April 5, 1123 (March of the fifth year of Xuanhe of the Northern Song Dynasty)

Chengdu

In the eastern suburbs of Chengdu Prefecture, in the forest with infinite spring light, a young scholar carried a burden all the way from west to east. The young scholar's face was as white as a jade sword, his cotton head pressed the meticulous hair bundle, the well-fitting cyan cloth robe was tied to his waist by an azure embroidered Shu brocade belt, and a jade pendant the size of a copper coin hung on the silk brocade belt, swinging left and right as he hurried.

This young scholar's name is Xu Zhimian, and he is the person who raised the Chengdu Fuxiang test this year. Bianjing's meeting test was imminent, and he hurried on the road, and was rushing to Bianliang, Tokyo alone.

"Master Meng asked me to go north, wouldn't that be to cross the three big rivers of the Bihe, Qingbai River, and Tuojiang River, and at the end of the year, I still have to turn east? Or my mother is right, you should go east, get to the Tuojiang wharf, take a boat to Hanyang to get off the boat, and then take a car before and after a month to get to Bianjing. Although the master is famous in Shu, he has never been far away, and he is still unfamiliar with geography after all. Thinking of this, Xu Zhimian shook his head and smiled bitterly, two drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks, he hurriedly lifted his sleeves and wiped them, but his feet did not stop, and walked briskly in the direction of the Tuojiang ferry terminal.

After walking for another half an hour, the woods gradually thinned, and the road became smoother and smoother. Sure enough, there were more and more pedestrians on the road, and most of them looked like merchants. In the direction of the shore, heavy trucks pulled by four horses kept leaving, which was quite noisy. Although Xu Zhimian was born in Chengdu, it was the first time he came to the Tuojiang Wharf, a hundred miles outside the city. I saw countless boats, large and small, moored on the shore, and there were still hundreds of large and small ships shuttling back and forth in the center of the river. "The hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit." Xu Zhimian looked around at the dock and sighed in a low voice.

At this moment, a man who looked like a boatman was approaching, Xu Zhimian stepped forward and arched his hand: "This big brother, may I ask which boat ferries the guests?" ”

When the man saw a handsome young man blocking the way, and saw this man in a long shirt with a black crown, he knew that he was a person with a meritorious name, so he smiled and said: "The boy must be here for the first time, this is the freight wharf, and you have to go north for more than five miles along the river, and you will see the wharf for transporting passengers." ”

Xu Zhimian arched his hand again and said: "I see! Thank you, big brother! ”

The man waved his hand and turned away. Xu Zhimian walked north along the river according to what the man said, and simply enjoyed the river scenery along the way.

This road is between two docks, one passenger and one cargo, so there is an endless stream of pedestrians, peddlers, pawns, merchants, geisha, and all kinds of people.

The water potential of the Tuojiang River is quite slow, but the river surface is hundreds of meters wide, looking at the river, reflecting the white clouds floating in the sky and the green mountains on both sides, it is really not magnificent. "Such a big river is actually a tributary of the Yangtze River, so how vast should the Yangtze River be?" Xu Zhimian was sighing in his heart, and a bright color suddenly flashed in his eyes, which taught him to be full of emotion.

Not far ahead, there was a girl in a bearded suit, walking slowly with her hands behind her back. The girl turned around and didn't know whether to look for a companion or enjoy the scenery, and happened to touch Xu Zhimian not far away. Both of them felt strange and moved away instantly. The girl turned around and walked forward with her jade hand behind her back, never looking back.

Xu Zhimian saw that the girl was wearing a fur hat, with a narrow waist and narrow sleeves, a round neck, and a pair of small black leather boots. At that glance, he had deeply remembered the girl's appearance, with beautiful facial features, sharp lips, and especially her silver hair and pale silver eyes. The silver hair was blown by the April river breeze, fluttering in the air like a waterfall in the moonlight, and the silver eyes were like two bright comets, attracting the sideways glances of passers-by. It's just that her bearded clothes make Xu Zhimian feel a little different.

Seeing the girl walking lightly in front, Xu Zhimian thought about it in his heart, turned his head to slow down, and didn't dare to think about it again. Seeing that the girl's figure was getting farther and farther away from him, he took a step towards the ferry dock.

The ferry terminal is smaller than the commercial terminal, and the ships coming and going are not as large as the cargo ships. But the flow of people is endless, and it is also very lively, there are many wine shops and tea shops 100 meters away from the river, and countless passengers waiting for the boat gather in them.

Before Xu Zhimian reached the river, a short black man came out and landed in front of him and said, "Childe, is it a ferry?" Xu Zhimian was startled, and then realized that this man must be doing the work of soliciting customers for a certain boatman, and he took a profit from it. If the price is fair, it will simply be led by him, and it will save a lot of trouble. He said: "Exactly, I want to go to Bianliang, but is there a passenger boat to take the Yangtze River waterway?" ”

The man smiled and said, "When I see the son, he is the one who entered Beijing to take the exam!" Presumably, the son will be able to title the gold list! Seeing that Xu Zhimian did not answer, he continued: "Childe, this ferry into the Yangtze River takes a round trip every two or three months, but not every day." Seeing Xu Zhimian's melancholy face, he smiled and said, "Gongzi Hongfu, there is a big ship that unloaded the guests yesterday today. It has been cleaned, supplemented with drinks and food, and the anchor is lifted at the right time, and it doesn't wait for a moment. Childe, are you saying it's a coincidence?! As he spoke, he pointed to a large ship with a vermilion lacquered mast on the dock.

Xu Zhimian said: "Then, how much money do I need for one person?" ”

The man arched his hand and said: "If you don't say that you are blessed with a noble man, as usual, but if this kind of ship is vacated, the guest seat will definitely be sold out within a few hours." It's all this time, it's long gone! But today is different, there is still the last bamboo lead in the next hand! Childe, you say, isn't it a coincidence! Seeing Xu Zhimian's impatient face, he coughed dryly and said: "The talented person of the son will definitely be the champion of high school in the coming year, and the last elegant seat card is for the sake of the champion, three money." ”

Xu Zhimian exclaimed: "So expensive! Not to mention that I don't have the title of the gold list, even if it is a real champion, I am afraid that I can't afford to ride. Then he bypassed the man and made a gesture to leave.

Where was the man willing to let him go, and said with a smile: "Childe, childe!" See how much money you come up with! ”

After a long tugging, Xu Zhimian finally took out a piece of broken silver of about one tael, two or three coins, and handed it to the man. The Chinese character took the silver tael, checked it with his hand, and said with satisfaction: "The boat will be sailed before and after the hour." Don't lose it! Hanyang is the tail station, and the boat boss will draw a ticket with you to exchange for this bamboo card. The man handed the bamboo card to Xu Zhimian and gave a few words of instruction before leaving.

Xu Zhimian thought, "He said that the ship would leave around the time, and it was still early at the moment." I'm going to sit in the wine shop, but I'm right to rest. He looked at the row of wine shops and tea shops set up against the mountain, picked the cleanest and brightest one, and strode in.

The table in the direction of the river was full, Xu Zhimian had to find a table by the window in the direction of the mountain to unburden and sit down, and Xiao Er immediately ran to greet him politely.

Xu Zhimian didn't want to drink, and before the hour came, he only ordered a pot of tea and two dried fruits to pass the time.

Before the refreshments were served, he looked around at the layout of the shop, wooden beams and columns, gray brick walls, and the ceiling was not paved with wooden planks, and he could see gray tiles lining the beams. Suddenly, a familiar bright color pulled Xu Zhimian's spirit off the beam, and the girl in the bearded dress also walked into the shop, looking around for an empty table.

She saw Xu Zhimian at a glance, and when she hesitated, Xiao Er went up and pointed to Xu Zhimian's adjacent table, which seemed to be saying that there was only one table left near the window. The girl looked around again, making sure that Xiao Er was telling the truth, and after a slight hesitation, she walked to the table next to Xu Zhimian and sat down, facing Xu Zhimian's back. In the short distance she walked, everyone in the wine shop stopped their glasses and looked at her, and some of them praised her in admiration. The girl ignored it, and only went to the table and sat down, as if she had become accustomed to it.

Xu Zhimian couldn't see the girl's face, he only felt that there was a sun sitting behind him, which made him sweat uneasily. He secretly smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I have read the book of sages for more than ten years, and I panicked like this when I saw an unrelated beauty. ”

Immediately, Xu Zhimian took a deep breath and stood up, tidied up his clothes, and arched his hand to the girl: "Girl, Xiaosheng Xu Wan, a person from Chengdu Mansion, I don't know if there are a few words to say?" ”

The silver-haired girl in the bearded dress had just sent away the shopkeeper, and she didn't notice that the person behind her stood up and was startled, and when she looked up, she saw that it was the good-looking Xiucai who she had glimpsed by the river. He pursed his lips and smiled, "What? Let's just say it, don't be so old-fashioned. ”

The girl's smile did not have the slightest flattery, but this graceful posture spread out in circles like spring ripples, almost stunned all the men present, and forgot to laugh at Xu Zhimian's lazy demeanor.

Xu Zhimian said: "Girl, I have been in the Song Dynasty for nearly two hundred years, during this period, the northern frontiers have been ravaged by Liaojin Rongdi all the time, and the people of northern Xinjiang who have been plundered are all ruined. I treat people with virtue and seek perfection every year. Despite this, the Jin Kingdom has frequently raised swords and soldiers in northern Xinjiang in recent years, which has consumed a huge amount of money and grain in the Great Song Dynasty, and caused a deep disaster to the people of the Great Song Dynasty, and the heavens and the earth were also moved when they saw it! Xu thought that since the girl was in the land of my Great Song Dynasty, she should not advocate the style of Rong Di. The reason why Xu Zhimian added the latter sentence was only because he was not sure whether the girl was Han or not.

The girl blinked a pair of pale silver eyes and listened carefully, only to hear the person in front of her open his mouth to pull out a set of great truths about the family and the country, until finally she fully understood what he was trying to express, which meant that she should not be wearing a bearded clothes. What a nosy stupid nerd to think about! Bai Xu Zhimian glanced at him and said: "You are so unreasonable, what is the matter with the people dressing in the border war?" Moreover, although the war in northern Xinjiang continues, don't the people also stop trading? I heard that many people in the Song Dynasty were very willing to buy fur and animal bones made in Liao, because the Central Plains could not buy them. Then according to you, can you say that these people are not loyal to the monarch and patriotic? ”

Xu Zhimian didn't expect this fairy-like woman to be so powerful in robbing white people, and she was speechless for a while, but she was unwilling to say: "The girl's words are wrong, the north is the north of Xinjiang, and the Central Plains is the Central Plains." The people of Northern Xinjiang cut off their livelihood if they did not do business with the Hu people, and we and other people from the Central Plains have a lot of money! How can you say they like to buy? Besides, the girl is in the Central Plains, so she can't ignore ......"

"I paid for it myself, what does it matter to you?" Before Xu Zhimian could finish speaking, he was impatiently interrupted by the girl.

"The girl's dress has nothing to do with Xu, it seems that the girl is not Han, not my race, don't say it." Xu Zhimian knew that reasoning was probably useless, but he refused to shut up, chattering and sitting back in his seat.

When the girl heard him say, "Not my race", Liu raised her eyebrows, and her heart was secretly angry. But when he sat back and stopped talking, he turned around and glared at him.

At this time, the shopkeeper brought up the refreshments of the two, the argument between the man and the woman just now, the whole room saw it, the man was handsome, the woman was beautiful, and the words came and went but it was extremely good-looking, but I didn't expect the two to end the debate so quickly, and it seemed that the girl had won. But when everyone looked at the girl again, her little face was flushed, and she dragged the puffing cheeks with a slender hand and didn't move the refreshments brought by Xiao Er, it seemed that she was really angered by that Xu Wangongzi.

Look at the young man again, pour the tea into the cup casually, and drink it leisurely.

Xu Zhimian took two sips of tea, thinking that he could check out and leave after a few more sips. Suddenly, the teacup in his hand left his hand out of thin air, turned it upside down, and poured half a cup of hot tea on his front placket, and then fell back into his hand steadily. Xu Zhimian was inexplicably surprised with a teacup and was stunned on the spot.

And the silver-haired girl was secretly happy behind him, but she was afraid that people would find out, so she held back and didn't dare to laugh.

Xu Zhimian asked Xiao Er for a dry hand towel and wiped the watermark on the placket. The pale yellow tea soup was poured on the placket, and the cyan cloth robe was afraid to leave tea stains that were difficult to wash. But I was in a hurry and didn't have time to change clothes. Sighing helplessly, he counted ten copper plates on the table, picked up his baggage and walked out the door. Before stepping out of the store, he glanced back at the girl, and saw that the girl seemed to be smiling and avoiding herself, so she shook her head and walked out of the door.

Came to the dock to find the passenger ship with the vermilion mast, took out the bamboo plate bought for more than one or two silver from his arms, and was about to go forward to find the boss of the ship to negotiate, but heard a silver bell-like voice behind him: "Hey, nerd!" Why don't you rush away without changing into clean clothes after getting a whole body of tea and soup? Aren't you afraid of insulting Sven at this moment? ”

Xu Zhimian looked back and saw that it was the silver-haired girl. At this moment, she had taken off her fur hat and held it in her hand, and stood not far away looking at him with a smile.

I saw that the girl's silver hair was tied in a simple bun on the top of her head, pinned with an apricot hairpin, and most of the remaining hair hung down her shoulders, and was blown by the river wind like starlight behind her.

Xu Zhimian said: "I brought a change of robes, but there is nowhere to find a place to change clothes." I had to wait until I arrived at the pavilion and then changed it too late. After that, he arched his hand to the girl and said, "Miss Lao is worried." But I only blame the teacup for tipping for no reason. The second half of the sentence is not so much a mutter, but a mutter.

The girl looked at him and smiled lightly. didn't speak, took the hat in his hand and threw it lightly into the air, only to see that the hat rose to mid-air but did not fall, with the wave of the girl's little hand, it was instantly upside down in the air hat in the direction of Xu Zhimian. It was exactly the same as the teacup. The girl took the hat and held it in her hand casually, turned her back and looked at Xu Zhimian with a smile on her face.

Xu Zhimian's surprise was not trivial, and then he said angrily: "Fruit, it's really you!" It turns out that you are a little demon girl! ”

The girl's expression instantly turned from joy to anger.

She was still guilty of wetting his clothes, wondering if she could find a way to let him change his shirt and help him wash it before returning him, but she thought of her mother's teaching: "Don't be too close to any strange man." Although I don't know how to calculate "too close", it is indeed unseemly to pulp laundry clothes for a strange man. Then I thought of losing some money to buy new clothes with him, who knew that this person opened his mouth and scolded, I really don't know what to do!

The more the girl thought about it, the more angry she became, and said angrily: "You dare to scold me!" ”

Xu Zhimian said: "You use demon law to harm me, you, you are a demon girl!" ”

The girl's big eyes flashed with silver light, and she said coquettishly: "I am Emei Zhengzong, how can I be a demon girl!" Today, I have to let you see how powerful this girl is! With a wave of his hand, a palm wind rushed to Xu Zhimian's face.

Xu Zhimian is a scholar, and he has never even quarreled with others, where will he fight with others? The palm wind hit and didn't know how to dodge, and the strong wind that was caught in the real force was in the middle of the door, and with an "oops" fell out of the way on his back.

After the girl finished fighting, she knew that she had a heavy hand and regretted it, but she refused to admit her mistake, and coldly watched Xu Zhimian get up from the ground in embarrassment.

Xu Zhimian didn't fall lightly, but the face door that was hit didn't hurt at all, he secretly wondered if this girl had a sense of proportion and just wanted to fall me, but she didn't want to hurt me. At this moment, a crowd of onlookers slowly gathered over, and everyone just said that it was a handsome couple who were talking but started to talk, and they were talking endlessly.

Xu Zhimian stood up and straightened his head first, and then stretched out his hand to pat the sand on his body, not wanting to entangle with the woman anymore and preparing to board the boat and leave. But when he patted his back and touched the brocade belt, it really hurt him.

"It's grinding!" Xu Zhimian said while untying his belt with the jade pendant. "The flower ball on this is embroidered by my mother with a needle and a thread, my mother's eyes are not good, and it is impossible to do this fine work, how is this good!" Xu Zhimian cried and mourned, and pointed out the frayed embroidery on the belt to the girl.

The girl was slightly moved, but she still refused to admit her mistake and said, "Who let you speak out first?" Belt, belt, I will compensate you! ”

Xu Zhimian said: "This belt is the only one, how can you compensate for it, today I Xu has everything not going well, and I will leave." With that, he turned around, picked up his baggage, pinched the worn ribbon in his hand, and walked towards the dock. The fluffy waist widened the originally slender figure, and the lotus brocade belt fluttered in his hand.

The girl stood in place with a frown, looking at Xu Zhimian's back, and was annoyed in her heart. If you want to catch up and make a compensation, wouldn't you be ashamed of the dead in this public? I could only watch Xu Zhimian get onto the passenger ship. She stomped her foot and turned to walk in the opposite direction.