After disembarking from Hongqiao Wharf, Xu Ziling and the others were separated from Su Wan and others.

Under the Hongqiao, there is Bianshui, where most of the ships from Jianghuai and other places are berthed to transfer grain and grass, and the merchant ships that come and go also gather here to transfer goods.

Entering Bianliang from the East Water Gate, Xu Ziling had to marvel at the city's endless prosperity again. There are all kinds of shops along the street, and the long bluestone steps are full of cars and horses and pedestrians, literati, peddlers, pawns, and warriors patrolling the streets.

After walking for a long time, I passed through Xiangguo Temple and arrived at the royal street where the alum tower is located. The purpose of Xu Ziling's trip was to get back the deed of sale for Ming Xia.

Walking on the royal street, looking into the distance, there are all Qinglou wine shops, Goolan tea rooms and other places where singing and dancing are leveled, and large pavilions with two or three floors can be seen everywhere, most of them are courtyard-style pavilions.

I walked for a long time, and when I arrived at the northern section of Yujie, I finally saw the alum tower. Alum House is not only a green building, but also a restaurant, integrating catering and entertainment. The alum tower occupies a very wide area, the pavilion rises and falls, the staggered falls, and the light and shade are communicated with the flying bridge railing between the buildings. The height of the west building is so high that you can even look down at the palace.

There was a rule in the Song Dynasty that incumbent officials were not allowed to engage in prostitution. Of course, it's just that you can't go to the joy of fish and water, and it's still allowed to let them sing and dance for fun. Therefore, all major Qinglou has a large number of Qingqi people who "sell their art but not their bodies", and Ming Xia was one of them before.

The three of them slowly walked into the hall of the alum building, and although it was daytime, they could faintly hear the sound of silk and bamboo songs coming from the surrounding rooms.

Just after walking a few steps, a middle-aged woman wearing heavy makeup and a big red jacket saw Ming Xia, walked over quickly, and said in a greasy voice: "My little aunt, why did you come back, Zhou Gongzi has come to look for you several times." ”

Ming Xia was slightly stunned and asked, "Aunt Han, don't care about Gongzi Zhou's affairs first, Aunt Qing is in the building, I have something to say to her." ”

Han Gu didn't think much about it, and replied: "Sister Qing just received the distinguished guests from the south in the council pavilion, and now it's probably fine, you go look for her." ”

Ming Xia nodded and said to Xu Ziling: "The Council Pavilion does not allow outsiders to enter, you wait for me here, and I will call Aunt Qing down." ”

Seeing Xu Ziling nodding, she instructed Yue'er to look at Xu Ziling, and then turned around and walked towards the second floor of the pavilion behind the main hall.

Han Gu also noticed Xu Ziling, thinking that he was a friend of Ming Xia, but seeing that he was not very old, but he was tall and handsome, she wanted to tease him.

Xu Ziling was casually looking at the colorful costumes in the hall, but found that Han Gu, who was talking to Ming Xia just now, leaned over.

Han Gu's face is ordinary, but her figure is graceful and concave. At this time, he was fluffy with his hair, his big red jacket was half-open and half-hidden, revealing an emerald green bandeau and a touch of snow, and he looked at Xu Ziling with a smile: "This son is a friend of Shishi's hometown, right?" ”

Xu Ziling was more than half a head taller than her, and as soon as she asked, Xu Ziling subconsciously looked down at her, but at a glance he saw the valley between the tall peaks and mountains, and hurriedly raised his head high.

Han Gu gathered her clothes and smiled coquettishly: "Isn't Gongzi a chick?" ”

Although Xu Ziling didn't care about men and women, he also knew that this Han Gu was knowingly asking and wanted to make fun of him, so he replied: "I grew up with my teacher and my teacher, and I grew up together, and I came here today to redeem her." ”

Han Gu's face suddenly changed, and she said coldly: "I don't know what kind of family background the son is?" ”

Seeing her face change like a flip book, Xu Ziling chuckled lightly and said: "I am a martial artist, no father, no mother, no fame, only a master, what should I do?" ”

Han Gu was stunned and sneered: "A reckless man in the rivers and lakes, how can he be worthy of the master." Do you know how many noble sons in this Bianliang City are lining up to see their masters? Do you know who they are? As for Zhou Bangyan and Zhou Gongzi, who was only in his twenties, he became the assistant of Dasheng Mansion. ”

Xu Ziling said disdainfully: "It doesn't matter who he is, I must take him away." ”

Han Gu glanced at him angrily: "I provoked them for your own good, you don't want to gain a foothold in Bianliang." ”

In the eyes of the people of the Great Song Dynasty, the supreme pursuit is to "learn literature and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor's family", and those who come to Bianliang must want to seek official status. Lu Gu thinks that Xu Ziling also wants to join the officialdom.

Xu Ziling thought that she was a little self-inflicted, so he didn't bother to pay attention to her, looked back at the maid Yue'er, and asked, "Don't you have anything to say?" ”

The maid rolled her big black eyes and asked, "What should I say?" ”

Xu Ziling was a little helpless, so he didn't say more.

After a while, on the pavilion behind the main hall, Ming Xia walked down with a woman who was about forty years old, walked to Xu Ziling's side, looked at him and said, "Aunt Qing, he is the Xu Ziling I told you just now." ”

The woman named Aunt Qing walked around Xu Ziling a few times, patted him on the shoulder, pushed his chest again, and nodded with satisfaction; "Xiao Ling, right? The figure is good-looking. The teacher is like a daughter to me, I have long wanted her to go out, but she has always said that there is nowhere to go, so she stayed in this alum building, and now she is willing to go with you, the stone in my heart has fallen.

But if you dare to treat her badly, I have my own way to make it difficult for you, my Aunt Qing was also a powerful figure back then, and now in the court, there are no military officials, all of whom can speak. ”

Xu Ziling Zhengse said: "Aunt Qing, rest assured, I grew up with Ming Xia since childhood, and I have also suffered the pain of extermination, this is difficult to describe, but I want to be able to join hands with her for the rest of my life, although I am not familiar with literati and elegant affairs, but I have a body of martial arts, which can ensure her stability for a lifetime." ”

Aunt Qing nodded again and said with relief: "Looking at your temperament, you are not like an ordinary martial artist, as long as you can allow her a stable life, it will be enough." ”

But Han Gu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said: "Sister Qing, he ...... that Zhou Gongzi"

Aunt Qing glanced at her and said lightly: "Ah Cui, the master is a hard-working child, and her affairs are up to her." I know that you received the benefits of that Zhou Kunihiko, and I don't want to worry about you. You should do it yourself, and don't affect the future life of the teacher. ”

Han Gu's face turned blue and white for a while, and she stopped talking.

Aunt Qing looked at the maid who didn't speak on the side, and said softly: "Yue'er, come here, I have something to say to you." ”

Maiden: "Oh! With a sigh, he walked to Aunt Qing's side.

Aunt Qing pulled her aside and whispered a few words in her ear, the maid shook her head first, then nodded, and her round face slowly turned red like a big apple.

After speaking, the maid stood behind Ming Xia prettyly, Aunt Qing sighed softly, and said to the three of them: "The deed of sale between the master and Yue'er was destroyed early in the morning. You just have to leave, but when the days are settled, don't forget to come back and see my old woman. ”

Ming Xia suddenly wet the corners of her eyes: "Aunt Qing is good to Shishi, Shishi will never forget it for the rest of his life." I will come back to visit Aunt Qing from time to time. ”

Xu Ziling echoed: "My parents and Ming Xia have passed away, and we will marry her in the future, and I hope that Aunt Qing can come to replace our high hall." ”

In this era, the etiquette system is strict, and it is to be ridiculed by the world to let the women in the Qinglou preside over the marriage. Aunt Qing was also a little happy when she saw that he could say this, and said, "You guys leave quickly, it's been a long time here, and the sons and brothers who came here for a while will recognize the teacher, and there will inevitably be some trouble." ”

glanced at Ming Xia, and saw her nodding, Xu Ziling bowed to Aunt Qing and said, "It's okay, Aunt Qing, I have a senior brother who is the head of the sect in Bianliang, I will take Ming Xia to his house for a few days first, and then whether I stay in Bianliang or go somewhere else, I will let Aunt Qing know." ”

Aunt Qing nodded lightly and waved her hand again, motioning for them to leave.

Ming Xia hugged Aunt Qing with tears in her eyes, and then reluctantly walked out of the door with Xu Ziling.

Not long after the three of them left, a richly dressed and personable man hurriedly walked into the alum tower.

Entering the hall, the man saw Aunt Qing standing next to Aunt Han, and asked eagerly, "Aunt Qing, I heard that the master is back, I wonder if she is in the building?" As he spoke, he quietly glanced at Aunt Han.

Aunt Qing looked at him and said coldly, "Who said that, how come I don't know." ”

The man was a little angry and said, "I asked the little guy at the door, and he also said that the master is back, why did Aunt Qing lie to me?" ”

Aunt Qing is still not salty: "Gongzi Zhou, you are kind to the teacher, but you also know that the teacher only treats you like a brother, and now that she has found a favored man, you should stop pestering her." Zhou Gongzi, you have an official body, why worry about not finding a good match? Why bother to be trapped in a green building woman? ”

The man's face immediately changed, and he said urgently: "The master has only been in Jiangning for a month, how can he easily find the man he likes, he must have been bewitched, Aunt Qing, you say who that person is, I want to confront him." ”

After thinking about it, the man added: "The teacher is originally a woman from a good family, and the reason why she entered the workshop, I also asked someone to track down many files. Her father should have been framed by others, so the teacher was implicated, and she has always been an innocent woman in my heart, not a person in the dust. When I first saw her, I secretly swore that I would not marry her in this life. ”

Seeing that he had good intentions and sincere feelings, Aunt Qing sighed and said lightly: "I just told you that she and the man are still in Bianliang, and they may leave after a while." The rest, it's up to you. ”

The man snorted lightly, gave Aunt Qing a bow, and turned to leave.

The man's name is Zhou Bangyan, he is dignified, brilliant, poetic, and proficient in music, and now he is working in Dasheng Mansion.

Three years ago, he met the thirteen-year-old Ming Xia in the workshop, when Ming Xia was at a low point in her life, he felt pity, so he sent someone to trust her and transferred her to the alum building, although she is still a prostitute, but it is not like the lowly status of an official prostitute, and she has a lot of freedom.

At first, he only thought she was his sister, and occasionally he would visit her in Alum Tower, but after three years, as Ming Xia grew up, he found that he actually fell in love with her, so he wanted to redeem her and marry her. However, Ming Xia only regarded him as an elder brother, and kept avoiding this question and never responded to him head-on. But he never gave up, believing that in time, she would understand her true heart.

I just heard Aunt Qing say that she had a man she liked in the next month, and he didn't believe it, it must have been that person who bewitched her.

Although he didn't have much power, and he refused the solicitation of Taishi Cai Jing, he had been an official in the court for many years, and he also had a few friends in Dali Temple, so he could go to ask for help and knock on the man who bewitched Mingxia.