break the way [comprehension]

Seeing that Tong Qing really had something to say, and it seemed to be important, no matter how troubled Liu Yelan was, he would not be so rude, so he just said: "My brother, wait a moment, why don't you go to the 'Penglai Pavilion' to wait for me first. "

Penglai Pavilion is a very famous teahouse in the vicinity, and literati often go there to compose poems and lyrics. It is quite famous in the capital, and more importantly, Liu Yelan and Tong Qing met in Penglai Pavilion.

At that time, a group of scholars were discussing a new word spread in the court: "Longevity, Xuan Yao to supplement Niwan. Peng Zu was eight hundred years old, and the world became disabled because of it. Who is the Yin Dan? Yin Dan Jue, three to five Hexuantu. On the 1th, the opportunity can be harvested. Yuqiong looks back to avoid glory and decline. The appearance is better than the ordinary. The longevity technique, the secret of the hidden dragon in the ninth day of junior high school. Be careful not to be a guest from Gaoyi, and the dantian flows to communicate. Babies..." (Note [-])

It is rumored that this poem was written by the emperor's newly favored national teacher, and it was highly praised by the emperor and a thousand dignitaries. I heard that even the concubines could recite a few sentences, so it gradually spread from the deep palace to the common people. A group of literati and inkmen studied carefully in this Penglai Pavilion.

However, the so-called literati are just a nice way of saying it. To put it bluntly, they are a group of white-clothed scholars who have nothing to do. A progressive heart, no, discussing the emperor's favorite new words, if you can have some amazing words to listen to, tsk, maybe you will be as successful as this national teacher, and it will be different from now on.

However, what ordinary people can think of is to take a pat on the mysterious and deep part of this poem from the rhythm and artistic conception, and indirectly advocate the emperor's aesthetics-it's just that many scholars are very naive to this level of flattery. I understand, I don’t know how much I have to listen to such general flattery to the emperor in a day, so I don’t have the time to listen to the uninspired version of these white-clothed scholars, even if someone deliberately spread it to the emperor’s ears, they just laughed it off and didn’t spend much effort at all. , is destined to be a waste of expression.

But among them, there are always some people who study history books or know the heart of the emperor. Instead of flattering, they do the opposite:

"Indulging in the art of alchemy is a sign of subjugation!"

"What kind of nonsense longevity technique! It's just an excuse to shirk the responsibility of all people!"

"The way of the monster is wronging the country! It should be beheaded! Today, instead of beheading such people who deceive the public with their rumors, they let them go and even favor them. What will the general of the country think!"

Back and forth are these routines, and even the noble concubines in the deep palace have suffered from these verbal criticisms. They are nothing more than confiding in women, confusing the king, and making a good generation of Mingjun indulge in such illusory so-called longevity techniques, which is misleading the country. People, should be sent to the cold palace!

Perhaps it was just a few words provoked by a few people with ulterior motives, but in the ears of the scholars, yes!They will be the humerus of the country and the pillars of the emperor in the future. It is not the right way to indulge in any kind of Taoism.They want loyalty!They want integrity!They want to speak directly to the emperor!They want the king to know what it means to be a king!How could he be led by those unhealthy tendencies!

For a while, these white-clothed scholars seemed to have finally found a politically correct way to guide the country. Penglai Pavilion, as a gathering place for the poor, was the hardest hit area for such remarks... Such criticisms from the public came like a tide. On the court.

Chaotang, what kind of place is that.

Ordinary petty officials don't have much chance to participate in the Great Court Conference. There are only a few dozen people in the entire empire who can get involved in the Great Court Conference. The remarks of those scholars are as naive as children learning to speak. Once such remarks are summed up by the courtiers with ulterior motives and scheming, the book handed by the speech officer becomes: the ancient alchemy is not the right way, and the folk Matters are boiling, please Your Majesty to think about it.

The tone is gentle, but the people's boiling remarks are described as if the furious people are about to rush into the Golden Luan Hall to question the emperor face to face, exaggerate as much as you want. In fact, those jumping up and down are nothing more than those scholars, folks?As long as the people can eat enough and wear warmth, whether your emperor wants to make alchemy or cultivate immortals, or accept a few concubines, everyone is just killing time after dinner.

But for an emperor who wants to be a Mingjun, or is tempted by the word "Mingjun", it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the folk speeches after all, but the longevity technique mentioned by the national teacher is a real temptation to hold the king's power forever, and the emperor's mind is ups and downs Tossing and turning, the matter was dealt with coldly.

But how can such a rhythmic person be willing?The discussion in Penglai Pavilion was like adding fuel to the fire, and it became more and more in full swing.

As the youngest son of the official servant's family, he has no family responsibilities to fulfill, and the family has no expectations for him. This life is destined to be spent in all kinds of eating, drinking and having fun. Tong Qing maintains a dandyism in this turmoil. Lively is not a big deal by nature, so I reserved a seat in Penglai Pavilion, and watched the excitement on time every day.

And Liu Yelan, who was born in the countryside, his father died, and he was admitted to the Imperial College with the help of the family's sponsorship, at this time, ignorantly plunged into the maelstrom of the capital, and because of his humble background, he was loved by the noble children of the Imperial College. Contemptuously, teasingly asked him to come to Penglai Pavilion to learn more, and he was directly caught in the center of this vortex.

Liu Yelan didn't know that besides the discussion he was taken care of when he was in the county school, there was also a discussion that involved political positions, which was the most troublesome and fierce.

The rural students who had just entered the city saw the picture of Penglai Pavilion pointing out the country, high-spirited, and many white-clothed courtesans excitedly exclaiming their words. The young Liu Yelan only saw the enthusiastic atmosphere of purely academic discussions, and didn't know what was going on inside. There are so many pitfalls and traps, and he actually listened to several discussions seriously——ah, if he wasn’t too cash-strapped to pay for the tea, he would like to listen to a few more sessions, carefully summarize the conclusions and arguments, and then express himself Opinion.

Really poor scholar Liu Yelan quickly sorted out his thoughts, carefully and rigorously summarized the collected opinions, and followed his rigorous academic attitude in the countryside, wrote his arguments and arguments one by one into pamphlets and stuffed them in his sleeves. It made a grand debut in the routine exciting meeting of Penglai Pavilion on the second day.

That was Chen Beiwang, the most popular and respected person in Penglai Pavilion at that time, just finished his lecture on the case analysis of sorcery that harmed the country in the history books. , when the triumphant old man Chen saluted in all directions to thank him, the poor and sour Liu Yelan appeared on the stage.

To be honest, there was a second of silence in the audience.

Who is this guy who looks like a bitch?

The naive Liu Yelan children's shoes looked at everyone taking turns to give speeches, thinking that this stage was open, alas, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, this so-called everyone is the candidate and order reached by the competition and compromise of various forces behind the scenes, or In order to accumulate popularity among contacts, or to manipulate public opinion to achieve ulterior motives... There is no publicity at all.

And the rustic and unknowing Liu children's shoes shook everyone's spirits as soon as they opened their mouths, what the hell!

In a few words, Liu Yelan summarized the core points of all the mainstream speeches in Penglai Pavilion, accompanied by detailed and powerful arguments. Chen Beiwang said XX thirteen days ago, and Xiang Donglai mentioned XX the day before yesterday... This has already called Taiwan Many scholars in the audience had ugly faces—everyone came out to talk about the rules of the game. On this stage, the biggest rule is not to tear each other down, not to expose the forces behind each other.

You must know that the forces behind it will give different instructions depending on the situation, and they will adjust the content of their speech accordingly... The onlookers are so excited by the rhythm, you are a country who doesn't know where you come from People record all this process... What do you mean? !

Liu Yelan didn't know that he had caused public anger. After summarizing, he stated his views in an orderly manner: I don't quite agree with everyone's opinions. First, it's hard to say whether cultivating Taoism is harmful to the country. Take Chen Beiwang as an example. For example, they are all examples of cultivating Taoism among the kings who subjugated the country. In fact, many of the founding kings also sought immortality in their later years, and the country has gone smoothly. These examples are not enough to illustrate the point. Barbara... Second, to judge whether the monarch is wronging the country, we should look at the future development of the country, not just the monarch's virtue. If things are brought into the decision-making of the country, what is there to exhort if it does not affect the future development?Now it seems that the emperor did not intend to construct Taoist temples all over the country, nor did he force the people of the whole country to practice longevity together. What should the people do, but everyone accuses the emperor of harming the country, isn't it a bit too much?Thirdly, everyone opposes cultivating the Tao because they think it is useless and has no benefit other than making people indulge in emptiness.However, I have summed up many famous people and famous events in history. Taoism is not necessarily completely useless for prolonging life. Take Peng Zu as an example. According to my investigation, there may be such a person in history. The Taoism he practiced may be XXXX... In fact, I think everyone's objections are not completely sufficient, and more arguments are needed.

The whole room was silent, Tong Qing, who was eating melon seeds, laughed until the melon seeds choked into her trachea, and coughed so hard that she couldn't take care of herself while laughing.

To be honest, when he first saw Liu Yelan, he started to pay attention to this guy. After all, when everyone was excitedly communicating with each other, either to make connections or to increase influence, a poorly dressed man who focused on The guy who listens to the speech and takes notes... Don't be too conspicuous to Tong Qing who is watching the fun.

Now, his attention has really paid off, this guy... is really interesting!Ha ha ha ha……

After the silence, there was a thunderstorm brewing, and tornado-like accusations, rebuttals and questioning rushed towards Liu Yelan on the stage, but this fellow from the countryside seemed to have no idea what fear was, and even talked freely on stage, one by one. Responding to those accusations like a tsunami, there are reasons... Of course, he is well prepared to do so.

These scholars who wanted to overwhelm him with their numbers were simply desperate. What the hell is this stone man?Let this guy out, don't you care? !Even if everyone sometimes discusses friction, it is after all a small fight on the table. For example, whether to close or advise on the disposal of the imperial concubine, but no one is like this guy, who turns the table over and overturns it when he comes. Is it so helpless? !

Liu Yelan was ignorant of this. In his opinion, how could a purely academic discussion lack the speculative link?When someone asks a question, he just speaks out his own understanding. The more the truth is debated, the clearer it becomes!

Everyone in the arena, except Liu Yelan and Tong Qing... all collapsed.

A speech lasted only a quarter of an hour, and the censure and questioning after the speech took two hours. When the lanterns came on, everyone was exhausted and had to end. A steady stream of melon-eating crowd came to watch Liu Yelan's tongue-in-cheek war against the Confucian-styled Penglai Pavilion. The main road next to it is blocked.

After the end, those prestigious scholars all thought, MMP, this job can't be done, so I have to go back and ask the sponsor what to do, the plate will be overturned, what a fart; The scholar is so tired, I feel like I will never love again, obviously what this countryman said is completely different from what they think these days, why the more they quarrel, but there is an illusion that what this guy said is right?It must be an illusion!

But Liu Yelan himself felt that he was not satisfied, and was even a little disappointed. He looked at the exhausted scholars and dispersed, and he couldn't hide the sigh in his eyes. These are all scholars in the imperial capital, but the elites and pillars of the entire country. During the speculation, those opinions were repeated over and over again, and no one quoted from others, and no one threw out new arguments to make his eyes shine...

At this time, a young and handsome son-in-law was wearing a fragrant wind and said with a smile: "Where is Brother Liu staying? Shall I give you a ride?"

Although the confusion is funny, this is indeed the beginning of Liu Yelan and Tong Qing's acquaintance.

At that time, Liu Yelan was a little dazed: "Huh? I live in Tianmen Temple... so close, I don't need to see you off..."

Tong Qing smiled maliciously: "Brother Liu, in order for you to arrive at your residence with all four limbs intact, I'd better give you a gift."

Liu Yelan:?

Along the way, Tong Qing was watching (teasing) this guy. He never thought that there would be such an upright guy in the world. After talking gradually, he discovered that Liu Yelan was not really naive and pedantic. She has read a lot of books and has extraordinary opinions, just like a bright pearl blooming. At present... Liu Yelan just doesn't know much about the rules of officialdom.

For a while, Tong Qing felt a little sorry for Liu Yelan. With Liu Yelan's talent and temperament, if nothing goes wrong, there will be some encounters in the future, which may benefit one party or be a mainstay. His traces will be indispensable in history. But now, it may not be.

But the development of the next thing made Tong Qing, a son and brother who grew up in the capital, also look confused.

After Liu Yelan's death-defying remarks, not only did he not get sacked, but the series of invitations he received next almost made all the scholars jealous. The big bosses who spoke on the Internet invited this guy to watch, oh, the position of the bachelors is more sensitive, but they didn't do anything, but they just slipped around the Tianmen Temple and came with this scholar Liu Just a few chance encounters.

After watching all the bigwigs in the court, everyone thought that this Liu Yelan was going to marry Bai Fumei and become a high-ranking official, and lead a new and successful life... There was a thundercrack, and the opinion leaders who were in the Penglai Pavilion that day were unparalleled, From Chen Beiwang onwards, all of them were arrested on the charge of "discussing the government and provoking public grievances".

Before the onlookers picked up the dropped watermelon, there was a bang, and the majestic Zuodu Yushi was imprisoned, and two of the university scholars were implicated.

For a time, the wind was roaring.

It only took more than ten days for Liu Yelan's dilapidated hut in Tianmen Temple to go from being very popular to being deserted.He couldn't help but clicked his tongue. If he knew it, he would have agreed to the Master Shang Shu who wanted to marry a daughter to him and help him buy a house. Now the world is so clean.

Liu Yelan calmly regained the rhythm of life. According to the original plan, he honestly paid a visit to the close friend of the proposer in his hometown, an ordinary recorder in the Imperial College, and that person was probably Liu Yelan. Yelan paused in fright at the erratic rhythm that stirred up the wind and clouds, and then sent Liu Yelan away with a casual greeting.

In the end, Liu Yelan, who had nowhere to live, still honestly followed the plan given to him by the proposer, and found the bookstore in the capital that the proposer was familiar with, and did the work of the scholars, copying books for a living. The capital was moved because of him, Even the turbulent turmoil that has not subsided has nothing to do with him at all.

After the great heat and severe cold, Liu Yelan became acquainted with that Tong Qingtong son. As the son of Shangshu, it is rare that he does not have the stinking problem of Guijie's children who love to put on airs. He takes Liu Yelan's situation calmly, neither Jump out and say: You are so pitiful, let me help you!And she wouldn't feel disgusted that Liu Yelan would be rude in ordering a meal of the weakest tea.

Instead, when the two were talking about the world, they accidentally discovered that the two of them were actually the kind of deviant people who liked non-mainstream unofficial stories.

Liu Yelan was fine, although he said he was well-read and he didn't shy away from meat and vegetables, but scholars regarded him as a legitimate subset of classics and history, and he didn't fall behind. A war of words against scholars also requires thousands of volumes of books in the belly, okay?Otherwise, before everyone got angry, he would have been trembling.Talent is just talking about a character like him.

But Tong Qing...that's another situation.

His life experience is extremely complicated. He was begging for food under his aunt since he was a child. Somehow, he had a reputation for spending time and drinking at a young age. When several teachers mentioned him, they all sighed. There will be lazy people like Tong Qing. Gradually, some people will let their own way, some people will push their boats, the imperial examination career is completely cut off from him, and he doesn't care much. Anyway, he is indispensable in that family, so he lives in this capital It has been so many years since Zhangtai walked around and the building was filled with red sleeves.

Liu Yelan is a person with clear eyes and a bright heart, first class and first class intelligence, no matter what others say, it is what others say, and it is just one-sided words.At least, since he and Tong Qing have known each other, Tong Qing's words are sincere, never like those big figures who are suddenly eager and then disappear, and they may not dare to believe half of the ten sentences.Tong Qing has never said anything, and if Tong Qing is really the kind of bastard who breaks the cans... You know, compared to the scope of the classics and history collections, the knowledge involved in the unofficial strange stories is like the number of sands in the Ganges River, It's hard to measure, it's not that he's boasting, he can chat with Liu Yelan without losing the wind... Tong Qing's knowledge is already number one in the world.

Rich clothes and fine food, cuddling and embracing, fighting cocks and horses, playing games in the world...maybe they are all just appearances. What Liu Yelan knew was the heroic friend who could count the days and nights with him under the star river, not in the eyes of the world. dandies.

People in the world often say that the white head is as new as before, and the cover is as old as before.

Liu Yelan also often thinks, he has traveled all the way, and he has not experienced the hardships of life that the world says, but it is lonely in the dead of night.But this friend who descended from the sky always understood what he was thinking... It was as if they had known each other so well in their previous life, and they were inseparable. He was speechless, maybe getting to know such a friend might be his real gain from coming to the capital this time.

As far as Tong Qing was concerned, it was not like this. At first, he was just looking for fun and watching a joke. The magnanimity, the wisdom of the other party, the suddenness of the other party's bright eyes...it actually made him feel that his ridiculous life experience and absurd life were all insignificant and insignificant in the conversation between the heavens, earth, stars, and everything. It is worth cherishing forever.

Gradually, Tong Qing went less and less to those places in the world of mortals, but this dilapidated area of ​​Tianmen Temple was often visited by his eldest son Tong.

When he received the letter today, he immediately felt that this was a good opportunity for Liu Yelan, but he went directly to the door regardless of the pouring rain, which made him very embarrassed.

But seeing that there was no ridicule or tension in Liu Yelan's eyes, but only sincere and frank concern, Tong Qing's depression disappeared, but a suspicious blush appeared on his face.

It's just that Tong Qing couldn't help but laugh at Liu Yelan's proposal of Penglai Pavilion: "Do you know what you look like in the eyes of the big boss behind Penglai Pavilion now? You have a blue face, a long face, three heads and six arms... It's not as good as that legendary big monster It's only a star and a half. Now, the good Penglai Pavilion is deserted, and everyone can't avoid it. If you and I plunge in, you won't be afraid to scare the big boss out of trouble. You know, people are not easy .”

That is, to be able to occupy the forefront of the stormy waves in the capital, how can it be done without a few brushes.

Liu Yelan looked innocent: "I'm in vain too, but you and I are both familiar with that place, so I suggested it like this... Forget it, it's up to you, you can do whatever you say."

I don't know which sentence is in line with Mr. Tong's wishes, he replied with anger instead of joy, and just smiled: "Where does it suit me, the whole capital is so big, it can't make the big guy feel awkward. You In the end, I will stay in this capital, and I have to take care of things on these scenes."

Liu Yelan didn't say a word, only thinking in his heart, that's not necessarily the case.

In just a few days, he had a clear view of this capital city. The so-called self-cultivation, family governance, and world peace, self-cultivation is clearly the first priority. It's not worth it, even Liu Yelan can't do it.

As if knowing Liu Yelan's heartfelt voice, Tong Qing rolled her eyes: "Okay, I didn't ask you to do anything against your will. It's my uncle who wrote."

Tong Qing seldom mentioned his uncle's family, and Liu Yelan also vaguely knew that Tong Qing seemed to have vague resentment towards Tong's family, and was reluctant to tell him everything about Shang Shu's mansion, but now he took the initiative to talk about his uncle, but his name was Liu Yelan Can't help but listen carefully.

Although Tong Qing didn't say anything, she obviously attached great importance to her uncle's family. Seeing Liu Yelan listening attentively in the heavy rain and the dark sky, she couldn't help comforting her, so she told about the things in the letter Come out: "Although his old man is not as talented as you, Mr. Liu, he has some real skills. He is the county magistrate in Anping County, but now he has encountered some difficult things. I think about it. There are so many people around me. You can’t count on good friends, and my father’s high-ranking friends... are also extremely difficult to get close to, but uncle really needs help, Brother Liu, you have made a lot of achievements in this strange talk... I wonder if you can go and have a look?"

That's why Liu Yelan was secretly surprised. Anping County...is located in a remote place, with no food production or water conservancy... It can be said that it is poor and empty. If he is not proficient in geography and astronomy, I am afraid that Tong Qing may not know where he is. But now Tong Qing said that his uncle was the county magistrate there and asked for help when he encountered a difficult matter?

You know, if it's really a political problem, what can Liu Yelan do to help?

Moreover, Liu Yelan looked closely at Tong Qing's expression, and suddenly realized that he wanted to help... It's just that Tong Qing felt that the situation in the capital was different, and he was afraid that he would not be able to get away from it here, so he would excuse him, so let's find an excuse to leave the capital ?If you have a friend like this, what can you ask for?

In fact, Tong Qing's considerations for Liu Yelan are far more than that. Liu Yelan stepped into the capital's vanity fair and right-and-wrong circle, and stirred up such a storm as soon as he showed up... Although Tong Qing is a dude, he is a top official in the imperial capital. He grew up in a family, and he is also a smart person. He has never played in the officialdom in person, but he knows the rules of the officialdom in his heart.

Zuodu Censor, University Scholars... These are all figures at the top of the pyramid in the imperial capital. Without the emperor's nod, no one can move.

Liu Yelan's verbal battle seemed to have just slapped those scholars in the face and defended the emperor, so many dignitaries rushed to invite Liu Yelan to the banquet, if there were no rumors in the palace...how could it be possible to alarm so many important figures.

However, the emperor's heart is unpredictable. He seems to have dealt with the Zuodu Yushi and several university scholars who tried their best to admonish him at the beginning, but he raised and put it down gently for the scholars who directly admonished him, and he did not express anything to Liu Yelan. , At this time, no one knows what the emperor thinks about Liu Yelan's white body, does he want to reuse it, or does he feel out of sight and out of mind?

Therefore, it is also human nature that the previous enthusiastic high-ranking officials disappeared without a trace.

Tong Qing is just a playboy and has no influence in the family. The whole capital knows that their father and son are like strangers. His friendship with Liu Yelan has no impact on the overall situation of the Tong family. In fact, it's not that Tong's father has never been furious and scolded, but Tong Qing sneered, going his own way and cutting off his money?Yes, anyway, his mother's dowry back then shocked the capital with Baili Hongzhuang, and those things are still in his hands, enough for him to squander in this life.

In the end, Tong's father probably knew that Tong Qing was insignificant to the Tong family. Even if someone wanted to use this to write an article for Tong's family, it would not be enough weight. Moreover, whether Liu Yelan's move is life or death, the Sacred Heart is still undecided. , who dares to say die?Maybe it's a good move for Tong Qing to make friends with him, anyway, it's a big deal, a bad piece, throwing it out won't hurt much.

Liu Yelan didn't know what happened to this innocent-looking dandy next to him to stand beside him calmly.

Even Tong Qing's painstaking efforts at this time, he can only understand part of it.

What Tong Qing was thinking about was Liu Yelan's way out in such a complicated situation. In his opinion, Liu Yelan's hard study of Confucian classics and history naturally hoped to make achievements in his official career. Besides, which scholar would not expect to learn literary and martial arts? With the emperor's family, Yu Liu Yelan really won't benefit from wasting in the vortex of the capital. In that horrific vortex, even big figures like Zuodu Yushi and Dashi who are shaking their feet in the capital can't risk it. What a bubble, let alone a small shrimp like Liu Yelan.

Leaving the capital, one is to avoid such horror limelight, and more importantly, to find another possibility for Liu Yelan's official career.

From Tong Qing's point of view, it is meaningless for Liu Yelan to continue to stay in the Guozijian because the children of the powerful and powerful are rampant now. The imperial examinations are serious... Judging from this year's situation, no matter how well Liu Yelan's strategy is like a flower, I am afraid that he will not be dethroned. The end-the emperor didn't say what to do with this person, how dare you draw a conclusion earlier than the emperor?

Therefore, Liu Yelan's future is too uncertain.

But Tong Qing saw a clue of a new possibility from the current emperor's preference for the way of longevity and Liu Yelan's slanted reading hobby.

It just so happened that my uncle wrote a letter at this time, probably knowing that he had lived in the capital for a long time and was bored, and he also wanted to chat with him about rural gossip, but Tong Qing saw the opportunity, saying that his uncle asked for help, it was better to say that he wrote a letter begging his uncle to let Liu go. Yelan had a chance to flex his fist.

Liu Yelan was blissfully ignorant of this.

And Tong Qing wouldn't cut apart all of her painstaking efforts, except that she didn't want to show kindness to Liu Yelan... Tong Qing vaguely sensed that she probably felt that it would be a little shameful for her to spread out her eager thoughts. Annoyed, and then, there is no way to think about it anyway.

With Tong Qing's rhetoric like this, Liu Yelan naturally agreed.

The two agreed to set off on a sunny day.

Not to mention how Tong Qing dealt with the aunt who knew the news and Tong Shangshu, nor how Liu Yelan arranged to copy the book and asked the Imperial Academy for leave. Three days later, when the sky cleared, the two went leisurely all the way to Anping County .

Anping is not too far away from the capital, but the two of them walked all the way for more than a month, and finally came to this remote village surrounded by mountains.

Tong Qing's uncle was no more than a county magistrate, and in the capital, among the people killed by a plaque falling down, there are probably five people with higher official positions than him. A solid parent official, he has been operating here for many years. Before Tong Qing and his party entered the city, he had already received the news and went out of the city to meet them.

Obviously he is an elder, so going out of the city to welcome each other is inconsistent with the etiquette, but Tong Qing saw his uncle's vicissitudes and harsh face, and when he saw his involuntary smile on that face, he couldn't help feeling sour and astringent. He is the dearest relative in the world, and he misses him so much that he puts etiquette behind him like this, just to see him as soon as possible.

Liu Yelan silently looked at the pair of uncle and nephew reminiscing about the old days, human relations and nature, he was actually very envious in his heart, but his relatives were few, and even his best friend was Tong Qing, his fate was destined, he really couldn't envy him.

In the end, Tong Qing never forgot that he came to visit relatives this time just as a side trip, running for Liu Yelan, hoping that his uncle would give him a chance is the most important thing, he quickly said: "Uncle, I saw in your letter that some strange things have happened in Anping County recently... …This Brother Liu is my best friend, and this time I specially invited him to come with me, he has always been well-versed in these anecdotes and anecdotes, let's see if he can help you, Uncle."

As a result, Tong Qing saw that his uncle's face suddenly became distorted and ugly.

"Uncle?" Tong Qing was puzzled.

Uncle Tong Qing just waved his servants away, and then said wearily: "Ah Qing, you have come from a long way, you should take a rest first, in the evening I will ask your aunt to fix a table of wine and food, and then we, uncle and nephew, will have a good drink field."

He actually avoided talking about Tong Qing's issue.

Tong Qing was keenly aware that there must be something wrong with it, and his uncle spoke in a relaxed and relaxed manner in the letter that day, and even mentioned such strange things to him as talking points, why does he look so dignified and tired now?

At this time, Tong Qing was suddenly thankful that he had come to Anping for Liu Yelan, if not for that, he might not have known about any troubles his uncle had, since he was here now, he naturally refused to ask his uncle to avoid the serious ones and ignore the minor ones.

"Uncle, young man entrusted you with your protection when he was young, so he can settle down in the Tong's Mansion until now. Now that Ah Qing has grown up, although he has spent all these years in the capital without doing anything serious, he grew up in the Tong's Mansion after all. I have seen a lot... But in the end, one person counts the short and the other counts the long, uncle, if there is any embarrassment, just say it, Ah Qing is willing to share one or two for you."

The magistrate of Anping sighed bitterly. Seeing his solemn expression, Liu Yelan knew that this matter might not be a trivial matter. On the way, he had already heard Tong Qing introduce the life of the county magistrate, and there was a situation where the great god Tong Shangshu was oppressing him Now, he has stayed here in Anping for more than ten years. Perhaps his influence in the temple is limited, but is there any major event in Anping County that can make him so embarrassed?

The magistrate of Anping saw Tong Qing's sincere expression, and Liu Yelan was calm and calm even though it was the first time they met, and he didn't look like such a frizzy young man, so he looked at them a few more times in his heart.

"You should remember that I mentioned in my last letter that a family came to the county government to beat the drums and complain about their grievances. The claim was that some belongings in his house disappeared, but in the end the government officials found all of them in his house. Moreover, not just one family In this way, several households have encountered these bizarre things and come to the county government for help."

Tong Qing nodded. It was precisely after he heard about these bizarre things that he thought of asking Liu Yelan to come and find a place. It would be best if these things could be related to longevity and alchemy in the end. , might be able to please His Majesty... It can be regarded as finding another way for Liu Yelan.

Unexpectedly, his uncle let out a long sigh and said: "Those families...all of them died, and no one was able to escape, but after investigation, all the doors were closed, there was no trace of entering the house, and there was no sign of death on the body. The slightest wound, and no trace of poison was found in the indoor search..."

Tong Qing and Liu Yelan glanced at each other, feeling creepy at the same time.

Note 1: This poem is excerpted from "Recalling Jiangnan" by Lu Yan in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. You may not be familiar with Lu Yan. The title of Lu Dongbin is due to the blessings of folklore and TV dramas. It should be regarded as a household name 233333