Yin Zhen and Nian Qianyao came out one after the other, only to find that the snow was heavy, and the ground had been paved more than three inches deep, and the sky was still falling goose feathers like throwing cotton. Gao Fuer took a few elders of his family to wait under the corridor, and without saying a word, he hugged Yinzhen with the lamp in his hand and walked towards the small Buddha hall. Nian Qianyao had a seizure through Yinzhen for a while, and this time he called to follow again, and he had settled down. He entered Beijing this time to ask for salary, and the Beijing master spread privately everywhere, long live has already determined the eighth master to succeed to the throne, and happened to meet Yinyu's invitation, but he sat down slightly, but he didn't expect this master to be so jealous! Seeing Yinzhen's deerskin boots creaking in the snow, he had a relaxed attitude as if no one was around. Nian Qianyao couldn't help but sigh secretly: How can you have such a master, you have to pick bones in the eggs! I thought that I had been under the door for many years, and I had never heard of "Grandma Zheng". If you are a relative, why do you ask yourself to come with you? Just thinking about it, Gao Fu'er and the others stopped and said, "It's here, the master and Nian Junmen, please come in." The minions were waiting outside. ”

"At home, he is like you, don't call the military gate." Yin Zhen took off his oil clothes, stomped his feet in the doorway, raised his chin, and said, "Tang Yao come in with me." With that, he turned around and went into the hospital.

In the courtyard, under the porch and in front of the hall, there are girls and mothers-in-law, and a few melon lanterns are hanging under the eaves, illuminating the snow brightly. A few of the grandmothers who were waiting in front of them were wiping away their tears and telling each other, "It's okay to be in the back of the head." Just go! Man, where do you really start? ”

"Yes! When Mr. Wen went out to buy rice paper, my grandmother gave me an embroidery needle and thread to tell me to draw a pattern? ”

"Good man......"

"I'm afraid I'm going to run into something?"

"Tsk...... Amitabha! ”

Everyone was talking word by word, and when they saw Yinzhen and Nian Qianyao coming in, they all stopped talking, and several girls and mothers-in-law who were waiting for them turned pale with fright, and bowed down under the window to let them pass.

"What about Wen Seventy-Four?" Yinzhen stood at the door and asked.

"The minions are here!" Wen Seventy-four was crying in the hall, and when he heard the greeting, he hurriedly came out and bowed his head.

Yin Zhen sighed and asked, "Will I send you out in the future?" What did she say? Wen 74 said: "Grandma wants to paint, just after the rice paper is finished, the latter asked me to go out and buy a ream." I went to Liuli Factory, and when I came back next night, she was still in good spirits, who knew ......" Yinzhen asked: "What did she ask when you came back?" ”

She said she was very bored and asked a lot of questions. Wen 74 said, "Ask if the market outside is lively, what are the good flowers in the Dalang Temple Flower Market...... He also asked me if I saw an acquaintance, what news was there outside? said that he was thinking about the thirteenth master, but I don't know if he has released it now? ”

Yin Zhen listened, but he didn't know the point, and thought about it: "What did you say?" Wen 74 said: "I said that on a snowy day, I can't run all the time." I only ate a bowl of tofu brain in the Dalang Temple. The tofu brain seller said, the fourteenth master led the army to the west, and the beans were sent out into a car to be eaten by the soldiers, and the price of tofu brain also increased......" Yinzhen listened, and his heart couldn't help sinking: Zheng Chunhua survived, just because Yinren could be released to lead the soldiers, Xu Shi cut her off with this sentence!

"Fourth master," Wen Seventy-four looked at his face and said, "The slave also went out as soon as he entered the mansion, and when he came back, he talked a lot, maybe he said something wrong and touched Miss Zheng's taboo?" Yin Zhen originally thought that someone in the house was doing it, but so far he was relieved, and when he saw Wen Seventy-four's face was confused and painful, he comforted: "What's wrong with these words?" Don't worry, don't cry and break your body......" Wen Seventy-four covered his face and choked up sadly: "The Thirteenth Master went in, just entrust me with this matter, I won't do it......" said almost again.

Yin Zhen nodded to him, turned around and asked, "Who was the last to see her?" ”

"I ......" a girl flashed Yinzhen timidly, "After dinner, grandma called me in, saying that it was cold, and Ming'er wanted to change clothes. I saw that her face was not good, so I asked her to go to bed earlier, and I came out. Nian Qianyao said: "This thing is really strange. What was she doing when you went in? The girl said, "I didn't do anything, but sitting by the stove, I saw a pile of paper ashes, as if something had been burned." I haven't asked yet, she said that they are all old shoes, and a lot of them take up space...... "Before the girl finished speaking, Yinzhen had already entered the house, and Nian Qianyao took a step forward and followed.

Zheng Chunhua lay quietly in the middle of the house with his head facing outward, a lantern was lit in front of his head, and the fluorescent green of the bean was dancing faintly. The brazier in the house had long since been removed, the door was wide open, and the breeze blew the paper dust on the ground. Yin Zhen stepped forward to uncover the masked paper, looked at it, covered it again, put his hands together and silently recited the "Death Mantra" for a while, and said: "The world is endless, why do you have to do this? He looked around with a blank look, and saw a thin note pressed on the paperweight on the case of the shrine in the corner of the house, so he ordered Nian Qianyao: "Take it and I'll see." ”

"It's poetry!" Nian Qianyao carefully picked it up and looked at it, and hurriedly handed it over, "Named the fourth master and the second master!" Yinzhen's hand shook slightly, and when he took it, there were really two poems on it:

To the old master of Yuqing:

I can't wake up from my dreams every night, and my hatred is gone.

When the dead wood withered, the heart was dead, and he dared to complain that the west wind was blowing the nurdle?

And to the Yuanming monk (Yinzhen):

The love of the demon obstacle is not regretted, and the Han Palace drinks the tears of the sable cicada.

Attentively sent a message to the swordsman, and Mo smiled at his daughter-in-law's empty eyebrows.

Zheng's masterpiece

Yinzhen looked up at the sky, her face became more and more pale and terrifying - there is no need to investigate this matter again, Zheng Chunhua is true, she is desperate that Yinren can't come back and commit suicide, she didn't expect any blessings when she lived, she only hoped that Yinren, a "dead wood", would have a day of glory again, and since it had withered, then there was no need for her "female dill" to be shy and shameful. Yinzhen had no love or hatred for Zheng Chunhua, but just looked at Yinxiang's mind and took care of her. He even felt a sense of relief about her death. But at this time, seeing Zheng Chunhua's desperate book, hoping that he would make a difference with his book and sword, he couldn't help but feel a sense of confidant, and a wave of hot and sour air rose sharply in his heart, Yinzhen couldn't help but sigh, sent the paper to the lamp to burn, and watched it burn into a piece of white ash and gently drop it. Seeing that he was just distracted, Nian Qianyao was stunned, because he asked, "What is written?" ”

"Nothing." Yin Zhen had no expression on his face, walked to the door, and ordered, "Nian Qianyao, you go back, Ming'er will go to the household department to pick me up in the afternoon and go back to the house together." - Gao Fu'er, you told Cai Ying and the people waiting in the study to go to the Fengwan Pavilion - don't alarm Mr. Wu! ”

On the second day, Nian Qianyao got up early in the morning, rushed to the household in the snow, and listened to the greeting in Shi Shilun's study - on call, even if the fourth master was picky, he couldn't find anything wrong. Who knew that he waited until noon, and he didn't even see Yinzhen's shadow, so he went around to the signing room to take a look, You Mingtang and Shi Shilun were busy meeting foreign officials, and they didn't know whether to ask or not. Just as he was hesitating, he saw Cai Ying stepping on the snow and came in, only nodded to Nian Qianyao, entered the signing room and said: "Lord Shi, Lord You, the fourth master has just come down from Changchun Garden, and he is very lacking in playing, and he was sleepy last night, saying that the two masters who were wronged first planned to issue tickets for the things agreed on yesterday, and the fourth master ......will come over again in the evening." ”

"Isn't it Gao Fu'er who ran away?" Nian Qianyao asked as he walked, "Why are you and the fourth master today?" Cai Ying smiled meaninglessly and said: "Gao Fuer has no conscience, betrayed the master, showed his hooves and claws last night, and ran away ......" Seeing someone coming, Cai Ying stopped and didn't say any more.

Nian Qianyao didn't dare to ask again, and walked out of the door of the household department, and saw Yinzhen's goose yellow top official sedan chair waiting there, so he got on the horse and followed. When he arrived at the Yongwang Mansion, Yinzhen got off the sedan chair, looked up at the sky, and was raising a lot of chaos, he took a long breath of turbidity, and said coldly: "Nian Lianggong, today's master will show you a good show!" Nian Qianyao turned over and dismounted, and asked with concern: "The fourth master's eyes are a little dark, and he didn't sleep well at night, is something wrong?" Yinzhen didn't squeak, just nodded and stepped into the house.

Nian Qianyao followed up and was taken aback when he saw the situation in the courtyard. I saw that in the heavy snow, in front of the east and west corridors of the huge courtyard in front of Wanfu Hall, rows of black crows stood all over the house, one by one, with pale faces and bowed backs, there were more than 200 people, but they coughed and did not smell the phlegm, and saw Yinzhen come in, Hongshi and Hongli The two brothers hurriedly walked out from under the dripping eaves of the main house, and held Yinzhen on the left and right, and stood at the door of the hall. Everyone knelt down in the snow and said in unison: "Please Chitose Ye'an!" ”

With a sneer on his face, Yin Zhen didn't scream, only bowed his head to Nian Qianyao, walked down the stairs slowly, stood in the snow, and said after a while: "In the past few years, I have had a lot of errands, and I can't take care of family affairs." Life is under your control, and it is always good. ”

"Huh" Yinzhen paused for a moment, and then said, "Being a person is nothing more than loyalty and filial piety." I am serious and loyal to the emperor; What about you? He is my minion, and he is good at housework, and he can be described as loyal. The emperor rewarded meritorious deeds and named me the prince. As for me, I will not do you any wrong—come! A few close-fitting chiefs hurriedly came out to respond:

"The minions are here!"

"How many years of silver has Black Mountain Villa sent this year?"

"Reply," replied an old man who was in charge of accounts, "twenty-four thousand one hundred and eighteen taels." ”

"I want a fraction of the New Year." Yin Zhen smiled indifferently. "Bring all the 20,000 here!"

"Wow!"

The old gentleman agreed, hurriedly went back to the account room, took out a booklet and held it, and at one time more than 20 men came out carrying ten large iron boxes, and laboriously placed them in front of the hall.

"Silver is a good thing." Yin Zhen glanced at the box and smiled disdainfully, "With it, parents can support them, wives and children can live in peace, and children and nephews can have food and clothing." But the fourth master does not hesitate to cherish it, you can accept it with peace of mind and take it back for a good year! ”

There was a burst of excitement in the crowd, some people were stunned, some people snickered, and some looked greedy, staring at them with straight necks, but they didn't dare to speak. The old master put on his glasses and said, "This silver is of three grades, upper, middle and lower." one hundred and sixty taels of the upper class, twelve; 100 taels, 170 for the middle; Forty-three of the lower class received seventy taels each. This booklet was recorded by Huang Yongzhen, Liao Degui, Yin Suozhu, and Ma Fangcheng in the study, and was set by the master, and this had to be explained to the brothers in person. After that, he took a roll call and rewarded him. Everyone took it in turn, and returned to their places with a smile on their faces, still kneeling.

"Forty-three minions are a little less." Yin Zhen sat under the eaves and watched the hair finished, and said with a bullet robe: "There is no need to complain about this." Thinking from the words loyalty, diligence, and prudence, why can others get 160, but I only get 70 taels? Then next year you'll get a hundred, a hundred and sixty! When you see it, some of the people in the study only get seventy taels, which shows that justice is inevitable. Cai Ying has temporarily entered the position of housekeeper, and his reward is 1,000 taels - the top five second-grade Beijing officials! After the New Year, I will recommend him to go out as a county magistrate! You have all seen it, there is a young Qianyao here, with the same identity as you, and now he is the governor of Shaanxi! ”

The eyes of the people widened, wondering why the master had said these words, but they all pricked up their ears and listened.

"Some people may ask, why should Cai Ying be rewarded?" Yin Zhen raised his voice steeply, "Tell everyone, Cai Ying has removed the thief for me!" This thief is my trusted butler Gao Fuer! - Bring him out! ”

People's hearts shrank suddenly, and when they looked up, the four sticky rod house members escorted Gao Fuer from the east side room and pushed and shoved out. In front of the hall, a family member kicked Gao Fuer's hind legs, and Gao Fuer fell to the ground with a "plop". Hongshi glanced at his younger brother in a panic, but Hongli looked at Ermen with a smile and was silent, only his face was a little pale. Nian Qianyao stood behind Yinzhen, but he was calm and idle, and looked at Gao Fu'er with a disgraced face as if nothing happened.

"Have you ever heard of the Zhongshan wolf?" Yin Zhen gritted his thin white teeth and laughed, "Mr. Dongguo saved a desperate wolf, and when this wolf was saved, he opened his teeth and claws to eat Mr. Dongguo - this wolf's name is Gao Fuer, who was originally a scoundrel in Shandong, and he was drunk and killed someone." It was I who pitied his old mother, who excused me for the crime of accidental injury, and promoted him step by step to the housekeeper. He could have learned from Nian Qianyao and Dai Duo, got rid of his slavery as my disciple, and went out to be an official. Don't go on the bright road, for the sake of eight thousand taels and a house and a ** that leads him to the bait, collude with outsiders, spy on me secretly, and eavesdrop on me! It is especially unforgivable that he dared to trap my flag slave Dai Fuzong and secretly told me to visit the Thirteenth Master! Dai Fuzong is now being taken by someone, and his life and death are unknown! - Cai Ying, am I not wrong about him? Cai Ying hurriedly said: "The master is clear, he has recruited everything!" Yin Zhen smiled: "Such a trateful, bastard, I haven't noticed it for many years, and it's not a 'clear observation'." Gao Fu'er, as soon as you say it, did I wronged you? ”

Gao Fu'er was already so frightened that she didn't care about the snow on her face, she just kowtowed like garlic: "...... There are minions who covet silver and gold hairpins fool around, and they force ......"

"Forced?" Yin Zhen Gege smiled and stood up, "With a golden branch and jade leaf like me, you dare to sell it for eight thousand taels of silver!" You have lost your conscience! Come! ”

"In!" A few of the guards at the sticky pole stepped forward in response.

"Pile up the snow!"

"Wow!"

No one knew what this ruthless prince was going to do. But his words are irrefutable. More than a dozen people with brooms, shovels, and snow clippers were put on together, and in a moment, a large snowdrift was stacked, and the atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense, becoming as dead and silent as a deserted temple, and the people in the courtyard stared at Yinzhen intently, but when they heard the whistle wind passing through the eaves, a terrible hiss, Yinzhen came down with his hands behind his back, circled around the snowdrift, nodded with satisfaction, and said: "It's so clean snow, it's a pity - Gao Fu'er, what else do you have to explain?" ”

Gao Fu'er had already guessed Yinzhen's intentions, and was so frightened that she collapsed on the ground, listening to Yinzhen's question, she hurriedly knelt a few steps, her head fell to the ground, and she wailed hoarsely: "Fourth master...... Master...... Good Chitose, good Buddha...... Just want to be superborn...... Poor my mother is eighty years old and doesn't know me yet...... Master! I'm not old...... I have the strength...... I can still ......" He slashed his hands behind his back, his head arched to the ground, and his ghostly voice was sharp and hoarse, and everyone in the courtyard was so frightened that their legs and stomachs turned to tendons.

"It's rare that you still remember your mother, Amitabha!" Yin Zhen looked at the sky, "You can rest assured of this!" I've never been small enough to be good. Your mother is taken care of by Cai Ying! With that, he turned his face and commanded without question: "Fill in this evil minion!" ”

Several people roared, and four big men came over, and the eagle threw Gao Fuer into the snowdrift like a chicken, and the upper body was immediately buried without a trace.

"Fill in the snow." Yin Zhen slowly returned to the eaves, sat down on the chair, and said lightly: "Smash it hard, splash it with water, and freeze it!" ”

The family members did not hesitate to follow the order, and there was no head or face to add snow for a while, and they didn't need to use their belongings, but more than a dozen people stood up in line, kicked one foot at a time, added a layer of snow, splashed water, and then stepped on the snow again...... Poor Gao Fu'er was on both legs, writhing and struggling in vain...... The girls hid in the east and west compartments, looking through the glass, and some of them fainted with fright.

Nian Qianyao promised himself as a "stone-hearted general", and seeing Yinzhen kill people in this way, it was just a novelty. When I looked at Yinzhen, I saw Yinzhen sitting on stilts calmly, staring at the snowdrift like no one. When the water drops into ice, the water splashes on it, and the snow forms a clump in an instant. People stepped on it and made a "chirping" sound...... Suddenly, the legs shook in pain, and the hamstrings stretched out and straightened. Nian Qianyao suddenly felt a horror that he had never felt before, and he shuddered in the creeps.

"It's good for you to see each other." Yin Zhen saw that his two sons' faces were pale, and sneered, "If you don't know the sorrow of death, you don't know the joy of life." If I am not like this, people will treat me like this, who will be pitied? After that, he shouted to the people in the courtyard: "There are three other people who are Gao Fu'er's group, you stand up for me!" ”

The house slaves knelt so numb that their legs, with silver in their arms and rabbits in their hearts, had been tossed by this master as if they were having nightmares, and when they heard this sound, they couldn't help but look at each other, looking left and right suspiciously, but no one dared to come out.

"I didn't hear my words clearly—I always only commanded them once." Yin Zhen's cruel gaze swept everyone, "Tu'er put down the butcher's knife at the Nirvana meeting, and he will become a Buddha on the spot." I count one, two, three, you come out, not only do not hurt, but also have the prize of honesty and bravery! One, two, three! ”

As soon as the words fell, three people really crawled out of the crowd, each reporting their names, kowtowing and saying: "Slaves Li Peifu, Yuan Zhaoxin, Deng Qiyun...... I don't fit to follow Gao Fuer......"

"That's it!" Yin Zhen waved his hand and said, "You don't have to say it, this matter is over." Turning back to the account room, one person will pay ten taels of sincerity and courage to win silver! He smiled easily, raised his hand and shouted, and said, "Serve the Lord with heart and spend the New Year with peace of mind." Gao Fu'er, I fell lightly this time, and rewarded him with his corpse. Well! If there is anyone who dares to secretly form a party and forget his righteousness, the reward for the first complaint is 3,000 silver, and there is no part of the main offender and accomplice, and I will fry him in an oil pan in one piece! Hear me? ”

"Wow!"

"Disperse." Yin Zhen said: "Cai Ying, change Gao Fu'er into begging clothes, send Zuojiazhuang to the human field, and watch him burn." Let's just say that you picked up the frozen dead. said, yawned, and said to Nian Qianyao: "Follow me to the study." ”