Shanglin Night Snow

The last ray of red in the western sky disappears, and the city is full of lights.

Slowly walking up the steps, what Guo Kai thought about was what he said to Shao Jingheng last night: He never expected that he would be persuaded by him, and he really took over the job of guarding Prince Jia's Mansion (even if he had intended to, but Things have changed, and at the moment when the situation is difficult, he is suffering from internal and external suspicions, how can he look for troubles?), but some doubts in his heart are increasing, prompting him to try when he has the opportunity, after all, it is just for self-protection count.

After stepping up the last step, his eyes settled on the red lacquered gate in front of him, and it was rare for him to feel timid.

After returning to Beijing for a long time, Guo Kai thinks that he has gained some wisdom.No matter where he goes these days, there will always be someone secretly following behind him, presumably he is a spy from the Imperial City Division, in other words, the boss is suspicious of him today!The cause of the incident was nothing more than Zhou Qi's case, and after returning to Yungu to suppress the bandits, the leader of the bandits escaped, and Shang Zi suspected that someone had leaked the news.At this moment, it is not that Guo Kai has never thought of resigning, or as he said before - asking for a job outside!However, if this is the case, on the one hand, he is unwilling, and on the other hand, the previous case is not clear, and his abrupt behavior will add to the speculation of outsiders, so he has to settle for the next best thing.

This "second" plan is to cut off the relationship with King Jia - if the boss suspects him, he will probably bring King Jia into it!So he only said those words when Shao Jingheng said them last night - hoping to use his mouth to reach the ears of heaven (Guo Kai faintly sensed that the emperor does not hate Shao Jingheng as much as outsiders think, on the contrary, between friends and enemies, there is Save the friendship, or you can communicate with each other).Having said what he said, he should put it into practice, now is the time to state his interests to King Jia, after all, the officials still allow the two of them to communicate, even if it is because of the brotherhood, it is probably just a temptation, if he doesn't take it easy You know, it is inevitable to hurt others and tire yourself.

The sound of the copper ring knocking on the door reached his ears, shaking Guo Kai's sorrowful water into ripples: In the affairs of the world, loyalty, filial piety, public and private, righteousness and reason have never been seen, and you must choose one and take it.

The door opened, and music wafted out.Huang Mendao King Jia was listening to music and drinking alone, Guo Kai nodded, as he was used to it: Recently, King Jia took up this hobby, and he often played and sang in his mansion, but he no longer heard about Buddhist scrolls and scriptures.Although Guo Kai felt that something was wrong, he knew that he was seeking relief from depression, so he didn't try to dissuade him.

Go straight to the back garden and follow the path.It had just fallen into the night, under the dim light of the sky, shadows of trees and tall rockery could be seen faintly, and the chirping of insects sounded in the deep shade.After passing through two moon cave doors, a bright light flashed in front of my eyes - a three-story pavilion stood beside the water in a brightly lit place.

"Your Majesty is in the pavilion. I have heard that the general is coming, so please enter by yourself." Huang Menyan stopped and stepped aside.

Guo Kai stopped and listened carefully to the singing voice sinking above his head:

"Long and frequent banquets at the end of spring, the neon clothes are broken by a sheng and flute, containing dew apricot flowers and snails and emerald greens. When the song is right for the wine, the spring night is expensive, and the gold is lightly drunk, and the moon falls and the clouds fade away."

He frowned secretly, stepped into the pavilion door, and climbed to the third floor according to the yellow gate, where there was a high platform.At present, the next song is not finished, and dozens of actors are singing and dancing around the stage.

Guided by the yellow gate, the visitor quietly entered and took a seat on the side, but he didn't care to enjoy any dance music, his eyes turned to the seated person, and he saw the person in the clothes and belt smiling sideways and raised his glass to him.Guo Kai accepted it himself.

The sound of the orchestra goes away, and the song ends.

King Jia respected the visitor again, and asked with a smile, "Brother Guo, do you remember this song?"

Guo Kai thought: "I seem to have heard it before, but I don't remember exactly."

The man was proud: "It's no wonder, it's because of the noisy place, and Xiao Wang changed the lyrics a little bit, so it's normal for Brother Guo not to remember it for a while."

After he mentioned it, Guo Kai had some impression: this song was originally heard in an outside restaurant, no wonder it sounds familiar.

"Brother Guo, how do you change this word?" The speaker's eyes were burning with anticipation.

Guo Kai smiled introvertedly: "Guo is a warrior who doesn't know the language, so he dare not make unreasonable comments."

King Jia pondered for a while, waved his hand to push everyone away: "Brother Guo, is this an inappropriate word?"

He knew it himself, so Guo Kai no longer dodged it: "How is the literary quality of this song? Guo really dare not comment on it. It is only a word that has been circulated in the market. It is difficult to see it from a rough perspective, so Your Highness should see it from afar." Avoid it, keep it as a taboo, otherwise it will spread out, and it will inevitably cause trouble to yourself."

"That's why." The listener smiled, and didn't seem to care about it. "In this way, the master still wrote lyrics before and after, 'The eyes are dark and the eyes are hooked, and the glances are flowing', even 'Putting socks and stepping on the steps, Hand-carrying golden-haired shoes.' (1), it can be called gorgeous, isn't it widely sung, and has been talked about by refined literati up to now?"

The eyebrows became tighter, and Guo Kai paused every word: "The Empress is the king of subjugation!"

"Xiao Wang is just an idle king!" The seated person raised his brows.

"Your Highness!" Guo Kai sighed, but was speechless.

Jia Wang stood up while leaning on the seat, walking staggeringly, obviously drunk.

Guo Kai also stood up.

"Brother Guo, don't be surprised, Xiao Wang was just joking." Holding the pot to fill up for the two of them again, Mu Yinche toasted again, his eyes revealing embarrassment: "But let's get down to business, Xiao Wang lives in the house these days to meditate, but it's okay I have a new understanding, even though I don’t ask about foreign affairs, and only recite the devotional scriptures, I can’t get out of this world in the end. Reading the history books quietly, I met the two empresses of Tang and Shu who were both the kings of subjugation. The former was depressed and anxious, always thinking about the old days, and ended up with unforeseen disasters; Jian, the so-called life is short, whether you are proud or not, you must enjoy it to the fullest, so that the years will not pass, and the time will be empty." Leaning forward slightly, he smiled openly: "Brother Guo said, is it?"

The warm and mellow wine smelled on his cheeks, and Guo Kai sat down with the help of a crumbling person nearby. Looking at him at this moment, he looked like a rosy beauty and a moony charm, drunk with jade.His heart seemed to be teased by something, and he lowered his eyes lightly: "Your Highness is talented, how can you compare with the king of subjugation?"

The man smiled even more happily: "How about King Chen Si?"

Holding up the hand of the teacup, Guo Kai showed seriousness: "Your Highness is drunk, Momo joked, drink a cup of tea to quench the alcohol." After speaking, he felt his clothes tighten, and saw the person who had just sat down leaning halfway. he got up.

Facing each other, King Jia's eyes flashed, and his words seemed to be provocative: "Xiao Wang is already in such a state, brother Guo still wants to protect me?"

The wind blows the sleeves, and the smell of wine mixed with elegant orchid fragrance hits the face, which catches people off guard and inhales into the chest.Concentrating quietly, Guo Kai turned his face slightly, and spoke ambiguously: "Guarding Your Highness is where Guo's job is..." With a weight on his shoulders, looking back, his peach blossom jade face was in front of him, his heart hung half an inch, and his words came to an abrupt end.

The eyes are full of light, and the hearts of the eyes are turbulent.The person in front of him looks and looks, and the water color flows, it seems to be playing the piano with a hidden hand, disturbing the heartstrings.

The night wind warmed up, blowing down the curtains on the high platform.The shadow of the candle shakes lightly, reflecting the musk smoke curling around the platform.

"Your Highness is drunk, go back and rest earlier." Guo Kai stepped back a few inches, speaking softly.

King Jia was indeed drunk, he drank two cups of green tea and went to rest as promised.

Confused, Guo Kai went out of the palace and rode horses along the river. He didn't realize that he had reached the cross bridge until the second watch drum sounded. Then he turned his horse's head and returned to Liangmen. , it was almost midnight again.

Fortunately, there were few pedestrians on the way, so I walked fast all the way, and within a quarter of an hour I saw Liangmen.This is one of the main roads leading to the outer city. Even though the night was dark, there were still a lot of pedestrians, carriages and horses passing by. Guo Kai had to rein in the horses and walk slowly, while carefully watching the surroundings so as not to collide with the road accidentally. By.

There are mostly sedan chairs and horses on the road, and most of them are people who have gathered with friends to have a banquet and then go home; secondly, there are also people passing by in twos and threes carrying loads or carrying baskets, presumably returning from the night market; It is a boatman or idler who has gone ashore and is looking for a place to eat and drink.

Guo Kai was feeling bored, and his gaze suddenly caught sight of a man in a green shirt and hat, walking hurriedly. At first glance, he looked like a scholar, but he had a short neck, broad shoulders, thick back and round waist. Not to mention that it was nearly midnight, and the night wind was blowing with water vapor, and the coolness was still a bit chilly, so it was not surprising that the man still held a small fan in front of him?

After a little thought, Guo Kai rode his horse to catch up and called out, "Brother!"

The man didn't say a word or turn his head, he just walked away briskly, as if he didn't hear him.Guo Kai took two quick steps to stop him, bowed his head and clasped his fists: "Dare to ask, brother, how to get to Mozhuxuan?"

The man was startled, stretched out his hand and pointed forward casually, then lowered his head and walked.Guo Kai didn't pursue him any more at once, he stayed on his horse to see him heading west, gradually drifting away, and when he was separated by twenty or thirty feet, he followed cautiously again.

With just one glance, he has concluded that this person is not a scribe, and his face is rough and his complexion is red, it seems that he has lived outside the Great Wall all year round, he seems to be a barbarian, even a fish that slipped through the net of Gui Yungu's gangsters !So he didn't dare to be careless, determined to follow to find out.

Outside the beam gate are all residential houses, in front of it are Jinghua Garden and Yaohua Palace, and in front of it is the outer city gate.

The predecessors became more and more vigilant, looked around from time to time, and soon turned into a secluded street. Guo Kai was afraid that he would be spotted riding a horse, so he had to get down and tie the horse under a tree by the side of the road, and followed alone.They walked in the dark all the way, and were separated from the former with a distance of ten zhang. After about half an hour, they saw the man stop in front of a house and began to knock on the door.

Guo Kai hesitated for a while, he didn't know whether he should go forward and grab it immediately, or see the situation and go ahead, he was hesitating, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, turned around in surprise, but saw a familiar face.

"Wait and see what happens!" The visitor whispered softly.

After realizing it, Guo Kai nodded.

The door not far away was opened and closed, and visitors stood in front of the door without moving—or they were not acquainted, visiting in the middle of the night, and they had to ask the owner's permission before they could enter.Guo Kai suddenly became curious: what is the identity of this person, and who is the owner of the house, so that the Secretary of the Imperial City is so interested?

"This is Mr. Ding Zhibai's residence." The people behind him seemed to see through his thoughts, and whispered.

Guo Kai stared in disbelief.

After a long while, the door of Ding's mansion opened again, and the insiders let the person in without saying a word.

There was no movement in the house.

Guo Kai turned around and saw a dozen people gathered behind him.With a embarrassed smile, he cupped his hands towards Zhao Yude: "It seems that Guo has nothing to do tonight, so let's say goodbye first, and we will meet again in the future."

The latter returned the salute with a smile: "Brother Guo, won't you follow me in?"

Guo Kai shook his head: "How dare outsiders intervene in the internal affairs of the Imperial City Secretary? Or when the matter is over in the future, I will bring wine and listen to Zhao Duzhi's detailed explanation."

Zhao Yude didn't force himself, so Guo Kai left as soon as he said goodbye.Going back the same way, seeing the horse was still in the same place, I secretly rejoiced, so I raised my whip and started on the road, and arrived home in half an hour.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you first glance at the window of the wing room. There is no light, but you can see a dark shadow rushing fast, which is a joy!He quickly walked up to pet the dog's head, and the black dog made a slight "wow" sound from its throat, as if it had been wronged.Fearing that it would bark, Guo Xie took it and walked quickly to his room, but fortunately there was no movement in the wing room from beginning to end.

The front foot enters the door, and the back foot comes with a water bottle.Guo Kai turned his head and was inexplicably disappointed for a moment. He probed and looked again, but the wing room was still dark, so he asked knowingly, "Where are the officials Xun?"

The little boy put down the kettle: "The Xun officials were caught by the wind and cold, and they didn't go to Yingmao in the province today, and they said that they would teach the Shao family to send them back in the afternoon, but the Xun officials ignored it for some reason and didn't allow it to enter the house all day long. , or be afraid of the noise." Pour hot water into the basin, and take off the face towel and pass it to the people who approached, "Xun Guan has not left the house all day today. Trouble, he lay down after supper, and he should have fallen asleep at this moment."

Guo Kai didn't say a word.

Xiaotong continued: "Officer Xun asked me to go outside to find a rented house for him today, and it seems that he is going to move out."

Twisting the handkerchief for a moment, Guo Kai stared at the rippling water surface, and after a while, said softly, "It's up to him to do whatever he wants."