Chapter 117: The Reunion of People in the Season is Difficult
When Su Ling gathered her mood and slowly returned to the bad hall, it was almost noon. As soon as she stepped into the backyard, she saw Du Heng circling back and forth in the courtyard with an anxious look on his face.
He raised his head and saw Su Ling, and then walked over. He grabbed him like a star looking forward to the moon and said nervously: "Su Ling, where did you go last night? I woke up this morning and couldn't find you. Why are you there?"
I heard that there was a rebel named Dong outside who was fighting against Sikong's elite. The whole Longtai City was in panic. You suddenly disappeared again, and I didn't dare to open the door for business again. Where have you been?
?”
He said it like he was pouring beans, but the anxious and worried look in his eyes seemed very real.
Su Ling was a little touched. From Nanzhang to Longtai, Kyoto, he met many people and left many people, coming and going. Now the only person left around him is the honest and honest Du Heng who has been following him.
Su Ling didn't want him to worry, so she said calmly: "It's okay, didn't I come back well?"
Du Heng said seriously: "Su Ling, if you do anything in the future, can you take me with you? Have you forgotten what we once said under that laurel tree, we want to explore this world together!"
Su Ling felt warm in her heart. She looked at this sturdy young man and suddenly said slowly: "Du Heng, you won't leave me, right?"
Du Heng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "You kid, something is a little abnormal today. I, Du Heng, will recognize you as my brother for the rest of my life. I will be with you wherever the world goes!"
Su Ling nodded vigorously, feeling a little warm in his eyes.
Du Heng was a rough man and had never sensed Su Ling's mood swings, so he asked again: "Where did you go last night? Don't look at Longtai as calm now. In fact, I feel that there is a bloody storm in the dark. You should have a good night."
Stay at home and don't run around and cause trouble."
Su Ling was confused at first, but then he thought about it and realized that his playmate had already regarded Badangtang as his home.
Su Ling then smiled and said: "I didn't go anywhere, I went to Sikong Mansion..."
Du Heng was so shocked that his eyes widened. He was about to raise his voice, but felt that this matter should not be made public, so he covered his mouth and said, "You kid really went to Sikong Mansion! You don't know about those traitors."
Just to deal with Xiao Yuanche..."
Su Ling shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yes, but I'm still a servant of the Xiao Mansion. I can't just take someone else's salary for nothing. I have to contribute at critical moments."
As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said: "Su Lang has a wonderful plan to bring peace to the world. The rebellious Dong Si has been captured by Sikong. Because of my contribution to the plan, I was promoted by Sikong and given a minor official title. Now I am not enshrining him!"
"
When Du Heng heard this, he said excitedly: "Feng...an official? It's really yours! How big of an official can you get?"
Su Ling was a little embarrassed. He couldn't talk about an official as big as a sesame seed. He just reported his official position to fool his brother and said: "Uh... Cao Yu, West of Sikong Mansion..."
Unexpectedly, this Du Heng brother was the one who broke the casserole and asked the truth. He hurriedly asked: "Xicao Pup? What is it..."
"Xicao Peng is not a thing... ah no... he is just an official anyway..." In desperation, Su Ling blurted out. After the words were spoken, he felt that he was not scolding himself.
Well, then he hurriedly changed his tune.
"Is he older than Master Li Zheng?" Du Heng said with excitement.
Su Ling puffed up his chest and said, "It's much bigger than that..."
The excitement on Du Heng's face was even more intense: "Is he older than the county magistrate?"
Su Ling snorted: "Sir... the county magistrate must call us your lord!"
Only then did Su Ling realize that Du Heng had only lived in Sujia Village for a long time, and in his eyes, upright and county magistrates were considered high-ranking officials.
Su Ling was sure of this, and then laughed again and said: "Old Du, you can't be louder. How can your brother Su be so capable?"
I bet Su Ling is also a master who has a camel and doesn't brag.
Du Heng grinned widely, and then added with encouragement, "Is it possible that he is the same as the county magistrate?"
Su Ling then nodded and said: "Yeah, it's almost the same as him, similar to Bima Wen..." While he was bragging, he also didn't forget to laugh at himself.
"Bima Wen...Bima Wen, well, that's fine, the county magistrate will have to give you a few points then." Du Hengle's big face blossomed.
Su Ling rolled his eyes and said, "Why Bi Ma Wen...Xi Cao Chu!"
"Oh...that's right! You're really capable, I'm telling you, I, Old Du, won't suffer any loss if I follow you!" Du Heng said with a smile, his posture was like Su Lingzhen's making a marquis. It's like paying homage to the Prime Minister.
Du Heng said excitedly again: "This is really a great happy event. I'm going to cook a pot of good meat right away. Our Bima Wen... ah, the great master of Xicaodu is celebrating, Wang Junna I don’t know where the kid went, I haven’t seen him all day today..."
With that said, he was going to the kitchen.
Su Ling grabbed him and said, "Don't be busy yet, I have something I need your help with!"
When Du Heng heard this, he said eagerly: "Let's talk, which traitor's lair are we going to raid?"
Su Ling laughed angrily and said: "What are you thinking? I asked you to go to Longtai to find a blacksmith shop and bring something back. The drawings have been drawn for you..."
After saying that, he took out a blueprint from his pocket and handed it to Du Heng.
Du Heng said seriously: "Yes, that's right. Now that you have been promoted, it will be impossible if you don't have a good guy who comes in and out. Just wait, I'll go right now..."
After saying that, he grabbed the drawing Su Ling gave him and went out as fast as he could.
Su Ling then smiled and shook his head.
Returning to the back hall, I made Maojian tea, and while drinking tea, I thought about what was on my mind.
At present, the blood edict turmoil has basically subsided, but there is still a lack of final conclusion from the court. However, it is not difficult to think about it. Dong Si's crime of treason may not be solved by anyone. After all, he kidnapped the emperor, and the emperor was frightened. He had to go to Sikong Mansion to live temporarily. If Xiao Yuanche still couldn't deal with those naysayers, his stay in Sikong would be in vain.
However, there is still one problem that has been weighing on Su Ling's mind for a long time.
This is what the sixteen-character prophecy foreshadows.
Also, are the series of things that happened in Chengtian Temple and the robbery of his tea cargo ship related to this prophecy?
Although Su Ling almost believed the meaning of the prophecy in order to fool Xiao Yuanche in Sikong Mansion.
But Su Ling knew that the things behind this prophecy were far from over. Perhaps the person who made the prophecy was waiting for some opportunity.
But what exactly is the timing?
Su Ling stood up, walked slowly, and softly recited the sixteen-character prophecy in his mouth: "Snow fills the world, and it will carry heaven's righteousness; thunder and fire will cleanse it, and great virtues will fly to immortals."
Su Ling read a few sentences and thought to himself that these sixteen characters are divided into two levels with one meaning. According to his feeling, the first eight characters have one meaning, and the last eight characters have another meaning.
Could it be that it corresponds to two things?
Alas! I’m really not very good at guessing riddles.
He paced, suddenly lowered his head and said: "Fushenzi...Niubi, what do you think..."
Then he suddenly remembered that Fu Shenzi had left long ago. He suddenly looked up at the empty hall and shook his head slowly.
A while ago, I was used to having someone as a consultant, but this sudden change was quite unaccustomed to me.
Su Ling was thinking about this prophecy a lot, and because of the hard work last night, she felt sleepy. She half-leaned on the chair, leaned back, and put her legs on the table. After a while, she fell into a drowsy sleep.
go.
About an hour later, footsteps were heard in the courtyard, but it was Du Heng who walked in quite discouraged, holding the things Su Ling asked him to get from the blacksmith.
Su Ling then turned over and sat up and said, "Is the fight ready?"
Du Heng pushed the object in his hand towards his arms and muttered: "I thought it was some kind of sharp sword, but I saw that the object was shaped like a disk, with an empty middle, deep surroundings, and there were still holes on the left and right sides.
It’s a big iron handle, but it looks like a pot!”
Su Ling glanced at him and said: "Nonsense, when did I say that I wanted to make weapons? This is just a pot, to be precise, it is a shabu-shabu pot."
"Pot? What else is it called shabu-shabu? What is it used for?" Du Heng asked in confusion.
"What can it be used for? For cooking. You have to carry this pot. I will treat people to dinner in a few days..." Su Ling pushed the big pot towards Su Ling's back, as if
Appreciating: "Well, the scapegoat! That's a good nickname..."
As he spoke, he yawned and went back to his room to catch up on his sleep.
Only Du Heng was left messy in the wind...
Su Ling was ready. He knew that since Xiao Yuanche said that he still owed him a good meal, he would definitely come, so naturally he did not dare to neglect and waited in the bad hall. For some reason, Wang Jun did not
Du Heng actually didn't ask about anything bad happened again.
Day after day, as the New Year is approaching, there are several heavy snowfalls in Longtai, and the weather is getting colder and colder.
Su Ling guessed that Xiao Yuanche must have been entangled in the aftermath of the blood edict, so he delayed coming.
Sure enough, two days later, Guo Baiyi sent someone to spread the news.
Dong Si hooked up with several officials in the capital, perpetrated the edict and conspired against him, and even threatened the emperor. Fortunately, Sikong Xiao Yuanche was so courageous that he ignored his personal safety, broke into the forbidden palace angrily to save him, and welcomed the emperor to Sikong Mansion to temporarily settle down.
Dong Si and his accomplices were all executed. Empress Dong sacrificed her life to save her country, so the sins implicated by her father were ignored and she was buried on a different day with the rites of a concubine.
The rest of the people, His Majesty's mercy, will forget the blame. After the Dong thief was eliminated, the Emperor returned to the Imperial Palace yesterday. However, the Emperor was heartbroken every time he thought about it. Therefore, he issued several edicts to inform the world.
First, although Sikong Xiao Yuanche had merit in rescuing the enemy, he was responsible for guarding the Forbidden City and Kyoto. When such a major incident occurred, it was due to negligence, so he was punished for half a year, and he still lived in Sikong and recorded the affairs of the minister;
Secondly, he ordered the great minister Kong Hechen to take the lead and set up a procuratorate to detect evil tendencies, slander rumors, and all those who were fabricated out of thin air and hated Tianting and important ministers, and severely punished them;
Thirdly, the edict was issued to severely rebuke Bohai Marquis General Shen Jizhou and Jingnan Marquis Qian Zhongmou. As important ministers of the Jin Dynasty, their authority was in danger, but they remained indifferent and did not come to express greetings. This is really the behavior of human ministers;
Fourth, serve Zhongyuan, lead the Sili Xiaowei, hold the Jiedi Supervisor Sha Liangma Xunzhang and other armies, as if the emperor is personally present.
After the four edicts were issued, the civil and military officials in the court praised the emperor for his kindness and virtue, and congratulated Dahong and Kong Hechen for being promoted by the emperor again and assuming an important position.
Kong Hechen originally wanted to use the blood edict to question Xiao Yuanche, but the governor could not disobey it. Dong Si had indeed kidnapped the emperor, and it would be in vain to say anything more.
He had to deal with the many courtiers who came to congratulate him, but he secretly complained in his heart, thinking that this plan to set up the Lao Shizi Procuratorate was really vicious. He, the leader of the clean stream, would push down the entire Jin Dynasty courtiers, and he would act on his own in the future. It was even more difficult.
Even so, he had to secretly sigh that there were many strategic people around Xiao Yuanche.
The Marquis of Bohai, Shen Jizhou, and the Marquis of Jingnan, Qian Zhongmou, both reported their crimes to the court. Shen Jizhou went even further, resigning from the post of general to the emperor three times. The emperor had to offer many consolations.
Now, Shen Jizhou's reputation became even more prominent.
Even Xiao Yuanche secretly shook his head and said that there were many good planners around Shen Jizhou.
A bloody storm ended with countless heads of Dong Si and other tribes falling to the ground.
Longtai also welcomed the long-lost sunshine after many days of haze, wind and snow.
But the winter sunshine still makes people feel unable to drive away the coldness in the city.
............
The sky has already darkened, and the entire Longtai city is covered with white snow. Red lights are hung on the doors of every house, and the sound of firecrackers makes Longtai city filled with joy.
It turns out that tonight is New Year's Eve and tomorrow is the New Year.
In the blink of an eye, Su Ling has stayed in Kyoto for more than half a year.
Su Ling gave the soldiers a holiday in advance, and also gave each of them a big red envelope and a new set of clothes.
After these people dispersed, Su Ling and Du Heng closed the door of the bad shop together, and hung red lanterns on the front and back doors. They looked quite happy.
Thousands of lights are on, and the sound of bamboo bids farewell to the new year.
Du Heng and Su Ling both made some special dishes and took some jars of old wine. They sat across from each other and ate and drank.
Although the two of them were also happy, they drank a lot of wine and talked a lot of nonsense.
But for some reason, Du Heng started to cry.
Su Ling looked at Du Heng with drunken eyes and said, "Old Du, why are you crying during the Chinese New Year?"
But Du Heng cried even louder, and said while crying: "Su Ling, I miss my mother and father..."
Su Ling drunkenly scolded: "A seven-foot man can only achieve this much."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a little warmth in his eyes. Two drops of tears fell into the wine. Su Ling drank it all in one gulp and sighed: "Du Heng...I am the same as you, I want to My parents are gone..."
He picked up the wine again, shook it, and walked to the courtyard.
Before your eyes, you can see the cold plum blossoms and the snow, and the bright blue moon.
Su Ling looked at the sky and murmured: "Being a stranger in a foreign land, I miss my family even more during the festive season... Lao Du, I not only miss our parents, but also Grandpa Shennong, Master Yuanhua, Zhiyue Sister...and Fushenzi, Sister Mu..."
The wine made me sad. Under the red light, there were only two people left, and they were even more alone.
Du Heng wiped away his tears, walked to Su Ling and said, "Su Ling, after this winter, let's bring them all here, okay..."
Su Ling nodded suddenly and said slowly: "It's time... Du Heng, I promise you, I will bring them all after the winter. This year is this year. When next New Year's Eve, our family will
Being together in one place is called Chinese New Year!"
"Um!......."
............
Sikong Mansion.
All over the house, red lights were hung high and red carpets were spread on the floor. Everyone's faces were beaming with joy.
My wife, Wei Changan, smiled and smiled away the wrinkles on his face. He put on a new dress and gave new clothes to the servants and maids in the house. At this time, the servants were busy with their affairs.
The aroma filled the dining room, the chef was slaughtering chickens and cattle, and people were going in and out of the house to bring food and wine, and the atmosphere was lively.
Within the main hall.
Sikong Xiao Yuanche and his wife Ding both wore bright red clothes and sat in the middle.
The three sons and one daughter of the Xiao family were at their knees, cheering and laughing.
On the side, Mrs. Jianshu, Dugu, was also standing there, radiant and smiling.
After waiting for the notes to be relaxed, Sishu to be relaxed, Cangshu to be relaxed, Jingshu toasted pepper wine to her parents.
Xiao Yuanche then ordered his children to sit in front of the big round table.
Needless to say, there are all kinds of delicacies and delicacies on the table.
During the banquet, everyone was laughing and having a good time.
Even Jianshu, who was usually stoic, rarely smiled.
Xiao Yuanche and Mrs. Ding had a rare opportunity to chat with their children. During the dinner, Mrs. Ding kept urging Xiao Sishu and Xiao Jingshu, saying that they were at the right age and if any young ladies and gentlemen liked them, they would marry them as soon as possible.
Married. It saves her mother the worry.
Xiao Sishu just followed Mrs. Ding's words. But Xiao Jingshu's face turned red and said that she would not marry and wanted to protect her father and mother.
Wei Changan came in from time to time to pour wine and serve dishes.
Xiao Yuanche suddenly stopped Wei Chang'an and said, "Wei Banban, please go to the dining room to pick up a few well-cooked dishes, take them in a food box, and deliver them to Su Ling in the bad hall."
Wei Chang'an nodded, and Xiao Yuanche added: "Be careful, that boy Su Ling is very naughty. This is also my intention. He is far away from his hometown alone. During the festival, he is always lonely."
Xiao Cangshu joked at the side: "Anyway, I think Sister Jingshu seems to be very considerate of me, Brother Su. Why don't I bring Su Ling over during the festive season next time and sit with Sister Jingshu.
My sister is happy, now that Brother Su is no longer alone, isn't it the best of both worlds?"
Xiao Jingshu's face suddenly turned red, and she stood up and said, "Little hamster, how old are you? You don't want to imitate the good ones, but you choose to imitate this glib tongue. Let's see if I don't tear your mouth apart!"
Everyone laughed.
Mrs. Ding nodded with satisfaction and said, "Cang Shuer's words are good. I also think that boy Su is very good. Girl Jingshu really doesn't want him to come?"
Xiao Jingshu's face was already as red as her neck, and she said softly: "Even my mother came to make fun of me..."
Xiao Yuanche just looked at Mrs. Ding and Xiao Jingshu, seemingly thoughtful, and said nothing.
Everyone had a feast, but Xiao Yuanche and Mrs. Ding always felt that they were elders and always made these children uncomfortable here, so they said they were a little tired and went back to the backyard.
There were only four people left in front of the banquet: Jianshu, Sishu, Cangshu and Jingshu.
Xiao Sishu then said to Xiao Cangshu: "Brother Cangshu, I heard that Su Ling is quite talented and learned, and can write good poems and essays. He is also a high-ranking disciple of Xuanyuan Pavilion in Liyou Mountain. Brother Cangshu comes to visit me every year during the Lantern Festival.
There will be a Shangyuan Poetry Party held at his house, and all the Longtai gentlemen and celebrities will go there. This year, even the young master Gu will attend the meeting. I heard that you are familiar with Su Ling, can you please invite him to the meeting?
ah!"
Xiao Cangshu drank a sip of wine and said, "What's so difficult about this? I have a very close personal relationship with Su Ling. If I come forward to invite him, why would he not go?"
Xiao Sishu nodded happily, turned to Xiao Jianshu and said, "Brother, you can go too!"
Xiao Jianshu smiled lightly and said: "I am not as leisurely and elegant as my third brother. My handsome general has a lot of things to do in the camp. I can't get away, so I won't go."
Xiao Jingshu snorted and said, "Brother Jianshu is just boring. I'm going to this Shangyuan Poetry Club."
Xiao Sishu smiled and said: "The people who go to this poetry fair are all famous men, why do you, a little girl, go?"
Xiao Jingshu rolled her eyes and said: "It's only for men to go, but I'm a girl and can't go there? At worst, I'll dress up as a man when the time comes."
Xiao Cangshu smiled slyly and said, "Sister, I'm not going to a meeting. I'm afraid I'm going to see Su Ling..."
This sentence made Jianshu and Sishu laugh.
Xiao Jingshu got up and came to beat Xiao Cangshu.
Xiao Cangshu didn't let her hit him, turned around and ran towards the courtyard, with Xiao Jingshu chasing after him while laughing.
Xiao Cangshu ran into the courtyard.
But suddenly I saw that the whole garden was covered with white snow, and the clouds were light and the moon was white.
Suddenly his eyes turned red.
He was a child after all, so he turned around, rested his head on Xiao Jingshu's shoulder, and started to cry.
Xiao Jingshu's expression changed and she quickly asked him what was wrong. Xiao Jianshu and Xiao Sishu also stood up at the same time.
In the white snow, Xiao Cangshu said with tears on his face: "Sister, I miss brother Mingshu... He used to accompany me to build snowmen in this courtyard..."
A word that touches the heart.
Xiao Jingshu burst into tears instantly. She pulled Xiao Cangshu's hand and said softly: "Cangshu, don't cry. I will build a snowman with you..."