Dressed as Su Peisheng

Kangxi 44 years

On the evening of December [-]th, Siye Mansion

The East Courtyard was pitch black, and the fourth elder brother was sitting behind the desk, and the room was silent.

Zhang Qilinhou was in the outer hall, seeing that the time was getting later and later, the fourth elder brother came back from Changchun Garden without a single grain of rice.Zhang Bao walked into the door with the tray, Zhang Qilin shook his head at him.

The gray moonlight penetrated through the window lattice, and a round clay pot cast a shadow on the table.The fourth elder brother touched the jar with his hand and sighed slowly.

Coming out of the study, Zhang Bao and Zhang Qilin hurriedly bowed and saluted, "Master, the slave has brought you dinner."

"I'm not hungry, take it back," the fourth elder brother waved his hand lightly, and walked towards the bedroom.

Waiting for the fourth elder brother to sleep, Zhang Bao and Zhang Qilin returned to the study to clean up briefly.

Zhang Qilin was taken aback by the pot on the table, and turned to Zhang Bao, "Isn't this the earthen pot that holds the stinky tofu?"

Zhang Bao sighed, "Eunuch Su is too stubborn, I wish he was here at this time..."

Daliangzhuang in the suburbs of Beijing

Su Wei sat on the threshold, staring at the sky full of stars in a daze.Xiaoyingzi held half a piece of cantaloupe and sat next to Su Wei with a ponytail.

"Can't you let your master stay by himself for a while?" Su Wei said in a muffled voice, looking up at the sky without moving.

"The shop will open the day after tomorrow, so why worry about it, Master?" Xiao Yingzi blinked, puffing her cheeks like a hamster.

Su Wei glanced at him, and sighed silently, "The opening of the shop is the beginning of the trouble. Those who can do business in the capital are all good people. If you have to deal with them in the future, you will be exhausted waiting."

"Master, do you regret it?" Xiao Yingzi curled his mouth and rubbed against Su Wei, "Master misses Lord Baylor, right?"

"I want you to take care of it!" Su Wei snatched Xiaoyingzi's cantaloupe, and took a bite bitterly, "You go to the house tomorrow to deliver a letter, saying that my shop will open the day after tomorrow, and the shop is at the entrance of Xitangzi Hutong .”

Xiaoyingzi was dumbfounded, looked at Su Wei helplessly, and said, "Master, you are confused. The Chinese New Year is closed the day after tomorrow, and Lord Belle is going to enter the palace to attend the court banquet. There is no way to come here after getting the news."

"Who asked him to come here?" Su Weinu pursed his mouth angrily, "I just want to inform, besides, the money belongs to the mansion, not mine alone."

"A boiled duck is so stiff that it can't be smashed," Xiaoyingzi mumbled and went back to the house.

Su Wei glared at him, then looked up at the sky, but the evening wind blew away the clouds and blocked the stars in the sky.

On the last day of the 44th year of Kangxi, the fourth elder brother did not go to Changchun Garden to meet him, nor did he see anyone.

After breakfast, Zhang Qilin was very sad looking at the almost untouched porridge bowl, and was about to send another person to get some stinky tofu from Eunuch Su, when Zhang Bao entered the courtyard with two brand new clay pots.

"Hey, are you looking for Eunuch Su?" Zhang Qilin grinned.

"No, it was Xiaoyingzi who brought it back." Zhang Bao put the jar on the porch and threw up his hands, "Grandpa Su's shop will open tomorrow, and Xiaoyingzi came to deliver the letter."

"Why do you choose to open during the New Year's Eve?" Zhang Qilin frowned, "Isn't our master going to Changchun Garden to attend the court banquet tomorrow?"

"I'm trying to make it auspicious," Zhang Bao sighed, "Let's wait until after the New Year's Eve. I'll go into the house and tell the master."

In the study room, the fourth elder brother flipped through the roster of the clan and royal relatives, frowning from time to time.

Zhang Bao bowed in, bowed his head and saluted, "Master, just now Xiao Yingzi came back to pass the news that Eunuch Su's shop will open tomorrow, at the entrance of Xitangzi Hutong."

"Master has to go to Changchun Garden tomorrow," said the fourth elder brother, raising his eyebrows. "Send someone to send some congratulatory gifts. Don't use the name of our mansion. Su Peisheng must be hiding his identity."

"Yes," Zhang Bao bowed his head, hesitated for a moment and then raised his head, "Master, Xiaoyingzi sent two more cans of fermented bean curd. This time there is a can of red one, which is not smelly. Xiaoyingzi said, this fermented bean curd is better than sesame paste. It’s the best to dip in the pot. At lunch time, the servant asked the kitchen to prepare it for you?”

"No need," the fourth elder brother still had the same expression, and his voice was calm, "Master Lunch is going to eat at Niu Hulu's. She has a big belly and can't eat too greasy things."

"Yes," Zhang Bao bowed his head in salute, and retreated under orders.In the end, he sighed silently.

Baye Mansion

Bafujin has been in poor health since her miscarriage, and recently she has been able to walk a little.

The eighth elder brother accompanied her to wander slowly in the backyard, and a servant prepared a gift list and presented it to the eighth elder brother.

"Are you still planning to attend the court banquet tomorrow?" Ba Fujin glanced at the gift list and frowned slightly.

"Of course you have to participate," Yinhu handed the list to the servant, "The more Huang Ama doesn't want to see you, the more you can't withdraw."

"But," Ba Fujin hesitated for a moment and said, "The emperor is already taboo about being protected by all the ministers. Isn't it even more reproachful if I blatantly give gifts around?"

Yinhu chuckled lightly, lowered his head and said, "I'm a dignified prince of the Qing Dynasty. It's shameful to rush to give gifts to the courtiers. But I just want to show Huang Ama how helpless and powerless I am. .If Huang Ama taboos me because of the influence of powerful ministers, I will show him my incompetent side."

"It's good that I have a plan," Ba Fujin pursed his lips, and smiled bluntly, "Now that I have a miscarriage, it will be difficult to have children in the future. Originally, I wanted to give birth to a son , more open branches and leaves. Nowadays, the sky is not beautiful, and the concubine is not up to the mark. After the new year is over, the concubine will go to the palace to discuss with Emiang, and fill in some new people for our house."

Yinhu was stunned for a moment, turned to look at Fujin, and shook his head, "Don't worry about these things, Fujin, take care of your body first. Don't worry about the child, you and I are still young, so don't be afraid to wait."

Ba Fujin's eyes flickered, he nodded his head, and stopped talking.

Siyefu

The fourth elder brother had lunch in Niu Hulu's house, told her to cultivate herself well, then got up and left.

Gege Geng happened to be returning from the Fujin courtyard, and met him head-on, "My concubine, Geng, pays tribute to Lord Baylor".

"Well, get up, you have worked hard to take care of Rong Yue these days," the fourth elder brother said calmly.

"It's all Sister Wu's hard work, and I can't help you much." Geng stood up, glanced at the fourth elder brother and said, "Master Belle has something on his mind? His face is not very good."

"It's nothing serious about some government affairs, you can go back and rest," the fourth elder brother breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to leave.

Geng Shi was taken aback for a moment, pursed his lips and said in a loud voice, "If the master doesn't dislike it, can you tell me about it."

The fourth elder brother froze in his footsteps and turned to look at Geng Shi.

Geng squeezed the handkerchief, stepped forward and said, "I'm taking the liberty. When I was at home, I used to hear my father talk about court affairs. Although I don't know much about it, I have learned something after a long time. I know, the back house should not interfere in political affairs. But if the master wants someone to talk to, I can still answer a word or two."

Geng's words surprised the fourth elder brother, and the attendant Zhang Qilin was also surprised.Since entering the mansion, this Geng Gege has almost no sense of presence, and rarely shows himself in front of others, why is he so bold today.

On the other side, Geng pursed her lips tightly, waiting for the order of the fourth elder brother like a prisoner waiting for the punishment of the Yamen. It wasn't that she wanted to play any tricks, but she just didn't want to miss it again.It has been nearly four years since she entered the mansion, and the number of times the fourth elder brother came to her house can be counted on two hands.

Now, Niu Hulu, who entered the mansion later than her, is pregnant, and Nian is directly side Fujin.Time is easy to grow old, how many four years can a woman wait for?She really didn't want to spend the rest of her life in silence and mediocrity without anyone to rely on.

The fourth elder brother looked at Geng Shi for a while, his eyes as deep as a deep pool seemed to contain no waves, and after a while he said, "In that case, you and my master can go to the East Garden for a walk."

Geng breathed a sigh of relief silently, lowered his body and said, "Yes".

East Garden

Along the way, the fourth elder brother hardly said anything. The courtyard in winter is a bit bleak, but the artificial hills and pavilions scattered among the white are exquisite.

Geng walked beside the fourth elder brother, looking left and right interestingly.Zhang Qilin waved off the other servants, and followed behind him not far or near, his heart pounding.

"You look preoccupied. I don't know how much you have for lunch? I'm here with Fujin at noon, and Fujin isn't very energetic," Geng Shi glanced at the fourth elder brother and said in a soft voice.

"Fu Jin's body has not been recovering quickly," the fourth elder brother walked slowly along the gravel path with his hands behind his back, "After winter, he should be able to recover."

"The concubine's mother is always in poor health. She often complains to her children behind her back that her father is always busy with official duties and has no time to accompany her." Geng nodded slightly. Let's accompany Fujin."

"I often go to Fujin's courtyard recently," the fourth elder brother lowered his head and straightened his cuffs, "Hong Hui passed away, and I and Fujin feel the same way."

Geng Shi pursed her lips, and said in a slightly lower voice, "Being close doesn't mean being together, and being together doesn't mean being together. After all, the master's mind is not in the house."

The fourth elder brother glanced at Geng Shi, raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "You just said that you often heard your father talk about the affairs of the court when you were in your mother's house?"

"Yes," Geng lowered his head, "There are no males in the family, and my father doesn't want me to be an ignorant woman in the boudoir, so he often tells me about outside things, and the most mentioned ones are from the imperial court." Intriguingly, I cheated."

"Oh?" The fourth elder brother breathed out with some interest, "Then you can also guess, what political affairs are you upset about?"

"It's not difficult," Geng said very bluntly, "My lord is the prince, and the prince's pre-government must have something to do with the fight for the heirloom."

"Okay," the fourth elder brother bent his lips, "it's rare for you to speak frankly. When you were at home, did your father mention the fight between the princes to you?"

Geng nodded, "Although my father is only a small leader, he can't avoid the gangsters of powerful officials in the capital. For a while, my father mentioned to me the most, that is, Suo Xiang and Ming Xiang. Pass the crown prince and eldest brother."

The fourth elder brother pursed his lips and looked up at the sky, "No matter how glorious the days are, there will always be annihilation. Now, that is all in the past tense."

"The concubine is now living in the back house, I don't know what's going on outside," Geng suppressed his voice, "but I still remember that my father said a very disrespectful word when he was drunk."

"What did you say?" The fourth elder brother raised his eyebrows, "It's okay if you say it, I won't pursue it."

Geng breathed a sigh of relief, "My father said that it was wrong for the Holy Majesty to rush to appoint a crown prince. One step was wrong, one step was wrong. Now it is too late to recover. If you want to completely suppress the struggle between princes, you must start from the root. "

"How do you start from the root?" The fourth elder brother squinted his eyes.

"My father said that when the new king ascends the throne, he doesn't want to fight against the princes. One way is not to appoint a crown prince at all. It's just a bit risky to confer the crown prince when the new king is old. There is another one," Geng said after a pause, "that's the secret." Li Chu, if the prince and the courtiers don't know who the emperor is interested in, naturally there will be less open and secret fighting."

The fourth elder brother was silent for a while, and Geng Shi didn't say anything more. After a long while, the fourth elder brother sighed softly, "Your father is quite knowledgeable."

"Father was seriously ill in his early years and fell into a persistent illness, and now he is begging for retirement," Geng said with his head down.

The fourth elder brother felt a little regretful, looked at Geng, then pursed the corners of his lips lightly and said, "It's just the current situation, it has nothing to do with how to establish a reserve. The position of the crown prince is trembling, the eldest brother has already lost, and new princes are emerging one after another. The emperor is the best." Mayi's Yinxiang has a leg problem. I'm just worried that if I take a wrong step and get caught in this vortex, it will be difficult for me to get out."

Geng's eyes flickered slightly, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Have you ever seen the little whirlwind blowing in the bushes in autumn?"

The fourth elder brother glanced at Geng Shi, slightly puzzled, Geng Shi bent his lips and said, "When I was free, I observed carefully that all the leaves in the whirlwind were blown up, and some leaves were broken. stalks, some with broken leaf veins, except for a few pieces."

Geng raised his head and stared at the fourth elder brother for a moment, "They are in the center of the whirlwind, they are in the right position, unbiased, not affected by the leaves around them, and there are no branches leading by them."

"The branch that leads by the side..." The fourth elder brother let out a breath slowly, "You are right, in this vortex, apart from being cautious and step-by-step, the most important thing is not to have any weaknesses or entanglements. in front of people".

Geng lowered his head, his brows were soft, but Zhang Qilin who was not far away was slightly stiff and sighed silently.

January [-]st

The fourth elder brother walked out of Geng's courtyard, his face sank like water, Zhang Bao, who was changing shifts with Zhang Qilin, was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that the person in front of him was not the fourth elder brother they knew well.

The carriage drove out of Si Ye's mansion and wandered towards Changchun Garden. Since they didn't need to listen to the government, they didn't leave too early. By the time they got out of the long street, it was almost late.

Zhang Bao was sitting outside the car door, always in a bad mood. He had already heard Zhang Qilin embellish the conversation between Geng Gege and Fourth Master yesterday.Although he didn't know what the fourth elder brother was thinking, he roughly guessed what kind of resolution their master had made.

"Zhang Bao!"

With a shout from the carriage, Zhang Bao hurriedly opened the door, "Master, what are your orders?"

"It's still early," the fourth elder brother pursed his lips, "let's make a detour to Xitangzi Hutong."

"Hey," Zhang Baoli responded, turned around and ordered the coachman to turn his horse and go down the city.

Because it was the New Year's Eve, Su Wei thought that there wouldn't be too many people coming to congratulate him. He didn't expect that the treasurer and shopkeeper who had met recently, although they would not come in person, they all sent people to send congratulatory gifts. Also lively.

"Master, the auspicious time is coming, let's set off the cannon," Xiaoyingzi said, jumping to Su Wei's side.

Su Wei stretched his neck and looked into the distance again, looking a little lonely, Xiao Yingzi pulled his arm and said, "My lord sent someone to send a congratulatory gift, so I can't help but say that I have to go to the imperial banquet today Son."

Su Wei pursed his lips and sighed, "Let's fire the gun."

"Hey," Xiaoyingzi happily ran towards the hanging whip holding the burning incense. Su Wei plugged his ears and walked under the eaves of the shop.

What he didn't know was that at the other end of the alley, there was an exquisitely decorated carriage parked, with heavy guards on both sides of the carriage.

"Master, it looks quite lively," Zhang Bao stood by the car window, "It's just that I can't see it clearly, why don't we move forward?"

The fourth elder brother opened the car window and looked at the entrance of the alley, which was particularly festive. Firecrackers and cheers from the crowd sounded in his ears.

"No, let's go," the fourth elder brother lowered the window after the firecrackers were set off.

Zhang Bao pursed his lips, followed by jumping onto the beam of the car, and a group of people sped away.

During this year's court banquet, many people looked at the fourth elder brother with a slight change in their eyes. The fourth elder brother didn't care, but just drank one cup after another, and finally left the table early.

Because it was too late, the princes were all left in Changchun Garden by the emperor, and the fourth elder brother still lived in Chengluxuan.

The air in Changchun garden is flowing, warm in winter and cool in summer, and the water by the lake is still full of spring. The fourth elder brother stood quietly by the lake for a while, then turned and entered the bedroom.

Zhang Bao brought the hangover soup into the room, and the fourth elder brother was lying on the couch and fiddling with the Rubik's cube.

"Master hasn't rolled the dice these days," Zhang Bao pursed his lips and said softly.

"This is called a Rubik's Cube, not a dice," the fourth elder brother said without raising his head or eyes.

Zhang Bao smiled, "The servants don't know what a Rubik's Cube is, they just think it looks like a dice."

The fourth elder brother also bent the corner of his mouth, "He has never been able to make things. Although his mind is full of whimsy, the things he makes are always weird."

"I've seen it before," Zhang Bao raised the corner of his mouth lightly, "Eunuch Su's hands are not dexterous, but for the sake of the master, he would rather try his best to do it with his own hands."

The fourth elder brother was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed softly and said, "Do you think that all that Su Wei has done for me will be in vain?"

"I don't dare," Zhang Bao hurriedly leaned over.

The fourth elder brother shook his head, "Get up, I don't blame you, in fact, I think so too. He and I are like a cycle of dead ends. No matter how we go around, we will eventually reach that node. Right now, I can no longer After being content with others, he has been away from me for nearly a year."

Zhang Bao raised his head to look at the fourth elder brother, and found a gleam in the fourth master's eyes, "Master—"

"It's just such a thing," said the fourth elder brother with a bitter smile, "a pile of bones forcibly separated me and him on both sides of a wall. I know he was doing it for my own good, and we had to do it, but I still want to blame him, why he refused to come to see me, why he climbed up the wall, but refused to let me see him. But now, I don't want to complain anymore, and I can't complain any more. "

Zhang Bao lowered his head, knelt on the ground and didn't dare to move, he could hear the panic in the fourth elder brother's voice, he didn't dare to raise his head to look at the face that had never shown his fragile appearance in front of people when elder brother Honghui passed away.

"I have chosen this path, and I can't turn back," the fourth elder brother said hoarsely. "Actually, at the beginning, I didn't have any way to turn back. Fortunately, because of this dice, Su Wei left this place." A dead end, let him jump into a wider world."

"Master, Eunuch Su may not—" Zhang Bao wanted to explain, but was interrupted by the fourth elder brother.

"Time can always erase everything," the fourth elder brother said in a deep voice, "Su Wei is very powerful, very smart, and very persistent. When I saw that shop opened today, I knew that he would succeed. Just stay away from this place. In the chaotic court, he is not a slave, not a eunuch, no need to bow to others, no need to be humble, no need to worry, one day he will lose his head."

"Master, you wouldn't say that before," Zhang Bao finally couldn't help but raised his head, but the fourth elder brother hid his face in the shadow, making it hard to see his expression clearly.

"Time can erase everything, and it can also make people see the reality clearly." The fourth elder brother lowered his head and turned the Rubik's cube in his hand, his voice was so hoarse that it was unbearable to hear, "Go out and let the master be quiet."

Zhang Bao still wanted to say something, but he pursed his lips again and again, and finally bowed his head and said, "The slave will leave."

In the world, not everything can be done independently of oneself and held high.

Zhang Bao has watched the relationship between Su Peisheng and the fourth elder brother almost all the way, and now it seems to have come to an end. Something involved Zhang Bao's emotions, which made him lose his former agility for the first time, get up, turn around, and walk out They are as slow as old people.

Could it be that the relationship of more than twenty years is really going to end without a problem like this?If Eunuch Su was here, how would he react? Su Peisheng chose to leave the mansion at the beginning and did not see the fourth elder brother for a year, whether it was wrong or right.

The moment before stepping over the threshold, Zhang Bao was still sighing and struggling, but the next moment, he was startled in place by a strange clicking sound and the sound of falling to the ground.

Turning around, the fourth elder brother Zheng sat on the couch in a daze, the Rubik's Cube in his hand broke into two pieces, and the full red beans bounced off the Rubik's Cube, flowed to the side of the couch, and fell to the ground.

"After my words and deeds, the construction department made this twelve-sided Rubik's cube into a puzzle box. If you match the twelve colors, you can open the Rubik's cube and see the treasure inside."

"This thing is not given to you for nothing, we have to make an agreement."

"If the Rubik's Cube is not opened for a day, you and I will not see each other for a day."

"The slave doesn't know what a Rubik's Cube is, but thinks it looks like a dice."

Can time really erase everything? If one year can erase something, what can 24 years build?

"Linglong dice An Hongdou, do you know about lovesickness?"

Zhang Bao couldn't remember who taught him this sentence...