Xie Jinlian said, "My four hundred taels, how many people do I have to eat before I can eat back!" ”

Gao Jun guessed that the third uncle's invitation to wine this time must be related to Gao Zheng's promotion, and he also wanted to understand from the side why things were so coincidental. So he immediately packed up and went out with a black knife.

After Gao Jun rode away on the charcoal fire, the rest of the family sat down to eat, but found that Cui Yan had gone out to practice horses and had not come back at this time.

Mrs. Cui was a little worried, especially when she found that the housekeeper Gao Bai was in the house, and he did not take anyone out with Cui Yan to practice horses. Mrs. couldn't eat immediately, because in the past, every time Cui Yan went out, she would always come back when she had a meal.

Liu Yuru sent someone to the eldest grandson's mansion to inquire, and the person who went came back after a while to report that Minister Ma Sun stayed in the military department at noon and did not return to the house, and the second lady was not in the mansion. However, according to the family members in Gao Yao's mansion, the fifth lady Cui Yan and the second lady rode out early in the morning.

Moreover, the person who came back from the Changsun Mansion said that the second lady also went out alone - only the two of them and two horses.

Liu Yuru said, "It's really nonsense, I don't know how to bring a few entourages!" Two two-handed broken female riders, one has an addiction to being a master, and the other thinks he's a genius. In case you stumble, bump, or fall on the road, wouldn't there be even a messenger! ”

The servant said, "Mrs. Liu, the villain still listens to the family members of the Changsun Mansion...... The second lady and the fifth lady went out of the house in men's clothes, and this is the case these days! and no one shall follow him. ”

"But Changsun Run doesn't care?!"

"Mrs. Hui, the second lady and the fifth lady, they all waited for Lord Gao and Lord Changsun to go to the yamen together before leaving, I'm afraid Lord Changsun doesn't know."

As she spoke, the sun was already crooked, but Cui Yan had not yet returned. More and more, people watched the layers of dark clouds in the sky roll up, and there was a posture of mountain rain coming.

Liu Yuru said, "Gao Bai, immediately bring all the guards and family members in the house to find it!" Bring them all! Feel free to report back. If you can't find it for an hour, you will go to Xinglufang Mansion and report it to Lord Gao. The girl is not home, and he still has the heart to drink! ”

Gao Bai immediately gathered all the guards and family members of the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of War and went to look for them. For this accident, Gao Bai was very upset. Originally, when the fifth lady Cui Yan went out alone for the first time, Gao Bai wanted to bring someone with her, but Cui Yan just didn't let her.

For a few days in a row, Cui Yan never returned late, and Gao Bai was a little surprised.

But at this time, he regretted why he didn't tell Mrs. Liu in advance.

He thought that the fifth lady and the second lady must have gone outside the Yanping Gate again, so as soon as they came up, he sent the most effective guards over, and the eastern part of the city was handed over to the family members in the mansion to find.

He personally led people to the west to look for them, and when they arrived at the place where they first went, they did not have a single hair.

At this time, it began to rain in the sky. Gao Bai came out in a hurry, and he didn't bring rain gear, so he couldn't take care of it at this time.

After seeing that there was no finding at all, Gao Bai left a few more people to continue looking, and he himself took most of the people back to look for it in the city.

Gao Bai guessed that the two women, the fifth lady and the second lady, came out, and maybe they didn't dare to go too far and play on a street in the city.

So, Gao Bai separated his subordinates again, starting from Xiuzhenfang Street, and went south along several main streets separately, looking for them like a talisman.

But an hour passed quickly, and the rain gradually became heavier, and the people were still not found, and Gao Bai and the others were already soaked.

He remembered Mrs. Liu's words, and sent another person back to the house to report the news, if it happened that the fifth lady returned to the house at this time, it would not be right!

But those who went came back very quickly. Cui Yan did not return home, and the second lady Gao Yao was nowhere to be found.

In Chonghuafang, Gao Bai knew that the fifth lady had lived in seclusion here, and he thought that they could take shelter from the rain here, so he also took someone into Qingxin Nunnery to look for it.

When the abbot heard that Chun Qingzi had not returned to the house after noon, and that the wife of the eldest grandson's mansion and the second lady of the Gao Mansion were also gone, she immediately said to Gao Bai:

"Butler, you will leave these areas near Chonghua Fang to us. Let's look for it too, and report it to you as soon as there is news of Mrs. Cui, and you can free up your manpower to take a look elsewhere! ”

What Gao Bai lacked was manpower, and he came out with a thousand thanks. And the old and young of Qingxin Nunnery put on their robes together and went out separately to look for them.

When passing by the Chang'an County Ya, the county magistrate Ban Wenzhi immediately learned that the county magistrate's heart was more anxious than the last time a woman disappeared in Taihe Valley.

The last time I saw no one at the scene in Taihe Valley, there was no blood, it was because the person was not in danger, or he left by himself, or he was saved. This time, although it is not too late, it is raining and these two people are also amazing!

One is the second lady of Gaofu, the daughter-in-law of Sun Wuji, the eldest prince of Zhao Guo, and the cousin of the military department. One is the fifth lady of the military department, and he can't stand any of them who have a little misstep in his jurisdiction.

Could it be that the pillar of the earth has recently committed a rush? Why can't I find young women again and again! I lost one last time, and I lost two this time, do you think I can wear this black gauze hat steadily?

Ban County Ling said to Gao Bai, "Butler, you go to Wannian County to look for it, and you will hand it over to the lower officials in Chang'an County!" ”

As a result, from top to bottom in Chang'an County, even the county commanders, county officials, county lieutenants, head catchers, and government officials, except for those in charge of the treasury, were all dispatched.

People braved the rain to go to each district, and drove up all the people, let them take their own responsibilities, and report to the county government in time if they find out.

Gao Bai freed up his manpower to go east and to the ground in Wannian County to find it.

When he found Tongshanfang West Street, he saw the third lady Fan Ying and the fourth lady Siqing, both of whom were dressed in robes and riding horses to go out of the south gate.

It turned out that Mrs. Cui thought that these two girls would not have a whim and ride a horse to Meridian Valley to see the sixth Gao Shen Xing. They were worried there, and Gao Yao had said more than once that he was going to see it.

Mrs. Cui said that it was very likely that they would run over to show off, and it was unknown whether they would stay there in the rain.

Gao Bai was like a chicken in soup, standing in front of the horses of the third and fourth ladies and almost crying. Siqing said to him, "Butler, it's not too late, you don't have to be too anxious, you should always let the brothers put on a robe." ”

Gao Bai knew that this was the fourth lady relieving herself. If they were really not in a hurry, the mountain road was muddy and slippery, how could the two of them, who were pampered and pampered, run to Meridian Valley in the rain?

Moreover, Gao Bai clearly saw that the face of the third lady Fan Ying was not good, maybe he would say two more words, and Mrs. Fan's wet whip would be pulled off.

I don't know if it was cold in the rain or frightened, Gao Bai had a big cold war, and hurriedly led people to the east of the city to find it. When passing by Yongning Fang, Gao Bai didn't dare to enter the house, so he asked someone to run in and ask, but the fifth lady Cui Yan still hadn't come back.

When the mansion was looking up and down, Gao Jun was pretending to be drunk at the banquet of the third uncle of Xinglufang.

Xinglufang Gaofu is a big mansion, after entering the main gate, it is divided into several independent courtyards, which is insisted on by the elder before his death, and the six brothers are not allowed to separate their families and live together. The courtyard of the six brothers is self-contained, but the six families enter and exit with one gate.

This banquet was organized by Gao Chun Xing.

His son Gao Zheng was promoted to the fourth order all of a sudden, and Gao Chunxing thought that this honor was not small. Gao Chunxing, as a general, is a prisoner, and he is a descendant from the sixth grade. Seeing that he had already left his forties and his official position had stagnated for several years, he had long since stopped expecting anything from himself.

But his son is different, he is still young, especially with Gao Jun of the old five families there, he is really anxious for his son. This time, Gao Zheng was promoted to four levels in a row, which was not only unexpected by Gao Chunxing, but also somewhat understandable when you think about it.

After Gao Zheng came back, he told his father that Gao Jun returned the silver in front of the yamen of Shangshu Province in front of the officials, and it seemed that Hao Chujun, the servant of the Ministry of Officials, had also seen it.

Gao Zheng was a little embarrassed, but his father said to him, "Others don't know the ins and outs of it, and Gao Jun does it very naturally, you don't have to be embarrassed!" But he doesn't want to care about you for the time being. ”

Gao Chunxing said to his son, it's just that your wife is in a bit of a hurry. Gao Jun has just come up, how do you tell him to speak to people for the sake of his family! If it's up to me to do this, I'll talk about it in a few days.

Who knew that the next morning, as soon as Gao Zheng arrived at the ministry, Lord Hao, the waiter, called him over, and said to Gao Zheng mysteriously and privately, with a spring breeze on his face:

"Congratulations to Lord Gao, Bo Zhishi, the head of the Guozi Prison, has returned to his hometown, and this position will be vacant. It just so happened that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked who was the right person to take over, and the official considered that Master Gao was in the Ministry of Officials, and he had always been calm and never made mistakes, and he was talented and learned, so the official recommended you, and His Royal Highness agreed at that time! ”

After hearing this, Gao Chunxing, who was old in the officialdom accident, sighed, "See! Gao Jun just told you some family affairs in public, and someone saw that you were talented! Why do you need Gao Jun to speak!? ”

But no matter what, Lord Hao's mind must be kept in mind. At the very least, a family feast that brings each other closer together is necessary - and it doesn't have to be in the name of the entire high house, which would be too ostentatious. It is operated with the meaning of high-purity Xingfu.

A few gentlemen in the Gao Mansion must be invited over, and then there are some colleagues who have a good relationship between Gao Chunxing and Gao Zheng's father and son in the yamen, and the female dependents will not be invited.

So, at home, Gao Zhixing, Gao Zhenxing, Hao Shilang of the Ministry of Officials, one of the chief of the examination, two Lingshi, two Zhanggu, Gao Chunxing, a confidant of the general supervisor, plus Gao Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of War, planned to be these people in total.

It's just that another one came temporarily, and it was Lord Yao, the county magistrate of Wannian County. In this way, a family banquet that was originally planned to be held on a small scale, plus Mrs. Gao Chunxing and Mrs. Gao Zheng's wife An, reached sixteen people, and one table was no longer enough to sit.

When Gao Jun arrived, all the people arrived, and people all got up to greet them.

At today's banquet, the highest official position is Gao Jun and Zheng Sanpin, and the lowest status is the two Zhanggu in the Yamen of the Ministry of Officials, who are the seventh rank of the Liuwai.

Under Gao Jun, even if it is Lord Hao, the servant of the Ministry of Officials, is the fourth rank of the upper rank, and then it is the Wannian County Order Yao Congli, who is a positive fifth grade. The two tried their best to invite Gao Jun to take a seat, but Gao Jun said, "No, no, this is home, how can I have a seat!" But Lord Hao and Lord Yao are guests and should be seated. ”

The third uncle said again and again, Gao Zheng can get the new appointment, thanks to Lord Hao's recommendation, Gao Jun, you have to pay more tribute to Lord Hao! Gao Jun hurriedly raised his glass to serve Lang.

The squire was flattered, drank deeply, and said to the Ministry of War, "The Ministry of Officials is the national election official, for the sake of the community, Hao Mou did exactly what he should do, no need to say thank you!" ”

So Gao Jun understood that the promotion of the third brother Gao Zheng was indeed contributed by this waiter from the ministry. He recalled that the last time he and Gao Zheng were in the yamen diplomacy, the nine hundred taels were treated, and this Hao Shilang seemed to pass by.

At the other table, there were several low-level officials accompanied by Gao Zheng, one of the examiners, two Ling Shi, two Zhanggu, and the two hostesses of the mansion were also among them, and there were exactly eight people.

One of the officials, Ling Shi, was drinking wine while tilting his ears and listening to the words of several high-ranking officials at the wine table. Hearing that there was finally a break, he seized the opportunity and ran over with a wine glass to salute the tall man of the military department.

He said that he had long admired the heroic name of Lord Gao, and was envious of Lord Gao's terrifying achievements in Xizhou, Jiannan, Mobei, and even the Yibi Lu Division.

Gao Jun heard him exaggerate, and he didn't want to drink, but for the sake of face and in the third uncle's house, he shouldn't bear to look above the top, so he dried the wine. Then another palm Gu also came up, and it was a tall man from the military department alone.

Zhanggu said, "Gao Daren has changed from the chief pastor of Tianshan to the chief pastor of Datang, and he has more pastures and more horses!" I heard that Gao Daren has recently been rectifying Ma Zheng, Gao Daren is young and promising, and he really makes him humble and respectful, such as Mu Gaoshan and Lindachuan...... Talking ......"

And the chief examiner also came over, and after saluting Gao Jun's wine, he asked, "I wonder if there is any new information about the tax on private horses?" A cousin-in-law of Xia Guan is interested in raising more horses and has some financial resources to contribute to the country, but I don't know if the new policy is beneficial......"

For a while, Gao Jun was a little overwhelmed, it was okay to drink more wine, but it was a matter of Ma Zhengzhong, and even His Majesty didn't spare the time to report it, how could he talk nonsense with a few out-of-town officials?

Yao Congli, the county commander of Wannian County, was revealed by the chief of the Ministry of Officials and knew that the secretary of the Ministry of War was going to the meeting, so he came uninvited, called congratulating Gao Zheng on his promotion, but actually wanted to find an opportunity to make friends with the new Master of the Ministry of War.

Otherwise, he was a fifth-grade Chixian county magistrate, and he would not run for a master who was lower from the seventh grade.

Lord Yao shook his hand and said to the other table, "You should always let Master Gao take two mouthfuls of food, right?" Besides, there are two beautiful ladies at your table, shouldn't you also pay your respects? ”

So this side stopped, and Hao Shilang talked about the kindness of the elder to him in his early years, and Yao County Ling whispered to the military department:

"Master Gao has just arrived in Chang'an, he is busy with official business, and he is in charge of the five yamen, but his body must not be too tired...... Wine should also be drunk less, but Xia Guan has a good place to go, poetic and picturesque beauty is like a dream, just to cultivate temperament, there is a chance for Xia Guan to personally lead Gao Da to the pastime...... "[.]