Daiyu of the Red Chamber raised a cat

"Is the patrolling salt censor Lin on the opposite side?"

The guard yelled, and everyone subconsciously looked up.Seeing that the guard was quite burly, under the gaze of everyone, he was still neither humble nor overbearing and didn't panic at all, so they couldn't help but nodded secretly.Everyone didn't talk to each other, they all looked at Lin Ruhai's reaction, after all, they were asking Lin Ruhai.

Now I don't know where the other party came from, but I can see that those guards are all very powerful, and they are all dressed in uniform. wind.Lin Ruhai guessed that [-]% of the people on this boat were from the middle of the capital. Judging by their style, their status should not be low.Since the other party dared to send someone to directly ask questions, he must have known his identity very well.

Since he ordered the guards to ask questions, Lin Ruhai would not answer rashly until he found out the identity of the other party.

The servants following Lin Ruhai today are called Mo Shu and Qin Shu, both of whom are very clever.Seeing his master frowned slightly, Mo Shu cupped his hands slightly, took a step forward, and said, "My master is Mr. Xunyan Yushi, who is your honor?"

When the two boats crossed, the guard didn't directly report his name and surname, but bowed and handed over a name card, saying: "My master invites Mr. Lin to come across the boat."

When Mo Shu asked such a question, most people would report their history.The guard didn't answer directly, which showed that his master didn't want to reveal his identity.

This is interesting.

Lin Ruhai narrowed his eyes and frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

The servant has followed Lin Ruhai all year round, so he naturally has a good eye, and knows a little bit about the ways of playing games in the officialdom.Judging by the clothes and demeanor of these guards, their masters must be the children of ordinary eunuchs.Who is my master? He is a majestic inspector of salt, officials of all sizes in Yangzhou City, and a decent family. Who would be disrespectful to him?Although the origin of this master is unknown, but knowing the identity of the master, he did not board the ship to meet him, but sent a guard to invite him. Could there be something special about it?

Maybe, his status is not lower than the master's.

All the servants who come out of the official family are quick-witted and quick-sighted, and they are familiar with the local officials and gentry.From the attire of these people, the boy guessed that they must be from the rich and powerful capital, maybe the owner of this boat is some kind of royal relative.

Therefore, Mo Shu didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly stepped forward to hold the famous post with both hands, and presented it to Lin Ruhai.

The name post is made of high-quality rice paper, lined with light yellow satin cloth with dark patterns from the beginning to the end, and beautifully bound.Lin Ruhai opened it and looked, startled, and his face became serious.Now not only the followers, but also the two friends of the two Lin Ruhai who met to play also knew that the owner of this boat must be of extraordinary status, even the Xunyan Yushi with the second-rank title had to be cautious.

One of them said: "Since you are invited by a distinguished guest, but you are disrespectful, Brother Ru Hai, let's go quickly."

The other person was more humorous, got up and said with a smile: "Yes, Brother Ruhai, you can go quickly. I heard that Brother Wu is quite accomplished in chess, and I just want to ask for a lesson." Talk to the man.

When he said this, he smiled and ordered the boy to set up the chessboard, making preparations for a big battle

bureau look.

This is to find a step for himself, Lin Ruhai cast a grateful look, and cupped his hands, "Please forgive the sin of negligence, I will come as soon as I go!" Both of them waved their hands and said it's all right, but they were puzzled in their hearts, not knowing what was going on in the boat. Who made Lin Ruhai, who has always been unrestrained, be respectful.

Having said that, Lin Ruhai is actually not at peace at the moment.Seeing the name post, he knew that he had to go, but the status of the young man on the boat was too special, so he didn't know if it was good or bad to go to see him.

However, since they met, and they sent someone to call, it is not good not to go.

Speaking of which, the person on the boat was a real nobleman, whose status was once prominent.His name is Li Chengtian, and he is the eldest son of the former prince. Just by hearing his name, he can tell what kind of expectations the emperor once placed on him.When the former crown prince was young, he was very favored and valued by the Supreme Emperor. Li Chengtian was his eldest son and the eldest grandson of the Supreme Emperor.Among the emperor's grandchildren, he was the only one who was brought up by the Supreme Emperor himself.

After the former prince was abolished, the Supreme Emperor suffered a serious illness, and it was the emperor's eldest grandson who never left his body to serve the decoction every day.At that time, there were rumors that the Supreme Emperor wanted to surpass his son and pass the throne to his grandson, which shows his influence.

After the Taishanghuang recovered from his illness, the former crown prince, who had been imprisoned in the palace all this time, was named the King of Ruijun and moved out of the palace. He wanted to keep this grandson by his side, but Li Chengtian took the initiative to resign and said that his father wanted to leave the palace. serve.At that time, the Supreme Emperor was very moved, and even granted Li Chengtian the title of Prince of Zhongshan, enjoying the salary of the prince, ordered him to leave the palace, and built a county palace next to Prince Rui's palace for him to live in.

Knowing that it would be easy for those former members of the East Palace to still have illusions, but the Supreme Emperor still did it, because he was reluctant to let his children and grandchildren suffer.

After the death of King Ruijun, he was posthumously named Prince Yizhong. It is said that the servant of the king of Zhongshan County was very sad and almost fainted from crying.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, he adopted a lenient and benevolent win-win policy towards the clan, and he also took special care of the former prince's heirs.Li Chengtian inherited his father's title and was named Prince Rui, and his original title of Zhongshan County King was inherited by his younger brother Li Chengyu.The Supreme Emperor was also very satisfied with the arrangement of the Holy Majesty, so he even called the Emperor over to give him a few words of praise.

Although the Supreme Emperor has many descendants, it is the ex-prince and Li Chengtian and Li Chengyu brothers who really love him.Needless to say, the ex-prince and Li Chengtian were brought up by himself according to the standards of an emperor, and the relationship he had put his heart and soul into was naturally closer than the one who was brought up by a palace maid and eunuch.

Although Li Chengyu was not brought up by the Supreme Emperor, among his grandchildren, apart from his elder brother, he also saw his grandfather the most, not to mention who doesn't have a little love for his family?

According to Lin Ruhai's knowledge, after the fall of the former prince, the Li Chengtian brothers kept a low profile.Especially Li Chengtian, who was almost far away from the center of the imperial court. Except for occasionally going to the palace to greet the Supreme Emperor, he basically stayed at home and studied behind closed doors, never asking about anything, and never interacting with officials.

That's right, with his status, it should be so, avoiding suspicion and self-destruction is the way to save life.

This young prince should be in the capital now, but for some reason he met him in Yangzhou today, and he took the initiative to ask himself to talk.Thinking about it, Lin Ruhai had already boarded the boat with the guard.The interior of the cabin is luxuriously decorated, and every piece of furnishings is high-quality goods, with an unconventional atmosphere.He was led into a reception room, which was complete with plaques, couplets, hanging screens, tables and chairs, and antique shelves, and the space was not small, just like a hall.Sitting on the main seat was a young man who was the young man on the deck just now.Seeing Lin Ruhai coming in, he stood up and said with a smile, "It's been more than four years since we left the capital, so you're fine, Mr. Lin?"

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai also felt a little emotional. It's been more than four years, yes, he hasn't returned to the capital for more than four years.When he left Beijing that year, it was the stage of intense struggle between the former crown prince and the kings, and everyone wanted to intervene in the Jiangnan salt administration. The official was angry, and he himself was ordered in the face of danger, but it took a lot of effort.

At that time, Yangzhou City was not peaceful, and it took him more than two years to completely restore the cleanliness of the Yanzheng.

Those two years were the most difficult. The officialdom was cautious everywhere, and there were many disasters at home. First, the only son died young, and then the wife passed away. Almost no day was clean.Every day when I fall asleep, my mind is full of calculations, a lot of hair falls out, and my energy is quickly exhausted.Everyone said that he managed the Jiangnan Salt Politics well, but they didn't know how much effort he had spent, and he aged a lot in just two years.

"Thanks to His Highness, I'm still in good health. I don't know that His Highness's sudden visit to Xia Guan made me lose my way. It's really a sin." Lin Ruhai bent down to worship, and as soon as he bent one leg, Li Chengtian helped him up.The other party had a smile on his face, and his body was on show. A pair of slender peach eyes sized up Lin Ruhai intentionally or unintentionally, but because of his excellent demeanor, he didn't feel annoying.After looking at it for a while, he took Lin Ruhai's hand and let him sit on the second seat, with a very low posture.

"Xiao Wang came here in low clothes. Master Lin doesn't need to be too polite. Since the meeting is also fate, Master Lin treats me as an ordinary old friend."

This was intentional to close the relationship, even though he said so, Lin Ruhai did not dare to do so.One is that his identity is there, and he sits in a courteous manner; the other is that after all, Li Chengtian's identity is sensitive, and Lin Ruhai holds most of Jiangnan's taxes in his hands. The two are connected, and they are more sensitive, which is likely to cause taboos from above, so we still keep a distance good.

Even though he thought so, but Li Chengtian had already said such a thing, Lin Ruhai couldn't refute his face very much.Therefore, although he agreed with his mouth, he strictly abided by the etiquette in his actions, without a trace of arrogance.

After saying a few words, Li Chengtian took out a picture and said: "I'm an idler now, and I'm living a life of idle clouds and wild cranes visiting mountains and rivers. I heard that the spring scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is very beautiful. After the New Year's Eve, I asked the Holy One I want to go to the south of the Yangtze River, the Holy One has approved, and sent six guards to protect me, which are the ones that Master Lin saw just now. Apart from looking at the scenery, I also want to find someone when I come to Jiangnan this time. Master Lin has been in Yangzhou for many years. The literati and celebrities in the south of the Yangtze River are also familiar with it, so I would like to inquire about it."

The six guards are protecting, and they say they are protecting, but they are afraid that there may be elements of surveillance.He said that apart from explaining why he came here, it also dispelled Lin Ruhai's doubts. I didn't leave Beijing privately, but was promised by the current majesty.Besides, there are people from the Holy Majesty beside me, so we don't need to have any scruples when we meet upright under the eyes of everyone.

The person he wanted to inquire about happened to be known to Lin Ruhai, and he was a master of painting.Li Chengtian is also one of the best, he likes painting with ink very much, after the fall of the former crown prince, he became more and more obsessed with this way, every time he got a good painting, he couldn't put it down, he would always copy and appreciate it carefully, often day and night.It is not uncommon for people to visit and ask for advice in person if they meet a current Danqing master that they particularly like. People in the world call him a "painter madman" in private.

Whether he is really obsessed with this way, or just pretending, he has to make the emperor feel that he has no intention of politics.

Lin Ruhai could also understand his behavior.From ancient times to the present, few deposed princes have a good end. Although Li Chengtian has never been a prince, he is the eldest son of the original prince. His father was deposed, and his situation is not much better than his father.If you don't self-destruct and avoid suspicion, it's okay to have the Supreme Emperor now. If the Supreme Emperor drives west one day, I'm afraid it will be the end of the game.

Lin Ruhai promised to help introduce this Danqing master, and Li Chengtian was in a very good mood, so he chatted with Lin Ruhai for a while, and gave him a few books before leaving.

Lin Ruhai returned to the boat, was dragged by two friends to play a game of chess, and then went home with his servants.Passing by a pastry shop, I bought some of Daiyu's favorite snacks and preserved fruits, packed them in a small suitcase, and carried them into the sedan chair without the help of a servant.When we got home, the sun was still in the west, much earlier than usual, and Daiyu and a few maids were picking out gifts from outsiders.

Seeing Lin Ruhai, Daiyu smiled and said, "Daddy, what delicious food did you buy for your daughter?"

"How do you know it's delicious, maybe it's something else." Lin Ruhai also laughed.

"It must be delicious, let me guess, it's a sour plum, right?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab the suitcase in Lin Ruhai's hand.Lin Ruhai moved his hand, not wanting her to snatch it, but he was a step too late, and Daiyu had already reached out and grabbed it.Lin Ruhai let go of the handle with a smile, and turned to take off the lid, and sure enough, there was a small bag of green plums inside.

Lin Daiyu smiled and went to get green plums, Lin Ruhai said: "You go to the capital, and your taste has changed when you come back. I didn't remember you like sour ones before. It's good to eat some sour ones, but remember not to eat too much at one time. Too much will hurt your stomach."

"I know, I won't eat too much." Daiyu said.

Her taste didn't change when she went to the capital, but she just started to like sweet and sour food recently.After thinking about it, she might have something to do with Lingquan.In the past, her body was weak, so her spleen and stomach were naturally weak, and she couldn't stand hot and sour food, so her body sent a signal to make her not want to eat when she saw those things, which can be regarded as a kind of self-protection of the body.Now under the nourishment of the spiritual spring, her body is getting stronger day by day, those things can no longer hurt her body, so she can eat them naturally.

Daiyu only ate two or three, and let the maid put away the rest.

On the Eight Immortals table in the room are many boxes, large and small, all sent from other houses, most of them are rare curios and jewelry, although expensive, they are not unavoidably vulgar.Daiyu sent the maids to put it in Fang's small storeroom, and ordered Xueyan to show Lin Ruhai the small courtyard that Li Xu had given her.After seeing it, Lin Ruhai was amazed. He heard that Li Xu also sent two people, and Dang even ordered them to treat them well, and then please come to the main hall. He wanted to see him.

The table was full of things and most of them were quickly put away. Lin Ruhai saw that one of the palm-sized small boxes was exquisitely carved, so he held it in his hand and looked at it. When he opened it, it was a box of translucent pearls, so he asked who sent it.

Daiyu didn't know who it was, so she asked Zijuan.Because he had received gifts from many families, Zijuan couldn't remember which one it belonged to, so he took out the account book from his pocket and looked at it, saying, "It belongs to the Gaofu of the salt merchant."