I felt a little uncomfortable for no reason. Looking at her rosy face, I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know how to speak.
I used to be a little curious about who her husband was? How did he die - illness? accident? or vendetta?
At this moment, none of this matters anymore. I just hope that she can get out of the shadow of her deceased husband and start a new life of her own. After all, she is still so young and so beautiful...
pretty!
Um... I'm not a womanizer, but if she needs to lend me a shoulder to cry on, I won't be stingy.
"Okay, thank you for helping me find the silk handkerchief. You can go and do your work. You will also deliver tofu to me tomorrow morning."
While I was dreaming, Madam Mu suddenly wiped away her tears and politely issued an eviction order.
"good."
I don’t know how I left. I walked in a state of despair. The wooden barrels hit the wooden boxes like drums. The cicadas chirped all the way, and the hot sun got through the cracks in the branches on the roadside, shaking people so hard that I couldn’t stand straight.
See.
"Please stay!" came a voice from behind.
I looked back and saw a man about my age standing three feet away from me, as if he suddenly appeared out of the ground.
His hair is neatly tied on top of his head, leaving only a side bang on his right forehead. He has a handsome face so delicate that it seems that there are no pores. His thick eyebrows are like ink paintings, his eyelashes are thick and curled, his eyes are deep, and his nose is high.
Her straight, red lips were slightly raised, with a mysterious smile hanging on her face.
I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't expect there to be such a beautiful man in the world. He was so beautiful that men and women seemed to be blurred. However, looking at his pale gray gown and the paper fan in his hand, there was no doubt that he was a scholar.
But that fan is interesting. Most poor scholars would paint some landscapes or inscribe their own poems to make it tasteful, but there are only three words on his fan - "Mu Banxian".
Haha, could it be that he is not a scholar but a fortune teller?
I stared at his face, speculating on his identity, and couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in my heart. I always thought I was good-looking, but I didn't expect that I was shocked when I met Li Huichun a few days ago. And this person
, which makes me even more ashamed of myself.
"Have you seen enough? Am I so good-looking?" The handsome man took another step forward and felt like he was almost touching my face.
I felt I had lost my composure, so I quickly took a step back and looked away: "Who are you? Is something wrong?"
But the handsome man moved under my gaze again, and raised a charming smile: "Do you want a fortune teller? You only need a tael of silver, and I can show you a clear path and make you prosperous."
He is indeed a fortune teller.
Wait, what did he say? One tael of silver!
I looked at this brazen "madman" in surprise: "Hey, do you know how much one tael of silver is? Are you crazy about money?"
But the handsome man was not angry at all. He pointed at my burden and said, "You and I are destined. It doesn't matter if you can't come up with so much money at once. You can pay it in installments. Give me one hundred cents a day and pay it off in ten days."
I don’t charge you interest.”
I was really speechless. I sighed and pointed forward: "Do you know about Huichun Hall?"
The handsome man nodded: "Of course."
"The doctor there, Li Huichun, is a close disciple of Doctor Du in Xiangzhou. He has superb medical skills. If you have some free time to joke with me, you might as well go and see him."
"What are you looking at?"
I smiled and said, "It's time to see a doctor. If you are dreaming in broad daylight, shouldn't you wonder if there is something wrong with your brain?"
"You're the one with the problem!" The handsome man finally got angry. He closed his fan, frowned, bit his lower lip, and glared at me.
"Well...it's such a hot day, I don't have time to joke with you, I have to go back." I felt a sense of apology in my heart, smiled at him, shifted the burden to another shoulder, and continued on my way.
"Li Jianghu, don't you want to be a secret agent?" The handsome man's voice behind him sounded again. His voice was soft but very powerful.
He knows my name and my ideals...who is he?
I rested my burden again and blurted out my question: "Who are you?"
The handsome man shook his paper fan slightly, and his hair on the right side of his forehead was fluttering. After a moment, he saw that my face was still full of eagerness to know the answer, so he replied slowly: "You don't have the qualifications to be a secret agent."
How about observation and judgment? Guess first, who do you think I am?"
I looked at him again and tentatively said a name: "Xiao Mu?"
The handsome man nodded happily: "Meng Baotou said last time that you also want to become a secret agent with the Sky Eye and want to ask me for help. However, although the imperial envoy does not care about the identity of the secret agent, he is very strict with the character and ability of the secret agent. I
I won't recommend him to the imperial envoy rashly unless I find out more about it."
I suddenly felt that the hope that had been shattered long ago was like the dry grass blown by the spring breeze, and it began to sprout new shoots quietly. Looking at him like this, he can become a secret agent, how can I be worse than him?
"Little...oh, Brother Mu," I deliberately drew closer and called out affectionately: "I wonder what conditions are required for a spy? Um...haha, and what are the benefits of being a spy? Every time
How much monthly salary can I get? Is it tax-free?"
Xiao Mu smiled and said: "You haven't even started yet, and you are already calculating the rewards? As expected of a businessman, he likes to calculate too much."
"I...hehe, I still have to save money to marry a wife and have a mother to support. Without money, who would want to work for nothing?"
"You are honest." Xiao Mu shook his fan and smiled again: "No money, but the imperial envoy will reduce the tax by half at his discretion. If you are just to make money as a spy, you can give up this idea."
"Half the tax reduction..." I muttered.
"The laws of the imperial court stipulate that half of the taxes collected must be handed over, and the other half can be retained by the local government for its own use. The imperial envoy can only make so many decisions."
"What about you? As a secret agent, aren't you just doing it for money?" I looked at the old clothes he was wearing again, and I was a little confused. Just to get half of the tax exemption and no wages, what made him willing to spend a lot of time to replace him?
The imperial envoy is doing things? Is it because he wants to please the imperial envoy? If he is named on the gold list, he will also have a backer?
"Money is something external to the body. If you don't bring it with you when you are alive, you won't take it with you when you die. Everything is just for money. How tacky." Xiao Mu looked at me with contempt: "When you are alive, you must do something meaningful. If you rely on me
Our efforts can save the people of Xiangzhou from war, which is considered a meritorious deed."
I also laughed: "I, Li Jianghu, am just a commoner. I don't have such a high consciousness as you scholars. I just want to have enough food and clothing to live a good life."
"When Xiangzhou is stable, your life will be easier. Once Tubo Xizao sneaks into the city and stirs up unrest, do you think your life will be easy?" Xiao Mu Dayi said solemnly: "The purpose of the imperial envoy is to gather people's hearts.
Let the common people work together to defend against the enemy. And I heard that our imperial envoy is quite lazy and always fantasizes about being able to 'rule by doing nothing'. Therefore, he has not done many major things since he took office. He is usually seen in the governor's office.
There is no one around, and I don’t know where to hide and enjoy my leisure time.”
I don’t know what kind of person the imperial envoy is, but I suddenly feel that Xiao Mu’s words make sense: As a citizen of Xiangzhou City, if Xiangzhou City is in chaos, will I still have a good life? What if I can do it for Xiangzhou City?
If you contribute to the stability of the state and city, you can also get half of the taxes exempted. Why not?
"What Brother Mu said is true, okay, I am willing to be a spy, even if there is no salary." I made my position clear and raised my head, feeling that I had become a hero who saved the people of Xiangzhou.
"Okay, as long as you pass the assessment, I will recommend you to the imperial envoy."
"Assessment?" I was confused again: "What other assessments do I need to pass? Who should I take the test with?"
Xiao Mu smiled and said: "Of course you will be tested here."
I looked at his charming smile and slapped him on the shoulder: "If my guess is correct, I should have passed the test, right? Otherwise, how could Brother Mu show up? Wouldn't he have exposed his identity as a spy?"
"Yes, your brain is quite flexible." Xiao Mu affirmed: "Ever since Meng Baotou mentioned you to me, I have been observing you secretly. You are filial, hard-working, kind... your character is still good; of course
, there are also many shortcomings, such as: very narcissistic, fond of petty gains, timid, indecisive, a little lustful, and..."
"Hey, do you know me so well?" I saw him talking endlessly about my shortcomings, and I pretended to be angry: "Do you know what your shortcomings are? You're a self-righteous guy!"
"How do you know?" Xiao Mu said excitedly: "Yes, I am a little too confident, so I often warn myself now that I have to think twice before I act. Otherwise, just follow the way I did before.
I have already taken you directly to see the imperial envoy."
"Haha, since I have so many shortcomings, why did I still pass the assessment?" I was puzzled again.
Xiao Mu shook his head seriously: "Who said you passed? Your observation skills and judgment are not enough. How can you identify hidden secrets among ordinary people?"
"My observation and judgment are not good enough?" I raised my sleeves and wiped my sweat: "Do you know what it means to be as careful as your hair? I have been doing autopsies with my master since I was ten years old, and I have developed my sharp eyesight.
"
"Autopsy? Have you ever done an autopsy on your own?" Xiao Mu snorted, with disdain in his tone. The fan in his hand kept fanning, as if he would die of heat if he stopped, but the strange thing was
, he still looked calm, without even a trace of sweat.
I patted my chest: "Of course! Early this morning, I helped the county magistrate examine a corpse."
"Tu Laosan, the pig-killer?"
"Yes, how do you know?"
"How did he die?" Xiao Mu asked.
I felt an inexplicable uneasiness in my heart, turned around, and replied in a low voice: "He died after he was drunk and his vomit was accidentally inhaled into his airway."
"Are you sure?" Xiao Mu walked up to me, smiled coldly, took out a pure white silk handkerchief from his arms and waved it in front of my eyes: "Then how should I explain this silk handkerchief?"
I grabbed it, yes, Madam Mu’s silk handkerchief!
"You...where did you get this silk handkerchief?" I asked trying to calm down.
Xiao Mu said without changing his expression: "I stole it from under the bed in Room 1, Tianzi, Jianghu Inn."
"You...how could you..." I was speechless for a moment. Although it was the first time I met him, he should be a kind person in terms of how he took care of Meng Baotou. From the conversation we just had
I can't imagine how such an easy-going person could become a thief.
Xiao Mu pointed at the silk handkerchief with his fan: "This is not an ordinary silk handkerchief, but... a murder weapon!" This chapter has been completed!
