Brother Donggong

I have had a headache since this morning.

It hurts for a long time.

Cui Bicheng went to his headquarters in Yongjing to find the shopkeeper.

I waited at Pei Tan's house.

If there are still people in this world who treat the prince sincerely, I think only Pei Tan is left.He is the queen's nephew, Wen Zhan's cousin, and the prince's direct line.

Even if he sold himself, he would not be able to sell the prince.

Zhengyuan Hou Pei Tan, the only son of the late cabinet minister Pei Dongyue.

Ever since Pei Dongyue was pissed off by my father (he died after devoting himself to death), he and his widow mother began to have a hard time at Pei's house.

First, when his eldest uncle married his concubine, he felt that his courtyard was not spacious enough, so he forced Pei Tan's widow to tear down the gable wall of her house, and set back sixty feet to build a shorter one. 100 taels of silver for the widowed mother is considered meaning.

Immediately afterwards, Pei Tan's fourth uncle took a fancy to Pei Tan's mother, and started talking nonsense everywhere. He said that he had been close to his eldest brother Pei Dongyue since he was a child, and he couldn't put it down for his sister-in-law. due filial piety.His filial piety did not seem to go very smoothly. Once he wanted to rape his widowed wife after drinking, but was unfortunately castrated by Pei Tan with a small knife. Since then, his beard has faded away, his face is fair, and he has a wife's mouth.Uncle Pei cried every day, and wanted to commit suicide when he was not doing business.

Pei Dongyue was born as a child prodigy, a 20-year-old champion, and a 36-year-old chief minister of the cabinet.His son, Pei Tan, was also very good. When Pei Tan eunuched his fourth uncle, it was the time when he was trying to seize Tanhua in the palace examination. Therefore, Pei Tan, a dignified two-rank Jinshi, went to the Silk Road to join the army.

It is said that he abandoned his pen and joined the army, but in fact he was exiled plus asylum.

He took his mother with him when he left.

Later, when Pei Tan's army wiped out the East China Sea, his mother died in Ninghai County. It is said that she ate too many raw sea oysters, was not acclimatized to the environment, and missed her deceased husband. In addition, seeing that Pei Tan was able to support the family, she closed her eyes in peace of mind. He crossed the Naihe Bridge to find his dead ghost husband.

This is all old stuff.

When I met Pei Tan, he had not yet conquered Gaochang, and he was serving as the governor of the Guards.He is friendly, doesn't smile or talk, and has two dimples when he smiles.

Today's Pei Mansion is different from the past.The big plaque on the second gate of the Pei family has been replaced by "Aristocratic Family of Farming and Studying" to "Lovely and Virtuously Containing Things", which is exactly a pair of wooden mandarin ducks with the one in Cuiwei Hall's "Shang Shan Ruo Shui".

I didn't come in time.

It is said that Pei Tan is not here, this guy chased the dog and went out of the city to hunt.

I looked at the hot dog days outside, pulled off my collar with one hand, sat on the big chair in the main hall of the Hou Mansion, cocked my feet, pinched the bowl with three fingers to drink tea, and waited for Pei Tan.

The sundial reflects the sun slanting westward little by little.

I don’t know how long it has been since I was sitting in the main hall of Pei’s mansion. I had already eaten three plates of red date cake, drank four pots of Mingqian tea, paid my respects three times, took a nap for a while, and sang two excerpts, namely "Si Fan" and "Shui Jing Tai". ", singing is Huang Qiang walking the board, crying and howling.Later, when the little boy was standing beside me, he really had nothing to do, so he dragged out the chief executive of the Pei residence.

I watched Pei Er come in from the door little by little, and said with a smile, "Hey, Mr. Pei, are you newly married to your aunt? It's just so lingering, the king won't go to court early?"

I don't know what the name of the head of the Pei family is called, anyway, everyone calls him Pei Er, so I also call him that.

Pei Er hurriedly said, "My lord, you are making fun of me being poor again. My old Pei is poor and old. I only have an old wife with a crooked pot and a warped pot lid. I live every day. How can I have money to marry such a beautiful wife?" Concubine?"

I said again, "Hey, you didn't marry the younger one, and there wasn't a pretty woman in the bed who was naked waiting for you, the second one, so where have you been all this time? You're hiding from me, aren't you?"

Pei Er said, "Look at what you said, my lord. You are a distinguished guest, you are a dragon in the blue sea, a phoenix in the sky, and you will make the whole mansion shine when you come to our place!"

I rolled my eyes and leaned on the back of the chair to listen to his nonsense.

Pei Er continued, "It's not a coincidence. Our Marquis led a number of men, horses, eagles and dogs out of the city to hunt, and we couldn't come back for a while. Why don't you come here, my lord? You really can't neglect it. The little one is not always In the back kitchen, I just want to get some side dishes that can be eaten by the prince."

I said slowly, "Hey, Manager Pei cooks the food himself...I really dare not eat it."

"My lord is joking, my lord is joking."

"Okay, don't talk nonsense here. After your Master Pei comes back, just tell him that I have been here, and I won't wait for him. He hunted deer later, and asked him to give me a few catties of deer Let the meat go, I like to eat it with wine."

Pei Er nodded, "Definitely, definitely."

It was past noon when I returned to the palace, and Cui Bicheng had already returned.He sat on a bamboo chair and drank tea, and on the small table on the left was the bank note he had brought.

As soon as I entered the flower hall, I took off my outer robe, rolled it up, and threw it on the ground casually, and someone took it away from my feet.I looked across from him, looked at his complacent look, knocked on his forehead and said, "Cousin, you are so free. Are you so sure that I can settle this matter?"

Cui Bicheng brought a few handsome servants from Cui's house.

One picks ice with an iron pestle in the silver basin on the right, and the other makes rose sour plum soup with crushed ice in the crystal dish on the left.The other four surrounded Cui Bicheng, two knelt on the ground and waited for him to wash his feet, those little hands rolled up his white silk trousers to his knees, and one stood beside him and fanned him. Instigated by the timing of the beating of the pulse, the last person was holding a large porcelain plate beside Cui Bicheng, and there were prepared ice fruits of various colors in it.

Cui Bicheng put the tea bowl aside and said, "This matter is like a mountain weighing on me. It can't be beaten by a thousand weights, but it weighs less than four taels with you, my lord. Besides, my 20 taels of silver Ticket, can't you let me steal a moment of my life?"

"My lord, what did Marquis Pei say?"

"I wasn't looking at him."

"Oh? He won't see you?"

"Pei Er, the chief housekeeper of the Pei Mansion, said that he went out to hunt in the city with others, and he didn't come back until noon."

Cui Bicheng looked at the poisonous sun outside, bared his teeth, and said, "This kind of day goes out to hunt in the city? Now even if he doesn't move, he can be sweated by the sun. He is made of iron? Damn, he ran for a while, Shouldn’t it be the same as the Shui Wangba fished from the Yongding River?”

I laughed, "What hunting? I let people watch Peihou's mansion. In fact, he was called into the East Palace by the prince's people early in the morning, and he hasn't come out yet. I thought about it and decided not to wait for him."

"Oh? Your lord has a better way?"

"There's no better way, just ask someone else. If possible, I don't want to go to this person. Pei Tan is generous and easy to deal with, but this person is a bit troublesome. I'm stupid, and I can't talk to him. Call me I can't beat him either, so staying with him feels awkward."

Cui Bicheng waved away the people around him, leaned over and asked me, "You don't want to go to Chu Qiangsheng, do you?"

I looked at him gloatingly, and nodded.

"Stop!" Cui Bicheng waved his hand, "I am the enemy of this person! He must be my fault, the lion must be open-mouthed, even if I have a mountain of gold, he can't hold back his asking prices, and he won't let me pay back the money on the spot! No way, No, absolutely not looking for him!"

"Cousin, you are too stingy. You said, if you are killed by someone, why do you want so much money? Do you save it for yourself to go to Fengdu ghost town to buy road money for Hades?"

Cui Bicheng smiled.

This smile seems to be in the painting.

Misty and rainy south of the Yangtze River, colorful paintings and carved beams, Shating Liaoan, Dangui and Betao, Hengwutangdi, winding paths leading to secluded places.

I stiffen.

He said, "My lord, see what you said. No matter how many tea houses I have, no matter how many silk mulberry fields I have, aren't they all your lord? Otherwise, what do I want so much money for? You say, Yes or no?"

After speaking, he patted me on the shoulder.

I waved his hand away, "Come on, cousin, just keep these words to deceive others. Those people got a few strange words from you as if they were cursed by you. That set was put on by myself.”

"Oh, little cousin, I'm so sad when you say that."

"It's not serious." I made him tease me, and I laughed, as if my headache didn't hurt so much, "Come on, I'll charge you 20, and I'll definitely settle the matter for you. I'll go to Chu Qiangsheng right now , don't wait for me to eat dinner."

Cui Bicheng rarely asked seriously, "Do you want to take some more money?"

"No need." I said, "Chu Qiangsheng is not a mortal, he doesn't mind silver biting his hand, but no matter how much gold and silver is in front of him, it's like dung. What he wants is bigger things."

"..."

Cui Bicheng looked at me.

I held his Concubine Xiang bamboo fan in my hand and shook it proudly, "I will give him a big gift, Ren Chuqiangsheng is a nine-day immortal descending to the mortal world, and he can't resist it."

"what is that?"

"No comment."

I asked Cucumber to take out a small earthen jar from the ice cellar, which was sealed to cover up two catties of mutton stew.This is a Liangpo mountain snack. Cucumbers are favorites, and so is Chu Qiangsheng.

Wen Yiming, the former prefect of Hangzhou (the one who was overthrown by Chu Qiangsheng, a famous corrupt official in the Zheng Dynasty, whose favorite thing was to sprinkle gold leaves on the Qiantang River) said two words - only the pulse that is not sure, There is no impenetrable pulse!Give gifts to your heart!

I have been watching it for so many years, and I found out that people from Liangpo all eat this stewed mutton.

Liangpo is too poor, nine out of ten years are famine years, the common people will not sell their sons and daughters if they have a morsel of food, but they are really too poor, so they have to make a living as eunuchs and have babies.

If you are so poor, don't say goodbye to You Xing at the dinner table.

In good times, maybe a lamb could be slaughtered, and the lamb would be enough to feed their family for three years.There is no ice cellar in the common people's house, and the mutton cannot be stored, so it is made into mutton stew.Put the mutton in a big pot, add a lot of spices, add salt, and simmer with firewood.After stewing for a long time, all the meat should be stewed, then put it in a jar, seal it with the boiled mutton, and then store it.

Take it out when you want to eat it, use a spoon to put a little bit into the cabbage and potatoes and cook together, or put the soup directly to cook the mixed noodles.

Liangpo people love this one.

It is much easier to go to Chu Qiangsheng with this thing than to take out the banknotes directly.

Plus, it's cheap.

Chu Qiangsheng lived in a small alley in the northern city of Yongjing.

Ordinary blue-brick and black-tiled courtyard houses lead the long way. There are open spaces on both sides of the small gravel road, full of grasses, and bamboos are planted not far away. There is also a huge oil-paper umbrella supported there. There are tables and chairs with the Four Treasures of the Study on them. When it rains, Chu Qiangsheng likes to write memorials here.

He likes to write things here, the kind of memorials that make people dismissed from office, and the more raindrops, the happier he writes.I think if there is no rain in Yongjing City for a year, I will feel more at ease as an official of the Dazheng Dynasty.

There is no one else in his house, only an old servant, very quiet.

We sat on the stone table and bench under his bamboo grove, and his old servant brought tea, and we went down.

"Prince Qi, you are going to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, why are you here?"

"Qiangsheng, don't say that."

I took his hand and talked.

Chu Qiangsheng's hands are very good, the skin is as thick as fat (that is, congealed lard), white and silky, except for the calluses on the right hand due to holding the pen for many years, it can be said to be flawless, even the palace The red crisp hands of all the beauties can't compare with him.

"So much happened in the palace yesterday, I miss you very much, so I came to take a look. Oh, by the way, I brought you a small pot of mutton stew, and asked Lao Min (his old servant) to cook it for you Eat mung bean mixed noodles."

He snapped and shook my hand away.Chu Qiangsheng was taking an afternoon nap before I came, he was directly pulled up from the rattan bed by me, and he still has the energy to wake up now.

"Come on Chengyi, we've known each other for not a day or two, don't do this with me, why are you here?"

"Hehe, since Qiangsheng, you are so forthright, then I will tell the truth. It is about my cousin Cui Bicheng. Isn't he... a little trouble now? He was framed for adultery with the princess, which is a big deal Wrong!!"

"Is this a small trouble?" Chu Qiangsheng sneered.

"To others, it's a catastrophic disaster, but to Qiangsheng..." I grabbed his hand again and held it carefully before I said, "To you, it's not like a cotton peach. You Just use one finger, flick gently, and he will be fine."

Chu Qiangsheng looked at me, and suddenly smiled, "Cui Bicheng's boss Cui's matter...is it worth a gold mountain?"

I hurriedly said, "Yo, Qiangsheng praised him too much, but please don't cut his lifespan. Is it worth that much money?"

Chu Qiangsheng, "My lord, you are willing to sacrifice your life for your money!"

I said, "Look at what you said, with Qiangsheng and you here, my life will be fine, and I won't lose my money!"

Chu Qiangsheng was held by me with one hand, and with the other hand, he picked up the small smelling cup from the side, sniffed it bit by bit, and then said with a smile, "Since that's what I said, I have an idea. It will work."

"What?" I hurried forward.

"My lord..."

Chu Qiangsheng smiled like a crabapple under the moon.

He said, "Let Boss Cui... swing the knife from the palace."