It was two years before I stepped into Suzhou again.

In the two years since leaving Suzhou and re-entering the rivers and lakes, too many things have happened, which Xiao Jinyan did not expect.

The city is still the same.

On the old bluestone slabs, the car is scarred, and the early autumn sun shines on this ancient city, giving this city a layer of vicissitudes.

Xiao Jinyan walked in the city, some of the old shops two years ago have changed their ways, replaced by some new stores, and even his favorite Su's noodle shop has been replaced by a rouge shop. Doing business in this world is not easy.

The new prefect's surname is Qi, and compared with Zhou Lian, he can be regarded as a clean official, but the Qing official is not necessarily a capable official, and he is too clear, which leads to the various decrees made more and more stringent. Originally, it was difficult to do business, and the problems that could be solved by spending some money were not necessarily a good thing when they encountered this kind of one-size-fits-all clean officials.

Passing by the dilapidated temple where he used to live, now a brand new ancestral hall has been built, Xiao Jinyan has lived here for a long time, and Li Chengcheng deliberately stepped forward to take a look, and was driven away by the surrounding guards, "Go away, Lu Guogong Ancestral Hall, how can you idle people approach?"

Lu Guogong?

Xiao Jinyan didn't know the dynamics of the court for a long time, and couldn't help but be full of doubts.

Lu Guogong is a hot figure in today's capital, after the fall of Yuwen Tianlu and the marginalization of Li Chuntie, this Lu Guogong quickly rose at the speed of a match and a rocket, and was promoted all the way from the household servant to become a cabinet scholar.

Today, His Majesty does not pay much attention to political affairs, in order to avoid the confrontation between the imperial power and the hundred officials, it is bound to support some upstart forces, whose role is no different from Yuwen Tianlu, and they are all knives in the hands of His Majesty. It is said that once the son of heaven was a courtier, but after the death of Yuwen Tianlu, His Majesty became suspicious, and the first assistant of the cabinet changed three times a year, but the second assistant has always been this Duke of Lu.

Bing Ding sneered, "Even Lu Guogong doesn't know, you hillbillies." ”

Yokel?

Although Xiao Jinyan is not wearing gold and silver, he is also clean and tidy, as for Li Tingcheng, he is dressed up, dressed luxuriously, and the materials are exquisite, which does not match the words hillbilly at all.

Li Chengcheng couldn't get used to it, and wanted to teach a lesson, but was stopped by Xiao Jinyan, "Anyway, you are also a master of the Elephant, and the person who has mastered the sword of Allure, why should you be like them?"

"There are people in this world who owe their mouths and are born to be clean. ”

"Do I count?"

Li Chengcheng was stunned, "If I don't know you, you can count it." ”

"You're honest. ”

......

Escape Inn.

Boss Fan recently took over a big job and was very busy. This is also a coincidence, the leader of the martial arts alliance, Zuo Stan, passed by Taihu Lake and suddenly issued an order from the leader of the alliance to hold a martial arts conference in Suzhou City. Originally, it was going to be held in Tianxiang Building under Li Zhengyi of the Hall of Justice, but considering that the prefect also wanted to participate, and Tianxiang Building was a place of wind and moon, it would be detrimental to the adult's name if it was spread out, so Li Zhengyi recommended the Xiaoyao Inn to Zuo Stan.

It stands to reason that the headquarters of the Martial Arts Alliance is located in Baoding and is only held once a year. This meeting was held inexplicably, and even said that it was very hasty, and many sects on the rivers and lakes did not have time to notify, but Zuo Stan insisted on his opinion, saying that there was something important to announce, so only a few sects in the Jiangnan area came to participate in the meeting, as for the people of the eight major sects in Wudang Shaolin, Zuo Stan's did not expect them to come at all, and they could pay enough dues every year, which was already very face-saving.

In this way, Fan Wuchang is busy.

Since Baolu came, the guys in the inn were all dismissed by Fan Wuchang, leaving only a bookkeeper, and the rest of the things were almost done by Baolu alone.

It's just that ordinary business can barely cope with it, and in the event of such a large-scale conference, the Xiaoyao Inn is seriously understaffed, and a treasure road, even if it is covered in iron, can it make a few teppanyaki?

Yesterday, Director Sun said that he would prepare food for two hundred people, and the standard was two taels of silver per person, Baolu, you go to Zuixianju to order a meal with their boss, and the account will be owed first, and it will be settled together after the martial arts conference is over. ”

The Escape Inn only serves simple food, and when encountering large banquets, you will either invite a chef or make a reservation from other restaurants.

Bao Lu responded to the call.

"The front yard should also be cleaned, well, these Jianghu people, the temper is generally not very good, clean up the backyard, leave a place for fighting, so as not to do it in the store, break things and spend money, by the way, the porcelain in the store, furniture, but they are all first-class goods, all of them put a price tag on me, remind them of the damage!"

Fan Wuchang chattered as he walked around the inn. Baolu had been working at full capacity for several days, and when he heard this, he said, "Boss, do you want to hire a few people?"

"Hire people for everything, what kind of food do you raise?" Boss Fan said impatiently, but after thinking about it, two hundred people attended the meeting, and Bao Lu alone couldn't be busy, and said, "Go to the labor market in the east of the city to hire two helpers, take care of food and housing, not count as silver." ”

Baolu said, "The current market is good, even if it is a small worker, there are fifty wen a day." ”

Fan Wuchang nodded his head, "Can it be the same? We are a martial arts conference, there are so many knights in the rivers and lakes have come to discuss the affairs of the rivers and lakes, this matter is related to the peace of the world, related to the well-being of the martial arts, you say that the masters of all factions in the rivers and lakes will come, as soon as they say it, those young boys, I can't wait to join in the fun, if there is a chance to make them happy, steal a trick and a half, then the rest of the life will not worry about eating and drinking, and still squat in the labor market every day without a meal?"

Bao Lu muttered, "What if I know martial arts, I can also do martial arts, why don't I still work for you?" for more than two years, and the salary is not a few copper plates. ”

"You're different. Boss Fan said earnestly, "You are the reincarnation of a living Buddha, money is a mundane thing outside the body, I let you do heavy work here, it seems to toss you, but it is actually refining you, and the sky will descend on the ......Si people."

"Stop!" said Bao Lu, "you've said this eight hundred times. ”

"It's good to know. Fan Wuchang said, "Don't be like that Xiao Jinyan, who has been working here for two months, lazy every day, and always thinking about getting paid." Who does he think he is, Li Chengcheng?"

As soon as the words fell, Xiao Jinyan and Li Chengcheng

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Walked in.

"I said how to sneeze halfway, it turned out that Boss Fan said in the back that I wasn't!"

Fan Wuchang was overjoyed when he saw the two of them, and said to Baolu, "You don't need to go to the labor market." Then he said to the two, "You two came just in time, hurry up and change your clothes, there is still something to do today." ”

Xiao Jinyan said, "Boss Fan, you are really sincere. ”

"Is it useful to play with you, what are you doing?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Let's ask for wages." ”

You two have been working here for two months, breaking more than 30 of my bowls and breaking two iron pots, so it's good that I don't settle accounts with you, and you're embarrassed to ask for wages?"

Li Chengcheng smiled, took out an invitation card from his arms, and said, "Just kidding, Boss Fan, ten days will be my big day, and I want to invite you to drink the wedding wine." ”

When Fan Wuchang heard this, he laughed, "The wedding banquet of the third young master of the Li family in Jinling, even if I smash the pot and sell iron, I have to go, how much money do I need?"

"Whatever it is. ”

"Well, that's good, I think we're quite lucky. Fan Wuchang said, "Your Li family has always been generous, the specifications of this banquet must not be low, by the way, what is the return gift?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Old Fan, are you stupid, what else do you want, the Li family has so many industries in Suzhou, if you let him leak a little casually, it will be enough for the Xiaoyao Inn to eat and drink for a year." ”

Fan Wuchang nodded, "That's right, you are now the head of the Li family." ”

"I didn't expect you to be very well-informed. ”

Fan Wuchang smiled, "Yesterday, I passed by the bookstore and read a gossip weekly on the other side of their stall. ”

"I can't even think of the money to buy books, so I'm still so picky. ”

Fan Wuchang was a little proud, "Picking the door is a kind of art, but also a state of life, do you know how much money I have saved in the past two years?"

Xiao Jinyan asked, "How much?"

Fan Wuchang thought for a while, "Forget it, so as not to worry about you." ”

Bao Lu came from the backyard, saw Xiao Jinyan, and said in an urn voice, "Xiao Jinyan, you are back." I miss it!"

came up and picked him up, turned around three times in place, he wanted to test Xiao Jinyan's martial arts, and finally threw a pestle on the ground, wanting to press Xiao Jinyan into the ground.

Rumble!

Xiao Jinyan didn't move at all, and passed this force into his feet.

Click.

The stone slab of the Joyful Inn was shattered.

Fan Wuchang's face turned pale, "Aren't you thinking about it? The day after tomorrow is the martial arts conference, and it's too late to change it." ”

Li Chengcheng said, "It's okay, I'll let people change it." ”

When Fan Wuchang heard this, he said, "The floor of my room in the backyard seems to be cracked, let's change it together, I wish you and the bride eternal marriage, a hundred years of good togetherness, and an early birth of a noble son!"

Pick good words, and you don't have to spend money, you can take advantage of it, this kind of opportunity Boss Fan will never let go, Li Tingcheng said with a smile, "It's a trivial matter." ”

"When it's time to talk about the little things, it's time to talk about the big things. Fan Wuchang shoved two rags into the hands of the two of them, "The window lattices of the upstairs venue, you two go and wipe them clean." Forget it, I'll keep an eye on the food in Zuixianlou myself, lest they cut corners. ”

Xiao Jinyan and Li Chengcheng glanced at each other and were speechless.

It's been more than two years, but Boss Fan's temper hasn't changed at all, not to mention, he really didn't treat them as outsiders.

The two of them brought buckets of water and wiped them while chatting.

"Why did you say that Zuo Stan suddenly held a martial arts conference here?"

Li Chengcheng said, "How do I know? If you want to ask, go and ask him yourself, I have sent the invitation, and I will return to Jinling early tomorrow morning." ”

"I don't get along with that guy, and you don't know. Recently, there has been nothing important in the rivers and lakes except for your family's affairs, but he is in a hurry to hold a meeting here, and things are a little strange. ”

"It's very simple, you stay two more days, and when the time comes, you know?"

At this time, a woman's voice came from the door, "Let me tell you." ”

Xiao Jinyan looked at the person who came and said with a wry smile, "Oriental girl, is it really everywhere?"

Li Chengcheng said, "I'll go outside to fetch buckets of water, it is estimated that it will take a long time, you talk first." After that, I left very interestingly.

Xiao Jinyan was a little afraid to face Dongfang Nuannuan alone, especially after breaking into the Water Moon Cave Heaven together, he felt that Dongfang Nuan Nuan seemed to have changed a lot, he couldn't tell what had changed, but he could feel that no matter what he said or acted, it seemed to be like two people.

Dongfang Nuannuan came to his side and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that the dignified hero Xiao Jinyan has not seen him for half a year, but he is willing to commit himself to these cheap things." ”

"I can't say that, all beings are equal, there is only a different division of labor, there is no distinction between high and low, and when I do these things, I can concentrate on thinking about some things. ”

"All beings are equal?" Dongfang Nuannuan repeated this sentence, with her values, she naturally would not think that all beings are equal, so when Xiao Jinyan threw out this topic, she was very touched by her.

"Can goshawks be equal to ants?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Everything has a spirit, the realm of goshawks and ants is different, and the world that can be seen is also different, but they are all fresh lives. I never think that the emperor is born with a noble background, let alone that the imperial power is divine, and they ordinary people have the right to live, and they will eventually face the trouble of death, and they will not change because of the change of identity and status. ”

"Even so, this world can't escape the rules of the jungle after all. Dongfang Nuan Nuan said so, and the concept she was instilled in since she was a child is like this, "Heaven and earth are unkind to all things as dogs." ”

Xiao Jinyan obviously didn't want to argue with her on this issue, everyone thinks differently, and the most difficult thing in the world is to put your own thoughts into other people's heads. He digressed the topic, "Let's talk about why Zuo Stan wants to hold a martial arts conference." ”

Dongfang Nuannuan smiled and said, "It's very simple, because I asked him to do this." ”

Xiao Jinyan secretly wondered, when did the Bright God Sect get together with the Martial Arts Alliance? After the fall of the Laughing Hall, apart from the loose alliance of the Eight Great Sects, there was only the God of Light

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Teach the ability to dominate the rivers and lakes.

Looking at his puzzled eyes, Dongfang Nuannuan explained, "Zuo Stan summoned the martial arts conference this time in order to be a Dengwen Academy. ”

"Dengwen Academy?" Xiao Jinyan was even more confused.

"Don't you know that Dean Li has now been placed under house arrest in the capital, and now the Dengwen Academy is leaderless?"

"What?"

Xiao Jinyan finally changed color. It's one thing for Dengwenyuan to lose power, but if Li Chuntie is placed under house arrest, it will be the fall of another force in the DPRK after Yuwen Tianlu. However, with Li Chuntie's current realm, there are only a handful of people in the world who can trap him.

"Dean Li was voluntarily investigated in Beijing. ”

Xiao Jinyan asked, "What did he do?"

Dongfang Nuannuan said lightly: "Your Majesty wants to reward him, you can find a hundred reasons, and Your Majesty wants to kill him, you can find a thousand reasons, but in the final analysis, there is only one reason, and Your Majesty thinks that Dean Li and him are not of the same mind." ”

Xiao Jinyan understood.

Li Chuntie was originally a means used by the emperor to contain Yuwen Tianlu, but now that Yuwen Tianlu is "dead", he naturally has no use for His Majesty.

Dongfang Nuan Nuan said again, "Your Majesty knows about Yuwen Tianlu. ”

Yuwen Tianlu picked up the matter of ten thousand mountains in Hidden Yang City, although it was done extremely secretively, but after all, the paper could not contain the fire. Wan Chongshan was originally the commander of the Red Cavalry Army of the Yu Wen Tianlu Yu Party, and he died in Hengduan Mountain for no reason, and the imperial court would naturally send someone to investigate, check and check, and finally come to the conclusion that Yuwen Tianlu was still alive.

If this is the case, Li Chuntie is guilty of defrauding the king!

Now that the senior brother is in prison, as a junior brother, Xiao Jinyan can't sit idly by.

Dongfang Nuan Nuan said, "The matter between you and Yu Wenshuang is well known to the government and the opposition, and your identity is inconvenient, so the matter of rescuing Dean Li still needs me to do it after all." ”

"What does this matter have to do with the Martial Arts Alliance?"

"They are just a means to cover people's ears, after all, Dean Li was kind to the Martial Arts Alliance back then, and now that he is in trouble, how can the Martial Arts Alliance sit idly by? Of course, in layman's terms, they are just cannon fodder. ”

Xiao Jinyan asked, "But what good is it for them to do this against the imperial court?"

Dongfang Nuan Nuan said, "The affairs of the rivers and lakes are still a little different from the affairs of the imperial court after all, Your Majesty is not afraid of the chaos in the rivers and lakes, because he has enough confidence, if there are officials in the imperial court to intercede for Dean Li, then the nature will be different." She added, "Besides, Zostan has been poisoned by me and has to listen to me." ”

Xiao Jinyan generally understood the whole story, he wanted to go back to Dingzhou to meet Yuwen Tianlu, but now that Li Chuntie had an accident, he could only go to the capital first and find a way to save his senior brother. It's just that he can't understand Dongfang Nuannuan's motives.

"Why do you want to help me?"

Dongfang Nuan Nuan glanced at him affectionately, "Because I like you." ”

Xiao Jinyan was speechless.

Dongfang Nuannuan looked at his embarrassed appearance and sneered, "You don't have to be sentimental, I went to save him because he owed my father something, and I want to ask him for it." ”

"What's that?"

"A jar of old wine. ”

Xiao Jinyan knew that there was a jar of wine buried under the big locust tree in Dengwen Academy, it seemed that since he could remember, this jar of wine was buried there, Xiao Jinyan was once greedy and wanted to steal wine, but he was caught by Li Chuntie and beaten to death, so that he couldn't get out of bed for three months.

Li Chuntie's original words were, "If you don't want to bleed to death, just go and steal the wine, but only if you can get close to it." ”

Xiao Jinyan was young at that time, he didn't understand and didn't dare to ask, and after a long time, he forgot about it.

Dongfang Nuan Nuan smiled and said, "If I say that this is an aphrodisiac medicinal wine, do you believe it or not?"

Xiao Jinyan shook his head, "I don't believe it." ”

"If you don't believe it, what's the difference between me telling you and not telling you?"

Xiao Jinyan was speechless.

Seeing Xiao Jinyan's deflated appearance, Dongfang Nuannuan felt inexplicable pleasure in her heart. She knew that Xiao Jinyan and Yu Wenshuang had a deep relationship, and she would not have any results with him after all, but every time she faced him, she couldn't help but make jokes about him.

"But in this kind of martial arts conference, the four great families and the eight major sects will naturally not get involved in this matter, only some second- and third-rate gangs, what can they do?"

Dongfang Nuan Nuan said, "If the Shaolin and Wudang sects really send people to go, then Dean Li will definitely die, it is these second- and third-rate sects, but they can reassure the imperial court even more." ”

"If you talk about calculating and figuring out people's hearts, the Oriental girl can be said to be perfect, and even if you shoot a horse, you may not be able to see your ass. ”

Dongfang Nuan Nuan Gege smiled, "If you want to see it, you can watch it at any time." ”

Xiao Jinyan raised his hand and surrendered.

"What do you need me to do?"

Dongfang Nuannuan quipped: "Follow behind my ass and watch it at any time." ”

At this time, Li Chengcheng was carrying a bucket of water, came to the door, heard this sentence, and said, "Ah, unfortunately, the water is leaking, I'll go to get another bucket, I will go for a long time." ”

was going down the stairs and collided with the oncoming treasure road, "Xiao Jinyan ......"

Li Chengcheng said, "He's busy, what are you looking for him to do?"

"I'm done with my busy work and want to talk to him for a while. ”

"He's talking to a girl about his ass, so I'd suggest you go get some water with me. ”

Bao Lu scratched his head and said in an urn voice, "What is there to talk about in a woman's ass? I'll fight with him!"

Bao Lu ignored the obstruction, pushed the door straight open, and was pushed downstairs by a huge force, crashed countless stairs, and was hit by Fan Wuchang, who was returning from outside.

Shouting, begging for mercy, mixed together, so lively.

The shop is filled with a cheerful air.

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