"Master, we've been gone for three days, how long will it take to get to Jiangning?"

On the snow-covered official road, a horse-drawn carriage drove forward at a rapid pace. At the front of the car, Lai Laodao was wrapped in a thick cotton coat and stared at the snow-covered fields on the side of the road. Listening to the apprentice's question, he smiled slightly and said, "It's almost there, I guess I can get there before dark." ”

"Great, I'm going to find a bed to sleep in today. Li Ge, who was also wearing a large black cotton coat, held the reins in one hand and the horsewhip in the other, his face full of exhaustion.

"When you arrive in Jiangning, Master will take you to eat delicacies from the mountains and seas. Lai Laodao reached out and touched it in his arms, took out a red apple, wiped it with his sleeve, and directly opened his mouth to bite it.

"Really, Master?" Li Ge swallowed dryly, sat down on the horsewhip cushion in his hand, opened his mouth and exhaled hot breath in his hand, "By the way, Master, Ying Tianfu should be with the capital in this era, I remember that the current capital should be in Shuntianfu." ”

"Yes, after Ming Chengzu Zhu Di ascended the throne, he moved north in the nineteenth year of Yongle, with Beiping in Shuntianfu as the capital and Jiangning in Yingtianfu as the capital, also known as the accompanying capital. Old man Lai explained leisurely as he chewed an apple. Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and he retracted his neck into his cotton coat and scolded angrily: "This ghost weather freezes to death." ”

When it was getting dark, the master and apprentice drove the carriage to Jiangning. Seeing the magnificence and classicism of this capital city of the Six Dynasties, Li Ge's heart was full of emotion, the gorgeously decorated ancient buildings and shops on the second side of the street, and the spacious streets paved with bluestone slabs, compared to Ningshan County, I don't know how many times more prosperous.

It's just that in this snow-covered Jiangye Ancient City, the pedestrians in the streets are extremely sparse, and perhaps most of the city's residents are preparing dinner at home at this time.

"Turn left on the street ahead. The old Taoist priest wrapped in a big black cotton coat raised his hand and pointed to the front, and then sighed heavily.

After seven bends and eight turns, at sunset, under the refraction of the red glow, the carriage stopped at the door of a huge mansion in the city. Lai Laodao jumped out of the car, tightened the cotton clothes on his body, turned his head and said to his apprentice, "You wait here, I'll come when I go." ”

"Yes, Master. Li Ge answered, rubbing his hands to his lips and exhaling hot air to warm up.

There are four men guarding the door of the mansion, and there is a gate two or three meters wide behind the four people, and there is a plaque hanging on the door, on which the book is engraved with the three big characters of 'thaumaturgical pavilion'.

Lai Laodao walked to the corridor in front of the house, touched it from his arms, took out a wooden card and handed it to one of the men, after whispering a few words, the man bent down and respectfully handed the wooden card back to the old Taoist, and then walked down the corridor to Li Ge and said, "Little master, hand over the carriage to me for placement, you follow the master into the pavilion." ”

"Okay~ I'm tired. Li Ge politely raised his hand and saluted, and walked to the master who was standing at the door and looking at him.

"The two masters came with me. After Li Ge stepped up the corridor, a man said respectfully, and then led the master and apprentice into the thaumaturgical pavilion.

The walkway behind the gate is lined with plum trees with red flowers, and occasionally a cold wind blows the snow from the branches to the ground, and a pleasant fragrance penetrates the nose.

This courtyard is very large, at the end of the road there is a stone turtle carved from a huge stone, the turtle back is also carved with a gossip pattern, there is a walkway on both sides of the stone turtle, there is a small lake behind the stone turtle, and there are several quaint attics behind the lake.

The man who guarded the door led the master and apprentice along the road to the left of the stone turtle around the small lake, came to one of the attics, and said respectfully to an old man who was reading a book in the building, "Master Jiang, a master is here." ”

"Xiao Jiang, when will you learn from the literati to read books?" As soon as the man at the door finished speaking, Lai Changsheng laughed and walked into the attic.

"Lai ~ Lai Lao. The old man in the building stared at the old Taoist priest who entered the room, then dropped the book in his hand, bent over and made a big salute, and said in an excited tone, "You are finally back." ”

"Don't talk nonsense first, Lao Tzu and his apprentice have been on the road for three days, and now they are dying of hunger, why don't you prepare some food to greet us?" The old Taoist priest said a few words in a vulgar tone, turned his head and glanced behind him, and saw that the man who was guarding the door was looking at him stupidly, and behind the latter, his apprentice was also stunned, and then pointed at the apprentice and shouted, "Why are you standing there stupidly, you little Erlengzi, come in and sit." ”

"Got it, Master. Li Ge smiled bitterly, and when he entered the room, he saluted the old man named Xiao Jiang in his master's mouth.

"Elder Lai, is this your apprentice?" Xiao Jiang stared at Li Ge for a moment, raised his hands and bent down again, and said in a respectful tone, "Little Master is polite, I am Jiang Haotian, the pavilion master of the Thaumaturgy Pavilion." ”

"It turned out to be the master of the Jiang Pavilion, and the junior Li Ge was polite. Seeing that the old man was so polite, Li Ge hurriedly returned the salute.

"Xiao Jiang, if you are talking nonsense and starve me to death, you can do it yourself then. Lai Laodao walked to the fire in the house and stretched out his hand to warm up.

"Hey~ I'm going to prepare. Jiang Haotian answered, and immediately walked out of the house.

"Master, that Jiang Pavilion Master is not too young, can't you be polite to others? Li Ge walked over to the fire and stretched out his hand to warm up.

"Fart, unfilial stupid thing, dare to teach your master?" Lai Laodao greeted the apprentice, and then laughed, "That kid I grew up watching him grow up, if he dares to hold a grudge, I will strip him naked and hang him on a tree for three days and three nights." ”

"Hehe~" The apprentice showed a contemptuous smile, lowered his head and warmed his hands attentively.

The old Taoist priest touched it in his arms disapprovingly, took out a red apple, wiped it on his sleeve, handed it to the apprentice and said, "Do you want to eat it?"

When Li Ge was about to reach out to pick it up, Lai Laodao quickly retracted his hand, took a bite of the apple, and laughed happily.

The carbon fire in the furnace occasionally made a 'crack~' sound, and after the master and apprentice sitting around sat quietly for a while, the apprentice made a 'goo~' in his stomach

"This Xiao Jiang and his father are really virtuous, why does it take so long to prepare a meal?" Lao Dao scolded angrily, and when he got up and was about to leave the house, Jiang Haotian hurriedly ran in.

"Lai Lao, Master Xiao Li, dinner is ready, you two come with me. Pavilion Master Jiang looked at the master and apprentice with a smile on his face.

Then the three of them walked out of the attic and went to a small building not far from here, where several tables and chairs were arranged, one of which was full of wine and food. A chubby old man in his sixties was sitting at the table, he saw the three people entering the room, and quickly got up and saluted Lai Laodao, and said with a respectful smile, "Brother Lai Dao, I haven't seen you for many years, and you are still beautiful." ”

"Oh~ It's Zhijing, is your senior brother okay?" Lai Laodao didn't return the salute, and sat down at the table and asked casually.

"Brother Lao Lai is worried, Senior Brother Zhining is fine, he should come here after the Lantern Festival. The Taoist priest named Zhijing answered, and then the four people in the room sat down at the table and ate.