The prince of the Xiping County Mansion in front of him should have seen her early and recognized her just now, so he deliberately drove his horse to collide.

As for the reason, it's a long story, it was an old grudge that she unintentionally formed with the other party when she crossed Shu with Ah Highway in the past.

It has been a long time since the matter passed, and at that time, Ah Gong came forward and it was successfully resolved. But the other party should have been dissatisfied in his heart, and he happened to meet Yu Dao again today, so he took the opportunity to take revenge.

Her only confusion was that she was still young at the time, sixteen or seventeen years old, and a few years later, her appearance had changed, and she didn't know how the other party hated so much, and she could be recognized when she walked on the road today.

At this time, it is too late to avoid it. At the feet of the world, it is expected that no matter how domineering he is, he will not be openly embarrassed.

An older steward-looking man hurriedly rode back and came to the ear of the prince, and he didn't know what to whisper, he frowned, glanced at the waterwheel coldly, but did not stop it. The steward immediately dismounted and walked to the old man, asked about the loss, and then reported his identity, saying that he was the steward of the county king's mansion.

Everyone looked at each other.

Shizi's gaze had already turned to the distance beside the road, and his expression was indifferent.

The old man was surprised, and before he could react, the steward shouted "Little Six", and a little boy who looked like a horse boy came up with money, and the steward said that there were five yuan, which was considered compensation.

Only then did the old man come back to his senses and hurriedly waved his hand to refuse.

The steward said: "This is the order of the son of the world, you accept it." ”

The old man still didn't dare to take it.

The weight of the five coins is not light, and the little guy named Xiaoliu walked over with his arms and put it in the car with a "bang", which attracted everyone's attention.

It's a lot of money. Not to mention this cart of water and this car, it is enough to buy a big green mule in the mule and horse market in Anshanfang. The eyes of the people around him suddenly changed when they looked at the old man, from sympathy to envy, and they couldn't wait to suffer this crime for him.

"In addition to this old man, there are still people and property damaged? If so, they will also make up the money. The steward asked in a loud voice.

There was silence all around.

The sentence of stewardship is just a complete set of plays, looking around, seeing that the matter is finished, he returns to the side of the son.

Su Yu got closer, and heard him urge in a low voice: "Shizi, it's time to go!" ”

The prince glanced at the rain with heavy eyes, shook the reins of the horse, and went alone.

The steward led the men after him. The group was gone again, and there was another cloud of dust on the road.

When the people of the county king's mansion were gone, the people who watched the excitement moved one after another, talking about the accident just now, and they were busy on their own roads. The old man couldn't go to the car, so he could only go back to the official post to find someone to repair the car, and he was very unhappy not to go, and apologized to Su Yu, saying that he couldn't send the person, delaying her for so long, and causing her to almost have an accident, and he wanted to give her some money.

How could Su Yu ask for it, urge him to repair the car quickly, so as not to go back when it gets dark. The old man gave up his hand again and again, and asked Gu Twelve to help watch the mules and money on the side of the road first, and then go back to the official post to call someone.

Su Yu also continued to walk forward, and it was not far to walk out, when he suddenly heard Gu Twelve shouting behind him: "There are still ten miles to the city gate here, you go faster!" If you can't find a place to stay in the city, you can go to Yongpingfang to find the hotel of the tall lady! Passing through the West City all the way to the south, every three or four squares is it. Don't be afraid to go there later, you go from the northwest gate, the gatekeeper knows me, report my name Gu Twelve, give him two dollars, and he will let you in! Don't stay outside on the street when it's dark, beware of bumping into Wu Hou! ”

Wu Hou is the guardian of Jin Wuwei. There is a Wuhou shop between the city gate of Chang'an and the corners of each square, there is a Wuhou shop under it, twenty or thirty people in the big shop, five or six people in the small shop, responsible for watching during the day, and supervising and guarding with the cavalry at night. Gu Twelve was enthusiastic, afraid that she would get into trouble if she didn't understand the rules when she first arrived, so she specially reminded her.

Su Yu thanked him loudly, looked up at the sun that was even more slanting to the west, knew how much time was left before it was dark, and did not dare to delay any longer, quickened his pace, and finally rushed to the vicinity of the far gate before sunset.

The evening breeze of late spring was echoing in the reckless mountains and forests in the distance, sweeping through the green suburbs full of wildflowers, and blowing to the purple road at her feet, which was covered with layers of horse hooves and rut marks over the years. The wind ruffled the few strands of hair that fell to her ears, and also took away the slight sweat from the rush on her forehead.

The setting sun had mostly set below the horizon behind her, and the city stood in front of her, bathed in the last dull golden glow of the day, silently staring at her.

Her steps unconsciously set.

Several Hu men drove up behind her in a caravan laden with pepper and civet spices, and the smell was waking in the evening breeze. Suddenly, the sound of drums rumbling like thunder came from behind the castle tower in front of them.

There is a big drum on the Chengtian Gate of Chang'an. Every twilight, the first twilight drum beats on the Chengtian Gate, and the six streets follow with 800 rings, and before dark, Jin Wuwei will close the inner and outer city gates in all directions in turn, and the curfew begins.

The crows on the city wall were startled by the sudden sound of drums, and the camel bells outside the city suddenly turned abrupt. Passers-by, chariots and horses on the quadrangle road sped up, rushing to the gate in front of them that was still receiving them.

Breathing in the familiar smell of the wind that seems to come from the deepest part of memory, and listening to the sound of the twilight drums that make people's hearts beat restlessly, Su Yu suddenly gave birth to a moment of trance.

She dispelled the subtle and indescribable surging thoughts in her chest, quickened her pace, caught up with the caravan ahead, and finally, at sunset on the last day of April in the seventeenth year of Qiande, she stepped into the gate of Jingluo.

Chapter 16

Before the dusk drums settle, Suyu must find a place to spend the night.

She had planned to find a nearby inn near Kaiyuanmen. Because this area is adjacent to the West Market, it is the main passage for all people from the west to enter the city, and she knows that there will be many people staying in the hotel, but she still underestimates the extent of much.

I searched for five or six stores in a row, regardless of the size of the storefront, expensive or cheap, except for some Chase shops that are vacant, the rest are all full. She couldn't live in Datongpu, so she had to continue to search south along the north-south street, and it took a lot of time to find the near side of the West Market, the sky had turned to blue and black, through the door that was about to close, she saw that the lights in the street portal inside the wall were lit up one after another, and the street was full of people and cars, which looked a little more bustling than before dark, but on the street outside, there were basically no people to see, and the occasional ones were in a hurry. Knowing that the drum was about to stop, he remembered Gu Twelve's words, so he didn't look for anything else, and hurriedly went to Yongpingfang according to the instructions.

Because of the initial delay, when she finally arrived near Yongping Fang, it was completely dark, and the street drums had long since stopped, and the door was closed. Fortunately, the location of this square is already in the south of the city, far away from the palace, and further south, the closer to the city wall, the fewer the households, like the suburbs, a large area of open land and wasteland, only some temples or gardens placed by wealthy families, the management is not as strict as the central area, and there are no accidents along the way.

The door of Yongping Fang is naturally closed at this moment.

Su Yu just rushed in one breath, found the door, people were out of breath, a little relieved, did not dare to delay more, immediately knocked on the door, patted several times, the door finally opened, squeezed out of a head, a sparse rat tail whisker hung on the chin, small eyes looked up and down the rain, asked what to do.

I think this man is the janitor. Su Yu reported Gu Twelve's name, saying that he couldn't find a place to live because he entered the city too late, and he introduced him and handed over two more money. This person obviously does this kind of thing often, looked left and right, stretched out his hand to take it skillfully, and was about to open the door to let her in, when suddenly at this moment, at the corner not far from the side, there was a sound of neat footsteps from a queue marching. Su Yu turned his head and saw a small group of four or five guards wearing armor guards and holding bows and halberds.

She knew she must have bumped into the Kingo Guard.

Although the strict night ban began on the second watch, but the street drum fell, it was forbidden to walk, if there is no justifiable reason, there is no road permit issued by the square, residents are not allowed to go out, and the door of the square can not be opened at will, and if they are caught behaving inappropriately, they will be punished with 20 lashes at the lightest. The janitor didn't check the identity of the person who came, in case it was not even, it was trouble, and when he saw this, he immediately shrank his head and wanted to close the door, but it was too late, the team leader shouted "Ding Da", he stopped in place, smiled on his face, and bent down to call "Chen Team Zheng".

The leader approached.

It was dark and the road was dark, so I could only see a rough idea, but at this moment Ye Xuyu saw clearly, this is a middle-aged military attaché, with a wide range of aspects, his appearance is not good, but his eyes are sharp, and he looks very capable. From the team he led and the name of the janitor to him, it is not difficult to judge that this person should be the team leader of the nearby Wuhou Shop, and he is the lowest-ranking junior military attache under Jin Wuwei.

Su Yu's inference is not wrong. This person's name is Chen Shao, from a Wuhou shop near Yanpingmen, who was preparing to patrol the night tonight, led a team to pass by, and saw Ding Da open the door to release people, and called to stop and interrogate.

"What's going on?" Chen Shao asked.

Ding Da hurriedly said: "This little Langjun just kept patting my door for some reason, I heard the door open, and before I could ask clearly, he was going to go inside!" I was waiting to stop you, just in time you came! ”

He looked sideways at Chen Shao and glanced at Su Yu. Su Yu naturally understood how to answer, and without waiting for Chen Shao to ask himself, he explained again, saying that he entered from the far door, because it was late, the hotels in that area were full, and there was no place to live. After speaking, he took the initiative to take out the pass and handed it over.

Chen Shao took it, didn't look at it immediately, looked her up and down first, and then took a picture of the lantern in the guard's hand.

"What are you doing in the capital?"

"I'm a painter. I heard that there are many opportunities in Chang'an, and I want to try my luck. ”

"Untie it!" Chen Shao looked at her bag.

Su Yu opened it, and in addition to clothes and money bags, it was a paintbrush and some pigments that she was reluctant to give up.

This Jinwu team glanced at it, returned it to her, and immediately turned to the janitor waiting on the side, and his voice suddenly turned sharp: "The saint's longevity is coming, and the capital strictly guards against all kinds of small nights." The guarding of the gate is not a trivial matter, if you dare to play a traitor and put Lai into the traitor, in case you get out of the basket, beware of the guy who eats! ”

"Yes, yes! What Team Chen is teaching is that the villain must be firmly in mind! The villain will drive him away! "Talking about driving away the rain.

"There is no problem with this person. It's understandable that he's late for the first time, so let him in for the night tonight! ”

"Yes, yes, villain commands."

The janitor hurriedly opened the door again, and said flatteringly: "The villain has a few newly made tea cakes, Team Chen is working hard, go in and sit, and the villain will give you sencha." ”

Chen Shao didn't speak, and after the interrogation, he turned around and went with someone, and his figure gradually disappeared into the night at the end of the street.

"A small martial arts team is still only going around in the south of the city, and they can't even go north of the city! What a majesty! ”

When the people went, the janitor muttered, and then turned to Su Yu and complained: "It almost affected me!" It's good that you're smart. Don't go in yet! ”

Su Yumai walked into the door.

Separated by a wall, inside and outside the square, it is like two worlds. At this hour, the outer street is already dark and nowhere to be seen, but the inside is still very lively, several restaurants and taverns on both sides of the main street are open, lights can be seen everywhere, and there are many people on the street, just like a small city within a city.

The people who live here are almost all civilians, and they can't see the high-rise buildings in the square, but there is such a scene at night, and the rest of the prosperous areas will be like after dark, you can imagine.

Su Yu had no intention of wandering around, inquired about Gao Da Niang's hotel, and went straight to find it.

The hotel is easy to find, the location is near the door of the square where she entered, the place is not small, but the inside is messy and simple, both can live to provide wine and food, but also for merchants to store goods, it is a mansion store, better than the price is cheap. At this time, the dimly lit lobby was full of people eating and drinking, and as soon as they entered, the noise came to their faces. The guests who come here, there are long-term rentals, there are also temporary settlements, most of them are small and medium-sized businessmen who are reluctant to spend money to live in the north of the city for a long time and outsiders who make a living in various ways in the West Market every day, and they are either traders or coolies and porters who come in and out. She has a plump figure, one arm stretches out and her legs are thick, her head is wrapped in a piece of red Luopa, and her face is snow-white with powder. Hearing that the guest was introduced by Gu Twelve, he was even more enthusiastic, not only found her a single room according to Su Yu's request, but also personally took the lamp to lead her there. A few guests sitting near the counter who were drinking wine saw this and made a loud noise. Mrs. Gao turned her head and scolded, "Pour your horse urine", and turned to the backyard with a smile and a smile.

Su Yu followed Gao Da Niang up a creaking staircase that had fallen into disrepair and stepped up, went up to the second floor, walked through a narrow and dimly lit corridor, passed through the guest rooms separated by thin barriers, and came to the place where he lived. The tall lady took out a handful of keys from a large set of keys and unlocked the door.

The room is very small, but there are several beds and couches, and it is the innermost one, which is relatively less disturbing.

Suyu is never picky about accommodation. In the past, I was on the road with my grandfather, which was sometimes inconvenient, and the temple was also a good place to spend the night. I'm very satisfied to find such a place to settle tonight.

The tall lady sent her to the place, put down the candle, did not leave immediately, called the man to fetch water for the guests, waited for the kung fu, leaned against the door frame, and began to talk.

"Xiao Langjun is also here to take the Jinshi exam?"

Although the imperial examination time of the next year is still early, the scholars from all over the country have gone to Chang'an early, in addition to wanting to make a lot of connections before the examination, but also hope to be able to be able to make a splash with poetry in the scholars' metallurgical gatherings, if they can be appreciated by the high-ranking officials or celebrities of the dynasty, and recommend them, not to mention the rumored and first peony banquet, Feihuang Tengda is no longer just a dream.

"I'm a painter." Su Yu untied the bag and explained.

Aunt Gao sighed and laughed again: "It's good to be able to paint!" There was a court painter in the first emperor dynasty, and now people call him an old immortal, I don't know if Xiao Langjun has heard of it? It was because of his excellent painting skills that the emperor not only gave him an official, but also asked him to accompany him wherever he went. Even though I was only a teenager at the time, I knew his name. One of his paintings was worth a thousand gold casually back then. I have even heard that if an official receives the emperor's favor, he paints a portrait of himself, as if he were receiving a great reward. If Xiao Langjun also has outstanding painting skills, it is not difficult to come here and want to get ahead. ”

"How dare the fireflies compete with the stars. I don't dare to think about this. Su Yu responded.

"Why is Xiao Langjun so humble!"

Gao Da Niang's eyes flowed, she laughed a few times, and saw that the guest was tired, as if she didn't want to talk very much, so she turned her head and scolded the guy for being lazy, and it was procrastinating to send a water. A nearby guest heard it and complained that there was a big hole in the floor of the room that was gnawed by rats, and the light was so dark that he almost twisted his foot. The tall lady changed her face and scolded sharply: "Let your mother's fart!" I'm afraid it wasn't you who poured too much urine and pouted and gnawed it, right? I didn't ask you to lose money, but I was kind, I think my family is not good, you go to Pingkangfang! Eat and sleep well there, and there are little ladies plucking the strings and laughing to amuse you! I haven't given me fifty dollars on credit, and if you fart again, I'll beat you out with a stick! ”

The guest immediately fell silent, and the man hurriedly brought water with a bitter face. Mrs. Gao asked Su Yu to wash and rest early, and then she went, and before leaving, she thoughtfully took the door and told her to remember to lock the door when she went out.

"I'm downstairs, if the guest has something, just call me!"

Su Yu saw it, this tall lady seemed to be a well-informed person, looked at her back, and her heart moved: "Auntie Gao stays!" ”

The female shopkeeper stopped and turned her head: "What else does Xiao Langjun command?" ”

"Actually, I just said it, I also want to enter the palace to be a painter and fight for wealth, but I am just a newcomer, there is no way, if the tall lady can give me some advice, I am grateful."

Mrs. Gao looked at Su Yu up and down a few times, and nodded: "I'll just say, people in the world, whether they are reading and painting or living in my place, when they come to Chang'an, they don't want to be rich." If you want to enter the palace to be a painter, although it is difficult, it is not without opportunities, it depends on whether you have the ability or not. ”

She stopped.

Su Yu said: "I don't know that the master is in front of me, if you are offended, you still look at Haihan." ”

Gao Da Niang sneered: "I'm a master, I just happen to know." Have you ever heard of the longevity of the saints? For the celebration of longevity, the imperial court repaired the Shenshu Palace, and now it is about to be built, it is said that the inner middle will reproduce the Jingluo long scroll of the Yong'an Palace, which is widely known. Ye Zhongli, who had painted the scroll in the past, was sanctified by his old man, and the dragon he painted himself had ascended to heaven, but others did not have his ability, and he could do such a big job alone, and the court must recruit painters again, that is, he did not paint the long scroll, and he didn't know how many painters he needed to paint the corners and corners inside. A few days ago, I went to the Baosha Temple in Chongrenfang in the north of the city to incense, and when I came out, I happened to see a lot of people crowded outside the Jingfeng Gate of the Imperial City opposite, saying that it was the palace painting school recruiting painting students, and I put up a notice, and I don't know if it is still there. Why don't you go and take a look? ”

"Thanks for the pointers! I'll go tomorrow. ”

Mrs. Gao smiled again: "If Xiao Langjun really thanks me, then stay with me for a few more days." Walking around every day are some stinky men who want to take advantage of me, and their bodies are either copper or sweat, it is rare to have a clean person like Xiao Langjun, and I look at the mood is good. ”

Su Yu followed Ah Gong through many places, and saw all kinds of people, such as the tall lady in front of him, and it was still the first time. I was speechless for a while, and I didn't know how to respond.

Her reaction fell into the eyes of the tall lady, and it was about to be green, which made her laugh again.

"Don't worry! I can't eat you! In the laughter, he crossed his waist with one hand and squirmed away.

Chapter 17

In the first half of the night, Su Yu slept quite well. Distractions like guests walking back and forth and rats partying under the bed after the lights go out are nothing to her.

In the second half of the night, when the whole city fell completely silent and everyone fell into the Black Sweet Country, she dreamed again.

She dreamed of the palace platform again, the dark ditch between the palace platforms, the flower forest at the end of the dark ditch, the solution pool next to the flower forest, and the stunning beauty floating in the air like smoke and mist.

"Don't return."