Strange Tale of Qingluan

He stopped talking, and kept walking forward, Su Zhongming continued to say, "I went to visit His Majesty a few days ago, and I was really seriously ill! I just talked to him a few words and couldn't take it anymore." ...Do you think that he looks like he has been hit by something strange?"

"Is it poisonous?" The man listened, and replied a very short sentence.

"I don't know, even the imperial doctors can't diagnose this, and I can't make a judgment casually, so I ask you!" Su Zhongming replied, speaking out the troubles in his heart, and he was a little relieved.

"I don't know, I haven't seen His Majesty for half a year." Like him, Ding Xuehou was completely uncertain.The two walked to the middle of the bridge, and Su Zhongming said, "I heard that the marriage between Taoxia Kingdom and Wen Kingdom was sudden? And the marriage was proposed by Taoxia Kingdom?"

"Taoxia Kingdom is the second most powerful country in the north. Logically speaking, it is unlikely that it will come to propose peace by itself. Only a weak country will propose marriage to a strong country, but he has come, and the princess sent to make peace is still Yunji. There must be something weird about this woman. I thought so, but there is no evidence in the end. "

Ding Xuehou also took advantage of the quiet surroundings and only the two of them to express his thoughts frankly.When the boy next to him heard it, he felt that he had found a bosom friend, so he blurted out, "I have a feeling that your Majesty's illness is connected with her." Ding Xuehou answered without waiting for him to solve the riddle, "You Doubt it was that woman?"

"Don't you feel this way? Her words and deeds don't look like she was married at all, but like an intruder. Moreover, even the concubine mother said that she is very likely to be a spy." Su Zhongming said frankly.

"It's all speculation. If she doesn't show her tail, no one knows if it's true." Ding Xuehou replied calmly.The two of them walked slowly to the other side of the bridge. There were several farmhouses not far from the bank. It was past noon, and it was peaceful there without a wisp of cooking smoke.

"Why did you ask me to come here? No... just to see the mountains and rivers?" After chatting for a while, Su Zhongming returned to the topic and asked the man.That Ding Xuehou had the cheek to answer his question, "I miss you, that's why I made an appointment, but I didn't know where you wanted to go, so I just chose here."

Su Zhongming grinned, "Do you think of me as a good brother? You miss me. But it's okay, I'm not familiar with the place when I'm here, and I just need a companion, so I'll just treat you as my right-hand man."

Ding Xuehou felt that this was a good thing, and immediately agreed, "Okay, I will be your right-hand man from now on." He took him for a walk outdoors for a while, and then returned to Jinghongdu in a carriage with him, and took him with him. Go to the bustling market and take a stroll.When Su Zhongming arrived in the early days, he had wanted to visit this ancient market for a long time, but now that his wish was fulfilled, he was very happy.

They walked around and looked around, but the two of them didn't buy anything. Su Zhongming only walked the streets and alleys for novelty, and let it go after seeing things, while Ding Xuehou just followed him, staring at him, Can't care about anything else.

The two passed by a small stall selling rouge and gouache, and the peddler stopped them. Seeing that it was an ancient cosmetic, Su Zhongming urged Ding Xuehou to buy one, "Buy one and give it to my aunt, it's just right! She will definitely If you like it, if you don’t know how to choose, I’ll help you.”

Ding Xuehou didn't have time to refuse, so he saw him approaching the stall, so he had no choice but to follow him. He watched him pick up a rouge box and smell it, and he was in a daze again, wanting to wipe it on there. on the boy's cheek.

Su Zhongming didn't notice the expression of the man beside him at all, smelled the rouge box, opened it again, dipped a little pink powder with his fingertips, and daubed it lightly on the back of his hand, felt good, immediately closed the lid, put it on Handed it to the man, "This is good, you take it, and remember to give it to her when the time comes."

Dingxuehou took it, and just as he was about to return it, Su Zhongming said to the dealer again, "Just go to Dingxuehou's mansion and ask for the bill, and someone will pay you." For a moment, he didn't know what to do. What to do.Su Zhongming turned around and saw him holding it in a daze, and reminded him: "Don't hurry up and put it away? It's not convenient to hold it in your hand."

He had no choice but to listen to him.

The two continued to move forward, and when they passed a shop, there was a man in a blue shirt in his early thirties, who seemed to be full of scriptures, approaching him with a smile on his face, "Li Hou, we haven't seen each other for a long time, how did you meet today?" Are you so interested in hanging out with Shizi?"

The man approached, and immediately bowed to Su Zhongming. Su Zhongming was slightly stunned, and opened his mouth to ask him, "Who are you?" I have been living in the deep palace, this is the first time I saw an official in the imperial court this day, I couldn't help but feel happy, and continued to ask: "Courtier? Then what rank of official are you?"

The man replied modestly, "I'm not talented, I'm just a Tutor." Su Zhongming opened his mouth immediately, showing astonishment—what a great official!Can such a big official walk on the street casually like ordinary people?

The man looked at the sun, smiled, and said to the silent Ding Xuehou, "The weather is sunny today, why don't we go have a drink, Li Hou, what do you think?"

Since Ding Xuehou saw him appear, he showed a displeased expression, he was really not interested in hearing his mention, so he replied indifferently, "It's really a pity, I want to accompany your son, so I can't show you face. "

He Wukui didn't care about this, but still smiled, "What's the matter, wouldn't it be enough to invite the prince to go there together? The prince will not be so stingy and refuse to give face."

Su Zhongming was a little embarrassed, and said: "Go drink? But I can't drink, I'm afraid I'll lose face if I go..." He Wukui laughed, "I can't drink too much, but just have a drink or two. Don't worry too much, son." Su Zhongming hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed.

He Wukui faced Dingxuehou proudly, "The prince has agreed, Li Hou, how are you?"

Ding Xuehou was helpless, and replied: "Go, I'm afraid you won't succeed." He took a generous step and followed him.The man led them to a restaurant. Su Zhongming accidentally looked to the side and found that there was a casino diagonally opposite the restaurant.When he entered the door, he happened to see someone there who was pushed out of the street by several strong men because of gambling.

After he was seated, Su Zhongming also knew - this restaurant is a place where He Wukui often brings friends, so even though there are a lot of diners in the restaurant, the owner still entertains him very quickly. One by one on the whole.

A large pot of wine, the mellow aroma intoxicates everyone at the table, and a variety of small dishes make people salivate: crispy rabbit ears, braised melon skin with roast ribs, peanuts in garlic vinegar, eggplant with minced meat, roasted plate Stewed chicken with mushrooms and chayote medlar.

He Wukui grabbed the wine jar and poured half a bowl of wine into his own bowl, then put the jar in front of Ding Xuehou.The serious-looking man looked at the jar for a few seconds before slowly stretching out his hand and pouring half of the bowl. The jar made a light bang and landed on Su Zhongming's right hand.

Su Zhongming generously picked up the jar, and poured only a sip of wine into the bowl. The three bowls filled with wine collided with each other with a bang, and then quickly separated. Su Zhongming held the bowl with only a little wine, slowly He drank it all up, put down the bowl, and set up his chopsticks to eat vegetables. When the jar was turned back to him, he refused this time, saying, "Wine wears the intestines. Drinking too much will hurt your body. I drink it." The soup is just fine." Holding the spoon, he scooped up the hot chicken soup into the empty bowl.

He Wukui couldn't force him, so he and Ding Xuehou passed the wine jar to each other. After passing it a few times, it was empty, and He Wukui asked the waiter to bring the second jar. It's as intoxicating as the above said.The three of them were having a good time eating and drinking. At this moment, there was sudden abuse from the kitchen. Su Zhongming was curious, and got up to look. He saw a cook tightly pulling a child by the left ear, and wanted to go out of the gate.

The child looked to be about eight or nine years old, thin and small, and was in pain from being dragged. He cried and screamed and struggled, attracting the diners present to look on.

"Uncle, please, I haven't eaten for three days."

"There's no food, why don't you go be a beggar, and instead run into the kitchen to steal? I'm generous enough not to report to the police, get out! Let me see you again, you bastard, come to steal food, I'll take a stick to deal with you !"

"Uncle, please do me..."

With ragged clothes, a dirty face, and a pitiful expression, Su Zhongming couldn't help but felt pity, and blurted out: "Cook, let him go! I'll pay for whatever he ate."

The cook looked back, his expression changed as soon as it was raining, and he showed a flattering smile, "Guest officer, you are so kind! Actually, it's nothing, he just ate a chicken leg in the kitchen, although the whole chicken was only two taels The chicken legs are missing from the money, how can we serve them to the guests?"

"When you bring it up, treat it as an extra dish for us, and pay the bill together later, remember to wrap it well."

"Okay, okay, I'll do it, little one. I'll wrap it up and send it to you right away." The cook agreed, and immediately let go of the child's ears, and turned back to the kitchen.

The child stopped crying and wiped away his tears. Su Zhongming called him to go, and he also passed obediently.After a while, a staff brought a paper package, Su Zhongming took it and handed it to the child. The child held it in his arms, but without saying thanks, he rushed out of the restaurant without a trace.

Su Zhongming looked at all this, he never expected it to be like this, so he was stunned.

Ironic words sounded behind him, "In the whole world, there are too many poor people, and there are also many ungrateful people. Some people just rely on this to cheat you out of money, so he doesn't care how you feel. .”