Chapter 42: Painted Skin

However, after staying in the mountains for six months, more than 600 years have passed in the world after coming down, even Youshu, who has experienced a hundred battles, was scared enough, and was a little hazy and sleepy, but now he is completely awake. He took the entire set of historical records off the shelf, looked at them page by page, and finally determined that it was not his own delusion.

"Can't you go back?" Thinking of those people and things six hundred years ago, Youshu couldn't help but feel sad in her heart. Although the master disliked him, the grace of saving his life several times was not fake, and the reason why he was able to live peacefully until now was all due to the master's and master's ......

Thinking of this, Youshu's face turned slightly red, and he picked out the part of the historical records about Emperor Zongsheng and read it carefully.

In the historian's pen, Emperor Zongsheng is undoubtedly the greatest emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his iron cavalry traveled all over Kyushu, destroying the Seven Kingdoms, making the east and west continents criss-crossed, and there is no hindrance. During his reign, he never closed the city gates, nor did he have a curfew, and the people did not leave no stone unturned, and they did not close their doors at night, and their lives were very rich and stable. In his lifetime, he had 17 imperial expeditions, all of which were invincible, and he was also called the "Emperor of War" by the people of the time.

He worked hard to strengthen the country and create the great cause of the Ming Dynasty, but he never married, nor did he leave a son and a half daughter. According to historians, the reason why he did this was because he was fundamentally injured in a battle with the barbarians of the western region. Fortunately, he did not attach importance to bloodline, and he had no nostalgia for imperial power, so he succeeded eighteen disciples of the clan as heirs and cultivated them carefully.

However, when he died, he did not leave an edict of succession or give his last words, and the princes, who had grown up very well, fell into infighting, splitting a powerful dynasty into nine small states, and fought in civil wars for a long time. After that, the Ming Dynasty disappeared and was replaced by the era of the Nine Kingdoms Struggle for Hegemony, in which the Nine Kingdoms all claimed to be orthodox, annexed each other, and became the Five Kingdoms side by side.

And now the Xia Qi Dynasty is one of the more powerful countries of the five countries, and the lord of the country regards himself as the descendant of the Ji family, and he also threatens to restore the emperor's hegemony of the ancestors.

On the last page of the annals, the author left a sentence of emotion: How sad and magnificent is the Emperor Zongsheng to cast the great cause of eternity with eternal loneliness!

In the magnificent words, in the achievements that shook the past and the present, there seemed to be a lot of indescribable sadness and regret.

Seeing this, Youshu closed the historical records and sighed long. The master was doing well, and he didn't seem to be doing well, but no matter what, he would never want to stay with him. It is said that the emperor is suspicious, sooner or later, his ability will become the fuse that destroys the relationship between the two, and it is better to separate at the most intimate time than to go to that step. If one day, he thinks of himself, those fears and doubts are probably gone, and the good memories may be exchanged for a gentle smile.

Thinking of the master's smiling and elegant face, Youshu's eyes turned red, and quickly disappeared. Then he thought of the Song family again, so he flipped through the annals, and he didn't have much hope, but he didn't expect that there was really her name on it. The master treated her very well, not only gave her a life, but also supported her in old age. It was precisely because the master personally organized the ceremony on the day of the burial that the historian added a sum to the Song family, otherwise an ordinary lady like her would not be qualified to go down in history.

Youshu was very grateful, but also a little sad, and threw the freshly written letter of peace into the brazier and burned it, hoping that the Song family could see it under the nine springs. He did not doubt at all that the qiē he had experienced was a hoax, that people could cheat, but ghosts would not cooperate.

When he met the servants of the Zhao family, he found that the clothes of these people were very different from those of the Ming Dynasty, the cuffs were tightened, the hem was short, and the overall style was closer to Hufu, and the same was true for ghosts and monsters. The change of clothing is the best way to see the changes of the times, he remembers that when he returned to Beijing with his master, he also passed by Lin'an Mansion, and the people did not wear it like this at that time. However, changing into everyday clothes in a year is possible in modern times, but it is never possible in the closed and conservative ancient times.

Youshu took out the silver ticket hidden in her underwear, feeling very annoyed. Time has changed, time has changed, his family wealth has been wiped out, and he has become a penniless poor man of unknown origin. Although Xia Qichao regarded himself as the orthodoxy of the Ji family, he also knew that the government would definitely not recognize the household and road guidance of 600 years ago.

There is no silver, no identity, no guide, and the desire to eat all over the world is in vain. Youshu scratched her head, why is she always so unlucky?

At this moment, the little ghost came back, wondering, "Adult, who do you want the little one to help you find?" The little ones may have misheard. ”

"I'll let you find Zhao Youshu." Youshu put the historical records back in place one by one.

"But, aren't you Zhao Youshu? Want to help you find a ghost doctor? ”

Youshu, "......"

There was silence in the room for a moment, and Youshu said, "That's it, you can find me a few things." Three cinnabar coins, one gecko, and twenty fireflies, now I want them. ”

The little ghost muttered to himself for a while, and then disappeared after making sure he remembered it. In a few moments, a black cat led a gecko inside, and many fireflies were driven by the wind into a glass bottle placed on the table, and finally, the little ghost dodged out of the crack in the wall and handed over an oiled paper bag.

Youshu was not idle, and rummaged in the house for a long time before finding a few hairs under the pillow. He crushed cinnabar and fireflies into minced pieces and mixed them into a paste, and sprinkled his hair into ashes to make a strange liquid that glowed crimson. Fortunately, the Zhao family is the home of the eunuchs, and there is a map of Lin'an Mansion preserved, so it is cheaper to find people.

He spread the map on the table, dipped a little liquid with a brush, and drew a magic circle along the wall of Lin'an Mansion.

It's done! Youshu drew the search circle for the first time, but she didn't expect it to work so quickly. He immediately pierced the gecko's abdomen with a needle, took out a drop of blood, dripped it in the center of the circle, and chanted words in his mouth. The blood did not seep into the paper, but rolled like a bead, and after a few breaths, it stopped at a certain point on the map and turned into a small arrow.

Youshu looked at it, and the blood beads stayed in the Zhao Mansion, and the arrow was indeed pointing at herself. What's going on? Could it be that the formation is wrong? He didn't believe in evil, and he tried again, and the result was still the same.

The little ghost looked at him a few times, although the Lord of the Heart Dao had high mana, his brain didn't seem to be very sufficient. Find yourself by yourself, and there is no one left.

"This one is not allowed, change another." After trying five or six times, Youshu finally gave up. He wiped the blood beads clean, then took out a white cloth, quickly tied it into a small figure with hands and feet, and hid a few hairs in the belly of the villain.

At this point, he paused and asked, "Do you know Zhao Youshu's birthday?" ”

The little ghost is not a slave of the Zhao family, but a servant of the master, the upper and last master of this mansion, and has been dead for fifty or sixty years. On the day the Zhao family moved in, he began to wander around the rooms, and he also watched Zhao Youshu grow from a drooping child to a young man, where would he not know where his birthday was?

"Wait a minute, little one, go to your mother's house." The little ghost just ran a few steps, and then turned back and sneered, "Don't worry, the little one will not collide with Madame." ”

After a few moments, he brought back a piece of rice paper. Youshu took a look and couldn't help frowning. Strange things, except for the different years, Zhao Youshu's birthday is the same as him, and the specific time is even better.

Could it be another coincidence, but how can there be so many coincidences in the world? Although Youshu hesitated, she still folded the eight characters of her birthday into a triangular bag, stuffed it into the puppet's belly with her hair, and then placed it in the center of the circle. He changed a spell, and as soon as he counted his breaths, he saw the little man suddenly stand upright, and walk on foot with small legs.

This time, it was not to find someone, but to let Zhao Youshu walk back by himself, if it was not far away, he would arrive in a few hours. However, Youshu miscalculated again, and the villain took a few steps, and he followed a few steps until he involuntarily hit the edge of the table.

The villain seemed to be hindered by something, and the little legs were just stuck in place and couldn't move, and Youshu had no choice but to follow it and hit the edge of the table.

His waist was bruised before he stopped chanting the mantra, and his face became very tangled. Several spells have shown an unbelievable conclusion - the previous Zhao Youshu, it seems, is himself? But how is that possible? I was in the mountains six months ago.

And how is it impossible? June in the mountains, but more than 600 years in the world! In this unpredictable world, what strange things can't happen? Youshu tried to explain this phenomenon with theories such as space folding, space jumping, and 26-dimensional space, but in the end it made itself even more confusing.

The little ghost is also messy, I have never seen anyone find themselves so with relish, and they have cast spells eight or nine times before they are willing. Adults are too bored to have fun with themselves?

Youshu didn't find fun, but made a bunch of troubles. However, he is the kind of person who can get by, and today's troubles will never be brought to tomorrow, so it is so late, it is better to wash and sleep. He cleaned up his things, blew out the candles, and fell asleep as soon as his head stuck to the pillow.

The little ghost was speechless for a moment before quietly leaving.

The next day, Youshu woke up in a loud noise. A group of swift catchers with steel knives and a group of servants with sticks were confronting each other outside the courtyard, while his new father and mother were both blocking the door, shouting, "You want to take my son away unless you step over our corpses!" ”

Is this here to arrest someone? Yesterday, Youshu knew that "Zhao Youshu" had a lawsuit, but there was no sense of urgency, and now, he found that he was very likely to be "Zhao Youshu" himself, so he suddenly came to his senses and ran to the door barefoot to look.

Zhao Zhizhou and Wang hurriedly stuffed him behind his back, saying nothing and not letting him show his head.

The catchers didn't dare to offend the Zhao family, but they didn't dare to disobey Taishou's orders, so they couldn't do it, "Lord Zhao, you better hand over Ling Gongzi as much as possible." Lord Taishou has already written an excerpt, if you bend the law for personal gain, he will report this matter to the head, and then not only will the son suffer, but you will not be able to keep your official uniform! ”

Zhao Zhizhou, who was fat into a ball, immediately took off his official hat and shouted, "If you don't pay, you don't pay it, don't fight for this official uniform, don't want to arrest me!" ”

This is too unreasonable, or a parent official! Catching Kuai was quite disdainful in his heart, and he was about to continue to persuade, but he heard a very pleasant voice from inside the house, "That, what crime did you arrest me?" ”

"Naturally, it's homicide!" It's very unceremonious to catch fast.

"To arrest people, especially the sons of eunuchs, the evidence must be conclusive. Did you find the body? "Youshu not only read the historical records last night, but also flipped through the laws of the Xia Qi Dynasty by the way, knowing that the eunuch's house enjoys privileges, and it must not be arrested and imprisoned without conclusive evidence. This is the benefit of the feudal dynasty, the privileged class.

"The body has not been found, but we have the testimony of the deceased's mother." ”

"I can't believe one-sided words, even if I sue her for a crime of slander and blackmail. If you don't have a body, you can't prove that a person is dead, and if you don't die, what qualifications do you have to arrest me? Go back, I'm going to have breakfast. Youshu poked her head out of the middle between Zhao Zhizhou and the Wang family.

The catch was angry and anxious, but he couldn't say anything, so he had to leave with someone stupidly. Zhao Zhizhou and Wang hugged their son left and right, and praised them.

are all convicted of murder, but their parents still have no bottom line to cover up and connive, if it were placed in modern times, it would have been exposed and sprayed to death, but Youshu didn't feel that there was anything wrong. He grew up in the last days, and he didn't form a correct view of right and wrong and a sense of justice, not only did he feel that the Zhao couple was wrong, but he also felt that it was very natural. If you really love a person to the core, then no matter what kind of mistakes he commits, he is probably worthy of forgiveness, right?

Youshu has never loved anyone, and he has never been loved, and his parents in both lives have ignored him. He thought that he would stay here until he found "Zhao Youshu", and there was nowhere to go anyway.

Soon he found out that the Zhao family was indeed a paradise, and the breakfast was also very rich, there were five or six kinds of dumplings alone, soup dumplings, xiaolong steamed buns, and fried buns were all placed in the closest position to him, and finally, the maid actually served a dish of braised pork.

When eating with the master, this is a dish that should never be included in the breakfast because it is too greasy.

Youshu loves to eat meat, wants to eat every meal, and there is no shortage of meals, but under the pressure of the master, he has to develop the habit of eating lightly in the morning. Now no one cares about him, and Zhao's father and Zhao's mother are still extremely indulgent, and the small dimples on the side of Shushu's cheeks are not returned as soon as they are exposed. After a hearty meal, he felt that the food he had just swallowed had reached his throat, and he gave up and lay on his back in his chair and hiccuped. Wang smiled and helped his son rub his belly, while Zhao Zhizhou told the servants to take care of the young master and go to the government by himself.

The Zhao family's life is comfortable, but there is Shu but he hasn't forgotten the business. "Zhao Youshu" still has a life lawsuit on his body, and he has to find a way to solve it, otherwise he may be arrested and imprisoned. According to the law of the Xia Qi Dynasty, those who kill must be paid for their lives, and the children of official eunuchs can have their crimes reduced by one degree, but they also have to travel thousands of miles.

Most of the places of exile are remote and bitter cold, and there is nothing to do hard labor, the key is not enough to eat! As soon as he thought of the taste of hunger, he was scared, and after the food was digested, he hurried back to the front yard and found the little ghost, "You go and help me inquire about two ghosts, the new ghost, one is called Sun Magpie and the other is called Fang Sheng." They are Sunjiaao villagers, who fell into the troubled river, and if they died, they should wander near the riverside. If you can't find it there, you can find out the dates of birth of the two of them, and it's best to get two more hairs back. The words fell and handed over a Yin Yang Vitality Talisman.

The little ghost was very happy to get the talisman, and hurriedly went out to inquire about the news. He already has fifty or sixty years of Taoism, and with the blessing of the two talismans, he has increased for another twenty years, and he can be regarded as the number one ghost in Lin'an Mansion, and there are naturally many younger brothers under his hands to drive.

Within half a day, he hurriedly turned around and said, "My lord, the little ones have touched the troubled river up and down and there are no ghosts, I think they should not be dead." Well, here's what you're looking for. As he spoke, he presented two pieces of paper with a few hairs in each of them.

If the person is not dead, things will be easy to do. Youshu was determined, waved his hand to send off the imp, and took out the liquid that was not used up last night, took out a hair fever and mixed it into it, drew a magic circle again, and finally dropped two drops of gecko blood to find people. The bright red blood beads quickly rolled together, and finally stopped on a mountain called Yaoling on the border between Lin'an Mansion and Huzhou Mansion.

Youshu quickly looked through the Fuzhi and found that the kiln ridge covers a very vast area, and there are often fierce beasts, which is not an ideal hiding place. One of these two is a weak female streamer, and the other is a scholar who is powerless, and he is still injured, how can he survive in the troubled river? Moreover, their physical condition must be worrying after they go ashore, but instead of quietly returning to the city to seek help from their families, they run into the mountains. Maybe they are afraid of being found by Zhao Youshu, but there is another possibility, that is, someone is secretly helping and ordering them to frame Zhao Youshu.

If they always hide and disappear, the government will naturally have thousands of reasons to arrest the murderer, and the Zhao family will also suffer.

Youshu noticed that the situation was strict, and was about to let the little ghost go to find someone, when a few servants ran in from outside, without saying a word, he picked him up and ran to the back corner door, and said hurriedly as he ran, "The young master is not good, the bodies of the two have just been found, and the official is now on the way, and it looks like he is coming soon." Madame asked the minions to send you to Beijing quickly, and the old lady will naturally protect you. ”

"How did Mother know that the body had been found?" Shu asked lightly.

"Naturally, someone in the yamen reported the news!" The servants were in a hurry.

The crime of the escapee is added to the first degree, that is, the son of the official eunuch is the same, and when he goes to Beijing, even the old man of the Zhao family will be involved. And those two people are clearly not dead, but the "corpse" is found again, there is no conspiracy in this, and you Shu does not believe it when she is killed.

The person behind it did not want to deal with "Zhao Youshu", but to use the springboard of "Zhao Youshu" to collapse the Zhao family. This is no longer a simple blackmail, but a court fight. Youshu is not really simple, but he doesn't want to think too much about tedious things, but if this tedious matter is life-threatening, he will be sharper and decisive than anyone else.

"Put me down! I'll go and turn myself in, and you go to Yaoling to help me find Sun Magpie and Fang Sheng. Listen, they're not dead, find them and take them to court, and I'll be able to get out of trouble. Youshu jumped off the servant's shoulder and commanded carefully. The fact that the Wang family can order them to send themselves to Beijing at such a juncture shows that they are the people who can be used in the family, and there should be no problem in leaving this matter to them.

Taking out two Yin Yang Yuan Qi talismans from his sleeve pockets and shaking them towards the void, he ordered, "Lead them to find someone, and these will be yours after they are brought to the court." ”

The servants looked at each other, not knowing who the young master was talking to. The little ghosts mixed in with them nodded happily and were eager to try, there were many ghosts and monsters in the mountains, and their ears and eyes were dexterous, and they didn't worry about finding anyone.

Youshu put away the talisman and ran to the front yard with a smoke. He has practiced his escape skills for two lifetimes, and others naturally can't catch up, and when the servants run to the main hall, the young master has been arrested and escorted away, while the lady is slumped on the ground and crying. In desperation, they remembered the young master's explanation before leaving, and hurriedly organized people to go to Yaoling to find someone.

Youshu's family background is illustrious, and he has fine skin and tender meat, and he has never tortured him, not to mention that his target is not this little young master, although it is a pity that the other party failed to escape to the capital without authorization and involve the entire Zhao family, but he can only go with the flow. He was waiting, waiting for Mrs. Zhao to intervene, and then he could make a big deal about it. The Zhao family has deep roots and lush roots in the court, and it is solid and prosperous, blocking the path of many people, and it is time to pull it out.

Zhao Zhizhou was really a slave, and when he learned that his son had lost his mind when he was arrested, he begged his father to come forward with a handful of snot and tears in the letter. He would rather give up his official uniform, and would rather have his body cut than have his son safe. Old lady Zhao was slaughtered in three dynasties, and she boasted of wisdom and wisdom, but she was repeatedly defeated by this eldest son. If he hadn't been too pampered when he was young, how could he have cultivated such a reckless and reckless temperament that disregards the overall situation?

Now, what the Zhao family wants to protect is not his official uniform, let alone Zhao Youshu's life, but a century-old reputation! This matter cannot be managed! Even if the father and son are convicted together, they can't be cared for. Not only did the old man speak, but several brothers in the family also resolutely opposed it, and they also complained about the unsuccessful family.

Mrs. Zhao patted the case and said, "After all, their surname is Zhao, but they have broken bones and tendons." If someone has a copy of the ginseng master, if nothing else, just the crime of not being strict with a godson can block the career of the second and third children. Master, for the sake of today, you can only remove the eldest family, and when the dust settles down, you can take care of it again to ensure that they don't die, which can be regarded as the end of benevolence and righteousness. ”

The second and third are all sons-in-law, and Mrs. Zhao naturally cares about these two, and she hates the big house line, so she wanted to separate them in her early years. If she had listened then, he would not have caused such a calamity now.

The second and third sighed at the right time, as if they were very embarrassed, and then looked at their father with blank eyes.

Mrs. Zhao has wiped her eldest son all her life, and she is quite tired of it, and she is also very anxious to learn that many officials are preparing to impeach her recently. He thought for a moment, and finally waved his hand and said, "Let's not mention the matter of excluding the clan for the time being, let's take a look first." The Zhao family was not allowed to interfere in this matter, so they let the government handle it impartially. The old man will write an excerpt to ask for sin, the second child, tomorrow you will present it to the emperor for your father. ”

The second child even said that "my father is tired", but he was very dissatisfied with his indecision.

Taishou received a letter from the old man Zhao, and saw that his words were sincere and not leaking, and his heart was still old and spicy, and even the most beloved son could give up if he gave up. Of course, they didn't expect to collapse the Zhao family at once, and it was a gain to be able to pull out the Zhao family's big house.

Zhao Zhizhou has served in Lin'an Mansion for ten years, and he is especially proficient in general affairs, and the saint has been paying attention to him for a long time. After returning to Beijing to report on his work this time, he is likely to be transferred to Yangzhou to serve as the envoy of the two Huai salt transporters. Salt politics is the lifeblood of the country, with great power and heavy oil and water, not only the top is staring closely, but the princes below are also eyeing each other, fighting openly and secretly. Zhao Zhizhou is not a seamless egg, so he was naturally killed by the person who seized the opportunity.

Youshu not only carried the black pot for "Zhao Youshu" this time, but also took a trip to thunder for Zhao Zhizhou, and he was really an unlucky child.