Bastard's Counterattack [Rebirth]

Ningcui Pavilion?

Rong Youtang suddenly opened his eyes wide:

Who is she from Ningcui Pavilion?Could it be Bai Qiongying, whom His Highness is secretly tracking down?

Ever since King Qing informed his biological mother of the accidental death of Concubine Shu, Rong Youtang kept it in mind and asked about the investigation results from time to time. He usually paid special attention to women with a name similar to "Bai Qiongying".

He wanted to help King Qing so much!

Rong Youtang's heart was beating like a drum, and he was excited and nervous under pressure. He collected himself, turned around, and asked softly and curiously: "No way? Is she a court lady?"

The young guard named Huang Li nodded: "Look at the Ningcui Pavilion. She was very sick at the beginning of the year and could not continue to work. The father-in-law carried her to the side door. We took over and sent her to the Tianan Temple as usual. .”

"I also remember." Another guard named Li Xiaoshan was sympathetic, and asked wonderingly: "But she is a second-class court lady, she should have saved some money and rewards, how come she came out and lived like this?"

Rong Youtang's hands clenched into fists in the wide sleeves, so hard that his muscles and bones bulged, but his face didn't show half.He guessed sympathetically: "Illness comes like a mountain, and sickness goes like a thread. Alas, maybe all her money is spent on seeing a doctor."

The companions nodded.

Qi Zhiyang's old mother is weak and seeks doctors and medicines all year round. He empathizes and says, "Mostly. These days, a well-known doctor is invited to come to the door. The consultation fee and prescription are at least one or two. If they come three times a month, how can ordinary people come?" Can it last? In the long run, even if there are mountains of gold and silver, it will not be enough."

Everyone felt sorry for him and deeply agreed.

"Oh, it's not easy." Rong Youtang echoed absent-mindedly.He forced himself to sit down, turned around, and carefully examined the opposite corner: Under the eyes of everyone, the couple who were torn apart were quickly separated by the waiter and the diners at the next table, and the shopkeeper was trying to persuade them.

The baby cried hoarsely, and the woman burst into tears, raising her sleeves frequently to wipe her eyes, coaxing the child distressedly.Apart from begging for help just now, she didn't say a word.

The drunk's face was flushed, his whole body was limp, and he slammed the table weakly. He was so drunk that his tongue was a little big, and he cursed: "You stinky, stinky bitch, stinky bitch! Tell me, who does the child belong to? I killed it!" It is easy to kill an adulterer for a pig for a lifetime, you say, you say! Who is the adulterer?"

During the exhortation, the shopkeeper actually knew the other party, he said helplessly: "Wang Er, I am very glad that you came to patronize me, but don't make troubles about housework every day, will you take your mother-in-law and children home to teach me?"

The drunk man ignored the shopkeeper at all, and continued to say sadly: "You were almost robbed by the bandits to become Mrs. Yazhai. I saved you in time. You, you were not insulted by the bandits at that time. Who is the adulterer? Who?" He mourned From it, she wailed bitterly and started a drunken madness: her head hit the table with a "bang bang" sound, and with a wave of her hand, all the wine and vegetables fell to the ground, and the food and drink were in a mess.

"Hey, ouch, Wang Er, stop, stop quickly, don't interfere with my business!" The shopkeeper yelled, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he couldn't help but shouted angrily: "Wang Er's family, you took your man back! Every time I stand there dumbfounded! Who did I offend?"

The woman finally spoke, choked with sobs and said sadly: "Shopkeeper, please calm down, it's really causing you trouble. Slave, I also persuaded him, but he didn't listen, what can I do? Now he is so drunk, it doesn't make sense, and I can't Take him home with all your strength." She spoke perfectly, spoke clearly, was gentle and polite, and when she finished speaking, she bowed her knees and bowed her head with the child in her arms, blessing her with impeccable demeanor, and said to the shopkeeper, "I will apologize to you on behalf of the head of the house." .”

One can tell at a glance that this woman is definitely not from a simple peasant family, and must have received strict education.

The shopkeeper thought he was unlucky, waved his hand, and didn't bother to embarrass women and children, and ordered a few waiters angrily: "We are unlucky! Send him home quickly, and don't affect other guests."

"okay."

"alright."

The waiters looked impatient and hurriedly carried the drunk away.

Soon, the lobby returned to its original bustle. The guests only commented and scorned a few words, and then completely forgot about it.

But Rong Youtang couldn't calm down for a long time!He firmly believes that:

The woman named "Zhu Xiaoying" must have stayed in the palace for many years.

The Ninth Prince was surrounded by many servants and maids. Rong Youtang often visited the Ninth Prince, so he was naturally familiar with the gestures and behaviors of the Ninth Prince—they followed the same rules and received the same training. Regardless of the situation of the queen, she will always reveal the charm of a court maid inadvertently.

With his heart fluttering, Rong Youtang was contemplative, holding his chopsticks and motionless.

"Brother Rong, why don't you eat? Doesn't suit your appetite?" Qi Zhiyang asked with concern.

"Oh, no." Rong Youtang returned to his senses, raised his head with a smile, and said calmly: "I ate too quickly just now, so I take a breath."

Qi Zhiyang didn't know the inside story, so he believed it to be true, and joked, "Could it be that I ate too fast and took you too late? Hey, I'm used to it in the army. Even if you're not in a hurry, you can eat quickly. Take your time." Yes, take it easy."

Rong Youtang laughed and mingled around, and after the meal, they went back to their rooms to take a rest, they were exhausted from the boat and the car, and the iron man was also tired.

"Brother Rong, you are on your own right and left, just call out if you have something to do, just rest at ease." Qi Zhiyang was entrusted by many people, and kept his promise to take care of the little brother.

"Okay!" Rong Youtang nodded briskly, and said with emotion: "Replenish your energy today, and you must be very busy when you get to Hejian."

"That's natural."

"I'm right next door." Qi Zhiyang did not forget to tell before closing the door, his left hand was always holding the Shangfang sword in his waist and abdomen, and he shared the room with two guards, taking strict precautions.

"Okay." Rong Youtang smiled and nodded.

With a "click", the door closed.

It was almost evening.

Rong Youtang held his breath for a moment, "Ceng" popped up, walked quickly to the window, opened a small half of the window, and overlooked the downtown of Ningwei Province.After a long while, he closed the window, excitedly circled the round table like grinding, and stopped after making up his mind.

"Ahem!" Rong Youtang cleared his throat, opened the door, and the half-hidden door on the opposite side opened almost at the same time, Huang Li, the guard on duty, asked, "What are your orders, sir?"

"Oh, I'm a little stuffed, I can't lie down, I'll go down and listen to a book." Rong Youtang patted his stomach and explained.

"Listen to the book?" Huang Li put down his mind, chatted with his companions, stood up happily and said, "I will escort you."

"Thank you." Rong Youtang closed the door with satisfaction, and went down to the inn lobby with Huang Li.

The inn is two stories high, with residents on the second floor, and a lobby on the first floor that doubles as a restaurant. A small stage is set up in the middle, and storytellers and singers can perform on stage as long as they donate [-]% to the store owner.

"Yo? It's quite lively." Huang Lile said.

"I guess the eloquence of the storyteller is very good, so many people cheered." Rong Youtang shuttled among the dozens of people drinking tea and listening to the book, looked around, and was delighted to find that the seat where the couple sat in the morning was vacant!Without saying a word, he seemed to casually go over and sit down.

"Xiaoer?" Rong Youtang called out.

"Hey, here we come!" The shop waiter was all smiles, and he was extremely flexible. He walked through the tables, chairs and the crowd with enthusiasm, and bowed and asked, "What do you need, guest officer?"

Rong Youtang casually took out a dime of broken silver, handed it over and said: "You can figure it out, serve a pot of good tea and a few plates of refreshments."

"Okay." The shop clerk smiled happily, and was just about to prepare after collecting the money, but saw the handsome and generous young man raised his hand on the table, brushed off his sleeves and asked in doubt, "Why does it smell like alcohol?"

Huang Li instantly remembered the drunken man who went berserk during the meal just now, and immediately frowned and asked, "Could it be that the drunken man didn't clean up the food and drink that was spilled by the drunken man? Young master, get up quickly, let's change a table." The guards obeyed the orders of the two imperial envoys Arrange, and change your mouth when outsiders are present.

"Ah?" Xiao Er was stunned, and hurriedly wiped the table with a rag, rationally unable to distinguish, and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, two guests, please change to another table. In fact, the younger ones have already washed it with hot water. Several times, hey, the drunk man is drunk, there is really nothing to do with him, no matter how we persuade him, we can't persuade him!"

"It's okay, we know it's none of your business." Rong Youtang said understandingly.He took Huang Li to a more secluded table next door, only the profile of the storyteller could be seen.

"Oh, thank you two young masters for your generosity."

Xiaoer was grateful, turned to call out to his companion, explained the guest's request clearly, and then wiped the tabletop with more force, as if wanting to scrape off a layer of sawdust with a rag, obviously angry for a long time, muttered: "Wang Er used to be very Well, you become an alcoholic only after marrying a wife."

Now, without Rong Youtang opening his mouth, Huang Li couldn't help but ask, "You all know him? Why didn't you close the door to solve the housework when there was such a commotion just now?"

Xiao Er's eyes lit up immediately, as if he had met a bosom friend!While cleaning the table, he talked endlessly: "We all know each other! The Wang family has butchered pigs for generations. The bloody killing is serious. Everyone talks and laughs on weekdays, but when they get married, they inevitably have some thoughts in their hearts. Right? So Wang Er didn’t find a wife at such a young age. However, his eldest aunt married to Hejian, and Wang Er went to visit relatives at the beginning of the year, and brought back a woman!”

Rong Youtang forced his heart to surge, as if he was listening to the book seriously, and asked slowly: "Could it be the one who hugged the child just now?"

The little girl beamed with joy and clapped her hands: "That's her! We were all envious at first, his wife is beautiful, and she became pregnant not long after they got married."

"What happened next?" Rong Youtang raised his eyebrows.

"What's the matter with the child?" Huang Li wondered and asked.He once carried Bai Qiongying, who was seriously ill, out of the palace. Although he had no friendship, he still had some attention from the palace.

Xiaoer sighed, curled his lips, and said sympathetically: "Then something bad happened: his wife gave birth to a daughter weighing eight catties in six months, and she killed her prematurely! Who is fooled? No one is a fool. Poor My dear Wang Er, I thought I picked up a daughter-in-law for nothing, but I didn’t expect to get a girl for nothing, and I don’t know whose seed it is.”

Huang Li made a half-puff, and quickly covered his face.

"I see." Rong Youtang nodded, and didn't break the casserole to ask the bottom line, so as not to arouse others' suspicion.

After chewing the root of his tongue heartily, Xiao Er said with satisfaction: "You two wait a moment, the tea and snacks will be served soon, so don't disturb the young masters listening to the book." After speaking, he picked up the rag and went to work elsewhere.

Huang Li sighed: "Oh, I don't know what's going on, it looks so pitiful." Rong Youtang said softly: "Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite."

"That's right, they live their own lives."

"A Li, there are so many court ladies, how do you remember her?" Rong Youtang lowered his voice and asked tentatively.

"Because she's from Ningcui Pavilion, um...there's always been a lot of troubles there, and she's a dignified court lady. She was carried out of the palace due to a sudden illness, but she didn't shed a single tear all the way. She's pretty strong, not many. See, everyone else is crying like the sky is falling." Huang Li explained.

"Oh." Rong Youtang smiled, and then tea and snacks were served, and the two of them stole half a day of leisure, wandering leisurely, and listening to books for more than half an hour.

At night, Rong Youtang tried his best and racked his brains to find out a lot of news!

An oil lamp dangled unsteadily, and the room was swelteringly hot in August.

Rong Youtang frowned, and walked around the round table in circles, thinking about how to properly and quickly tell Prince Qing about the important discovery.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door:

"Knock Knock~"

"Which one?"

"Brother Rong, it's me." Qi Zhiyang said.

Rong Youtang hurried over to open the door: "Brother Qi? Please come in, sit down, haven't you rested yet?"

Qi Zhiyang sat down as he said. He had obviously just showered, his hair was half dry, and he was ready to have a long talk.

"Have you received any news? There have been changes in Guanzhou?" Rong Youtang asked naturally, a little nervous.

With piercing eyes, Qi Zhiyang shook his head: "No."

Rong Youtang breathed a sigh of relief, and asked with concern: "That's it?"

"Brother Rong, we are comrades under His Royal Highness King Qing. Although you have left your civil service, it is rare to have the opportunity to work together. This time, we are ordered to thoroughly investigate the chaos in Guanzhou. This is a big matter. We cannot let the Lord Long En down. You can't disappoint His Highness. Do you think so?" Qi Zhiyang asked earnestly.

"Yes." Rong Youtang nodded blankly.

"What do you think? You might as well say it, there is no need to be afraid, Qi does not think he is a leftist." Qi Zhiyang called himself "Qi", and was a bit more polite.

General Qi misunderstood, I am not troubled because of the investigation!

Rong Youtang woke up like a dream, and hurriedly smiled and said: "Brother Qi, what are you talking about? We discussed it well along the way, why should I hold back when I have an idea?"

"Then why are you so preoccupied?" Qi Zhiyang frowned, and pointed out seriously: "I heard you circle the table 21 times this afternoon, and just now you circled the table twelve more times."

gosh...

"You, you are counting silently?" Rong Youtang was dumbfounded.

Qi Zhiyang explained calmly: "I'm right next door, I'm used to it, and the slightest movement is the more I pay attention to it."

"Then haven't I been disturbing your rest?!" Rong Youtang asked awkwardly.

Qi Zhiyang didn't care, and said sternly: "It's fine if it's nothing to do with official business. However, if you think highly of it, I will try my best to help with private matters."

ponder for a moment

"Thank you." Rong Youtang made a quick decision, and said with some embarrassment: "Actually, it's nothing. I'm just not used to traveling far away. I'll be in Guanzhou tomorrow. I feel so flustered that I can't sleep. Brother Qi, when you talk about it, what will you do?" won't fight?"

It turned out that he was afraid.

Qi Zhiyang looked intently at the uneasy handsome young master, his expression gradually eased, and he comforted him: "We don't know yet. However, if there is a fight, we all know how to fight, and we will definitely protect you. Don't be afraid."

"You made Brother Qi laugh." Rong Youtang gritted his teeth, and said bravely, "I'm fine, I just think about it and pass the time around the table."

Qi Zhiyang got up, and told him simply and neatly: "It's fine, then I'll go back to the house. You're tired from tossing around and rest early." Then he strode towards the door.

"and many more!"

"Ok?"

Rong Youtang chased after two steps, and asked: "I wonder if there is a post office near here? I'm just idle. I want to write a letter from home and send it back, so that the old man can rest assured." Little Zhuangyuanlang is so scared that he misses his father?But it's normal, when I was seeing off, I could see that Master Rong was nervous about the child, as if he loved him so much, he wished he could accompany and take care of him.

Qi Zhiyang smiled understandingly, and replied kindly: "You can write it if you want. The post office is next to the government office, just two streets away. Just go to the ferry tomorrow morning and drop by the post."

"it is good!"

After a while, the waiter in the shop brought a pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Rong Youtang pondered for a long time, wrote carefully, stopped writing, chatted about new things along the way, and finally stopped writing for half an hour.

The next day, the family letter, which stated that it was personally signed by Rong Kaiji, was urgently dispatched from the Ningwei post post, passed along the canal without hindrance, and arrived in the capital a few days later.Rong Kaiji was overjoyed when he received his son's family letter declaring his safety. He read it many times, and finally realized that something was wrong - he came from a family of officials. He was in charge of writing and transcribing, and even stayed in the Wenchang Pavilion of the Imperial Book Collection for ten years.

Rong Kaiji, who noticed his son's implicit hints, was worried, and rushed to see King Qing overnight according to the reminder.

On this day, after Rong Youtang sent the news back to the capital, he took the earliest passenger ship bound for Hejian and arrived at the destination in the evening.

"It's finally here!" Rong Youtang couldn't wait to get off the boat.

"Let's go! Find an inn to rest for the night, and inquire about the situation by the way." Qi Zhiyang waved his hands in high spirits.

Rong Youtang said regretfully: "It's a pity that the passenger boat on the canal has come to an end here. To go to Guanzhou, you have to take the Yanhe waterway."

"Let's see, whether it's a passenger boat or a chartered boat, it will arrive in two hours." Qi Zhiyang said helplessly: "The place is not peaceful now, and no boat dares to go if it is too early or too late, or we can arrive tonight."

Rong Youtang comforted his companion: "We are already fast enough, it is probably even more unsafe to ride a horse, and it is still slow."

There was an endless stream of pedestrians, all of them sweating, porters, waitresses from nearby restaurants and inns, enthusiastically yelled to attract customers.

It was very crowded, and Rong Youtang and his party walked out slowly with the crowd.

Suddenly, Rong Youtang was rubbed by someone, and he was keenly aware that someone gently slapped him in front of him!

"Stop!" Rong Youtang shouted instinctively, grabbing a skinny man in his thirties.

"Let go, hey, what are you doing?" The other party was aggressive.

"You reached out and took my things, why don't you take them out quickly?" Rong Youtang raised his eyebrows, he didn't feel sorry for the broken silver, but he was anxious to fight with the stolen sword and jade pendant.

"I didn't take it, don't blame the good man!" The thief struggled hard. He bullied foreigners and mistook him for a rich and wealthy young man with a group of servants to play with.Then he shouted loudly: "Look at your red lips and white teeth, how can you slander—" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his mouth wide, gasping for breath, but he couldn't make a sound.

It turned out that Qi Zhiyang, who was holding the Shangfang sword tightly in his left hand, frowned and listened to a few words, without saying a word, he winked left and right, and the guards surrounded him. Qi Zhiyang's right hand was as fast as lightning, and quickly removed the thief's chin!

Without being polite, Rong Youtang found out... a lot of money bags from the thief?He shook his head, picked out his own, took a look at it, and carefully put it in his arms after confirming that the jade pendant was intact.

"Take him away." Rong Youtang reminded: "We are blocking the way."

Half a quarter of an hour later, they left the ferry and escorted the thief on the way to find the inn.

"Bold thief." Qi Zhiyang yelled angrily, "It's so rampant that it dares to steal from anyone!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." The thief was drooling and begging for mercy.

Rong Youtang sighed, "It was stolen as soon as I set foot on the Hejian territory."

Before the words were finished, a dozen bastards with sticks and even daggers suddenly rushed out from the alley in front of them. All of them covered their mouths and noses. The leader scolded: "Have you eaten your heart? My brothers dare to buckle!"

Rong Youtang slowly glanced at the person who came, and said calmly: "It turns out that they are still accomplices in committing the crime."

"The crime is more serious." Qi Zhiyang remained expressionless.

"Stop talking, let him go quickly! If you don't leave all the valuables today, you don't want to leave Hejian alive!" The leader is obviously a habitual offender and has no fear.

Rong Youtang said coldly: "Do you want to kill people to silence them?"

The leader looked at the outstanding young young master from a foreign country, and threatened, "I won't kill you, a good guy like you can earn a lot of money by selling it to a master who is easy to go through the back door—hey!"

Before he finished speaking, Qi Zhiyang was so angry that he threw the whole thief at the thief!Three or five people fell down in an instant.

Seeing that a scuffle was inevitable, Rong Youtang looked into the distance and hurriedly said loudly: "The official messenger is here!"

"What's going on?" Qi Zhiyang heard the news and looked around.He is highly skilled in martial arts, and his fists and feet are very heavy. He casually removed the thief's chin and arms, kicked him to the ground, and stepped on his back.

Rong Youtang frowned: "They seem to be targeting us?"

"Your Majesty issued a clear decree. It is estimated that the Hejian government has received the news." Qi Zhiyang replied.

I saw [-] to [-] well-dressed officials rushing towards the opposite side. The leader was a middle-aged man in a red silk robe. Is this the imperial envoy General Qi and Lord Rong who came here to investigate the case?"

A group of thieves were shocked and looked at each other!

Rong Youtang and Qi Zhiyang looked at each other, Qi Zhiyang asked: "Exactly. Who are you?"

"Return to the general's words: the villain Zhu Di, under the order of the governor, Mr. You, is here to meet the imperial envoy. The wine has been prepared, and Mr. You is waiting. I hope the two adults will show your face." .

As the governor of one party, the other party took the initiative to treat each other with courtesy, and it would be arrogant to refuse, which is not conducive to the investigation.

Rong Youtang and Qi Zhiyang discussed in whispers, and said politely: "Master You is very kind, thank you very much. Since this is the case, I have no choice but to be respectful rather than obedient."

Zhu Di smiled and bowed to invite: "Your Imperial Envoy, please!"

Right now

In the backyard of Hejian Governor's Office

Four graceful and beautiful women are bowing their heads and listening:

"There's no such thing as lustful men." You Guanying said calmly.He was of medium build, slightly fat, with a fleshy nose, thick lips, swollen eyes, dark and red skin, and he ordered without hesitation: "You all need to use your means tonight, serve them well, and entangle them!"

"Yes, my lord."

"Obey." The women's voices were soft and gentle.

You Guanying chuckled, and said with a sneer: "General Qi is easy to handle. Those who have been in the barracks for a long time are the most greedy for women. As for Mr. Rong... Well, if it doesn't work, you can use some medicine, and you can play when you can get up. He tasted what it was like to be a man."