Wang Bing and Fan An chased them out of * Street from Daxiangguo Temple, they were so tired that they couldn't breathe, and finally covered their stomachs and stopped, "Cough, cough," Fan An gasped, "Where did the wild scholars and stinky girls come from, cough, cough, cough!" ”

Zhao Xing dragged Li Ruoxue to flee for his life, not daring to turn back, and when there was no longer a shouting and chasing behind him, he had already reached Junyi Bridge Street, and he dared to stop and rest.

Whether it is stepping on the green and climbing the heights, or bowing on the swing, other women are sweaty and heavy, but their faces are slightly sweaty, and the fat powder is slightly disguised, and their complexions are as usual. But Li Ruoxue is the opposite, her body is cool and sweatless, but her head and face are sweating profusely. Her skin was originally as white as snow, but now it is even more ruddy, and the beads of sweat reflect the sun, crystal clear. Zhao Xingde only felt that it was beautiful.

Sensing that Zhao Xingde's eyes were different, Li Ruoxue felt slightly shy, pulled the soft wattle out of his hand, took out a handkerchief from his arms to wipe his sweat, and said in a low voice: "It's really annoying, I love to sweat on my face, and I can't wipe makeup powder." She wiped her sweat on herself, and when she saw that Xingde was also sweating profusely, she gently wiped the sweat for him. The beauty Hao's wrist coagulation touched the skin of her face slightly, and the nose smelled the dark fragrance, and Zhao Xingde was already a little dizzy. Li Ruoxue was also embarrassed to get up, and folded the handkerchief after wiping her sweat.

To the north of this street is the Zoroastrian Temple, which is filled with the smell of fireworks all year round, and all kinds of people are bustling and mixed, so the two of them will walk slowly to the south, and then to the bank of the Bianhe River, where the cool breeze blows, and they suddenly feel relaxed and happy.

The two looked at each other and smiled, Zhao Xingde found a stone step under the shade of a weeping willow tree on the bank of the river, Li Ruoxue was not too dirty, and sat side by side on the ground, and the two Confucian scholars watched the crowd on both sides of the Bianhe River bustling, going up and down the boat slowly. The flowing Bianhe River under the feet of the two of them is a river that truly runs through the water system of the world.

At this time, the water system in northern China was still very developed, and it was full of rivers and lakes. Only in Bianjing City, there are four rivers from south to north, namely Cai River, Bianhe River, Wuzhang River and Jinshui River, all of which can be boated, collectively called the four canals of Caoyun. On both sides of the Cao Canal flow, there are countless water-powered mills. Millions of people make a living on rivers and lakes, and the term "rivers and lakes" comes from this. Among these four canals, the Bianhe River is the most important, because it connects the six southeast roads. The Bianhe River is the Tongji Canal in the Tang Dynasty, which is a section of the Grand Canal dug by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. The water of the Yellow River and Luoshui are diverted to the west, and the water system of Luoyang and Guanzhong, the water system of the Huai River in the south, and even the water system of the Yangtze River. Relying on such a well-connected water transportation system, more than 3,000 new ships are built every year in each state alone, and nearly 8 million stone of grain and millions of pounds of charcoal are worth hundreds of millions of spices every year.

After being silent for a long time, Li Ruoxue suddenly said, "I'm sorry, I'm causing you trouble." There was a lot of apology in his tone.

Zhao Xingde was stunned for a moment, a warmth welled up in the softest part of his heart, he took a deep breath, and said lightly: "It's okay, I like trouble." ”

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm real, too." Li Ruoxue and Zhao Xingde got closer, feeling the warmth emanating from him.

"What?" Zhao Xingde was stunned again.

Li Ruoxue smiled lightly, straightened her lacquer hat, a faint sorrow floated on her face, and said slowly: "My mother passed away not long after giving birth to me, my father was belittled and exiled again, and the family still has to farm and weave cloth to subsidize the family, although my mother is very good to my eldest brother and me, but sometimes I am worried that my mother will not like me when she has a younger brother, and sometimes I am worried that my father will be framed by traitors again, and I am worried all day long, just like an old woman in her seventies and eighties." ”

Zhao Xingde felt pity, and while listening, he put his hand on her shoulder and patted it gently, Li Ruoxue felt the generosity and warmth of his palm.

"Once, my father wrote a book about the gardens of Luoyang, and in the afterword he criticized the government, I was worried that he would anger the traitor again, and after thinking about it for two whole days, I finally mustered up the courage to persuade my father to delete those inappropriate discussions in the afterword."

Zhao Xingde said with a smile: "Your worries are not unreasonable, but with the temperament of Lord Yuezhang, you can't listen to it." ”

Li Ruoxue's cheeks were slightly hot, and she glanced at him, but she didn't correct his speech, and continued: "Father didn't reprimand, he only talked about things in the world, and he didn't do anything, and he had to do something. As a scholar is responsible for the world, he can no longer care about his own honor and disgrace, and even the safety of his family. Later, I read a lot of poetry books, and my mind was not so heavy, and I gradually became like an ordinary girl. But I've always been curious about what it's like to take on the responsibility of the world, so I must come with you. ”

She turned her head sideways, looked at Zhao Xingde, and said seriously: "You will always have to take on many big things in the future, and I won't be so willful and make trouble for you indiscriminately." ”

Zhao Xingde was moved in his heart, grabbed her waist, let Li Ruoxue lean on himself, and said in a deep voice: "It's okay, I'm not afraid of trouble." ”

Li Ruoxue's face was crimson, the two had the same heart, facing the Bianhe River flowing day and night, quietly enjoying the rare intimacy.

The two banks of the Bianhe River are the most prosperous places in the capital, the stone steps on the other side of the two people sit on the other side is the Huixian Building, from the attic comes the sound of silk and bamboo orchestra, from time to time there are two small and small people in the store rushing out, the boatman buys the river fresh to cook. Some of these boatmen in the river have no tile dwellings, and they are on this boat all year round, birth, old age, sickness and death, weddings and funerals. In the boats that come and go of the Bianhe River, there are shirtless strong men holding the long hair, there are charming boat girls rocking the oars, sometimes the talented and beautiful women laugh softly in the painting boat, sometimes the fisherman's boat resounds the baby's cry, the Bianhe River that flows all the year round is like a stage that constantly stages the world, sitting quietly beside the river, touching the scene, everyone thinks and thinks, and they are different.

The boat lady in the river hugged the child, and put the and urine on the bow of the boat, the child saw these two people dressed as Confucian students sitting on the shore, babbling and screaming, the boat girl looked up, Li Ruoxue smiled at her, the boat girl was startled, and quickly carried the child into the cabin.

Li Ruoxue then remembered that she was dressed as a Confucian student, and she didn't feel it, leaning on Zhao Xingde, her eyes were full of fireworks in the world, and she only felt calm and happy in her heart, and secretly thought: "Do you want to give birth to a child for him in the future, my mother only gave birth to my eldest brother and I and left, and the women in our family are thin and weak, and it is difficult to give birth." If he has no heirs, what if he wants to take a concubine? Do you still have to choose a woman for him? In the mansions of this capital division, there are many vicious maids and concubines who bully the main room, alas-"Count the sorrows, and go to the heart between the eyebrows."

Xiao Shi Niang, the boatman, was teased by the Confucian student of the boy and girl, and hurriedly took the child to the cabin to hide, this world is full of disciples, women from poor families, even if their innocence is dirty, they can only endure humiliation and steal their lives, and there is nowhere to ask for justice. In the cabin, my sister-in-law was preparing lunch, but my brother Xiao Qi was holding a stack of papers and looking at it very attentively. Xiao Sanniang revered his seventh brother the most, after picking up charcoal since he was a child, other children were playing, he lay under the window of Mr. Teaching and eavesdropped, and he actually read a lot of words intermittently, which is considered to be rough and ink. Xiao Qi relied on this ability to write and calculate, making a living on the river, speaking and acting well, he earned his own boat in his thirties, married his daughter-in-law, and secretly told Xiao Shi Niang that when she got married, she would seal a thick dowry.

"What is it?"

"Zhang Gongzi asked us to take Huainan to the public revelation, and if we meet a familiar son along the way, we can also disperse." Xiao Qi raised his head and grinned, his sister is the most sensible and well-behaved, and many young men on the river are greedy. One year, after the father and mother were gone, more than a dozen brothers and sisters either died early or were separated. Now that he is an elder brother and has a family, he will definitely marry his only sister in a beautiful way.

"What disclosure?" Xiao Shi Niang said a little confused.

"Well, it is to expose the evidence of the wicked, and the government will not accept it, so the big guy will spread it and want to use the justice of the rivers and lakes to punish his crimes."

"How much of a wicked man?"

"People from more than a dozen states and dozens of counties have harmed him, killing hundreds of thousands of people, do you think this wicked person is powerful?"

"Whew," Xiao Shi Niang gasped, "Such a vicious thief, why doesn't the government accept the paper?" ”

"Because there are accomplices of the wicked in the government."

"That's right, no wonder," Xiao Siniang pouted, as if the children who picked up charcoal when they were young were driven away by the people of the official boat, and at night, the accomplices of those people rowed a small boat and carried the charcoal down one by one. She was interested, "Seventh brother, how can you use the justice of the rivers and lakes to cure his crimes?" ”

"The fifth master of the Cao Gang said, look at the movements of the capital and the southeast, if the wind and rain in the city are too strong, this Cao boat may have to stop."

"Really?" Xiao Siniang's eyes widened, the food and clothing of millions of people in Bianjing City can all be pointed to Caoyun.

"I hope not." Xiao Qi sighed, the boat was suspended, and these boatmen on the river had no choice but to sit and eat, but he also knew that there were masters behind Wang Wuye.

Outside there was thunder, lightning slashed down one after another, and a torrential rain came unexpectedly, pouring like a scoop outside.

The child was so frightened that she cried, Xiao Shi Niang opened a small crack in the cabin window, and saw that the two Confucian students who were unscrupulous just now hurriedly stood up and hurriedly ran to the west, she smiled and clapped her hands and said: "God really has eyes, thunder and lightning rain to cure this wicked man, it's great." ”

"How did you gloat?" Xiao Qiqi said.

Xiao Siniang pointed at the little Confucian and said disdainfully: "Just now, these two men seemed to be leaning on each other, it was really disgusting, and the man who was neither male nor female was still smiling at me." ”

"Really?" Xiao Qi didn't bother to get up and look, and scolded, "These children who don't learn and don't know how to anoint Liang, if they have Mr. Zhao Yuanzhi's loyalty, they won't be so decadent in this world." Xiao Siniang asked, "Who is Mr. Zhao Yuanzhi?" "It's the person who wrote this piece of paper for the Great Song Dynasty."

Mixed with thunder and lightning, the sky seemed to leak and poured rain, Zhao Xing pulled Li Ruoxue's hand and ran towards the Li Mansion quickly, the clothes of the two were already soaked, and the water splashed all the way, and the hem of the robe was full of mud. Fortunately, the pedestrians on the road were busy hurriedly sheltering from the rain, and no one paid attention to Li Ruoxue's looming figure under his robe.

The two of them ran along the bank of the Bianhe River, ran past Li Qijia's main store, and ran past Cai Xiang's house and Jinliang Bridge where they used to come out, seeing that they were approaching Li's mansion, Zhao Xingde was about to run to the convenient door where he usually entered and exited, but he felt that his hands were soft and tight, "This way, this way," Li Ruoxue pulled him out in the other direction. Zhao Xingde followed behind her and came to a small door on the west side of the mansion, Li Ruoxue slapped the door knocker hard, and then turned around Zhao Xingde and explained: "I specially asked the roller shutter to pay attention to opening the door for us." ”

There were a few droplets of water hanging on her face, and a few locks of black hair were also exposed from under the crooked lacquer hat, looking at Zhao Xingde's somewhat strange gaze, she said strangely: "Yuan Zhi, what's wrong with you?" Look at me like this? Zhao Xingde couldn't restrain it any longer, dragged the beauty into his arms, held her waist with his left hand, gently supported the back of her head with his right hand, stared at Li Ruoxue's eyes that opened wide because of surprise, lowered his head slowly, but couldn't be pushed, and kissed deeply. Li Ruoxue felt that Zhao Xingde's body exuded a burning heat, and his lips were sucked hard by him, and he gradually became addicted to it. Heavy rain poured down beside the two of them, lightning and thunder roared one after another, and the occasional pedestrians who ran by only threw a hurried glance at the two strangely behaved Confucian scholars.

It was almost as if thousands of years had passed, and with a creak, the small door opened a crack, and a moment later, the curtain looked timidly at the two people who were hugging each other in the rain, like frightened cats.