After the Chung Yeung Festival, the weather became colder and colder.

Wangzhou is close to the border, and by mid-November, the first snow fell.

Chu Cheng wrapped a thick rabbit fur cloak, lying by the window to watch the snow particles falling one after another, her eyes unblinking.

Mabi lifted the curtain of the thick door, and the cold wind swept into the room. Xi Du hurriedly came in with a brazier, rubbed his frozen hands, and said with concern: "Madam, don't stand by the window, it's too cold this day, and it's not easy to deal with typhoid fever!" ”

Mao Bi burned a copper flower hollow stove, handed it to Chu Hui, and asked with a smile: "Madame used to live in Yunzhou, close to the south, has she rarely seen snow?" ”

"Uh-huh!" Chu Cheng took the stove and warmed it up, the tip of her nose was a little red from the cold, "It's the second time I've seen you when it's so big." ”

The capital is located in the hinterland of Dayuan, and the four seasons are as warm as spring.

In the cold winter of the thirteenth year of Jianwu, it finally snowed heavily, and Chu Cheng had a snowball fight and built a snowman with the palace maid in the palace garden, and was very unhappy. However, after the blizzard, snow disasters broke out in many places, freezing to death countless people and animals, Emperor Jianwu was busy, and the officials in the court and China were panicked.

There were also many jokes in the capital because of the blizzard.

What household servant Lord Li did not listen to dissuasion, and had to travel on a snowy day, but he lost two front teeth, spoke leaky, and did not dare to go to the court to meet people; Lord Wang, a scholar in the middle school, collected snow water and used it to make tea, and as a result, he had diarrhea for seven days and seven nights; Mrs. Zhang, who was over 80 years old, took his eighteen-year-old concubine to Huxin Pavilion to enjoy the snow, but the cold disease in his legs recurred, and now he is still paralyzed in bed and unable to move......

However, the most famous is Wu Guangbi.

In order to tie up with Taishi Chen, he went to suck chilblain pus from others every day in the wind and snow, and when spring came, he also went straight to the top.

Coincidentally, this Wu Guangbi will soon come to Qingyuan County to inspect.

Chu Cheng only heard Gu Jingtong say before yesterday that the superintendent sent by the imperial court this year is still Wu Guangbi, he doesn't like Lin Boqin, and Lin Boqin will not flatter, thinking that it is hopeless to be promoted again this time.

Gu Jingtong was heartbroken, but Lin Boqin didn't react at all.

Chu Cheng thought of Lin Boqin's appearance of not caring about himself, and he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

Just thinking like this, I heard the door next door "squeak" open, but it was Lin Boqin wearing a cotton green shirt and preparing to go out.

Chu Cheng hurriedly stopped him: "It's snowing this day, what are you doing in the county office?" ”

Lin Boqin turned around when he heard this, and saw Chu Cheng lying lazily on the window frame, the snow-white and fluffy rabbit fur wrapped around her slender neck, and it set off the frozen white and reddish melon seed face, as sharp and clear as white snow and red plums, bright and bright.

He replied in a deep voice: "The main book counts the grain in the granary today, and I will go over and take a look." ”

"Just leave these things to the people below, you really have to do it all yourself." Fortunately, Chu Cheng was also used to it, she muttered, turned around and asked Mabi to bring an umbrella, lift the skirt and cross the threshold, and pull it open.

Chu Cheng walked down the steps, handed the paper umbrella to Lin Boqin, raised his face and said, "Although the snow is not big, the clothes have to be moistened in the past, so let's hold an umbrella." ”

The oil-paper umbrella is painted with flowers of light pink morning glory silk and is also decorated with several colorful butterflies. The handle of the umbrella is tied with a red tassel and a string of delicate small bells, which at first glance looks like a flower umbrella for women.

Lin Boqin, a big man, walked the streets with such an umbrella, he felt that it was not appropriate.

However, without waiting for him to refuse, Chu Ji rudely stuffed the umbrella into his palm, and raised his eyebrows: "I kindly handed you an umbrella, but you still don't like it?" ”

Lin Boqin's hand was a little painful when she pulled it, and he suddenly said helplessly: "Li Siniang, can't you be a little gentle?" ”

"It depends on your performance."

Chu Cheng raised her chin and looked domineering.

She made this movement, and an agate tassel pinned to her bun swayed with a step, and it swayed. Lin Boqin's eyes couldn't help but fall on the step, only to find that this stepstroke was also made in the style of a butterfly, which complemented this umbrella.

The snow fell silently all around, and the two stood together under the flower umbrella, covering the gloomy sky, and the voices of the voices seemed to be heard only by the two of them.

Maybe it was because he was a little close, Lin Boqin stared at Chu Xi's delicate face and didn't speak for a while.

I have to admit that Li Siniang is too vivid, her life is colorful and wanton, whether it is her appearance or personality, it cannot be ignored. Lin Boqin once thought that he hated her, but after getting along for a long time, now any word she chokes, he feels natural in his ears.

At the beginning of the three chapters of the covenant between the two of them, he didn't remember them very often......

Chu Ji saw him looking at himself stunned, raised his hand and shook it in front of his eyes: "What are you looking at?" Something on my face? ”

Lin Boqin suddenly came back to his senses, turned his head sideways, and coughed lightly: "It's nothing." ”

"Inexplicable." Chu Cheng waved her hand, turned around and ran back to the house.

Lin Boqin looked at the thick curtain that was still shaking slightly, and his mood was a little complicated.

He was thinking about getting along with Chu Cheng all the way, sometimes laughing inexplicably, and sometimes sighing.

Holding the flower umbrella and jingling bells, he walked along the long street, and unconsciously came to the yamen of Qingyuan County.

Lin Boqin walked to the inner hall and saw Yang La and Hu Yu warming up around the brazier, he looked around and asked, "Where is the main book?" I asked him to wait for me to go to the granary, why wasn't he there? ”

Hu Yu stood up, scratched his head, and explained: "Gu Xiancheng asked the master to go alone, he said...... He has something to discuss with you. ”

"What's the matter?"

"Big deal!"

Before Hu Yu could answer, he saw Gu Jing hurriedly braving the fine snow to enter the house.

He shook the snow particles on his robe, turned his head and said to Lin Boqin urgently: "Wu Guangbi Ming'er came to Qingyuan County, accompanied by Cai Gaoyi, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, Zhao Qi, the secretary of the government office, and seven or eight entourages and subordinate officials of the government office, do you think this is a big deal?" ”

Lin Boqin's hanging heart fell to the ground, and he sighed: "I thought it was a big deal, didn't I just come to Qingyuan County to inspect?" I have all the files and documents for the past two years, and they can come and check any of them. ”

"Peizhi, I'm really not in a hurry at all!"

It was obviously a cold day, but Gu Jingtong took out the folding fan with the words "contentment and happiness" written on it and shook it: "This is related to your political achievements!" You don't want to be promoted at all? ”

Lin Boqin frowned.

Stepping into the official career, everyone has a mind to make steady progress. Although Lin Boqin is a literati with arrogance and a clean breeze on his sleeves, he also thought of living in a temple to show his ambitions.

But after seeing the smoky miasma of the court in the capital, and the intrigue, I gradually stopped this idea.

He mused, "It's all about fate. ”

Gu Jingtong glared at him with hatred: "What you said, just go to the temple to be a monk." ”

Lin Boqin didn't bother to argue with his friends about it.

Gu Jingtong didn't let him go, pulled Lin Boqin's sleeve and went to Santang: "Don't be stupid, let's go, go and refine those documents again, cover the seal, you don't miss a single one of so many merits!" ”

***

Early the next morning, the horse-drawn carriage procession of Wu Guangbi, who supervised the imperial history, drove into the city gate of Qingyuan County.

There was still fine snow in the sky, and Lin Boqin, Gu Jingtong, the chief bookkeeper and other subordinate officials did not hold umbrellas, and they stood guard at the gate of the county government before dawn to greet each other.

The double-drawn canopy carriage stopped slowly in front of the Yimen.

Two entourages came out of the carriage behind, one was busy kneeling in the snow, and the other bowed down and said, "Lord Wu, the Qingyuan County Ya has arrived." ”

The green silk curtain embroidered with the pattern of lion playing beads was opened, and the man wearing a five-grade light crimson official uniform stepped on the back of the entourage and Shi Shiran got out of the car. This person is in his thirties, neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short, with an eagle head and a finch brain, two mustaches on his lips, and a purring in his eyes.

There were two people behind him, both wearing green official uniforms, one of them looked like he was forty-three, and the other was much younger, with a white face and no beard, Lin Boqin and Gu Jingtong both recognized it, it was Zhao Qi, the official of the government office.

Needless to say, the identities of these three people are already clear to Lin Boqin.

Although he didn't like flattery, he still had a decent respect for his superiors, so he dusted off his official uniform and stepped forward to arch his hand: "Lin Boqin, the commander of Qingyuan County, see Lord Wu and Lord Cai." Then he looked at Zhao Qi, who was not as good as his rank, and bowed his head slightly, "Zhao Yanshu." ”

Zhao Qi nodded with a smile.

Lin Boqin introduced Gu Jingtong again, then raised his hand and made an invitation, inviting Wu Guangbi and others to inspect the county government.

Wu Guangbi walked in the forefront, and Lin Boqin next to him told Qingyuan County about local government affairs, taxation, justice, agriculture, etc., so Wu Guangbi looked east and west, and said "um" from time to time. Cai Gaoyi, who accompanied him, responded to Lin Boqin and roughly asked a few questions about whether the local squires had taken advantage of the situation.

The group entered the inner hall, Wu Guangbi touched his mustache, looked at the floor tile couplets of the Qingyuan County Ya, and said in a perfunctory tone: "Not bad, it's very clean, and there is no dust." ”

Hearing this, Lin Boqin knew that he had just summarized them, and Wu Guangbi didn't listen to a word.

In the end, it was sent by the imperial court, and he couldn't say anything, so he had to bow his head: "Keeping the yamen clean is a matter for the lower officials." ”

Wu Guangbi walked around the inner hall, touching his skinny hands, and his eyes wandered back and forth on the coffee table.

Lin Boqin hung his head and didn't see it.

Wu Guangbi coughed at this time, and said leisurely: "The weather here in Wangzhou is really cold, and the official's hands are a little frozen. ”

Lin Boqin continued: "Wangzhou is located on the frontier, and it is not far from Youzhou in the far north, so the weather is cold. ”

Hearing this, Wu Guangbi was obviously a little impatient, he frowned, and was about to speak, but Gu Jingtong reacted, took two steps forward, and said with a smile: "Lord Wu has lived in the capital for a long time, and he doesn't often come to these poor mountains and bad waters, and he is tired all the way, I'm afraid he is not used to it." The lower officials prepared hot tea with cloud ginseng slices, as well as some special pastries from Qingyuan County, and asked Lord Wu to taste how it tasted to temporarily drive away the cold. ”

Wu Guangbi pulled the corners of his mouth and snorted: "You have a heart." ”

After finishing speaking, he sat down on the Eight Immortals chair in the middle, and his eyes swept coldly at Lin Boqin, only to feel irritable.

He doesn't like to come to Qingyuan County to inspect every year, because this Qingyuan County order is inflexible, and he looks at a very smart person, but he is like a wooden fish pimple, and he feels bad when he looks at it. If it weren't for the fact that Lin Boqin really had some ability to manage the jurisdiction, otherwise he would have wanted to find a reason to rectify him!