The light in the carriage was very dim, with only an oil lamp no larger than the size of a palm. A gust of wind roared, and the cold wind penetrated the cracks in the wooden boards around the carriage, blowing the already fluttering lights from side to side. Forbes couldn't help but shudder.
.
"It's really cheap but not good! This carriage is an antique from who knows what age. Except for the fact that the bottom of the carriage is not exposed to the wind, the rest of it is no different from the outside! That stupid innkeeper is so lucky to brag about it.
, I didn’t expect that I actually fell into his trap! If I freeze myself, it doesn’t matter, but if I freeze the young master, then I have really committed a huge sin! That bitch, go back and follow
He settles the score!"
Thinking of this, Uncle Fu secretly took a look at Liu Ruyi beside him. Things are different now. The child he watched grow up has really grown up. He is so young, but he is impeccable in doing things. Compared with
Compared with his father Liu Hu, he was not inferior at all. In fact, Uncle Fu felt that the young master in front of him seemed to be even more outstanding than Liu Hu in his heyday.
Unknowingly, Uncle Fu already regarded Liu Ruyi as his backbone.
It was very cold inside the carriage, but Liu Ruyi seemed to have no feeling. He frowned slightly, closed his eyes tightly, and there was no expression on his handsome face. He leaned lightly against the wall of the carriage beside him, wondering what he was thinking about.
In fact, Liu Ruyi was in a very confused state of mind at this time, with some expectations, but more of a feeling of uncertainty!
"This naughty Mr. Jia is really a loach. His hands are so slippery that it's impossible to grasp his pulse! He accepted the money, but he picked it off cleanly. He is really a wonderful man.
Son! If he were to travel to the next life, his achievements would be much higher than what he has achieved now!" Liu Ruyi secretly slandered Mr. Jia, but her mind was clear. At this point, she had no choice but to force herself.
Keep your head and move forward!
At this time, the originally rhythmic sound of horse hooves suddenly stopped, and the driver in front shouted loudly: "Master, we are here!"
Liu Ruyi opened her eyes suddenly, winked at Uncle Fu who was standing beside her, jumped off the carriage, and walked directly towards the inside of the inn.
It was already the beginning of Haishi, about ten o'clock in the evening. In this era, transportation was not as developed and advanced as in later generations. What would only take ten minutes to drive in later generations would now take more than half an hour.
The night wind was very cold. Liu Ruyi wrapped her clothes tightly and walked quickly towards the small courtyard where she rented.
"Young Master, are you back?" Xiao Liu'er had sharp eyes. When he saw Liu Ruyi coming, he quickly opened the courtyard door and welcomed Liu Ruyi inside.
Liu Ruyi smiled and patted Xiao Liu'er's shoulder, looking at Xiao Liu'er and Huo Lang who were like door gods, "It's so late, why don't you go to bed?
Xiao Liuer scratched the back of his head naively, "Young Master, Madam ordered us to wait for you here!"
Liu Ruyi raised her head and looked towards the main guest room in the inner courtyard. Sure enough, the lights were still on. Liu Ruyi felt warm in her heart. She took out a piece of broken silver from her arms and handed it to Xiao Liuer, "Go ahead and buy a few bottles of good wine. You and Huo
"Two pots for each man, take another pot and send it to my room!"
"Okay!" Xiao Liu'er and Huo Lang were both overjoyed. They turned around and ran towards the front yard. Even though they were young, wine was something that no matter their age for men.
Liu Ruyi looked at the energetic backs of the two people, but her nerves relaxed.
"Ruyi, but you're back?" Ms. Zou walked out quickly wearing a cotton coat.
"Mom, it's freezing cold today, why did you come out? Let's go inside to talk!" Liu Ruyi hurriedly supported her mother and walked towards the room.
Mrs. Zou added some charcoal to the brazier and poured Liu Ruyi a cup of hot tea. Then she sat next to her son, took Liu Ruyi's hand and whispered: "How about over there?"
Liu Ruyi didn't want her mother to worry, "Mom, don't worry! Although Mr. Jia didn't agree to it, he promised to introduce me to Shandong Commander-in-Chief Ni Chong tomorrow. I think this matter shouldn't be a big deal!"
Only then did Zou feel relieved. She took off a string of Buddhist beads from her wrist, clasped her hands together, and muttered something in her mouth, "The Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, you must bless my son with all his wishes, all his wishes come true, and everything goes well for the rest of his life."
May I always be with the Bodhisattva, burning incense and making wishes for my son day and night..."
…………
In the afternoon of the next day, after everything was done, Liu Ruyi changed into a simple blue robe and a green scarf on her head. Her original fierce murderous aura was gone, and she looked like an elegant young scholar.
Since this was a banquet hosted by the Xiao family for the powerful, Liu Ruyi did not ask Xiao Liuer and Huolang to follow him, but asked them to stay to protect his mother. He only took his old servant Fu Bo and drove the carriage toward
Songyuelou rushed over.
However, even so, Liu Ruyi did not dare to be careless about his own safety. A sharp dagger was tightly inserted into the belt around his waist. If an accident really happened, he would be able to protect himself.
.
Songyue Tower is located in the bustling market on the south bank of Daming Lake. It has a history of more than a hundred years and covers an area of about ten acres. The main body is composed of a four-story wooden pavilion.
It is said that this shop was founded by the former imperial chef and Shandong cuisine master "She Sandao". After a hundred years of ups and downs, the business of this shop is still as prosperous as ever without much influence from the current situation. It is also a piece of gold in the city of Jinan
Shop sign.
In the evening, when the lanterns first came on, Liu Ruyi rode the carriage that was about to fall apart and drove slowly to the door of Songyue Tower.
At this time, the open space in front of Songyue Tower was filled with all kinds of luxurious carriages. Behind every dignitary, there must be a group of servants waiting on them. They carefully served their masters and walked in orderly.
Uncle Fu is an old man with extraordinary eyesight. Although these people are usually aloof, the Liu family in Zhangqiu is not a small family. They have some contact with these big shots on weekdays, so they carefully serve Liu Ruyi.
Introducing the origins of these big figures.
"Young Master, look, that person over there is Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong!"
Following the direction of Uncle Fu's finger, Liu Ruyi looked at a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe on the side.
This man is tall, quite thin, with a pale complexion, a long beard on his chin swaying lightly in the wind, and his whole body is full of majesty. Thinking about it, this is an aura that can only be cultivated after being in a position of superiority for a long time.
Although Liu Ruyi was not a history major in his previous life, he was well-known for it!
Yan Jizu, whose courtesy name was Shengqi and whose name was Tonglan, was born as a Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli.
He was a decent man, brave and resourceful, and quite good at fighting. In the first year of Chongzhen, he made great contributions in the eradication of the "Nine Thousand Years Old Wei Zhongxian" case, and he was considered one of the few capable ministers in the late Ming Dynasty.
.
However, his end was extremely tragic. In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, due to the strategic mistakes of Yang Sichang, the chief minister of the cabinet, Jinan City fell into the hands of the Qing army, and all 200,000 people were looted! Afterwards, Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong,
Together with Ni Chong and Chen Guowei, the chief military officers of Shandong, they were used as scapegoats and executed at the entrance of the market. However, Yang Sichang was not punished in any way because of the trust of Emperor Chongzhen. He can be regarded as a tragic figure.
Before Liu Ruyi could observe carefully, Mr. Yan had already strode into the door of Songyue Tower.
Uncle Fu then introduced Liu Ruyi to some of the senior officials behind him, "Young master, that is Shandong Chief Envoy Zhang Bingwen, the two next to him are Deputy Chief Envoys Deng Qianji and Zhou Zhixun, and the one behind is Water Transport Envoy Tang Shixiong
, the last one who is slightly fatter is the prefect of Jinan Gou Haoshan..."
Following Fu Bo's detailed introduction, Liu Ruyi had some general impressions of these dignitaries, but after all, the time was too short, and Liu Ruyi could only write down the general appearance of everyone.
At this time, another carriage drove over from not far away. After a while, a thin middle-aged man stepped out of the carriage. He was not tall, but his big eyes were bright and clear. Wherever he glanced,
No one dared to look him in the eyes.
Uncle Fu suddenly pulled Liu Ruyi's clothes gently, and whispered in Liu Ruyi's ear: "Young master, this person is Song Xuezhu, the censor of Shandong Province. I heard that he and Mr. Yuan Ming are close friends.
, young master, please pay more attention to this person when you arrive!"
Liu Ruyi nodded, this is a strength that can be used...
…………
By this time, it was already dark.
More officials and gentry came one after another from all directions. However, Liu Ruyi and Uncle Fu waited in the corner at the entrance of Songyue Tower for almost an hour, but Mr. Jia, the magistrate of Jinan Prefecture, still failed to show up.
"Young Master, what should we do? Keep waiting here, or find a way to sneak in first?" Uncle Fu was even more concerned about Liu Ruyi's future than Liu Ruyi. Seeing that the real owner never showed up, he was a little anxious.
.
"Don't panic, calm down, wait for a while!" Liu Ruyi also felt a little impatient in her heart, and secretly cursed: "Is it possible that Mr. Jia wants to let him go?"
Another quarter of an hour passed, but there was still no sign of Mr. Jia. Uncle Fu whispered: "Young master, we can't wait any longer. Maybe Mr. Jia has already entered in advance! Let's find a way to sneak in first, and then talk about other things.
?”
Liu Ruyi nodded and glanced around the door of Songyue Tower, but just then he found a familiar figure walking out of it. It was Xiao Zixin's accountant - Lao Gui.
The corner of Liu Ruyi's mouth raised slightly, and she quickly pulled Uncle Fu aside, "Uncle Fu, I'm afraid we don't have to sneak in!" After Liu Ruyi said that, she directly pulled Uncle Fu, who was still in shock, and headed straight for the door of Songyue Tower.
Go.
"Mr. Liu? Is it really you?" Lao Gui looked at Liu Ruyi walking towards him with a smile, his face instantly filled with surprise of meeting again after a long separation.
"Haha, he is a student! Uncle Gui, are you okay?" Liu Ruyi walked forward quickly and gave Lao Gui a firm hug.
In the Purple River Valley, the friendship between the two was established through life and death, which is extraordinary. Xiao Zixin even gave Liu Ruyi the jade plaque she was wearing, which made Lao Gui even more enthusiastic about Liu Ruyi.
After chatting for a moment, Lao Gui said with some confusion: "Master Liu, why are you here today?"
Liu Ruyi smiled slightly and said calmly: "Uncle, I am recommended by an elder today. The student wants to ask for a job from the adults there! What? Don't you welcome me, uncle?"
After hearing this, Lao Gui laughed and said, "Master Liu, why did you say this! You are an honored guest that I can't even invite. How can I turn you away?"
After a pause, the old lady said again: "Mr. Liu, since we left the small town, my lady has sent people to look for your mother and son many times, hoping to repay Mr. Liu and his mother for saving their lives. Unfortunately, we only found out about Mr. Liu and his mother.
We have already arrived at Jinan City and found nothing else! What a coincidence today! Haha, I, the noble man, can be on business with the lady!"
"Mr. Liu, please come inside!" Lao Gui deliberately made an exaggerated gesture and led Liu Ruyi and Uncle Fu towards the inside of Songyue Tower.
But just a few steps away, a tall man with a majestic face and a brocade robe walked towards Liu Ruyi and the others. He looked at Liu Ruyi gently and said with some displeasure: "Old man
Gui, do you know what day it is today? Ah? What kind of person dares to get it from here?"