What's more, the unnatural phenomenon of time travel, even before Lin Rong saw the painting, he couldn't imagine that his senior brother was here too. The news from more than ten years ago is too old, and the senior brother may not still be there now.
Kingfisher smiled and stepped forward and asked: "County Master, it's getting late, should we go back?"
Lin Rong looked up and saw dark clouds outside the window, which was a sign that a storm was coming. He said, "It's very hot and sultry today. I can't breathe. Let's take a rest before going down the mountain."
After sitting for another quarter of an hour, it started to rain heavily that day. Lin Rong said, "I'm afraid the rain will get heavier and heavier. It's difficult to walk down the mountain, and I'm afraid the carriage won't be able to go. While you can still ride a horse at this time, you can I sent the two boys back home, saying that I can’t go back today and will rest in the Taoist temple.”
Jing Qin was a little older and was afraid that something would be wrong. Aunt Qu asked her to stay in the house, but she couldn't persuade Lin Rong, so she had to go out and tell the two people to go back quickly to report the news.
Feng Xiao had never played in this Taoist temple before, but she saw that everything was new. She invited the little girl Guiyuan who came with her to discuss: "There is a huge ginkgo tree in this temple. I heard someone said that while the leaves are not yellow yet, , hanging a silk ribbon to make a wish is easier than worshiping the Bodhisattva."
Jing Qin saw that Lin Rong was acting weird today, but couldn't say anything specifically. The girls were all focused on playing, and came out with a sullen face: "The bedding and curtains were not changed, and the tea stove was not turned on. Instead, they went to play somewhere one by one. ? I asked you to come out with the master, but you only wanted to go out and have fun, so why did you ask the master to be an errand?"
As soon as King Jingqin spoke, the girls immediately packed up the things in the Taoist temple. No matter how clean they were, they would not dare to give them to their master. Fortunately, Kingfisher was careful and brought everything with him. Not only the bedding and curtains, but also the seat frame of the armchair, the backrest and pillows used daily were all replaced.
He also made tea and served it in Lin Rong's usual small blue-glazed cup: "Master."
Lin Rong took a sip, and his tongue was very clever: "Is it spring water from the mountain?"
Feng Xiao smiled and nodded: "County Master, the water here is good. I wonder if it's because there are so many Taoist priests?"
Lin Rong laughed at her: "It's because there are so many Taoist priests at this time. Who would have thought that the Taoist boys at the door were smelly when they first came here?"
Feng Xiao stuck out her tongue, took the round fan, and stood silently beside her, fanning herself.
Kingfisher went to the kitchen to keep an eye on him. He didn't bring the cook, so he had to make do with it and made a few side dishes at will. After the meal, he personally carried a lantern and ordered the women everywhere to guard: "It's better than in the house." Here, don’t miss out by dozing off.”
Everyone took a rest. Lin Rong didn't have the habit of letting the girls sleep on the footrest for the night watch. He only asked the seven or eight little girls to sleep together. They joked and joked, and they were so noisy that they didn't go to bed until late at night. This is another story. Don’t mention it.
On the other hand, Lin Rong was here, without Lu Shen by his side, and with news from his senior brother. He felt comfortable and at ease. He had a dark and sweet night, and didn't wake up until noon the next day.
Hang Qing got the news that night and didn't dare to make the decision, so he sent someone to report to Lu Shen. Today, Lu Shen rode on horseback and headed for the outer city. He didn't know when he would turn back.
In this way, three or five days gradually passed. Hang Qing felt uneasy and sent people to the Taoist temple. However, Lin Rong didn't come back. He was either dizzy or dizzy. It was either too hot or it was raining and the mountain road was difficult to walk.
Lu Shen had been out for five or six days. He hurriedly returned from riding his horse. After thinking about it for a while, he went to Cui's yard. Before he could get closer, he saw pitch black again. He snorted coldly and did not bother to call the door. , kicked away.
The expected bright lights did not appear, only a few old ladies kneeling on the porch, covered in fright: "Madam went to the Taoist temple on the mountain. She said it was raining heavily today and the road was difficult to walk, so she stayed overnight."
When Lu Shen heard this, he snorted, "Does this daughter of the Cui family still think this is Jiangzhou? How can she behave and behave according to her arbitrary principles?" He immediately ordered someone to call Hang Qing.
Hang Qing was still asleep and asked someone to wake him up: "The prince has lost his temper in the madam's yard. Girl, please go and have a look."
He hurriedly put on his clothes and fixed his hair, hurried over with a lantern, and saw the maids and women kneeling on the ground inside and outside the house. Even the guards who were watching the night knelt down several times. They also knelt down hurriedly: "Madam, I want to go to the Five Mysteries Temple on the mountain for a ritual ceremony. No. It happened that it was raining heavily, so I sent someone to rest in the Taoist temple. The servant came back that day, and seeing that the prince did not give any other orders, he took matters into his own hands."
He kowtowed and said, "Master, please punish me."
After all, Hang Qing was different from ordinary girls. It was not easy to offend her, so Lu Shen stopped being harsh and waved his hand to order everyone to leave.
After he had bathed, he was lying on the bed with brocade curtains, holding a history book in his hand. There was a faint cold fragrance in his nose. In front of his eyes, the woman with her precious bun flying sideways and her crimson cheeks appeared. She was also very squeamish, either urging him to hurry up or crying out for pain. Fu Rongxiu always had a very impatient look on her face, and her eyes only showed that she was impatient and charming.
Lu Shenshu couldn't see in. He stared at the top of the tent for a long time, his thoughts racing. He suddenly realized it and was secretly shocked. Finally, he opened the tent and saw green wax lamps at one end. The light and shadow were floating, but it was already dawn.
Chapter 25
Lu Shen sat for a long time and looked out the window, and the horizon was already clear. He became even more upset. He paused and said, "Call a girl from the Xian Lai Pavilion to come over."
The Xianlai Pavilion is a place where beauties collected from all over Yongzhou live. Lu Shen, in order to tarnish his reputation, ordered the local governors to donate it.
After hearing this, the girl who spent the night outside the door hurriedly went to find Shen Yan who was resting in the lower room: "Master Xiaofang, the beauty from the Xuanxian Lai Hall is sleeping with me."
Hearing this order, Shen Yan still doubted that he had heard it wrong. He put on his clothes and came out. When he saw the light outside, the king had already gotten up early to go to the office to handle military affairs. Why did he still stay in the inner courtyard and ask Xuan Mei to sleep with him?
The people in the Xian Lai Pavilion were just pretending. The monarch never asked about it and only asked his subordinates to take care of it. Shen Yan was afraid that the girl had heard wrong and he had rashly announced that someone was here and would be punished by standing there. He asked again at the door: "Jun Hou, I wonder how many beauties from the Xian Lai Pavilion are here?"
There was no sound inside, and Shen Yan understood clearly. Not long after he left for the Xian Lai Pavilion, two women, one ring and one thin, quietly opened the door and slowly went in. They knelt in front of the bed and said, "My maid and concubine pay my respects to the lord."
Lu Shen opened the curtain with one hand and saw that the fat woman was wearing a Yang Fei-colored gauze dress, a white silk pleated skirt, and a red gold tassel hairpin inlaid with rubies. The thin woman was wearing a moon-colored dress. White silk jacket, aqua skirt, and a white jade light square. The two of them slowly raised their heads, both fearful and shy: "Please have mercy on me, Lord!"
Lu Shen saw the shy and submissive looks of the two goddesses, as if they were ready to be picked by him, and thought to himself: The red one is too gorgeous, and the white one is too bland. He suddenly thought of Cui Shiniang again. In the past, calling her gaudy had greatly offended her, which was not true. Her eyebrows and eyes were barely... barely lookalike even with light makeup and heavy makeup.
What's hateful is that this woman, Cui Shiniang, had a meek and pitiful look on her face. She said she didn't dare, but she dared to stay among the Taoist priests. When she thought about it, she blurted out: "You dare!"
The two kneeling women didn't know why. Hearing the vicious tone of the Lord, they hurriedly kowtowed and apologized: "I don't dare, I don't dare."
Lu Shen came to his senses and saw that the two women were trembling and showing no interest at all. He was silent and then asked, "Have you ever learned to serve others?"
The two girls looked at each other, nodded shyly, slowly unbuttoned their clothes, took off their bras, climbed up with a pair of jade arms, and exhaled like a blue: "Please have mercy on me, Lord."
Lu Shen did not move and allowed the two women to stand up and untie his clothes. His hands were as cold as a water snake, which made Lu Shen open up his long-sealed memories. He suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were blood red and he had a headache. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he pushed the two women away and yelled, "Get out."
The two girls had just taken off Lu Shen's outer clothes and saw that he suddenly became angry. They didn't know why, so they just thought that they had not served him well and did not bother to put on their clothes. They knelt down on the bed and trembled: "Please calm down your anger, please calm down your anger."
It took Lu Shen a while to recover, opened his eyes, and waved: "Go out, it has nothing to do with you." At the same time, he ordered Shen Yan: "I will reward these two women with two hundred gold foils and colored coins."
The two girls looked at each other with doubts on their faces and hurriedly kowtowed and thanked you: "Thank you for the reward." They didn't care about the lack of clothes, so they took her out, changed into the outer screen, and then went out.
The two returned to the Xian Lai Pavilion and saw the two large plates of gold coins and silk in front of them. They still felt that it was unreal. They didn't know whether to be happy or sad for a moment. The younger one asked: "Sister, are we considered to be in bed now? That's right. Is he the prince's woman? Can we stay here forever and follow the prince forever? "
The older one just shook his head and cried silently.
Lu Shen had no choice but to give up. He stayed up almost all night, but showed no signs of fatigue. Shen Yan prepared his horse and ran to the countryside for forty or fifty miles. His brows and temples were almost wet with the morning mist before he returned. Transfer to the main camp to handle military affairs.
The next day, Lin Rong didn't wake up until noon and asked the girl, "Why didn't you call me?"
Kingfisher came in with tea: "The county master finally slept so well. He didn't dream or sweat at night, and he and his wife were not in the house. It would be better to sleep more."
As he spoke, Feng Xiao came in with a handful of unknown wild flowers, put them in a vase, and said: "County Master, it rained heavily last night. Today, the trees on the mountain are as green as anything, and the flowers are more fragrant. The birds inside are singing louder. There are many peacocks in this temple, and they are picking their feathers under the trees. Let’s go for a walk later, it’s fresh and cool.”
Someone else came in and said: "The old temple master is waiting outside the hanging flower door. He said that paper money, tinfoil ingots, paper-wrapped pigs and sheep and other things have been prepared. I'm here to ask for your lady's advice whether to do it now or wait until the afternoon cools down. Set up an altar to worship at one o'clock."
Lin Rong grunted, washed up, and was not verbose with the old temple master. She ordered the girl to tell him: "Didn't he tell him yesterday that he had already calculated the time? Just do what he said."
Then he went to look for the talkative Tongxuan Master as usual, but unfortunately he was already very alert. Even if Lin Rong was tempted by the novel chess game next to him, he couldn't pry out a word from him. The entanglement got tighter, so he dropped a sentence: "You lied to me the first time, the second time, do you want to lie to me the third time?" He simply closed the door and let Lin Rong waste his words.
Lin Rong secretly hated himself for being impatient. He showed his flaws that day and summoned the old temple master again: "I saw Master Tongxuan playing chess very skillfully that day, and I heard him murmuring the words Qianya Ke. It is said that Qian Ya Ke’s chess records are unparalleled in the world. There are many people in my family who love chess, and I have a lot of chess records hidden away, but I have never heard of Qian Ya Ke. Who is this Qian Ya Ke?”
But the old temple master didn't know anything: "Qian Ya Ke? Please teach me, madam, what are the words?"
Lin Rong asked the girl to write it and send it to him. He looked at it for a while and then said: "This name is not heard in Beidi. It's not that Xiaodao is boasting. Xiaodao's chess skills have also been praised by Pei Linggong. He is a good chess player and has many chess players. I want my wife to know that my uncle Xiaodao is a little ill. Sometimes he is sober and sometimes he is confused. He often makes up lies to bluff people, and his words cannot be accurate."
After hearing this, Lin Rong was greatly disappointed. He had to get such a clue easily and refused to give up easily. He just wanted to wait until tomorrow to ask again, but it couldn't be done, so he had to go to Qiandang Cliff first. If the senior brother is not in Qiandangya, just go back to the Taoist temple and ask. Master Tongxuan has not left home for decades, so he is very easy to find.
At noon, King Jingqin saw that the county master had no intention of going back. He was secretly worried and persuaded with a smile: "Master, we have been out for several days and don't have many things with us. We even asked Miss Hangqing in the mansion to send someone to deliver many things." Come on, it’s getting late. I wonder if you’ve asked someone to get ready and go back to the house. Before I say anything, Miss Hang Qing told me not to spend the night outside. Even in Jiangzhou, the new daughter-in-law has never been like this. Staying outside for five or six days."
Lin Rong stood in the corridor. He knew what she said was reasonable and could not refute. He pointed out the window: "Although the sun is not so bad at this time, the mountain road has been exposed to the sun all day, so it must be very hot." . Wait a little longer to let the heat dissipate before setting off again."
He was told to wait a little longer, but on this June day, when we were about to set off, it started to drizzle again.
Lin Rong waved his fan and said lazily: "Look, God wants to keep a guest. If we go back today, it will be against God's will. God's will cannot be violated."
Even for a steady person like Jing Qin, Lin Rong was so angry that he stamped his feet and said bitterly: "Master is staying here and won't go back, and he doesn't want to think about how to explain himself when he goes back."
Lin Rong didn't think about this issue at all. If she found out the whereabouts of her senior brother, she had no intention of going back at all. Instead, she asked: "What are you going to eat tonight?"
On this day, King Wei of Xudu launched an army to attack Shu. Before leaving, he issued an imperial edict under the guise of His Majesty's order. He said that Qingzhou Luo Yihu, whose clothing and housing were in violation of the regulations, had a disobedient heart, and ordered Yongzhou Mu to lead his troops to attack him.
Lu Shen received this imperial edict, temporarily pressed it, inspected the Wuwei Camp, and discussed with the counselors in the military tent.
De Gong said: "Luo Yihu of Qingzhou has the deepest roots among the princes in the north. He has been running Qingzhou for thirty years and has an army of 150,000. He has eighteen princes under his command, all of whom are brave and good at fighting. Now Xu has issued this imperial edict. , and told the world that if the lord does not raise troops to attack Shu, he is resisting the decree. If he raises troops, he will fulfill the wishes of the King of Wei. No matter whether he wins or loses, he cannot go south when the King of Wei attacks Shu."
Another person also said: "We, Yongdi, and Qingzhou have no quarrel at all. Once this imperial edict comes out, I'm afraid that if we can't afford troops, the Luo Yihu of Qingzhou will also be more prepared."
Lu Shen didn't worry but smiled: "My grandfather once said that this person is the most evil person in the world, and he is well-deserved."
When the counselors saw Lu Shen making such a joke, they asked, "Does the Lord have a good plan in mind?"
Lu Shen picked up a secret letter on the case: "Although Luo Yihu had eighteen surnames, he only had two biological sons. Of these two, one was a legitimate son and the other was a concubine, one was eldest and the other was young. Luo Yihu loved his legitimate son, The intention of changing the name of the heir apparent was temporarily shelved because the eldest son was getting more and more mature. Of these two sons, one had the advantage of age, and the other had the rightful status. In addition, Luo Yihu was vacillating, and Qingzhou's civil and military divisions were divided. The two factions are almost at odds with each other."
The counselors circulated it one after another and saw that the secret letter was very detailed and detailed. They were shocked and sighed: "This Luo Yihu was a tiger general when he was young and was given the name by the late emperor. I didn't expect that he is so dim now. What's more? In a world other than peace and prosperity, how can a younger son hold power even though he has a status? Even if he is ruthless enough to establish a younger son, he will have to expel the eldest son."
Lu Shen said: "This pile of hay will burn with just a little spark in it. By then, our army will be stationed in Qingzhou to fight against rebellion and put out fires. We will gain great righteousness and benefit from it."
The discussion lasted until nightfall, and Lu Shen only made a general outline, leaving the specific matters to be handled by his advisors. He was in a good mood, poured himself a pot of Huiquan wine, and slowly walked to the inner courtyard.
Unknowingly, we have arrived at Cui's courtyard, with a pair of bright-cornered lanterns hanging under the eaves. He had a fit yesterday, and the maid who stayed behind did not dare to rest early. She is now standing in the courtyard with her hands down.
Hang Qing also stood in the corridor and knelt down to greet him. Lu Shenqi asked, "Why are you here?"
Hang Qing did not get up and replied: "Today, my slave sent my boys and guards up the mountain to take my wife back to my house. However, my wife said that she would wait until the summer heat dissipated before setting off. Unexpectedly, it started to rain again when we set off. At night, my slave sent people to go back to my lord. My lord is busy with military affairs and cannot be seen..."
She raised her eyes to see Lu Shen's face, which was already very ugly.
Lu Shen lowered his eyelids and said slightly sarcastically: "The rain really follows her wishes." Seeing everyone trembling, knowing that he was showing his joy and anger, he frowned slightly and entered the room without asking anyone to get up, including Hang Qing. , still kneeling on the porch.
He had taken a bath as usual, feeling depressed in his heart, and moved his hands more vigorously. He swept down the rattan box and turned over the bottles and jars inside. Something like rose paste splashed onto the back of his hand, and a drop fell on the back of his hand. A bright red dot.
Lu Shen was lying on the bed, still flipping through the book in his hand. After a while, the bright red dot on his hand gradually spread, became lighter, thinner, and became blurry, just like a woman's rouge mouth. After looking at it for a long time, , it seemed as if someone really was sucking it gently with a rouge mouth, causing it to itch slightly.
Lu Shen just looked at it quietly without wiping it off. After an unknown amount of time, he got up and told Hang Qing: "Prepare your horse and ask Shen Yan to order two hundred sergeants and go to Wuzhuang to watch."
Chapter 26
The night was dark and drizzling, with a sergeant lighting a torch and leading the way. Lu Shen arrived at the gate of Wuzhuang Temple in less than half an hour at a gallop. After asking for the door to be opened, no one was allowed to go. After asking for details, he held a riding crop in one hand and headed for the woman's wing.
This night, I don’t know who started the commotion. Today is the tenth day of August and it is Feng Xiao’s birthday. Several little girls and the mother-in-law who came with them pooled their money and went to the restaurant down the mountain early to order a table of noodles for them to eat. .
Lin Rong suddenly realized: "The tenth day of August is also my lunar birthday." At this time last year, my parents had already bought cakes and cooked a large table of dishes. Unfortunately, they worked overtime until midnight that day and the dishes were cold when they got home.
The small pavilion outside the Taoist temple wing was covered with very cute grape trellises. Kingfisher ordered the banquet to be placed under the grape vine trellises to join in the fun with a few girls. Before the banquet started, Lin Rong was invited to the main seat.
Lin Rong was afraid that they would feel uncomfortable during the dinner, and he would feel uncomfortable as well, so he shied away: "You can just play and relax, so I won't disturb you anymore."
Feng Xiao then said: "If you don't pay me for being a master, how could you not even give me a drink?"
Everyone laughed: "I was thinking about the county lord's money. I mean, sister Fengxiao has been looking at the county lord eagerly all afternoon? Do you think the county lord has something on his face?"
Feng Xiao smiled and turned to hit the person: "I will tear your flesh and tell you to talk nonsense."
Lin Rong took out a red gold and ruby flower butterfly hairpin and inserted it into Fengxiao's hair: "Today is your birthday, and you should have set up a table in the house. This mountain is more simple, so I gave you this hairpin." .”
Feng Xiao took it with a smile: "The county lord knows about me. I made a bet with Kingfisher before, saying that the county lord would definitely give me this hairpin that day."
After a round of drinking, the little girl Guiyuan said: "Drinking is boring, why don't we play drums and pass flowers, okay? The winner will sing a song if he can sing, and tell a joke if he can't. If he can't even tell a joke, No, how about learning how to meow like a dog or a cat?"
As soon as she said it, people cheered: "This is good, this is good. Who doesn't know how to bark a dog a few times?"
There was rice wine on the table, and the alcohol content was not good. Lin Rong drank a lot, and was already tipsy. Only her hands were quick, and the flower was passed around several times, but it didn't stay in her hand.
