The master and apprentice got up to leave, but they saw a cloud of dust and mist suddenly rising in the distance, drifting like a whirlwind. The two hurriedly dodged, but the man on the horse was very good at riding, and the horse galloped around the two, and after a few laps, they grabbed the silk reins together, and the healthy horse stopped urgently, surrounded the two in the center, and shouted: "Where to go?" ”

In the late spring of March, in the suburbs of Beijing, the fragrance of flowers is warm, and the mountains and rivers are beautiful.

Outside the Xizhi Gate, by the sorghum river, the willows on the bank are green, the river boat is swaying, the BMW incense car, the umbrella cover is like a cloud, the tea shed food stall, the wine flag pavilion, the shoulder motorcycle car bumps, the voice of the people is bustling, the rod, the somersault, the fireworks and other hundred plays, the competition is skillful, and it is the season of the year to go out and seek the fragrance.

On the bridge of the Gaoliang River, three people walked down, the young man in front was about sixteen or seventeen years old, slender and long, with white skin, wearing a blue silk straight jacket, wearing a square scarf with four corners, pedaling Yuan-colored double-faced shoes, holding a carved fragrant side Sichuan fan in his hand, and a dragon jade fan pendant on it. The two entourages behind him, one was an old man in gray, with white hair and beard, wrinkled skin, high nose and deep eyes, and a pair of mille-feuille shoes under his feet. The other was a young man in his early twenties, slightly short and stocky, with a green coat and a small hat, but also neat. The three of them walked slowly along the river, and the young man took a breath and said, "The prince is so Yaxing, good physique!" After enjoying the longguan begonias for half a day, I came to the sorghum river to go green, and tomorrow I will go to the Dongyue Temple to incense, I don't seem to feel tired? ”

When the man in blue heard this, he looked up at the sun, which was a little westerly, and said to the old man in gray in front of him: "After walking for a long time, I didn't feel much tired, but I was a little hungry." Find a tea shed nearby for a cup of tea and some snacks! ”

The old man in gray turned around and nodded in response, "What the prince said is true." Then find a clean place near the river, eat and drink, and enjoy the scenery at the same time. ”

The boy in blue looked around and said, "I remember that there is a Jile Temple not far from the Gaoliang Bridge, which is pure and elegant, but it is a good place to rest." I came here once when I was a kid and I vaguely remember it. ”

"Not bad! Childe really has a good memory, and Kek Lok Temple is about three miles away from here. The old man in gray praised: "However, the temple has been destroyed by a natural fire six or seven years ago, and only a few broken walls and ancient willows outside the door and ancient pines in front of the hall are not worth watching." However, the national flower hall on the left side of the temple is still there, and the large peonies that are a piece must have grown buds at this time, and they are about to spit out. ”

The man in blue muttered softly: "If the temple is still there, it would be a little interesting to go to the meditation hall to ask for a cup of tea." It's a pity that the ruins and walls are very discordant with this good spring, so let's find a place nearby! The three of them looked around, and there was a three-story building towering among the sparse buildings on both sides of the strait, majestic and magnificent, and the young man smiled: "Coincidentally! In front of it is the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion. ”

Lotus Xiang Pavilion is the famous teahouse on the Gaoliang River, it is built by the rich brother of a rich family in the south of Luodi Yujing, two floors are built on the east and west banks, the two floors cross the water surface, such as the rainbow lying wave, the covered bridge is built, several exquisite bamboo pavilions and small pavilions are erected, the lotus flowers are full of rivers in summer, the flute song is everywhere, the boat shuttles, the sound of the oars is soft, the light shadow is hazy at night, the insects and frogs resonate, climb the building, the water, enjoy the lotus, smell the fragrance, taste the tea, enjoy the joy of the landscape and the countryside. The three of them came to the front of the building and were about to enter, but they heard someone shouting: "Ask the good and the bad, and there is nothing wrong." A black-clothed hunchbacked old man led a thin young man to meet him, the old man shook a red cloth banner in his hand, and the young man carried a black cloth banner on his shoulder. The boy in blue stopped, looked at the old and the young, and the young man hurriedly said: "It's just a trick of the warlocks in the rivers and lakes to deceive people, don't pay attention to it!" ”

Unexpectedly, the hunchbacked old man responded: "This little brother is so unreasonable!" The little old man walks the rivers and lakes, relying on real talent and learning, how can he deceive people and eat indiscriminately? ”

The man in blue put away the folding fan in his hand and said: "Old man, the inferior servant is reckless, and his words collide, which is really rude." However, most of the people who are in the rivers and lakes are in vain, and how many of them have real talents and real learning? It's often just a big deal. ”

The hunchbacked old man shook the cloth banner in his hand and sighed: "The number of heavens, in the dark, has its own arrangements, and the prince doesn't believe it!" ”

The old man in gray said to the man in blue: "On the rivers and lakes, there are many capable people, why provoke them!" Let's go for tea! ”

The boy in blue nodded, and was about to turn around, but the hunchbacked old man said: "Since the little old man came out of the school, he has never been robbed for no reason, since the boy doubts my Taoism, you might as well give it a try, if you are not on time, it will destroy my cloth banner and criticize my old face but I am also willing!" With that, with a wave of his right hand, the thin young man behind him took off the big banner on his shoulders with both hands, and stretched out in the wind, the thick black cloth couldn't help but flutter and make a hula sound. The young man struggled to stick the wooden pole on the ground, pulled the banner cloth with his hand, and the man in blue looked at it and saw that it was densely embroidered with white characters, "Heaven and earth are yellow, and the universe is desolate......" knew that the embroidery was a thousand-character text, and he was puzzled, and the old man in gray whispered: "This is called a thousand-character flag, it seems that this old man is specially designed to measure words." ”

When the man in blue heard this, he couldn't help but increase his interest sharply, and said with a smile: "Since the old man said so, please go upstairs to talk about it." The old man in gray couldn't stop him anymore, so he tightly guarded the boy in blue, and the five of them entered the teahouse together. When the cousin saw it, he greeted him with a smile, and found a private seat on the third floor as instructed, then brewed fragrant tea, set up a snack, looked at his eyes slightly, and bowed down slowly. The boy in blue asked, "Uncle, if it's convenient, dare to ask the surname Gao?" ”

The hunchbacked old man said: "The little old man is not enough to worry about!" Since the prince asked, he shouldn't have concealed it. It's just that the three of them doubted Xiao Lao'er's Taoism just now, thinking that it was just a trick to deceive people in the rivers and lakes, so they didn't tell each other about their cheap names. If the prince said that the little old man's test was accurate, and the voice was good, it would not be too late to talk about it at that time. ”

"Then dare to ask the old man what the master is......" The man in blue saw that he was conceited, and he was not annoyed, and his tone was still soothing.

"Xiao Lao'er's ancestor is Yuan Heng, Yuan Mingche and his son of the Yongle Dynasty, but Liuzhuang's appearance is unfathomable, and Xiao Lao'er is stupid and dull, and he can only learn to measure words." The hunchbacked old man arched his hand and spoke, his expression was solemn, and when he said the back, his voice suddenly became extremely old and desperate, as if he had not learned the art and humiliated the teacher.

The gray-clothed old man's face changed slightly, and he said solemnly: "Yuan's father and son are said to be the descendants of Yuan Tiangang, the god of the Tang Dynasty, and they are really geniuses who are hard to find in a hundred years, and they are quite appreciated and favored by Yongle Ye, so that the gods of Liuzhuang were popular in the court back then, and they were famous in the rivers and lakes. Since Mr. is from Liuzhuang's disciples, he can only learn. Just now, our little brother spoke abruptly, and he hoped to be inclusive, which was really disrespectful. ”

"How dare you! How dare you! The hunchbacked man saw that the old man in gray knew a thing or two, and he couldn't help but feel a little bit of the old in a foreign land, his face was much more relaxed, and he said leisurely: "When the ancestor happened to meet my Ming Dynasty Emperor Chengzu, he measured a word for Yongle Ye, and the dragon's heart was very happy, and I sent Dachang!" His face was overwhelmed, and he was immersed in an infinite reverie.

"Which word?" The boy in blue asked urgently.

"It's a 'silk' word." The gray-clothed old man swiped his right hand a few times on his left palm.

"Not bad! It is the word 'silk'. The hunchbacked old man grinned at the old man in gray, secretly added a little admiration in his heart, and arched his hand: "It seems that this old man is also very familiar with the story of the previous dynasty!" ”

The old man in gray also smiled: "Strange people and anecdotes, the world is famous." I only know a little bit about it, and I would like to hear it in detail. ”

"What does the word 'silk' mean?" The boy in blue saw that the two of them recalled the past, and he also wanted to know the inside story. The young man and the young man were even more impatient.

The hunchbacked old man said politely: "Since the son is moving, the little old man will talk about it, and it can be regarded as showing off the brilliance of the master." If there is any omission, please ask this brother to correct it. He smiled at the gray-clothed old man, took a sip of the tea bowl with his thin right hand, cleared his throat, and said slowly: "Master Zu met Yongle Ye back then, and he was also in the land of Jingshi, at that time, Yongle Ye did not have Longfei Jiuwu, but he was the vassal king of Yandi. Ay! More than 200 years have passed in the blink of an eye. The hunchbacked old man looked out the window at the sparkling blue water, as if he was overwhelmed with emotion.

"That day, Yongle Ye went on a micro-service tour, and I happened to meet Master Zu outside the front door guarding the thousand-character banner and taking a nap on the desk, ignoring a few people who came forward to ask for divination. Yongle Ye was curious, and said with a smile: "I don't do business, but I come here to sleep, it can be seen that I don't have much ability, I'm afraid that the words taught by the master have been exhausted!" The ancestor replied without raising his eyes or opening his eyes: "A few laymen are just untouchables, with hateful faces, what is there to see?" I was born with talent, how can I just work for all sentient beings? Since ancient times, Yan Zhao has been a generous and tragic person, originally thinking that this place must be a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger, but there are few heroes to get acquainted! When Master Yongle saw that Master Zu's tone was so loud that he could swallow the sky, he was secretly angry, so he stepped forward and said, "I, a layman, want you to be in love!" Master Zu said casually: "There is no need to meet each other." Rolling red dust, I'm too lazy to open my eyes, just test a word! Yongle Ye was silent, to the front of the banner to choose a "silk" word, the ancestor ordered him to take paper and pen to write, Yongle Ye pretended to read not much calligraphy is not neat, the word "silk" is written on long legs, up and down apart, like "white", "towel" two words. Master Zu turned his head sideways, glanced at it, looked up at Yongle Ye, immediately opened his eyes, got up and knelt down and said, "Why did the prince bow down to the dignity of ten thousand times and walk outside easily? The passers-by on the side thought that Master Zu was crazy and nonsense, but Yongle Ye helped him up and secretly screamed and silenced. Master Zu said: 'Please come forward and speak. Yongle Ye even asked what the word "silk" means? Master Zu said with a smile: "The grass people went to Yandi, saw that the king was very angry here, gathered in the city of Beijing, changed colorful, azure dragon shape, and Nanjing competed with each other, has not known the reason, today I see the prince suddenly brightened. The prince divided the word "silk" into books, and with a slight gain, it was the image of the emperor's head and tail. Congratulations! If you meet the prince, the grass people can also be happy. Yongle Ye was skeptical, thinking that it was just the auspicious words of the warlock of the rivers and lakes begging for money, so he only rewarded five taels of silver, and left with a smile. Unexpectedly, a few years later, Yongle Ye ascended the throne, remembered the words of the grandfather, was convinced, and sent someone to summon the grandfather to Beijing and give the official Taichang Temple. I don't know that the ancestor has no intention of Shilu, he just wants to have money and wine to eat. Yongle Ye did not force it, he was happy to achieve his ambition, and Qin gave him a gold medal, and personally wrote an edict on it: 'Give you a gold medal, let you walk, pay money through the treasury, and drink in the workshop. Someone asked you that Dao was a friend of Emperor Yongle. 'Master Zu just with one word, he has measured the Yongle Lord for several generations, it can be seen that the way of heaven has been unhappy since ancient times, but there are many foolish men and fools in the world, and how many people know my immortal Taoism? ”

The boy in blue was a little stupid when he heard this, and clapped his hands and said, "Interesting!" Interesting! It's amazing! I'm going to take a test today! "Stand up, and point to the thousand-character banner. The old man in gray gestured with his eyes and wanted to stop him, but the boy in blue was so interested that he turned a blind eye.

The hunchbacked old man bowed his head and said, "The little old man is willing to serve the son!" I also asked the prince to sit down and write. ”

"No need! Let's choose a word from the thousand-character flag! The boy in blue seemed to be unwilling to be the same as his predecessors, walked to the banner and looked carefully, and after reading the thousand-character text, he stopped his gaze, and pointed to the four words "scarf and drapery": "Just choose this 'scarf' word, won't it also be 'emperor's tail'?" ”

"This ......" Zheng Yangtian saw that he was deliberately embarrassed, and muttered: "This word is too simple, please choose another one." When the young man heard this, he snorted and muttered: "It's obviously impossible to measure, and it's still tricky, and it's chosen to come and go!" ”

"If you can't measure it, you'll know later, don't be too anxious, little brother." The hunchbacked old man had a pleasant face, and he was not angry at all.

The boy in blue looked up and down the cloth banner again, and his eyes still fell on the word "scarf", and said: "Scarves and hats are not separated, they are all gathered in the most noble place of people, so add another word 'hat'!" ”

Zheng Yangtian pinched his fingers and calculated, suddenly his body shook slightly, his complexion changed slightly, he forced a happy face, and said with a smile: "The words measured by this prince are really unfathomable, and the little old man's Taoism is not refined, it is really difficult to deduce, and the tea money will be paid by the little old man, and the three of you will do your own thing." It's bothered. After that, he got up and left, but he couldn't help but look back at the man in blue, and there were a little tears in his eyes. When the boy in blue saw that he only had a few words, he wanted to leave, inexplicably. The young man stretched out his hand and said, "Just now you looked like you were blowing through the sky, why did my son-in-law scare you away with just two words?" It also seems to be a silver-like wax gun head, which is useless! ”

When the young man heard this, he stepped forward and took a step, as if he wanted to theorize, but the hunchbacked old man hurriedly stopped him and said, "The apprentice has carried the thousand-character banner and gone to the front desk to meet the banknotes." Unexpectedly, the old man in gray stretched out his thin palm and shouted: "Don't go, since you have written a word, you have something to say slowly, why hide it perfunctorily!" ”

When the hunchbacked old man saw that he had broken his words, he knew that it was difficult to give up easily, so he had to give up his hand and say bluntly: "The little old man is really a little bit of Taoism, and it is difficult to deduce the mystery in it." ”

"What's the mystery, please Mr. explain!" The gray-clothed old man's eyes were shining.

The hunchbacked old man saw the old man in gray chasing and beating hard, and he didn't give up, and said with a wry smile: "Since the old gentleman is strong, the little old man has to say a few words." Just downstairs, forgive the little old man's clumsy eyes, this son is really expensive, you have to do it yourself, and you can go up to the next floor soon. ”

"Please sit down and talk." The old man in gray smiled restrainedly, and gave back to the hunchbacked old man. Only then did the hunchbacked old man know that the gray-clothed old man had sharp eyes, and it was not something that could be dismissed with a few words. If you don't tell the reason for the situation, you will have the slightest reservation, and it will be difficult to get out calmly. At that moment, I had to stubbornly excuse myself and say, "No need." The secret of heaven cannot be revealed, how dare the little old man go against the sky? If the opportunity fits, we will learn again another day. Then he turned and followed the boy and went downstairs.

"Wait! If you don't say anything, you'll be rude. The old man in gray ignored the hunchbacked old man's refusal, and flew in front of the master and apprentice. The hunchbacked old man sighed: "Today's adventure seems to be providential. After that, he turned around and sat down, and saw the boy in blue with a smile in his eyes, staring at him earnestly, his expression was extremely focused, and he exclaimed: "The little old man just saw that the son was extraordinary, and he only said that the son was born in a rich family. When the prince stood up and pointed out the two words, he realized that the prince was noble, and it was really rare in the world. ”

"You don't want to ask for more money, do you? We didn't have much silver with us. The young man couldn't help but laugh when he saw his capriciousness.

"Don't talk too much! Listen to him. The gray-clothed old man spoke sternly, and glanced at it with his eyes, and the young man immediately shrunk his tongue. The hunchbacked old man looked at the two of them, and was about to return the salute and said, "The little old man is not a beggar who asks for food, he earns it by his real skills." Seeing the gray-clothed old man with a frosty face, his expression was cold, his heart sank secretly, and he was quite jealous, thinking of his arrogant style, he couldn't help but feel a little more frightened, and hurriedly changed his words: "The prince first chooses the word 'scarf', and then chooses the word 'hat', the so-called 'scarf' word wears a 'hat', plus the word 'li', what is the word not 'emperor'?" It is really a sign of great nobility in the future. ”

The man in blue was still smiling, but faintly stiffened. The young man was so shocked that he couldn't swallow his tongue, Rao is an old man in gray who is old and sophisticated, and has a lot of experience, but he can't hide the surprise on his face, and he doesn't know how to answer. The hunchbacked old man hurriedly pulled the young man downstairs, who knew that the young man had not said a word, but at this time he said: "Although there is the image of the ninety-five and the respect of the dragon flying, it is a pity that it can only be reached by standing up, and it seems that it cannot last long." As the saying goes: Standing for a long time hurts bones. That's exactly what it means. ”

The hunchbacked old man couldn't stop it, and his face was as frightened as earth. The gray-clothed old man parted his arms, bounced up from the chair like a crane, and slapped his palm radially on the top of the young man. The blue-clothed boy frowned slightly, twisted the folding fan in his hand, spread the fan hula, and said softly: "The yellow-mouthed son, his mouth is unobstructed, don't be embarrassed by him!" Hearing this, the old man in gray withdrew his palm outward, his head was deflected, and he swept over the young man's shoulder. Rao is like this, the young man has also turned on his back, lost the thousand-character flag, hugged his right shoulder with both hands, only felt the pain into the bone marrow, and his face oozed soybean-sized hot sweat, lying on the ground for a long time and unable to get up. The hunchbacked old man's face was pale, and he bent down to help him up, and saw that he was trembling in pain, his face was like gold paper, and he only clenched his teeth, gurgling, and did not cry out in pain, and looked at the old man in gray with resentful eyes. The hunchbacked old man held him firmly, knelt down at the blue-clothed boy together, kowtowed and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you for your mercy." Ouchi's monument wrestler really lives up to his name! If it weren't for the mercy of the prince, even if this child would not die in Hexianglou, one arm would inevitably be crippled. Then he turned to the old man in gray and accused: "Although this child has a loss of words, his sin is not as good as death." Brother Fang Cairen has been strong again and again, but the little old man and apprentice just understand it, right or wrong, listen or not, it's all up to the prince to decide, why bother to say a word that doesn't agree with his heart, just go out and fight ruthlessly? ”