The wine was extremely powerful, and the two of them took a few sips of soju in their stomachs, and felt that their bodies were warm and dry, Wei Zhongxian shook the sauce-colored Hangzhou satin mink cloak beside him, and dried the wine in the coarse porcelain bowl and said: "Our family has enough over the years, what brocade clothes have not been worn, and what jade food has not been entered?" I am also content when I think of the downfall of the past. ”

"Do you have a time when you are down? I can't think of a small one. ”

Wei Zhongxian muttered: "Where can you experience our family's difficulties and worries?" Our family has been in the palace since the seventeenth year of Wanli, and it has been a halfway monk, and it has been thirty-nine years since today. Just entered the palace, there was no backer, so he had to be oppressed, recorded in the name of the eunuch Sun Xian, the eunuch of the ceremonial supervisor Bingbi, in fact, he was on an errand under Liu Jixiang, and he couldn't bear to be lonely, so he and Xu Yingyuan and Zhao Jin taught a few confidants to eat wine and roll dice, and so it took a whole ten years. Sun Gonggong's head Qiu Chengyun was originally in the Imperial Horse Prison, and he was ordered to go to Sichuan to supervise the mines, so he went to him. Who knew that the thief didn't think about the same family, and almost killed our family, so he had to go back to the palace. Jiaziku is on an errand, and the East Palace is a meal, serving Wang Cairen. Where is this step by step a little easy? The good thing is that it's always better than starving at home. ”

Li Chaoqin poured wine and said, "Lord is starving? The little ones don't believe. ”

"It's also the truth, how can you not believe it? It has nothing to do with today's wealth! Wei Zhongxian's eyes under his white eyebrows dimmed, took off the velvet hat on his head, and sighed: "Our family lived in Suning County before entering the palace, and played gambling and playing all day long, but where is there so much gold and silver on our bodies?" Even the wives and daughters are suffering with our family, and it is difficult for them to get a name after a full meal. Later, he shouldn't have borrowed two taels of silver from the family of Eunuch Li Miao, the master of ceremonies in the East Gate, that is the desperate money of Li Luoli, where can I afford it? But seeing the wealth of the eunuch, he ruthlessly cut off the root of the evil with a knife, sold his wife Feng, and sent his daughter to the neighbor Yang Liuqi's house as a child daughter-in-law. ”

"No, it's been like this since ancient times. The grandfather does not need to be miserable, the grandfather was extremely poor, but he had a great wealth. Now it's the end of the road, I can't say that I can't return to the capital, suddenly descend on heaven, and restore my original position, isn't it based on the words of the Long Live Lord? Li Chaoqin comforted, he didn't believe it in his heart, how could he make the Lord of Long Live take back his holy order in a moment?

"You don't have to coax our family." Wei Zhongxian closed his eyes, and a few tears finally spilled on his forehead, and his heart seemed to have died from the day he left Beijing. Suddenly, he opened his eyes again, and listened in astonishment, but when the tenant next door began to sing, the two of them only talked, but they did not hear it.

-- Listening to the first change, the drum is beating, and my heart is annoyed. I thought about it at the beginning, what a luxury it was to have a night banquet. Lamb in, wine poured, sheng song noisy. Now in the lonely and deserted store, I have to get drunk village mash. I'm afraid that the wine will be weak and sorrowful, how can I sweep away my sorrow? ……

At this time, the outside of the house is silvery white, the night is deep, all the sounds are quiet, the song comes, the words are in the ears, the wind is wild, the snow is drifting, the song is up, making people feel desolate and lonely. Wei Zhongxian's heart moved, thoughtful, Li Chaoqin said: "Grandpa, listening to his lyrics seems to be talking about the master!" ”

"Could it be our family?"

"Isn't it? In those years, there was a feast in the high hall, lamb wine, sheng singing and dancing, and now the deserted village mash, the wine is sad, and the fruit is the current situation of the master! Li Chaoqin said a few words to make Wei Zhongxian more and more suspicious, who is next door? What song do you sing in silence late at night? I really wanted to go over and take a look, but I was silent because of my identity. Li Chaoqin asked, "Who is the little one?" ”

"It's fine."

Li Chaoqin put on his boots and was about to open the door, but he heard a cold voice ask: "It's late at night, and you still have to sing, dare you be so happy that you can't sleep?" Looking through the crack in the door, I saw Liu Yingxuan standing in front of the singer's door with an embroidered spring knife.

"Brother Tai also has the same interests?" The singing stopped abruptly.

"Hehe, I don't have any friends, I'm afraid that you will miss tomorrow's departure."

"The little brother is home all over the world, floating everywhere, and it makes no difference if he can't get up."

"My brother's mind is not a master, but also a hermit. We'd like to see you! Without waiting for the people in the house to respond, Liu Yingxuan pressed his hands on the door panel, secretly used feminine force, and gently pushed, and the door latch was broken by Qi Qi. Li Chaoqin dodged out and peeked out the window. A thin white-clothed scholar in the room sat cross-legged on the kang, holding a bamboo chopstick in each hand, and raised his eyes to look at the uninvited guest in front of him. On the kang table, a lamp is like a bean, and there are four half-sized coarse porcelain bowls and an empty wine bottle in turn, making simple palace, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, and Yu five tones. Liu Yingxuan didn't wait for the man in white to speak, went to the table and sat down, and asked bluntly: "What kind of tune did you sing just now, so sad?" ”

The man in white saw that the corners of the clothes between the speaker's actions were slightly shining with the official uniform of the brocade guard, a trace of displeasure flashed on his face, and he put down the bamboo chopsticks in his hand and said, "Gui Zhi'er." He also said: "When the official visits, how can there be no tea!" It's just that it's cold and cold, in the middle of nowhere, where can I get any good tea? There is a poem: Late at night, guests come to tea as wine, and students go the opposite way and use wine as tea, fortunately, don't be surprised. As he spoke, he took out two bottles of soju from under the table, pushed one bottle in front of Liu Yingxuan, pulled out the lid of one bottle, raised his head and took a big sip, looking at the person in front of him with blazing eyes. Liu Yingxuan saw that the scholar was wild and uninhibited, took the wine bottle in his hand and shook it a few times, then put it down and said: "We were born in Jiangnan, and we know that there are many such tunes in Changganli, Jinling, and other places, and it is always a love between men and women, and it is very enchanting, which is very different from what you sing." After a slight pause, he sang: "Clay man, it's like the two of us." Twist one of you, shape one of me, and see how it goes. Kneaded him and redid it. Retwist a you, reshape a me. I have you in me, and you have me in you. ”

The man in white saw that his martial arts words were also a little elegant, and he listened to his singing but the lyrics and songs were vulgar, but when he tasted it carefully, the feelings were deep and meaningful, mournful and lingering, and he had his own style, and he raised his head and took a sip and said: "What the official said is that the students like the graceful and soft of the southern song, but they are not satisfied with its private feelings for their children, so they slightly changed the tune according to the northern song of the copper pipa and iron plate. ”

"Isn't your accent local?"

"The students live in Jiangnan, and they came out to participate in the township test, but they suddenly suffered a national funeral, and the township test was stopped, so they traveled around, and they had more knowledge and more experience. The student is older, but he is still a leader, and his name is ashamed to tell others, and the official Haihan is the official. ”

Liu Yingxuan laughed: "It's easy to say, it's easy to say!" You can sing it yourself, and we won't bother. Getting up and going out, Li Chaoqin hurriedly retreated to the house, and saw that Wei Zhongxian was still drinking slowly, his cheeks were red, and he was already a little drunk, so he stopped him and said, "Don't drink it, be careful that you will hurt your body if you drink too much." Stepping forward to take the wine bowl, Wei Zhongxian rolled his eyes, protected the wine bowl and said: "I can't drink a few sips, and it is better to be drunk and die than to be awake and be stabbed." ”

"Don't say such frustrating words, the little one knows that the long live master just has a purpose to twist the master back to Beijing, and it is not known how to deal with it, and the master must not lose his mind and spirit."

"There is no need to coax our family, our family understands in our hearts that we are not a person who is afraid of death. If our family doesn't die, Chongzhen won't be down-to-earth, kill people and build power, and our family will fulfill him. Wei Zhongxian tilted his head back from the bowl and asked, "Who is the person who is singing?" ”

"It's just a down-and-out talent, living alone, and I want to use songs to comfort the loneliness." Li Chaoqin's tone was full of disdain. But the song babbled again:

During the second watch, I was worried and worried, and it was difficult to dream. I want to sleep in the gums, splendid clothes. Now the reed is the curtain, the soil is the kang, and the cold wind is in. The wall wears the cold moon and cold, and the eaves are shallow and the night is sad. Poor and desolate, I got up again and walked around the house.

In the middle of the night, the drums are beating and the gongs are beating three times. The dream came true, and I was shocked, infinitely groaning. Thinking about the beginning, who is disrespectful? Jiuqing is called a junior, and the prime minister is a private minister. Now the trend is declining, scattered like floating grass.

"Good thief! It's actually talking about the grandfather. Li Chaoqin was furious, so he wanted to go out with his arms folded and fight with the man in white. Wei Zhongxian said: "After helping our family, go and see where it is sacred, it seems that you know our family well." Li Chaoqin hurriedly put on black satin boots for him, and put on a sauce-colored Hangzhou satin mink cloak for him, and slowly came out, but saw that the next room was empty, the lamp was still on, and there was still a small half bowl of wine left on the kang table. The two of them were amazed, only to hear a long laugh from the window, and then a song sounded:

On the city tower, the drum is four watches, and the stars are moving. Thinking about it, in that day, the python was facing the sky. Now don't Dragon Tower, Cifeng Pavilion, and the desolate lonely hall. The sound of chickens is in the month, and the moon shadow is the smoke of the grass bridge. It's really a long distance, and it's far away.

The two climbed onto the kang, stabbed the window paper and looked out, and saw that the man in white jumped out of the window at some point, dancing and singing in the snow, thinking that he was a little drunk, and his steps staggered, and the snow on the ground was extremely messy. Wei Zhongxian's heart froze, and he felt that he was also outside the house of the snow dance, the snowflakes drilled into the clothes like a shadow, the whole body was cold, invading the skin, cold through the internal organs, and secretly said: This person is so public, revealing his deeds, and has no scruples, he must have a great background, but the Dongchang sent by Chongzhen? There must be a large number of factory guards behind him, and Liu Yingxuan and Zheng Kangsheng also seem to know him, otherwise how can they ask a few words and dare not be embarrassed? Thinking of this, Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but tremble a few times, and Li Chaoqin hurriedly said, "Lord is cold? Let's go back to the house! The brazier in this room is going out, and it's so cold! ”

Wei Zhongxian didn't respond, still looking out the window, and saw the man in white turning over and falling into the snow, as if he was asleep, motionless, and after a while, he rubbed the snow with both hands on his face a few times, got up and sang all the way to the boundless snowy night, and the song drifted with the snowflakes. "It's noisy, people are urging, and it's more weather. It is winter, the wind is cold, and the frost is blowing. What's more, be diligent and warm to each other. Accompanied by the shadow of the cold moon, shouting is the neighing of horses, it seems to be so desolate, it is really better to die! "By the last line of singing, it was long gone.

When Wei Zhongxian returned to the house, he felt more and more mysterious that the man in white was unpredictable, and secretly thought that he would not be able to return to the capital, and instead of waiting for others to do it, it was better to make a decision on his own, so as not to suffer humiliation and suffering. The idea must be a little calm, and he called Li Chaoqin and said: "No matter what the holy order is, our family will never return to the capital again." Rather than being escorted back to suffer humiliation, it is better to take advantage of the fact that the official flags have not yet arrived, and they will kill themselves and be clean. Our family has enjoyed enough glory and wealth, and we are old, I can't compare to you when you are still young, and the days to come will be longer, and bear with it, and there is still time to come out. I am afraid that the many gold, silver and jewels around our family have become things outside the body, and there is no use for them, so you can take them as you like, and while the night is still dark, you will find a place to hide from afar, and you will escape for a while. ”

"The little one has followed the master for many years, how can he leave the master alone? Heaven and earth, the little ones are willing to advance and retreat with the master, so as to repay the master's great kindness. Li Chaoqin wept sadly.

Wei Zhongxian hugged him and wept: "Our family is a dying person, even if Chongzhen doesn't have an edict, how many years are there left?" Our family has passed its sixtieth birthday, and everything in the world has passed, what else is worth nostalgia for? If you want to say that you children can't give up, I can't guard you anymore, and I don't know what Chongzhen will do with you, and those courtiers are afraid that they won't let you go. Our family closed their eyes, and they didn't know the pain, but they just took pity on you. ”

Li Chaoqin sobbed in a low voice, and said after a long time: "The little ones can't do without the master, and I advise the master not to find this short-sightedness." ”

Wei Zhongxian let him go and said, "Why do we want to do this? Now, there is no way. Go and escape! ”

Li Chaoqin hugged Wei Zhongxian's legs and cried: "The child is the henchman of the master, he has been promoted by the master, and he has enjoyed wealth for many years, and he is willing to die with the master, so the master should not catch up with the little one." Wei Zhongxian kicked him down and said, "You, a slave who can't enjoy happiness, do you want to die at home?" This is the retribution of one of our families, what does it have to do with you? The official flag will not look for you, how can our family bear to put your life on the line in vain! ”

"The little one has long lost his parents and friends, if it weren't for the pity, the little one was afraid that he had filled in the ditch and fed the wild dogs, how could he have today's robes, boots and hats? If the master is gone, the small one is not interesting, so it is better to follow the master and pour peace of mind. ”

Wei Zhongxian pulled him up, hugged him in his arms, and sighed: "Child, you are so hard-hearted that you don't know whether to live or die, our family will fulfill you." How do you hate our family? ”

Li Chaoqin showed a hint of joy on his face, and hurriedly replied: "The little one can accompany his master for a lifetime, which is a blessing, and the little one can't feel the joy, where is there any resentment?" When you arrive at the Netherworld, the little one is still serving your old man like this. ”

"Good boy, good boy!" Wei Zhongxian touched his head, his face was sad, as if he was extremely emotional, and said with a long sigh: "Think about the busy traffic in the past, how many people came and went next to our family, but in the end, only you were left behind. It's also providential, you will send our family to the end! Our family has no sons in our lives, only one daughter, who has already been married, and there are a few nephews, and now I am not around, so I will accept you as a son, and I will take care of you on Huangquan Road. ”

Li Chaoqin knelt down and kowtowed three times, Wei Zhongxian called him up, and said with tears in his eyes: "There is no need to be restrained by those vulgar rites. Other people's fathers are all seeking some wealth and glory for their children, but our family actually killed their sons together, and I can't bear to live in my heart, I am really ashamed! What an honor our family used to have, but I didn't want to burden the children. ”

Li Chaoqin said: "Daddy doesn't want to be humiliated, and the child doesn't want to give birth secretly. Even if the child tries his best, he will not have the wealth of his father, but the world is like this, what is there to be greedy for? He seemed to have thought it very clearly, and there was an awe-inspiring look on his face.

"Haha, it's just a spring dream!" Wei Zhongxian smiled sadly, exchanged tears, and choked up: "Child, you go to find some silk, our family should not die too casually, and it is indecent to find a rope indiscriminately." Li Chaoqin wiped his tears, quietly went out to the car to find a white silk horse torn into two big belts, put it on the beam, tied a dead knot, knelt down and kowtowed: "Daddy, the child will go first, and wait for Daddy on the Wangxiang Platform." ”

Wei Zhongxian got up and said, "It's better for Daddy to go first." ”

"Then the boy will serve his father one more time."

After a while, the room fell silent, and the small oil lamp was still burning, reflecting the two of them hanging high on half of the wall, and the wind and snow outside could not stop whining.

The door opened gently, and the man in white flashed in, and when he saw that he was motionless, he smiled and scolded: "Dog thief, you also have today!" Then he blew out the light in one breath and withdrew.

As soon as the sky was bright, Liu Yingxuan listened to the neighing of horses and mules in the backyard, got up and dressed, his face was not clean, and he pushed the door out, not only was he taken aback, it was so snowy! It's half a foot thick. Fortunately, the snow has stopped, and the wind is still blowing. He craned his neck, moved his hands and feet a few times, and walked around under the eaves to see that the kitchen was cooking, and the men were busy squeaking and stepping on the snow in the courtyard, some feeding the mules and horses, some cleaning the snow in the courtyard and the cart, walking lightly, whispering, for fear of waking up the guests in the house. You Kejian saw him at a glance, hurriedly grabbed the front of the cotton robe with his hand, trotted over and said with a smile: "Liu Ye got up early, this snowy weather, dry and cold, the roads are closed, I'm afraid I won't be able to walk!" I think the little one has a fate with the master, and God keeps your old man for the little one! ”

As soon as Liu Yingxuan was told by him, he remembered the date of the escort, faintly felt a little unhappy, snorted in his nose, and scolded: "You bastard dog, full of nonsense!" The master is in a hurry and is anxious, but what do you say about keeping guests but not keeping guests, do you want to curse uncle? Get lost! With that, he kicked him in the ass and kicked him several feet away, and the hat on his head fell off, revealing the top of his bare head. You Kejian didn't expect that it was not the place, he dared to be angry and didn't dare to speak, he covered the sore spot with one hand, bent down to pick up his hat, muttered back, and just turned around, but was hit by someone. He had nowhere to vent the fire in his heart, and when he saw that it was the young man who was boiling water in the kitchen, he raised his hand and scolded: "Are you fucking mourning?" bumping into each other like this, why don't you send hot water to the uncles in each room to wash your face? ”

The young man looked at him with a pale face, staring at him with two blank eyes, and stood still as if he had been stunned. Yu Kejian was angry, and slapped his backhand again, "What the hell did you bump into in the daytime, standing so stupidly?" Don't go to work yet! Unexpectedly, the young man still stood still, looked behind him in horror, and cried: "Shopkeeper, don't blame me, don't blame the little one!" ”

"What don't you blame? You don't work hard, but the owner is wrong, shouldn't he beat you? You Kejian became more and more angry, and another young man under the stove said: "You shopkeeper, the little one clearly heard the clang, presumably he accidentally hit the clay pot while delivering hot water, who is to blame if he is not to blame?" ”

"No, it's not a pot, it's, it's, it's someone dead in the house!" The young man looked back again and looked at it in horror.

"What dead man? You little killer has no reason to curse my You family, go to the account room to pay off your wages and get out! Yu Kejian stopped, but he trembled with anger, "Why can't I stand you, look at your pitiful, give you food, you are so kind to revenge!" ”

"How dare the little one curse your old man? Fang Cai Xiao went to the upper room of the inner courtyard to deliver washing water, and when he saw that the door was empty, he knocked on the door for a long time and shouted a few times, but there was no movement inside. The little one thought that the guests got up early and went out to enjoy the snow, so I pushed the door and looked, my God! There are people hanging from the beams of the house! Dead, dead, two, tongues sticking out a foot long, really like a hanged ghost on the stage, the little one is so frightened that he loses his soul, where can he take care of any basin and hot water. The young man knelt on the ground, bent and stretched out two fingers, and looked up with mournful eyes, looking frightened. A few guys saw him talk more and more bizarrely, like a living ghost during the day, where to believe? Intentionally reconciled, he hurriedly put down the work in his hand and gathered around, and while pulling him away, he smiled and persuaded him: "Shopkeeper You, he is honest on weekdays!" The blue sky is white, isn't it a demonic disease, what evil has you fallen into? There he said nonsense, and the shopkeeper did not have to be as knowledgeable as him. ”

Na Yu Ke Jian Wu said unrelentingly: "You little killer, you get up early and talk such nonsense, I think it is to ruin the business of our store, if it is not for everyone to take care of you, I can't see that I will peel off your skin!" ”

"Hey...... It is time to skin him, lest he be tongue-talking, and cause trouble in this world. A cold voice came, followed by a few slaps from Ping Pong, which made the young man go around in a few circles.

You Kejian was startled, I don't know when Liu Zhixuan turned back, I tasted his power just now, I didn't dare to stop him, and hurriedly smiled: "What Liu Ye said is true." The little self will be at his mercy and teach him to have a long memory for the rest of his life! Stop, don't tire your old man. Liu Yingxuan was originally leisurely watching You Kejian beat the little guy, but when he heard the young man's words, he hurriedly got up, grabbed the upper room where Wei Zhongxian stayed, and saw that the door was wide open, and there were two corpses hanging high on the beam, he was so shocked that he was sweating profusely, and he didn't want to think about how people died, but he was afraid that the news would be leaked, so he hurriedly closed the door, turned around and hit, saw that You Kejian deliberately blocked, took out the official document stamped with the brocade guard, shook it in front of his eyes, and lifted the cotton robe outside, revealing the flying fish suit inside, and sneered: " We just went to the upper room to have a look, and the people inside are eating tea! Where is there anything to hang yourself? Would you like to take another look? He grabbed the young man, pressed the saber behind him with one hand, and fixed his eyes on his face. The young man didn't understand, thinking that he suspected that he was wrong, and said urgently: "The little one clearly saw two hanging on the ......."

You Kejian could see that Liu Yingxuan and his people were not small, and only then did he catch a glimpse of the flying fish suit on his body, and he was so shocked that his hands and feet were cold, and he only guessed the appearance of Jinyiwei in the mouth of the drama and storyteller on weekdays, where have you seen it in this poor country? The little thing who didn't know whether to live or die still had to speak strongly, he was shocked, anxious and angry, and he didn't allow the little guy to finish speaking, he stepped forward and kicked his heart, and shouted: "You bastard, the uncle has said that people are good, and you still want to pollute good people like this, and it will just affect the small shop, if you affect this uncle, then you will kowtow thousands of heads, and you can't afford it!" He waved his hand and ordered a few guys around him to drag him away, turned his head and bent over and said with a smile: "Master Liu, this little guy must not have woken up yet, his eyes are worried, naturally he can't see it really, why should the uncle bother with him?" The guest officer in the upper room is good, the guest officer does not greet, and the small ones naturally do not need to see, and our store has been open for more than 100 years, and the Emperor Zhengde passed by here when he went down to the south of the Yangtze River, and he has never been out of the half-point difference pool, how can there be such a shocking and terrifying murder? Uncle and go back to the house to dissipate his anger, and the little one will let out his evil anger for the master! ”

Liu Yingxuan changed his smiling face, patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's not easy for your small shop to be open for a hundred years!" Then he turned pale and said in a solemn voice, "Do you know what kind of guests live in the upper room?" Yukjan didn't answer, just shook his round head. You can't see what happened! There lived the imperial court. Liu Yingxuan blinked, his expression was extremely mysterious. You Kejian was about to scream, but the cold sky suddenly broke out with sweat all over his body, and he opened his eyes wide, looking at the Qincha in front of him, and suddenly felt that things were strange, what kind of mysterious big man lived in the upper room?