Seeing Pan Yan's appearance, Zheng Qi was painful and dissatisfied in his heart, and he became more and more aware of his dead father's words, that is, "good mules and horses do not enter the market", this Pan Yan, as a waiter in the Ministry of Rites, can be regarded as a scribe who reads poetry and books, how can he be so insulted to his own poems? But you can't blame the other party completely, who said that he wanted to be admitted to the Jinshi and was eager to pay tribute to himself? Under the eaves, I had to bow my head, and I could only look at the eyes of the chief executive.

"These two sentences of the late birth seem to have a gassho (1), but this is not the case......" Just when Zheng Qi diligently explained his proud couplet and five words, suddenly the official came to the door and reported, "Gao Langjun has returned from Zhongnanshan." ”

"Good!" Pan Yan suddenly smiled, patted his thigh, stroked his palm, and ignored the shock of Zheng Qi present, and walked out of the deputy with the expression of hurriedly going to greet him.

At this moment, Mrs. Pan stayed behind the curtain and coughed a few times in a row, before Pan Yan woke up, and then perfunctory Zheng Qi with a guilty face, and said, "Zheng Langjun's poem is really exquisite, and when the servant of the ceremony looks at it slowly, it can be placed on the desk of the servant, but now there is an urgent matter that has to go, and he is out of company." ”

After speaking, Pan Yan strode out of the middle hall and walked towards the backyard.

Zheng Qi sat on the seat in the middle hall, and looked at the curtain behind the bookcase—even Madame Pan quickly disappeared.

Soon only Zheng Qi was left alone in the whole middle hall, the autumn wind swept through the curtain, making a whirring sound, about half an hour later, Zheng Qi continued to sit upright, sighed slowly, rolled his eyes, and complained word by word: "There must be a first come, first come, right?" ”

After speaking, Zheng Qi got up, put his scroll on Pan Yan's bookcase, and then bowed respectfully, turned around and left......

Soon it was October 13, and winter in Chang'an always came early. At dusk, Liu Yan, who came from the next dynasty, stood on the street with his hands behind his back, a little cramped and restless, staring at a house.

The Hu slave behind him, named Wanda, carried a large basket of thick bamboo, which contained several curtains also made of thick bamboo, and squatted in the corner of the wall.

The cold wind swirled, and the curtain hanging in front of the house was shabby and swaying—every time it swayed, Liu Yan couldn't help but sigh, put his hand in front and rubbed it, looked at Wanda and the big basket, and then looked at the house, pacing back and forth, as if his mind was very heavy.

"Fujun, to send or not to send?" Wanda asked, looking up.

Liu Yan frowned and muttered for a long time, when a report suddenly came from the other side of the street, "Shangshu Province Li Zuocheng is back to the first!" ”

Several servants of the defense pavilion, leading a thin horse with famous officials on it, swayed towards the old mansion that Liu Yan was looking at.

Liu Yan didn't hesitate at this time, and quickly said to Wanda, "Let's go!" ”

"Hey." Wanda stood up, carried the basket on her back, followed her master, and walked down the wall to another street.

Next, Liu Yan led his horse in front, Wanda behind, and Wanda grinned as he walked.

"Laughing at what?" Liu Yan's beard on his chin curled up one after another.

"This is the third time that the owner has come to deliver the bamboo curtain, but it hasn't been delivered."

"As soon as I saw Li Zuocheng, I couldn't say anything, just that."

"It's also strange, the housewife is Li Zuocheng's own sister, but the master saw that the curtain in his house was broken, and he couldn't even send a few thick bamboo curtains."

It turned out that the younger sister of Li Xuan, the secretary of the Shangshu, was the wife of Liu Yan, the secretary of the ministry. The last time Liu Yan came to visit Li Xuan, he saw that his house was really dilapidated, especially the door curtains were all dilapidated, so he asked Wanda to get a few new thick bamboo curtains and prepare to give them to Li Xuan, but for the third time in a row, he retreated in front of Li Xuan's door.

"It is precisely because Li Zuocheng is my dear relative that I ......," Liu Yan said leisurely at the end, leading his horse and heading towards his house.

Who wanted to go home, but his son-in-law Pan Yan came to pay respects.

Liu Yan asked his wife to gather some food and entertain his son-in-law, and by the way, he placed the big basket and bamboo curtain in the courtyard.

During the banquet, Liu Yan just asked Pan Yan what was the matter, and Pan Yan gave up his hand and said tremblingly, "The son-in-law is here to discuss with his father-in-law about this year's list." ”

"Oh?" Liu Yan paused, and then said to his son-in-law, "It's okay to say it directly. ”

"Son-in-law, son-in-law wants Gao Yue of Guozijian to ascend to the ......"

As soon as he heard this, Liu Yan stared at his son-in-law with strange eyes, and Pan Yan lowered his head a little weakly, Liu Yan couldn't help it, and laughed, "Yunjun, you let Gao Yue ascend to the first place, are you afraid of Chang Gon?" ”

"Yes." In front of his father-in-law, Pan Yan did not shy away from his words.

"Chang Gon is not to be afraid. I'm just curious, why do you admire Gao Yue so much, he gave you the money to be a god? Liu Yan asked, and then he pinched up the strange money that Gao Yue had given him earlier, which was engraved with exquisite chrysanthemum reliefs, as well as some strange symbols and words.

"Don't dare!" Pan Yan hurriedly said, "The little son-in-law knows that he has always been clean and self-loving, and he doesn't dare to do anything greedy. ”

"What's that?"

"Gao Yue's scroll."

"Interesting, the scrolls are just some poems and sketches, which can make Yunjun ...... you like this"

Before Liu Yan finished speaking, Pan Yan took out Gao Yue's "Huaibei Suspected Case Collection" and put it in front of him.

With suspicious eyes, Liu Yan unfolded the "Collection of Suspicious Cases in Huaibei......

In the early morning of the next day, on the streets of the imperial city, Liu Yan rode on horseback, putting aside Gao Yue's "Huaibei Mystery Case Collection" scroll, reading as he went, he couldn't stop talking, and he couldn't let go at all - but he was bitter Wanda, and he had to hold the fire again, and he had to hold the pages of the scroll dragged down by the master.

"Wanda, I think the Huaibei in this line of scrolls is Huang Wanxing, he died in the mansion, he died in the post station, he also died in the Fangshe Fangshe, and he also died in the Buddhist temple and Buddhist temple, it seems that the mystery of all the dead people in this world is going to him." It's rare for Liu Yan to read it, and he didn't forget to comment on it jokingly.

Soon arrived at An Lao Hu'er's steamed beard stall, this time even An Lao Hu'er was surprised, he still saw Liu Yan for the first time did not get off the horse, but looked at the article intently on the mount, did not raise his head, and actually called Wanda to buy four steamed beards, and then looked at the article and left.

After walking for a while, almost reaching the boundary of Chongrenfang, Liu Yan suddenly remembered something, he looked back at the steamed stall with yellow lights burning in the fog, "By the way, I and Qiqian Langjun will have an agreement over there tomorrow, and let my eyes see through everything." ”

Then Liu Yan turned sideways and went straight to the gate of the imperial city, in front of which he stopped under the big tree, looking up at the chirping spirit magpie all over the tree, and the clouds gradually closing on the branches, hehe laughed, "Gao Yue, will you freeze to death under the sky of Chang'an?" I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at the patrol shop in the northwest corner of Pingkangfang. ”