After the beginning of autumn, the twilight fell faster, and the sky was already a little dark.

In the middle of last month, there was a stall selling baked potatoes on the side of the street a hundred zhang away from Duanwang's mansion, and the vendor was a scar-faced man in his early thirties.

At three o'clock every day, he carried charcoal, potatoes and melons, and a large stove to the side of the road facing the south gate of Duanwang's mansion, and did not close the stall until two o'clock.

Although his stall is open for eight hours a day, business is not good, and it is rare to sell a few a day.

This Fulu Street is one of the three most densely populated neighborhoods in the capital, and whether it is shops, buildings, or stalls, business is generally not too bad. is a small business like grinding scissors, and you can earn forty or fifty yuan all day long, and a family of four can't stand hunger.

On the right side of the baked potato stall is a stinky tofu stand, and on the left side of the stone pier sits a little old man with a whetstone and scissors.

The three stalls stand next to each other, and the trading on both sides is good, but the baked potato stall in the middle has not yet opened on this day.

The scar-faced man didn't seem to care, but the middle-aged man who was selling stinky tofu on the side was anxious for him first, took the initiative to talk, and said to him with a smile: "Big brother, you're only afraid that you'll lose your money in this business? I see that you only sold five potatoes and melons in the whole day today, but it's not worth those charcoal dollars." ”

"Yes. The scar-faced man replied with a smile, "Somehow, it seems that people don't like to eat potatoes and melons." ”

The middle-aged man pursed the corners of his lips a few times, wiped his nose again, and said to the scar-faced man: "Big brother, it's not easy for you to stand all day, but you can't fail to get in the account, so, you bring me two potatoes and melons, and I'll take them back to the children at home to taste." ”

They are all small businesses, so they naturally know that it is difficult. Look at the age of this scar-faced man, I think he is also the pillar of the family, and today's stinky tofu is selling well, which can help him, and this middle-aged man is also happy to take this hand.

"Hey, my brother is polite. The scar-faced man smiled and replied, "You buy two, then I'll give you one, and you can taste it too." ”

After speaking, three potato melons were taken out of the charcoal ash of the hearth, wrapped in dried lotus leaves and handed over.

The middle-aged man took the purse, put it in the drawer of the stall, and then called the scar-faced man: "Big brother, it's not easy for you to make a living, I can't take advantage of you." That's the money for three potatoes!"

As he spoke, he took out the old money bag around his waist, took out fifteen copper yuan from it, and sent it to the scar-faced man.

In the past ten days, he has long known that one potato melon is five cents, and three potato melons are naturally fifteen copper yuan.

The scar-faced man hesitated for a moment, but still took the fifteen copper yuan, took out four more from them, and said with a smile to the middle-aged man: "Hehe, you don't have much stinky tofu left, just give me one, it just so happens that I haven't eaten anything today." ”

The middle-aged man was stunned, then nodded, and said softly: "Alas, it's okay." The year was not good, and it was not easy for everyone. ”

He took the four coins, put them back in the money bag, buried them in his waist, picked up the big bamboo chopsticks, and put the rest of the stinky tofu into the oil pot.

Stinky tofu was churning in the oil pot, exuding a strong stench, and the smell was still mixed with a little fragrance. It is estimated that the time is almost up, and the colander is scooped, checked, and put away, the brine, side dishes, and soup are poured, and a plate of stinky tofu, a snack in the capital, is ready.

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The young man put a plate of stinky tofu in two bowls, picked up a bowl, took a pair of bamboo chopsticks, and sent it to the scar-faced man.

"Big brother, pad your belly, and taste my brother's craftsmanship. ”

The scar-faced man took the dishes and chopsticks, and chuckled, "More brothers!" After speaking, he raised the bowl, lowered his head slightly, and began to eat.

"Bang ... ... A black horse galloped in.

The moment he passed the baked potato stall, the man in black on the black horse suddenly stretched out a ghostly hand and wiped it on the neck of the scar-faced man, and then drove away.

"Bang!" came the sound of broken porcelain and the muffled grunt of a heavy object falling to the ground in the twilight street.

... ...

Although the city pass is sealed, it is not a real person, and no one will let it out.

The court still has to do things, the people still have to live, and if the city is really locked, the world is afraid that there will be chaos.

A man dressed in a post soldier's robe led his horse to the city pass.

When the guards of the city gate saw that it was a post soldier, their faces finally became less vigilant, and they asked, "Which yamen are you from? Where are you going? What are you doing? I don't know if you can't leave the city right now!"

The post soldier man reported: "Brother Shouguan, I am a post officer of the Jimin Department of the Ministry of Medicine, and I was ordered to send the official to Pingzhou, Bingzhou and Huanzhou in Shanghe County. Last month, an epidemic broke out in those three states, killing and injuring two to three thousand people in three or four days. Huanzhou is only 400 miles away from the capital, and once the epidemic spreads, it will be unimaginable! I heard that Scholar Gu and his leader Master Zhang are as anxious as ants on a hot pot! Alas, Scholar Gu told us to come up with many methods to cure the epidemic in the yamen, and issued a strict order, saying that it must be sent to the Huanzhou Prefecture capital tomorrow morning. The other post guards refused to go on this trip, for fear that they would not return. Brother, I have never married a wife, and there is still an eldest brother in the family, so I took this trip because I was greedy for this merit. ”

The news of the epidemic in Shanghe County has already spread in the capital, and many people still think that the closure of the capital is to isolate the epidemic.

The guards did not doubt themselves when they heard the post soldiers say this, and they couldn't help but think in their hearts: "You are a dumbfounder, you are the only one who can run such an errand! If you die in Shanghe County, the yamen will not remember your merits." If you come back alive, I am afraid that most of the rewards from above will also go to those officials who have nepotism in the yamen. Alas, still too young. ”

"What about your ultimatum?" the guards, though not suspicious of him, were ready to let him out of the city, but the inspection that should be done should not be sloppy.

The post soldier listened to the guard's check and hurriedly took out a small red folded book from his bosom.

Sure enough, his ultimatum used the big seal of the Jimin Division, and the official business of this trip was also written: urgently send the epidemic control official to the three state capitals of Bingzhou, Huanzhou, and Pingzhou. There is also a line of small print after it, which is the approval of Gao Shili, the political secretary of the Jimin Division: It is a matter of thousands of lives, and please let you go all the way to Chengguan cheaply.

After reading it, the guard handed it back to him, and turned over the official sign on the post horse, but did not see anything deliberate, but said to the post soldier man: "Make a registration in this register." ”

The soldiers marched to the customs clearance platform and registered them in the register.

"Alright, you can get out of the city!" the guard saw that everything was in order, and did not dare to obstruct him, and let him out quickly.

After the men and horses passed the clearance platform, the post soldiers turned over and got on their horses.

However, instead of making a detour north to Shanghe County, he went all the way south to the garrison where the white-clothed army was.

...

...

At two o'clock, it was dinner.

There were only three people sitting at the dining table in the main residence of King Yun's mansion, and that was Princess Yun Ou Xixi and her two sons: Xia Chengyang and Xia Chengsui.

Xia Muyan was originally eating, but He Fukai rushed over in a hurry.

At mealtime, He Fukai never came to find him, today was the first time, Xia Muyan had expected that something must have happened outside.

smiled and greeted Ou Xixi, and then led He Fukai to the study.

"Anyway, what happened?"

Along the way, He Fukai was thinking about this, and when he heard the prince ask, he immediately replied in a deep voice: "In the past, the whistle outside the first moment of the unitary hour will go back to the house to report the news. More than an hour has passed now, and we have arranged for eleven whistles in Duanwang's Mansion, Yiwang's Mansion, Jaw's Palace, Zhenwang's Mansion, Shangshutai, Wenhua Bachelor's Mansion, and Counselor's Bachelor's Mansion have not come back to report the news, but we are afraid that it will not be good. ”

In addition to the more than 40,000 Jinwei guards in the capital, there are more than 500 spies scattered in various outposts.

Zhijin Wei is the hand of King Yun's Mansion, and the whistle spy is the eye of King Yun's Mansion.

If the spies can't report back home immediately, then Xia Muyan will be blind, which is indeed a very serious matter.

"When was the last time they came back?" Xia Muyan calmed down and asked Zhengse.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon today. The whistle posts usually report every three hours, and if there is an emergency, they can report at any time. In the past, even if there was a delay, it was rare to miss more than an hour, let alone suddenly delay so many whistles at the same time. I guess something happened to them. He Fukai said anxiously.

These more than 500 spies were secretly trained by Xia Muyan seven years ago, and they have made great contributions in the past month or so, and they have sent many secret news, which is an important chess piece of King Yun's Mansion.

Xia Muyan clenched his fists and asked in a deep voice, "Did you send someone to investigate?"

"Three quarters of an hour ago, I had sent eleven teams out, but none of them have returned. He replied.

With his vigilance, after a certain time, more than a dozen teams of people did not have time to report back, and he felt that something was wrong, and immediately sent people out. After waiting in the courtyard for three quarters of an hour and not seeing the spies return, he concluded that something must have happened outside.

"It was Zhang Suiguang who did it. Xia Muyan snorted coldly.

He thought that Zhang Suiguang would be dissatisfied with him, but he didn't expect him to dare to be so bold.

"You are a person from the rivers and lakes, you don't live your free life well, and you get involved in political affairs, and your good life will come to an end. ”

Xia Muyan originally didn't want to be distracted to deal with Zhang Suiguang, but after this incident, he changed his mind, and Zhengse said He Fukai: "Go find Hu Xiu'an and let him bring someone to serve Ling Chengzhai!"

He was angry, not so angry in a long time. For a long time, only he calculates others, no one can calculate him, Zhang Suiguang is the first person to make him suffer.

"Yes, my lord! I'll go. He Fukai replied coldly. After finishing speaking, he walked towards the secret passage behind Xia Muyan.

... ...

In an anonymous small winery in the capital, nearly twenty people gathered together, and the one in the middle was an old man with a cane.

"You've read all those secret letters, secret accounts, and bills, but what do you still hesitate?" King Duan looked at everyone and said in a deep voice.

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