On the day when the dragon raised its head in February of the eighteenth year of Kangxi, Huangliang Dream set off a social fire, and dozens of miles of good men and women around the road were endless. Gao Shiqi was thinking about entering Beijing. He was wearing a bamboo jacket and no belt, and his black hair was tied into long braids and dragged to his waist, dashing. Drifting through the crowd. After watching a hundred dramas for a while, and looking at the medicine sellers for a while, I felt bored. After coming to Xianmengtang, I was wandering around and thinking about my thoughts: I was about to enter Beijing to catch the exam, and after I arrived in Beijing, how should I move this move?

It's hard! With real skills. With the hard test of the article, who do I need to ask for? Helplessly, Mingzhu and Suo Etu, these big men are all reaching out in the coffin and asking for money! The thousand taels of silver given by the Zhou and Han families are only afraid that it will not be enough to stuff their teeth! Even if I am lucky enough to be admitted, at most I will know a county, but I can't prepare for it or a county, so I might as well practice medicine and sell calligraphy and paintings! He shook his head and smiled bitterly, seeing a pool of spring water rippling in the wind, and the apricot blossoms on the other bank were like snow and willows like rain. I was thinking of a good sentence, because I saw that the powder wall between the steles under the corridor was full of inscriptions, while looking, walking, came to the north head, but there were two poems written on the wall, and the following inscription was "Qiantang Chen Huang". The ink is dripping, and the characters are free and smooth. Gao Shiqi tilted his head and carefully commented on the meaning of the poem, but heard someone behind him shout:

"Gao Jiangcun, long time gone!"

When Gao Shiqi looked back, the person who came was twenty-six or seventeen years old, black and thin, but his eyes were bright, very energetic, wearing a tuanhua green silk robe, and his legs were spread apart and his back hands were standing and smiling.

“…… Oh...... You...... Ha, it's Chen Tianyi! Gao Shiqi hesitated for a moment, and suddenly recognized it, "Oops, why are you so tanned!" Oh, Chen Huang is your real name, and I didn't remember it until now! Why, let Brother Ling force him to enter Beijing to gain fame again? ”

Chen Huang smiled: "Where, my brother also wants to open it now." It seems that I was born with the eight characters of the five elements and lack of water, and I can't do without the river for the rest of my life. Virtue and meritorious service were not successful, so they had to make speeches. I have finished examining the North-South Canal, and I want to go from Niangzi to Jin in a few days, to Hequ Town along the Yellow River to the south, and there are still some things missing in the book I wrote (River Defense Summary), such as how to explore the source if you want to cure the Yellow River...... "Speaking of river control, this black and thin man's eyebrows are dancing and gushing," ...... In and out of the phase, that's a matter of a character like your Brother Jiangcun. Well, I'm just worthy of being a water rat. ”

Gao Shiqi listened with a smile and said: "Dayu's water control skills are in the future, how can I underestimate you?" Look at this appearance, you will be born as a river boy and die as a water god. I borrowed from Brother Ling and read what you wrote (Hefang Summary), which is really an important word for helping the people and governing the country. I don't know anything about water control, but what you say is unspoken, unseen, and incisive! ”

Chen Huang glanced at Gao Shiqi carefully and said, "I really don't dare to recognize you, you are such a shabby scholar now!" Have you made a windfall? ”

Gao Shiqi smiled and said about the treatment in Han Liu's house, but avoided the section on the Zhou family's robbery, and after speaking, he looked at Chen Huang and asked: "Look at the indignation in your poems, now that you have fulfilled your wish, what is the grievance of seeking benevolence?" How to whine? ”

Chen Huang was stunned for a long time before he smiled and said: "Don't hide it from Brother Jiangcun, the entanglement is still far away, so why don't you worry?" ”

"Hey, what's so hard about that? Wrap it up on me! If you don't have money in your waist, you don't dare to run rampant - in the end, you are a son's temperament. Like me Gao, I don't have any money on me, didn't I come here from Zhejiang? Walk! Follow me to Han's house, let them vacate the room, you have a good rest for a few days, sort out the examination articles, and raise your spirit, I will go north and west, and we will do our own thing. ”

Chen Huang walked out with Gao Shiqi and said with a smile: "Brother Tangren's temperament hasn't changed at all, he will spend all the money if he has it, and he will drill the camp again if he is gone-you want to be the prime minister, how can the world get it?" At this moment, Gao Shiqi saw a woman who asked for food with dirt on her face, and a stinky smell came out, and she took a sip and said, "Go!" Chen Huang touched more than a dozen coppers from his body and handed them over. When the two looked at each other, Chen Huang was slightly stunned, and the female beggar hurriedly lowered her head to cover her clothes. Chen Huang asked, "Is this woman from here?" ”

"Alas, who knows her!" Gao Shiqi spat again, "It's a dumb person!" It stinks so badly that she doesn't have any hue at all—what do you ask her to do? ”

Chen Huang pondered for a long time and said: "This person is very similar to a person I bought three years ago - when Wang Fuchen of Shaanxi rebelled, I happened to be in Gannan to inspect the Jing River, Wang Fuchen's army was short of salary, and many women were plundered from the Mongolian refugees, and put them in sacks, two taels of silver. I lacked a concubine by my side, so I also picked one, although she was dead or alive, but she looked very standard......"

"Peugeot! Hahaha......" Gao Shiqi laughed and said: "This kind of flower is called 'Peugeot', it's really abrupt, and the portrayal is saltless - what happened later?" ”

Chen Huang was silent for a moment and said, "I didn't expect that she would run away on the night I bought it." I don't know why...... Maybe I look ugly? ”

"Hao, I said Chen Huang, you are enchanted! Don't mention the past, what do you care about her accounts? It's time to have a drink tonight! With that, he pulled Chen Huang back to Han's house, and asked for a table of noodles like a master, and ate until dark. Han Liu and Chen Huang had a good temper, and repeatedly asked him to stay, but Chen Huang insisted on going back to Huangliang Dream Store to pack his luggage and say goodbye.

returned to the guest, but Chen Huang couldn't sleep anymore, and the shadow of the woman he saw during the day was always haunting in front of him. Listening to the change, he came out in his clothes, and at this time Xinghan was far away. The people in Tianjie are quiet, the moon line is like a high hanging hollow, and the Fuyang River in the distance makes a slight whistling sound for a long time. He strolled to the temple gate, and suddenly stopped hesitantly:

"What am I trying to do? It's so late, but there will be a young woman named Hanako......"

was about to step back, but saw a person standing on the steps of the water opposite the stage opposite the flagpole in front of the temple. Chen Huang couldn't help but be surprised: It's so late and so cold, who is over there? He took two steps forward, and heard the man whisper:

The wicker is golden and tender, and the green pink wall hosts the Yun family.

Swallows don't come to spring and be lonely, Xiaotan and Fengmeng pear blossoms......

Hearing this, Chen Huang was stunned. The person in front of him is obviously a woman, and looking at her figure and appearance, she is vaguely the female beggar she saw during the day. Chen Huang listened to her sad tone, and secretly thought: This woman is as deep as Wuji and has profound knowledge, she will never be able to sigh like this. An indescribable pity rose in Chen Huang's heart. It is the feeling of affection. I couldn't help but say loudly: "Good! It turns out that you are not dumb, but you can utter these clear words! ”

When the woman heard the human voice, she hurriedly turned around and stepped on, and under the hazy moonlight, her slender figure looked even more erratic. Chen Huang didn't dare to slack off, and followed in great strides. The woman heard his footsteps follow, and walked more and more quickly, left and right, flickering and appearing, flashing among the thorns of the desolate graves, and long gone.

Chen Huang stood still, looking left and right. At this time, the clouds are flying, the moon shadow is bleak, the pines and cypresses of the Hessian forest make a low sound, and the leaves of the poplar and green maple trees are ringing in the mountains. Suddenly, I heard a terrible howl of "chirping-" behind me. Chen Huang looked back and saw a female ghost opposite, with fluttering hair. His hands were raised high, and his face was not bloody, but he didn't even see his ears, eyes, mouth, and nose, but only a blur of white forest! Chen Huang's courage has been honed since he was a child in the treacherous wind and waves, since the age of sixteen began to investigate the source of the river alone, in the ruined temple, barren mountains and wild tombs are common to spend the night, and also several times with the thieves who pretend to be ghosts to rob the tomb. After a moment of panic, he quickly calmed down, nodded and sighed, "Why do you have to do this? If I don't have the guts, I won't dare chase you - take off the white handkerchief from your face! ”

"Who are you?" The woman asked, "Why are you chasing me?" ”

"You should ask me first! I haven't asked you yet, who are you? Is it a native of the Western Regions, who was betrayed by Wang Fuchen's soldiers? ”

Hearing this, the woman fell silent and slowly removed the white paper covering her face. Chen Huang took a closer look, and it was true that it was the female named Huazi who was begging for food in Huangliang Dream Town during the day. At this time, it was close at hand, Chen Huang looked carefully, although she couldn't see it clearly under the starlight, there was no dirt on her face, and on her slender neck was a clean and beautiful face, but it was so pale that people didn't dare to look at it. A rose-like non-rose. The virgin breath that seems to be like a citron and is not a citron spreads faintly. She straightened out the distribution, did not answer Chen Huang's question, only smiled mockingly, and said: "You are really a brave person, there have been several evil teenagers who have been scared to death by me before!" ”

"Naturally, you have to do this if you want to defend yourself." Chen Huang said coldly: "I don't understand, I rescued you in the first place, why did you escape?" What is your background? ”

"What did you save me? That's to make me your concubine. I didn't dare to climb - I had to be reduced to a beggar. Why did you come after me tonight, for the few taels of money you ransom? ”

Chen Huang knew that she was lying, but it was inconvenient to ask any more. He shook his head and said, "I saved you because there was a maid by my side." Since you don't want to, I'll just do it, the raw melons are not sweet...... I listened to you chanting poetry, and saw that you pretended to be dumb, and I knew that your life was extremely difficult. Since we have met by fate, I should ask you a ......"

"So you're really...... Love me? ”

Chen Huang trembled, subconsciously glanced up at her, avoided her gaze, and whispered, "Don't ...... Don't say that...... I have been inspecting the river all year round, and I have seen a lot of women from the Western Regions on both sides of the Yellow River, and as far as I can see, you don't look like a native of the Central Plains......"

The girl smiled slightly: "Oh? What a great eyesight. You can see it very accurately, I am indeed not from the Central Plains, but from the Khalkha Mongolian Tushetu. ”

As soon as he heard this, Chen Huang knew it in his heart. When he was inspecting the upper reaches of the Yellow River, he had been to Western Mongolia and knew a little about the situation there. Khalkha and Dzungar are the two major tribes in the Western Regions, for some reason, the Khalkha people have internal strife, and Geldan of Dzungar took advantage of the situation to enter and annex the steppe of Khalkha, and also killed the Khan King of the Tushetu tribe. This woman's origin is unknown, could she be-Thinking of this, Chen Huang blurted out: "Then, how did you end up in the Central Plains, and where are your parents?" ”

Hearing this, the woman's face changed, and she suddenly covered her face with her hands, and cried bitterly: "No, don't ask me about it, let alone my poor father......"

"Father!?" Chen Huang was stunned when he heard these two words. Ah, the humiliated woman in front of him was actually the daughter of Tushetu Khan, a noble Mongolian princess, and in surprise, he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted:

"Student Chen Huang, I've seen Princess Gege."

Seeing him like this, the woman stopped crying: "Oh, Mr. Chen, the little girl's name is Ah Xiu, you can call me by my name." I want to thank you. Thanks to you for rescuing me from Wang Fuchen, I fled to Beijing to file a complaint, and was almost killed by Geldan's envoys...... Alas, don't talk about this, Mr. Chen's kindness, I will never forget, it's getting late, I should go back to the temple. Mr. Chen, we'll see you later. ”

Chen Huang is also in a dilemma, now that he knows Ah Xiu's life experience, he can't let her live a beggar life anymore, lead her back to the inn, in the middle of the night, can the lonely man and widow not cause others to discuss? Now, hearing Ah Xiu say such words, and seeing her about to turn away, a feeling of amazement suddenly hit his heart, and he shouted: "Ah Xiu Gege, please stay!" ”