Jiazhou, which is 100 miles northeast of the county seat of Fushi, although it belongs to the rule of Yan'an Prefecture, but because it has three counties of Fugu, Shenmu and Wubao, it is a grade higher than the county and county-level prefectures, and the scale and prosperity of its state town are also much stronger than the county seat. The walls of Jiazhou City take advantage of the irregular terrain, twisting and turning, undulating and undulating, showing a breathtaking natural beauty. In addition, the eight scenery surrounding Jiazhou City, such as "Baiyun Morning Bell, Incense Burner Sunset, Wild Goose Pagoda Lingyun, Flying to Step on Snow, Nanhe Spring Willow, Hengling Autumn Moon, Deer Cave Seeking Secludedness, Dripping Water and Watching Fish", etc., make Jiazhou enjoy the reputation of "plugging on the wonderful" and become the preferred gathering place for business travel in the past.

At noon on this day, a restaurant called "Drunken Eight Immortals" next to the "Defeng Building" in the south of the city was already full of guests. On a table on the second floor, there is a plate of gourd chicken, a plate of three skin silk and a plate of fennel beans, and a set of chopsticks and wine cups are placed on each side of the table.

After a while, a rush of footsteps sounded on the wooden staircase, and then a short and fat man in almost the same costume as the man waiting for the others appeared at the top ......of the staircase. As soon as the man who was waiting for the others saw someone coming, he hurriedly stood up and greeted: "Hu Er, this way." ”

The man known as "Hu Er" strode to the table where the man was sitting, sat down, lifted the wine jug on the table and poured wine into the wine cup in front of him, raised his neck and drank it all, then put the wine cup on the table, wiped the remaining wine from his lips with the back of his hand, and then said: "Jiang San, you called me so urgently, dare you have news of him?"

Jiang San put his index finger on his lips, motioned for Hu Er to be quiet, and then took out something from his arms and handed it to Hu Er: "This is the official notice torn off next to the 'Tongqin Gate' in the morning, you see-"

Hu Er took the notice and opened it, struck his hand on the table, and said excitedly: "Fushi County? It turns out that the surname Chen is hiding in the Fushi County Ya, no wonder I can't find him." ”

"Shhhh Jiang San hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

Hu Er consciously lost his words, and subconsciously covered his mouth with his hand.

Their movements attracted the attention of the handsome boy sitting by the window, and when he heard the words "surnamed Chen" in Hu Er's mouth, his heart flashed, could it be that the person they were looking for was the eldest brother?—— needless to say, this handsome son was Shen Lingshan, who was looking for Chen Wenqi thousands of miles away in women's makeup.

After receiving the news that his righteous brother Chen Wenqi had not only been released from prison in the capital, but had also been ordered to go west and go to the border pass as a deputy envoy to accept the news of the governance of the three cities of Ningxia Qianwei, Zuotunwei and Youtunwei, Shen Lingshan couldn't help but cry with joy. She was not only glad that her brother-in-law had finally escaped the disaster safely, but also excited that her brother-in-law had gone to Ningxia and was in line with the route she was going to find her father. With the "accompaniment" of the righteous brother, the "minister of the Qincha", he doesn't have to worry about not seeing Grandpa Xia Yao. Ignoring the promise made to her mother Han Mei at home, she decided to go west alone and chase after her brother-in-law Chen Wenqi. When Rui Zhu heard that the young lady was going to Ningxia, she first strongly opposed it, and then saw that she was resolute, so she wanted to go with her. But Shen Lingshan knew that in the vast northwest land, it would not be easy to find her righteous brother? In the mouth of Master Liu Jian, she learned that her righteous brother was going to investigate the traces of the people and enemies along the way, so she made up her mind to ride on a horse, and with the help of the horse's footpower, she could search for it. Bring Ruizhu to have a companion, and you will not be lonely and lonely during the long journey. However, Ruizhu can't ride a horse, so it's not convenient for the two to ride together. So he half-persuaded and half-bluffed Jean Ruizhu returned to Huguang with Jiang Bantou, and then went to the horse market to buy a relatively short Mongolian horse, and went out of Juyong Pass alone, checking Chen Wenqi's whereabouts along the way. But along the way, I didn't hear any news about my brother-in-law. I heard that this place in Jiazhou is not only prosperous, but also the only place where the capital leads to the southwest, and most of the guests have to stay and disperse here. She calculated the distance and estimated that her brother-in-law should be not far from the left at this time, so she came to Jiazhou City, preparing to find an inn to settle down after eating, and then go to inquire about her brother's information. Not long after Necheng sat down in the "Drunken Eight Immortals", she heard news that might be related to her brother-in-law, which lifted her spirits, and the fatigue of running around for days was swept away.

Shen Lingshan heard that the two of them were not good at speaking, so she dispelled the idea of going to borrow the notice. She lifted the teapot on the table and shouted, "Man, refill the pot of water." ”

"Okay. Xiao Er, who was standing behind the counter, said yes and walked over to Shen Lingshan.

Shen Lingshan stood up, took two steps, handed the teapot to the guy who was about to pass by Hu Er's table, glanced at the notice on the table, and saw that there were words such as "The imperial attendant talks about Chen Wenqi" on the notice, so he determined that the "surname Chen" in the mouths of the two was undoubtedly the righteous brother Chen Wenqi.

She turned around and walked back to her desk, listening intently to Hu Er's conversation.

I only heard Hu Er lower his voice and said self-deprecatingly: "I can't find the whereabouts of this surnamed Chen for a few months, I don't know how many roads I have run and how many scoldings I have received, and I am really proud to learn his whereabouts today." ”

"Surrender to the general and the traitor, no one looks down on me, let alone me waiting for these little minions who sway in the wind?" Jiang San sighed with emotion: "Aba Hai is really, the world is so big, the surname Chen is hidden in the vast sea of people, how will we find him for a while?"

"Look at you, here you are again, didn't Lord Abahai show us the route?" Hu Er and Jiang San clinked glasses, drank them all in one gulp, and said: "Two months ago, someone sent a message to Lord Almu, saying that the surname Chen had left Juyong Pass and took the official road from Juyong to Shuozhou, so Lord Abahai ordered us to look for it along this official road. It's just that this surnamed Chen is hiding and hiding along the way, and the dragon can't see the end of the head, which makes the two of us run back and forth. Well, this time, since we have discovered his whereabouts, we should also find him to settle the guilt. ”

"Wait, Hu Er, didn't you mean that just the two of us will meet the surname Chen? You must know that the surname Chen is not only scheming, but also extremely powerful. A few months ago, when Lord Abahai took the Chenggong delegation to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute, it was this surnamed Chen who defeated General Wu Lihan, the first master of archery in our country, with his incredible "three arrows and tail" stunt, and took away the power of the left, middle and front three guards from our hands. Because of this, Dayan Khan was furious, and deprived the Abahai Lord of Jinong's position and relegated him to the border pass to guard the three guards. If the two of us go to find the bad luck surnamed Chen, won't we send them to death?"

When Shen Lingshan heard this, she was sure that the "surname Chen" in the mouths of these two people was the eldest brother Chen Wenqi, and she was happy and worried at the moment. The good thing is that they know the accurate information of the eldest brother, and they will be able to meet in a few days; the worry is that these people seem to be embarrassed by the eldest brother, and he is open and secret, and he can meet the unexpected at any time.

Without waiting for Shen Lingshan to think about it, she only heard Hu Er sneer and said, "Do you think I am so stupid that I will hit a stone with an egg? Lord Abahai and the national teacher have already laid a net of heaven and earth, just waiting for the appearance of the surname Chen?"

Jiang Sanqi said: "Lord Abahai and the national teacher have joined forces? Aren't the two of them neighbors like chickens and dogs—don't they get along with each other for a long time? Why did they get together?"

"How can I guess the thoughts of their big men? But I've heard that in the letters that came, it seems that the surname Chen seems to be a kind of 'sword double kill' kung fu, so we must be careful and not careless. Lord Abahai did not understand and reported to the Great Khan. When the national teacher heard this, he volunteered to join forces with Lord Abahai to clean up the boy surnamed Chen. ”

After hearing this, Shen Lingshan also wondered in her heart, when did the eldest brother learn the sword technique? Why was the Tatar national master so interested in the 'sword double killing' kung fu as soon as he heard it? He wanted to join forces with Abahai to deal with the eldest brother, was he very powerful? Was it a strategy or force? She wanted to hear what Hu Er and the others had to say, but Hu Er changed the topic and said to Jiang San: "Okay, don't talk about this, let's drink two cups with me today, and go to the troubles of the past few months." With that, he tilted his neck and toasted again.

The two of them stopped talking, and ate and drank from cup to cup.

Shen Lingshan originally planned to rush to Fushi in the starry night and call the police to Chen Wenqi, but after thinking about it, she didn't know how Abahai and the Tatar national teacher secretly arranged, even if Chen Wenqi knew, it would be useless. It's better to stare at Hu Er and them secretly, so as to find out their details. made up his mind, remained silent at the moment, continued to sit by the window and sip slowly, secretly monitoring the two of them's every move.

After a while, Hu Er put down the dishes and chopsticks, wiped his greasy mouth, and said to Jiang San: "When you are full of food and drink, it's time to go down to business." ”

Jiang San stood up, summoned the shopkeeper to settle the account, and walked downstairs with Hu Eryi to come out of the "Drunken Eight Immortals".

Shen Lingshan didn't have time to settle the bill, so she took out a silver nugget weighing about one or two and threw it on the table, and hurriedly went downstairs to follow Hu Er and them from afar.

What Shen Lingshan didn't expect was that Hu Er and the others did not go out of the city, but came to an inn in the city with three turns and two turns, and without seeing the registration, they directly entered a guest room on the left side of the downstairs, thinking that Hu Er or Jiang San had already stayed at the inn.

Shen Lingshan didn't know what they were going to do with their luggage, so they had to wait from afar. But after waiting for more than an hour, the two of them never came out. Could it be that they found someone following and quietly slipped away through the window? No, the windows of the inn are equipped with anti-theft wooden lattices, and it is impossible to blatantly break the panes and escape in the blue sky and daylight.

Shen Lingshan thought about it and pulled the innkeeper into the small room behind the counter in front of the hall. After a while, Shen Lingshan, who was wearing the clothes of the inn guys, slowly walked out, with a cloth towel on her shoulder and a pot of water in her hand, walked to the door of the guest room where Hu Er and the others lived, knocked lightly on the door with her hand, and then shouted: "Guest officer, please open the door, bring water." ”

After a while, the door squeaked open, Jiang San stood by the door, and Hu Er was reclining on the bed. Shen Lingshan entered the guest room and refilled their teacups, and was about to test their plan of action, Jiang San asked first, "Are you a guy in this shop, why didn't I see you yesterday?"

Shen Lingshan pretended to be humble and smiled: "The little grandfather is sick, he took leave from the shopkeeper a few days ago, and he only came back today." ”

Jiang San didn't speak again, thinking that he had already believed her words.

"The shopkeeper asked the little one, how many days will the two guest officers stay?"

"What, do you think we've been living for a long time?" Hu Er interjected.

"No, no, that's not what it means. There are more guests these days, and I asked the shopkeeper to make plans early. ”

"You tell your shopkeeper that we will stay for two days and check out after three days, and the room fee will not be less. ”

"Okay, the two of you drink slowly, please feel free to tell me if you have something. Shen Lingshan had the bottom and went out with a farewell.

Shen Lingshan didn't know what kind of medicine they were selling in their gourd, so she had to ask the shopkeeper for a guest room next to them, and as a partner, she went into the room from time to time to deliver water and sweep the floor to keep abreast of their movements.

Early on the morning of the third day, the two walked out of the guest room together. Shen Lingshan hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Are the two guest officers going to check out?"

Jiang San shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it later." After speaking, he and Hu Er came to the empty chair in front of the hall and sat down, and did not speak, as if waiting for something.

After a while, two medium-sized fifty-year-old men walked into the inn with their heels and backs, and when Hu Er and Jiang Sanyi saw someone, they hurriedly stood up and asked, "Are you looking for someone?"

One of them, an old man who looked like a scholar wearing a collared shirt, a Yang Ming scarf on his head, and a folding fan in his hand, nodded slightly, and asked rhetorically, "Are you Hu Er and Jiang San?"

"Exactly. I don't know what to call the two seniors?" Hu Er nodded and said.

"The old man's surname is Wu," the scholar-like old man pointed to the old man beside him again, "This surname is Ji, the fourth brother of the old man." ”

Hu Er and Jiang San hurriedly saluted again, and said: "It turned out to be Senior Wu and Senior Ji, long admiration, long admiration." Please sit inside. With that, he led the two to their rooms.

Shen Lingshan hurriedly returned to her room and pressed her ears against the wall to listen to what they had to say. Fortunately, the walls of the board were thin, and although the four people over there were not loud, they could still hear clearly.

I heard one person say: "Are you sure that the kid surnamed Chen is still in Fushi County?"

"It's definitely still there. The day before yesterday, when we passed the book to the national teacher Feige, we also passed the book to Wu Liu on the side of Fu Shi, asking him to keep an eye on the people entering and leaving the county government day and night, and if the surname Chen was leaving, he must follow him and quickly tell us the news. There has been no information from Wu Liu in the past few days, indicating that the surname Chen is still staying in the Fushi County Ya. ”

No wonder they stayed in the inn for a few days as if nothing happened, it turned out that they had already sent the news out, and Shen Lingshan understood.

"Well, it's good, the old man and brother will go to the skin. ”

"Senior, that ...... The two of us?"

"It's none of your business, go back. ”

Hu Er understood that "masters" like them disdained to let themselves and Jiang San follow them. So he explained the contact method with Wu Liu, then opened the door and sent the two out of the inn.

Shen Lingshan had already changed into her clothes in the room, and after Hu Er and the others returned to the room, they quickly followed the two old men who had not gone far yet.

The journey of more than 100 miles is only half a day's work for those who practice martial arts. But the two in front of them didn't seem to be in a hurry, but walked side by side while talking and laughing, just like visiting relatives and friends, not like going to fight the enemy. It shows that these two people think very highly of themselves and do not take Chen Wenqi in their eyes at all.

Shen Lingshan was originally worried that her internal strength was limited and she couldn't keep up with the two of them. Now the two of them are strolling leisurely in the front court, and Shen Lingshan is walking slowly behind them, always maintaining a distance that will never leave.

In the evening, it has entered the territory of Fushi County. After walking for about half an hour, they came to a three-way intersection, and the two people in front paused slightly, leaving the official road leading to the county seat and walking towards the small road to the south.

Shen Lingshan was puzzled, hesitated, dispelled the idea of going to the county office to meet Chen Wenqi, and turned to the path to continue tracking.

The night was getting dark, and the figures of the two people in front of them were already shadowy. Shen Lingshan took a few steps closer, slightly narrowing the distance between herself and the two in front of her.

Not long after, the two entered a village, and when they came to a courtyard at the head of the village, they raised their hands and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for the courtyard door to squeak open, and an old man in Chinese clothes of the same age as the two of them came out and welcomed the two in.

Shen Lingshan walked around to the back of the courtyard and found that on the window paper of the main room on the right, there was a light shining on the figure. Shen Lingshan quietly walked to the window, dipped her right index finger in some saliva, gently moistened the window paper through a small hole, and looked inside, the two people who had just entered the door were sitting side by side with the old man of their age sitting side by side on the chair in the room, and in front of them, kneeling was a young man in disheveled clothes and unkempt hair. At this time, I only heard the old man surnamed Ji say: "Okay, get up." ”

The kneeling boy seemed to be struggling, slowly got up, and staggered. The old man sitting on the right hurriedly stood up and helped him, and said apologetically to the old man surnamed Ji: "The child is slightly ill, please respect the teacher." ”

"What's the matter, Lan'er is sick? It just so happens that Second Brother Wu is proficient in medical skills, come over and let Uncle Wu cut the pulse for you. The old man surnamed Ji pulled the young man and sent his wrist to the old man surnamed Wu.

The old man surnamed Wu handed over the folding fan in his right hand to his left hand, stretched out three fingers and put them on the young man's vein, lowered his eyes and concentrated on the pulse.

After a long time, the old man surnamed Wu let go of the young man's wrist, frowned slightly and said: "The pulse is not floating or sinking, not thin or flooding, calm and gentle, fluent and powerful, not like a sick person?"

The old man was a little embarrassed and said, "The child is suffering from heart disease. ”

"Heart disease, what heart disease?" the old man surnamed Ji asked.

"It's also a bad fate. Three years ago, the respected teacher ordered the children to go home to study and read, and the old man invited a teacher to come to his home to 'sit in the hall'. The teacher has a daughter who is about the same age as the child, because she often comes to the house to take the bondage, and the child who comes and goes has a good impression of her, so she pesters the old man and the central media to propose marriage, but the master and daughter of the school insist on disagreeing, so the child ......"

Seeing this, all the officials have already understood that this old man and the young man are Diao Roller and Diao Lan's father and son.

After hearing this, the old man surnamed Ji sneered and said: "I didn't expect that the apprentice taught by my Ji Laosi was so unproductive, and he was hooked off by a mere woman. A manly husband can only suffer from fame and fame, so why should he have no wife? Such a small matter will make you sick, and what big things can you be expected to do?"

Diao Lan knelt down in front of the old man surnamed Ji with a "poof", and said as if arguing and pleading: "The apprentice knows that he is sorry for the master's teachings, but the feeling of thinking about her and obsessing her with her to the point of burning inside the five really makes the apprentice want to stop. ”

The old man surnamed Ji turned a little pale, raised his hand, motioned Diao Lan to get up, and then said: "You are so infatuated, how can you be better for the teacher than to be punished." In that case, why don't you overlord take the bow hard? Rao She is a woman with three chastity and nine spirits, as long as the raw rice has been cooked and cooked, in the end she is not obediently obedient...... Ahem, don't mention it. Seeing that Diao Lan's father and son did not react, he asked again: "Why, don't dare?"

Diao Roller replied with a bitter face: "This matter has already alarmed the government, I'm afraid something is wrong." ”

"What's going on?" The old man surnamed Ji was a little puzzled, how could the government know about such a trivial matter?

Diao Roller asked, and had to tell him what happened before.

"It's this one surnamed Chen, and it seems that he's against us at every turn. Hearing this, the old man surnamed Ji slapped his hand on the arm of the chair and said hatefully.

"Master, do you know this person surnamed Chen?"

"He is a little-known yellow-mouthed child, how can he know him as a teacher? However, it is for him that the teacher and your Uncle Wu came to Fushi County this time. ”

"For him, for ...... What's going on?" Diao Lan asked in surprise.

"Don't ask about that. But since the surname Chen has ruined your good deed, as a teacher, he will help you accomplish this good deed, what can I do if his surname is Chen?"

When Diao Lan heard this, he was overjoyed, and knelt in front of the old man surnamed Ji with a "poof", and kowtowed to him a few times.

Diao Roller cautiously asked, "How does the Venerable Master fulfill the child?"

"Grab it, snatch that little girl back. The old man surnamed Ji said fiercely.

Hearing that he was going to rob someone, Diao Roller shook his head and said: "Don't hide it from the teacher, the old man also had the idea of robbing relatives before, but Wang Fa is ruthless, and it is a big crime to rob a woman from a good family." ”

"Hmph, what Brother Diao said about 'Wang Fa' refers to your Ming Dynasty's Wang Law, right? Ji Dian said with empty eyes.

"Of course, the respected teachers are superior in the world, uninhibited, and naturally not bound by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. But, but ...... , the old decay has taken root here, under the eaves of others, how dare not bow your head?"

"Since Brother Diao doesn't dare, the old man is not reluctant. However, for the boy surnamed Chen, the old man wanted to use this little girl to fight with him. ”

"Master, what are you going to do with her?" Diao Lan asked nervously. Although it was just whimsical, he had already subconsciously regarded the spirit as his wife.

The old man surnamed Ji smiled and said: "The old man brought the little girl back to Mongolia, and gave it to someone as a wife and a concubine, or as a slave or a maidservant, in short, the boy surnamed Chen wants to protect her, and the old man wants to embarrass her, see who can help whom?"

When Diao Lan heard this, he immediately said: "If the master wants to give it away, why not give it to the apprentice." ”

"But your father is afraid that the Ming King will punish him for his crimes. The old man's words were full of dissatisfaction.

"My father is my father, I am me, the apprentice is the same as the master, and he is not afraid of the Ming bullshit king law. The apprentice is willing to follow the master to the desert and never return to the Ming Dynasty. Diao Lan said resolutely.

"Lan'er, you—" Diao Roller shouted in a low voice.

"Father, if you don't allow it, the child will kill himself immediately. ”

"Haha, this is the old man's good apprentice. The old man surnamed Ji didn't care whether Diao Roller agreed or not, took Diao Lan's hand, turned his head and said to the old man surnamed Wu: "Second brother, let's go." ”

The old man surnamed Wu, who had not spoken for a long time, took a sip of the tea cup in front of him, and said slowly: "Fourth, do you still need to use a knife to kill chickens? It's too redundant to grab a little girl, and you still use the old man to go out? You two go, the old man is waiting for you here." ”

"Uh——, that's fine. Lan'er, let's go. The old man surnamed Ji took Diao Lan's hand and went out without looking back.

Shen Lingshan quickly returned to the front of the courtyard along the wall, and just happened to see the two of them walking out of the courtyard gate towards the east end of the village. She didn't have time to think about it, so she followed the two from a distance, preparing the camera to rescue the tutor's daughter.