Early in the morning, after Liluo got up and opened the window, he saw that the people in the small yard were busy, and the overnight rain wet the banana leaves, apricot trees, green bamboos, pine trees, pomegranate trees and an old pear tree outside the window.

Huaihua picked out a water-blue skirt from the luggage brought by Quzhou, and the cherry carefully helped Liluo draw her eyebrows, put on makeup, and apply rouge, and she also replaced the small pear blossom beads that Liluo wore on weekdays with a pair of mutton fat-colored jasmine hairpins, and wore a jade jade bracelet on her hand.

After the pear fell dressed up, carefully checked whether there was anything abrupt about it, and took the acacia flower to carefully check the gifts to be brought to the Shen Mansion, from the Shen family's grandmother to the Shen family's uncle and aunt and the Shen family's brothers and sisters were prepared, she also specially brought a few cans of pear blossom brew brought from Quzhou, this wine was taught by her mother, Quzhou's local rice is brewed as raw materials, selected from Quzhou's best mountain spring water and pear blossoms blooming in early March, the fragrance of pear blossoms when this wine is opened, it will not disperse for a long time.

Before Liluo was six years old, Shen Lun's son Shen Wu served as an observation envoy in the northwest, when Shen Lun, the grandfather of the Shen family, took his relatives to serve as a signing privy councillor in Fuzhou, investigating the case of Jiangnan military grain corruption, and it was also in Fuzhou, the lively and active Shen Yue met Jiang Bing, who was the chief bookkeeper in Fuzhou at that time, Shen Yue somehow fell in love with Jiang Bing, who was young and talented and upright at that time, after the two fell in love, Shen Lun was also an enlightened father, and soon the two got married in Fuzhou. After this news reached Jingshi, it once became a hot topic in Jingshi, and the grandmother of the Shen family also went to Fuzhou in person because of Shen Yue's marriage, and only reluctantly agreed to this family affair after meeting Jiang Bing.

Liluo remembers that when she was young, her mother liked to dress up the most and then take herself to the Shen Mansion to play. Shen Fu has three children, the eldest brother of the Shen family, Shen Muzhou, has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and he went to the army alone at the age of fifteen to exercise, the second brother Shen Chuling is the same age as his brother, but he is extremely fat, and he is the most naughty, he often teased himself when he was a child, and once she was angry she beat him with a stick, and then Shen Chuling hid when he saw himself.

Shen Xitong has lived with her grandmother in Beijing since she was a child, when her mother was alive, Liluo could always see her during the New Year, Shen Xitong likes to wear red clothes, two small tugging on her head, her skin is white and snowy, her smile is extremely bright, and she is always surrounded by a large group of people. Although Liluo also has pink makeup and jade peck, but because she is taciturn and does not have a Jingshi accent, other people don't play with her much.

Once everyone went to see the candy man on the street together, but no one shouted Liluo, she felt extremely lost and wronged in the corner alone, only Shen Muzhou walked up to her and told her that everyone is different, and there is no need to pursue the same as others. Shen Muzhou also lent her his treasured books to read, Liluo has become so fond of reading now, and it is also related to Shen Muzhou's guidance and explanation, she also became half of Shen Muzhou's apprentice because she learned to play chess, so Liluo has always had a special respect and trust for this Shen family eldest brother in her heart.

The time of the banquet was set for Youshi, and Liluo got up and rushed to Shen Mansion at two o'clock in Shen, and before leaving, he specially asked Yuzhu to send a letter to his father for him, so that his father could pay more attention to a person named Li Li in "Xiaoyao City".

As soon as he got out of the carriage, the subordinates of the Shen family immediately stepped forward to greet him, and before he reached the door, he saw a tall man in blue standing under the gate of the Shen Mansion, who looked magnificent, and immediately walked down the steps briskly after seeing the person in the carriage and came over to greet him, "I've seen Sister Liluo." The man's voice was full of vitality, Jiang Liluo looked suspicious, and quickly recalled this person in his mind, but the only one who could stand here to greet him was one of the two brothers of the Shen family, and the man was not surprised to see Liluo's reaction like this, and he still grinned at her.

"Are you Brother Chu Ling?" Jiang Liluo asked hesitantly, "It's really guessed by you, I haven't seen you for many years, Sister Liluo is really getting smarter and smarter, go, I'll lead you in, the ancestor went to Tanshan Temple to listen to Master Hongfa lecture on Buddhist scriptures, and my mother went to the northwest with my father to inspect the military affairs and hasn't returned, I'll take you to meet a few brothers first." ”

Shen Mansion is huge, walking through the front garden and the main hall, Shen Chuling walked towards the back garden with Liluo, looking at the back of Shen Chuling walking in front of him, Jiang Liluo sighed softly in his heart, he hasn't been to Jingshi for a few years, this Shen Chuling has changed too much, when he was a child, he was still a little chubby boy who liked to eat meat, and now not only his body shape and appearance, but also his personality has changed. I beat him when I was a child because of an argument, so I won't leave any shadow on him, thinking that Liluo looked at him from behind, should I find an opportunity to apologize to him.

The back garden of the Shen Mansion was built next to a lake, and there was a low hill beside the lake, on which were planted with all kinds of banyan, plum and pine trees, and some peach trees, which became more and more lush during this season, and a small pavilion was built under a tall pine tree by the lake, which could not only provide shade, but also listen to the sound of the waves.

At this time, there were several young men in the small pavilion who were playing chess and chatting, and when they saw Shen Chuling coming with a girl in a blue dress, a man playing chess immediately fanned his ebony fan and greeted with a smile, "Shaoqing (Shen Chuling), you are here." This man was wearing jade beads on his head and a dark purple rhombic brocade robe, at this moment the sun was setting, and he looked more fair and delicate in the afterglow, and several other men also turned around to greet him after hearing the sound.

"En", Shen Chuling replied with some joy, "Brothers, this is the cousin Jiang Liluo I mentioned. Jiang Liluo immediately bowed down, and his standards were well educated at a glance, "Liluo has seen all the brothers in Muzhou, and I have seen several brothers. "Speak softly and pleasantly, look like a lady, and can't find a trace of fault.

Shen Muzhou put down the white chess in his hand, and saw that Jiang Liluo was thoughtful and smiling, and was very satisfied with this sister, so he smiled and said, "Sister Liluo doesn't have to be so formal, they are all some friends of me and Chu Ling, and after getting to know each other, I will have a place to play in Jingshi." ”

"Well, Liluo thanked Brother Muzhou." Liluo replied gently, and Shen Muzhou continued, "You haven't seen much of the young people who came to Beijing before, so let me introduce you to you." "Shen Muzhou stood up, he was wearing a Guangling robe today, and he looked dignified." The son sitting opposite me is surnamed Ouyang, his name is Mu Hibiscus, the word Jingliang, he is the eldest son of Ouyang Yun, the head of the household department, and his personality is a little debauched, and he is good at writing some books. ”

Ouyang Muhibiscus immediately expressed his dissatisfaction after hearing it, "What is, Sister Liluo will misunderstand when she hears it, I am called a romantic and suave person." After speaking, he immediately raised the fan with a confident face.

Shen Muzhou gave him a disgusted look, "I'll talk about it if you win this game first." Turning around, he was going to introduce the man in white standing next to Ouyang Hibiscus, the man seemed to look at her quietly on the side after seeing the pear, and when the pear looked up, he saw that the man's face was engraved in the sunset, his facial features looked handsome and straight, his figure was slender, and he was dressed in white and looked personable, and there seemed to be a clear spring in his eyes that made people unconsciously attracted, "In Xia Ningyi, the word is Ling, how old is the elder sister Liluo, and she has not yet married, you can call me Brother Ning with Xitong." He didn't wait for Shen Muzhou's introduction, and said slowly on the side.

Shen Chuling immediately smiled and said when he heard it, "You are too cheeky, who cares if you marry or not." ”

Jiang Liluo smiled slightly after hearing this, "I have long heard that Ning Gongzi is both civil and military, and he also likes to drink, so he specially brought pear blossom brew from his hometown, and I will ask you not to dislike it later." ”

Hearing the wine, Ning Yi was immediately happy, and the corners of his mouth raised, "Then I have to taste it carefully, don't grab it from me." ”

"It's just wine, and you'll give it all you want." The son standing next to Ning Yi answered, he was wearing a pale purple brocade robe, a dark blue vortex belt tied around his waist, and a jade crown on his head, looking handsome and unparalleled. Sinan was holding a long tube in his hand at this time, and he had been studying that thing just now, and it seemed that the external things could not arouse his interest, and he only answered when he heard Ning Yi say wine.

Shen Muzhou saw him like this, and smiled helplessly, "I don't need to introduce this, Jing Kai, the son of King Wu, the word Sinan, don't look at him good-looking, in fact, he can't write or martial arts, so he likes to study some strange tricks." ”

Sinan immediately jumped up dissatisfied, "Brother Yun Xi (Shen Muzhou), if you don't hurt me like this, I'm also a dignified son." Ning Yi said with a serious face next to him, "What Brother Yun Xi (Shen Muzhou) said is the truth, what does this have to do with whether you are the son of the world." Sinan has a childish personality, and he immediately jumped like thunder, and wanted to argue with Ning Yi.

Riraku couldn't help but be infected by this close relationship, she looked up and saw that in the corner of the pavilion, there was a man in an ochre coat standing, he had been standing quietly aside, compared to the others seemed to be silent, Riraku noticed that this person was wearing a small mask on the right side of his face, and he saw that Riraku was observing him, and his face seemed unwavering.

Shen Muzhou saw it and said, "This is a friend I met in the army, Zhao Qing, the word Huaizhi, brave in battle, wise and brave, is a rare pioneer in my dynasty, this time I have some military affairs in the Beijing division, I specially brought him with me." Zhao Qing didn't speak, nodded in greeting, and Jiang Liluo immediately returned the salute.

After the introduction, Shen Muzhou saw that it was still early, so he asked, "Is the pear falling this year?" Shen Muzhou's voice was humble and low, making people feel like a spring breeze.

"Well, this year's wax moon." Jiang Liluo replied in a low voice, "Oh, then I have to prepare a gift at that time." "Shen Muzhou has always been thoughtful and considerate.

"Then Liluo will thank Brother Yunxi (Shen Muzhou) first." Liluo smiled at Shen Muzhou, revealing two shallow pear vortices on his face.

Since Jiang Liluo followed his father to work in the yamen, he has learned a lot of ways to observe people. Etiquette, though cumbersome, is an excellent means of protecting oneself. At this time, there seemed to be a few scrutinizing glances, and she reminded herself in her heart that although these people were glamorous and looked freshly dressed and angry, they were not suitable for her, not to mention that her father's official rank was not enough, and it would cause a lot of trouble if the news of her "jade mouse apprentice" spread. In the reading book of "Strange Tales of the Beijing Division" that I read a few days ago, half of the cases were related to the nobles of the Beijing Division.

Seeing that Liluo was a little absent-minded, Shen Muzhou was afraid that she would be uncomfortable, so he didn't let her stay longer, and asked Shen Chuling to lead her to Shen Xitong.

Looking at Jiang Liluo's disappearing back, Ouyang Muhibiscus, who was playing chess with Shen Muzhou, said, "She is Shen Yue's daughter?" ”

Si Nan was studying his newly invented small tube, thinking about how to ignite the gunpowder inside through the lead, and when he heard the name Shen Yue, his ears suddenly came over unconsciously.

"I heard that your aunt Shen Yue was talented and full of Jingshi back then, how many princes and nobles came to ask for marriage, but she actually married an unknown seven-grade official when your grandfather Shen Lun Fuzhou was in office, and this matter caused a lot of sensation after it reached Jingshi. Especially His Royal Highness King Wu, Sinan's father, can be said to be heartbroken, and he once broke into the door of the Shen Mansion with a knife. Ouyang Mujin said to Shen Muzhou while playing chess, and after speaking, he didn't forget to grin at Sinan, and Sinan pouted disapprerovingly.

Ning Yi had a good relationship with Sinan, "That's it," he continued, "Then Sinan should thank that person, if it weren't for Aunt Shen Yue marrying Lord Jiang, how could His Royal Highness the infatuated King Wu marry the current Princess Wu, give birth to Si Nan, and pass on to him the ability to create inventions." ”

Referring to his father King Wu, Sinan's expression was a little ugly, "My skills are obviously self-taught, how can it be related to that old man, what else can he do except dance and music, what I do, even if I am not appreciated now, future generations will definitely understand me." Sinan has always spoken as he pleases, without taboos, but he doesn't plan to join the ranks anyway, others are used to listening to it, he often relies on his handsome face and poisonous tongue to choke others enough.

Ouyang Muhibiscus suddenly smiled wickedly at Sinan after hearing this, "In my opinion, this Jiang Liluo girl is no less beautiful than her mother back then, why don't you follow your father and pursue this beauty, Liluo, but it really has the beauty of pear blossoms, fresh and indifferent, and fragrant for a long time, I heard that your father was frustrated for Shen Yue for a year." ”

"You've lost!" Shen Muzhou's voice came faintly, and his last white chess piece landed, and the black chess immediately lost the whole game. Ouyang Muhibiscus looked at it fixedly, and immediately jumped to his feet angrily, "Shen Muzhou, where did you come from, so I, Ouyang Hibiscus, am also a dignified Jingshi chess saint." ”

Shen Muzhou only took a sip of tea lightly, his expression was solemn, "Today, behind closed doors, everyone treats the things of the year as some chatter, it is harmless, out of this courtyard, I don't want to hear you talk about my aunt and Liluo from any of you, and don't think about the idea of beating her, I know this sister very well, she seems to be well-behaved, but in fact she is very thoughtful, and she may not be able to look down on princes and nobles like you." ”

Sinan didn't look up, only lightly answered, "I didn't have the idea of beating her, this Liluo sister is the type that Zeling (Ning Yizi) likes at first glance, she is quiet and humble on the surface, but she is actually a little fox in her heart, I still like that kind of gentle, well-behaved and obedient girl." ”

Ning Yi smiled, did not deny, this little fox he has indeed observed for a long time, from Runzhou to see her alone in the lonely and wounded residence, a lonely brave, careful as dust, not only quickly found the thing that Dugu was hiding, the next day after receiving his own note, he immediately realized the danger of the situation, quickly evacuated, he waited in this pavilion for a long time today, heard that she was coming and was still a little apprehensive in his heart, I thought she was a lively and talkative character, I didn't expect to look so beautiful, it seems that her vigilance is still very strong, Ning Yi smiled helplessly in his heart, afraid that he would have to spend more time dealing with her.

Ning Yi seems to be stubborn and uninhibited, but in fact, he is upright and very strategic, Shen Muzhou saw that he did not deny it and did not say much, and began to get to the point, "I went back to Beijing this time, ostensibly to visit my grandmother and wife, but in fact, my father noticed that the situation in Beijing was not right, so I stayed here. When I came back this time, my opinion of the crown prince Jinglan changed a lot, he not only introduced Qin to calm the flood, but also invited my uncle Jiang Bing to investigate the recent murder case of the Hellfire in Beijing, I also heard that a few days ago Jinglan also found out the traitor hidden in the East Palace, and two palace maids took advantage of his bathing time to light the soul incense, which made him have nightmares every day.

At present, although the people behind the scenes have not been clarified, it is obvious that there are two purposes, one is to create panic to encircle the Beijing Division, and the other is that some people in the court deliberately use this to shake the position of the crown prince and want to provoke a dispute for the crown prince. ”

When the others heard this, their faces became serious, only Sinan still looked absent-minded. "In my opinion, this time the matter is far more than that," Ning Yi continued on the side, "The flood in the capital division, the murder of the hell fire, the disappearance of the victims, this time the matter is not only the inside line of the court, I am afraid that the people in the rivers and lakes have also heard some rumors involved, Lord Jiang also investigated and found out that the main culprit of the fire murder case is the Flowing Fire Cloud of the Fire Lotus Sect, I heard that this person is a young talent, extremely conceited, according to the reason, he will not kill a few people who have no martial arts in vain, and he also used a strange blue fire, I also heard, "Ning Yi looked at others and heard seriously, He paused deliberately, and said mysteriously, "Jing Yu didn't know what news he heard in Yangzhou, and he didn't delay a day after arresting the painting thief, and immediately rushed back to Beijing by boat from Yangzhou." ”

"This is indeed an important clue, and it is very likely to be the key to solving the case, Zeling (Ning Yi), you continue to pay attention to their dynamics, if there is any important news, come to Shen Mansion to find me immediately, if I am not there, the old way to contact." Shen Muzhou said,

"Well, don't worry, I'm a master at collecting intelligence, and besides, something big may happen to Jingshi this time." Ning Yi replied.

"Jingliang (Ouyang Mu Hibiscus), what can happen to the DPRK?" Shen Muzhou asked, although he is a general, he is not too good to meddle in the affairs of the court, Ouyang Muhibiscus's expression appeared a rare seriousness, "The Pei family seems to be recuperating recently, after the prince took power, there are not many people who are clamoring for the abolition of the prince, but recently, the Li father and son of Shangshu Pavilion have frequently instigated the emperor to go to the Temple of Heaven to worship, saying that it is to pray for the blessings of the people of the world, and it is not wrong to pray for blessings, but at this moment when the enemy is dark and I am bright, the Son of Heaven is tantamount to abandoning his own safety, I don't know what the two of them are safe." ”

"Zhao Qing, you go and follow up and check on the Li father and son, and see if there is any secret collusion with someone behind them." "Yes!" Zhao Qing, who had been silent beside him, replied that although he was a pioneer, he was also a master of investigating the enemy's situation and a powerful assistant to Shen Muzhou.

"Jingliang (Ouyang Mu Hibiscus), I am going to patrol the battalion recently, at this moment, I am most afraid that someone in the army will make trouble, and you will have to worry about the affairs of the DPRK and China, and write to me in time if there is a situation."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the affairs of the court." Ouyang Muhibiscus is not only the eldest son of Ouyang Yun, the head of the household department, but also the new science and technology jinshi of the previous session, it can be said that he is a celebrity in the court, he is now on an errand in the Hanlin Academy, this kind of thing is very simple for him, "The people behind the scenes of this Jingshi are extremely arrogant, why don't we take the initiative to attack?" Ouyang Muhibiscus asked.

"Now the situation of the enemy's offensive is not obvious, and we cannot act rashly." Shen Muzhou sipped his tea and replied, "What we have to do now is to protect the prince." ”

Sinan saw that there was nothing wrong with him, so he took his pipe and continued to study, Shen Muzhou shook his head helplessly, "Sinan, go home and pay attention to what King Wu has been busy with recently?" ”

"My dad?" Sinan asked in surprise, "What can my father be busy with, writing poems, rehearsing music, and alchemy, just these three things, he may have forgotten that he still has a son." ”

"No", Shen Muzhou's expression was serious, "Sinan, you are wrong, your father King Wu seems to ignore the government and indulge in personal hobbies, but every time he is in the capital before the bloody storm, he can always make a prediction, and make the wisest choice, I heard that he recently wrote a new poem, you go and find a way to get it." ”

"Oh!" Sinan's face was still pale, he really felt that his father was purely lucky.

Introduction:

Shen Chuling (19 years old), the word Shaoqing, was bullied by Jiang Liluo when he was a child, he was simple-minded, he didn't like to study literature, he worshiped his eldest brother, served in the Yulin Army of the Beijing Division, and had a marriage contract with Qin Shiyu, the daughter of Qin Gang, the servant of the Ministry of Water.