A few days have passed, what are those big people in Beijing thinking now, Qingtou doesn't know, anyway, for him, the biggest difference is that he is busy all of a sudden, busy receiving all kinds of greetings for the master, pushing off the endless stream of visitors. Today is also impatient, remember the previous spent a lot of money but did not send out the door-to-door ceremony, think about the distress, put it is useless, then wandered to the West Market, inquired if it is returned how much money can be discounted, heard that even half of it, so angry that on the spot turned around and left, just passed by the shop on the other side of the bridge, saw that there were boots for sale, thought that the shoes on the feet were indeed about to grind the flat bottom, so I went in, was trying, unintentionally raised my head, and actually caught a glimpse of a little Lang Jun on the other side of the river and people talking, at first glance, a bit like Ye Xiaoniang, look again, More like Ye Xiaoniang.

At that time, he didn't have time to think about anything, so he stood up and went to the other side. It's hateful that the bridge is narrow and there are many people, and when he finally squeezes to the other side, the people are long gone, and at this moment he is grabbed by the shopkeeper, and when he gets rid of the shopkeeper and chases again, even the old man's mule cart is gone.

Qingtou suspected that he was dazzled by the wrong person, and on the other hand, he felt unwilling, and continued to look around the West Market, hoping to meet and see it clearly, until he found the sunset West Mountain, and saw that the market was about to close, and there was no trace of half a point, so he could only suppress his doubts and hurriedly ran back to his residence.

Chapter 22

Jin Wuwei is also the palace city guard and the imperial city night ban security double duties, so in addition to the palace such as the hundred officials office there are left and right courts, in addition to the palace, there are also left and right two gold and wu offices.

Now Qingtou lives with Pei Xiaoyuan in a mansion behind the Zuo Jinwu Government Office in Yongxingfang, north of the city, and belongs to the public office under the Government Office. Here is not far from the palace, every inch of land is gold, and it is a public house, the residence is naturally not big, only a courtyard to enter, fortunately, there are all kinds of organs, the guest hall and stables are available, and only his master and servant two, plus the servant woman who cooked and swept the floor sent by Chengping a few days ago, it is cramped a little, but it is enough.

In fact, there was originally another place to live.

As far as he knew, on the third day of the master's arrival, the emperor gave him a horse and a mansion in Yongning Fang, which was in the middle of the city, which was neither as noisy as the north of the city day and night, nor as empty as the south of the city, and not far from the east market, which was an excellent place to live. Moreover, it seems that it was the old residence of the Pei family, after the Pei family left Beijing, it changed hands several times and finally became an old royal mansion. It is said that the old king lived a luxurious life, a meal would cost 10,000 dollars, and the mansion was naturally beautifully repaired, but a few years ago the old king was gone, and the mansion was vacant.

Although the place has been empty for a few years, it may take some work to clean it up, but it doesn't matter, he has time and is diligent enough. It is not the old house of the Pei family, but it is such a good place, the emperor gave it back to him, but he didn't go to live there, as if there was no such thing at all. Qingtou felt very sorry in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it.

According to his experience a few days ago, the master must not have returned at this time.

As he expected, Pei Xiaoyuan was not there, but there were two servant-looking people waiting in the place where he lived, and there were two more covered beam lacquer boxes in the guest hall, each with several layers on top of each other, and a wealthy middle-aged man was sitting, wearing a flower silk robe, looking like a steward from the home of a high-ranking official in Beijing. Hearing Qingtou's footsteps, at first he thought it was Pei Xiaoyuan, got up from his seat and walked out, and found that it was a small guy who entered with a look of disappointment.

Qingtou is a native of Weiyuan County, and he entered the county guard mansion in his teens. But after following Prince Ashina for so long, he is also a person who has seen the world, and he knows that the identity of the master is different from the past, as the number one person around him, how can he be embarrassed. What's more, in the past few days, he has also seen a lot of people who come up to deliver all kinds of worship posts and gifts, and he can cope with them easily. But the fat man who came today looked different from others, as if he was a little contemptuous of himself, but he was secretly angry, so he introduced himself first, saying that he was the personal attendant of Jin Wuwei Lu Wusi Si Cheng Pei Zhonglang.

"When Si Cheng was a teenager, I followed him, and I was born and died, and I was deeply respected. This time I entered Beijing, and it was also Pei Gong's personal order, and he ordered me to come with him. Who's the driver, and what's the matter here? ”

The steward glanced at him, thought about it, and claimed to be surnamed Wang and from Cui's mansion.

"On the day Pei Langjun first arrived, he came to visit Uncle Cui, and you must know it."

Qingtou was stunned, it turned out to be the Cui family, no wonder it was so different.

Needless to say, the Cui family's door, he was afraid that he would not be able to take his turn if he was reincarnated ten times, and it was Pei Xiaoyuan's uncle's house, and the momentum that had just been puffed up suddenly deflated, and he hurriedly said: "It turned out to be Steward Wang!" Pei Langjun has not returned, if there is something to do, please tell me, and when he comes back, I will turn to him. ”

The person who came was the steward who received Pei Xiaoyuan when he went last time. After waiting for a while, I heard the sound of dusk drums on the street, and asked, "When will Pei Langjun return?" ”

"These days, I go out early and return late, and I didn't come back until three watches last night."

The steward looked around: "It's okay, when Lang Jun returns, you tell him that your aunt is in good health, and tell him to walk around when he is free." If the old mansion in Yongning Fang is cleaned up, Lang Jun has no time to take care of it, so he just has to say that Cui Fu will send someone to repair it on his behalf, and if there are no fewer people, Cui Fu will also send it, so Lang Jun doesn't have to spend a little bit of effort. ”

Qingtou was overjoyed and said: "It's still my aunt who is thoughtful!" When Lang Jun comes back, I'll tell him immediately! ”

Steward Wang also said that the sweet and cool local products he brought last time were rare, and it was difficult to buy money in Beijing, so he must have bothered to prepare.

"Yes, yes, yes! It was prepared by Cui Amu himself, and he told me to bring it! I just want to honor my uncle and aunt, so I can taste it! ”

Steward Wang smiled and nodded slightly: "I know her." It's hard for her, she has been out for many years, and she still remembers the old master in her heart. The thing is very good, and Mrs. Wang likes it very much. ”

Qingtou was even more happy when he heard this.

Steward Wang pointed to a pair of suitcases he had brought, saying that they were some food and court-style pastries prepared by Wang himself.

"Mrs. Wang also asked me to transfer to Lang Jun, don't work too hard in the future, just send subordinates. In the past, it was a world away, and there was a weak heart, but now they are all in the capital, and my uncle often walks around. ”

"Okay, okay, when Lang Jun returns, I'll tell you one by one!"

The door of the fang was about to close, the steward Wang didn't wait any longer, lifted the corner of his clothes and walked out of the threshold with the servants who followed, Qingtou sent people out respectfully, stretched his neck and began to sit and wait for Pei Xiaoyuan to return, until the dusk drum sounded quietly, the moon rose in the sky, and there was no human figure.

After the second watch that night, the curfew began as usual. The third watch was puffed up, and a patrol team found a person hiding under the ditch on the side of the street in Wuhou near Dongshi, and ordered to come out. The man climbed out of the ditch and ran forward to flee, stopping his life, not stopping, but running faster.

Wu Hou caught up, first sent an empty string to the man as a warning, and the second time, shot an arrow at the man's feet, and again ordered to stop. Seeing that he was still running wildly, he was about to shoot people down directly, when a team of cavalry guards came from the opposite side, and the person who was in the lead crossed the Mo knife in his hand, and the scabbard blocked it, and the person who fled immediately fell under the horse.

All the warriors rushed up, restrained him, and then looked over, and saw that the person who came was a young Jinwu military attaché, with the lights shining and his face clear. Among them, Wu Hou, who has seen it, recognized it, and it is the limelight figure who almost everyone in the officialdom in Beijing has been discussing in private these days, and Pei Xiaoyuan, the secretary of Lu Wusi, who was newly called into the capital and took charge of a division alone.

Regarding his name, even if the people in the Jin Wuwei had not heard of it before, after the past few days, everyone already knew it, not to mention the Wu Houwei of the night patrol tonight.

As early as the first day of Lu Wusi's establishment of the office, they received an order that all the personnel under the six products, regardless of left and right, were directly called by Lu Wusi anytime and anywhere.

It can be said that the young military attache in front of them is their supreme superior. And the warriors and cavalrymen who are in charge of the night patrol in shifts like this team are the lowest class in the Jin Wuwei, and they do the hardest work.

Compared with ordinary people, their backgrounds are naturally better, but most of them are only from low-level officials or good families, and they rarely have the opportunity to get close to officials of Pei Xiaoyuan's status, but at this moment, they were unexpectedly able to meet each other, how could they not be surprised, they all came up to meet them, and they all reported to their families.

Pei Xiaoyuan took office for a few days, opened the government office, although there was the full support of the general Han Kerang, there were still a lot of miscellaneous matters, plus the responsibilities, he also needed to familiarize himself with the situation of each fang as soon as possible, such as the number of residents, the number of hotels and shops in each square, the distribution of temples and temples, Persian temples, etc., as well as the number of nearly 1,000 Wuhou shops throughout the city, and there were many things.

Although he used to live in Chang'an when he was a child, after so many years, now that he has returned, many places have been destroyed and repaired by war, and their appearance has changed greatly, and it will take some time to get acquainted with them. Tonight, I had just returned from my night patrol in the west of the city, and when I passed by, I heard a movement coming around and stopped the fleeing man.

Pei Xiaoyuan responded with his head bowed, and his gaze turned to the person who had just been stopped by him and was trembling on the ground.

The team is going up is a kick, scolding why they fled, whether they were traitors. The man kept kowtowing, saying that he was from Luzhou, the first time he arrived, the purpose was to join his relatives, he arrived in the capital in the evening, and he had not found his relatives, and his money bag was stolen by thieves along with the pass, and he heard the drums on the street, and the pedestrians were in a hurry, at first he was dazed, and then he felt wrong, and asked people about it, and he knew that the Beijing was in the middle of the night curfew, and then he wanted to find a place to settle down, it was too late, and he saw that the doors on both sides of the street were all closed, and it was dark, and he was the only one left on the road, and there was really nowhere to stay. In the end, he found a dry ditch on the side of the road and hid, but he was found again, and he was afraid that he would be arrested, so he desperately ran away.

During the plea, his bags had already been rummaged.

"The villain is really not a traitor! The pass was stolen, and the villain is really from Luzhou! I walked on the road for a few months, and I only arrived yesterday evening, begging the military masters to spare their lives! ”

Obviously, this should indeed be an unlucky guy who just arrived from out of town and missed the twilight drum and was left on the street outside Chang'an. This is not unusual, it happens almost every day. Experienced Wu Hou also knows well where the best Tibetans are after nightfall in Chang'an.

In normal times, if such a situation is encountered, the law enforcement can be lenient or strict, find out that there is no major problem, reprimand a few words or take the opportunity to extort a few money, and then let it go. Recently, because the general has issued a strict order, no suspicious person shall be let go, this person has no place to prove his identity, and the new Lu Wusi is in front of him, this team is almost eager to turn people into spies on the spot to invite merit, kicked again, and reprimanded: "There is no ghost in my heart, what are you running!" I told you to stop, and you ran faster! If you weren't lucky enough to meet Pei Sicheng, you would have been shot over with an arrow! According to the law, he will be flogged twenty first, and then he will be imprisoned for interrogation, in case he is a traitor! ”

The man was so frightened that his soul was scattered, his tears were in his eyes, and he kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, but it was useless, and he had already been dragged to the side of the road and beaten by those who wanted to behave like wolves in front of his new boss.

Pei Xiaoyuan heard the wailing sound of the man, and somehow, his thoughts lingered on another person he knew.

She also lived in Luzhou and walked all year round. I don't know where the people are tonight, whether they have returned.

If you encounter an accident in a foreign country, will you be treated like this......

"That's it!"

Pei Xiaoyuan stopped him.

At this time, the man had been beaten six or seven times, and Wu Hou stopped the torture when he heard the sound.

"Bring it back tonight, hold it for the time being, and check the residence of his relatives tomorrow, if it is correct, let it go."

He commanded.

The team is in a hurry to respond.

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at the other party: "You just said that your surname is Cao, right?" The night patrol is quite careful, and those who hide under the ditch can also find it, which is very good, I have written you down. ”

The team was overjoyed: "Thank you Si Cheng for the compliment!" It's not that I'm boasting, there are one hundred and eight squares in Chang'an, where can I hide people, there is nothing I don't know! If there is a place that can be effective in the future, even if Si Cheng commands, it will be a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, and he will never frown at his humble position! ”

Pei Xiaoyuan bowed his head, said a few more words of encouragement, and turned his horse away.

At this time, it was three watches in the night. He dismissed his companions and returned to his place of residence alone.

At this moment in the middle of the night in Chang'an, I saw the empty moon.

He rode alone through the wide streets, and his mind was filled with many complicated thoughts.

I don't know if there has been new progress in the search for people on He Jin's side.

Ye Nu is a must-find. He will not be at peace until she has the exact whereabouts of her. That's his responsibility.

and his uncle Pei Ji, I don't know where he has gone now, he should be about to arrive in the Eastern Capital.

What is the emperor's whole intention in this arrangement, he does not dare to say what is insightful, but he knows very well, to raise him to his current position, to use him as his minion, but he is not worried about him. transferred his uncle Pei Ji to replace King Ning, who returned from illness, and served as the guard of the eastern capital, which seemed to be a noble status and had to be reused, but it could actually be used as a hostage to suppress him. Not only that, but this move can also prevent the possibility of Pei Ji and Prince Jingsheng's remaining party, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

The night before the trip, Pei Ji had told him about the resignation of the official several times in the past few years but had never responded, and he was still puzzled at the time, thinking that perhaps the emperor had completely forgotten the old minister who had been relegated to the border. Now it seems that the emperor should have had such a plan a few years ago, so he has been pressing and not letting people go.

If the figure hidden in the dim depths that he saw when he entered the palace on the night of arriving in Beijing appeared in front of him, the shadow on Pei Xiaoyuan's heart became even thicker.

The residence arrived.

Qingtou knew that he had come back late, and the gate had not been bolted. The house was lit up, but no one came out. He himself led the horse into the stable, added the night's food, and when he came back, he saw that Qingtou was still sleeping on a bed in the middle of the hall, with a stream of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth, and he went over and coughed, and Qingtou was frightened, opened his eyes blankly, and jumped up violently.

"Lang Jun, you're back! Toiletry water is ready in your room! I told Eminem to go to sleep, I'm waiting for you here! What about horses! After saying that, he hurried to lead the horse.

Pei Xiaoyuan untied the straps around his waist that had bound him for a day, and walked to the dormitory and told him to go to sleep too.

Qingtou wiped the watermark hanging from the corner of his mouth, followed up, and told the housekeeper of Cui Mansion during the day.

"You can eat the food you brought."

"Aunt Wang also said that the old house in Yongningfang can be cleaned up on behalf of you, and you don't have to worry about it!"

Pei Xiaoyuan didn't reply, he just sighed, didn't stop, and didn't ask more questions, Qingtou felt that his interest didn't seem to be great, so he had to stop. Seeing that he was about to go in, he suddenly remembered another thing, and shouted at his back: "I seem to have seen Little Lady Ye in the West Market today!" ”

Pei Xiaoyuan walked to the door of the dormitory at this time, untied the belt around his waist with one hand, and pushed the door with the other.

"What did you say?"

Lang Jun was calm in trouble. After many years with him, Qingtou had never seen him show such a strong shocked expression, but he was taken aback, recalling the scene at the time, he suddenly felt uncertain, afraid that his words would be disappointed in the end, scratched his head, and changed his words: "Uh...... It's not that the person I saw must be Ye Xiaoniang, it's just a little bit like it...... Maybe it's just a different eye, or maybe it's just someone who looks a little like her. Lang Jun, don't take it seriously......"

Pei Xiaoyuan had returned to him: "What the hell is going on?" How did you come across it! ”

Qingtou hurriedly told him about the process of returning his goods and buying shoes in the West Market.

“…… I spent ten gold to buy a pen, and the shopkeeper was only willing to pay three gold! I haven't even opened a box! No wonder people say that if there is no business or treachery, no one is good, and it is not unjust to be arrested and killed! Of course I don't sell—"

"Tell me how you met people!" Pei Xiaoyuan cut off his words sharply.

"Okay, good, don't be impatient! That's it! ”

Qingtou hurriedly told him again about the experience of buying shoes and accidentally seeing the person on the other side.

"It was across such a wide river! The street was full of people, and I didn't see it very clearly, and when I crossed the bridge and squeezed to the opposite side, the people were long gone, and the old man who was talking to her was gone! I searched in the West Market, looked for Wow, and found the market closed, but I didn't see anyone again, so I had no choice but to come back first......"

Qingtou was afraid that he would scold him for being useless, so he said while peeking at his face, seeing that he seemed to be about to ask something, he hurriedly said: "Fortunately, I haven't gained anything!" The old man seems to be delivering water, there is a water shop nearby, I went to inquire again before I came back, and the shopkeeper said that the old man would come every few days. Lang Jun, you are busy with you, next time I wait for him to deliver water again, I will ask who Xiao Lang Jun who was talking to him on the side of the road that day. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan was silent after hearing this. Qingtou felt as if he had recovered from the initial shock, so he muttered two more words: "Lang Jun is not too serious...... Maybe I'm really dazzled. How could Little Lady Ye come to the capital alone? There are so many people in the world, and it is possible to come out with someone who looks alike......"

Pei Xiaoyuan asked the location of the water shop and told him to sleep.

Chapter 23

With his eyes closed, he lay quietly on the couch, as if he were asleep. I don't know how long it took, when the first faint rumbling sound came from under the blue-black night sky in the distance outside the walls, he suddenly opened his eyes and rolled down from the couch lightly.

As soon as the door opened, he was the first to urge the horse out and go west.

When he entered the West Market, the sky was still dim, and the doors of the shops along the street were all closed, including the water shop, and the street was empty and no one was seen, except for a mule cart that carried goods in the morning came from the nearby bridge, and the wooden wheels creaked over the stone slabs on the bridge deck, and came down the bridge, and walked unhurriedly past him.

He was awake until dawn last night, never knowing how long the wait would be. If it weren't for the inconvenience, I would have broken into the West Market overnight and opened the door of the water shop to ask for clarification. But at this point, he was patient.

He had always been a patient man.

He stood on the bank of the bridge, facing the river with its dark green waves, until the dawn grew brighter, the sun rose, and the carriages and horses behind him increased, and the doors of the shops were opened one by one.

As soon as the owner of the water shop removed the door panel, he looked up and saw a young Jinwu military attache standing outside the door, he was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had committed an accident, and when he heard the other party speak, it turned out that he was just inquiring about people, and hurriedly said: "The old man came to deliver water every three or two days, and it has been a few years, but recently he has not seen him for many days, and he only came with his grandson yesterday, saying that there was an accident and rested at home for a few days." As for the person who spoke to him outside my door yesterday, I really don't know it, and I don't pay attention to it. The next time I come back, it should be three or two days later, if the general has something, just explain it to me, and when he comes, I will pass the word for the general. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan asked where the old man lived. The owner of this water shop does not know the specific location, only knows that his surname is Wang, he lives in the Xishan area, his grandson's name is Chou'er, and the two grandchildren depend on each other. There are quite a few people on that side who make a living by fetching water, and if you ask, you should be able to find them.

Pei Xiaoyuan took a few people out of the far gate to Xishan that day. It is more than 100 miles away from Chang'an, and it can be reached in an hour by horse, and the road is not very far. The real time-consuming thing is the search for people.