Ever since he drank a bowl of tofu brain from Azo in the Hunan and Hubei guild halls, Zhou Peigong has always been worried about it, and he has been there a few times, but he has never seen her again. Later, I went to the rotten noodle alley to inquire, and I learned that Azo's surname was Gu, and there was an old and sick father at home, and a brother who worked part-time for others, and his life was very tight. But why they no longer do tofu brain business, the neighbors are not clear.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhou Peigong is going out again. When Tu Hai saw him change into civilian clothes, he smiled and said, "Did you go to the rotten noodle alley to find Gu Azo again?" Little brother, your identity is different now, you have to think about it! A few days ago, the old Jiang in the Tobu Langzhong asked someone to inquire about you, and he wanted to tell you about his sister-in-law, but I only vaguely shirked it. Although Azo is good, he is just a little lowly. Besides, if she has anyone who doesn't know now, why bother so much - to repay the favor and take five hundred taels of silver from my account and send it! ”

"Where, where!" Zhou Peigong disguised, "I don't mean anything else, it's just that I have been so gracious that I don't even see people's faces, and I don't say a word of thanks, isn't it too rude?" Tuhai laughed when he heard this: "In this case, why don't you knock on her door and tell her in person, 'I, Zhou Peigong, have returned your hairpin and repaid your kindness!'" Then he went away.

Zhou Peigong was so red at his joke that he couldn't imagine that this old Tuhai had peeked into his privacy. Thinking about it carefully, Tu Hai's words are indeed reasonable, he has no place to go that is unseemly, so what's the harm in knocking on her door at first glance?

When he came to the door of Gu Azuo's house, Zhou Peigong hesitated a little again: A young man, rashly looking for a young girl, if Xiao Zuo's family asks, how should I reply? He quickly withdrew his knocking hand. However, Xiao Zuo's expression of giving him tofu brains reappeared in front of him. In this indifferent world, the thoughtfulness and warmth she gave him surged into his heart for a while, and if he lost these because of his cowardice, it would be a lifelong regret...... Zhou Peigong thought about it, and was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, but the door opened with a "squeak". Xiao Zuo walked out with a basket of clothes, and when she saw Zhou Peigong standing in front of her, her eyes flashed, and then she lowered her head again, and said in a low voice: "Zhou ...... My lord. ”

As soon as he heard the word "adult", Zhou Peigong suddenly felt a chill hit him, and instead smiled heartily and said, "What Lord Zhou, I'm still Zhou Peigong!" I've been here a few times, but I can't find your door, and I think I should have come a long time ago......"

Xiao Zuo listened, only lowered his head, a hint of imperceptible smile flashed on his face, but he said: "This place is too remote, and we are a small family, so it's not easy to inquire......" said, turned around and pushed the door open, squatted towards Zhou Peigong again, and said: "It's very cold inside, you will just come in and sit." Zhou Peigong listened to her voice, and seemed to have been seen by her several times wandering in front of her door, so he couldn't help blushing, and said in a panic: "Don't go in, so as not to alarm your patients." Oh, aren't you going to do the laundry? It just so happens that I'm going to visit a friend along the West River, okay? Xiao Zuo glanced up at Zhou Peigong, and saw that there was no acquaintance near Zuo, so he hesitated slightly, nodded and agreed.

The two of them walked silently for a while, no one said anything, Zhou Peigong's hands were sweating, and after a long time, he asked without words: "Can you still live at home?" Ah Zuo is also not used to such occasions, after Zhou Peigong asked, only "um", Fang said slowly: "My father was sick the year before last, and life at home was already difficult, and our brothers and sisters worked hard, and it was only enough to make ends meet, but my brother was not angry, and something happened, which made the family ......" Speaking of this, she suddenly felt that she had lost her mouth, so she closed it again.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Zhou Peigong stopped.

"Whew! Ineffable. When Azo saw that he was standing, he had to stand still. This is the ancestral home of Zhang Ge in the former Ming Dynasty, which is very barren. Because it is under the festival, and it is close to noon, there is no pedestrian near and far, the melting sun shines on the verdant pines and cypresses, and the bushes of wild roses bloom blood-red flowers in front of the loess mound. Ah Zor glanced at Pei Gong, lowered his head and sighed: "He used to work in the You family in the east of the city, and he got along with the You family's grandmother's maid...... Later, he was beaten and braided, and now he is at home to recuperate from his injuries and dare not go out. The You family came to the door twice in three days and asked him to do his work...... Alas! She said, a string of tears rolled out of her eyes, "If I didn't know that my husband was a person, I would never talk about these things again, what a shame!" ”

Zhou Peigong then understood the reason why she didn't go out to do business these days, thought for a while, took out a silver ticket from her boots and handed it over, and said: "This is a silver ticket of fifty taels, you take it back first to spend the poor - no, no, don't shirk!" I don't mean anything else. I, Zhou Peigong, drifted to the Beijing Division, raised my eyes and had no relatives, and received your great kindness, how could this kindness be repaid by a few taels of silver? ”

"Not for that." Xiao Zuo hurriedly distinguished, opened his mouth twice, but he couldn't say the words under his head.

"Why?"

"Daddy wants to ask about the origin of the silver, I ...... How so? ”

Both men were silent. Zhou Peigong was originally a well-spoken and resourceful person, and at this time, he also felt that what Xiao Trivial said was really reasonable. He slowly withdrew his hand, for a long time, and said, "Okay, I'll come to your house another day, and make it clear in front of your father, okay?" They walked silently along the path between the mass graves, when suddenly Xiao Zuo screamed, took two steps back sharply, and almost fell into Pei Gong's arms. When Zhou Peigong saw it, it was a snake that was rolling across the road, stepped forward and picked it up, shook it and threw it into the grass, and said with a smile: "This is a medicinal herb, what's so terrible?" I'll see a dead body crawling out of the grave! ”

"This place is not clean, and it is often haunted." Xiao Zuo wiped the sweat on his cheeks with his hand, and said in shock, "If I hadn't gone with you today, I would have had to go around two miles." ”

Zhou Peigong smiled: "What kind of ghost is there in the world!" Immortals, Buddhas, and Shinto are all made up by people, when I first came to Beijing, there was a large mass grave behind Fahua Temple, and I was alone there in the summer, how could I ever see a ghost? You really believe in these! "Sir, don't dare to talk nonsense," said Ah Zor seriously, "there are still ghosts and gods...... You haven't seen the hell, that's because you are blessed and noble. Zhou Peigong listened to it for a long time, and suddenly burst out laughing.

"You...... What are you laughing at? Ah Zor stood in surprise and looked at Zhou Peigong, thinking that he had fallen into evil.

"I remember when I was a kid and I gambled with people!" Zhou Peigong walked forward while reminiscing about the past and said: "My father had just died of illness that year, and my mother was lying on the bed and dying. The doctor prescribed a prescription that the patient needed to be well recuperated, and I ran dozens of miles to my sister's house to carry a bag of rice, and when I was leaving, my sister tied up an old hen and asked me to bring it back—do you like to hear about these things? ”

"Well," replied the little trio, "you say, I'll listen." ”

Zhou Peigong breathed a sigh of relief. "When I got home, I had just scalded the chicken, and my aunt yelled and barged in through the door, insisting that it was her chicken. I told her that it was my sister who was honoring my mother, but she didn't believe it, and howled and scolded in the hall with her feet off the ground, which caused the neighbors to come in to see the excitement, and talk about the wind and cold. My mother couldn't hear it inside, so she struggled to get out, and while bowing and begging her aunt, she scolded me for 'not being angry' and asked me to compensate my aunt...... If I don't follow her, she will be so angry that she will be angry......" Zhou Peigong said this, his voice was a little choked, and Xiao Zuo's eyes were full of tears.

"I was only 10 years old, and I was in the thick of blood. Seeing my mother fall to the ground, she was so angry that she trembled, and she pounced on her like crazy, grabbed my aunt, and scolded: 'You old, you have nothing to do, you are angry with my mother, I will fight with you!' - Didn't you say I stole your chickens? Let's go, go to the Guan Lao Ye Temple next door, and bet on the curse in front of the gods, do you dare?! ’

"'Go, go!' My aunt said, and I came to the Guandi Temple. I trembled and put on the incense, knelt down and kowtowed, cried loudly, and shouted, 'Master Guan, Master Guan! Your old man is the righteous god of the world, and he is in charge of the injustices of the world. You call the shots, I, Zhou Peigong, didn't steal her chicken, she accused me. If you have a spirit, let this stinky woman turn her back when she goes out; If I, Zhou Peigong, stole other people's chickens, as soon as I got out of this temple gate, he would make me break my leg in a somersault! ’

"After I prayed, I got up, only to feel dizzy, staggered out, and sure enough, I tripped over the high threshold, fell under the steps with a 'bang', rolled over two times in a row, really twisted my foot and neck, and couldn't get up again......" Zhou Peigong woke up from his memories, and saw that Ah Zor forgot to listen to it, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and smiled: "Don't you say that there are ghosts and gods, then do you believe that I am telling the truth?" ”

"Amitabha, I believe you are telling the truth, but this is the injustice of the previous life!" Ah Zuo sighed, "People feel very uncomfortable listening to it, and you still have the heart to laugh!" "Unconsciously replaced "you" with "you", "What happened later?" ”

"Later, I studied hard, thinking that one day I would get help and burn down the Guandi Temple in the world!" Zhou Peigong smiled, "But after reading the book, I want to open it, why bother with this clay sculpture person?" As he spoke, he walked and saw the official road in front of him, and the West River was in sight along the street. The two of them seemed to have returned to the world from another world, and this world did not allow lonely men and women to walk and talk without restraint, and the two of them stood up in unison. "It's time for me to go back." Zhou Peigong felt a feeling of farewell in his heart, and glanced at Ah Zuo affectionately.

"Hmm." Xiao Zuo took two steps back, squatted down, and silently turned around and left.

"Ah!" Zhou Peigong suddenly shouted.

Ah Zuo stopped abruptly and looked at Zhou Peigong speechlessly in confusion. Zhou Peigong took a few steps forward and said in a low voice: "Does your brother's family know about it?" ”

"No one knew that it was braided in the field."

"That's going to do it." Zhou Peigong said with a smile, "You asked him to take a pair of scissors at night, go to the theater to cut more than ten of his braids, and then shout that his braids were also cut, won't this matter be written off?" ”

A Zowu's big eyes rolled, and he came to his senses after thinking for a long time, covered his mouth and smiled, pointed at Zhou Peigong with his finger, and only said "You-" and walked away briskly with a red face.

Kangxi returned to Ouchi from the Niujie Mosque, and it was already midnight. This night was a war of words, and it was to command the fight in person, and it was handled very properly, although it was exhausted, but it was extremely excited, and there was no sleepiness, just wanted to find someone to talk to, so he instructed Zhang Wanqiang: "Prepare a sedan chair, I want to be lucky in the Chu Xiu Palace tonight, and the concubine Niu Hulu will also go." Zhang Wanqiang hurriedly agreed, and went out to Zhang Luo.

The queen Hesheri had not yet slept, she sat under the lamp and played cards, and asked Zixi, hearing that the emperor had arrived in the middle of the night, and was busy with makeup to greet her.

Kangxi smiled with a spring breeze on his face: "I got the lottery tonight, and I am in a hurry if I don't find someone to talk to!" As he spoke, he took the queen's hand and stepped up into the hall. The noble concubine Niu Hulu also came after a while, and when she saw the emperor and the queen talking, she knelt to the side. Kangxi saw her kowtow, only nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "Come in." ”

"Hooray," said the Hesheri clan as he hurriedly fed the ginseng soup he had boiled for himself to Kangxi, "what good have you gained tonight?" Tell the concubines to hear it, and they will rejoice with it. ”

"Hmm!" Kangxi rolled up his sleeves, took a sip of ginseng soup, and then said the farce of Fangcai Niujie Temple vividly, and listened to Niu Hulu's face for a while, and then covered his mouth and smiled.

The queen listened to it but was speechless for a long time, quietly listened to Kangxi's words, and muttered for a while before smiling: "Long live Lord, Mr. Wu gave you a lecture back then, and the concubines also quietly heard it a few times, saying that 'those who know their fate love their bodies and do not stand under the rock wall'." Small families pay attention to this, not to mention that the emperor is the king of all vehicles? In the future, it is better to take less risk, and it will be necessary to send a general for this kind of thing. This is one of them. ”

"Oh? And a second? ”

The queen looked left and right, and several palace maids and eunuchs were still serving at the entrance of the palace, so she waved her sleeves and said, "You all retreat, leaving only Mo Ju to wait." ”

Mo Ju is the queen from her mother's house to bring a child slave, the most reliable, listened to the queen's instructions, squatted down and said "yes", then went out to supervise everyone to avoid, standing outside the hall and waiting.

"You're careful, too." Kangxi saw people retreat and said with a smile, "Will you have outsiders here?" ”

"That's what the second one is." The queen got up and personally brewed a cup of Pu'er tea, offered it to Kangxi with both hands, sat down and said, "Long live Fang just said it very carefully, and the concubines listened to every word." It's just that since the thief surnamed Yang later knew that the emperor came to Niujie Temple in person, he should have left as usual, why did he still blindly set fire? That's bold! Niu Hulu was also stunned, she didn't think about it at all.

"Raise the fire as a trumpet!" Kangxi stood up in shock. On the way back, he also felt that this matter was a little strange, and at this time, after the queen mentioned it, he immediately hit his heart with a "boom": "Raise the fire as a number", this was agreed in the Qianqing Palace, why did the thieves know so quickly! Kangxi thought about it, slammed the teacup on the table, stared at the outside of the hall with blazing eyes, gritted his teeth and said: "You are right-there are indeed spies in the palace-original-come-as-this!" ”

Seeing that Kangxi was shocked and angry, Hesheri's face changed greatly, and he hurriedly got up and said with a smile: "Long live, why do you have to make such a big fire?" Fortunately, the thief's trick did not succeed, but it made us conscious. This matter was slowly investigated by the concubines and concubines. ”

"Come!" Kangxi suddenly shouted, "Spread the decree, call Zhang Wanqiang and Xiao Maozi of the Heart Cultivation Palace!" ”

Mo Ju said yes outside the door and sent someone. The queen smiled and said, "Long live and not tired today?" It's past midnight, and you're still here to ask about the case? The palace doors have been locked, and this alarm is about to be recorded again. ”

"Record the file, keep the file." Kangxi calmed down a little, exhaled, and handed the teacup to Niu Hulu, "Change the cup of hot - the sooner this kind of thing is handled, the better." The palace gate is locked, and there are fewer people everywhere who know it, but it is better - spread the word, whoever dares to talk nonsense, will be sent to the Internal Affairs Office to be locked up and starved to death! ”

The queen nodded and smiled: "Your Majesty, it's just late at night, don't be tired!" ”

Kangxi sighed: "I am not good as an emperor, according to the Han people, you and I are both Yi people." There are many people who are not convinced, and they can't help but be extra careful. You must know that what the former Ming Emperor could do, I had to spend five and ten points of my strength to do it! ”

"Hooray is telling the truth." Niu Hulu also nodded and sighed.

"Now is the time when the country is troubled, and I can't rule by hanging the arch - if I am told to do it, it will be easy to cause trouble." Kangxi said, he couldn't help sighing, "You can't calm the people, you can't say that you can calm the domain; You can't gather wealth, you can't talk about military affairs—that's what Mr. Wu said in his letter to me, and it's right! My treasury is so useless, and I have to take 20 million silver every year to support those three living treasures, how can there be such an unlucky emperor in ancient and modern times? Pacifying the people, gathering wealth, and military affairs must start from being close to the people, I am not close to the people, and I am guarding the Qianqing Palace every day, not to mention that I am better than Tang Taizong, I am afraid that even Song Huizong and Song Qin are not as good! Think about it, is it better to be the eldest grandson queen, or 'the king erects the flag at the head of the city, and the concubine knows it in the deep palace'? ”

Kangxi was expressing his feelings at length, Zhang Wanqiang and Xiao Maozi came in panting, kowtowed to the emperor and queen one after another, and asked the concubine for peace, before asking: "Long live the slaves, I don't know what the will is?" Kangxi's anger had calmed down, blowing the tea foam in the cup, and turned his face to the queen and said: "You are the master of the six palaces, you tell them, I want to rest." ”

"Yes!" The queen agreed, sat diagonally opposite Kangxi and asked, "Today, the emperor is discussing in the Qianqing Palace, which of the two of you is on duty?" ”

Zhang Wanqiang hurriedly knelt down and replied: "If you go back to the master's mother, you are a slave on duty." ”

"Besides those ministers summoned by Banzai, who else is there in the palace?"

"I'm one," Zhang Wanqiang raised his face and recalled with his fingers, "Liu Wei, Huang Sicun, Chang Baozhu, Chen Ziying...... There are twenty-four in total, and by the way, Wang Zhenbang of Wenhua Hall has also heard of the mission. ”

Kangxi didn't know the gist when he heard this, and interjected from the side and asked: "I said that the fire is the signal, and the twelve mosques will work together, do you hear this?" ”

"The slave hears it." Hearing this, Zhang Wanqiang had already figured out the emperor's intentions, and hurriedly kowtowed and replied, "The people on the side, the minions didn't dare to say that they heard it, but they must have heard a lot, and this matter was discussed for a while before it was sent to Lord Tuhai - Long live the lord did not tell the minions to avoid it." ”

"The emperor is talking here, and the wind is out there, is this a word?" The queen suddenly said angrily, "Zhang Wanqiang, how did you do this?" ”

Although his voice was not high, he was full of voice. Xiao Maozi next to him also turned white with fright, and hurriedly knelt down and lowered his head, and he didn't dare to come out. When Zhang Wanqiang heard the reproach, he only kowtowed again and again and said "yes", but he couldn't speak.

Seeing that he was panicked, Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Zhang Wanqiang, I also know that you have always been careful, and this Lou Zi stabbed a lot today, do you know?" ”

"Damn it!" Zhang Wanqiang replied with a crying voice, "Please punish the master!" ”

"It's not a matter of punishment—" asked the queen again, "who do you think sent it out?" ”

"This ......" Zhang Wanqiang sweat beads rolled down his forehead, thought for a while, shook his head and replied, "The slave is really incomprehensible for a while, and he doesn't dare to bully the master." ”

Xiao Maozi suddenly said on the side: "I know all these people, Wang Zhenbang and Huangsi Village, there is no one else except them!" Ah San, who was burning the fire in the imperial tea room, couldn't guarantee ......" Zhang Wanqiang listened, turned around and said: "Xiao Maozi, this is not a joke, it is going to fall to the ground!" Saying this, Xiao Maozi was so frightened that he didn't dare to say anything more.

"You're stupid!" The queen "snapped" on the table, and even Kangxi in the next seat was startled, but she heard the queen say sharply, "He pays attention to the master, and you stop him - how do you know that the master is about to wronged someone?" ”

"Chih-" Zhang Wanqiang trembled in shock, and said in a trembling voice, "The slave is stupid, I'm afraid that the master has wronged people!" ”

"Humph!" The queen sneered and said, "Don't wait in the Heart Cultivation Palace, go back to Cining Palace!" ”

Returning to Cining Palace to wait for the Empress Dowager is not a punishment. But he was driven back, not only himself, but even the Queen Mother's face was not good-looking. Kangxi weighed in his heart and ordered: "You two go out!" Zhang Wanqiang and Xiao Maozi got up, stepped out of the hall with trembling legs, and knelt uneasily in the shadow of the courtyard lamp.

Kangxi turned his face around, and when he saw Hesheri's complacent and angry face, he couldn't help laughing: "Can't you see that you're a mother-in-law, you're quite powerful!" Niu Hulu only breathed a sigh of relief at this point, and his face turned colored.

"This can't be let go easily," the queen came back to her senses and said solemnly, "If you can't join the family, you can't rule the country and level the world." ”

"Of course this is a good word," Kangxi muttered, "but Zhang Wanqiang can't be punished right now." I have thought about it, this leak of the news, it was not the eunuchs who turned their wives' tongues, but deliberately spread it out to plot big things, how could Zhang Wanqiang prevent it? There are only these two people around me who can still do some things, and Xiao Maozi I have to make other arrangements, the enemy country is not broken, and I can't damage myself, and the queen has to spare Zhang Wanqiang. ”

"Very well," the queen instructed Mo Ju with a raised face, "call them in!" ”