Before the fifth watch of the night was over, the Yanshan Wei Mansion sent a cipher document through the post road to the Ministry of War and the Prime Minister's Office. In order to prevent the news from leaking, except for the departure date of Shang Cheng's trip, the rest of the questions in the ciphertext are not asked, only that all questions will be answered by Shang Cheng in person.

In the early morning of June 27, as soon as the city gate was opened, Shang Cheng quietly left Yanzhou with Duan Si and several guards. In order to keep secrets, he and his guards wore civilian clothes, pretending to be big merchants who traveled between the Central Plains and Yanshan, holding the road guide slip issued by the Yanshan Pastoral Mansion, and went south through the state and through the mansion. On the 29th, the sun rises in Yanshan, and after sunset, crosses the Yellow River in Qixia, and rests in Lubei that night; On the first day of July, when passing through Xiangzhou City and then turning to the southeast direction, you can see the Taizu Mausoleum on the Shipan Mountain in the west of Beijing in the distance at noon on the second day of July. Then along the official road to the southwest, when the dusk was set, it entered the outer city of Beijing. So far, the six-day journey has covered 1,300 miles......

The guards who fought the outpost had already found an inn in the outer city and set up a courtyard. As soon as he dismounted, Gao Qiang came over to tell him bad news. Although it is not the official festival stipulated in the edict issued by the imperial court, such as the New Year's Day, the Lantern Festival, the cold food or the Mid-Autumn Festival, but since the Gaozong Dynasty, it has become a common practice for the court not to go to the yamen on the third and fourth days of the first month of July.

It was the first time Shang Cheng had heard that there was such a custom in Shangjing. The fourth day of the seventh month of July is the Daughter's Day, so what kind of festival is the seventh day of the first month? He stared at him for a long time before he said, "Then have you informed the Prime Minister?" "If the six ministries don't go to work, the prime minister's office can't also rest, right?

"Mr. Tang told his illness this morning, saying that he couldn't hold a pen because of his sore hands, and that he had to rest for three days according to the doctor's instructions, and he could only go to the public office on the fifth day of the new year." Gao Qiang instigated Yahuazi and said with a strange look.

Shang Cheng also had an incredulous look on his face. Others don't talk about this folk festival; A place has its own customs, and the government cannot obstruct them. But Tang Xing Lao Xiangguo, what kind of Daughter's Day does he want to have? He smacked his lips and didn't know what to say, so he remembered for a long time and asked, "Right Minister Zhang Pu, he always wants to be in the public house, right?" Even the old minister had to find a reason to rest for two days, and he was a little unsure whether Zhang Pu would also cross his feet. It stands to reason that it won't; Zhang Pu is a person with great political ambitions, and after several ups and downs, he has really had a chance to show his strength in the past two years, and he will definitely not be happy with the people like Tang Xiang......

"Zhang Xiang and the two deputy ministers, they followed the Son of Heaven to the Dacheng Palace outside the city after yesterday, and they didn't return to the city until the evening of the fourth day of the new year."

What else is Shang Cheng to say now? With the emperor taking the lead, and the left and right sides as examples, the six ministries collectively stopped office work, and it is estimated that even the imperial history platform did not ask. It seems that he wants to negotiate the matter of Yanshan's dispatch of troops by dividing it by two, but now it seems that it can only be wishful thinking. He muttered two unpleasant words in a low voice, and asked without giving up: "Have you ever been to Zhang Xiang's house?" Did you hand over my name sticker? ”

"I've been there, and I've handed over a poster. But the people said that the doctor told the old man to recuperate, so I'm sorry. He also said that all guests should make an appointment at another date. Gao Qiang said, "Later, a brother invited the porter of the old minister's house to have a cup of fragrant tea and gave him a gourd of liquor. said that the family members of the old man's family went to the Yellow Lantern Temple a few days ago; In the past few days, there is a Taoist chief of Zhongnan Mountain who is there to explain what scriptures......"

Now, Shang Cheng really didn't catch it. He tightened the whip and loosened it, tightened it and tightened it again, was silent for a long time, and said dejectedly: "Forget it." Go and talk to the brethren, they have a holiday, and we will have a holiday. Find someone to follow me, and do whatever they want. It's rare to go to Beijing, so I go out to take a look, so as not to go back and be pointed out that it is a group of leopards in the countryside, and I don't even know how many city gates there are in Beijing. ”

Duan Si interjected with a smile next to him: "Then, I will follow you for the past two days." ”

Gao Qiang was overjoyed, and looked at Shang Cheng with a blank eye waiting for him to nod.

For the sake of the fact that the court officials collectively did not go to work, Shang Cheng was harboring evil fire in his heart. He glanced at Duan Si obliquely, pouted and said, "You follow me?" I'm just an ugly bastard, and I'm going to take you with me now. One by one, you are not afraid of being dragged away by the thieves patrolling the streets of the Yamen of the Plains Mansion, and I am also afraid that the Taoist priest will come to catch demons! ”

Duan Si salivated and smiled, waved his hand and asked Gao Qiang to pass on the word to everyone, saying, "Let the store hurry up and boil hot water!" Everyone has been on the road for a few days and nights, and they are all tired and tired, so they take a hot bath and take a shower...... Even if you give a prime minister, you won't change it! Then let the store go outside and order a good feast, and I'll treat you in the evening! ”……

Shang Cheng entered Beijing secretly and didn't want to be entangled with outsiders, so Wang Yiran Linde and a few acquaintances in Beijing couldn't move around at home, so they could only nest in the inn and read books. But he had important matters in his mind, and where he could calm down, he often felt annoyed and irritable when he couldn't turn two pages of the book, and wandered around the house and yard bare-chested.

Fortunately, two days is not a long time, gritted my teeth, and a day and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

After the fourth day of the junior high school, after dinner, he scooped a basin of well water in the big vat and showered it beautifully from head to foot, and he didn't bother to take care of his wet hair, so he found a piece of silk tied to the bookcase and wrapped it around his forehead casually, pulled the book indiscriminately, and sat under the eaves in a sweat coat for an hour. Before his ass touched the bamboo recliner, Duan Si walked in with a black head and a black face.

He looked at Duan Siyi with a smile and slapped the blindless guard who was in the way, pushing him and staggering.

Duan Si felt uncomfortable? He deserved it, he brought it on himself! Who let Duan Si find an unlucky errand by himself, so he had to follow him in a daze in the inn?

Duan Siyi sat on the stone ridge under the dripping eaves, and did not speak, puffing out his blood-red eyes, snorting and wearing rough air. The guard kindly poured him a bowl of cold boiled water, and when he lifted his arm, the water was scattered on the ground, and the pottery bowl was broken into seven or eight petals. The guard saw that the lieutenant was in a hurry, and he went into the room to squeak no more.

Shang Cheng sat on the chair with long legs and flipped through the book, looking horizontally and vertically, he couldn't see a word, he was annoyed and kicked Duan Siyi, and scolded him: "If you suffer from the sedal plague, you will be angry outside and come back to sprinkle, you have this ability?" Spread the air and get out of the door! ”

Duan Si was the first group of old men who followed Shang Cheng from the west bank of Alegu all the way to the sea of corpses and blood, and the comrade-in-arms was deep, so there was no taboo to meet and talk in private. He rolled his eyelids and glanced at Shang Cheng, didn't move anywhere, gritted his teeth and gasped a few times, and said, "Guess, who I saw when I went out just now?" ”

"You met when you came back to the capital, right?" Shang Cheng teased him.

"Huh!" Duan Si sneered and said, "It's not too much." But I didn't get to know that good friend in the capital, but in Yanzhou! ”

Shang Cheng rolled up the book, wrinkled his brows and asked, "Zhao Jiu Niangzi?" ”

"Eighty percent of it is her!" Duan Si's words were almost squeezed out between his teeth.

"What about people?"

“…… Lose someone. Duan Si said. He saw the woman in a blink of an eye when he entered the door, but when he reacted and chased after him, the person was long gone.

Zhao Jiuniang slipped away again? Shang Cheng was both surprised and amused. I was surprised that this woman really didn't know whether she was alive or dead, and the last time she escaped by luck, she didn't go to a place far away from the emperor to avoid trouble, and dared to come out to show off; What's funny is that Duan Si has always boasted that he is the first hunter in West Malaysia, and none of the prey targeted by him has a good end, no matter how good Suza's bow and arrow is, he can only rank second, but Zhao Jiuniang ran from under his nose three times, so that Duan Si's face has no place to put it.

He threw the book away and said, "Anyway, there is nothing to do, and I was bored and panicked after sitting in the courtyard for two days." Let's go, I'll accompany you out to find her and see if I can get her out. He stood up and smiled, "It's not that enemies don't meet!" I have a relationship with this Zhao Jiuniang, as long as she shows her whereabouts wherever she is, I will definitely be able to meet her! Wherever I go, she will go......"

While talking, he stretched out his arm and put on a sweat coat, explained a few words to the guard who stayed at home, and dragged Duan Si away.

“…… Looking for Zhao Jiuniang, I have experience. This woman's essence is almost like a ghost, if you have to look for it carefully, there will definitely be no shadow. But wherever there is a singing book, there is hope. Especially the kind of woman with a Yanshan accent singing a book, it is almost a puff and an accurate. "He boasted about his ability to catch the Nine Ladies on the one hand, and interpreted the story of the year for Duan Si on the other." Let me tell you, the first time I met her was on my way to Quzhou a few years ago. At that time, I was still driving pack horses to eat, and I was so poor that I couldn't even ask for a mother-in-law. Speaking of which, it's also this season, late summer and early autumn, just harvested wheat ......"