Rebellious Minister Part 1

On March [-]th, the sky was clear and the sun melted the snow in early spring. Row upon row of high-rise tile-roofed buildings in Dihua Town, with horned beasts, looked dazzling and colorful in the bright red and golden light.

The magpie stands pretty on the branches, the willow banks are fresh green under the spring breeze, and pedestrians are like weaving. In addition, there are water near and mountains far away, and the scenery is picturesque and splendid.

And today is the annual, most lively temple fair in Dihua Town, which is set up to worship the God of Dihua Mountain. It has a history of 360 years.

According to legend, when the God of Dihua Mountain went down to visit the mortal world, when he came to this geomantic treasure land, he was so hungry that a kind couple gave him pastries to eat.He said gratefully, you will give birth to a pair of good sons and daughters.

The middle-aged couple were very surprised, because they had been looking forward to a child for a long time, but there was no movement in their stomachs.

After the mountain god left, just as he said, the kind-hearted couple really gave birth to a pair of lively and lovely twins.The whole family took root here, and this little-known small town was also named Dihua Town.

Therefore, this temple fair has also become a grand event for the common people to pray for children and family safety, especially when the world is peaceful, it looks more grand.

The villagers and wealthy businessmen with a radius of hundreds of miles came early to support the old and the young, and the scene of the bustling traffic was even more noisy than the Lantern Festival!

"Come on, folks, come and have a look! Authentic Beiling wild ginseng! Eat a hundred poisons and live a long life!" A brawny shirtless man held a red silk tied in his hand, with The ginseng of Huangni shouted loudly.

"Taiping gong! Donger gong! Firecrackers! Everything is ready!" The peddler who set up a stall took out a copper gong to attract passers-by, and all the children gathered there, pestering their parents to buy fireworks.

And all kinds of street jugglers poured into the temple fair place like a tide. At noon, there was a din of people's voices, performing arts, and so many people crowded shoulder to shoulder that it was almost impossible to walk.

"Old, master——! Slow down! Wait for the little one!"

Among the crowd of people in various clothes, a boy in brown cloth was standing on tiptoes, stretching his neck, screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to push through the crowd.

It turned out that beside the bridge pier in front, the tricks of breathing fire and walking the mountain of swords were being performed. The people were surrounded by three layers inside and three layers outside. Howling.

The man called "Master" was actually very young, wearing a light blue silk shirt with five embroidered patterns, and wearing a plain blue cloth cap with all his hair hidden inside.

Although he has good features, he is "judging people by their appearance" at the moment, so rather than saying that he is a "master", he looks more like a shabby scholar, which is really very ordinary.

However, at the moment when everyone was flushed with red faces and thick necks, he walked around with a relaxed face and a smile on his face, followed the push of others, stood on a stone pier, and occupied a high place .

He built an awning with his hands, looked around, and then jumped off the stone pier. When he went up again, he found a boy in crotch pants riding on his shoulders.

It was him who had been crying in the crowd looking for his mother.

After a while, a panic-stricken village woman came to him and returned the child to the woman. After thanking him a thousand times, she hurried away with the child in her arms.

Only then did the young man take out a pack of fried pine nuts from his bosom, and watched the seven-foot man performing Qigong with a smile on his face.

The man's hair was shaved clean, he looked like a monk, his arms were round, and as strong as an ox.The ostentation he spread out was also great. More than 20 bright swords were fastened with ropes and tied into a ladder. Even the handrails were sharp blades. The big man picked up a white radish and slashed up the knife ladder!

With a click, it broke into two pieces immediately. It was real. If this person climbed up, wouldn't he be bleeding?

At this time, someone had already thrown copper coins into his open cloth pocket.After collecting the money, the strong man clasped his fists and thanked the folks for their support, then moved his feet and climbed up the mountain of swords!

Although he is very strong, but his hands and feet are flexible, he jumped to the top of the ladder like a monkey, and was still on the top, holding the knife ladder with his feet, with his head facing down, and a golden hook hanging upside down. It will also fall headlong and die.

Therefore, the more everyone exclaimed, the more suspenseful the action of the strong man became. Only the young "Master" kept applauding!

He was still under the swaying "knife mountain", and put down an ingot of silver, so all kinds of broken silver and copper coins were thrown down one after another, and the strong man clasped his fists on it happily, "Thank you, thank you, fathers , there will be more exciting things to come..."

"Old master!"

When the boy finally sweated profusely and squeezed to the front of the applause, the young man patted him on the shoulder and said happily: "Xiao De, let's go, let's go buy candied haws."

"Master! We have already bought a lot of things. You see, I am about to become a peddler! Hey, master, wait for me! Hey!" Seeing that the young man ignored him and rushed forward enthusiastically, the young man hurried forward Carrying those kites, mountain god masks, and local pastries, he chased the youth forward.

On the crescent-shaped stone arch bridge, there was a vendor carrying a large handful of candied haws. The young man ran straight to the bridge like a child, waving his hands and shouting, "Seller of candied haws, I want six skewers!"

"That's cool! Six bunches of candied haws!" Among a group of playful children, the young man finally got the bright red candied haws wrapped in golden malt with satisfaction.

"Master..." The young servant looked at the young master who was holding candied haws with two hands, and he couldn't laugh or cry, "Six sticks are too many, I can't finish them..."

"Here, Xiaode, I'll reward you." The young man narrowed his eyes, smiled like a peach blossom, and handed over the three skewers on his right hand, "This stuff is delicious!"

"Thank you, master, for the reward!" The sweaty young man originally wanted to complain a few words, but at this moment, he received those bright red candied haws, and his eyes were flushed with such emotion.

"Let's go over there and sit and eat." The bridge was full of people, but there was an open-air tea shop for people to rest on the river bank under the bridge.

"Yes, sir." The master and servant came to the river and found a quiet place. After they sat down, they could see the vermilion inscription "Floating Watermark Bridge" on the bridge.

The blue waves under the bridge are rippling, and there are black boats passing by lightly, creating circles of ripples, while the ancient bridge is reflected in the water, and the waves of water are reflected on the bridge. It is really a beautiful picture of a water village.

"That's great!" Looking at the situation, the young man couldn't help admiring.

"Master, what do you mean?" the boy asked, he was busy wiping the big tea bowls in the tea shop before pouring tea for the owner, and the shopkeeper didn't bother to do these things.

"Everywhere is good, candied haws are delicious, and this big bowl of tea is also delicious!" The young man smiled slightly, very satisfied.

"Hehe, the food here is so good, it's the first time you see it, sir, and you think it's fresh." The young man smiled and shook his head, "When it comes to tea and food, of course it's the best in the palace, just the cup for drinking tea The bowls are tens of thousands of times stronger than the ones here."

The boy was very dissatisfied with the rough and dull tea bowl. Since it was made of ceramics, why did he rub his hands?This workmanship is really bad!The same goes for the tea, which has no aroma and is not a new tea after spring.

"That being said, even if it's Chinese New Year, the palace has never seen such excitement." The young man rested his chin on his hand, and with his clear black eyes, he looked at the people on the bridge motionlessly, helping the old and the young, husband and wife singing along, When did you see such a warm scene in the palace?

"You want the palace to be lively, it's not just a matter of your words." The young man laughed, "When we go back, let the imperial dining room make candied haws and big bowls of tea, and let Xiao Lizi and Luzhu act as vendors... ..."

"Your idea is good, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to draw a tiger. If you are a dog, you will make someone lose their temper." The young man sighed, turned his head, and looked at the servant.

Those black eyes that flow like waves in a deep pool are truly charming, especially against the backdrop of the curved eyebrows and thick long eyelashes, they form an incredible charm that makes people flustered, even if it is just a very ordinary gaze.

"Huang, Huang... Oh no, it's old, old man! You drink tea." The boy's face was flushed, and he stammered, "I'll bring you more water."

"Hmph! Xiao Dezi, don't you want to go back to the palace? Why have you been talking about what's going on in the palace today?" There was a little doubt in the young man's eyes.

"How, how?!" The boy hurriedly explained, "It was agreed before I came out, wherever you go, master, Xiao Dezi will go, even if his head is chopped off by General Jing, this servant will never go back on his word of!"

"That's pretty much the same. It's not in vain that I love you so much." The young man nodded in satisfaction, and soon believed the boy's words.

The little servant secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and walked around with the emperor, can he not be frightened?It would be a great thing if he could go back to the palace, that's why he knocked on the side...

"Think about it, it's been two months since we came out..." the young man said suddenly, he lowered his head and took a sip of tea. He thought it tasted good just now, but now there is a strong bitterness left on the tip of his tongue and soaked into his heart.

"That guy must be turning blue with anger now!" Without waiting for the boy to answer, the young man said again, frowning, "Hmph, let's forget about him being so mad! I arranged the marriage...and said it was for my own good...it's really disgusting! I didn't take me, the emperor, into consideration at all!"

Hearing the young man muttering full of resentment, the slender fingers holding the tea bowl were tense and turned white, the servant knew that going back was hopeless, and asked in a very low voice, "If you dare to ask the emperor, shall we continue to go south?"

Ever since the two of them slipped out of the palace in disguise, they have been traveling south, enjoying the mountains and rivers, tasting delicacies from all over the place, not to mention how happy they are.

This ancient town of Dihua is the No. 17 they passed by, and it is also the most affluent town nearby, but it has the taste of "a big shop bullying customers".

Although the master had a good time, the boy felt that foreigners were discriminated against here, especially the poor people. Even those who had patches on their clothes were not allowed to enter the temple fair before, saying that they would pollute the mountain gods. Eye.

So those honest villagers can only bow down outside the dusty temple gate to pray for the protection of the mountain god.

As for the master, he was not very experienced in the world, so he couldn't see these famous halls, he thought it was the custom of this place, but he happily followed them to worship the gods outside the temple, not afraid of getting his clothes dirty.

Seeing this, the young servant felt sorry for the master, but it spoiled his interest, so he didn't say anything.

Now, what he thinks is that the master can leave here as soon as possible and go to the next place to play.

"Of course, I left a note saying that I want to go north to supervise the construction of the fortress, so they must be looking for people in the north, and we have to go south all the way to be at ease." Hearing the boy said that he would continue to tour the mountains and rivers , The young man swept away the gloomy mood just now, patted the boy on the shoulder vigorously, and said with a smile, "Tonight, master, I will treat you to a good meal. I heard that the roast chicken in bamboo tubes here is famous for its deliciousness!"

"Wow! Thank you, master, for the reward!" The servant is also a glutton, and he nodded in agreement as soon as he heard that there was something delicious, and then he asked the shopkeeper of the tea shop to exchange another pot of tea, asking for good spring tea, and As soon as he made a move, it was a white ingot of silver.

The shopkeeper was so happy that he couldn't see his eyes, he brought out good tea and snacks, and served the two uncles attentively.

The boy didn't know that the two of them spent a lot of money at the temple fair and repeatedly showed off their silver, which had already attracted the attention of thieves, and they had already quietly followed them for two streets.

+ + + + +

"Master, over there, Zhenxiang Tower!"

From afar, I saw a three-storey Linhe restaurant. There are many shops in this area, including time-honored grain and oil shops, antique shops, and silk and satin shops!

After visiting the temple fair, the villagers in Yuanxian County came here directly to rest their feet, buy food, bring some lamp oil, pull two pieces of cloth, and carried them in their hands before going home happily.

The merchants are naturally happy to see the business is booming, and they sell their goods at a discount. In addition, the night is not so hot, and there are more people shopping, so the crowd at night is even more congested than the temple fair during the day.

"Look, I saw it!" Of course, the master saw the direction the boy was pointing at. In fact, it was not far away, just fifty paces away.

However, the sedan chairs are like mountains, thousands of heads are moving, and there is a lot of noise. Once the master gets mixed into this "wave", he can't help himself in which direction to go.

He was pinched by two strong men from left to right, and pushed back and forth in the crowd, feeling that his clothes were being torn crookedly, and the young man was squeezed so hard that he couldn't keep his feet on the ground, he was screaming for help.

Seeing that the young man was about to be washed away, the master stretched out his arm, over the man's shoulder, and firmly grabbed the young man's back collar. This was enough strength, and the two of them were not separated.

When they moved little by little to the front of Zhenxiang Tower, they were panting heavily, sweating profusely, and couldn't even speak clearly.

The clerk was not surprised, and said, "Guest officer, come, please come inside!" and invited them to the second floor, near the stairs.

"There are people coming and going in this place, how can we sit? Does my master want to eat?" The young man calmed down and was very dissatisfied with the seat, yelling for the shopkeeper to come out.

The shopkeeper is in his forties, well-informed, and everyone who comes is a customer. Since a servant speaks so loudly, this "master" must have some family background, so he quickly apologized with a smile and let the shop assistant vacate the door. In an elegant room with the best scenery, he even made tea himself and served him a lot.

After the shopkeeper went down, the first-class dishes were served on the Eight Immortals table, a whole plate of wild duck stewed with grass mushrooms, a plate of thinly sliced ​​braised five-spice meat, a large bowl of sliced ​​bacon stewed cabbage, a plate of hibiscus shrimp dumplings, and a cage of roses. The red bean paste bun, of course, is the main character of the roasted chicken in a bamboo tube. The belly is filled with various fresh mushrooms and fish shreds, and finally wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is placed in a thick bamboo tube and placed in the center of the dining table.

According to the shopkeeper, this dish can only be made by roasting slowly on the campfire for an hour.Therefore, the bamboo tube outside was scorched and almost turned into bamboo charcoal.The mouth of the tube is sealed with lotus leaves. Although the bamboo tube chicken is not big, its aroma is enough to overwhelm the other dishes. No wonder it is well-known.

"What else do you want, my lord?" The man put the rag on his hand and waited for his order.

"Let me have another pot of pear blossom wine and another pot of daughter red." The young man was in a good mood, and of course he needed good wine to accompany him after the delicious food.

"Okay, here we come." After the waiter served the drinks, the master and the boy watched the brightly lit riverside scenery outside the window, feasting for an hour.

After the meal, the master burped contentedly, looking at the almost empty dishes.

"Master, this roast chicken is so delicious, let's pack another one later." The young man suggested with a mouth full of oil, still unsatisfied.

"Okay, let's take one back to the inn to eat." After the young man finished speaking, he stood up and stood by the window. The night breeze was blowing, and he was full of wine and food. Is there anything better than this?

"My lord, are you satisfied with your meal?" The shopkeeper came, rubbing his hands with a smile.

"Satisfied!" The young man nodded frequently and greeted briskly, "Xiaode, pay the bill and reward the shopkeeper."

"Ouch! Thank you!" Hearing that there are still rewards to be received, the shopkeeper hastily bowed his thanks, then turned his face to the boy, and said flatteringly, "Little brother, this meal plus two jugs of wine is a total of four, two or six dollars. "

"It's really cheap." The boy stretched his hands around his waist without touching anything, then he patted his head and said, "By the way, master, the small purse is here for you."

"What about me?" The young man was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that they bought a lot of things in the afternoon, and the boy wanted to pay and get things, he was in a hurry, so he took the money bag and said he had to pay the bill himself.

But later, the young man couldn't remember whether he returned the money bag to the boy, so he touched his sleeve and found it was empty.

"Shall I return it to you?" the young man asked hesitantly.

"No, master, I saw you put it in the inner pocket of your sleeve with my own eyes." The boy said firmly.

At this time, the shopkeeper's expression was already very ugly. Didn't these two come to eat the overlord's meal?But, where is this Zhenxianglou?The magistrate's nanny is the shopkeeper's third aunt, which is related.

"Nonsense, I don't have a single coin in my sleeve. Look, is it in your Sebu bag?" On the stool behind the boy, there were a lot of things they bought, two big eagle kites, three Dishan gods Masks, and some children's toys such as diabolos, shuttlecocks, and bamboo dragonflies.

Open a few colored silk and brocade boxes, inside are jujube cakes and peach kernel cakes, which taste good but are not worth a lot of money.

Because the young man was generous, he gave several taels of silver to buy pastries. The shopkeeper felt sorry for them, so he just packed them in a brocade box. At first glance, he didn't know what kind of treasure it was.

The servant rummaged through all the packages and waistbands, but couldn't find a single copper coin. The master and servant, looking at each other, were stunned.

"Oops! The purse was stolen by thieves!" The young man shouted, suddenly realizing it!

"What? How did it get stolen?!" The boy stared wide-eyed and screamed.

"On the way to the restaurant." The young man frowned, tried to remember, and gestured with his hands, "There were two men on the left and the right, pushing me hard, but I didn't expect them to be thieves!"

"Have you finished singing the double reed opera?"

Just when they were talking to each other and arguing about when they lost the money bag, the shopkeeper was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, which was more terrifying than the mask of Dishan God.

"What double spring, I was stolen by a thief. It's a fact. It's only four taels of money. I can't lie to you!"

"Then dare to ask where is your money? Hmph! With a few broken kites, you dare to pretend to be a grand master, and even deceived me, you are desperate!"

The shopkeeper pulled up his sleeves and roared. When the guys heard the news and learned that he was eating a king's meal, all of them became vicious, and some even held up a kitchen knife as if to chop.

"Master! Be careful!" Although the boy was afraid, he also stood up, stood in front of the master, clenched his fists and said, "You, what do you want to do? Don't mess around! I know kung fu. And, besides, my master , you can't fight!"

"Hey? Why can't you beat him? Think he is the emperor?!" The shopkeeper waved his hand viciously, and a strong man rushed over, took the boy down in two or three strokes, twisted his arms tightly, and pressed him on the ground. On the bluestone floor, the little servant yelled in pain, "Master! Master! Help me!"

"Xiaode!" The young man was very anxious and wanted to save someone, but there were too many people on the other side. After blocking a few moves with his hand, he retreated to the corner.

"You said it yourself, what should we do?" The shopkeeper half-seriously and half-threateningly said, "Do you want us to report to the police? Or unscrew this boy's arm?! Show everyone, what will happen if you eat the overlord's meal?"

"No, you can't report to the official!" The young man said hurriedly.As an emperor, he ate the overlord's meal and was taken into the government. If the news got out, how would the Great Yan Kingdom have any face?You really can't enter the government even if you die!

"Does that mean we want us to break this kid's arm?" The shopkeeper grinned grinningly, motioning for his subordinates to do it!

"No, no! Not at all!" The young man hurriedly waved his hands, "Please stop!"

"This doesn't work, and that doesn't work either. Are you cheating on me?" The shopkeeper slapped the table and said angrily.

"I have other ways to pay back the money!" The young man said, turning his head.

"Any other way?" The shopkeeper thought for a while, then said with a half smile, "Is it asking your family to send money?"

"I'm a foreigner, and my family is really far away. I won't be able to get money for a while, but... I can write letters and inscribe plaques for you!" the young man said, "I guarantee that your business will prosper in the future and you will make a lot of money!"

"Hahaha." The shopkeeper and his subordinates looked at the young man who uttered wild words, and laughed so hard, "Do you think you are Prince Muren? How much is your writing worth? Prince Muren's calligraphy and paintings are Number one in the world, you can’t buy it even if you bid [-] gold, your writing, hmph, no one wants it in the hut!”

"Presumptuous! How dare you humiliate my master like this, it's outrageous! It's the opposite!"

Even though he was firmly suppressed, the servant still shouted with a sharp throat, "Master, ignore them, just let them wring my hands off, hum! For the sake of the master, my head can be chopped off!"

Having said that, the boy's legs were trembling, and he was so scared that he almost peed his pants. It is impossible for the young man to really watch the boy's arm being broken. Let's die.

"I, I'm done washing the dishes." The young man hurriedly said again, "Washing the dishes, mopping the floor, and wiping the stools, I will do as much work as I need to pay for this meal!"

"Okay, that's a human thing." The shopkeeper was quite straightforward this time, signaling his subordinates to let go of the barking boy, and then said while flicking the jade bead abacus he carried with him.

"Ergou, Da Liu, you watch them, let them wash the dishes in the backyard, if they dare to be lazy, they will be whipped! The wages for cleaning fifty bowls are one copper coin, four, two or six. It’s 30 taels, which is about [-] bowls, plus the daily food deductions, and you’ll be able to leave after six months.”

"What?!" Hearing this, the servant immediately jumped up, "You guys are blackmailing, bullying..."

You know, this meal is worth at most one or two months' wages, and according to the shopkeeper's calculation, I paid back several times more.

"Stop talking nonsense! Take it down to work!" The shopkeeper yelled with a straight face, and the two of them were escorted downstairs to the backyard with their arms twisted.