"The skin is nourishing the stomach, and the outer border is dry. The essence and qi are injured internally, and the spirit is depressed and the pulse is weak."
Guanghan County, Mianzhu.
Among the queues going back and forth into the city, a car suddenly blended in and slowly moved forward.
The jian car was one of the most common vehicles used by scholars when traveling. It had a cover, a barrier around it, and was painted. Passengers sat in the car, with half of their upper bodies exposed, which required the passengers to Always maintain an upright sitting posture and the demeanor of a scholar.
It's just that sitting for a long time can be very tiring.
The journey was bumpy and bumpy, making it impossible for Lai Min to lean on the bench to rest. Now that he arrived in Mianzhu, he could finally rest on his back for a while.
A young knight wearing a red hat next to the car noticed the movement in the car, looked away, and blurted out: "Laijun, the people from Yizhou Mu are here to pick us up."
Lai Min responded and looked intently under the city gate. He saw a group of people in rich and dark clothes standing in front of the gate. Poor Li Shu people in short brown clothes walked to both sides of the road consciously. There was a huge distance between them. Although it's only a few steps, it's like heaven and earth.
The leader was a young scribe. He looked up and saw Lai Min's driver. He looked happy and walked over immediately.
Lai Min saw the pale face of the scribe from a distance in the car, and was not in a hurry to get out of the car. He suddenly said with a smile: "Yuanxiong, it has been hazy in Guanzhong for days, and the north wind is biting. I didn't expect that Yizhou would be like this just separated by a mountain." The sun is so bright.”
Wu Ban had already dismounted. Seeing that Lai Min was not only indifferent, but also chatted with him about the weather, he couldn't help but said inexplicably: "It is said that the sky in Shu is rich, separated by mountains and rivers, so the weather is naturally very different from that in Guanzhong."
"With the weather like this, how are people's hearts?" Lai Min pressed his hands on the pillows, propped up his upper body, and walked out of the car. His movements were smooth and flowing, showing the demeanor of a celebrity. Even his words were deliberately accented: "I'll wait for you. Let’s take a good look at it today.”
Thinking of the purpose of this trip, Wu Ban couldn't help but look solemn.
He took a few steps forward, neither slow nor fast, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold and arrogant.
"Young man Liu Hao, I have met Lai Jun." Lai Min was of the same generation as Huang Wan, and Huang Wan was of the same generation as Liu Yan. What's more, Lai Min's family was extraordinary and knowledgeable, so Liu Hao held the ceremony of son-nephew in front of Lai Min.
Lai Min looked at Liu Hao's appearance nonchalantly. Although he was quite handsome, his face was pale, his eyes were wandering, his steps were sloppy when he walked over, and his figure was thin. When he was in Jiangxia County, Lai Min heard that There were rumors that Liu Yan's third son, Liu Mao, had a hidden disease. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he could probably guess what the hidden disease was.
The only son around him not only has no talent, but is not even qualified to inherit the family business. Where did Liu Yan's luck come from?
After seeing the ceremony, a faint smile flashed across Lai Min's lips, and he cordially pulled Liu Hao, a junior, into the carriage. After the two sat down, the carriage and horse set off again. Lai Min looked at the city gate where the letter was written to Mianzhu. Passing over his head, he turned to Liu Hao and asked: "Is your Majesty okay?"
"Thank you for your concern, my husband is still in good health." Liu Hao thought for a while and said openly: "I just feel a little hot and thirsty recently, so I drink more water."
Lai Min squinted his eyes unintentionally and said with a smile: "When winter comes, everyone's mouth will crack. Drinking more water is not a bad thing."
Liu Hao obviously thought so too. It was as if he had found someone who agreed with him. He immediately echoed: "That's right! I keep saying that even ordinary people have to drink so much water, but There are some people who don’t believe it and say that this is caused by internal invasion of poisonous evil and evil heat that burns the blood. It’s just nonsense!”
"Is this what the doctor said?" Lai Min asked curiously with a sharp flash in his eyes.
"Bah, what kind of doctor?" It seems that in Liu Mao's eyes, Lai Min is his father's cousin's brother-in-law and cannot be judged by outsiders. Therefore, he did not have much scruples in speaking and said without hesitation:
"She is just a woman who practices ghost ways. In the past, when I was slightly ill, she would persuade him to drink talisman water all day long, teach him to kowtow to the gods and reflect on his faults, and would not allow him to ask a doctor. If he recovered on his own,
Let’s just say it’s due to sincerity. If it hasn’t healed on its own, it’s because your heart is not sincere enough. Over the past one or two years, Aweng’s body has become thinner and thinner, and it’s all this person’s fault!”
"How could Mr. Liu conceal his illness and avoid medical treatment?" Lai Min said casually, and then asked, "What kind of ghostly woman is this, who actually bewitched Mr. Liu?"
"Who else could it be? She is the widowed mother of Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, Mrs. Lu. She is quite beautiful and can understand ghosts and gods. Aweng trusts her very much and everyone in the house calls her Mrs. Lu." Liu Mao said angrily, his face
There was a look of disgust on his face.
Wu Ban, who was following the car on horseback, listened for a long time and suddenly asked out of curiosity: "Didn't Zunjun always love Shuyu? Why didn't Shuyu dissuade Zunjun from staying away from such a witch?"
A look of embarrassment flashed across Liu Mao's face, and then he hesitated: "I, as a son, how can I disobey my father's will? What's more, that witch often alienated our father and son, and Aweng had already developed feelings for me because of this.
If you are disgusted, how can I go up to you and disgust you again?"
Lai Min suddenly turned his head to look at Liu Hao. He deliberately acted confidently, but his erratic eyes revealed a guilty and panic look. His heart sank suddenly, and a bad idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
idea.
Liu Yan had four sons. When he first entered Shu, he neither chose the mature eldest son nor the kind-hearted youngest son. Instead, he chose the weak third son. This shows how important Liu Hao is to Liu Yan.
As a son, if his father goes astray, how can he give up admonitions because he is worried about the fate of his father and his son? What's more, if he is really extremely confused, Liu Yan will indeed not listen to his beloved son's words at all, but if he is sane
Sober?
Lai Min slowly withdrew his gaze from Liu Hao. Inadvertently, he caught a glimpse of a look of disdain on Wu Ban's face.
It was almost dusk, the day market had closed, and the streets were somewhat quiet. Mianzhu City had only been under the rule of Yizhou Prefecture for less than three years. The city was narrow and the streets were short. After driving for a while, we arrived in front of a illustrious mansion.
There are two towers on the left and right, which are very conspicuous.
In the Han Dynasty, palaces, mausoleums, ancestral temples, government offices, noble residences, etc. were all built with towers. Different levels had strict regulations on height, material, style, etc. The two towers in front of us, except for the height, had other
Its style and material seem to be similar to those of the Phoenix Towers in front of the Luoyang Palace in Chang'an.
"Oh, Mr. Lang is back. Go in and inform the lord!" At this time, it happened to be the time to turn on the lamp at night. A pale head turned his head and saw Liu Hao, Lai Min and others who had been standing under the que for a short time, and immediately shouted loudly
He stood up and came forward to greet him.
Liu Hao raised his head and snorted softly, showing that he was very bored with the servants' flattering expressions, but his body was extremely useful and he allowed them to half-support and half-support him into the courtyard.
Knowing in advance that Lai Min was coming to the house, Liu Yan specially held a small family banquet to show his loyalty to the landlord. The banquet was held in a hall, and the beams made of nanmu and cypress exuded a rich fragrance.
, the walls between the houses are painted with goddesses, immortals, sun, moon and auspicious clouds, and the floor is covered with a thick felt blanket. On the black and red dining table, there are five or six tableware with various red lacquer patterns.
, filled with all kinds of delicacies.
At this time, Liu Yan had not yet entered the table. Liu Yan's relatives were sitting in the hall. Lai Min, as a guest, sat in the first row at the bottom. Sitting opposite was Liu Hao, and below him was a middle-aged man.
, with three strands of beard on his chin, looking elegant. Sitting opposite the middle-aged scribe were two seven-year-old children, who looked like a pair of brothers, but they were not very similar in appearance.
Lai Min felt that the middle-aged scribe looked familiar, and after thinking about it carefully, he recalled that this person was the Fei family of Jiangxia, Liu Yan's in-law. He once lived in Huang Wan's home, and Lai Min had met him a few times from a distance.
Boren, I didn't expect them to defect to Yizhou from Jiangxia. As for the two children opposite him, I'm afraid they are also Fei's nephews.
Fei Boren seemed to notice Lai Min's gaze, looked towards him and smiled politely.
At this moment, a gray-headed man suddenly walked in from outside the door, hunched over, walked quickly to Liu Hao, and whispered something.
Liu Hao said in surprise: "My mother is not coming? Why is this?"
His voice was quite loud. As a maternal relative of Liu Hao, Fei Boren frowned immediately when he heard this.
Just when Lai Min was feeling surprised, Liu Yan slowly walked over amid the call from the Cangtou servant.