She knew who it was.

During the day today, Candle Er also mentioned that the young master here, the man named Pei Xiaoyuan, will be back soon.

……

At that time, the city guard was startled by the sound of horses' hooves from far and near outside the city, and ran up to the city to watch, and a large group of men and horses were coming to the city gate, and the sound of hooves was turning, like a sudden thunderstorm on a summer night, and in a blink of an eye rolled up to the front. The neighing of horses, the whipping, the clatter of the swords and bows worn by the knights, and the shouting of the beards in between, rushed to the gates of the city in a chaotic manner.

The night wind blew away a cloud of ink in the sky, and the moonlight leaked through the gap, illuminating the group of people who had returned from the moon.

At the head of the march were two tall horses surrounded by a crowd, both young men in similar attire, neatly round-necked robes, wind-shielded robes, girdles around their waists, swords, and hulu with feathered arrows. When they reached the city gate, the two stopped their horses, one of the young men pointed ahead and said a few words, and the other bowed slightly, then turned his face and looked in the direction of the city.

It was a young and handsome face. The moonlight above his head intertwined with the surrounding night, reflecting his surging eyes, and there was a cold moonlight in his eyes.

The city guard recognized it at a glance, and the person who came was Pei Xiaoyuan, the cloud cavalry captain who had been out for a long time, and hurriedly ordered his subordinates to open the city gate and welcome him and his party inside.

Pei Xiaoyuan was on the road yesterday and met He Jin, who came to pick him up, and learned that his uncle Pei Ji had something urgent to find him, and asked him what was the matter, but He Jin couldn't say clearly, but the county guard looked anxious. He was afraid that he would make a mistake, so he explained a few words to Chengping, so he stopped wandering and went on the road tightly, and finally arrived overnight in the moonlight tonight.

Because Chengping entered Beijing this time, he brought a lot of congratulatory goods, including two hundred horses, in addition, the accompanying officials plus guards and slaves, a total of hundreds of people, all the people and the convoy were parked outside the city gate, the movement was really not small, fortunately, I got the news in advance here, and I was prepared, and I quickly settled down with the people.

Pei Xiaoyuan originally wanted to invite Cheng Ping to live in the post house, and the place was ready to receive him and the accompanying officials, but Cheng Ping was unwilling, so he told him outside the city gate that he was too bored and wanted to live with him in the county guard's mansion. When the two participated in the war against Xifan a few years ago, they also drank and slept in the same tent, but this time they just lived in the same house, Pei Xiaoyuan naturally didn't care, so he led him back to his home. Pei Ji had already been notified and came out to pick up people in person.

Chengping has a fierce and wild temperament, but he doesn't dare to hold it up to Pei Ji, a former court minister. Moreover, when he was a child, he was sent to the capital as a hostage, lived for many years, and learned to understand the Han people's sophistication, when he saw Pei Ji, his attitude was respectful, and he said that he was an acquaintance and a junior, and he was afraid of disturbing him, so he wanted to go to live in the post house, but Pei Erlang opened his mouth and invited him to live with him, he was not easy to push, so he could only bother.

Pei Xiaoyuan glanced at him, Chengping didn't even blink, and looked at Pei Ji solemnly.

Pei Ji naturally said yes and called someone to send the guests over to rest.

Waiting for Chengping to go with a smile, Pei Xiaoyuan explained: "My nephew didn't know that his uncle was in trouble, so he came back and stopped with Chengping, and it was delayed, otherwise he would have returned half a month ago." ”

Pei Ji said that it was okay, by the light, he saw that his nephew was in the dust, and it was the middle of the night again, so he asked him to rest too.

Pei Xiaoyuan did not move.

"Uncle He said that my uncle has something to do with me, the matter is important, and my nephew is not tired."

Pei Ji then led him into the study and closed the door, but he only looked at the person standing in front of him and did not speak.

Pei Xiao thought there was a sudden military situation at the beginning, but when he met at this moment, looking at his uncle's appearance, it was obviously not. was looked at by him like this, waited for a while, no matter how good his patience was, he couldn't help it, and asked again: "If there is something wrong with uncle, just come here." ”

Pei Jifang thought of the old things again because of his nephew.

That turmoil led to the overturning of half of the rivers and mountains, the destruction of thousands of lives, and the loss of his brother and son. Fortunately, there are also gratifying things, my nephew is finally an adult now, and when he also gets married, he will forget it, but it is a big matter.

"Xiao Yuan, do you know Ye Zhongli of the First Emperor Dynasty?" He finally spoke.

Ye Zhongli is a court painter of the first emperor dynasty a few decades ago, it is said that he was born in a lonely cold, when he was young, a paintbrush, a long sword, wandering in all directions, and then comprehended the painting skills from the sword, famous all over the world, landscapes, people, Buddhism, all of them are fine, the first emperor heard his name, summoned into the palace to give officials to accompany him. At that time, no one in the capital did not know his name, many Taoist temples and temples were proud to invite him to make murals, and there was a place where he painted the murals of gods and Buddhas, and it would also be famous, and the people rushed to enter and exit, and the incense was prosperous.

And one of his most famous paintings is the long scroll of the Heavenly Man Jingluo that was commissioned to be made in the Yong'an Hall of the Long Live Palace thirty years ago. It is said that for this mural, he first traveled all over Gyeonggi, and when he had a complete picture in his heart, he went into retreat to paint, forgetting to sleep and eating, day and night, and it was completed in January. But it should have been too much effort for this painting, and after finishing, his fingers couldn't even hold the brush, and he fell to the ground, and people vomited blood on the spot. On the first day of the following year, the first emperor set up a banquet in the newly completed Yong'an Hall to entertain the four feudal lords who came to worship, and when this Danqing masterpiece painted on the three palace walls was displayed in front of everyone, the people present were even the ministers who had lived in the capital for a long time, and they were all shocked, let alone the feudal lords.

According to the memories of the people of the old palace who had been fortunate enough to experience the scene of the day, the mural is more than three zhang high, more than ten zhang long, full of three palace walls in the east, west and north, and it reaches the sky, and it seems that extraordinary people can make it by hand. The picture is divided into two parts of heaven and earth, there are seventy-two immortals in the sky, each in its place, surrounded by hundreds of different golden boys and jade girls and priests and ministers, cranes and lotus flowers, and the clouds are swirling. The gods are lifelike, their feathers are flying, and if they are looking down on the world, they will descend on the clouds. The lower part of Jingluo Changjing, from west to east, depicts the majestic mountains, the twists and turns of the river, the majestic city, the magnificent palace, the bustling market, and the bustling pedestrians. The upper and lower parts, the unity of heaven and man, like the heavenly scroll, slowly unfolded in front of everyone's eyes.

If it weren't for the Heavenly Treasure of the Heavenly Treasure, how could there be such a majestic momentum that shook people's hearts? The feeling of shock that seemed to be overwhelming made the people present involuntarily bow down and shout long live to the emperor. The kings and envoys of the feudal empire were even more dazzled, marveling at the strength and magnificence of the empire, and prostrated themselves to the ground for a long time.

The scene of that day, after a long time, is still a topic that the people of the capital can be proud of, and then it flourished and declined, and Beijing broke the national disaster, all of which became the memories of the past that the world remembered. It's a pity that although this painting is famous all over the world and loved by the first emperor, there are not many people in the world who want to get a glimpse of its true appearance, after all, the glass is fragile. The Long Live Palace was burned in the city-breaking rebellion, and the long scroll on the wall that condensed the blood of Ye Zhong's centrifugal head was also destroyed in the flames, like a flash in the pan, and never survived.

Pei Xiaoyuan was not very interested in Danqing, when Ye Zhongli was at the height of his fame, he was not born yet, but this name was too legendary, and he naturally knew it.

After that New Year's Day, Ye Zhongli fell ill and left the palace, and since then he has been like a crane in the mountains and forests, and he has disappeared. Then there was a shocking upheaval, and the lives of people in the world were as cheap as ants, and after that, there was no news of him, and it was speculated that he should have died in the war.

However, although others left, the original collection of his masterpiece was also destroyed in the war, but the painting scriptures written by him were widely circulated, and the folk painters worshiped him like a god. Today, decades later, he is rumored to be an almost immortal figure, and the world says that Ye Zhongli paints dragons, can call clouds and mist, paint Buddha, and enlighten sentient beings.

"I've heard of its name. He should no longer be alive. It's a pity. ”

Uncle was in a hurry to call himself back, but he was talking about such a past character who had nothing to do with him, Pei Xiaoyuan felt inexplicable in his heart, but he didn't show it, knowing that there should be a later word, so he responded like this.

Chapter 3

"Do you remember the master craftsman who came here almost ten years ago to help your uncle build the city gate?"

It was when Pei Xiaoyuan was thirteen or fourteen years old, when the surrounding situation was still unstable, Pei Ji surveyed the terrain, found that there was a relatively narrow land between the foothills and the river valley hundreds of miles away, which was a natural pass, and the location was excellent. However, the surrounding terrain is precipitous, and it is not easy to build a pass here, and many craftsmen have been found, all of whom are helpless. Later, a man came, that person was the same age as his uncle, his appearance was not good, his face was full of mustaches, and he loved to drink, and he was drunk with a wine gourd hanging from his waist all day long, and after arriving, he went up the mountain and down the valley, surrounded him for seven days, and then after several all-night candles, he took out a picture of the building with exquisite structure, and personally supervised it. Uncle mobilized tens of thousands of local soldiers and civilians to participate in the fortifications, and after more than half a year, the pass was successfully formed according to the terrain, and it was impregnable. When the matter was over, the master went and never showed up again. Because this incident was too impressive, Pei Ji mentioned it lightly at this moment, and Pei Xiaoyuan remembered it.

"Yes. If the nephew had guessed correctly, the uncle and the master should still know each other in the old days. ”

"Not bad. I knew him in Beijing many years ago. At that time, he was famous all over the world, and everyone in Chang'an knew it. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan was stunned, and suddenly thought of Pei Ji's preface, and had an epiphany: "Could it be that he is ......"

This is a bit of a surprise. He hesitated, not uttering his guess.

Pei Ji bowed: "You're right. He is Ye Zhongli. ”

"He's a genius who not only paints, but also excels in architecture. After entering the palace, he also served as a master craftsman in the imperial court, and was ordered to repair the palace and the imperial tomb. The burned Banzai Palace was his handiwork. ”

"He didn't have a deep friendship with people, and in addition to painting, he loved to drink in his life. The first emperor gave him generous gifts from time to time, but he was chivalrous and brave, spending a lot of money, often subsidizing those folk painters, stonemasons or sculptors who served with him in the temples and grottoes, and he was overstretched, and sometimes he did not even have money for wine. His uncle admired him and deliberately approached him with fine wine, but fortunately he was a little higher than others, so he had a relationship. Those days of friendship and singing can be regarded as the most leisurely time in my uncle's life. ”

It was the first time for Pei Xiaoyuan to hear his uncle talk to him about his old things, and he listened attentively.

"People live in the world, and suddenly they are like dust."

Pei Ji sighed slightly.

"Many years later, my uncle was degraded to the county order, frequently relocated, one year on the way to the road, in order to avoid the rain, I happened to pass by a small temple of an unknown saint king in the countryside, and saw that the wall was painted with Emperor Yao's Chan Rang, Shun Wang Qingeng, Tang Wang prayed for rain, Dayu controlled the water four pictures, the lines outlined the god of leaf painting, full of charm, so that I was shocked."

"It had been nearly twenty years since I last saw him in Beijing. If it weren't too bizarre, I would think this was his real thing. But even if it is not, there are countless painters in the world, copying his paintings day and night, learning his brushwork, and being able to imitate it to such a point that it can be called fake and real, and it is absolutely unusual. I saw that the painting had not yet dried, and that it should not have been finished for a long time, so I wanted to visit the person who painted it......"

He inquired with nearby villagers and learned that the local area was famous for its winemaking, and the wine it brewed was famous far and wide. A few days ago, a family in the village married a daughter, and got out of the ten or so altars buried under the tree for eighteen years of daughter red, and the fragrance of wine overflowed for a while, just an old and a young passing by, not leaving, should want to beg for wine, and it is not good to ask for it, I heard that the village temple just needs a painter, and immediately recommended himself. The villagers didn't believe him, at first laughed at him for being crazy, he didn't care, asked the young man to stand on the wall and tone his color, drank a pot of wine himself, and no matter how the villagers watched and pointed, drunk and painted, the clouds and water were all in one go, the four holy kings were lifelike, the villagers were impressed, called the old fairy, and bowed down to the wall painting he painted, and finally asked him to exchange for a jar of daughter red, and went out of the village with his arms.

Pei Ji recalled the old things, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Ye Zhongli was a ranger when he was young, and he was crazy by nature and unruly in his behavior. I asked the villagers about the appearance of the painter, and although it was far from what he used to be, it was quite a good demeanor. I chased after him in the direction he was indicated, and the emperor lived up to his wishes, and a few days later, he really asked me to catch up with someone. It turned out that it was really him, and he did not die in the war as the world rumored, but he has been hiding his name from the people for many years. Later, when I was transferred to this place, I encountered difficulties in the pass, and when I thought of him, I summoned him according to the agreement I made that year. ”

After listening to this legendary old story, Pei Xiaoyuan was slightly moved, but he was still a little puzzled: "Why did my uncle tell my nephew this?" ”

"Back then, Ye Zhongli was invited by me to build a pass, with his granddaughter by his side, at that time it was not peaceful here, and the harassment was endless, and my uncle was afraid that something would happen to her, so he told him not to go out, so she stayed in the house all the time, she was very well-behaved, do you still have an impression?" Pei Ji finally got to the point.

Pei Xiaoyuan thought hard for a while, and finally remembered it, as if he did still have some impressions, but not much. I only remember that the other party is a yellow-haired little girl dressed as a boy, and as for what she looks like, she has long forgotten it. It seems that his uncle told him to take more care of each other at that time, so that she would not be alone and unaccompanied. But at that time, he was at the age when he couldn't wait to run horses all day long, how could he care about a girl, for fear of being entangled, except that when she first came, he was led by his uncle to see Ye Zhongli and took a look, and she didn't pay attention to it for more than half a year.

He raised his eyes and met Pei Ji's expectant gaze towards him, for no reason, his heart suddenly jumped, he felt bad, hesitated, and replied vaguely: "I seem to remember...... Very well-behaved ...... indeed."

"Why did my uncle mention this to my nephew?"

He asked again. Suddenly, I remembered that He Jin had said in front of him that when he was away, He Jin went out to pick up a little lady home, which was the matter of the past few days.

As if he had been empowered, Pei Xiaoyuan raised his eyes suddenly: "Could it be that the little lady that Uncle He picked up this time is Ye Zhongli's granddaughter?" ”

Pei Ji looked at his nephew and nodded, his eyes showing approval.

"Exactly! Her name is Su Yu, and she is the person your uncle has set for you to marry. ”

No matter how calm Pei Xiaoyuan is, he will not change color when he is shocked and deaf, and it is difficult to hide his astonishment when he hears this. reacted and hurriedly wanted to speak, Pei Ji waved his hand: "You listen to me first!" ”

"This is after you left last year. That day, my uncle suddenly received a message from Ye Zhongli. The last time I exchanged messages with him was two or three years ago. At that time, he was in a hurry for a private matter, and he was seriously ill after a lot of rain, and he almost didn't survive it. He was extremely guilty, and after Su Yu recovered from his illness, he settled down. I thought that he would end up in the mountains and forests and stop walking around, after all, he was old, and he fell ill in his early years because of painting. Unexpectedly, when I heard from him again this time, the situation was different from what I thought. ”

He said in his letter that he felt that his body was declining day by day, and that the time was probably short, and that he had read all the worlds in his life, and that he had nothing to fear of dying, but there was one thing, while he was alive, he had to go again, otherwise he would not be at ease. I pity the rain alone, I can't let go of her, I think about it, but I trust here, so I sincerely ask me to take care of it, and if there is a suitable person in the future, I will find a life for her. ”

Pei Ji has no daughters, and when Su Yu came when he was a child, Pei Ji was quite fond of her. When leaving, considering that Ye Zhongli had no fixed place to live, Su Yu was young, and he might have inconveniences with him, he also asked if he could leave people behind, and he would treat them well. Ye Zhongli asked Su Yu at that time, but she was unwilling, saying that she wanted to be by her grandfather's side, and she didn't feel the pain of upheaval. Pei Ji regretted it at that time, so he could only give up. Unexpectedly, after many years, Ye Zhongli solemnly entrusted her to her, how could he not, and immediately asked someone to send a reply immediately, saying that he intended to marry his nephew, and if he agreed, it would be Pei Men's luck. Then Ye Zhongli replied, saying that he was also very fond of his nephew, and knew that he would definitely not treat his granddaughter lightly, so the family matter was decided.

Ye Zhongli finally told Pei Ji not to tell Su Yu about his worries, so as not to worry her. Then, according to the agreement, Pei Ji quickly sent He Jin over to pick people over.

"Although things were a little hasty, the moment my uncle received the letter, he immediately thought of you, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt that it was like heaven, and the two of you were a match made in heaven! You weren't there at the time, so I didn't have time to let you know that your uncle was in charge of the matter. A few days ago, she also came smoothly, but when she first arrived, she should have a sense of restraint, and the young girl was thin-skinned, and her uncle did not mention the marriage in front of her in the past few days, and wanted to wait for her to settle down, and then ask her what she meant, and choose a good day. ”

Pei Ji's expression was quite happy, and he had never said so much, and then said: "What about the day, you don't have to worry about it, my uncle actually thinks about it about the same, it is better to choose it in three months." At that time, it was the beginning of summer, the mole was singing, the king melon was born, the weather was warm, and everything was prosperous, which was a good season for marriage......"

"Very good, very good! That's it! ”

The more Pei Ji thought about it, the more he felt good, he was immersed in the mood and couldn't extricate himself, but he couldn't respond for a long time, and then he finally found out about his nephew's existence, raised his eyes and asked, "By the way, what do you think?" ”

Pei Xiaoyuan still didn't respond, and was silent without saying a word.

Pei Ji stroked his beard and laughed, and rarely made fun of his nephew: "Why don't you speak?" Could it be that he is afraid of his uncle's jokes? When a man gets married, marrying a wife and starting a family is the first thing a man should do as an adult. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, and under Pei Ji's joyful gaze, he opened his mouth with a little difficulty: "Uncle thinks about his nephew everywhere, and his nephew is extremely grateful, but it's just ...... It's just that this matter is a bit sudden......"

As if he didn't know what to say for a moment, he looked embarrassed and stopped.

The smile on Pei Ji's face suddenly froze, and the study fell silent, but the candle flame on the desk jumped uncertainly, and the figure that was cast on the window also swayed.

Pei Ji's joy over the arrival of the girl in the past few days has finally begun to cool down slowly with his nephew's reaction.

He looked at his nephew, hesitated, and asked, "Could it be that you don't like her background?" ”

Although the surname Pei is not as good as Cui Lu Zheng and other high surnames, it is also a famous family. As far as Pei Ji's branch is concerned, his ancestors are all high-ranking officials and celebrities, and he himself does not need to say that he was the head of the prime minister and a famous minister who saved the world; Pei Xiaoyuan's father, Pei Gu, is not idle, he was the envoy of the Hedong Festival of the first emperor, the general of the Shenhu, in charge of a 100,000-strong Shenhu army, and made great contributions in the peace. Now that the Pei family has been completely expelled from the court, it is impossible to say that the power of influence will disappear completely.

On the other hand, Ye Nu has no roots and no foundation, she is just an orphan daughter adopted by Ye Zhongli, and she is just a granddaughter - in fact, even Ye Zhongli himself, although he was famous all over the world a few decades ago, and was once the most prestigious Hanlin of the First Emperor Dynasty, and was sought after by people at the time, but in the final analysis, he was just a painter and a craftsman.

"Uncle, you misunderstood!" Pei Xiaoyuan immediately responded.

"The so-called mayflies dig and read, and the linen clothes are like snow, and to this day, if the nephew can't even let go of this so-called family background, he will really live in vain for many years. Moreover, Ye Zhongli came here to build a pass, and his nephew was also on the side, so he admired his intelligence very much at that time. It's just that the nephew was too stupid to recognize his identity at that time. How can a nephew dare to despise his granddaughter. ”

These words were extremely sincere, and Pei Ji's face pale: "I didn't expect you to be such a person." That being the case, why push back. ”

"The nephew is not shirking...... It's just that...... I'm worried that my nephew will be dull and unworthy of Little Lady Ye, and delay her lifelong ......"

Pei Ji was displeased again, interrupting his nephew's still insincere explanation: "You tell your uncle the truth, do you have someone you like?" Or did you hide it from me and promise others personal favors? ”

He knew that Prince Ashina was quite romantic, and his nephew was close to him, so he might have some trouble.

Pei Xiaoyuan categorically denied: "My nephew has always had no intention of doing this, how could he do something about someone's personal feelings?" Uncle was worried. ”

Pei Ji knew that he had always been cautious. If it is said so, then there must be none.

Pei Ji was relieved and nodded: "In this case, my uncle really can't figure it out, this is a good thing, why shouldn't you?" ”

"You don't have to force an explanation." He continued, "Uncle looks at you, what you think in your heart, Uncle may not know everything, but you can still see a little bit of whether you want to do this or not." ”

Pei Xiaoyuan was speechless again.

Pei Jizhi knows that this nephew, although he respects himself as if he were his own father, he seems to be unsharp on weekdays, but in fact he has a decisive temperament, is extremely tough, and does things with his own considerations, if he doesn't say anything, he will definitely obey.

His expression became more and more solemn.

"A promise. Don't say that Ye Zhongli helped his uncle a lot in his early years, and he has nothing to repay him, so he said that his uncle had promised him a marriage contract, he trusted his uncle, and he was even more satisfied with you, and he was willing to entrust his granddaughter for life, but now it can't be done? Naturally, Uncle didn't blame you, but Uncle didn't think it through at first. But since then, he has lost his trust in others and failed his old friends, which is one of them. ”

"Your parents have been gone for many years, and you are not young now, but you are stumbling with me here, and the marriage has not yet been discussed. If you can't find a good match for you, how will your uncle answer to your parents when he goes underground? This is the second one. ”

At this, he shook his head.

The study fell silent again.

After another moment, Pei Ji's eyes showed a look of disappointment.

"That's it! If you really don't want to accept this marriage, your uncle can't force you to nod, and Yu Suyu is not lucky. Tomorrow I will find an excuse to recognize her as a home, so that she can stay in peace. There is not much difference in age between you and her, and there is no difference in age, so you will be commensurate with brother and sister in the future, so that it is convenient to meet. ”

He flicked his hands, "It's not early, you go and rest." ”