainly many far-sighted and intelligent people, but whether they can reach the heavens and make the dragon’s face happy, so that those rules and regulations that contain ambitions or ambitions can be smoothly implemented downwards is the crux of the problem. Your Liyang Dynasty is full of great pillars, especially with Zhang Julu in the center, the temple calculations are inherently higher than others, to be honest, I am a military background of the West River Prefecture, every time I think of it, like you are now like this, worrying about the situation. On the combat armament, twelve great generals of the armor, not weak, but compared to the North Liang army, even if Tuoba Bodhisattva, also have no face to say that they are invincible. The good thing is that Beimang know shame and courage, ate a big bitter, only to know the south of the Hanzi, not all are unarmed readers, there will be Xu Snapdragon and Gu Jiantang this kind of murderous butcher. Over the years, North Mang is slowly getting stronger. On our side, ah, this old man of mine thinks about it, there is just one thing that I feel sorry for, Feng Nian, can you guess?”
Xu Fengnian laughed, “Many of the Spring and Autumn scholars who fled Northern Mang are qualified to advise the festival holders or the great generals, but there’s still one less superb strategist who can be the emperor’s teacher.”
Helian Wuwei nibbled a mouthful of watermelon, raised his head and glared, “Don’t be too busy laughing, it’s not that Beimang doesn’t have one, it’s just that they haven’t come to the front of the stage yet.”
Xu Fenian lowered his voice and asked, “Li Mi Bi who weaves spider webs?”
Helian Wuwei spat sideways on the ground and snorted, “This old dog is number one in the world in harming people, ruling the country? Not even close. It’s also that old man Li knows himself and didn’t mess with the dynasty blindly, otherwise I would have to fight with him.”
Xu Fengnian curiously said, “If not him, who could it be?”
Helian Wuwei said vaguely, “It’s the master of the Chess Sword and Music House, who has been missing for almost twenty years. When he was middle-aged, he was belittled by Her Majesty the Empress and disappeared completely in a fit of anger. I guess he went to your Liyang, as for what he did, there’s no way to know, I guess even our majesty is not sure. I don’t believe that this kind of person would die quietly in the south.”
Xu Fengnian let out an oh, “I heard my master Li Yishan say that this guy is very powerful in chess, almost even if he can be on par with Huang Longshi.”
The old man lamented, “In my life, I have seen a lot of characters with big ambition and talent, only this pawn of the Chess Sword and Music House has a big heart and big talent. The Chess House has the practice of landing a million times in a lifetime, do you know how many times that guy landed?”
Xu Fengnian was surprised, “It can’t be up to ten million, right? Then he would have to be born in front of the chessboard to play chess, this kind of chess nerd wouldn’t have a great future, right? My master always said that playing chess on the board is just a dead game, playing chess to become a first-class national player is nothing great, it’s two different things from being a human being.”
The old man laughed heartily, “Your kid is smart, that guy played very few boards, only a handful of them, I guess the number of pieces is less than seven or eight thousand.”
Xu Fengyen frowned: “less than a hundred plates, the chess house of the Chess Sword and Music House, how to play a game of chess with the general gambling life?”
The old man slowly said, “Do you know how this man played his last game of chess? After he lost to Huang Sanjia, he went into seclusion to study, and when his chess skill was accomplished, he played against the old Mansion Master in a game of life and death, and whoever lost would die.”
Xu Fengnian tsked, “Both house masters are great ruthless men.”
Helian Wuwei gloated and laughed: “You just beg that this kind of person didn’t make it back to Beimang alive, otherwise at that time, in case you become the king of Beiliang by hereditary reckoning, this guy, if he’s still alive, there’s something you’ll have to suffer from.”
Xu Fenian said in a serious manner, “Tomorrow I will go to Thunder Temple and curse this old man to death.”
Helian Wuwei laughed loudly, “Then remember to curse me to death together. With me in Xihe Prefecture, Xu Snapdragon will have to be afraid of a few points.”
Xu Fenian did not need to be polite with this old man and joked, “Uncle Helian, you are even thicker skinned than me.”
Helian Wuwei nodded, “People, as long as they get older, just like I scolded Li Mibi for being a chicken thief, I am actually scolding myself, all of them have thick skin, fear of death and still greedy for life, for life and death, instead, they are not as open minded as when they are young and bloodthirsty.”
Xu Fengyen took a bite of watermelon and thought of Xu Snap and master Li Yishan who were a bit younger than Helian Wuwei.
Helian Wuwei slowly said: “Take you have seen the state political affairs, some words also good to talk to you straight, other generals and hold the section order, I can not say, but in terms of my Helian Wuwei, I never expect under the command of the generals under the rule of the officials are saints, greedy money no matter, don’t be too much, since the reputation of the pedantry of the puritanical, in my opinion, not as good as to satiate the pockets of the rest can be a party of the ability to benefit the officials. Do not cross the line, I think it is very good to talk, over, that can not help, do not care if you are the old man my relatives or beloved, the kill kill, the plunge home plunge home, by no means soft. This is called no rules. How to recognize people is a difficult, how to use people is a difficult, how to let the talents of its use is even more difficult, is a university question, sage books can not learn, because the readers cherish the reputation, not have the guts to write those city of darkness in the handling of learning, and most of the scholar, also do not have the ability to write out. You go to count your Liyang dynasty scholar, in addition to Zhang Julu, how many can do on the first and second grade officials? Instead, it’s those ordinary jinshi that are more able to walk up the ladder.”
Xu Fengyen gave a hmmm and silently memorized it in his mind.
Helian Wuwei said, “When that prefect was young, he had a piece of Nine Questions, which asked about Heaven, Houtou, ghosts and gods, emperors and kings, Buddhism and Taoism, beauty, past lives, and the afterlife.”
Xu Fengnian wondered, “There’s still one question missing.”
Helian Wuwei laughed: “Said nine questions, in fact, only eight questions, it is estimated that the guy instead of us, these fools who have doubts to ask themselves a question.”
Xu Fengnian laughed in exasperation, “This old man really has a deep heart! No, I have to go to Thundering Temple immediately.”
While talking, a thirsty guest came up, Xu Fengyen quickly got up and verbally helped the old man hold the order to sell watermelons.
The guest didn’t know who the young man he was bargaining with was, much less that the old farmer would be the Benzhou Festival Holder.
Xu Fengnian also did not know that two iron cavalry from Northern Liang had attacked Beimang with a thunderous force.
What’s more, he didn’t know that the female emperor of North Mang, who was informed of the military situation, had canceled the idea of going to South Korea in person because of one person’s appearance.
This old Confucian scholar who carries a book case into the palace, followed by the first person in the North Mang sword art, the sword qi near.