Clam Pearl

On Gengshen Day in April, Gu Yan told a fortune teller by his family master who knew Feng Shui, and said that it would be auspicious for him to travel today.Only then did I tell Gu Zhao, brother, you can go out now, everything will go smoothly when you go out today.

Gu Zhao didn't express any opinion on the old brother's nagging, it was all his brother's wish, just accept it well.

Gu Zhao’s trip this time, on the surface, was for the marriage of his niece at home, but in fact it was to go to Huaishan to get the fake stone of the star of fate. Ask God, I'm going to go out and fake you, when do you think it's auspicious to go out?Gu Zhao was so bored, so he ignored him and let him torment, watching him lead the whole family, bathe and change clothes every day, vegetarian for ten days, he does not eat meat, and the whole family is not allowed to eat, and they read scriptures with him every night, Also go to the family temple to pray.

On Gengshen Day, that is, April [-]th, the main gate of Duke Gu’s mansion was opened wide, and the luggage packed for Gu Zhao was lined up at the gate.It was still dark, and there was only a little twilight, and all the respectable people in the family got up and came to the door to see each other off.

Gu Zhao traveled this time according to his own ceremonial guard. He is a poor country boy, and he doesn't have that much pomp, but he can use a lead horse, that is, a cavalry in front of him, and he can use a horse There are horse-drawn vaulted carts, but there are no other ceremonial guards.

The flat-topped green oilcloth mule cart that accompanied the cart was followed by a dozen or so cars. His grandmother Bi Liangli did not come, and only Xizai, Xinzai, Mr. Dingjiu, and twenty family guards from the mansion were with him. , the house guards did not wear armor, all of them wore tight-fitting black clothes, thick-soled leather shoes, eight coachmen, three slaves, and the freshest servant was the servant named Liaoge, who was wearing a coarse cloth jacket, No shoes, with two cages, there are dozens of carrier pigeons in the cages, riding a black donkey, this person is responsible for the correspondence between Gu Zhao and Gu Yan.

Wow, this configuration is a bit awesome. Generally, senior members of the fourth rank or above only have such luxuries as letter pigeons.

The family guards in the mansion are all able-bodied tough men between the ages of 20 and 35. They have all experienced in the army. Gu Yan is a trustworthy family general, and they all give the surname Gu. They were adopted since childhood. , raised at home, a master of martial arts who has been trained for more than ten years, and the leader of the team is Gu Huaizi. Battle exploits.

War horses are still a luxury nowadays. Finding a good horse is as difficult as buying a million-dollar sports car in later generations, so the generals all ride strong horses and mules, even mules are top-notch What a good animal, it looks very pompous as it follows the team all at once.

Gu Zhao went out, Gu Yan took Lu Shi, and Gu Maode sent him to the door. The two brothers looked at each other, and they knew a thousand words, knowing it in their hearts, so they didn't say anything.

"Brother, let's go, and don't wrong yourself, don't hurry, just walk slowly. After you walk for a month, I will arrange Mao De and the others to protect Jinyu."

Gu Zhao nodded: "I know, brother should pay more attention to his body."

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm at home, what's the inconvenience?"

Gu Jinyu was helped by the maid to look at her little uncle in the inner corridor of the gate. She couldn't walk through the gate, so she knelt down there and said with tears: "Uncle, go here, take care, Jinyu is a lonely person, and now I am hurting you." I really feel sorry for the hard work at home. Uncle accepts three heads from me." After finishing speaking, he kowtowed three times.

Gu Zhao smiled at her: "Cry again, cry again, don't cry anymore, this is a happy event, our children, regardless of gender, are all precious, do you think I'm for you? I'm tired of staying at home , This old man is very annoying every day, I avoid him! Now I just go out to play in the name of marrying my niece, loose, loose. The niece is at home and prepares the dowry, and the uncle is waiting to pick you up in Renfu. Don't worry, you must Properly marry you off."

Jinyu wiped away her tears, was helped up, walked behind Lu Shi and looked at Gu Zhao's face full of reluctance together.

The sky finally brightened up, the wind and clouds in Beijing were moving, and the sound still sounded, and the four gates of Shangjing slowly opened.

Gu Zhao got into the car, opened the curtain and looked at his elder brother. He has been here for more than ten years, and this time he felt completely away from home. Don’t worry, it will take a few months. The elder brother is not in good health. notes.

Seeing Gu Zhao's reluctance, Gu Yan looked disgusted: "Go away, and save me from bothering me every day. I don't know how good it is."

Gu Zhao laughed, and put down the car curtain.The general who led the horse shouted in front of him: "All right... Shunya!"

The convoy finally headed towards the east gate slowly...

Gu Zhao leaned on the soft fur cushion in the car, closed his eyes, listened to the louder and louder human voices in his ears, and the quieter and quieter sound of pipes and chariots in the east gate, and fell asleep again in a hazy state I don't know how long it took, but there were voices outside the car, and the car stopped.

Gu Zhao opened his eyes and asked outside: "What's going on."

Gu Huaizi said from outside the car: "Master Qi, it's the car owners and car customers at the intersection in the suburbs of Beijing. There are also some car dealers who want to follow."

Gu Zhao knew that these people were well-known businessmen in Beijing, and when they had to travel far, they would hire their cars for a long trip. Generally, there are five or six cars in a small convoy, and forty or fifty in a large convoy.

"In the past few years, it was said that the remnant of King Mi was causing trouble, so they didn't dare to go on the road alone, they wanted to pay some money and follow the car, maybe they saw the prestige of our family." Gu Huaizi laughed at the bottom.

Gu Zhao squinted at him with a smile and asked, "How much?"

Gu Huaizi thought about it for a while: "Just five or six hundred miles to Huaishan, there are a few households that seem to be enough. If we go to Huaishan, we can probably make up twenty or thirty together."

"Tell them to follow. After you share the money, you can't come out with the master for nothing. Remember, don't drink and mess things up. If they pay for it, they should take care of it." Gu Zhao smiled, doing things that are convenient for others. Let's do it, and besides, more people will also deceive people's eyes and ears. It's not bad to have a companion when I go to Renfu to Huaishan, and it's a long way.

Gu Huaizi was very happy, so he took the reins of the mule and went over to discuss with the car owner. After a while, the convoy continued to drive slowly, but the car was followed by four or five flat-topped green oil boxcars, more than a dozen of which were fully loaded. Take a taxi to the north of the goods, plus more than 20 bearers.

Perhaps there were very few nobles who were willing to take them on the road together, and these people did not dare to make noise like before, but followed quietly keeping a distance.

After driving for half a day, the pipes to Beijing came to an end, and the car was about to roll over like hell. Fortunately, Gu Yan is a man on the sea, and he has seen winds of more than ten degrees, so such a trivial rollover is very important to him. It's a baby stroller, and it's quite comfortable.

Mr. Ding Jiu in the back car is said to have vomited. Originally, Gu Zhao wanted to ask him to come in and ask about the royal family, but now he has no choice but to let go of his thoughts. After a few days, he is familiar with the road conditions before asking him.

After summoning Xizai, Gu Zhao gave him a bottle of refreshing calming pill and handed it over to Mr. Ding Jiu. Gu Zhao took out a travel note from the back of the car and read it. The scenery around him was all the rural scenery. After dozens of miles, he got tired of it, but occasionally when a post station passed by on a fast horse, he would yell a few times to make fun of him and then pass by.

After another half-beat, the car passed the first post station outside Beijing, so it was only a sixth-class post station because it was too close to Shangjing. Gu Huaizi stopped the lead car, and asked the car carefully: "Qiye, do you want to go down and relax?" ?" He saw that Gu Zhao didn't go down to pee or anything, and he didn't see any tiger cubs delivered, so he came up to serve carefully.

Gu Zhao put down the scroll, and Xinzi, who was sitting by the side of the carriage, raised the curtain, set up a stool to help him down, and went to the clean latrine behind the post station for a while, then Gu Zhaocai stood at the station entrance to watch his convoy. .

"Who are those people?" Gu Zhao asked Gu Huaizi, pointing to the dozen or so scattered gondolas behind the porter.

Gu Huaizi said with a smile: "I don't know. They are afraid that they don't want to pay and are afraid of safety, so they should follow the common people from a distance. There will be people along the way. Qi Ye doesn't need to look at them. Those gangsters are rough. Be careful with dirty eyes."

Gu Zhao smiled, but he didn’t care. He used to go to the south, and he didn’t have such a delicate humanistic and social life to show him on the way, but although he was curious, he didn’t have the desire to call up to ask. He was used to it long ago and asked a lot. There are many mistakes, but it is out of date.

It was past noon, and the postman at the post station prepared meals. Gu Zhao was still hungry, so he went back to the car, but Gu Huaizi and the others went together and had a good meal. When they were away from home, their stomachs were the most aggrieved. Unlike Gu Zhao, there is a caravan with a charcoal stove at the back of the convoy, which can make him some hot food, hot water, etc. at any time, and there is also a very skilled slave, waiting there to serve him at any time.As for those who accompanied the car, they had to sit by the car and eat some dry food at any time.

After eating, the convoy continued on its way, passing several sixth-class and fifth-class inns along the way, and there were quite a few people who wanted to accompany the team, but Gu Huaizi no longer dared to take it with him.

A day passed in a blink of an eye, and Shangjing was getting farther and farther behind. Gu Zhao's heart that was a little bit surging finally calmed down resignedly, and he went with the road.

It was getting dark, and the convoy finally stopped at the entrance of a second-class inn. This inn was quite large, and it was built in the front. There were green plants at the door, and the front of the door was also beautifully decorated. There were steps in front of it, so this place cannot be called a station. , Called the hall, the little official in charge of the post house saw the ostentation of the crowd, so they all came out, asked the name, and couldn't help sticking out their tongues, the grandfather of the Gujun government is really a distinguished guest up.

So, the little official called out loudly to the postmen, those who led the horses, those who led the mules, and those who greeted them. This little official was over 50 years old, bowed his waist, and personally took Gu Zhao to the east hall next to him. , There is a small yard with its own door behind the east hall, where the small kitchen and bathroom are convenient.

Gu Zhao looked around and was also satisfied, so he asked Xizai to give the little official some money and some good tea, but there were not many things, mainly because of a matter of face.

Those who accompanied the car could not enter here, but stayed in the private inn next to the post house. Those who were reluctant to pay the hotel fee lived in the short pavilion not far from here and slept in the open. It is already April spring , the cover is comfortable and not afraid of the cold.

Gu Zhao took a bath, ate a meal with local specialties, and was too lazy to walk around, so he let his hair down, leaned against the bedding that Xinzai had made for him, and closed his eyes to listen to the faint voice from the side of the bed. From the sound of music, all the people living in this post house are officials, and they dare not go to prostitutes here, but they still call the prostitutes who are resident here to play.

Gu Gong's mansion is very famous, and there were more than a dozen posts sent to see him just now, but Gu Zhao said that he was tired after walking for a day, so he asked Gu Huaizi to send him away.

After lying lazily for a while, Gu Huaizi gently knocked on the door and came in.

Gu Zhao opened his eyes and looked at him: "Go to sleep?"

Gu Huaizi replied with a smile: "Qi Ye, this time with our team, there is a wood company leader from the Huaishan side, surnamed Wu, that old guy, that clever mouth, he can speak well, I It's really interesting to watch, Qi Ye is bored in the room, why don't you call him and talk to you to relieve the boredom?"

Gu Zhao thought for a while and said, "A native of Huaishan?"

"Yes, my little one asked. It is the head of the wooden utensils in Huaishan County. This time, he came to Beijing to send a dowry of Huaishan wood that was ordered by an official. Isn't it true that he will not fail when he goes back? He bought another ten carts of cloth When I came back, I was catching up with the remnants of King Mi making trouble, so I dared not go on the road."

"It's done, I don't know what benefits it has given you, so go and call it." Gu Zhao sneered.

After Gu Huaizi went out, Xizai came in winkingly and whispered, "Qi Ye, you don't know, that Wu Xingshou bought a girl in Beijing, the color is not good, Gu Huaizi saw it and drool all over the place. "

Gu Zhao laughed, sat up and let Xizai comb his hair smoothly, and tie it up with ribbons. In order to keep his hairstyle, this ancient man didn't comb his hair for three to five days, sometimes even a month.Gu Zhao couldn't bear this and had to wash it every day.

As soon as her hair was tied up, someone knocked on the door, Xizai went to open the door, and saw a man bent over and bowed outside the door, with gray hair, wearing a short commoner coat, wearing a pair of pissed cow shoes that often go out, Holding a wooden plate with both hands, there is a plate of juicy loquat fruit with water droplets on it.

"But Wu Xingshou?" Gu Zhao greeted in a gentle voice: "Come in."

The man didn't dare to raise his head, he carried the plate into the room, put the plate aside, then knocked on the ground again, Gu Zhao couldn't take it anymore, waved his hand: "That's it, it's outside, I'm not that particular , you get up."

Wu Xingshou climbed up tremblingly, still lowered his head and said: "The villain is lowly, and he is afraid of dirtying the nobleman's eyes, but the nobleman is merciful and willing to take us on errands to beg for food on the road. He shouldn't come, and he doesn't deserve to come. See, but the villain was thinking, even if he struggled to take two boards, he would come to knock one, to say thank you, no, the villain is here."

Gu Zhao smiled lightly: "Come on, it really is a traveler, with a very sharp mouth, raise your head, carefully go and give Wu Xingshou a seat."

After Wu Xingshou heard this, he dared to raise his head. When he raised his head, Gu Zhao knew that this person was at least sixty years old, with flesh on his face, and a little fat, but he was not the fat businessman in his impression.

When Wu Xingshou met Gu Zhao, he saw that he was not very old, and he was dressed in everything he had never seen before. He looked like a jade man, and he didn't know how to raise it. Maybe it was rice for food. You have to pound the jade concave, and then push it carefully with the jade mill before you can enter it, so you can develop such exquisiteness, right?

He couldn't love her enough, his old face turned red with embarrassment.