Zhang Yuan heard that Qiu Chengyun's hometown was in Yuhang, and said happily: "Since Eunuch Qiu is coming to Hangzhou, then there is Lao Zhong's father-in-law to properly turn around-father-in-law, I will go and call Ma Qiancheng's brother-in-law Qin Minping, and my father-in-law will ask him in person, how is it?" ”

Eunuch Zhong said, "Okay, let him in." Then let a little eunuch follow Zhang Yuan out, this little eunuch is not a legal eunuch, he is privately from the palace to take refuge, the little eunuch's surname is Gao, twelve or three years old, and he calls Eunuch Zhong his godfather.

Zhang Yuan and the little eunuch went out to the gatehouse of the Weaving Department, Qin Minping, Mu Jingyan, Mu Zhenzhen, Wuling and two stone pillars and earth soldiers were waiting there, Zhang Yuan said to Qin Minping: "Brother Qin, Gonggong Zhong is invited." ”

When Qin Minping heard this, he was immediately overjoyed, Eunuch Zhong was willing to see him, so he must be willing to come forward to intercede, his gratitude to Zhang Yuan was really indescribable, and he bowed to Zhang Yuan to the ground, and then followed the two in.

When I arrived at the dining hall, I saw Eunuch Zhong standing on the stairs with his hands in his hands, and said to Zhang Yuan: "Gongzi Zhang eats by himself, our family is full." Looking at Qin Minping and said: "You are the brother-in-law of the Shizhu Xuanfu Envoy, such a majestic man!" ”

Qin Minping crossed his hands and sang a promise: "The native Qin Minping see Gonggong Zhong." ”

Eunuch Zhong said: "Follow our family to the small hall to talk." He turned and walked towards the hall on the left.

Qin Minping looked at Zhang Yuan, and Zhang Yuan said: "Gonggong Zhong is anxious for good work, and he has the style of an ancient sage, and Brother Qin is good at replying." Qin Minping nodded and followed Eunuch Zhong into the small hall.

Zhang Yuan stood under the pier for a while, Eunuch Zhong didn't let him go over, presumably to ask Qin Minping some words alone, of course he didn't want to go without permission, or eat first, only to think about talking, really didn't eat a few mouthfuls of food.

Zhang Yuan walked into the dining hall, and the two beautiful maids hurriedly greeted him and asked, "Zhang Gongzi, do you want to cook another wine and dish, this dish is a little cold." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "Don't bother, I'll just eat some more." Sitting on the previous seat, one of the beautiful maids scalded the wine with wine, and the other poured the residual wine for Zhang Yuan, poured it again, and then stepped aside.

Zhang Yuanxin said: "This eunuch Zhong will really enjoy it, and he will taste the flute while eating." After listening to it for a while, he said: "You don't need to blow the flute, it's not tiring to blow for so long." After the green curtains, there was silence.

Zhang Yuan drank a cup of warm palace wine Hantan Chun alone, ate some Chongluo Jing pasta, put down his chopsticks, and listened to the beautiful maid beside him ask: "What dishes does Zhang Gongzi want to use, although he is instructed." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "I'm full, I'm waiting here for my father-in-law to summon me." ”

Another maid quickly brought a cup of hot tea, as well as refreshments such as fruit puff pastry, black and white cakes, and manna cakes.

Zhang Yuan took a sip of tea and praised it: "This is Jianning tribute tea, and it is cooked well." ”

The beautiful maid on the left with two pear vortices said: "Childe is in good taste, this is Jianning Gongcha 'Longyuan Spring'." ”

Zhang Yuan said "um" and didn't say more, the eunuch has a strange temper, especially for women, and his possessiveness seems to be stronger, he has to be careful not to provoke right and wrong.

After a cup of tea came to the bottom, he didn't see Eunuch Zhong coming, Zhang Yuan was a little anxious, and he didn't dare to bother these two beautiful maids, so he walked outside the hall and saw the little eunuch waiting by the small hall, so he greeted: "Little Grandpa Gao-"

The little eunuch walked over and asked with a smiling face, "What do you have to say about Gongzi Zhang?" ”

Zhang Yuan asked the little eunuch to take him to Xiaoxie, and when he came back, he saw that Qin Minping had already bowed and exited the small hall, so he stepped forward and asked, "Brother Qin, have you explained everything to Gonggong Zhong?" ”

Qin Minping said: "It's all clear one by one, Gonggong Zhong is benevolent and righteous, and he has graciously interceded with Eunuch Qiu. ”

Zhang Yuan asked Qin Minping to wait for a while, and he entered the small hall and saluted Eunuch Zhong: "Thank you father-in-law for your delicious hospitality, the kid will retire first." ”

Eunuch Zhong said: "Our family promised to intercede with Qiu Chengyun, but this person is greedy, he wants to embezzle 50,000 taels of mining silver, and take the opportunity to rely on Ma Qiancheng's head, which is not easy for him to spit out." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "Since Gonggong Qiu's father is in Yuhang, he can let the Qin family go to his father to ask for a favor, and Princess Zhong Gong is planning this matter here, so she should be able to convince Eunuch Qiu." ”

Eunuch Zhong nodded and said: "Let's do our best, the people of the Ma family have arrived in Hangzhou, and I expect Qiu Chengyun to arrive soon, so you will delay here for a few days, and then you will lobby Qiu Chengyun with our family." ”

Zhang Yuan thought that there was still some time before the seventh day of the third month, after all, Qin Liangyu's side was important, so he bowed down and said, "Yes." ”

Eunuch Zhong asked him to move to the Weaving Department again, but Zhang Yuan declined, saying that his brother-in-law Shang Zhoude was still waiting for him.

Zhang Yuan and Qin Min resigned from Eunuch Zhong, came out and called Mu Jingyan's father and daughter, Wu Ling and two stone pillar earth soldiers to enter the city from Yongjinmen, and found a restaurant for dinner.

Zhang Yuan went to the Wumingwa boat and told Shang Zhoude about meeting Eunuch Zhong just now, Shang Zhoude saw that things were going well, and he was also quite pleased, and said: "Then we will visit the West Lake tomorrow, and we will almost leave the day after tomorrow, so you can delay here for a few more days." ”

Zhang Yuan just returned to the Sanmingwa white canopy boat, and before he sat down, Qin Minping invited him to go to the red-headed camphor boat to discuss matters, and came to the red-headed camphor boat, Qin Liangyu's mother and son both knelt down and saluted him, how dare Zhang Yuan be, he also knelt down and returned the salute, and got up to discuss the matter of persuading Qiu Chengyun, Zhang Yuan asked Qin Minping to take a few more local soldiers to Yuhang to find Qiu Chengyun's family, Qin Minping might as well be polite, the local soldiers can be arrogant, soft and hard, both pleading and threatening - Qin Liangyu praised: "Zhang Gongzi is wise, insight into people's hearts, this time I can meet Zhang Gongzi, The blessing of the people of the true stone pillar. ”

After discussing for a while, Qin Minping sent Zhang Yuan back to the ship - the oil lamp in the small cabin was dim, Wu Ling couldn't bear the sleepiness, Mu Zhenzhen said: "With me, Xiao Wu, you can sleep first, and I will serve when the young master comes back." Wu Ling fell asleep first, and when Zhang Yuan came back, he saw Mu Zhenzhen kneeling on the seat and looking at the small block characters he wrote yesterday, which was his copy of Zhu Zhishan's "Former Teacher Table" - "Can you really recognize the words?" Zhang Yuan bowed into the cabin and asked with a smile.

Mu Zhenzhen had already freshened up first, the high bun of the fallen woman was dissolved, and her long hair was tied into a large bundle of cyan cotton handkerchief and hung down on the back of her head, because she was kneeling and sitting, and the ends of her hair were dragged straight to the seat, as if she was idle - Mu Zhenzhen hurriedly put away the few small block letters, and said with a slight red cheek: "The maid only knows her own name, as well as my father's name, and I don't recognize other words, oh, there are three words of Dashan Temple, Daxiong Treasure Hall, Medicine Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Chenghuang Temple." ”

Zhang Yuan took off his shoes and sat down, and said with a smile: "You can often see the words you can see, and you can recognize a lot, if each word is as big as an orange, there is also a basket to put it on." ”

Mu Zhenzhen pursed his lips and said shyly and timidly: "Childe makes fun of the little maid." "It's a bit coquettish, but this fallen girl has lost her mother since she was a child and has never been spoiled, so it's a little blunt to be coquettish, as if a tanuki stretches out its claws to tempt, and it will retract at any time.

But it was such a blunt coquettishness, but Zhang Yuan's heart was moved, and he asked: "Then you just read these small letters I wrote, do you recognize a few words?" Suddenly, he stretched out his hand and waved it at the side of his nose, and said with a smile: "I really went to bring water to let me wash my feet, it stinks." ”

Mu Zhenzhen laughed, got up quickly, got out of the hatch, and quickly brought in a wooden basin of hot water, put it at Zhang Yuan's feet, squatted down and probed the temperature of the water with his hand first, raised his head and said, "Young master, wait a while, this water is still a little hot." Then he poked into the water with the tip of his hand and gently made a circular motion to let the water cool faster.

Zhang Yuan saw that the tip of Mu Zhenzhen's hand quickly burned red, so he also reached over and probed the water, wow, it was so hot, it was almost hot and blistered, and then looked at Mu Zhenzhen, paddling the water circle casually, this fallen girl dared to hit barefoot in the snow, and dared to take eggs in boiling water, water and fire are not soaked, this is not because she has practiced martial arts, but because her hands and feet are calloused, and she is good at enduring-"Young master, okay, now you can try." Mu Zhenzhen withdrew his hand and wanted to wipe it on the placket, but when he looked down and saw that it was a new coat, he raised his hand to dry.

Zhang Yuan put his feet into the wooden basin, the water was still hot to his feet, he couldn't help but not lift his feet, at first it was unbearable, but after a while, it was fine, and the corners of his forehead were sweaty, but he was full of comfort-Mu Zhenzhen hesitated and said: "Young master, do you want the maid to wash your feet for you?" As far as she knows, the young masters of large families all want their maidservants or small servants to serve like this.

Zhang Yuan looked at Mu Zhenzhen with a smile, he said that he met Qin Liangyu today, and tried his best to persuade Eunuch Zhong, this is a layout for a few years, this is very tiring, now you might as well tease this personal maid a little, make a joke and relax, and ask: "Are you willing?" ”

Mu Zhenzhen's snow-white cheeks turned crimson, and he said in a low voice: "The maid is willing." "I'm going to come over-Zhang Yuan hurriedly said: "No, no, I'll do it myself, I'm joking." Seeing Mu Zhenzhen looked at his rough palm, his face turned white, he knew that this fallen girl had misunderstood, this girl was both sensitive and inferior, she grew up in the fallen street since she was a child, she was bullied, and the feeling of being inferior to others was unforgettable - Zhang Yuan smiled: "Don't think nonsense, I don't mean to think about your thick hands, I'm afraid of itching, I will laugh and knock over the basin when you scratch the bottom of my feet." ”

Mu Zhenzhen suddenly became happy and said, "The little maid will be very careful not to touch the young master's feet." ”

Zhang Yuan smiled: "Don't dare to be, the real hand is the hand that casts a small dragon stick, not to rub people's feet, just like your father, a martial arts, how can you be a sedan chair man for a lifetime, I will seek a chance for your father to serve in the army, your father will be able to make military achievements in the army, as for the real you-"

Mu Zhenzhen's eyes were shining, and he said: "The maid will follow the young master and protect-" I felt that I was not so capable, and I was embarrassed to say that I was protecting the young master.

Zhang Yuan said: "Well, follow me and protect me." ”

Mu Zhen was really happy, when he went to pour the water, he almost threw the wooden basin far into the river, and when he returned to the cabin, he saw that the young master had fallen asleep, so she blew out the light, retracted into the quilt and untied her clothes, and when she took off only her small clothes, she got out of the quilt and looked at the young master, the young master's eyes were like stars, and he was looking at her, and he was so ashamed that he couldn't call out his voice, his heart was about to jump out of his chest, and his body was soft, so he heard the young master say: "Sleep, sleep, go to the West Lake tomorrow." ”

(To be continued)