Riding an ox far away from Qiancun, the sound of piccolo playing can be heard across the long distance.
There are so many famous and wealthy people in Chang'an who are not as good as you when all the institutions are exhausted.
——"Poem of a Shepherd Boy" by Huang Tingjian (Song Dynasty)
…
Chen Xi demonstrated peerless Qinggong, and the three of them returned to the inner hall.
After boiling water and pouring tea, Bai Fu asked: "Brother Shen, Mr. Su just said that your experience may be related to this. Can you tell me about it?"
Chen Xi closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath of the tea fragrance, then opened his eyes and said slowly: "This happened last year. If I hadn't met Mr. Su, I might never dare to come to the capital again in this life."
Accompanied by the sound of boiling water, Shen Xi talked about his personal experience:
In the early spring of last year, Shen Xi went to Beijing to take the Ming Jing exam. During the preparation period, he often walked around Chang'an Square and visited historical sites.
On this day, Shen Xi suddenly met two young men, both dressed in sackcloth. They bowed deeply when they saw Shen Xi, and then hurried past.
The two young men were humble and respectful to Shen Xi, which surprised Shen Xi and thought to himself: "Have you never seen these two people before? You must have admitted your mistake."
A few days later, Shen Xi was walking around Dongshi and met these two teenagers again.
One of the young men crossed his hands and saluted, saying: "I am Shimodian Benlang, a native of Wannian County. Brother Shen has been in Chang'an for many days, and we have not visited him. It is really rude. This place is not far from my home. I would like to invite Brother Shen to come."
Being a guest at my house and having a few drinks can be considered as showing your friendship as a landlord."
After saying this, the man bowed deeply again.
This invitation was quite abrupt, but Tian Penglang and the two men were handsome and not like bandits. Shen Xi was young and always loved making friends. Although he was suspicious of their behavior, he still reluctantly followed them.
The three of them came to an inconspicuous alley in the East City. There were several shops facing the street in the alley. After entering the shop, they passed through a secret door and found a secret house.
In the courtyard, the cobblestones pave the ground, are swept clean, and there are sparse bamboo silhouettes. It is quiet, pleasant, peaceful and quiet.
Entering the inner hall, there were more than a dozen young people sitting inside, some were full of anger, some were well-behaved and restrained, all kinds of young people.
The young men and Tian Bolang were very familiar with each other, and they had fun with each other.
At You hour (17:00 to 19:00), the sun sets and the banquet is still not started, as if we are waiting for someone.
Near Hai hour (21:00 to 23:00), the sound of a carriage was heard in the distance. Not long after, the carriage stopped outside the shop. Two teenagers at the door shouted: "The gang leader is here!"
The young men put down their tea cups and stood up to greet him.
The door curtain was rolled up, and a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old appeared. This girl was dressed plainly, with flowers in her bun, and her face was stunning.
All the young men hurriedly saluted and said hello.
The girl was quite arrogant and ignored everyone. She walked straight to the hall and sat down at the main seat in the middle.
After the girl sat down, the young men stood in two rows, paid homage to the girl respectfully, and then sat on both sides.
The banquet officially began, and the banquet was sumptuous and delicious. The food was exquisite and the atmosphere was pleasant.
After drinking for three rounds, Tian Bolang introduced Shen Xi to the girl, and Shen Xi quickly got up.
The girl glanced at Shen Xi, said with a serious smile, and asked: "Tian Er has mentioned you to me many times and said that you have something extraordinary. Can you show it during today's banquet?"
Chen Xi resigned humbly and said: "I'm really ashamed. Mo Xue has been studying Confucian classics since he was a child, but he has never learned any string or orchestral music."
The young people seemed to have heard a big joke and burst into laughter.
The girl was so happy that she covered her mouth and said with a smile: "What a pedantic master, of course that's not what I asked."
Shen Xi was uneasy, pondered for a long time, and murmured: "I have a small skill like flying over eaves and walking over walls, as if I were walking on flat ground. As for other things, I can't do it."
The girl blinked her eyes and said, "I would like to see the details."
Shen Xi then stood up, cupped his fists and said, "You're showing off your ugliness."
After that, I started floating on the water and walked a few steps on the wall. There seemed to be suction cups at the foot of Shenxi River, which allowed me to go straight up and down the wall.
"Good work." The girl applauded and praised.
The girl glanced at the group of teenagers and said, "You guys should also move and let Mr. Shen open his eyes."
The young men stood up, crossed their hands and saluted, saying: "No!"
The banquet hall instantly became a dojo for teenagers to show off their unique skills: some could walk and hover on the walls like a spider, with slime on their hands and feet; some could hang on the rafters like a sparrow, lingering around the beams and dancing gracefully...
There are more than a dozen young men, all of whom are top Qing Kung masters.
Chen Xi was ashamed and at a loss. Only then did he realize what it means that there are mountains beyond the mountains, and there is a sky beyond the sky.
After a while, the girl stood up and said goodbye to the young men.
After the girl left, the banquet was dull and all the young men suddenly felt unhappy. The banquet dispersed quickly.
A few days later, when Shen Xi was outing in the countryside, he met Tian Bolang again. Tian Bolang saw that Shen Xi's green horse was quite impressive, so he borrowed the horse from Shen Xi.
In order to ensure the return, Tian Bolang gave Chen Xi a wooden box of gold as collateral. Shen Xi was too shy to refuse, so he lent the green horse to Tian Bolang.
The next day, Shen Xi heard that the residences of several royal relatives had been stolen. Thinking of the skills of the young people at the banquet that night, Shen Xi felt uneasy.
Just when Shen Xi was suspicious, bad guys from Wannian County came to arrest Shen Xi.
On the night when the residence of the emperor's relatives was robbed, although the patrolman on patrol did not catch the thief, he caught the horse transporting the stolen goods on the spot.
The bad guys put up a reward notice to find the horse owner.
This horse is the green gelding of Shenxi.
The green horse is a sacred horse. Shen Xi used to ride this horse to and from the market, which was quite conspicuous.
Soon, Shen Xi was reported and arrested.
The bad guys searched Shen Xi's residence and found a wooden box of gold used to mortgage the horses. After inspection, it was found that the box of gold was stolen from the palace.
Shen Xi refused to defend himself and was imprisoned for his injustice.
Shen Xi was detained in the dungeon of the Delinquent Mansion Office, waiting for his confession to be recorded before being escorted to Dali Temple.
The dungeon is a pit seven or eight feet deep, like a wider dry well. The entrance of the pit is covered with wooden boards. There is a square hole as big as a basin on the wooden board for ventilation.
When it was time to eat, a thin rope was lowered from the square hole. A food box was tied to the rope.
Shen Xi was frightened and frightened that day. He didn't eat enough water and rice, but when he saw food and water, he felt hungry. Shen Xi wolfed down the food in three mouthfuls.
After burning the incense, the food box was taken away with a string.
Sitting in the well in Shenxi and looking at the sky, I had mixed feelings. I hated Tian Bulang and these young men endlessly.
Late at night, the moonlight poured down and filled the walls of the well. Thinking of misfortune and unpredictable fate, Shen Xi couldn't sleep at night.
For the next three days, no one interrogated Shen Xi, and no one could complain. Shen Xi seemed to be abandoned in the corner at the bottom of the well.
Three days in the dungeon, in the dark, turned Shen Xi from anger to sadness, and then from sadness to despair...
On the fifth night, at the third watch, the wooden board above the dungeon was gently removed, and a rope hung down. A man wearing night clothes, like an ape, climbed down the rope.
The visitor's eyes were like water, and he said softly: "Master, don't be afraid, I'm here, don't worry." The voice was gentle, it was the girl gang leader I met that day.
The girl took out a dagger that was as sharp as iron and cut off the shackles on Shen Xi's hands and feet.
Then, the girl took out a long piece of silk, tied one end to Shen Xi's waist, and tied the other end to herself. Then she grabbed the rope, alternated her arms, and climbed up.
Jumping out of the dungeon, the girl jumped into the air, like a big bird jumping into the forest, and escaped from the bad man's office with Shen Xi...
After crossing the towering city wall of Chang'an, the two walked five miles in the dark night and came to a dense forest.
Tian Banglang had been waiting here for a long time. He took a horse and handed the reins to Shen Xi's hand. When Shen Xi saw Tian Banglang, he became furious.
Shen Xi was about to get angry, but the girl stopped him with a cold look on her face.
The girl scolded Shen Xi: "Tomorrow morning, there will be notices all over Chang'an to arrest you. Leave quickly!"
Shen Xi panicked and didn't bother to fight with Tian Bulang, so he quickly got on his horse.
Before leaving, the girl said to Shen Xi: "The capital is in turmoil and not very peaceful. Young Master should return to Jianghuai as soon as possible. The road to seeking an official position will be long."
Regarding the girl, Chen Xi didn't know whether to thank her or to be angry. He imitated the gestures of other teenagers in saluting, and crossed his arms to bow to the girl as a gesture of farewell.
Shen Xi rode his horse and whipped up his whip, and fled all night. At dawn, he was already hundreds of miles away.
After escaping from danger, Shen Xi was filled with sorrow and joy, as if he had lived a lifetime ago. Only then did he realize that what Tian Bolang had given him was a good horse with a thousand miles of horse. There were water and money in the side pockets of the saddle.
In the next few days, Shen Xi stayed up day and night, and ran to Wu County in one breath, never daring to return to Chang'an.
Comment
The story of the girl's theft gang is based on the Tang Dynasty legendary novel "Yuan Hua Ji", written by Huangfu Shi.