"The front is Lintian Mansion, but now the world is in chaos, and heavy troops are stationed at the Water Gate of Lintian Mansion. Except for the canals transporting grain, other merchant ships are not allowed to enter, so our ship will stop at a ferry outside the city later. Remember to bring a gift package with you when you disembark.
"If you want to enter the city, you only need to walk two miles further north." The fat captain said this and then looked at an old man in the cabin. This man had silver hair, held a bamboo stick in his hand, and wore a Wearing old and coarse clothes, he was accompanied by two young scholars.
Although he is old, he is still in good spirits.
A look of respect also appeared on the captain's face, "Mr. Dongli, there is a donkey cart at the ferry. If you have difficulty with your legs and feet, you can take the donkey cart to Beijing."
The old man named Mr. Dongli nodded when he heard this and politely thanked the fat captain.
The passenger boat stopped at the ferry, and the guests on board disembarked one by one.
The last person was a girl with a dragon head bun, and the fat captain stopped her.
The girl stood there, feeling a little embarrassed and said, "I've already paid the boat fare, but I still need to pay more? But, I escaped from my hometown... I really don't have any extra money, can I get it on credit first?" Wait until I go to the city and find my relatives, and then I can borrow it and return it."
Her voice was light and soft, like a frightened little rabbit, which made the fat captain couldn't help but feel pity and hurriedly said, "It's not about the fare, I just want to remind the girl that you'd better do it after you land." be careful."
The girl blinked her big watery eyes, seemingly not understanding what the fat captain said.
The latter sighed, what a simple and lovely little girl, how could she be caught up in troubled times.
Moreover, she also has a face that would captivate the entire country, which may not be a good thing for her future destiny.
The fat captain became more and more sad as he thought about it, but he was just the captain of a small boat. He already had a wife, a concubine, two sons, a daughter, and an old woman at home, with six mouths waiting for food, and more. I can’t afford another pair of bowls and chopsticks.
So he could only lower his voice and said, "As you have seen along the way, rituals and music have collapsed, and there are bandits and villains everywhere. Girl, you are alone again, be careful..."
"But haven't we already arrived at the emperor's feet?" The girl was also frightened and said weakly.
"Lintian Mansion is stronger than other places, but you haven't entered the city yet."
At this point, the fat captain stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point, "If you don't talk about others, let's just talk about the Shi brothers on our boat. Don't you think the way they look at you these days is wrong?"
The girl thought for a while and found out that indeed, the two brothers always liked to go outside her house and pretend to pass by her when they had nothing to do. Moreover, the eyes they usually looked at her were full of lust.
The fat captain looked around again. He seemed to be afraid that the Shi brothers would suddenly turn back, so he lowered his voice and said, "They say they are all farmers, but I have been traveling all over the country for more than ten years and have seen all kinds of people." There are too many guests.
"You can tell at a glance that these two people have practiced swordsmanship. The calluses on their hands don't look like they were caused by farm work... maybe there are lives on them. Alas, if Escort Fang hadn't come forward as a guarantee, then Plus, business is not doing well right now, so I definitely won’t let them get on my boat.
"Hmph, the person named Fang is not a good person. To be an escort, you must have friendships with both black and white, so you must be more careful."
The girl seemed to be completely frightened by the fat captain's words, her tone of voice was trembling, "But...but I am a weak woman, how can I be careful?"
"Follow Mr. Dongli." The fat captain helped the girl to the end and pointed out a clear path for the girl. "Although Mr. Dongli has no official status, he is a scholar and is well-known in Liuzhou. He comes to the capital this time. , was invited by a disciple to treat a seriously ill patient.
"Practice medicine? But didn't you say he was Shilin Qingliu?"
"Yes, the patient he wants to treat is Chen Chao. He plans to ask the officials to reform to solve the crisis in the world. In addition, he has brought two disciples with him this time. If you follow him, I think the Shi brothers should also come. There will be some scruples.”
"Thank you very much, Boss Bai. The little girl will never forget your kindness in helping me today."
As the girl spoke, she was about to prostrate herself, but the fat captain had quick eyesight and quick hands, and he immediately supported her.
When his hands came into contact with the girl's arms, he could clearly feel the girl's body trembling. At the same time, he also smelled a strange fragrance, which made the fat captain feel strange in his heart.
He almost couldn't help but hug the girl into his arms.
Fortunately, at the last moment, he thought of his wife and children, so he came to his senses and reluctantly let go.
After that, he stood at the bow of the boat and watched the girl catch up with Mr. Dongli and his apprentice who had just selected the donkey cart, followed them, and disappeared on the official road.
It wasn't until they were far away that the fat captain reluctantly looked back.
…………
On the other side, Mr. Dongli and his party also noticed the girl following silently behind them.
The old man didn't care either. He was currently thinking ambitiously about treating diseases after entering Beijing.
I think that when he was young, he was full of knowledge, but he was implicated by his relatives and could not become an official. He could only live in a cottage in the mountains and fields, with nowhere to display his talents.
It was not until he was nearly forty years old that he was invited by an old friend to give lectures in the academy.
However, preaching and teaching is still not what he really wants to do.
After teaching for more than 20 years, he thought that his ambition would never be realized in this life. Unexpectedly, the Chen Dynasty, which seemed to be prosperous and prosperous, suddenly suffered a big change and became moribund almost overnight.
Then his opportunity came.
Thinking of this, Mr. Dongli's heart became warm.
If he could, through his relationship as a student, enter the palace to meet the saints, offer good strategies to save the country, and try to save the world, wouldn't he...
The old man was just thinking when he saw two figures not far ahead, one tall and one short, standing in the middle of the road, looking at them with a smile.
No, to be more precise, he was looking at the little girl behind the three masters and apprentices.
Mr. Dongli, who had been on the same boat for so long, still didn't know what the two brothers were planning, so he snorted coldly, "In broad daylight, under the emperor's feet again, you two..."
However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the short and fat Shi Da, "Hey, old man, we are from Prince Yun's palace, so don't meddle in other people's business, otherwise your students in the Ministry of Civil Affairs won't be able to save you. "
As he spoke, he also showed his waist badge.
Hearing this, Mr. Dongli's two students showed anger. They didn't expect that on their first day in the capital, they would see powerful thugs robbing civilian girls before they even entered the city gate.
"It seems that you have never heard of my teacher's name. Who among the scholars knows that Mr. Dongli is upright and upright, and he is a rare gentleman in the world."
The Shi brothers just laughed when they heard this.
Before the two disciples could say anything, Mr. Dongli on the donkey cart spoke first. His words were very simple, with only one word.
"Walk."
