"Senior, I am poor Xiao Cao. I sang songs on the Qinhuai River with Xiao Shi. Do you remember Xiao Shi? I was deceived by the smooth words of a swordsman named Feng."
"..." Lou Xiliu thought, could the little stone Qing Niangzi was talking about be Shi Mingniang?
With a bang, she was kicked into the hot spring pool again.
The old palace man squinted his eyes and seemed to be sizing up the female official Cao Xiwan who crawled out of the hot spring pool.
"I remembered you...you used a sword, and you liked to use one sword at a time to strike randomly."
"Yes! It's me! Senior!"
Xiao Cao, who was beaten with buckets and basins, became a drowned rat. He climbed up into the pond and recalled sadly: "Senior! I have never forgotten the kindness of senior to me!"
"Eh - Qingluo Nvgui's master!?" Not only the two juniors, but also Liu Ruhai were extremely surprised.
Shouldn't this old palace man be Shi Mingniang's master?
Cao Xiwan recalled with emotion: "The song that my predecessors liked to sing the most at that time was, 'When will the spring flowers and autumn moon come? I know a lot about the past - oh oh oh -'"
The old palace lady's expression changed, as if she remembered something. She leaned on her broom handle and stood in the hot spring starlight, listening to Cao Xiwan's words.
Cao Xiwan recalled the song that the old palace man once taught her to sing. Suddenly, the old palace man looked up to the sky and let out a low whistle. Liu Ruhai behind the screen was shocked when he heard this. Where did this stranger come from!
Lou Xiliu, Xiao Zhao didn't think anything of it at first, but when she heard the whistling sound, it was twists and turns, like a bird's song, and it lasted for half a stick of incense, but it didn't stop.
All of them were shocked.
At this time, the old palace man sang with a chaotic voice: "...How much do you know about the past...The carved railings and jade bricks should still be there, but the beauty has changed. I wonder if you have many worries..."
Cao Xiwan sat by the pool, stared at the old palace man, and slowly sang along: "Oh oh oh——"
Behind the screen, Liu Ruhai, Lou, and Zhao were all speechless and choked up.
Did she originally learn the subjugation tune about the hatred of the country and the family from this old palace man? Was she the master of singing songs?
——Can you please stop singing? Even if it is a two-person chorus, it really doesn’t sound good.
Liu Ruhai thought carefully, at this old palace man's age, it was really possible that he was from the palace of subjugation?
In this dynasty, Taizu Xingwu established his country. In addition to attacking the northern capital and driving away the Mongol emperor, he also destroyed several small countries in the south of the Yangtze River and killed several kings.
The old palace man finished singing a song and slowly swept the floor in the hot spring pavilion. He could only hear the soft rustling in the night wind.
"...You, are you useless?"
"Well." she cried, "after I was dead, I was abandoned by my lover. My good friends also owed money and refused to pay me back. My former enemies came back to beat me. They treated me like a drowned dog. And Xiao Shi - Xiao Shi, she
If you want to kill me——"
She cried bitterly, "She has completely forgotten that she and I were both singing girls on the Qinhuai River back then. We had no father or mother and were sold on a boat to learn singing together. We are good sisters! She thinks I am useless."
"..." This is all nonsense, right? Lou Xiliu pondered.
Liu Ruhai understood immediately upon hearing this that she was not talking nonsense, at least most of it was true.
When Cao Xiwan mentioned this matter, it should be that she had a false identity as a secret agent of Jin Yiwei. She probably met this old palace man at the Qinhuai River just after returning to Jiangnan. Maybe for a few days, she followed the yamen's arrangement.
Sneaking onto the singing boat in the Qinhuai River. She should be a little girl to... monitor Feng Ling?
Or, the Qinhuai Song boat that Shi Mingniang was on back then was originally a capital transaction of Jinyi Yamen, and the owner of the boat was Jinyiwei's informant. It's just that Shi Mingniang didn't know it.
"Xiao Shi...? Humph!" The old palace man stopped and suddenly pressed the broom in his hand.
Liu Ruhai could hear the sudden explosion of energy, and he frowned without moving.
But Lou Xiliu and Xiao Zhao only felt pressure from all sides, and tiny cracks suddenly appeared from under the old palace man's broom, rushed behind the screen, and cracked under their feet.
Lou Xiliu gasped and subconsciously moved two steps to hide behind Liu Ruhai. Then he bumped into Xiao Zhao who was also cowering.
"Xiao Shi... I told her long ago that she should have two or three lovers and not fall in love with one person!"
"Senior makes sense!" She flattered her profusely. Liu Ruhai was speechless.
"I don't think her husband is likely to live a long life, but Xiaoshi is definitely no match for you. What do you want from me?"
Cao Xiwan thought that the senior master was really partial. She and Shi Mingniang were both on the singing boat. She was a little girl, and Shi Mingniang was already a little singer. Why did the old palace people only take a fancy to Shi Mingniang back then.
She, Cao Xiwan, compared with Shi Mingniang, she was obviously cuter, smarter, and better at flattering. The only thing she was worse about than Shi Mingniang was that she didn't sing well!
But the senior's singing was just like that. The senior was a down-and-out piano player who lived in Jinling. Later, Empress Taizu Xingwu was in the middle palace and recruited a literate older woman from a good family to be a female official in the palace, so she entered the palace.
The old palace man sighed: "Xiao Shi is kind-hearted and not as cunning as you. You were under ten years old at the time. I was already very tired just trying to tell whether what you said was true or false. How could I teach you again?"
"..." Lou Xi'er and Xiao Zhao suppressed laughter behind the screen.
Liu Ruhai also smiled. This old palace man's eyes were indeed vicious, and this old palace man was kind-hearted. Any other person would not have just kicked her away. On the other hand, Cao Xiwan might not be the same.
He is not her opponent. Because the roar of the old palace man is actually due to lack of Qi in his inner palace and there should be old injuries. The hot springs are indeed good for her.
Cao Xiwan could fight her to a draw without taking Bizhu, but he could kill her if he took Bizhu.
Cao Xiwan cried out unconvinced: "But I am very pitiful now. Without seniors, there would be no way to survive -"
"How can I help you?"
"Exactly, I know that senior has an old prescription for soaking in hot springs, which can heal a seriously injured body——"
"I've shown you the prescription before. It won't be a big deal if I give it to you again." The old palace man thought for a while, "By the way, I told you that I'm not sure about several herbs. I've tried them myself over the years.
Okay. Just change your recipe."
"Thank you, senior!" She breathed a sigh of relief. This prescription was one of the reasons why she wanted to enter the East Palace.
"But I don't know about pharmacology, and I got this old prescription by accident. It works for me, but it may not be good for you."
"I don't dare to hide it, senior. I hired a famous doctor. Firstly, he has good hands and benevolent heart, and is willing to heal the incurable people in the world. He should be able to prepare prescriptions. Secondly, senior gave me prescriptions, and I should repay him. So I also thought
Please ask him to take a look at the senior. Over the years, the senior has been staying in this hot spring palace for too long. If he has recovered well, should he make a new prescription to continue the treatment?" She suggested, "Senior, should he be transferred to another position?
The Palace Garden near Xuanwu Lake? I'm going to work there as a palace sweeper. If senior needs it, can you ask the imperial doctor to take a look."
"I don't trust other people -"
"Yes. Senior is right. But his surname is Liu." She didn't say much, she just got up and looked at the screen with a smile, "Doctor Liu, please come over and pay homage to Senior Bai."
When Liu Ruhai heard the word "Bai", his heart was moved. The four Bai families of Liu, Yuan, Cheng and Cheng were all famous medical families in the North. This palace man's surname was Bai. Could it be that he had some origin?
Liu Ruhai and the others were hiding behind the screen, seemingly unable to hide the old palace man. But when he got closer, he noticed something unusual and was shocked.
It turned out to be a blind old palace maid.
No wonder Cao Xiwan would pounce on her and beat her up, otherwise the old palace people might not really remember her. However, Liu Ruhai walked out of the screen and glanced at Cao Xiwan, she must have had bad intentions in asking him to leave the palace. He is not stupid. It may not be the case.
Just like last time, he was led into the palace prison tunnel and surrounded and killed.