Survival countdown

When Zhao Baiyu returned to Beijing to report on his duties, he resigned from the position of economic envoy, and the official resumed his original position. He still held two positions. However, Yushi Zhongcheng was replaced by the prince's junior teacher, which temporarily freed up a lot of leisure time.

After the Kyoto government changed to the Xiangfang model, the yamen servants who maintain law and order can only take up their posts after training and adjustment. Zhao Baiyu also implemented a mutual supervision and reporting mechanism to prevent the tolerance yamen servants and unscrupulous businessmen from colluding with each other to undermine market fairness.

The daytime thieves who once flourished in the city did not say they disappeared, but they also hid their heads and did not dare to be arrogant, so there were fewer cases of defrauding people and defrauding money, as well as vendettas caused by defrauding money.

In the four years since Zhao Baiyu served as the magistrate of Kyoto Prefecture, the crime rate in the prefecture and the counties under its jurisdiction has dropped sharply. In the dynasties, foreigners with tall noses and deep eyes can be seen everywhere in Fangshi hotels to do business or exchange culture.

Zhao Baiyu has never seen the prosperous Kaiyuan in the history of Bafang Laiyi in his previous life, and the prosperous age he is in now is not too much compared to it.

"My lord Zhao, my little old man has the freshly brewed drunk crab from last night, do you want two of them?"

When crossing the bridge city, the old man selling drunken crabs on the bridge was a regular customer, and when he saw Zhao Baiyu, he immediately called to stop him.

Zhao Baiyu regretfully refused: "It's not very comfortable these days. The doctor specifically told me not to eat raw or cold food, otherwise it will cause abdominal pain." He waved his hands again and again: "I really dare not be greedy."

The old man also showed regret when he heard the words, and then thought of something: "The restaurant across the river has a new dish called rotten steamed lamb, but it is a famous dish that is popular in Kyoto, and you can see nobles coming in and out every day. Listen. It is said that the lamb from Tongzhou is selected, it is delicious and delicious, and the meat is especially fresh and tender. When cooking, it is seasoned with almond tea and other condiments, and finally served on the table. The chopsticks can’t pick it up, so you have to use a spoon to scoop it up. eat."

Zhao Baiyu salivated, "How do you know such details?"

The old man patted his thigh and said: "The little old man's neighbor married a daughter, and we got married. At the wedding banquet, I ordered that rotten steamed lamb and tasted it. When I came back, I never forgot it, and often whispered it in my little old man's ear."

Zhao Baiyu stands at the head of the bridge with his hands in his hands. The river is wide and the afterglow of the setting sun is shining, sparkling. There are tank boats all over the river, and another tank boat is passing under the bridge. There are trackers pulling the boat on the bank, and weeping willows on both sides of the river are facing the wind. swing.

The restaurant the old man was referring to was indeed full of diners, and next to it was an old-fashioned restaurant, the guise at the door swayed in the wind, and the fragrance of the wine wafted for miles, even Zhao Baiyu standing on the bridge could smell the fragrance.

Although it is less than one percent of the previous era, as far as the eye can see, it is already a prosperous and prosperous age that has not been seen in thousands of years.

Pursing his lips and smiling, Zhao Baiyu said: "Thanks to your reminder, I will go and see if I can order their rotten steamed lamb." Saying goodbye to the old man.

Entering the restaurant, it was still early, which really made him book the signboard in the store, order the takeaway service, and deliver it to Chen Shidao's mansion at an agreed time, and told the store owner by the way before leaving: "After it's done, take a bowl and send it to Qiaotou for drunkenness." The crab old man."

The owner of the restaurant patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, my lord, I have written everything down."

Zhao Baiyu left the money and left.

***

I bought some hot food in the market, such as donkey meat, charcoal-grilled rabbit meat, etc. Zhao Baiyu brought them to visit Chen Shidao, but he came to discuss how to be a good teacher for the prince, after all, Chen Shidao's grand master Quite a lot of experience.

As soon as he stepped into the front hall of the Chen Mansion, Zhao Baiyu was surprised to find that Gao Tongzhi and Zhao Boyong were both present.

Zhao Boyong caught a glimpse of Zhao Baiyu and immediately stood up. After a while, he remembered that his movement was too conspicuous, so he sat back in his original position embarrassingly.

Chen Shidao shrugged his nose, and immediately smelled what was in the oil-paper packets in Zhao Baiyu's hand, read them one by one, and said with regret: "It's a pity that such delicious dishes are not accompanied by iced wine. "

Zhao Baiyu: "The restaurant that sells snow-soaked plum blossom wine is in the opposite direction from the way I came here. When I just entered the mansion, I asked the boy to buy it. I should be on my way back now."

Chen Shidao smiled instantly: "I just like Wulang to be a guest, and he understands my thoughts every time."

Zhao Baiyu: "I am a teacher's student myself, how dare I come to see you without some food? You, what can you eat, what do you like to eat, I know all about it."

Chen Shidao: "To tell the truth, Da Lang is not as good as you in understanding being a teacher."

The conversation between the two of them, the master and the apprentice, was particularly natural. The intimacy revealed inside and outside the words made Zhao Boyong's internal organs feel sour, and he hummed unconsciously, which immediately provoked Chen Shidao's deliberate targeting.

"Too dark heart and viscera can easily lead to unhealthy heart qi. When the heart qi is not smooth, the throat will be bad, and people like to hum around and sway yin and yang to make people hate...Zhao Zaizhi, do you think this is the reason?"

Zhao Boyong forced a smile on his face, and just answered a few times.

Satisfied, Chen Shidao patted the table to signal Zhao Baiyu to put all the food here quickly, and ordered the servant girl to bring over some bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses. Tangtang Zaizhi was so excited that he couldn't calm down for a long time.

This is the food that Wu Lang bought with his own hands. The rounding up is Xiao Erlang cooking gold and jade for him, how can he not cherish it?

Zhao Boyong chewed slowly, watching Zhao Baiyu secretly from time to time, pricking up his ears to listen carefully to his discussion with Gao Tongzhi and Chen Shidao on how to educate the prince.

Emperor Yuanshou ordered the four of them, including Lu Zhiyuan, to be the teachers of the princes. Half of them were responsible for literature lectures and ways of governing the country, and the other half were responsible for teaching martial arts and strengthening their bodies.

Chen Shidao is quite familiar with the process of teaching and solving puzzles, "Teach students according to their aptitude and prescribe the right medicine. At present, you don't know the talents and temperaments of the princes. You have to understand them thoroughly before you can give them all-round education. After all, it is different from the past where you treat them like the world. There are no two students, and the crown prince has to choose from them, so he should be careful, so as not to make mistakes and bring disaster to the people."

Zhao Baiyu nodded.

Gao Tongzhi also expressed some of his opinions, and Zhao Boyong even imparted his understanding of the remaining princes.

When Zhao Baiyu faced him, he tried his best not to change his expression, treating him as usual, but in fact he felt a little embarrassed in his heart. Anyone who looked at him with such attentiveness and unconsciousness would probably feel uncomfortable.

He was used to Zhao Boyong always scolding him harshly, with a three-pointed distasteful look, and suddenly changed his attitude. Four years later, he still felt weird.

"The longest term of office of the prefect of Kyoto Prefecture is five years. Counting the year when he was appointed as the economic and strategic envoy to the Northwest, the term of office is almost over. You are now a prince and a junior teacher, and you will not be sent out of Beijing easily. Since you have worked in taxation before It is possible for you to fill the vacancy of the third division commander."

After talking about the teaching mode, there was silence for a while, and Zhao Boyong suddenly spoke.

Zhao Baiyu realized that he was talking to him, froze for a moment, and nodded in response.

Zhao Boyong was a little disappointed, and quickly cheered up and chatted about other things, "Chongyang after autumn, climbing high and looking far, as usual, there will be some chrysanthemum appreciation feasts. Unfortunately, there are not many scenic spots in the mansion, and there are few places where you can climb... I remember that last year Chongyang held a huge Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet in the Yujin Garden under the name of the King of Guangping County. I heard that all the celebrities and literati in the mansion went? Maybe there will be another one this year, will Wulang go? "

Gao Tongzhi silently put down his wine glass and covered his face in silence.

Chen Shidao covered his smiling face with his sleeve, what kind of response could he get with this dry chatting technique?

Zhao Boyong didn't know why, so it was Zhao Baiyu who explained it for him: "There was friction at the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet last year. The politicians, celebrities, and literati fought and smashed many valuable chrysanthemums in the garden. In half a month, it is estimated that there will be no more chrysanthemum appreciation banquets in recent years."

"Why did you fight?" Zhao Boyong asked.

Seeing his curiosity, Zhao Baiyu elaborated: "The reason is that a student from the south who passed the provincial examination and a student from the Imperial College who also passed the provincial examination in the mansion wrote a poem for a pot of ink chrysanthemum. Ji hugged each other, both of them wanted to show off in front of the beautiful woman, but the poems they wrote quoted the same allusion, regardless of their siblings, and refused to give in to each other, so they slandered each other, had a quarrel, and then..." He didn't realize that Uncle Zhao Zhao Zaizhi, who is really in charge of the sect, did not know about Yongwang's loving gaze. "—Actually, in the final analysis, it is still a struggle between the poor school and the nobles, and no one will obey the other."

"That's how it is. You can see the whole leopard at a glance." Zhao Boyong: "Wulang Minjue."

Zhao Baiyu raised his eyebrows when he heard the words, and quickly reacted, bowed his head and smiled, and then fell silent.

Zhao Boyong accepted when he saw a good deal, and Mingjin withdrew his troops.

It was Gao Tongzhi who said, "Shanhelou on the outskirts of the city is a good place to go. It is located among the mountains and you can pick up stars. You can follow the example of the ancients when you climb high and look far away, and you can also enjoy autumn chrysanthemums. Unfortunately, it is not available for rent and is not open to the public. "

Zhao Baiyu: "I remember that Shanhe Tower didn't grow chrysanthemums."

Gao Tongzhi: "Half of the famous products in the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet held by the king of Guangping County were borrowed from Shanhe Tower."

Zhao Baiyu was surprised: "I don't know."

The other three looked at him, and Chen Shi said: "Listen to this, does Wu Lang often go in and out of Shanhe Tower?"

Zhao Baiyu: "Your Majesty gave it to Huo Jingtang."

"No wonder." Chen Shidao patted the table, and suddenly realized: "Your Highness can only cover it and not show off."

At this time, the delivery of rotten steamed lamb was delivered to the house, and when the lid of the lacquered gold box was lifted, the aroma was so strong that it lured all the gluttons in Chen Shidao's stomach.

After eating and drinking enough, it was late at night, drinking tea to relieve boredom, chatting about court affairs, and it was about time before they all went home.

After leaving the Chen Mansion, Gao Tongzhi took Zhao Baiyu to a corner and made a small request: "On the Double Ninth Festival, can I allow the old man and his wife to enter the Shanhe Tower?"

Before Zhao Baiyu could respond, Gao Tongzhi took the initiative to explain the reason: "Madam loves chrysanthemums, but my hand is disabled."

Zhao Baiyu understood, "Tell me later, but it's okay to go."

Gao Tong knew to thank him and left.

When Zhao Baiyu was about to go back to the Prince's Mansion, the Zhao Manor's carriage stopped beside him, and Zhao Boyong said in the car, "I'll take you for a ride."

Zhao Baiyu declined politely: "The County Prince's Mansion and the Zhao Mansion are not on the same path."

Zhao Boyong: "Just go around in circles."

Zhao Baiyu: "No need, the road from Chen's residence to the county prince's residence is not long, I'll just walk back as a snack." He cupped his hands and said goodbye, turned around and left, without seeing the dim eyes of Zhao Boyong behind him.

After walking seven or eight steps, Zhao Baiyu suddenly stopped, turned his back to the moonlight, and cupped his hands towards Zhao Boyong: "Admonish Your Majesty to give up making Huo Jingtang the heir apparent, and Zai Zhi will not hesitate to help, I am grateful .”

Raising his eyes, he said in a soft voice, "I'm not ungrateful."

Speaking of this, Zhao Baiyu quickly turned around and left quickly, without giving Zhao Boyong time to react.

The carriage stopped in the center of the alleyway, under the shimmering moonlight, Zhao Boyong covered his face with his sleeves, weeping with joy.

***

Before the Double Ninth Festival, at the gate of Wende Hall.

Huo Zhaowen begged to see Emperor Yuanshou, and waited respectfully at the door for a long time before the eunuch hurried over and said that Emperor Yuanshou was having dinner in Funing Palace and told him to go there immediately.

Huo Zhaowen didn't say anything else, when he arrived at Defuning Palace, as soon as he entered, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down to ask: "Your Majesty, I have prepared my luggage, and I will leave in two days, so I come here to say goodbye."

"Didn't you leave after the Double Ninth Festival?"

"The weather dropped sharply after the festival, and my grandfather's health was not strong. I was afraid that I would not be able to withstand the cold on the way back to Dingzhou, so I hurried to set off before the cold weather."

When Zheng Guogong returned to Beijing this time, he saw the attitude of Emperor Yuanshou, returned the military power wisely and resigned. He spent most of his life in the frontier, and his wife and grandchildren were there. After resigning, he will go back with Huo Zhaowen state.

As for Zheng Yuanling, since he was a hero, he had made numerous military exploits, and the Duke's government showed weakness, Emperor Yuanshou didn't have much trouble, he only demoted the official for punishment, and he could be promoted back after two years.

Zheng Chuzhi stayed in the capital to take care of the grounded King Qin.

"Come here, sit beside me." Emperor Yuanshou called Huo Zhaowen to have dinner with him, and looked at the sixth child carefully, as if he had been treating him as a stone to be removed since his return. It is found that the facial features are most like him. "Still hate me?"

Huo Zhaowen: "I dare not."

He no longer calls his sons and ministers and father emperor, and there is only the distinction between monarch and minister, without the slightest admiration.

Emperor Yuanshou couldn't help feeling sorry, knowing that he was still resentful, so he didn't say a word, and finished the uncomfortable lunch in silence.

After the meal, before Huo Zhaowen was about to leave, Emperor Yuanshou suddenly said: "Zi'an can guess my layout, he will not let you and the noble concubine commit suicide."

The sudden sentence was actually a response to Huo Zhaowen's question when he was in Yuanqiu. He asked Emperor Yuanshou if he really didn't think they would commit suicide. He didn't get an answer at the time, but now the answer is as good as no.

Huo Zhaowen turned his back to Emperor Yuanshou and smiled ironically. Didn't he think they would die because he believed in Huo Jingtang's tact and friendship?

So ironic.

In the end, his life and that of his biological mother depended on Emperor Yuanshou's eccentricity towards Huo Jingtang.

Huo Zhaowen's sorrow was greater than the death of his heart. He completely lost his father-son affection for Emperor Yuanshou, and for the rest of his life, only the relationship between the monarch and his ministers remained.

"I am frightened."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

***

The Double Ninth Festival arrives.

The county prince's mansion was cleaned up early in the morning. In order not to be intrusive, Huo Jingtang took Zhao Baiyu out of the mansion early. Visit the nearest friend's house.

Kang Wang's mansion happened to be selected, and the two visited the mansion side by side, and found that the carriages and horses in front of the gate were crowded, so they asked the servant who led the way out of curiosity.

Jia Ding said: "It is the dignitaries and dignitaries from various families in the mansion who have come to climb the heights in the mansion."

Only then did Zhao Baiyu remember that there was a five-storey tower in Kang Wang's mansion. It seemed that it was built in the year when the mansion was built, and he fought hard to build a tower in the mansion.

The capital of Kyoto is very expensive, and the closer it is to the root of the imperial city, the narrower the area that can be built, and there is no room for a five-story tower. Therefore, Kang Wang deliberately chose a place far away from the imperial palace when choosing a site to build the mansion. It was ridiculed a lot for this.

He laughed at him for picking sesame seeds and discarding watermelons, but every year during the Double Ninth Festival, there was an endless stream of visitors, most of whom were people who laughed at Kang Wang back then.

When he stepped in, Zhao Baiyu caught a glimpse of a stall set up by the small door next to him, and asked what the purpose was.

Servant: "Gao Duzhi has ordered that you have to charge site fees, melon and fruit fees for climbing... Oh, in order to prevent accidents such as someone poisoning or drugging, killing people and causing damage to the palace, Gao Duzhi specifically ordered that takeout is not allowed. food."

Zhao Baiyu: "..." As expected of Gao Duzhi, who is in charge of the internal treasury, the money basket has become a treasure, so he wondered which festival did not allow Gao Duzhi to collect money.

You can see rockery and lakes through the Chaoshou corridor, and the towers are hidden among the rockeries. Walking through the path in the rockery, you can hear the bustle and noise in the towers in the distance, and there are faint singing voices. Zhao Baiyu immediately gave up. With the idea of ​​going up to the tower to watch, he and Huo Jingtang went back the same way, and found a small boat by the lake, so they simply went boating on the lake.

The Double Ninth Festival is a statutory holiday. Gentlemen, officials and gentry, including students, have a holiday. They climb high together, organize outings in groups, enjoy chrysanthemum feasts, eat flower cakes, drink at parties, recite poems or make paintings when drunk, sing loudly, and pick chrysanthemum petals after they leave. Take it home, and ask people to make chrysanthemum wine, and drink it again on the Chongyang Festival in the coming year, which means longevity and prolongs life.

Zhao Baiyu was lying on the small boat, with his chin propped on the back of his hand, and his eyes were squinted. Today the sun is bright but not dazzling, and the breeze on the lake makes people feel happy and intoxicated.

Huo Jingtang lay on his back on the other side of the small boat, closed his eyes and meditated, lazily, and no one wanted to talk.

But hearing a soft gurgling sound, Zhao Baiyu opened his eyes, listened carefully, and found that it was Huo Jingtang's stomach growling, so he kicked his calf: "Are you hungry?"

Huo Jingtang said concisely: "Yes."

After breakfast was useless, he went to the market to eat breakfast, and then spent an hour in the teahouse drinking a lot of tea, tea helps digestion, and Huo Jingtang already has a large appetite and is prone to hunger, so it is normal to be hungry at the moment.

"Go back to shore for dinner."

Huo Jingtang lay dead: "I don't want to move."

Zhao Baiyu: "Do you want to starve to death?"

Huo Jingtang was unmoved: "Let's starve to death."

Zhao Baiyu clicked his tongue, and as soon as he raised his head, there was a cool wind blowing in his face, his whole body was comfortable and soft. It happened that he was also a little hungry, but when he saw that the boat was a little far away from the shore, he suddenly didn't want to move.

So he lay back.

King Kang, who hadn't seen the two of them for a long time, came here, saw the boat from a distance, and shouted, "What are you doing on that boat? It's been so long, and the chrysanthemum appreciation feast is already halfway through!"

Zhao Baiyu kicked Huo Jingtang lightly: "I'm calling you."

Huo Jingtang used some internal strength to send the words to the shore: "Xiao Lang and I both have some accidents and are trapped here, come and rescue us quickly." His tone was still a little urgent.

Kang Wang was a little skeptical, so he ordered people to row over and drag the two people's boat to the shore. When they found that they were not moving, he hurriedly asked them what happened, whether they had heatstroke or poisoning.

Then Huo Jingtang responded angrily: "I'm hungry."

Kang Wang was stunned, subconsciously looked at the oars on the small boat, and suddenly understood, he was even more stunned: "Forget it, he can't be saved, but Wu Lang, why are you following his unscrupulous appearance?"

He was very distressed, how could Ji Yueguangfeng's Zhao Baiyu be assimilated by Huo Jingtang?

If he is assimilated, how can he tell everyone that Zhao Baiyu and his teacher came from the same school in the future, and how can he use Zhao Baiyu's reputation to receive pictures that are not for sale from those literati who are not interested in oil and salt?

In an instant, there was an illusion that the sky was collapsing, King Kang hurriedly pulled Zhao Baiyu up, and after some caring, he kicked the boat away, pointed at Huo Jingtang who hadn't climbed up yet, and seriously persuaded him: "Listen to what Uncle Ten said. Don't imitate him." Pulling him away, he was still deeply touched: "Sure enough, it's black who is close to ink, why don't Wulang stay in the palace for a while? Or go to your tenth aunt's place, there are There are many interesting things, people who can play and eat, people who have lived in Gaofu don't want to leave..."

Zhao Baiyu smiled at the corner of his mouth. While listening, he looked back quietly. Huo Jingtang looked sleepy, like an eggplant beaten by frost, followed behind boredly, he didn't care about Kang Wang's slander, suddenly raised his eyes, grabbed Zhao Baiyu opened his eyes and said silently: "Nagging, Wang Po sells melons."

Zhao Baiyu was afraid of hurting Kang Wang's heart by laughing out loud, so he turned his head quickly.

Kang Wang did not take them to the tower, but led them to another relatively secluded waterside pavilion, and Gao Duzhi was waiting for them at the door.As soon as the door was pushed open, the music of silk and bamboo singing inside spread to the ears, and the first thing that caught the eye was the full house of autumn chrysanthemums, as if plated with a layer of gold, illuminating the room with brilliance.

Stepping up the stairs and entering the terrace, there are many varieties of chrysanthemums.

Gao Duzhi folded a black chrysanthemum hairpin to Zhao Baiyu's temple: "I just wanted to say, how can there be no hairpins for the Double Ninth Festival? Poems written with colored pens, hairpins with green hair, young people have fun." Look, Smiled with satisfaction. "This morning, I invited the chef from the restaurant to come over to cook rotten steamed lamb and autumn crab. They were still steaming when they were served."

"I'm sorry for bothering you so much." Zhao Baiyu said politely, without stopping.

But Kang Wang felt comfortable listening.

Huo Jingtang casually patted Kang Wang on the shoulder, "Get out of the way, don't hit the door." He walked into the table familiarly and sat next to Zhao Baiyu.

There were also Li Yanqi, Du Gongxian, Fan Wenming, and He Guangyou, the former prefect of Xuzhou, who was promoted to Beijing official. What is surprising is that Lu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on the Hu bed opposite, surrounded by three or four officials from the Imperial Academy. .

Zhao Baiyu searched around, but he didn't see Chen Shidao and Gao Tong knew these people, so he knew they hadn't come.

Gao Duzhi said with a smile: "I really want to invite more and more prime ministers, so that my place can be full of people. It's a pity that my family sees Grand Master Chen like a mouse sees a cat."

He took the teacup from the boy, "Taste it."

Zhao Baiyu took it, and found that the cup was covered with white foam, he couldn't help but marvel: "Excellent craftsmanship." At that time, people made tea with more white foam as the most expensive, that is, 'the ink is black, and the tea is white', "Who made it? "

Huo Jingtang knocked on the table and pointed to Lu Zhiyuan.

Zhao Baiyu followed the prestige, and saw Lu Zhiyuan holding the teapot, like a veteran in the battlefield, the tea gurgled into the cup, with a layer of white foam, and the wide sleeves were raised with the movement, and the posture was smooth and flowing, all in one go.

He Guangyou, who was diagonally opposite, stroked his beard and sighed: "Snow foam milk flower floating afternoon cup, Polygonum antler and Artemisia bamboo shoots try spring plate—"

But there is no Artemisia annua bamboo shoots, but there are wild chrysanthemum and shepherd's purse cooked into porridge, which is not inferior to the tender Artemisia bamboo shoots in early spring.

"The taste in the world is Qinghuan!"

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The author has something to say:

PS: There will be episodes of Xie Shi and Zhao Yuzheng.Zhao Yuzheng and Changping are not written in the main text because they intend to put it in a special episode

PS: Because the work schedule has been messed up recently, the extra episode has been temporarily moved to the evening update, and I will try my best as early as possible