bastard returns

Just as he was thinking, the carriage jolted a little, then stopped suddenly, and then Ning Yuan heard Zhou Shi's voice outside saying: "Master, someone stopped our carriage and said they wanted to see you."

Ning Yuan lifted the curtain of the car, and saw that the person blocking the car was a beautifully dressed maid, and when she saw Ning Yuan came out, the maid hurriedly saluted, and said, "Master Tang is well, I am Xiuzhu, the maid next to Missy."

Since she called herself Young Master Tang, then the "eldest lady" in this maid's mouth is only that one.Ning Yuan couldn't help but feel a little funny. Although he was recognized by Duke Ning as the Young Master Tang, those servants in the Duke's mansion, although respectful to him on the surface, actually treated him as a "Master" who appeared suddenly. He still sneered, very few people would address him seriously, now that this girl has done all the etiquette, it seems that the "eldest lady" is looking for her to discuss something.

Ning Yuan didn't ask any further questions. He jumped out of the carriage and looked up at the tea house on the side of the road. Sure enough, he saw the window on the second floor. The wooden window was pushed open a small crack, revealing half of Ning Shanshan's face.

After instructing Zhou Shi to wait there, Ning Yuan followed the beaded girl upstairs.

After entering an elegant room, Xiuzhu retreated respectfully behind Ning Shanshan to attend her. Although Ning Shanshan was sitting, she scanned Ning Yuan several times with a scrutinizing gaze.

This gaze is too familiar to Ning Yuan, it is Ning Shanshan's unique gaze, but whenever she examines someone she despises, she will reveal this gaze.

Just like in the previous life, when Si Kongxu brought him to meet Ning Shanshan for the first time, Ning Shanshan looked at herself like this, and there was a faint sense of hostility, as if she could feel it just through her eyes. His relationship with Sikong Xu.

"Should I call you cousin? Or call you Miss Shanshan?" Seeing that the other party had been silent for a long time, Ning Yuan simply opened his mouth as if joking.

Ning Shanshan pursed her lips and asked Ning Yuan not to sit down, she opened her mouth and asked, "Just now you stayed alone in your grandfather's room for so long, did your grandfather say anything to you? Did he ever think of letting me get married? "

It turned out that this was the case, looking at Ning Shanshan's appearance, it seemed that she was really avoiding Sikong Xu like a snake...Compared with the affectionate appearance between them in the previous life, it was really ironic.

"Miss, don't worry, you are the granddaughter of the Grand Duke, how could the Grand Duke push you into the pit of fire, someone like the Fourth Highness is not worthy of you at all." Ning Yuan saluted.

What Ning Yuan said seemed to suit Ning Shanshan's appetite. She nodded in satisfaction, "He is indeed not good enough for me. Leaving aside other things, how can I want the broken shoes worn by Pang Qiushui?" I asked again cautiously, "Are you sure that grandfather really didn't show any intention of agreeing to this marriage?"

"Miss Shanshan, why bother with others, I remember that Grandpa Cai didn't respond to cousin Zhongkun in front of you." Ning Yuan said: "You should also feel relieved."

"Do you think I don't want to feel at ease? If it wasn't for my grandmother and my useless brother, I wouldn't worry about it." Ning Shanshan looked out the window with a face full of hatred, "Grandma has always been afraid that I won't be able to get married. , I know this, but why did my brother join in the fun, and actually helped the Fourth Highness speak so that I could marry him, could it be that the Fourth Highness gave him some benefits!"

Hearing this, Ning Yuan suddenly felt moved, looked at Ning Shanshan's face again, smiled, bowed and said: "If Miss Shanshan is really worried, and really doesn't want to marry the Fourth Highness as a concubine, then I may have It's a way, but I don't know if Miss Shanshan is willing to try it."

Ning Shanshan turned her head, "What way?"

Ning Yuan paused for a moment before uttering two words, "Pretending to be sick."

****

One of the most talked about things by the imperial doctors of the imperial hospital recently is that Ning Shanshan, the first daughter of the Duke's mansion, suddenly fell ill with a strange disease, and was lying in bed.

This illness is very strange, at first Mrs. Wu thought it was a minor ailment, so she just invited a doctor who is familiar with the Duke's mansion to treat it, but the doctor checked the pulse for a long time, but couldn't tell the reason, and Ning Shanshan Lying weakly on the bed, she really felt uncomfortable. Seeing this, Mrs. Wu had to call in the imperial physician, but the imperial physicians in the imperial hospital, who have always been highly skilled in medicine, made troubles after checking Ning Shanshan's pulse one after another.

Ning Shanshan's pulse was strange, unlike ordinary people, but it didn't seem like she was suffering from any kind of disease. It was an unheard of pulse condition. The imperial physicians only thought that Ning Shanshan had a rare and intractable disease, and almost searched all the available ones. After reading the medical book, I tried to prescribe a few more medicines, but not only did they not work at all, but Ning Shanshan seemed to feel even more uncomfortable after taking the medicine.

At this moment, Wu's panicked, even the imperial doctor couldn't diagnose it, maybe it's some serious illness!Therefore, in order to treat Ning Shanshan, after obtaining the consent of Ning Guogong, the Wu family sent people to post a lot of notices in the streets and alleys of the capital, and even outside the city, looking for capable people. , a heavy reward.

The so-called brave men must be rewarded under great rewards. As soon as the notice came out, many quack doctors came to the door with the mentality of giving it a try, but without exception, they couldn't see what was wrong with Ning Shanshan. The matter of the princess's concubine suffering from a serious illness became more and more serious in Huajing, and this fire was very strange, it burned on the fourth prince Sikong Xu who seemed to have nothing to do with this matter.

I don't know where the news leaked out, saying that the cause of the illness of the concubine's concubine was that the fourth prince came to propose marriage, and the fourth prince is a lone star of heaven who suppresses his wife's fate, that's why Miss Ning was arrested. If the body is infected by bad luck, one cannot afford to be ill.

At first, when the rumor spread, the common people thought it was just a joke, but after thinking about it, it seemed that it was really the same thing. The Fourth Highness, let’s not talk about his family background, and his mother died when he was born. Later, he wanted to marry a girl from Jiangzhou, but that girl was finally thrown into the pond for corrupting women's morals.After returning to Beijing, I recognized Concubine Yuegui as his mother, thinking that he had a backer, but Concubine Yuegui had a miscarriage in a very short period of time, fell out of favor, and finally died suddenly and left the cold palace. Then he married the Marquis of Changsheng. However, that Miss Pang didn't even sit on the stool of the princess and concubine, and she died... Now the Fourth Highness has gone to the Ningguo Mansion to propose marriage, and the lady fell ill because of a strange illness, maybe Miss Ning It's not a disease at all, maybe it's a ghost.

Gradually, this kind of sayings like others began to prevail, and when Sikong Xu found out about these rumors and wanted to take some remedial measures to prove that he was not a lone star of evil spirits at all, a big hat fell from the sky to detain him Be strict.

It turned out that the Duke's wife also heard the rumors that Si Kongxu was the lone star of the evil spirit, and that the reason why Ning Shanshan fell ill was because of the evil spirit, so she was skeptical and went to the palace, hoping to invite the favored lady next to the empress dowager It also seems that the powerful He Xiangu came out of the palace to look at Ning Shanshan and pray for blessings.

As a result, He Xiangu entered the Duke's mansion, only looked at Ning Shanshan's bed, and danced in the room with a piece of talisman for a while, then concluded that Ning Shanshan's illness was indeed afflicted with evil spirits. Therefore, as for the source of the evil spirit, He Xiangu was obedient and dared not reveal it, but Mrs. Wu is not stupid, even if He Xiangu didn't say anything, she understood. Don't stick to your own opinion anymore, although the matter of Ning Shanshan's marriage is important, but when your life is gone, who cares if you marry or not, immediately made up your mind to completely return Si Kongxu's proposal post.

Strange to say, not long after the post was returned, Ning Shanshan's illness was miraculously "cured". Not only was she able to get out of bed, she was also alive and kicking as usual. Surprised by her, Wu was even more convinced of her own decision That's right, and the Fourth Prince's Royal Highness is probably the lone star of Tiansha, so he will be tainted with bad luck. In the future, he will have less contact with him, and he will give orders. Can't let people into the house.

Duke Ning's mansion is a family of first-class dignitaries, and when they suddenly put on such a gesture, other families naturally noticed it. Coupled with the rumors of Sikong Xu, the lone star of Tiansha, they immediately rushed to follow the example of Duke Ning. They are also afraid of offending others, but compared with the family suffering from bad luck, they can afford to offend an unfavored prince.

As for Sikong Xu, he was about to vomit blood from anger.

All this happened so inexplicably, he just sat in the mansion without doing anything, the rumors about him being the lone star of the devil were flying all over the sky, and many people still believed it, making it impossible for him to explain. Whenever he goes to and from the palace or goes in and out of the court, even some of his servants in the prince's mansion start to whisper in private, and even more timid, even ask the housekeeper to resign, and leave the mansion overnight without asking for wages. Run away.

Human nature is like this, as long as one walks first, the others will start to panic. Sikong Xu knew that going on like this would not be a problem, he must first settle down when he is fighting against the outside world, so he paid equal attention to kindness and power, one punishment and one reward, and told the mansion There is no such thing as a lone star of the evil spirit, and the servants in the mansion are strictly prohibited from talking about it, and then they began to think about ways to eliminate the rumors, but before they could figure out a way, he was recalled to the palace by an imperial decree.

It turned out that after this rumor had been raging in Huajing for so long, it finally crossed the palace wall and was passed to the emperor's ears by some troublesome eunuch. It is certain to lose face to the royal family, so the emperor not only reprimanded him, but also sent him an errand, asking him to go to the three southeastern states to inspect the people's situation, inspect the harvest of this year's summer grain, and supervise the taxation.

Although Sikong Xu felt aggrieved and wanted to explain something to himself, but seeing that the errand assigned by the emperor was not bad, it seemed that he had no intention of punishing him, so he suppressed his temper and accepted the order, so as not to make too much trouble and make the emperor unhappy , After returning home, I packed up a little and set out on the road.

The reason why he thinks this job is good is that the motion cloud is still on the boundary of the three southeastern states.Dazhou attaches great importance to farming and has abundant products, among which the most abundant products are the three southeastern states with fertile land and good weather. Not only does the annual grain production and tax revenue rank first in the country, but because it is near the sea, the unique aquatic products are also an important source of income. , so the people in the three southeastern provinces are almost wealthy, and the wallets of the officials are so fat that they can flow out of oil and water. As for the errands to inspect these three provinces, they will almost always be fought by various officials in Huajing.

Among other things, as long as you go to that place for a walk, the filial piety of the local officials alone is enough to make them laugh out loud, and the three states are rich, and they have never owed the imperial court's grain and taxes, and sometimes they will give some more , And this credit will naturally be recorded in the resumes of the inspectors, giving them another credit.

Because of this, Sikong Xu felt that the emperor might not have any intention of blaming him at all. On the contrary, he might be using this opportunity to reward him, so that he would be allowed to tour the three eastern states and increase his knowledge. Maybe there is still a heavy responsibility waiting for me after returning to Beijing.

The more he thought about it, the more complacent Sikong Xu felt, and his speed became faster, as if he had stepped out of the haze of gossip, and he was driving eastward with his entourage.

"Brother Four's team went out of the city overnight, and they are walking very fast, as if they can't wait." In the academy in the palace, Sikong Xuan was copying an ancient book, and at the same time, he looked at the person sitting on the side reading a book with some dissatisfaction. Ning Yuan said: "Young master, I really don't understand. It was originally an errand assigned to me by my father, why did you let me go out again? The face, also let the concubine mother shine."

"You have to trust me in this matter. It's the best choice if you don't go." Ning Yuan didn't raise his head, "As for the reason, it's not convenient for me to say now, but you will know it in a short time."

"To inspect the three states in the southeast, what's wrong with it? I've always wanted to try Qingzhou's specialty grilled cuttlefish." Sikongxuan was reading a few days ago, and there was a book called Dazhou Food Knowledge, and he was very salivating for Qingzhou's seafood specialties. This time, I was very happy to learn that the emperor intends to let him practice in the three eastern states, but Ning Yuan found out about it. Ning Yuan not only persuaded him to give up, but also asked him to lobby the emperor to let Sikong Xu take up the job. Although he didn't understand, he always respected Ning Yuan and knew that the other party would not harm him, so he did so with suspicion.

It's just that after learning that Sikong Xu really left the city, he still felt a little regretful.

"I have eaten the grilled cuttlefish in Qingzhou, and the taste is just that. If you are hungry, I happen to have some grilled lamb chops here. The deliciousness of my summer is not inferior to those seafood." A voice suddenly came from outside the door , the two looked up, but it was Huyan Yuanchen who came in.

"Brother Huyan." Sikong Xuan immediately put down his pen and called out.

"Today, your emperor invited me into the palace to drink and visit the garden. I baked some on the spot with the ingredients prepared by the imperial dining room. Knowing that you are still staying in the palace with His Highness the Sixth Prince, I stopped by to have a look." Hu Yan Yuan Chen said this for Ning Yuan to hear, and he raised the oily paper bag in his hand that smelled like meat.

Sikongxuan was thinking about the delicacy of Qingzhou, so he would not be polite when he saw something to eat, so he immediately stepped forward to take the paper bag, picked out a big lamb chop and gnawed it on the spot.

Seeing Sikongxuan's appearance, Huyan Yuanchen just smiled, then turned to Ning Yuan and continued: "It seems that the rumors you spread are really influential, and today the emperor vaguely asked if I was in Daxia. As soon as Tiansha Guxing said it, judging by his appearance, it seems that he has begun to pay attention to the rumor, but he still doesn't quite believe it."

"Even if the emperor doesn't believe everything now, he will soon." Ning Yuan closed the book slowly, "The past two years in Dazhou have not been peaceful. Last year, there were many floods and droughts. Although this year has been peaceful until now, But these few nights, the moonlight is very strange, there must be something big going to happen, maybe because of this big thing that is going to happen, the avenue of sunshine in some people's eyes will turn into a crumbling single-plank bridge in an instant." Ning Yuan said at the same time With a smile, "It's a mysterious and mysterious theory about the lonely heart of heavenly evil. It's nothing more than restraining wives and relatives. After all, we are born as human beings, so there are no three disasters and two diseases. It is also possible to say that it is a coincidence, but once someone's bad luck is too much, It doesn’t count if it affects the people around you, but it still causes disasters in a place that was originally rich and prosperous. That is to say, it will become a disaster for the country when it is conquered by Sheji Guozuo. Do you think that the emperor will still feel that the rumors cannot be trusted at that time? .”

Huyan Yuanchen shook his head, "You are so sure about everything, as if you can know the past and the future, I am really curious." After speaking, he glanced at Ning Yuan's face, and continued: "But don't worry , even if I'm curious and you don't want to say it, I will never ask more."

Ning Yuan looked up at Huyan Yuanchen's serious eyes, and said apologetically, "It's really inconvenient for me to say some things now, but as soon as the time comes, I will tell you some of the secrets involved."

"I'm just saying it casually. I don't care about that." Huyan Yuanchen stroked Ning Yuan's head with a smile, then turned around and shared the lamb chops with Sikong Xuan. Ning Yuan looked at his back with eyes wide open. It flickered for a while, but didn't say any more.

When Sikong Xu first arrived in the three southeastern states, he sighed for a long time at the wealth here.

He has been here before, but all in private, so it can't be compared to being appointed by the emperor this time, so he can take a leisurely tour, and the governors of the three states know Sikong Xu's identity, so they don't dare to neglect him Therefore, after Sikong Xu enjoyed the fertile land of Yuezhou, the flourishing merchants of Yongzhou, and the prosperous fishery of Qingzhou, he felt satisfied with eating and drinking, and stuffed his purse full. He was about to set off to return to Beijing to tell the emperor about the prosperity of the three states in the southeast, but he didn't want to, the day before he was about to leave, a plague of locusts suddenly broke out in Yuezhou.

Yuezhou has always been famous for its grain production. The biggest reason is that the local weather is very good. Because it is close to the sea and the terrain is high, it will never encounter drought, and there is no worry about floods. The local people have almost no worries at all. I am growing food, but it is precisely because I have lived in comfort for a long time and lack a sense of crisis that I am in such a hurry when the plague of locusts comes.

At first, there were not many locusts, and they only moved in a small place, so the tenants didn't pay much attention, but within a few days, the small locusts turned into an overwhelming army. When everyone understood , When thinking about taking action to deal with it, the locust plague seemed to take shape and could not be stopped.

It is the first time that the people of Yuezhou have seen so many locusts when they grow up so big. Yuezhou has no shortage of food, there are many crops, and there is no effective means of controlling locusts. The locusts multiply and multiply. Speaking of rural farmland, even Yuezhou City, the capital of Yuezhou, was not spared from the disaster. Locusts flew everywhere in the streets, and the doors and windows of every house were closed. There was not even a pedestrian on the street, and it became the world of locusts.

Also because of this, the summer grain that was about to be harvested was almost useless under the gnawing of locusts, which made both the common people and the officials dumbfounded.

The output of summer grain in Yuezhou is the highlight of the year, and now that this is happening, isn't it going to be discontinued!

However, the locust plague did not know that it was raging in Yuezhou, and soon spread to the neighboring Yongzhou and Qingzhou. Several large-scale commodity fairs in Yongzhou were also closed, and the loss of money and food was immeasurable. But at this moment, there were several tsunami in a row, sweeping through several wealthy villages near the sea. Although most of the people in Qingzhou were good at making water, no casualties were caused, but they also lost a lot of money, and several of them were not well built. Insecure villages were razed to the ground.

This time the matter exploded, and the matter quickly spread back to the capital. Not to mention the emperor was furious, the people were also in an uproar.

The three states in the southeast have always been an important source of income for Dazhou. They have never heard of any disasters, but now they are experiencing strange accidents one after another. Let alone other things, I am afraid that once the grain production is reduced this year, the price of grain will skyrocket again. .

At this moment, someone broke the news that when the accident happened in the three southeastern states, His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince was ordering the emperor to patrol the area.

This time, it was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a frying pan, and the common people would fry the pan in one go.

The rumors that Sikong Xu was the lone star of Tiansha, who restrained his parents and his wife, have not subsided, and now when he was touring the three southeastern states, the three states suffered from this natural disaster. Could it be that Sikong Xuke came out of it?If this is really the case, the evil aura of the lone star of the Fourth Highness, the Heavenly Fiend, must be too great!

It doesn't count if you restrain your relatives, but it actually hinders the fate of the country. Even the emperor is a little uncertain now, and immediately issued an imperial decree, asking Sikong Xu to return to Beijing immediately. An imperial envoy was sent to "invite" people.

Please mean it on the surface, but everyone can see that the imperial envoy is here to arrest people, and the dignified prince will be escorted back to Beijing by the imperial envoy from other places. The humiliation in this is something that Sikong Xu will never be able to find in his life. Forgot.