"I was about to invite my father-in-law to the table. It's just ......" Ruan Dacheng looked embarrassed, slurping, as if he had something to say, but it was not easy to say it directly. looked at Cao Huachun between his eyebrows, and the meaning was very obvious.

Cao Huachun is such a person, a eunuch of the three dynasties, how can he not know that Ruan Dacheng has something difficult to say to himself, but he does not dare to say it directly, and he dares to say it only when he asks him.

Ruan Dacheng privately invited others to come, he was still a little unhappy in his heart, he went south extremely secretly, the emperor's order was in his body, and he knew that the fewer people he had, the better, if the matter leaked, so that Donglin had a guard, I am afraid that this strategy of drawing salaries from the bottom of the kettle will not work, so it will be in vain to waste the saint's last scheming.

But since the person has come, this Ruan Dacheng is still very respectful to himself, and he is Feng Quan's old friend, so he is not easy to attack, so he asked quietly: "If you have anything to say, you don't have to swallow and spit out, our family doesn't like people like this." ”

"Yes, yes."

Hearing Cao Huachun's words, Ruan Dacheng didn't dare to swallow anymore, and hurriedly said: "Father-in-law, there is another person in the house, who said that he had several relationships with his father-in-law, and he wanted to meet his father-in-law, but I don't know if my father-in-law can be gracious?" ”

"Who?" Cao Huachun was slightly stunned, who in Suzhou has several relationships with him. I've been in the capital, but I don't remember who I had a relationship with in Nanzhili.

"This person's surname is Ma, Mingshiying, the word Yaocao, and the student is the same Jinshi of Wanli for 44 years, and he was just dismissed from the post of governor of Xuanfu last year, and he lived in Jinling." Ruan Dacheng looked at Cao Huachun's face and replied carefully.

"Oh! It turned out to be Ma Shiying. Our family knows a thing or two about him, Ma Shiying is also a reckless man, he arrived at the Xuanfu and did not visit the eunuch Wang Kun, which is fine. used thousands of taels of official silver to give gifts to the powerful people in the court, but he refused to use some blood to block Wang Kun's mouth, what kind of qualifications Wang Kun has, and our family will let him have a few points! How can you swallow this bad breath? Such a stupid talent who doesn't know how to advance and retreat, and only cares about the front and the back, no wonder Wang Kun can't tolerate him. He is asking for his own hardships and does not complain about others. ”

Ma Shiying offended the eunuch Wang Kun in Datong, Cao Huachun naturally knew the Tao, and Wang Kun, like Wang Dehua and Wang Chengen under his own name, came out of the hidden house, and was quite favored by the saints, and it was not easy for him to offend him. That Ma Shiying is not good to offend, but he offended Wang Kun, and naturally no one in the inner court helped him speak. But what is strange is that this Ma Shiying is obviously also a member of the Donglin Party, but he doesn't know why the Donglin Party didn't help him out.

Cao Huachun was confused, and his perception of the Donglin Party was also getting worse. During the Apocalypse Dynasty, he was still relatively close to the attitude towards the Donglin Party, but since this dynasty, seeing the miasma of the court and seeing that the emperor is subject to the Donglin Party, he has become less and less impressed with the Donglin Party.

Ma Shiying is a member of the Donglin Party, and it is still the inner court that offends, which makes Cao Huachun very unkind when he speaks, and he does not give face to the introducer Ruan Dacheng at all. Hearing that, Ruan Dacheng was very embarrassed, but he didn't dare to defend Ma Shiying. After Cao Huachun finished speaking, Fang stepped forward and said with a cautious smile:

"Father-in-law Mingjian, Yaocao was also confused for a while, so he was negligent, he really didn't underestimate the prince, and he had the intention to go against him. Now Yaocao can't regret it, and she hopes that her father-in-law will rescue her. After speaking, he took out a big red pin gold paper from his sleeve and presented it respectfully.

Cao Huachun only glanced at it slightly, and put it in his sleeve casually, he saw a lot of handwriting written on it, knowing that the gift was expensive, and the loyal monarch wanted it, but this thing outside the body was also liked.

smiled indifferently, raised his hand slightly, and said to Ruan Dacheng: "Call him out!" ”

"Yes, father-in-law!"

Ruan Dacheng's heart suddenly fell to the ground, and he hurriedly waved his hand to signal the servant to hurry up and invite Ma Shiying to come over to meet.

After a while, Ma Shiying, who was dressed in Confucian clothes and was a little short and thin, came to the hall and saw Cao Huachun, without Ruan Dacheng's introduction, he immediately stepped forward to meet him: "Xiaomin Ma Shiying see Cao Gonggong!" He was a little more skinny than Ruan Dacheng, and he knew that he had been dismissed, but he was just a grass citizen, and he didn't even need to be expelled or anything.

For the sake of the gift, Cao Huachun nodded with a smile, stood up, motioned for Ma Shiying to get up, and then asked Ruan Dacheng: "What kind of play is it today?" ”

"Although my father-in-law has pointed out, although the world ranks the student's home class in the second place, in recent years, the students have concentrated on arranging a few new plays, and their reputation has been on par with Zhang Dai's home class." Ruan Dacheng rushed to lead the way, boasting with his eyebrows fluttering, and his face was very proud.

"Let's pick your best show and play it, if we look interesting, then order, if it's boring, let's just do it."

Cao Huachun walked while looking at the quiet surroundings of the courtyard, but seeing the ancient trees and the fragrance of flowers, this courtyard must be the ancestral business of which family, although it is a little decadent, but it can still see the prosperous scene of the past.

Thinking about it, Feng Quan is right, this Ruan Dacheng does have a family fortune, otherwise he would not have been able to buy such an industry in Gusu.

"My father-in-law is a guest, so the student will make his own opinion, please read the "Swallow Note" by my father-in-law!" Ruan Dacheng smirked all over his face.

"It's a new play, right? We really haven't heard of it. Cao Huachun said casually, he didn't know what "Swallow Notes" was.

Ma Shiying smiled behind him: "My father-in-law is right. This is a new play written by Brother Yuanhai, with clever words and writing, and it is the joy of a generation of Zhongxing, which is no less than Tang Ruoshi's "Four Kinds of Jade Tea Hall". ”

"Brother Yaocao praised it." Ruan Dacheng stroked his beard and said with a smile: "If you talk about the ingenuity of the writing and the scenery, the legend of the students can be regarded as new, not out of the ordinary, comparable to Mr. Ruoshi." If you talk about self-composing and self-entertainment, you should do what you do, sing songs on the board, and make your debut; Family savings excellent Ling, personally explained, eyes, reasonableness, tendons, strings of bamboo shoots, gags, and eyes, so that the people know their meaning, know their fingers, Mr. Tang still has no place! My father-in-law has followed the emperor for many years, and his vision is high, so he still needs to ask for advice! ”

Although Cao Huachun is a talented person in the inner study hall, during which he read most of the temple articles of loyalty to the country, he has never dabbled in opera and literary songs, and has been on an errand in the palace for many years, but he just watched a few glances at "Peony Pavilion" and "Pipa Legend" during the Niangniang Qianqiu Festival, and the others are unheard of, and there is no chance to see them. But when you get out of Beijing, you can find a lively place and take a look. As for Ruan Dacheng's boastful words, he didn't hear them at all, his left ear went in and out of his right ear, and he didn't bother to pay attention to it.

A piece of the road in the middle of the perfunctory, with the two turn the verandah winding alley, the front suddenly opened, is an unusually open garden, the lanterns are hung high, bright as day, the house slaves, the servants are busy, the garden of the pool on the edge of the set up a canopy out of thin air, in the middle of a hall, there are several pillars in the middle of the hall, and the four front pillars are hung with couplets.

Looking around, the pines and cypresses are lush, the green waves are rippling, the dancing pavilion and song platform, the red eaves are towering and green, it is really a good place for pleasure and happiness.

It's a wonderful place, but it's much more elegant than the West Garden!

Cao Huachun secretly praised, sat down quietly to the main seat, just sat down, a house slave of Ruan Dacheng brought up a big food box, a delicate-looking maid opened the lid of the box, and successively brought out eighteen dishes of eight large and eight small, and served a casserole, which was steaming hot, and it was a fragrant Wansan hoof.

Cao Huachun was about to raise the chopstick, and the maid served a four-color appetizer fruit plate: golden dates, golden kumquats, white sugar bayberry, and nine tangerine peels.

Ruan Dacheng personally filled the pot with wine, and the three of them raised their glasses and drank together. Cao Huachun ate the first dish, shouted well, and rewarded a tael of silver. After eating two more dishes, I suddenly felt that the world was delicious, and when I was happy, I called for a reward of ten taels.

Ruan Dacheng saw that he was eating happily, and waved his hand to the stage, the class master understood, and the hole flute was blown lightly, and the play started at any time.

"Swallow Notes" is the story of Huo Duliang and the prostitutes Hua Xingyun and Li Feiyun in the Tang Dynasty, which is divided into 42 plays, and it is difficult to complete it in half an hour.

Ruan Dacheng only chose one of the folds of "Treacherous Escape", the sheng pipe and flute played in unison, and a literary uglyer dressed in gorgeous clothes came up, and then an old man in official clothes with a white beard, and after a while, a slightly bewitching woman came up, and the three of them staggered and rapped.

Ruan Dacheng took advantage of the gap between rapping and pointed out and explained: "Father-in-law, please see, the one who pretends to be Hua Xingyun is Zhu Yinxian, the head of our class. It's really like something, and it's cute. ”

Cao Huachun began to feel lively and fun, and saw that Zhu Yinxian was really outstanding, with a pink face and peach cheeks, and a thousand charms.

That Zhu Yinxian caught a glimpse of Cao Huachun looking at him with good eyes, and used all his means, singing very hard, his tone was soothing and euphemistic, clear and long.

After all, Cao Huachun is a castrated eunuch, and he has no capital to like women, and after watching it for half an hour, he feels a little tired, and the lyrics of Kunqu Opera are like a book from heaven, and he can't hear the words clearly, and after listening to it for a long time, he can't help but be anxious, dizzy and swollen, and he has the patience to hear Xian Yu Ji and flee in a hurry, and get up to the side of the water pavilion to rest.

Ruan Dacheng and Ma Shiying were still unsatisfied, praising from time to time, and when Cao Huachun was asked what he thought, Cao Huachun reluctantly praised perfunctorily: "Mr. Yuanhai is really talented, but after all, the drama belongs to the trail, and it is a pity to indulge in it." ”

Hearing this, Ruan Dacheng immediately looked embarrassed, and said bitterly: "Father-in-law, the students are actually unwilling, but they have no way to serve the country. ”

Ma Shiying also bowed and said: "Now that the Donglin Party controls the government, and the appointment of people is only based on the selfishness of one party, even the emperor has deceived them. Brother Yuanhai couldn't get used to their willfulness, and wrote "Donglin Point General Record" as a metaphor, but it was regarded as a eunuch and a rebel case, and there is really no justice in the world! Fortunately, there are also ministers like my father-in-law, who are clear about right and wrong, we are unjustly killed, and we are very grateful in our hearts. When he said this, he hid his face and wept as if he had been wrongfully killed.

"Huh?" Cao Huachun sneered secretly, these two people's butts are not clean, but they can say that they are so wronged, it is really shameful and funny.

Seeing that Ruan Dacheng was aggrieved as if he was about to cry, Cao Huachun deliberately teased him, put down the teacup, and said lightly: "Our family heard that every time Mr. Yuanhai went to Wei Zhongxian's Mansion to pay respects, he would ask for his name when he left, so that when he searched Wei Mansion, he didn't see any credentials, but is there such a thing?" ”