In the six hundred years since the founding of the Qian Dynasty, many wise kings and great emperors appeared in large numbers. In the past two hundred years, things have gone downhill. This generation of emperors is more of a player, and a player with a long life. In their hands, the empire is declining, and aristocratic families, sects, and warlords have become bigger. , the government decrees are like waste paper. The various factions within the empire are in chaos, and the county guards are useless. It’s okay to meet a capable and upright county guard, but if you meet someone who is complicit, it will be a situation where the people will not be able to make a living.
The official road in Yan'an County is flat and most merchants choose the official road to rush, and few take the smaller roads in order to rush for time. The world is in chaos, and the hills are full of bandits. Professionals and non-professionals dare to block the road and rob with a wooden stick. On this day, Hutou In the dense forest beside the road at the foot of the mountain, four thin, yellow-faced men holding poles and hoes looked toward the forest path with big eyes and small eyes looking forward to the stars and the moon...
"Brother, it's been a few days now and we haven't accomplished a single thing. We can't go on like this!"
"Third brother, I'm so scared. I heard from the people on the hilltop next door that if we don't open our business, we'll have to wait for three years."
"Brother, I haven't eaten for more than a day and I can't stand it any longer!"
"The youngest is insisting. I'll do my best to invite you to Chunhua Tower in Yan'an County."
"Big-big-big pot, look." The second brother, who was slurring his words, pointed excitedly in the direction of the path, and saw two figures coming along the road...
Master Li Taiping and his apprentice left Yanchuan County early in the morning. After all, if they hit someone, it would be hard to wait for them to come knocking. Although they were not afraid of retaliation, after all, it was better to do less than to do more.
Seeing that it was getting late, the old Taoist priest took a small road and wanted to reach Yan'an County before dark, otherwise he would have to sleep in the wild as soon as the city gate was closed. Li Taiping took the lead with a mahogany sword on his back, muttering in his mouth: "The poor mountains and harsh rivers, What should I do if I encounter a robber? Master, you are unwilling to draw a sword, so I feel shabby even if you ask me to fight with someone with a wooden sword!"
Good things don't work, bad things don't work. As soon as Li Taiping finished speaking, four ragged men jumped out of the grass. One of them had a weak foot and fell to the ground. The third child helped the youngest and looked at the boss. Said: "Brother, what are you talking about? It's my first time and I have no experience!"
When the second brother heard that he was afraid of losing his prestige, he took a step forward, stretched out his pole, and shouted: "Hit-beat-beat sister, all the gold and silver, put-put-put-put it in and leave..." "
The big man in front of him shouted loudly. The old Taoist priest and Li Taiping had seen a lot of things in their travels, but they had never seen this battle before.
The old Taoist priest frowned and said hesitantly: "It seems that we were robbed."
Li Taiping looked at the men in front of him who could be knocked down by the wind, and said in disbelief: "That's it - robbery? Can you be more professional and get someone who can take advantage of you? The threshold for bandits these days is so It's low!" His eyes finally rested on the oldest man, because the man was holding a sword, an iron sword, and Li Taiping's eyes lit up...
"Brother, that boy seems to look down on my brothers, what should I do?"
"What are you chirping about? We'll talk about it later."
Four big men picked up the guy and swarmed him, and they beat him violently...
Four men with sad faces were lying here and there on the mountain road. The man who robbed was robbed. The second one limped to the eldest brother: "Big-big pot, eat-eat cakes."
The youngest burst into tears and continued to eat the cake with great effort. He slurred: "Brother, what a good person! We have met a good person!"
The boss shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Eat slowly and don't choke. When we are full, we will go down the mountain. We quit this business. I don't believe that the four of us brothers will starve to death at the foot of the mountain."
The four brothers were refugees from other places and came to Yan'an County. They could not register in Yan'an County. Although the world was in chaos, no one dared to hire or take in people of unknown origins. The laws of the Qian Dynasty were still very strict. If you did not follow them, you would be a black household. , they are like bandits, and it is difficult for them to earn a living. In desperation, the four brothers had no choice but to become bandits. Unfortunately, they have been farming for a lifetime, and how can they wield a sword? Not only did they lose their wives and soldiers in the first transaction, they were in the hands of the boss. The guy was also robbed. Fortunately, the two wild Taoists were kind-hearted and left some food, otherwise they would really not be able to survive.
It was getting dark, and two figures flew by like lightning on the forest path. The old man in front suddenly stopped and looked back at the iron sword in the young man's hand: "How can we do this? How can they survive without people to eat?" , or give it back!"
Li Taiping hugged the iron sword tightly, rolled his eyes and said: "Master, there's nothing wrong with it. I vaguely heard that they called the rich man with the sword to help the poor. Besides, it wasn't for nothing. I didn't leave pancakes for them. !"
The old Taoist muttered: "The rich give to the poor, the rich give to the poor, well - when we walk in the world, we must act chivalrously and rob the rich and give to the poor."
The two sped up again and finally entered Yan'an County before the city gate was closed. When entering the city, the city defenders checked the bodyguards of the old Taoist master and apprentice, and conducted a detailed interrogation for a long time before letting them enter the city.
After entering the city, Lao Dao discovered that something was wrong in Yan'an County. The people were silent and soldiers patrolled the streets in teams. After careful inquiry, he found out that something big had happened in Yan'an County. A few months ago, the captain of Yan'an County and a hundred soldiers escorted tax money to Daxing City. Before he left Yan'an County, he was robbed by evil people. The imperial court sent an imperial envoy to investigate the robbery of the tax bank. On the day the imperial envoy arrived at Yan'an County, he captured the remaining dozen soldiers under the command of the captain who were escorting the tax bank. In prison, the prefect and the captain listened as scapegoats. Nowadays, from the top officials to the common people in Yan'an County, they are afraid to breathe. They are on pins and needles, fearing that they will be thrown into prison if they say anything wrong and have to carry the tax money. case pot.
In the tavern, the old man who was always stingy unexpectedly ordered a meat and vegetable dish for the first time, and even ordered a pot of rice wine. The old man was helpless. Whoever let his curiosity get the better of him, you will be ruined if you don't care! And the tavern will be ruined. It's the most well-informed place, but if you don't click on anything and want to get information from the waiter, that's just wishful thinking.
The "Hao Zai Lai" tavern is also famous in Yan'an County. On weekdays, it is bustling with people and there is an endless stream of guests. Since the tax and bank case, there have been very few people and the business has been bleak, which worries the shopkeeper. Today, the tavern has welcomed two guests. The guest at the table, the gentleman in rich clothes, had a heroic look on his face, and his every move was majestic. Behind him was a pretty and charming little lady.
The waiter was very discerning, and when he saw the two benefactors coming in, the other one went up to him with a cheerful smile. It is strange that such benefactors usually choose elegant rooms with their own status, but these two did not, and had to choose. I sat down by the window in the hall. The good thing was that the man in the fine clothes was so generous. He rewarded me with one or two pieces of silver before I even ordered the food. One or two pieces of silver was equivalent to several months' wages for the waiter, and he was shocked. Serve without caution or caution.
The guests at the other table were very unpleasant. When the old Taoist priest came in, he was almost kicked out by the waiter. The old Taoist priest and Li Taiping were dressed like beggars. This would have been fine in the past, but it is different today.
If the gold master was disturbed and walked away, the shopkeeper would have to beat him to death. But today, the two gold masters were different from the young masters and young ladies in the past. They showed no sign of boredom. The handsome man waved to the waiter and said with a smile.
: "Let them come in, it doesn't matter."
The old Taoist priest was not polite and took his disciples to sit opposite the husband in fine clothes. After ordering wine and food, he started chatting with the waiter...
"Do you have any clues about the tax bank case?" an imposing and well-dressed gentleman at the table next to him asked.
"My lord, it's hard for me to embarrass you. What I heard before was just hearsay. How can I know the details?" the waiter quickly explained with a smile.
The handsome man didn't make things difficult for the waiter, he just waved his hand and went to drink from the cup...
Seeing that he couldn't get any more information about the tax and money case, the old Taoist priest focused his attention on the handsome man. It didn't matter if he didn't look at it. The old Taoist priest couldn't help but be secretly surprised...
After three rounds of wine and five delicious dishes, the old Taoist priest called the waiter and was about to pay the bill and leave, but he heard the handsome man say: "Meeting is fate, I will treat you to this meal."
The old Taoist priest smiled and stood up and came to the husband in rich clothes: "The old Taoist priest has traveled all over the world and has never had a free meal. How about doing a fortune telling for the husband for free today?"
After more than ten years of living together, eating, drinking, and having sex together, Li Taiping had never seen his master tell someone's fortune. He didn't even know that the master had this ability, so he crossed his arms and watched happily.
When the young lady saw the old man coming over to tell her brother's fortune, she couldn't help but frowned and was about to say something to stop her. However, she saw her brother say, "Then Master Lao is here!" The young lady was puzzled. Her brother was very talented and knowledgeable, and he never believed in ghosts and gods.
Speaking of which, I don’t even believe in fortune-telling scams. Why is it so unusual today?
The old Taoist priest didn't even ask for the Chinese characters, nor did he ask for the birth date. He just stared at the face of the handsome man and looked carefully: "The appearance of the sky, the posture of the dragon wind, the strange bones piercing the top, the strange eyes, the future will be precious! But!"
What I see about you is not the future, but the present. Please listen to me."
The handsome man stopped smiling, stood up and faced the old Taoist, and bowed solemnly: "Please let me know clearly."
The old Taoist laughed heartily: "Lang Jun, this Yan'an County is your destiny and the place of your misfortunes. Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other. This is what the old Taoist said. Whether Lang Jun leaves or stays is entirely up to Lang Jun's own decision."
"It's a lot of nonsense. Only you can believe it! Brother, don't listen to the nonsense of this wild Taoist priest." The little lady pinched her waist and stared, pouting her little mouth to look even more playful and cute.
Li Taiping threw away his chopsticks and said unhappily: "You are so rude, little girl. Why do you interrupt me when you say something? Do you understand that an elder brother is like a father?"
The little lady has never been scolded like this in her whole life. Her little face turned red, she pointed at Li Taiping and said angrily: "You wild boy, which one are you saying is rude?"
Li Taiping was not angry either. He just shook his head and sighed: "You are a wild Taoist who opens your mouth, and you are a wild boy who shuts your mouth. If you are so ignorant of etiquette, I don't think you will be able to get married in the future!"
"You - you are so brave, how dare you..." the young lady said angrily.
"My little sister must not be rude to you two masters. You two masters, please forgive me. My little sister has been spoiled by her family since she was a child. I apologize for the verbal conflict." After saying this, the man in the rich clothes clasped his fists and bowed again.
.
The man in the splendid dress was sweating and thought to himself, "You can interrupt the conversation and block the second half of the younger sister's sentence. Otherwise, with the younger sister's temper, the brother and sister will be turned upside down!".
Being ignored and scolded by her eldest brother, the young lady had tears in her eyes, and she was about to cry out of grievance. Seeing this, the old Taoist priest hurriedly said: "My dear lady, don't be angry, my disciple is just vulgar and shallow."
Dude, don’t be acquainted with him! Why don’t Taiping apologize to the young lady quickly?”
The old Taoist priest turned around and winked. When Li Taiping saw it, he had to stand up and salute and apologize: "My words were inappropriate, please don't remember the villain's fault and spare me this time."
Seeing the wild boy apologizing, the young lady's face was like the weather on the prairie, getting cloudy and clearing up faster. She raised her head and raised her mouth, showing the attitude of a winner.