All your life is gentle

The business of Qiubo did not really improve until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.It turns out that in addition to doubling the prices of various services during the New Year's Festival, benefactors also have to prepare special rewards for the occasion, and the cost is much higher than usual.It's not the real rich and powerful children, and they dare not touch the brothel before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.Those prostitutes who waited for fifteen to visit were nicknamed "Sixteen Young Masters" among the people.

At the end of the first lunar month, the weather gradually warmed up, and boats on Tianshao Lake began to break the ice, and the autumn lane became more and more lively every day.Ordinary young men have some spare cash in their pockets at this time, who wouldn't want to take this opportunity to ecstasy?For the vast majority of people, after the first lunar month, it is another year of running around and waiting for their lives, and they will be ecstasy from time to time.

Generally speaking, the courtyard facing the lake in the south of Qiubo Lane is of higher grade.There are a dozen alleys in the north, most of which are cheap brothels.There are also quite a few private prostitutes from small households who earn a living by sewing, sewing, and doing some flesh and blood business by the way.As soon as the fifteenth day of the first lunar month passed, these places became noisy.Vulgar and vulgar fans come and go, bees and butterflies come and go, obscene words and obscene language can be heard endlessly, making the whole look even more sloppy.

This day, the second prince and his party came out of Xiangxue Tower, and it was almost ugly time.The whole street is full of people coming and going, brightly lit.Only a few alleys in the middle of the north, regular in shape, but unusually deserted.Changsheng had noticed this strange phenomenon long ago, but never came to a conclusion, so he asked Ni Jian: "Why are there no one going to those alleys?"

Although Captain Ni has been here often recently, he is not familiar with the history of the capital, so he turned around and asked his subordinates.

A guard who likes to make friends came up: "Your Highness, I heard from the people in the "Jingzhong Institute" that all the alleys were originally "Xianggongtang". It is said that business was very good in the past. Those scandalous activities are no longer fashionable, and fewer talents come."

The force in charge of public security in the capital is the "Qinchawei" under the Yin of Shunjing Prefecture.Considering that more than [-]% of the residents in the city are Xia people, Fu Yang specially recruited some reliable members from the Zhongyong Army to form the "Jing Zhongsuo", which is under the supervision of the "Qinchawei" and specializes in assisting the Xia people's affairs. There are many people in the "Jingzhong Institute", but their status is not high. There are many officers and soldiers in Shunjing City who are qualified to bully them.Relatively speaking, the big guards of the Second Prince's Mansion usually don't bully others with their power and pick trouble for no reason, so they are naturally willing to flatter them.

The word "Xianggongtang" does not need to be explained, and one can guess where it is.

Changsheng looked at the entrances of several dimly lit alleys.

Thinking that His Highness was curious and puzzled, Qin Xi added on the sidelines: "During the Xianxi Dynasty, officials were not allowed to go whoring. Those gentlemen came up with tricks to play with their husbands. If you want to talk about the custom of breaking sleeves, you have to do it yourself. Yes, but you can see it more in the south. This tune is popular in the north, but," paused, "it was after Jinxia established the capital of Jiyang. Who would have thought that later on, it would become the custom of high-ranking officials and nobles."

The topic changed: "Hey, the son of the rich family is bored. It's fun to play. The common people are busy supporting their families and carrying on the family line. Who has the spare time to recruit the husband for entertainment? This dynasty builds a country, and the upper and lower levels don't engage in this kind of thing. Xianggongtang and so on , it will naturally be abandoned.”

The Xirong nomads have a small population and encourage childbearing. They basically don't have the concept of having sex with men.Qin Xi is used to it and doesn't care, but he is afraid that His Highness will not accept it.It is also unavoidable to talk about the previous dynasty and the current dynasty, which is somewhat awkward and awkward, but what he said is very objective.

"You mean... this style is very popular in the south?"

"In the past in the Yuechu area, if an ordinary family had a son who was born well, the family would not have to worry about food and clothing. As for the handsome children of aristocratic families, there were not a few of them who sought after and flirted with each other." Seeing His Highness's calm expression, Qin Xi went on to say, "Actually, it's not just the south. Ever since Jinxia produced a few good emperors, the north is even more powerful. Especially in Beijing, many high-ranking officials have raised child prostitutes in their homes, as well as the young superintendent. Son, get involved with each other..."

"Good emperor?" Chang Sheng interrupted him.

"That's not true. I heard..." His Highness was actually interested, so Qin Xi also told some anecdotes from the folk villages.Ni Jian had also heard about most of the legends, and would interject a few words from time to time.All the guards in the back couldn't help following closely to listen. When they heard something incredible, everyone discussed it.Some people stared and laughed, some shook their heads and sighed, and some became curious and eager to try.

After listening for a while, Changsheng's mind was distracted, and the few words Qin Xi said before surfaced: ... before the saddle, chasing and flattering, seducing patrons, not a few... chasing and flattering... colluding with patrons... not a few...

Suddenly remembered something, and asked: "What about Zhao Ju? Is he going to do this?"

"This... the incident in the palace, the time is too close, who knows... all the people who have heard of it are women..."

Ok.

Continuing to think about it: chasing after and flattering... hooking up with friends... not a few...

Getting irritable, and about to tell Qin Xi to shut up, a group of people rushed out from the "Huancai Pavilion" in front.Taking a closer look, it was the team of the First Prince and the Third Prince.It is already an open secret in the capital that the three princes often hang out in the autumn.Although there was no flag, the people around were already rushing out of the way.

Changsheng calmed down, reined in his horse and got off the saddle, and greeted the emperor brother.

There is a woman beside Fu Ding, who is coquettish to the bone.Changsheng knew that it was his new love, Miss Yunxian from Huancai Pavilion.

"Second brother, let's go now? Let's have another drink with elder brother..." Fu Ding was obviously a little drunk, and his tongue was sticking out, "I said it's better here, but the third brother is still thinking about the rain in Xiangxuelou... ..."

Saying goodbye to each other, Changsheng and his party turned onto the double-curved bridge.

Fu Liu sat in the sedan chair, opened the curtain and looked back, and saw that the second prince had just stepped onto the bridge, and the guards lined up to protect the left and right wings, and passed through the middle of the bridge.A cold light flashed in his eyes: "As expected...he is still afraid of water..."

The Flower Festival on the second day of February.

The girls in Qiubo Lane worshiped the Temple of Flowers during the day, and went out of the city together to enjoy the spring, and picked a lot of pink peaches and plums.

Ning Qing made an appointment early with the second prince to accompany her to set off the magic lantern this evening, and spent two hours grooming meticulously.Intuitively, the other party would not like flamboyant styles, so he simply wore white.

When Chang Sheng came in, he first saw a circle of plum blossoms pinned to her hair.He stretched out his hand and picked it up: "Although there is no taboo, it is unlucky after all. Let's exchange some pink flowers." He put the flowers in his sleeve casually.

This gesture is intimate and natural, even though it has been a long time, it is also exciting like a little girl in first love, blushing in response, and her heart is pounding.So he didn't notice the other party's absent-mindedness.

There are gods from all walks of life in the sky and on the earth, and prostitutes pay special attention to the gods of flowers, and they are even more particular about lighting lights at night.All the famous courtyards in Qiubo Lane have several painting boats, and the girls make lanterns corresponding to their birthdays by themselves, with their names written on the books and hung on the eaves of the boats.In the evening, the painting boat sails to the center of the lake and puts the lanterns on the water surface. Whoever floats the lanterns far and burns for a long time will have good luck for flowers this year.

Changsheng's status is special, and he is generous. Xiangxuelou is very generous, so he allocates a boat alone to clear the sky.The Second Highness will leave Beijing to inspect the spring farming in two days, and tonight is the last chance.Ning Qing rehearsed a new song and dance, and made up her mind to do her best to perform well.

After setting off the lights, just about to set up wine and dishes, and present singing and dancing, suddenly there was a burst of gongs and drums, which was especially obvious in the clear sound of silk and bamboo on the lake.Immediately afterwards, several fireworks flashed in mid-air, and the water and sky reflected each other, dazzlingly gorgeous.All eyes on the boat and shore were attracted.

I saw a painting boat moored in the middle of the lake, and a circle of peach blossom lanterns in front of the boat surrounded a water area several feet square.A veil was erected facing the bow of the ship, and there seemed to be some activity behind it.In front of the gauze tent, many puppets floated on the water, one with burning incense sticks in the palm, and the rest held firecrackers in their hands.The manipulator behind the gauze is trying to make the puppet holding the incense ignite the fuze on the cannon.Each time one is lit, a firework rises into the air.

Ning Qing exclaimed softly: "Ah! That's a water puppet!"

The servant girl Xiaoru said: "I heard from Xiaomeng in Huancai Pavilion that today is Miss Yunxian's birthday, and His Royal Highness promised her a generous gift. Is it really this?"

"It must be. Yunxian, like us, also came from the south." After watching for a while, Ningqing sighed slightly: "I didn't expect to see the water puppet show here. I haven't seen it for so many years, but it's so fresh."

Chang Sheng smiled and said: "This team is mostly made by my eldest brother from the palace—Ning Qing, I know you are also from the south. It's a pity that I don't have the skills of my elder brother, so I dare to use the things that other people pay tribute to my father, queen and queen for gambling." The beauty smiled."

"What are you talking about, Your Highness? Doesn't Your Highness still understand what the slave family wants?" Nong Qing asked.Seeing that the other party responded, he said to himself: "The strange way looks very delicate, so it is a tribute."

Chang Sheng said: "Since it is a scenery of your hometown, let's drive over and take a closer look."

At this time, the boats on the lake are scrambling to approach, and they all want to catch a glimpse of the rare water puppet performance in the Northland.Yun Xian snuggled up beside Fu Ding, very proud.This scene is enough to become a hot topic for a year.Seeing some of the picturesque boats from Xiangxue Tower approaching, I feel even more elated.There is nothing unbearable about the various strange hobbies in the bed room of the great majesty.

Soon, the boats in the distance were also attracted, and they were densely packed, with bows and sterns connected.There is also that good-looking and lively one, who sees the needles and drills in.Suddenly there was a "bump", and the two ships collided together, causing all the ships in this row to sway from side to side.The painting boat that makes the sun clear is right next to it, and it rises and falls.Several girls screamed and staggered, Chang Sheng reached out and grabbed her.In the chaos, a small bullet shot out from the water, hitting his leg: he staggered, his footing was unstable, and he fell into the water immediately.

"Help me!..." Only then thumped and shouted two words, suddenly felt his body tense, someone attacked from behind, strangled himself and dragged him to the depths of the lake.

Ni Jian shouted in panic from the bow: "Quick! Your Highness can't swim!" He was about to jump, but stopped abruptly, almost crying, "I can't swim either..."

As soon as Ning Qing took off her coat, and tied the skirt around her waist, a figure had already passed by.In the rush, he still didn't forget to turn around and said, "Girl, don't come down!" He recognized that it was one of the personal guards who followed the second prince every day.

"I'm not bad at swimming." Ning Qing refused to give up.

Ni Jian stepped in front of her: "Please don't worry, girl, Your Highness's safety is on us."

At this time Qin Xi surfaced, entangled with a person in his hands, and shouted at the boat: "There are assassins! Shoot the arrows!"

At the same time, on the Yunxian boat over there, Fu Dingzheng ordered the person performing the water puppet: "The second prince fell into the water, hurry up and rescue him!" Because of his inconvenient legs and feet, Fu Liu sat in the cabin with his head stretched out to look out.

As soon as Qin Xi showed up, Ni Jian waved his hand and told the guards to line up, bow their bows and set their arrows—the arrow skills of these people were all trained by Chang Sheng himself, and although the two of them in the water kept moving, the arrow branches had eyes As if to greet the enemy.

Qin Xi put down her opponent as a living target, turned her head and dived into the water to help Changsheng.The people trained by Donghai Master are really powerful.Seeing what the other party meant, I began to plan to make it a purely accidental drowning accident.I didn't expect that although there were only two people on my side, they were extremely difficult, so I had to use my weapons.To say that the water quality in the mansion is the best, it is actually Ni Datou, who is very good at acting on the boat.His Highness did not let him come down, fearing that his strength would be too strong and not realistic enough.On the spur of the moment, I sent it up for a squirt to enhance the effect... The effect is better, but the risk is also greater... Sigh, those who do great things are really very human...

in the cabin.Ming Qing turned pale.Thinking of Ni Jian's alert look when he stood in front of him, he understood everything in an instant.Tears could not be held back no matter what, despair and anger in my heart.

It took only a moment, before many people could fully react, the second prince had been rescued.However, he was overly frightened, and was attacked by an assassin, and was seriously injured and unconscious, and his life might be in danger.The people in several nearby boats saw that the Second Highness was dripping blood when he fished it up.

In desperation, the guard accidentally injured several water puppet performers.Fu Ding came over to check on the first time, while asking the second brother about his injuries, he also asked if the assassin had been caught.After a while, he rubbed his hands again and sighed: "How can I tell the queen mother now... Her old man will not watch puppet shows for a long time..."

Qin Xi was doing simple ambulance treatment for Changsheng in the cabin, and Ni Jian yelled at Zhouzi to speed up the boat desperately.Hearing what the First Prince said, Captain Ni suddenly turned around, and said coldly: "Your Highness. Your Highness is a dignified general of the country. He performed a puppet show here, and an assassin sneaked in under his nose and injured His Second Highness. I'm sorry for this matter." Ni Jian has to go to the emperor to talk about it."

Fu Ding was furious: "What do you mean! Do you think I'm not in a hurry! Who is so hateful, I will definitely drag him out and cut him to pieces!" He stared at Ni Jian viciously, "A slave is so arrogant, you wait ..."

That night, Fu Yang received an urgent report from the second son's house, and he had already heard the whole story from the elder brother.

Fu Yifei was filled with indignation, swore an oath, and begged his father to entrust him with the task of arresting the murderer.

Fu Yang kicked over: "Things that don't make progress! If you are told to learn etiquette from Mo Siyu, you will be lazy, if you are told to learn government affairs from Fu Jian, you will be lazy, even if you learn royal affairs from Ben Ying-you are better off, stealing things from the palace. Go out to curry favor with prostitutes! You are useless in business, but you learn quickly by eating, drinking, and having fun... Let me ask you, who allowed you to take out the water puppet troupe?"

"I begged my queen..."

Fu Yang thumped the table: "A loving mother leads to failure! A loving mother leads to failure!"

Fu Ding bowed his head and knelt down: "Who knows that there will be assassins who will take the opportunity to mix in the water - according to my child, the assassins are probably coming for me. The second child is afraid of water, so he insists on joining in the fun, and the boat fell in a flash .Probably broke through the assassin's whereabouts, and then attracted the other party's assassin..."

Fu Yang stared at his son: "As an elder brother, you know that he is afraid of water, but you still let him mess around?"

"This...he is obsessed with the top sign of Xiangxue Tower, and accompanied people to put lanterns in the middle of the lake, not on my boat..."

The father was furious: "They are all unprogressive beasts! Get out!"

Kicked away the boss, turned half a circle, and called Fu Can, the capital of the forbidden camp: "You immediately take 200 people to send Jiang Qingchi to the second brother, and tell him to call me back directly after watching. As for you, stay there these days , don’t come back yet.” ——Jiang Qingchi is currently the chief medical supervisor of the Imperial Hospital, and a well-known miracle doctor in the north.

Fu Can left.Fu Yang turned around twice, and said to the attendant beside him, "Pass the decree and leave the palace."

When he arrived at Lao Er's mansion, he left behind the servants who were kneeling to greet him, and asked Imperial Physician Jiang as he walked, "Is there any help?"

"Return to Your Majesty, Second Highness is injured in the lobe of the lung, and his life will be safe for the time being, but..."

"Just what?"

"Injured underwater, severe blood loss. In addition, the lake is icy cold, and cold evil invades. Afterwards, there must be fever, wheezing, coughing and chest pain. It is very difficult, and it must be recuperated. I also heard from the waiter that His Highness is afraid of water. Scared..."

Fu Yang was silent for a while, and said: "He once fell into the water when he was young."

Thinking of the time when Concubine Jin was scared and panicked, the second child insisted that he accidentally fell into the water while playing around.Now it seems that those two are so familiar with his heart disease... Such a detailed calculation is even more exciting than last time... Huh!They are all unprogressive beasts! ...

Jiang Qingchi was still rambling, but Fu Yang had already entered the inner room.

The second son was lying on the bed, unconscious.A white cloth was wrapped around his chest to his waist, and there was a large bloodstain on the left side.Stepped forward to explore, his body was cold, and his breath was like a gossamer.

Seeing the emperor frowning, Jiang Qingchi hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Second Highness fainted from fright. It's best to wake up by yourself. Forcibly waking up will easily damage the mind. Therefore, I only administered medicine and did not give needles..."

"You can figure it out. Just say what you want, and just cure me."

After Fu Yang finished speaking, he sat down in front of the bed.Normally, he felt that the second child was born according to him in many aspects, but now he looked closely, after the injury and blood loss, the whole person looked a lot weaker, and the more he looked, the more he looked like his mother.Thinking of Concubine Jin before she died, she pulled herself and said only one sentence: "Please always remember, Your Majesty, the son... is also the King's own flesh and blood..."

They are also their own flesh and blood.

They are all flesh and blood.

He almost smashed the medicine jar on the case to the ground.Fu Yang stood up "teng" and walked into the yard.The second brother's personal captain led his subordinates to kneel all over the floor.As the prince's personal entourage, the lack of protection and putting the Lord's life in danger is a crime of losing his head.

Fu Yang scolded: "You lowly slave! Who lured your master to such a dirty place?"

"Return to Your Majesty. Years ago, His Highness said that the villains waited to run around, and it was a bit of hard work. He rewarded the little ones with money to go out and have fun. I didn't expect to bump into the people in His Highness's mansion one time, and I got a little bit of trouble." dispute……"

Ni Jian was still cautious at the beginning, seeing that the emperor didn't say anything, the more he said, the more he lost his mind: "...Later, His Royal Highness and His Highness Third took His Highness out to drink flowers and wine every day. The top card in Xiangxuelou was originally His Royal Highness's best friend. Hung on to the Second Highness...Last night, we followed His Highness closely and never left. When we boarded the boat, we specially found a brother with good water skills just in case, but who knows—" said bitterly, " His Highness performed a puppet show and set off fireworks for his new love on the lake, and all the boats in the lake came to watch it. It was such a coincidence that only His Highness's boat hit the second Highness's boat—so many people on board, only His Highness fell into the water ..."

Fu Yang shouted angrily: "Bold slave! Presumptuous!"

Ni Jian raised his head with red eyes: "Your Majesty! Your Highness treats the villain with such kindness as a mountain. The villain knows that the crime is unforgivable, but I hope to find out the culprit. If you vent this anger on your Highness, you will definitely end it yourself..."

Fu Yang turned around: "Fu Can! Drag this slave down, and we'll talk when he wakes up!"

Ni Jian was dragged down by several soldiers from the Forbidden Battalion. "Papa" came the sound of the torture stick, and all the subordinates lowered their heads, secretly gritted their teeth and clenched their fists.

Fu Can said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, His Majesty just came here before, and came to ask for the bodies of two assassins, and almost got into a fight with the people of His Second Highness. He said yes——His Majesty has handed over this case to His Highness for investigation. Seeing that I'm here, I went back."

"This matter... I have indeed entrusted the boss to be responsible. As for the subordinates of the second brother, they are justifiable and loyal. I will tell the boss that the investigation belongs to the investigation, and don't bother the boss. Second, heal your wounds... In short, you should do your best."

Fu Can knew that His Majesty was worried that the other two Highnesses would not give up, and that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.He is one of Fu Yang's closest and most trustworthy people, and he has great sympathy for the king in his heart, but he really couldn't think of anything to say to comfort his master, so he bent down and answered: "Yes."

Seven days later, the second prince woke up.After another month or so, I was barely able to get out of bed.The palace rewarded medicinal materials and tonics every now and then, and the imperial physician came to consult every day, but the emperor never came in person again.Hearing that he was able to move around, he sent someone to deliver a verbal order: The matter of spring plowing has been handed over to the Ministry of Industry, with the assistance of Shan Qi and others.

After seeing off the servant who delivered the decree, Chang Sheng leaned against the head of the bed and sighed: "I made things difficult for my father."

Zhuang Lingchen comforted him: "The affairs of the royal family have always been the same since ancient times. Your Highness values ​​friendship, so it is sad."

Changsheng changed the subject: "I wronged Ni Jian and got a slap."

Captain Ni was triumphant.Several personal guards who entered the Second Highness's confidant group stood aside and expressed their honor.

Qin Xi smiled: "Where did he feel wronged? The people in the forbidden camp made it clear to let the water go, and this boarding was not painful. Afterwards, he was served like an uncle! Hey!"

"Hey! Thief, if you are not convinced, try it!"

Zhuang Lingchen said: "Brother Ni was born with popularity. He was the only one who appeared on the stage, and what he said was pure gold, and people couldn't help but believe it. ——Then again, Brother Ni's meal was far worse than His Highness's sting... ..."

"I didn't intend to poke it so deep—and besides, the imperial doctor runs here every day, how dare he heal too quickly?" Chang Sheng smiled and apologized to his loyal subordinates.This smile brought out a bit of mischievousness and slyness. He had just recovered from a serious injury, and his pale face became more and more lined with brows and eyes, which dazzled everyone in the room.The second is beauty, that kind of amiable and reliable appeal makes people involuntarily willing to work for him.

"I didn't intend to poke so deep, the other party came too suddenly." Chang Sheng recalled the situation of the underwater fight at that time, and sighed, "Then Bai Qi really has a way, and the people trained are very good. I think this water puppet team, Most of them were the water guards he dedicated to his father. They were all Xirong soldiers, but in just a few years, the underwater kung fu has been practiced so superbly, and I don’t know how much effort it took—two of them died, it’s a pity.”

Zhuang Lingchen continued: "It's not a pity. It's worth the money to get the handle of the Admiral of the Navy."

It turned out that Bai Qi practiced naval training in several ports in Lianjiang on weekdays, and Fu Yang specially gave him a house in Beijing for him to house his family.Ever since His Majesty gave up coming to ask for the assassin's body, Chang Sheng asked Qin Xi to go to the White Mansion to steal the bellybands of the two young masters, wrapped the heads of the two assassins, and traveled a long distance to the camp of the admiral of the navy. middle.

Chang Sheng said: "This matter has something to do with him, or it has nothing to do with it. However, when it comes to this matter, I can't make it clear anyway..."

Just at this time, the outside reported the visitor.A personal guard came in and whispered, "Your Highness, it's Miss Ning Qing."

Zhuang Lingchen thought: "Here comes another one who is unclear." He got up and led everyone to leave.