old grace

Lin Gu is a servant of the Chu family, born in the royal capital, and is very familiar with everything in the city.It's just that he suffered a big change overnight, was in shock, and was a little slow in speaking and doing things.Xie Qinghe asked her a few words patiently, and she understood Xie Qinghe's intentions, so she instructed Xie Qinghe to go west of the city.

Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan held Aunt Lin's hand on the left and on the right, both showing a timid look of shrinking and relying on their mother.

Lin Gu had just seen the heroic appearance of the two of them, who were like gods descending into the world, fighting to save people, and she was not used to being snuggled by them suddenly.The movements of Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan holding her were also very skillful, they seemed to hold her arm and dare not let go, but they were actually supporting her quietly.After she was injured, she walked frivolously, and was supported by two "daughters" to walk without any effort.

The "three mothers" supported each other all the way from the kiln factory back to the market. At first, Lin Gu was very worried that passers-by would find her abnormal state. Gradually, she calmed down, and no one looked at them at all.

Xie Qinghe's disguise is very advanced, and his attire makes them stand out from everyone.

Lin Gu's clothes were stained with blood, which was wrapped inside the shirt.The robes of Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan have also been seen by others, so it is easy to reveal their identities.

After the three of them entered the market, the first thing they did was to cheat on clothes.

Ready-made clothes are very expensive these days, and most ordinary people have a piece of clothing that is new for three years, old for three years, sewn and repaired for three years, and few people go to shops to buy new tailored clothes to wear.With the identities played by Xie Qinghe and the others, it is not suitable for the whole family of three to wear new clothes.

At first, the three of them found a mansion shop, a wild shop where people can live in Zhuma to eat and drink. The family is taking care of it, and the shop is neither new nor old.

Sit down and buy a bowl of barley rice and a urn of wild vegetable soup.Fu Chuan was really hungry, he drank two pots of soup in his arms in the thick porcelain bowl.Lin Gu wasn't hungry at all, but she couldn't eat anything after seeing the bloody massacre scene, so she looked at Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan eating in a daze.

In the eyes of outsiders, this appearance is a shy mother who is hungry and hungry to feed her two girls.

The old woman cleaning the table and sweeping the floor in the mansion store couldn't bear it, and added a ladle of vegetable soup on the table, with some corn scattered in it.Xie Qinghe didn't want to be cute, so he touched Fu Chuan with his toe, and Fu Chuan, who was eating soup, quickly raised his head, and timidly thanked the old woman: "Thank you, old man."

—— After eating barbecue in the wilderness for more than ten days, Fu Chuan is really fond of the five-grain and wild vegetable soup cooked in clay pots.

After a meal, Lin Gu took Fu Chuan to pay the bills.She didn't know Xie Qinghe's plan at all, and she looked dumbfounded.Fu Chuan went to pull the kind old woman who had added food, and chirped, "Does the old man have any trousers for my sister?"

Before Gu Lin could react, the old woman had already understood, showing a perplexed look on her face.Whose clothes are not rich, how can they give alms casually?

"There is hot water on the stove, tell your sister to wash it and dry it quickly and replace it. You will not be charged for the hot water." The old woman gave Fu Chuan an idea.

Only then did Lin Gu understand what was going on, and hurriedly took out three silver leaves from the purse, and quietly stuffed them into the old woman's hands: "People who have escaped from home cannot stay for a long time, so I ask the old man for convenience. If there are many clothes, donate one or two."

At this time, gold and silver are rare in the street market, and the silver leaf is considered a very precious currency. The old woman nodded and agreed, and went to her son to confirm the authenticity of the silver leaf, and she kindly washed it clean. He took out the old clothes and said, "I have new clothes in the bottom of the box at home. I'm afraid you don't dare to wear them. These are all old clothes, or they don't fit well. I'll give you two more."

Lin Gu exchanged some good words with Xie Qinghe in the store, and even took the old clothes away with her.

After walking out of this mansion, Lin Gu wanted to ask what to do next, but Xie Qinghe brought them into the second mansion again.

A bowl of barley rice and a urn of wild vegetable soup.

Fu Chuan's stomach was full of wild vegetable soup, and he couldn't eat anymore.

Lin Gu had no choice but to pull herself together and share the food on the table with Xie Qinghe. When it was time to settle the accounts, there was no need to tell her. Lin Gu followed her previous experience and went to find a woman who seemed more talkative to change her clothes. .

……

Going back and forth like this, there are as many as six or seven times, and all the small and big mansions and shops in the west of the city have been visited.

Later, Fu Chuan stopped going to the shop with the two of them to cheat clothes—too many clothes were cheated, and he carried a big bag into the shop, and he said that he didn’t have to change his trousers if they were soiled, so the shop was not Fool - Fu Chuan was in charge of looking outside, Lin Gu took Xie Qinghe to cheat.

Lie to more than a dozen pieces of clothes, large and small, Lin Gu and Xie Qinghe all picked the right ones and changed into them, but Fu Chuan was more embarrassed.

Girls at his age can only wear old clothes that have been remade, and most of the mending is fragmentary, and it is not very easy to find a replacement.Shopping and changing clothes in various mansion stores, if it is not for the business run by a family, it is basically impossible for such a big child to live in the store.

Seeing that Lin Gu and Xie Qinghe had cheated a lot of clothes to wear, they had a lot to choose from, Fu Chuan was rather resentful.

Lin Gu comforted, "I'll go to the shop to buy some needles and thread, and change some for you."

"I'll go with aunt." Fu Chuan held Aunt Lin's hand, "Does the wound still hurt?"

Lin Gu dug out her wallet to find a few coins, and took Fu Chuan out to buy needlework.

Xie Qinghe stayed alone in the inn, watching Lin Gu and Fu Chuan walk away from the street, he opened a window facing the narrow alley in the inner courtyard, flipped out very lightly, kicked off the wall and jumped onto the roof to check the layout of the nearby neighborhood .

The place where they cheated on the clothes was in the west of the city, and the inn they stayed in was in the north of the city.

In this era, the untouchable and the poor are two completely different identities, and they do not interfere with each other.

There are many untouchables in the west of the royal capital, and many poor people in the north of the city. It is unlikely that the two sides can communicate with each other.Based on Xie Qinghe's thinking, even if the Chu family betrayed the identities of Gu Lin and him and his junior brother, Qin Ting searched according to the characteristics of the wounded woman and the two teenagers. It is also impossible to find out from the mansion store how they changed their clothes.

——At this time, women's menstruation is a relatively taboo topic. Xie Qinghe's height and appearance are dressed as a girl in her teens, and she evasively said that she soiled her pants and spent money to change two old clothes from the store for emergency. This kind of thing "You can't get on the stage", no one will talk too much.

Xie Qinghe climbed to the highest position on the roof of the inn, stuck his body in the shadow of the roof, and looked into the distance.

The tallest and most majestic building in the city is naturally the Ziwei Palace on the high platform.

The royal family of the Qin court believed that the emperor was the son of heaven and should live in the closest position to the sky, that is, the higher the better.Therefore, the palaces and palaces of the Qin court are all built with soil as a platform, and the majestic palaces are built high on it.When the people in the city look up, they can see the flying eaves and brackets flickering in the clouds, and a sense of awe that cannot be offended is naturally aroused in their hearts.

Unfortunately, the high platform built by the Qin court at the beginning of its reign has lost its grandeur after years of wind and rain.

Especially in the eyes of Xie Qinghe, who is used to seeing the majestic palaces of later generations, the palaces of Qin Ting's royal capital are indeed a bit...not decent.

It’s no wonder that since Emperor Longbai, the fifth emperor of the Qin Dynasty, built another palace in Qingzhou, the emperors and power holders of the Qin court have always moved to Qingzhou and stopped living in Qingzhou.The other palace in Qingzhou looks much more grand than the Ziwei Palace in the capital.

Xie Qinghe silently wrote down the patterns he saw, went back to the inn room, took out charcoal pen and rough paper, and shaped them one by one on the paper.

He focused on marking the location of Prime Minister Han's residence.

After a long time, Fu Chuan and Lin Gu came back slowly.Lin Gu was holding a sewing basket in her hand, and Fu Chuan was holding a bag of plums in his hand.

"Aunt Lin was injured, why did you take her out for so long?" Xie Qinghe asked.

Lin Gu explained: "These are all residential houses. People who don't have cloth needles and needles can walk a few steps farther away." She put down her things, turned around and went to folded clothes, "I don't feel tired. I want to It was Mr. Xiao Lang who lacked strength in his hands and did not hurt me."

Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan looked at each other.This is because Xie Qinghe's medicine is so effective, but the injured suspect that the assailant's hands were too light?

Fu Chuan's sharp eyes saw Xie Qinghe's paper and pen rolled up on one side, and he took it out to have a look, and immediately recognized that Xie Qinghe was drawing a map of the royal capital.He picked up the pen and scribbled to complete the position he had just turned around on the street.

——Brothers have the same idea.Xie Qinghe was busy drawing the map of the royal capital, and Fu Chuan took Lin Gu out to circle around, also to complete the map of the royal capital.Otherwise, it's just getting some needles and thread, why would it take me so long to run out?

It's fine for him to run out by himself, but he insists on taking Lin Gu who is injured in the head and neck and bleeding faintly as a cover.

Xie Qinghe held his shoulders and patted him lightly on the back.

Fu Chuan didn't dare to say anything, and obediently bowed his head and remained silent.

Lin Gu didn't know what was going on there at all. She picked out the clothes she got in the clothes with the best fabric, watched the newest old clothes spread out, and then took a look at Fu Chuan's body size, picked up the scissors, and clicked——

It just broke.

Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan focused on the map, and no one noticed her.

Lin Gu calmly spread out the crooked old clothes again, clicked the scissors again——

Broken again.

……

Fortunately, Fu Chuan drew the map very quickly. While he was drawing, Xie Qinghe memorized and casually asked what store this was and what the situation was.

The two cooperated tacitly and quickly finished the job.

Fu Chuan hugged Xie Qinghe embarrassingly, looked up at his face: "Brother."

It was his fault for taking the injured Lin Gu to run around in circles, and he was admonished by the senior brother. Although the strength of the slap was close to touching, Fu Chuan was still a little scared—afraid that the senior brother would think he was not good.

Xie Qinghe touched his face and smiled.This will not be possible in the future.

Fu Chuan took advantage of the situation and hugged him.know, know.

Lin Gu was cutting clothes on the side, and it was not easy for them to talk privately, but fortunately, they could communicate smoothly without speaking.

After confirming that the big brother didn't blame himself, Fu Chuan happily wanted to offer plums as a treasure: "I met an old woman selling a basket on the road, and I saw her pitiful, so I bought some. I didn't expect it to be so sweet—it's not soft, it's just fresh. The plums of the tree, crunchy to the bite."

Xie Qinghe also came over: "The plums in Qingxian area are very good."

Fu Chuan was going to wash plums, and he didn't have so many belongings at hand when he first came to the inn, so he came up with the idea of ​​a sewing basket.

"Auntie, put away your sewing, I'll wash the plums..." Fu Chuan's voice faded away, he tilted his head and saw the tabletop covered with old clothes from the sewing basket, his expression gradually became confused, "You are... ..."

Lin Gu has already cut an old dress to pieces, but her expression is too confident.

This made Fu Chuan wonder, could this be the cutting method in ancient times?Has it been lost in later generations?Am I wrong?

Xie Qinghe glanced at the sound and asked, "You don't know how to sew?"

Lin Gu nodded.

Can't needle and thread you to cut clothes?Have you been tailoring for so long with confidence?Fu Chuan looked at her in surprise, and the plums he held in his arms were so shocked that they rolled out one by one.

Xie Qinghe didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he vacated the contents of the sewing basket first, and handed the basket to Fu Chuan: "You go."

Fu Chuan put the plums into the basket, picked up the plums on the ground, and comforted Lin Gu: "It doesn't matter if you don't know how to sew. I also have two clothes, enough to wear."

Lin Gu put down the scissors and sat on the couch. Only then did her cheeks turn red, and she whispered, "I...have never learned how to sew."

Not all maids need to know how to sew and cut.Aunt Lin is a servant of the Chu family. She helped the mistress manage the imperial family from elementary school, and her status is more like a housekeeper, so she doesn't need to do sewing and tailoring.

Xie Qinghe put away the torn old clothes, picked out a suitable one, and quickly cut it.

Lin Gu looked at him in shock: "Little...you know how to cut clothes?"

"It's just familiar."

In his previous life, Xie Qinghe often saw his second and third sisters cut clothes and make needlework. He has also learned embroidery himself. From what he thinks, it is not difficult.

With the fabric needlework in front of his eyes, and the appearance and size of the junior in his mind, Xie Qinghe started directly, and countless thoughts would naturally surge up in his mind, "This is two inches shorter, and the junior is comfortable to wear"... .

After a few scissors cut the fabric short, Xie Qinghe skillfully threaded the needle and stitched the fabric together one by one.

When Fu Chuan came in with the dripping basket, one of the clothes had already been changed, and Xie Qinghe was changing the second.

"Hey? Hey?!" Fu Chuan put down his basket and rushed to Xie Qinghe's side, "Brother, you sewed my clothes? Did you sew them so quickly? Did the senior brother really sew them for me?"

"Just use thread to sew two pieces of cloth together, how difficult can it be?" Xie Qinghe gave him the altered clothes, "Try to fit them?"

Fu Chuan stripped off his clothes cheerfully, and immediately put on the altered little robe, stretched his shoulders and underarms, touched his waistline with both hands, and nodded in satisfaction: " It’s even better than Su Gu’s.”

Xie Qinghe smiled slightly.

Su Gu can only use a soft ruler to measure her body, but she doesn't know Fu Chuan's activity habits.Xie Qinghe is different.

He knows where the little junior brother is soft and which is hard, what his posture is when he is sitting, sitting and lying down, and how he likes to move.The clothes he cut for Fu Chuan were naturally the most suitable and in line with Fu Chuan's wishes.How can a needleworker compare to the tacit understanding that intimate lovers know each other?

Fu Chuan also recalled it.Seeing that Xie Qinghe was still sewing the second piece of clothes, he ran over and said sweet words to Xie Qinghe: "It's no wonder that after a husband gets married, he always wears clothes made by his wife."

Xie Qinghe doesn't mind being called his wife by his junior brother, but Lin Gu is on the side, so he can't be too explicit.

Fu Chuan first divided the plums into a bunch for Lin Gu, then returned to the table with the plums, fed one to Xie Qinghe, swallowed one himself, and sat obediently while watching Xie Qinghe sew.Xie Qinghe was surprised.The plums that the junior brother personally bought, washed and delivered to his mouth, but he didn't ask if it was sweet or not, whether it was delicious or not?

"What's wrong with you?" Xie Qinghe asked softly.

Fu Chuan stretched out a hand to catch Li He in Xie Qinghe's mouth.

Xie Qinghe spit in his palm very habitually, and Fu Chuan also disposed of Li He habitually, and put another one in Xie Qinghe's mouth.

Xie Qinghe was confused.

After eating this plum, Xie Qinghe put the core in his mouth and asked, "Why are you so engrossed?"

"I have already learned it." Fu Chuan announced.

Xie Qinghe: "?"

Fu Chuan only looked up at this time, and found that Xie Qinghe had finished eating the plums again, so he quickly reached out to pick them up: "I already know how to sew needles. I will also make clothes for senior brother in the future."

Xie Qinghe patted his head: "OK."

Even if Xie Qinghe didn't need to pass it on to him to make clothes, the younger brother's sincere hospitality should be happily followed.

Lin Gu wrapped the plums in her mouth and gnawed silently. The plums were very brittle, and she didn't dare to crush them too hard, for fear of making a popping sound, which would startle the two strange teenagers over there... Even if that Surrounded by two children, Lin Gu still felt a strange ambiguity.

No matter how good the relationship is, brothers will not happily regard themselves as "wife" and make clothes for "husband", right?

Lin Gu has been a servant in the Chu family all her life, and the first thing she learned was "I don't know anything".

■

It is very unusual for a widowed mother to live in an inn with two orphans.

Aunt Lin only said that it was inconvenient at home, so she took her daughter out for a two-day stay, and on the third day, she packed up her luggage, and the "three mothers" went home together.After walking several streets far away, I found a new inn, and it was the same excuse, I stayed in one room for two days.

During the stay at the hotel, Xie Qinghe and Fu Chuan would draw all the maps nearby.

When people are not prepared, most of the time it is Xie Qinghe, who will imitate the appearance of a young man in the capital, change his appearance and sneak into the market to inquire about various news.Fu Chuan stayed in the inn, accompanied Lin Gu, maintaining the identities of the three of them.

Xie Qinghe expended so much effort to inquire about the news, which should have been done by the spies of the Chen family.

Because Mrs. Jiang suddenly lost the vest given by the Chen family, she pretended to be Cui and went to Prime Minister Han's residence, interrupting all plans.

Prime Minister Han's mansion is not easy to get close to, Xie Qinghe didn't think about going to see Mrs. Jiang directly, he looked for opportunities to wander around several times, but he didn't even bump into Chang Chao.At this time, there was a big news in the capital——

Wang Yumi of Yancheng slapped Lang Zhongling Wang Hu in the court hall.

Lang Zhongling is one of the nine ministers of the Qin court, and he is in charge of more complicated errands. Because he is in charge of the forbidden army and has military power, he is more arrogant.

Now that the Qin court is weak, all its troops are huddled near the capital, and there are no actual troops outside.The one who can become Lang Zhongling and hold the power of the king at this time must be the confidant of Emperor Qin.Offending him is tantamount to offending the emperor.

However, Yancheng Wang Yushu actually slapped him several times in front of civil and military officials.

"It's for the matter of the Chu family." Xie Qinghe came back and relayed to Fu Chuan.

Fu Chuan's little tail was about to wag, and he said with a smile, "When you dig a hole, they will jump in obediently."

When parting from the Chu family that day, several older members of the Chu family were unwilling to let them leave, so Fu Chuan gave them advice, telling them to go to the nobles in the capital and cry for help.At that time, Fu Chuan mentioned the envoy of the crown prince of the East Palace, the fourth son of the emperor Jing Wang Yupu, and the treasures of Princess Huanggu Suchang.

It is said that the prince is benevolent.Unfortunately, the princess is Wang Hu's daughter.

It is said that King Jing is just.King Jing's birth mother, Wang Guiren, is Wang Hu's older sister.

Princess Suchang has nothing to do with Wang Hu, and she is really greedy for money.The question is, does she dare to offend Wang Hu?She dare not.Would she dare to devour the property of the Chu family?Of course she dared.

It's useless for the prince and King Jing to look for it. Going to find Princess Suchang is basically equivalent to delivering food.

After figuring out the situation, the Chu family lived up to Fu Chuan's hope, ignored all three of them, and went directly to King Yancheng to complain for help.

"The king of Yancheng has been imprisoned for ten years, and his temper is still so hot?" Fu Chuan was very concerned about the development of the situation, "How did the emperor react when he slapped Lang Zhongling? Alas, it's a pity that it's just a rumor in the market. I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

There are all kinds of news in the market. Some people say that the emperor Lei Ting was furious and scolded Lang Zhongling for acting absurdly. Some people said that the emperor Lei Ting was furious and scolded the king of Yancheng for his pride and lack of respect. The emperor didn't speak at all. The king of Yancheng knocked Lang Zhongling unconscious, and the emperor retreated in despair...

"You don't need to listen to the details." Xie Qinghe pointed out the most important point, "Wang Hu is still doing Lang Zhongling well."

That's the key.

Wang Hu is the confidant of the emperor, holding the military power instead of the emperor.

No matter what purpose King Yancheng impeached Wang Hu, in the heart of the emperor, it was all to seize power with him and rebel against him.

"I just can't figure it out. The King of Yancheng will never be a fool. It is very simple for him to solve the Chu family's troubles. He doesn't need to go up to the court to impeach him. If he asks Lang Zhongling to say a word in private, wouldn't Wang Hu give him some face?" He must go to the court to make a big fuss. The emperor was already suspicious and distrusted him, and they still have a personal enmity ten years ago..." Fu Chuan shook his head, "I don't think we need to provoke him, he can kill himself. "

Xie Qinghe was silent for a moment, and said: "There are some things, even if you know the consequences, you have to do it."

"Eldest brother, what does he mean is that he knew he would offend the emperor, so he deliberately went to the court to beat Wang Hu?" Fu Chuan couldn't figure it out, "What is it?"

Xie Qinghe shook his head, looking out the window at the silent night.

He couldn't guess what was on King Yancheng's mind, but everyone knew that fate was in Chen's hands.

The relationship between Emperor Qin and the King of Yancheng was very bad without provoking. The greatest contribution to maintaining a reluctant peace between the monarch and his ministers was the Chen family who had been eyeing the Qin court.At this time, there was a case where the Chu family was almost wiped out. It is not yet clear where the bottom line of Emperor Qin and King Yancheng is, and the two sides may not be so quick to tear their faces apart.

"The family has been planning to let this side destroy the Great Wall." Xie Qinghe felt that the situation may not be so smooth.

Fu Chuan also slowly savored the taste of it: "Brother, you mean, if you are in a hurry, who might be the one who broke the jade?"

"If you were in the situation of the king of Yancheng, would you rush to the court and slap the minister who holds a heavy soldier?" Xie Qinghe asked back.

Fu Chuan touched his chin thoughtfully.King Yancheng's violent temper is really bad.If instead of coaxing Emperor Qin to issue an order to kill King Yancheng, and instead forcing King Yancheng to force the palace to stand on its own, then...it would be terrible.

Xie Qinghe put down the bed curtain, and stuffed Fu Chuan into the bed: "Sleep. I'll look for Jiuyang tomorrow."

"How about I go for a walk tomorrow?" Fu Chuan felt that it was inconvenient for the elder brother to have no cultivation base. "It has been five days since I came to the king, and I have not been in touch with my mother. I am a little worried. After a long time, I will There will be no surprises."

Xie Qinghe is always worried that there are still ghosts and ghosts here, and the younger brother will suffer a loss if he has less knowledge.

"It just so happens that the inn is going to be moved tomorrow. Tomorrow, pack up and find an inn near the Prime Minister's Mansion. You go there to find someone, and I will meet you outside." Xie Qinghe subconsciously put his arms around Fu Chuan, and the two leaned together while sleeping, "If there is something you can't handle, remember to call Junior Sister Wen."

Fu Chuan couldn't help but flutter.

Xie Qinghe covered him under the quilt: "Woke up Lin Gu."

Fu Chuan held back his laughter and nodded: "Brother, isn't it cheating if we call him Junior Sister Wen if we can't beat him like this?"

"If you don't compete with others, how can you count as cheating?" Xie Qinghe comforted.

Fu Chuan secretly laughed for a while, and then said: "But, it feels so good."

Xie Qinghe thought about a story not long ago about a thunderbolt that killed Shi Juan in Enzhou and quickly retreated from the enemy, then nodded: "That's true."