Soon after leaving Xinzhou to the west, there is the majestic Taihang Mountains, and Xiao Yiran wants to climb to the Taihang Mountains to enjoy the scenery of the late autumn of the Taihang Mountains. It's just that the road is tortuous and steep, and if you ask the locals, the carriage is not passable at all. In addition, the locals say that there are many wild animals in the mountains, and there are almost no people. Once inside, it is inevitable that you will have to sleep in the barren mountains at night, which is very dangerous. Under the persuasion of Qingwen Musk Yue and Li Ming, Xiao Yiran gave up his plan to climb Taihang Mountain on foot. Along the official road under Wutai Mountain, turn north and detour to the boundary of Shuozhou.

Therefore, this time I went out just to relax, so I was not in a hurry, and I stopped and stopped along the way, and soon came to the east bank of the Yellow River, a town called Xiaoshi. Because of the Yellow River ferry in the small city, there is only a ferry in the morning every day, and when Xiao Yiran and the others came, it was already around the time of Shen, so they had to stay in the small city for one night first, and then cross the Yellow River tomorrow morning.

Although the small city is a town, it is not very big. There is only a long east-west street, with a few shops on both sides of the street, as well as two inns. Li Ming chose one of the inns called "Wanghe", and the group stayed. When they came to the room, Xiao Yiran and Qingwen Musk Yue, after washing off the wind and dust on their bodies, saw that it was dark for a while, and the three of them came to the street. Along the way, although Xiao Yiran was dressed as a man, and Qingwen Musk Yue was still dressed as a maid, which looked a little eye-catching, so Xiao Yiran wanted to change the clothes of a small girl for the two of them. After wandering the whole street, I finally found a small ready-to-wear store, and I bought a small dress for each of them.

Just out of the ready-to-wear store, listen to the north of the town, faintly heard the sound of gongs and drums, Qingwen asked passers-by, from the know, every year around the beginning of winter, the small city to invite the opera troupe to sing, commonly known as the god of the river. That means singing to the river gods of the Yellow River to bless the city in early winter, or to keep it from flooding in the early spring.

"Miss, the river is frozen in winter, how can there be water?"

"Once the weather is cold early and cold, after the river freezes in early winter, it will inevitably narrow the river, and once there is rain upstream, or after heavy snowfall, the melted snow water flows down, and the ice on the river surface becomes the riverbed. It inadvertently raises the river water, which can easily cause flooding. In early spring, when the snow and ice melt, the ice in the river, as well as the floating ice, always block the river, which can also cause flooding. ”

"That's right."

For those who have memories of two lives, especially those who lived in college, such questions are just common-sense things for Xiao Yiran.

"Miss, shall we go and hear it?"

"Let's go back to the inn for dinner first, change our clothes, and let's go have a look."

Seeing that the young lady agreed, Qingwen and Musk Yue were a little eager to try. Back at the inn, after a hasty dinner, Qingwen and Musk Yue also changed into men's clothes, handed over the carriage to the inn to take care of, and Xiao Yiran and the four of them came to the north of the small city, on an open ground. I saw a simple stage made of wood, with four or five tables under the stage, apparently reserved for people with money and status. Other than that, there are no seats. Xu is because the play has not started yet, and there are only a few children in the whole venue.

"Brother Li Ming went and asked, can you order one at the table in front of you?"

Not at all, Li Ming came back and told Xiao Yiran:

"Miss, it's ordered, the one on the very edge."

"How is it on the very edge?"

Qingwen said a little unhappily.

"The rest of the tables have long been booked, and only that one remains."

Xiao Yiran didn't care, thinking to himself, what good drama can you see when watching a play in this kind of place, it's just to pass the time, and it's not the same where you watch it. Then he led Qingwen Musk Moon over and sat down. This kind of place is not like a theater garden, where there are guys making tea and delivering refreshments. Xiao Yiran felt a little bored sitting idly, and when he saw that there were melon seeds or something sold next to him, he sent Qingwen over to buy some. Li Ming naturally couldn't sit at the same table with the young lady, so he could only stand next to him.

By the beginning of the unitary period, there were more and more people. On a table to the left of Xiao Yiran, there were also three middle-aged people. When the three of them sat down, the entourage around them set a table with tea and pastries. The three of them drank tea and chatted. At first, it was just gossip, Xiao Yiran didn't pay attention, and when the three of them talked about the opera troupe that sang tonight, Xiao Yiran paid attention to what they were listening to.

"Brother Liang, tonight's drama troupe is quite famous."

"Brother Liu Xian, what kind of famous troupe can you invite in a small city?"

Apparently the other party did not believe it.

"Brother Liang's words, if you want to put it in previous years, it must be good, this year is indeed as Brother Liu said, this troupe is famous."

Another chimed in.

"Oh, may I ask the two virtuous brothers, how is this troupe famous?"

"This troupe is called the Defu Theatre Troupe. It turned out to be the most famous opera troupe in Bingzhou City, and its leader Hua Dan Liu E was the leader of Hua Dan in Bingzhou City. ”

"Isn't it this spring's spring competition, the number one Hua Dan?"

"It turns out that Brother Liang also knows. It's the first Hua Dan. ”

"If that Hua Dan is really here, we will be worth the trip today. Some time ago, when I went to merge the state, I often heard people mention it. So I never knew. ”

"Brother Liang is bad again, if that Hua Dan is still in the Defu Opera Troupe, how can you invite the Defu Opera Troupe with such financial resources as Xiaoshi?"

"Brother Xian means that Hua Dan has left the Defu Opera Troupe? Therefore, the Defu opera troupe has become a small opera troupe that is not in the stream, so it was invited from the small market? ”

"That's true."

Speaking of this, the middle-aged man surnamed Liu spoke again:

"Brother Liang, there is a fresh story about that Huadan Liu E, do you know Brother Liang?"

"Brother Liu Xian, please speak."

The middle-aged man surnamed Liu took a sip of tea, ate a snack, and spoke slowly and logically.

"In the spring, after the Defu Opera Troupe won the first place in Bingzhou, it was invited by the largest and most famous opera garden in Beijing, 'Qinyuan'. So, the Defu Opera Troupe was invited to Bianliang. In fact, Hua Dan Liu E is a free body, not a member of the Defu Opera Troupe. Married to a silver medalist from the south last fall, he took a year off from acting. I participated in the spring competition this spring and won the championship in one fell swoop. The Defu Opera Troupe wanted to gain a foothold in the capital, so it naturally invited Liu E to accompany it. In this way, Liu E and the husband of the little silversmith went to the capital with the Defu opera troupe. ”

"Brother Xian, take a sip of tea to moisten your throat, and then continue."

After the middle-aged man surnamed Liu drank a cup of tea, he continued:

"A person's encounter is not determined at any time. This Hua Dan Liu E, just entered Beijing, and the day after she sang on stage, she met the three princes who came to Qinyuan to watch the play. ”

As soon as Xiao Yiran heard the words "Three Princes", his ears straightened up.

"Who would have thought that the third prince, who was only fourteen years old, fell in love with Liu E, a flower girl who was eighteen years old and had a husband. Within a few days, Liu E was hidden by the third prince Jinwu and no longer sang on stage. ”

"Oh, that's not hard to understand. Defuban, who lost his pillar Liu E, could no longer gain a foothold in the capital, so he returned to Bingzhou. Since then, it has become a third-rate small theater troupe, so it was invited by the small market. But so? ”

"What Brother Liang said is right."

"It's just that Brother Liu Xian, the matter of the third prince and Liu E, I'm afraid that ordinary people can't know about it, right?"

"It's not a secret. In the beginning, no one knew, but there was no impermeable wall in the world. The boss of the Defu opera troupe didn't dare to say it at first, after leaving the capital, would he care so much? ”

What Xiao Yiran never imagined was that in this remote town, he heard Zhao Heng's peachy story. Xiao Yiran, who didn't want to marry the future emperor Zhao Heng, was even more determined in his thoughts. Not to mention the loneliness of the deep palace, but sharing a man with other women, Xiao Yiran can't accept it. What's more, there are still emperors with three palaces and six courtyards and countless concubines.

In a trance, Xiao Yiran remembered that he was reborn in the ancient period, just over 20 years. At that time, I didn't have twenty-four men. It's just that people are selfish. You can enjoy many men at the same time, but when it's your turn to share a man with others, it's not like that.

Xiao Yiran smiled self-deprecatingly. Listening to the people next to me, they started talking about something else, and they stopped paying attention. However, when Qingwen and Musk Yue heard about the matter of the third prince, they were worried that the young lady would be in a bad mood after hearing this, so they couldn't help asking:

"Miss, are we still listening to the play?"

"Listen, why not?"

Xiao Yiran, who had figured it out, was in a relaxed mood. I have been listening to the play for nearly an hour, and when I feel a little cold, I go back to the inn to rest.

Early the next morning, the four of them drove to the river in a carriage and waited for the ferry. I waited for several ferries, but there was no big boat that could cross the carriage. Ask the locals and know that there is only one ferry per day that can ferry the horse-drawn carriage. I could only wait, and when the big ferry came, when I crossed the river, it was already afternoon.

Therefore, the east bank of the Yellow River is higher than the west bank, so after crossing the river, it is a barren tidal flat, until the sun is about to set, you can see a high mountain from a distance, and there is a small village at the foot of the high mountain. The group drove to the village in a carriage, but there was no inn, so they had to find a family to spend the night.

It is an elderly couple whose children and grandchildren have married and are living separately. After dinner, Xiao Yiran chatted with the two old men.

"Grandpa, what's the name of this village?"

"It's the first time you've come, right? Our village is named Dongshan Village because it is located under the East Mountain. ”

"What?!"

Xiao Yiran asked in surprise.

"Dongshan Village, is there anything strange?"

The old man looked at the surprised expression of the little boy in front of him in confusion.

It turned out to be Dongshan Village, and it was Dongshan Village under Dongshan Mountain. Xiao Yiran remembered the ode that Master Yuantong gave to himself and Zheng Xinxin's soul.

"Born in spring and summer, finally spring and summer.

At the turn of autumn and winter, under the east mountain. ”

Unexpectedly, he inadvertently stayed overnight in Dongshan Village under Dongshan Mountain, Xiao Yiran calmed down and asked tentatively:

"Grandpa, is there a foreigner named Wang Chunxia in the village?"