A figure suddenly rushed out of the alley, startling pedestrians and almost knocking over the incense stall on the roadside.
The incense vendor murmured something dissatisfied, and just as he was about to place his incense candles, several more people rushed out of the alley, shouting, and the vendor was so frightened that he quickly retreated to avoid them.
"You little thief, stop running away! Give me your money back!!"
Running in front was a young man with handsome features. He glanced back and saw that several big men were thirty or fifty meters behind him, holding up sticks and chasing him fiercely. The young man took a breath of air and felt the wind at his feet.
, and quickly turned to the alley.
The big men followed closely behind and rushed into the alley. However, the alley was narrow and overgrown, and the young man disappeared after turning around and around.
"Where are you running?" a big man said panting.
"This little thief dares to steal Mr. Liu's money. He doesn't want to live in the capital anymore!"
"Brother, should we pursue him?"
"Hmph! Chase! I want to see if he can escape this city of Beijing!"
The shouts and curses of the big men were getting farther and farther away, and in just a cup of tea, they were drowned in the distant noise.
In the cabbage shed deep in the alley, a small head poked out, looking forward and then back.
It must have gone far.
The young man carefully climbed out from behind the cabbage pile, patted the dirt on his body, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he took off the small baggage on his back and weighed it in his hands.
If I had known it was the money of the bully Mr. Liu, not to mention fifty taels. I didn't dare to remember even five cents. The young man sighed. What a good thing it is now. If I don't take this money, I can still live.
With this money, how can we survive in this capital city?
The young man couldn't help but shudder as he thought about it, and looked around. Then he turned around and went back to the cabbage shed.
It's always dangerous now that it's daylight, so let's wait until night and think of a way...
...
"Master, it's dawn, it's time to get up."
The young man opened his eyes drowsily and saw the maid busy back and forth in the bedroom. The sunshine outside the window was warm and soft. Accompanied by a few clear bird calls, he passed through the window lattice with carved begonia branches and brushed the celadon tea on the rosewood table.
The lamp fell on the fragrant and warm brocade quilt.
I dreamed of home again... The young man took a deep breath and looked around at everything in front of him with nostalgia. Some nostalgia welled up in his heart, no more, no less, which made his eyes wet.
In this trance, the bedroom turned into a hall, with a kind-faced middle-aged man and a beautiful and gentle woman sitting in the middle. The two smiled slightly and waved to the young man:
Come, Dezhong, come...
Father, mother, have you come to see the child again? The boy was walking forward step by step, wanting to hold his mother's hand, when suddenly a loud shout came from behind:
Xu Dezhong! So you are here! Hum hum, come here, collect all the valuable items in this house from me!
don't want!
The young man stretched out his hand to stop him. But he couldn't move at all. He could only look at the overturned tables and chairs, broken porcelain, crushed flower branches, and his mother crying on the side. The one where his father was sitting just now
The Eight Immortals Chair seemed to be right in front of him, within reach, but his father was nowhere to be found. In the past five years, he had dreamed of the same scene countless times. The young man held his breath and closed his eyes quietly. It was just a dream, it doesn't matter.
, wait a minute, wait a minute and it will pass... As I thought about it, the chaotic sounds in my ears became increasingly blurry, and only the sounds of chaotic footsteps gradually became clearer.
He suddenly woke up. The young man calmed himself down and found that he was still huddled in the cabbage shed. A chill ran through his body. Looking through the gaps in the cabbage pile, it was almost dusk. The sound of footsteps really rang in his ears.
There were people passing by all around, making it very noisy.
"Sir, this is where I saw that kid missing today!"
Snap! “Ouch!”
"You detectives can't even catch a young boy! This slap is light. If we can't catch him before tomorrow, you four will just pack up and get out!"
"Yes... hurry up! Go look over there!"
The sound of rapid footsteps seemed to be heading towards the entrance of the alley. From far away, I heard Mr. Liu yelling angrily:
"Find out what this guy's name is and where he lives! I have to find him even if the city of Beijing is ruined!"
"yes!"
The young man suddenly woke up and crouched in the cabbage shed, not daring to breathe. He stayed nervous for about half an hour, and no movement could be heard around him. Then the young man took a deep breath and leaned against the cabbage pile.
I was still holding the fifty taels of silver tightly in my arms.
Petty theft, petty cheating, no matter good or bad, Xu Dezhong has finally survived until now. And the pain of family destruction and death seems to have slowly calmed down with the passage of time, and he has stayed peacefully somewhere in his memory.
Except for the occasional reflection in his dreams, Dezhong's thoughts do not often bother him. Five years, neither short nor long, has made Dezhong accept God's unfair arrangement, just like the twelve years of the rich young master's life.
It is really a dream. When you wake up from the dream, you can just smile and wave your hands and don't care too much. Or maybe such a life of poverty is too realistic, so realistic that even the slightest immersion in sadness will seem so luxurious.
In any case, everything is in the past. And the problems before him now make Dezhong not in the mood to recall the old things in his dream just now.
Shortly after nightfall, the moonlight was dim, and there still seemed to be noisy noises from the police in the distance. It was intermittent and hard to hear clearly. I finally got a big sum of money, but unexpectedly I made a mistake. It seems that they won't catch me tonight.
He would not give up. Dezhong shook his head and opened the baggage in his arms. The five ingots of silver glowed with a soft silver light and looked very beautiful under the moonlight. Dezhong picked up one ingot and looked at it carefully, and then picked up another and weighed it.
After weighing it, he suddenly found a letter underneath the silver ingot. Dezhong opened the letter under the moonlight and saw the following lines written on it:
"I have thanked Mr. Yang for taking the trouble to change the sentence. A small gift would be disrespectful. Please accept it with your smile. Liu Dahu."
No wonder Liu Captou is so nervous about this small amount of money. It turns out he is afraid that his little deeds will be known. Dezhong sneered disdainfully. In today's world, the country is not peaceful and the people are uneasy. It is not easy to eat enough. How can I have the leisure to care about your many things?
Without another glance, Dezhong stuffed the letter back into the envelope and threw it aside. Then he neatly arranged the silver coins, carefully wrapped them in cloth, and put them in his arms.
However... if Liu Dahu thinks that the matter will be exposed, he will come to me even if I don't care about it. If the so-called "change of sentence" is a small matter, then that's it. If the matter is important and the crime is serious,
Wouldn't Liu Dahu silence him if he was caught? While Dezhong was holding the money in his pocket, he was thinking wildly, and a trace of fear arose in his heart - with this letter spread out, it was no longer a problem that could be solved by returning the money...
...How about dressing up as a woman and sneaking out of the city overnight? But at this moment, where can I find a coat and skirt? Not to mention the difficulty of going out of the city. Even if I get out of the city, where will I have a place to stay...
.
I don’t know how much time passed, but the night was deep and the surroundings finally started to become quiet. He hadn’t eaten for a day, and Dezhong’s stomach was already rumbled with hunger. But he still couldn’t come up with any good ideas. He wanted to climb out of the shed several times to explore.
I tried to explore the wind, but I was frightened back by the sound of people coming and going. What should I do? There is no way in, and there is no way out. I can't hide in this small shed forever. I am gathering courage in Dezhong and want to go again
When he went out to explore the road, suddenly there was another sound of footsteps in the distance. Dezhong was startled. He quickly retreated into the shed and hid it, and looked out through the gap in the cabbage pile. He saw rustling sounds coming from the direction of the alley entrance.
A group of people walked forward. The person walking in front was holding a lantern. The light was dim and could only roughly reflect the figures of these people. They walked very fast and their steps were very light. When they passed the cabbage shed, Dezhong
I wanted to distinguish them carefully, but I couldn't tell them clearly. I just felt that these people acted in a low-key and secretive way, not like Capt. Liu's men.
After walking not far from the cabbage shed, the group of people stopped for some unknown reason. As soon as the rustling sounds disappeared, the alley seemed extremely quiet. The lantern at the head turned in a direction, and the light just reflected a person's gorgeous and complicated robes.
on the pattern.
"The palace gate is just ahead. Do you remember everything Zajia taught you?"
This man spoke with a flurry of words, his voice was not loud but somewhat sharp, and his words had a condescending air.
"Remember, remember, these children all understand the truth. Don't worry, Eunuch Zhao." The man holding the lantern bowed and said flatteringly.
It turned out to be an eunuch. Dezhong felt at ease. Nowadays, eunuchs are very good. They work for the emperor in the palace, and they are well-dressed and well-fed. Standing in the crowd, they seem to be a head taller than others. Those in front of them are just right.
Just an example.
"Well -" Eunuch Zhao's voice rang again, "I have taken care of your cleansing matters. From now on, the Za family won't be able to control you much. By then, the six of you... um
?" Eunuch Zhao tilted his head and asked the person holding the lantern, "How many people are here?"
"Hey? One, two, three, four, five...how are there five people? Wang Chunsheng...Li Xiang...Wu Haocai, Zhou...Zhou what, Zhao Fucheng...hey
Where did that man named Zhang Yishan go? Did any of you see him?"
The few young people behind looked at each other and said nothing.
"Where is he! Huh?" Facing these young people, the lantern-holder straightened his waist and his voice became brighter, "You have fallen behind in the queue for just such a way! You can enter this palace if you want!"
How could you have gone in without Eunuch Zhao taking the trouble to take this trip! Ah? If you say no, you won’t! You don’t take our father-in-law seriously..."
The lantern maker talked more and more enthusiastically, but Dezhong, who was hiding behind the cabbage pile, had a thought. Yes, ordinary people can't enter the palace, and Liu Dahu and the police officers can't enter... this red wall
, isn’t it the best hiding place! I don’t have to worry about Liu Dahu snatching me out and skinning and removing my bones. I don’t have to leave Beijing and wander around without a fixed place. I don’t have to sneak around to have food and clothing. I can hide as long as I want.
Isn't it a good thing to hide for how long?
Anyway, there is no way out, so just pretend to be a eunuch and enter the palace!
Thinking of this, the dark clouds suddenly dispersed in Dezhong's heart, and the sun was shining brightly. He didn't think about whether his identity would be revealed, what kind of world was inside the red wall, what kind of life was really waiting for him, etc.
Without wanting to, I hurriedly climbed out of the cabbage shed. Like the instinct to look for light when lost, or the fate of a moth flying into the flame, I suddenly stood up and headed straight for the dim light in front of me.
"Zhang Yishan is here!"
In the palace.
In a remote room somewhere, a eunuch with thin eyebrows and eyes was looking up and down at these young people who had just entered the palace.
"Eunuch Zhao has taken care of your affairs. According to the rules, you must be punished if you purify yourself privately. You are lucky to be able to enter the palace."
These people have purified themselves privately? Not bad, not bad...
After making up a few words to impersonate Zhang Yishan, taking advantage of the darkness and unclear moonlight, Dezhong suddenly realized that he was about to face an insurmountable difficulty - cleansing himself. Although he did not want to lose his life, Dezhong had to cut off his descendants.
I absolutely don’t want to. But in the clear sky and in the broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, how can we hide the matter of purification? I have been anxious all the way, but now after listening to the words of the eunuch with thin eyebrows, I finally feel a little more at ease, and I feel Amitabha Buddha in my heart.
I don’t know whether to thank God for helping me or to rejoice at my luck.
"If it hadn't been for the recent incident and the lack of manpower in the palace, you wouldn't have been able to come in so easily. From now on, you should behave yourself in the palace and do your job well. This is the palace, under the emperor's feet. If you break the rules again and something happens, don't be blamed.
The Zajia family never warned you."
Several people hurriedly acknowledged themselves. The eunuch with thin eyebrows nodded and continued: "We have twelve eunuchs in this palace, each in charge of different matters. After Eunuch Wei is gone, the one who is most lacking is naturally the ceremonial eunuch, but you are new here.
Of course, I don’t have the blessing to get in. Let me see..." The thin-browed eunuch glanced at a few young people and asked, "What are your... names?"
The two people standing in front each reported their names. "Wu Haocai." "Zhao Fucheng."
"Well, you two, go to the Department to set up a prison. You, you look like a monk. You go to the Shrine Palace. You, go to the Yinshou Prison. As for you two," he looked at Dezhong and narrowed his eyes.
, "You two go to the Zhidian Prison. Take a rest tonight, and someone will take you to each prison to report tomorrow."
"May I ask my father-in-law?" The young man named Wu Haocai lowered his head and asked cautiously, "What should I do when I go to the Department of Prisons?"
"Someone will tell you these questions one by one after you report for duty tomorrow." The eunuch with the thin eyebrows did not look at him, "No matter what you do, be diligent and smart. If you do it well, you will naturally have the opportunity to rise to the top."
After saying that, the eunuch with thin eyebrows stood up to leave, and several people hurriedly bent down to see him off. Halfway through, he suddenly stopped again, turned around and said, "By the way, someone will come over to check you guys in a while. You guys are doing well here."
Come on, don't wander around, you won't see anyone."
Dezhong, who had just been relieved, took another breath, which was stuck in his throat. I thought that the matter of purification was over, but who knew that something would happen again so soon. The eunuch with thin eyebrows went out, and several others had already
Find a place to sit down.
As Dezhong walked towards the wooden bench in the corner, he was anxiously wondering how he could get through this hurdle. Piao Tian, a registered member of literature, recommended this work