Bright Spring

Monk Qingyuan came here in the morning and hurried back again.

The bright spring day of yesterday was gone, and the sky was now gray with thick clouds.Two carriages passed through the alley, and Zhu Gaoxu sat in the carriage behind. He lifted the curtain and looked up, thinking that the rain in the sky was about to fall.

Without clocks and the sun, I can't even estimate the time. I can only rely on my feeling. It's roughly morning.

The gloomy weather makes people feel stuffy and makes people worry about getting caught in the rain.Just like Zhu Gaoxu's state of mind at this time, his heart is hanging in the air, he can only bite the bullet, wait for the time to pass bit by bit, and follow the planned steps step by step.

The carriage soon drove to the street selling incense candles, Zhu Gaoxu put down the straw curtain, leaving only a gap, and continued to observe the scene outside.

People who walk on Jilong Mountain on the main road almost always walk on this street.The street is not crowded, but there are also many people, including wandering pilgrims, old nuns from temples, and peddlers selling vegetables, fruits, and bamboo utensils.The people walked leisurely, looking around, waiting for the carriage to come, and then they gave way.The carriage moved very slowly on this street.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly saw a familiar figure in a incense and candle shop, it was the little nun who was looking for the cat yesterday!

There are several people around the door of the shop, all men.One of the middle-aged men's face was covered with pimples, with a smile on his face, he tilted his head and stared at Xiao Ni's face, saying something.Another skinny man picked up a handful of incense from the stall and threw it around. Xiao Ni reached out and snatched it. Zhu Gaoxu heard her voice: "If you don't buy it, don't move!"

No wonder I didn't see the little nun busy in the west of the temple this morning, so he came to this pavement.It is estimated that Jiming Temple also opened a shop on this street to sell incense candles... In fact, there are incense candles for sale in the temple, but many pilgrims buy them before going up.

Now the people in charge of the temple are really not very particular, most of them think that Xiao Ni is very beautiful, so they ask her to help in the shop in order to attract tourists.

Zhu Gaoxu glanced coldly at the two men with hippie smiles, a feeling of disgust welled up in his heart, but at this moment he had to endure it.He was supposed to keep a low profile in the capital, and he didn't dare to provoke right and wrong easily and attract attention.

... After the carriage went down the mountain, it drove all the way to the southwest, then turned south and headed for Jubaomen.

They didn't go to Jubao Gate, but only came to the bank of Qinhuai River.At the end of a bridge, the carriage that Zhu Gaoxu and Wang Bin were riding in stopped.Wei Da and Zheng He's carriages went straight across the river and went to the other side of the river.

On the other side of the river is a long street full of restaurants and teahouses. The riverside is one of the places with the best spring scenery... After Wei Da and Zheng He cross the river, they will set up sentries at both ends of the long street, guarding a restaurant and a teahouse inside.

Zhu Gaoxu and Wang Bin stopped at the north bank of the Qinhuai River. They handed over the carriage to the servants of an inn and entered the inn.The two went straight upstairs to the room they had booked yesterday, and then squatted in front of the window, looking at the scene at the bridgehead.

Zheng He and the others under his command wandered around the inner city for two days and chose several places.But Zhu Gaoxu's favorite is here. Although there are three roads to the long street on the other side of the river, the most likely road for Li Jinglong is the bridgehead!The other way is to take a boat, or to go out of the city gate and make a big circle.

Zhu Gaoxu and Wang Bin observed the road together, and he pondered over his thoughts again... Monk Qingyuan first got the exact time and place, and then he had to tell another person. There was a gap in the middle, and then Li Jinglong got the definite news .At this moment, Li Jinglong might not know yet.

If Li Jinglong wants to ambush in advance, or bring a group of helpers, he will be spotted by Zhu Gaoxu's sentry; if he is talking about something, and the helpers come over, he can get an early warning, although if this happens, it will be very hasty and dangerous , but this is an unavoidable risk.

What's more, if Li Jinglong chooses a public place in the inner city, if he wants to, he probably won't refuse.

Zhu Gaoxu moved a round table in the inn room to the window, and then took out some things from the luggage.Two sticks of incense, flint and steel, and a pair of paper and pen.Wang Bin took a look, then turned his head and continued to stare out the window silently.

Zhu Gaoxu took a thin-necked wine bottle and put it on the round table, inserted a stick of incense into it, and lit it.He began to count the people on the bridge, counting only those from the north bank to the south bank.Every once in a while, he would take a look at Xiang, and write a Chinese character number on the paper from time to time.

The two sat in the hotel room for nearly an hour, and Zhu Gaoxu had already written more than twenty figures.At the same interval, the number of people crossing the bridge is different, but they all fluctuate within a certain range, and there is no sudden increase in the number.

Until the faint bell sounded from the bell tower in the distance, it was noon, but nothing happened at the bridgehead, and Li Jinglong was not found.

Li Jinglong might cross the river in a horse-drawn carriage with few people; Zhu Gaoxu couldn't see him just by looking upstairs.

Zhu Gaoxu was not in a hurry to go downstairs, and waited for the three incense sticks to be burned before he put on his big hat and turned to look at Wang Bin: "Keep staring, I'm leaving first."

Wang Bin clasped his fists nervously and said, "Young Master, be careful."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, opened the door and walked out.

He personally drove the carriage, crossed the Qinhuai River, and headed straight for a large restaurant on the south bank.The carriage stopped at the door, and the young man with a white cloth on his shoulders came over with a smile on his face, bowed to the back of the carriage and said, "Guest officer, please come inside! The little one will ask someone to look after the carriage for you."

There is no one in the car.Zhu Gaoxu came down from the front, handed the whip to Xiao Er, and said, "Yesterday afternoon, I ordered a table of wine and food for today's lunch."

Xiao Er handed the whip to another person, and hurriedly said: "Please, guest officer."

Walking into the lobby, Xiao Er turned his head and asked, "Please tell me, what name did you use to order the table, and I will go to the shopkeeper right away to have a look."

"Zhong Bin." Zhu Gaoxu said.He was still wearing a big hat, facing a place where there were few people.

"Oh!" Xiao Er suddenly said, "You have invited guests, and two of them have already arrived. You don't have to wait for the guest officer, I will take you to the private seat right away."

While observing the situation in the restaurant carefully, Zhu Gaoxu followed Xiaoer up a spacious wooden staircase.The tables in the lobby were full of people, and some diners had already drunk almost all their wine. A big man rolled up his sleeves, his arms were bare and his face was red, punching.

"Ding Bang..." Someone broke a plate not far away, and immediately someone went up to pick up the pieces and argued with the diner.

When they arrived at the door of a private room, the waiter knocked on the door and waited there.It was lunch time, the restaurant was doing very well, the whole house was noisy, anyway, even if there was an answer inside, Xiao Er couldn't hear... So Xiao Er pushed open the door.

Zhu Gaoxu immediately saw Li Jinglong and another handsome man sitting at the round table.The two turned their heads to look at the door. Li Jinglong opened his mouth and immediately stood up, and the other man also stood up.

Zhu Gaoxu took out two precious banknotes from his sleeve pocket and stuffed them into the small second hand, "After three minutes of incense burning, I will serve the food and wine we ordered, and I don't need to bring anything for the time being."

"That's great!" Xiaoer said happily, bowed his head and nodded, "Thank you, honored guest!"

Zhu Gaoxu walked into the private room and closed the door behind his back.There was a door separated, and the noise suddenly subsided slightly, but the voice of "buzzing..." was still filled in the air, which was the gathering of countless inaudible voices.

Li Jinglong clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "King Gaoyang is really here."

Zhu Gaoxu made a gesture with his fingers cautiously, nodded and said, "My father is very sincere. This should be Mr. Zhao Hui and Mr. Zhao Qian?"

The handsome man clasped his fists and said, "It's the last general, I've seen you."

"Sit down, let's sit down and talk." Zhu Gaoxu greeted.

Zhao Hui picked up the teapot in a matter-of-fact way, and poured tea into a teacup in front of Zhu Gaoxu's seat.But Zhu Gaoxu doesn't know how to drink.

"To be honest..." Zhu Gaoxu sat down and said without any extra red tape, "Li Gong is in a worrying situation!"

Li Jinglong frowned and said, "After a lot of effort, I was finally exonerated."

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and said: "It should be said that he has been exonerated for the time being. Li Gong lost his teacher twice, and there are too many people who want to punish you. Li Gong should think more about himself at this time, and wait. To be settled by Qiu Hou, or to make another great achievement?"

These joints, Li Jinglong is willing to meet in private, I am afraid that he has already weighed them.

Zhu Gaoxu paused, and continued to persuade, "My father's army is strong and powerful, and we have seen what kind of strength Li Gong is. Li Gong came from a famous family, is proficient in the art of war, and is considered a famous general in the court. Li Gong is so talented and holds a heavy soldier. So, isn't the situation clear?"

Li Jinglong clenched his fists, "If it weren't for the strong wind, the victory or defeat would be unknown!"

"It's all over, and it's useless to say those things." Zhu Gaoxu said, "This accident is just a competition between the clan and the treacherous officials in the court. Li Gong and others are still nobles of the Ming Dynasty, so there is no need to cling to a falling tree... What's more, Mr. Li can't hold that big tree like Huang Zicheng now, can he?"

Li Jinglong remained silent.

Zhu Gaoxu sighed earnestly: "Trees are moved to death, people are moved to live! We have shown Li Gong a clear way, if Li Gong does not find another way, how can he climb out of the pit?"

He turned his head to look at Zhao Hui again, "Brothers and sons inherited their father's business, and because of their father's merits, they received thousands of households and guarded the city gate outside Jinchuan Gate. If you want to go further, under normal circumstances, I am afraid that there will be at most a thousand households when you grow old."

"My lord doesn't know something." Zhao Hui smiled calmly, "It's just a mere family, although it is only a thousand households now, but the ancestors are the clan of the Great Song Dynasty!"

"Oh!" Zhu Gaoxu immediately made an expression of surprise, and hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it turns out that Zhao Qianhu came from a noble family!"

"It's a pity that the Song Dynasty has died, and it's all the fault of the Yuan Tartars, alas!" Zhao Hui sighed.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "The Taizu of the Ming Dynasty also expelled the Tartars in the name of restoring the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Hui changed the subject, "I'm not bragging. There is a family tree to check, and it can be traced back to Song Taizong's lineage."