Day 2. Ji Cunyan slept at the post station until three o'clock in the morning before he reluctantly got up.

She yawned sleepily and came to the front hall of the post station, Ji Jingyang was already dressed and sat there to read the secret letter.

On the table in front of him was a plate of delicate sugar cakes, and the snow-white rice cakes were decorated with a red date pickled in sugar, which looked delicate and delicious. Next to the sugar cake, there is also a small plate of candied fruit. At first glance, it was prepared by Ji Jingyang for his own sister who loves sweetness.

"Third brother early!" Ji Cunyan was not polite, sat down and took a piece of sugar cake and sent it to his mouth, looking at Ji Jingyang while eating.

Ji Jingyang placed two bamboo tubes the size of little fingers beside him. The sealing wax on the bamboo tube [Note 1] has been removed. The sealing wax of one is in the shape of a six-pointed star, which is Xuanjingtang's own secret letter. The other seal wax is a golden dragon, indicating that this secret letter was sent by Tianlongwei. Ji Jingyang's expression was solemn, it seemed that the cases that should have been sent were very tricky.

After a while, Ji Jingyang gently twisted the letterhead in his hand with three fingers, and a cluster of flames rose from his fingertips, and the letterhead was burned by him in the blink of an eye. The paper used for these letterheads was not ordinary, and when the flames were extinguished, not even a trace of ash remained. On the empty tabletop, in addition to Ji Cunyan's pastries, there were only two small bamboo tubes left for letterheads.

"Third brother?" Ji Cunyan asked Ji Jingyang, "Are we going back to the capital, or do we have other tasks?" ”

Ji Jingyang looked at Ji Cunyan and said, "I have something to go to Fengdu." ”

"Oh."

"You rest for another day and leave for Suzhou by water."

"What am I going to do in Suzhou?"

Ji Jingyang said: "Suzhou boat banquet is famous all over the world. When you go to Suzhou, you will eat all the boat banquets one by one to see which boat has the best taste. ”

Ji Cunyan was confused for a while, and asked suspiciously: "Huh? I'm going to eat? ”

"You love food so much, isn't it a good job?"

"What's so good about this errand? Doesn't it sound like a good errand, but it's all dangerous? ”

Ji Jingyang frowned and asked, "Who taught you this?" ”

Ji Cunyan grinned and said, "Senior Brother Lei Qi said it." ”

Ji Jingyang said with a gloomy face, "When I go back to the capital, I will settle accounts with him." After speaking, he said to Ji Cunyan: "You remember my words, don't do anything else when you go to Suzhou except for food." As short as ten days, as long as half a month, I will definitely go to Suzhou to meet you. ”

Going south to Suzhou in spring, if there is no official business, it is really a pleasant and pleasant thing.

Ji Cunyan took an official boat down the canal. Along the way, the weather warms up, the sun is shining, and when you arrive in Suzhou, it is the best time of the year.

Alone, she first walked along the canal, tasted the snacks on the pier, and then stayed in a water inn built by the river.

The shopkeeper saw that the little girl was alone in the store, but he took a few more glances at her, and asked the shopkeeper to take her into a secluded room, and when she opened the window, she could see the scenery of the water town, which was warm and pleasant.

The shopkeeper was also quite enthusiastic, and while cleaning up the tables and stools in the room for Ji Cunyan, he said to Ji Cunyan, who was standing by the window and watching the scenery: "Girl, it's quiet here, but it's not far from the lobby." You can tell us at any time if you have something, and you can come to us when you encounter bad people. What's inconvenient, our inn also has a little girl who serves guests with water and wine. ”

Ji Cunyan said that it is indeed a rich place in the south of the Yangtze River, and the people in the market are also modest and polite, and they are quite elegant. She rewarded the shopkeeper with a piece of broken silver, and said, "Little second brother, I want to inquire from you." The last ...... here But what's so strange about it? ”

The shopkeeper tilted his head and thought for a while: "Strange thing? I haven't heard of it. However, in March, there are many scribes from all over the city in Suzhou City who come to enjoy the river scenery and chant poems, and every year there will be some fresh stories of talented and beautiful people to listen to. Girl, what are you asking for? ”

"Oh, nothing, just ask." Ji Cunyan said perfunctorily.

Also, where merchants come and go, fish and rice are rich, the common people have plenty of food and clothing, and their popularity is prosperous, but there will be no ghosts who dare to set foot in trouble. However, it is a place with poor mountains and bad waters, and people are inaccessible, just like the area around Zhoushan Mountain, which is uninhabited for hundreds of miles, and some demons and monsters are bred everywhere.

It's strange to say. Since ancient times, mortals have been afraid of encountering monsters and ghosts, but if you think about it carefully, monsters and ghosts seem to be afraid of crowds, and they always live in isolation in the deep mountains and old forests.

I don't know what the reasoning is.

Ji Cunyan waited at the inn for a day, although he knew that his brother didn't arrive so soon, he still felt bored. She remembered that Ji Jingyang had told her that she wanted her to taste the Suzhou boat, so she left the inn the next day, and before going out, she asked the shopkeeper again.

"I've heard that Suzhou is famous all over the world. But the ship point ...... What is it? ”

"Boat order, isn't it just a snack to eat on the boat. Because it is eaten on the boat, it is called a boat point. ”

"But what's the point?"

"Not really. The boat is pointed, the poor have the poor to eat, and the rich have to eat. If you are poor, the girl can pack a few boxes of snacks at our inn, or buy a few bags at the dim sum shop outside, and eat while sitting on the boat while watching the scenery along the river. ”

"Is this still called poor eating? What about the rich? ”

"Hey! Speaking of rich food, it's amazing. At this time, there were few people in the store, and Xiao Er chatted with Ji Cunyan vividly, "If you are rich, you have to spend money, go to the painting boat that is responsible for the boat banquet, and taste the scenery of the water town along the lake, from day to night, the dim sum on the boat is made and then served, and if you pay attention to the boat banquet, you have to spend three hours around Suzhou City." The boat banquet has cold dishes, hot dishes, desserts and fruits, and more attention to what is divided into 'four powders and four sides'. Oh, there are dancing girls and singers on the boat, and there are special girls on the flower boat to eat and drink together. It's just that at the end of this day, it will have to be the salary of Xiao Er's life. ”

"Sounds like rich is better to eat."

"That's nature. Running a boat banquet, although the girls and dancers are all façade, the taste is the most important. Otherwise, go ashore and find a green house, isn't it the same? ”

"And which boat is the best?"

"The most expensive is naturally the best! The most delicious boat banquet has to count the light sound painting boat of Tianxianglou, one of the best in Suzhou. But that ship is not easy to get on, and it is not possible to get on it if you have money. Even if you are a dignitary, you have to wait in line. ”

At this time, the shopkeeper beckoned Xiao Er to do something. Xiao Er added tea for Ji Cunyan and left.

Ji Cunyan patted his money bag aggrievedly, and said in his heart: If you want me to come to the boat banquet, you won't give me money. With my empty money bag, I can probably only wrap a few pieces of fruit cake in the inn and find a fishing boat to sit on.

After thinking about it, I amused myself.

Coming out of the inn, Ji Cunyan inquired all the way, and soon arrived at a small wharf. This is where the guests get on and off the banquets of the major boats. In front of the wharf, a row of canopies was erected, and there were already shopkeepers sitting there to register guests.

Ji Cunyan said in his heart: Although the third brother told me that he wanted me to eat all the Suzhou boat banquets, he also said that I would find the best one to eat. He always speaks as if he was in question, and does not explain. However, my money bag probably can't eat all the Suzhou boat banquets, so let's start with the most expensive one!

So, she found the booth of the Tianxianglou Light Sound Painting Boat under the canopy, and asked the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, if I want to get on the boat, do I have to pay here?" ”

The shopkeeper was dressed up and was richer than the few next to him. At this time, I was reconciling the accounts when no one was around, and when I heard that someone wanted to book a table, I felt impatient, and I didn't raise my head and said: "It's all fully booked in three days, you can go elsewhere to see!" ”

Ji Cunyan was a little aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do. She wanted to show her official identity. But I remembered that Ji Jingyang told her to "don't do anything", and thought that if she startled the snake and waited for the third brother to come over, she was afraid that she would scold herself.

At this time, the other shopkeeper saw that Ji Cunyan was beautiful and cute, but his eyes lit up, and he walked to Ji Cunyan with a smile on his face, and said to her: "The girl wants to eat the boat banquet?" ”

Ji Cunyan said: "I came from other places, and I heard that the Suzhou boat banquet is the most famous. Fireworks in March, it would be a pity in life not to taste them, so I want to open my eyes. ”

The shopkeeper said, "If the girl doesn't dislike it, you can go to our boat and sit down." ”

Ji Cunyan said in his heart that it didn't matter which boat he was on, so he asked, "I don't know how much money I get by myself?" ”

The shopkeeper smiled all over his face, waved his hand and said, "The girl is such a beautiful talent, she doesn't need money to get on our boat." ”

"And such a good thing?" Ji Cunyan asked.

The shopkeeper let go of half of his body, raised his hand to make a "please" gesture, and said to Ji Cunyan: "Get on our boat, young men and women, as long as they are good-looking, they don't need money, but they are not slanderers." Girl, please come with me on board! ”

Ji Cunyan was still a little hesitant, but looking in the direction of the shopkeeper's guidance, the painting boat was full of people, so it was not lively, and the men and women on the boat were wearing red and green, leisurely. There are also a lot of people on the Xindao boat, and in broad daylight, I don't expect anything to happen. So he followed the shopkeeper to the ship.

She sat on a small wooden table near the river. Then Xiao Er served tea and a stack of candied fruits. The candied fruit is wrapped in syrup, and it looks crystal clear, and its appearance is not inferior to the famous spot of the capital. As soon as Ji Cunyan wanted to taste it, two men in light-colored robes sat opposite her.

Ji Cunyan frowned lightly and looked at the two of them.

One of them looked Ji Cunyan up and down a few times with a smile, and said, "The girl is so handsome, I don't know who the surname is, how old is it?" ”

He asked this very lightly, and Ji Cunyan was not polite, and replied: "What's the matter with you?!" ”

The other man next to this person laughed and said, "Brother Wang, it seems that the girl didn't take a fancy to you." Replace me! Girl, under the surname Zhuang. He is a native of Suzhou, and his family has thousands of acres of fertile land and a restaurant business. Although it cannot be said that it is calling for wind and rain in this Suzhou city, it is also rich and expensive. I wonder if the girl would like to make friends with Zaixia? ”

Ji Cunyan didn't have a good face for him, and said: "It's good that your family is a relative of the emperor, what's the matter with me?!" ”

"You! ——" Zhuang Gongzi had never encountered such a big nail at the girl's house, and his face changed when he came, and said angrily: "It seems that the girl has a very high vision!" I don't know if this whole red chuan, who can get into the girl's eyes? ”

"Into what eyes? I'm here for a boat feast. What do you care about the rest of the ship? ”

The two men looked at each other, and Wang Gongzi said, "Listen to the accent girl is not a local, right?" ”

"I don't want to sit with people I don't know, so you can go elsewhere!" Ji Cunyan's little fist was already clenched.

Wang Gongzi said: "If you just want to have a boat banquet and taste fresh, why do you want to sit on Hongchuan?" ”

"What's wrong with Hong Chuan?" Ji Cunyan stuck his head out of the boat, and saw that this ship was different from other ships, dyed vermilion all over, which was very conspicuous.

Zhuang Gongzi unfolded a folding fan and said slowly: "Red Chuan is used by men and women of appropriate age for blind dates. Men and women sit on this ship, which means that they have not yet married, and they want to find a destined person on the ship. ”

Ji Cunyan opened his round eyes, frowned again, and said in a low voice: "No wonder the shopkeeper said that I don't need money!" Isn't this a slander? I'm angry! ”

She slapped the table, stood up, and said, "I'm not here for a blind date!" I was tricked into getting on board. I'm going to get off the ship now! ”

The two men still wanted to entangle, but Ji Cunyan glared at them and said, "If you dare to talk more, be careful that your aunt and grandmother are unhappy, gouge out the eyeballs of the two of you and throw them into the river to feed the fish!" ”

With that, she actually pulled out the short dagger hidden in her boots.

The two men shrank back in fright, and were speechless.

After Ji Cunyan left, Zhuang Gongzi said to his companion: "This girl is really good, it suits my appetite." ”

Wang Gongzi said: "I can't be blessed, you see that she can pull out the guy's affairs at any time, and it will definitely be difficult to get along." Marrying a wife depends on whether you are virtuous or not, if you want to find a beauty, why not go to the light sound painting boat? ”

Ji Cunyan was so angry that he wanted to get off the boat, but the boat had already left the dock and shuttled along the moat between the green tiles and green willows of the water town. She was born good-looking, and many men along the road tried to talk to her, but she refused murderously.

Ji Cunyan passed all the way from the second floor to the first floor, and at the corner of the stairs, suddenly, the copper bell bracelet she tied to her wrist rang!

This copper bell is a family heirloom of the Ji family, which can detect the surrounding demonic ghosts and ghosts, and is very sensitive. On weekdays, for the convenience of movement, the bell tongue is close to the copper wall, and it will not make any sound. However, if it detects the presence of something unusual around it, it will jingle to alert its owner.

There is a woman in white who passed by in the same season! Ji Cunyan hurriedly looked back, the woman in white was walking so fast! In the blink of an eye, I had reached the end of the hallway, and when I turned a corner, I couldn't see it. Ji Cunyan could only vaguely see a fluffy white tail from the afterimage of her skirt!

Fox demon?!

Ji Cunyan had never encountered a monster formed by cultivation alone, but he didn't expect that when he saw it today, it was a fox demon. I heard that although most of the fox demons are beautiful and charming, they are the most cunning and cruel, and because of their family origins, they are quite bold. The ordinary monsters next to them are all cultivating in the deep mountains and old forests, only the fox demon loves the drunken gold fans in the world, hiding in the city, shuttling between mortals, waiting for the opportunity to make waves.

At this time, Ji Cunyan only felt that the blood was surging all over her body, and she thought that she would also kill demons and demons alone, so she followed closely in the direction of the woman in white to catch up.

The woman in white walked to a side room on the second floor and went in, Ji Cunyan followed, but when she saw the door that had been closed, she didn't dare to break in impulsively, so she could only listen to the people in the room by the window. When she saw that the window in the corridor was not closed, she reached out and pulled the window open a little more, and looked in.

I saw a young man in white standing in front of the woman in white. The young man is only about the age of a weak crown, and although his facial features are slightly immature, there is a heroic spirit between his eyebrows and eyes.

The woman in white saluted the young man and said, "Hello sir." ”

The young man nodded slightly and asked, "How is this ship?" ”

The woman in white shook her head and said, "I didn't see anything strange, I made an inspection, they are all disciples, and there are few serious people." But they are all ordinary people, and they don't see any demonic ghosts. ”

At this time, another male voice came out from the corner of the room, "This is already the third red chuan." There are five red chuans used in Suzhou for blind dates, and if there are five ships, we will have to cast a wide net in the next step, and search the painting boats to investigate. ”

Ji Cunyan felt that what these people said was strange, and it seemed to have something to do with what he was investigating. Unexpectedly, at the end of the corridor, Zhuang Gongzi, who had just entangled her, suddenly appeared again.

Zhuang Gongzi shouted to Ji Cunyan: "Didn't the girl get off the boat?" Why are you still on board? Ooh? Don't you taste a good boat, but listen to people in the corner here? Let me see if you've come to the ship to catch a traitor? ”

Ji Cunyan screamed in her heart that it was not good, she heard a burst of messy footsteps in the house, and she couldn't care so much at this time, so she rushed into the house.

I saw the woman in white retreat to the window on the other side. This window is facing the river, and it is estimated that he wants to see the situation and escape from the window. And the young man in white and a man in gray stood in front of Ji Cunyan.

Ji Cunyan said: "Bold demon, still want to escape?" ”

After speaking, he shook his wrist, grabbed a few copper bells between his fingers, and threw them at the woman in white.

The young man in white shrank his pupils, and with a wave of his sleeves, he helped the woman in white block Ji Cunyan's six-pointed star array. He was not a demon or a monster, and neither the ink line nor the copper bell had any lethal power to him, and as soon as he stirred it up, the woman in white successfully escaped from the window.

Ji Cunyan hurriedly caught up, but was stopped by the young man in white.

Without saying much, the two exchanged hands. After more than a dozen moves, Ji Cunyan felt that this young man in white had mediocre martial arts and was not his opponent at all. She saw the right time, and with a fist down, she hit the bridge of the young man's nose straight up.

The young man in white was in pain, and hurriedly covered his nose and squatted down.

For ordinary people, Ji Cunyan didn't want to kill him, so he ran past him and out the window.

At this time, many people had gathered on the riverbank, and the decks on the first and second floors were also full of people, each of whom craned their necks to look into the river.

"Someone's overboard!" "Help!" "It's a girl in white, who jumped off the boat!"

The words go on and on.

At this time, Zhuang Gongzi, who had just done the bad thing, called a dozen thugs and boatmen on the boat to rush over here. He pointed at Ji Cun and said, "It's her!" It's this woman's trouble! ”

It seems that Zhuang Gongzi is angry about Ji Cunyan's ignorance of his own affairs, and always wants to take revenge and embarrass Ji Cunyan.

Ji Cunyan frowned angrily, and when he pursed his lips, he wanted to take out the token from his waist to reveal his identity.

The third gray-clothed man in the room who spoke stood up at this time, took out his token, and said to the boatman: "The Suzhou Mansion is handling the case, and the idle people are waiting to retreat as soon as possible!" ”

His words made Ji Cunyan, Zhuang Gongzi and the boatman on the boat stunned.

The leading boatman carefully looked at the gray-clothed man a few times, and then immediately smiled and said to him: "It turned out to be Jin Zhutou, disrespectful and disrespectful!" It's that we don't know you're on the boat. All the expenses here are ours. These furniture teacups destroyed by the fight are also ours! ”

Ji Cunyan pouted and said, "Who wants to take advantage of you like this?" When he had finished speaking, he took out a piece of broken silver from the purse at his waist and threw it to the leader.

The leading boatman looked at Ji Cunyan in embarrassment, and then looked at Jin Zhutou.

Jin Zhutou waved his hand at him and said, "If the girl asks you to take it, you will take it." Let's take people and disperse! ”

The lead boatman nodded a few times, then turned around and prepared to leave.

Jin Zhutou called him back again and said, "Also, the girl who jumped into the river, you don't need to save it, right?" Mr. Zhang? ”

The young man in white was still squatting in the center with his nose covered. He couldn't speak, just waved his hand lightly, indicating that let her go!

After a commotion, there were only three people left in the room: Ji Cunyan, Jin Zhutou and the young man in white.

Ji Cunyan looked Jin Zhutou up and down a few times, and then said, "You are the head catcher of Suzhou Mansion?" ”

The man in gray nodded, and asked again, "Who is the little girl?" ”

Ji Cunyan was unconvinced: "The girl is the girl, what are you doing with a 'small' in front?" I'm a secret agent of the Xuanjing Hall. ”

In fact, Jin Zhutou was recognized by the boatman, and Ji Cunyan knew his identity without doubt. It's just that she doesn't understand why Jin Zhutou is with a young man in white with a suspicious identity and a fox demon.

"It turned out to be a secret envoy from the capital, disrespectful, disrespectful!"

In fact, in terms of official-level taste, Ji Cunyan is not higher than Jin Zhutou, and even slightly lower. However, Xuanjing Hall belongs to Tianlongmen and is from the capital, so Jin Zhutou naturally has to be respectful to Ji Cunyan.

Ji Cunyan was not polite to Jin Zhutou, and pointed to the white-clothed young man who was still squatting on the ground and covering his nose and said, "Who is he?" ”

The young man in white raised his head, stared at the nosebleed on his face, but was not polite to Ji Cunyan, and said, "It's your uncle." ”

Ji Cunyan looked at the nosebleed on the young man in white, and laughed.

[Note 1] In ancient times, secret letters would roll letterheads into small rolls and place them in bamboo tubes. How can you be sure that the letter has not been opened and read during transportation? Sealing wax will be used. The sealing wax is sealed by different yamen, and it will have different shapes.