After the Beginning of Autumn, twilight falls faster. It's just past Shenshi and the sky is already a little dark.
In the middle of last month, a stall selling baked potatoes opened on the street a hundred feet away from Prince Duan's Mansion. The vendor was a scarred-faced man in his early thirties.
At 3:00 pm every day, he would carry charcoal, potatoes and melons, and a large stove to the roadside facing the south gate of Prince Duan's Mansion, and did not close the stall until 2:00 pm.
Although his stall is open eight hours a day, business is not very good, and he rarely sells a few in a day.
This Fulu Street is one of the three most crowded streets in the capital. Whether it is shops, buildings, or stalls, business is generally not too bad. Even if you make a small living like sharpening scissors for people, you can make a profit of forty or fifty cents at the end of the day. A family of four can still not go hungry.
To the right of the baked potato stall was a stinky tofu stall. On the left side, sitting on a stone pier, was a little old man holding a whetstone and sharpening scissors.
Three stalls stand next to each other, and the business on both sides is pretty good. However, the roasted potato stall in the middle has not yet opened on this day.
The scar-faced man didn't seem to care, but the middle-aged man selling stinky tofu on the side was worried for him first, took the initiative to talk to him, and said to him with a smile: "Brother, are you afraid that you will lose money in this business? I Look, you only sold five potatoes and melons all day today, but they are not worth the charcoal money."
"Yes." The scar-faced man replied with a smile, "For some reason, people don't seem to like potatoes and melons."
The middle-aged man licked his lips a few times, wiped his nose, and said to the scarred man: "Brother, it's not easy for you to stand all day, but you can't fail to check in. In this case, you can Let me get two potatoes and melons, and I will take them back and give them to the kids at home to try."
They are all doing small businesses, so they naturally understand the difficulties here. Looking at the age of this scarred man, he must be the breadwinner of the family. The stinky tofu is selling well today, so if he can help, this middle-aged man is happy to help.
"Hey, you're welcome, brother." The scar-faced man smiled and replied, "If you buy two, I'll give you one as a gift and you can try it too."
After finishing speaking, he dug out three potatoes and melons from the charcoal ashes in the furnace, wrapped them in dried lotus leaves and handed them over.
The middle-aged man took the purse and put it away in the drawer of the stall. He then said to the scarred man: "Brother, it's not easy for you to make a living. I can't take advantage of you. Even the price of three potatoes and melons is enough." !”
As he spoke, he took out the old money bag at his waist, took out fifteen copper coins, and presented them to the scar-faced man.
After more than ten days, he already knew that one potato melon was worth five cents, and three potato melons were worth fifteen copper coins.
The scar-faced man hesitated for a moment, then took the fifteen copper coins, took out four more, and said with a smile to the middle-aged man: "Haha, you don't have much stinky tofu left. Give me some." Just a portion, it just so happens that I haven’t eaten anything today.”
The middle-aged man was startled, then nodded and said softly: "Oh, that's fine. Times are not easy, and it's not easy for everyone."
He took the four cents, put it back into the purse, buried it in his waist, picked up the big bamboo chopsticks, and put the rest of the stinky tofu into the frying pan.
The stinky tofu is tumbling in the oil pan, emitting a strong stench, and the stench is still mixed with a little fragrance. Guessing that time was almost up, I scooped, weighed, and put it out with a colander, poured in brine, side dishes, and soup, and a plate of stinky tofu, a snack in the capital city, was ready.
middle
The young man put a plate of stinky tofu into two bowls, picked up one bowl, took a pair of bamboo chopsticks, and gave it to the scarred man.
"Brother, please rest your belly and give me a taste of my brother's craftsmanship."
The scar-faced man took the bowl and chopsticks, chuckled and said, "More, brother!" After saying that, he raised the bowl, lowered his head slightly, and started eating.
"嘘嘚...嘚嘚..." A black horse galloped over.
The moment they passed the potato stall, the man in black on the black horse suddenly stretched out a ghostly hand and touched the scar-faced man's neck before riding away.
"Clang!" The sound of breaking porcelain and the muffled groan of a heavy object falling to the ground came from the twilight street.
... ...
Although the city gates were sealed, no one was allowed to leave.
The court still has to do things, and the people still have to live their lives. If the city is really locked up, the world will be in chaos.
A man wearing a post soldier's uniform led the horse towards the city gate.
When the gate guard saw that it was a post soldier who was coming, he finally lost his vigilance and asked: "Which yamen are you from? Where are you going? What are you doing? Don't you know that you can't leave the city now?"
The postman man handed over his hand and reported: "Brother, chief official, I am a postman from the Jimin Department of the Medical Ministry. I have been ordered to deliver official documents to Pingzhou, Bingzhou and Huanzhou in Shanghe County. Last month, an epidemic broke out in those three states. Two to three thousand people were killed or injured in one day. Huanzhou is only four hundred miles away from the capital. Once the epidemic spreads, it will be unimaginable! I heard that Bachelor Gu and Lord Zhang were as anxious as ants on a hot pot! Alas, Grand Scholar Gu asked our yamen to come up with many measures to control the epidemic, and also issued a strict order, saying that they must be sent to the capital of Huanzhou early tomorrow morning. The other postmen were unwilling to make this trip, for fear that there would be I will never return. Brother, I am not married yet, and I still have my eldest brother at home. I am greedy for the credit, so I took this trip."
The news of the epidemic in Shanghe County had already spread in the capital. Many people thought that the capital was closed to prevent the epidemic.
The guard was not suspicious when he heard what the post soldier said. He couldn't help thinking: "You idiot, you are the only one who knows how to run such an errand! If you die in Shanghe County, the Yamen will not remember your merits. You If I come back alive, I'm afraid most of the rewards from above will go to those government servants with nepotism in the government. Alas, I'm still too young."
"Where is your ultimatum?" Although the guard did not doubt him and was ready to let him out of the city, however, the inspection that should be done must not be careless at all.
The postman listened to the guard checking the ultimatum and hurriedly took out a small red leather folded book from his arms.
Sure enough, his ultimatum used the seal of the Jimin Division, and the official business of this trip also said: urgently send the epidemic control official ultimatum to the three state capitals of Bingzhou, Huanzhou, and Pingzhou. After that, there was a line of small characters, which was the approval of Gao Shili, the Secretary for Jimin: Thousands of lives are at stake, so please let me go all the way to the city gate.
After reading it, the guard handed it back to him. He looked through the official certificate on the post horse and found nothing intentional. He said to the post soldier, "Enter it in this register."
The post soldiers went to the customs clearance platform and registered in their register as promised.
"Okay, you can leave the city!" Seeing that everything was in compliance, the guard did not dare to stop him and let him out readily.
After the people and horses passed the customs clearance platform, the post soldiers got on their horses.
However, he did not take a detour north to Shanghe County, but went all the way south to the garrison of the White Army.
...
...
At two o'clock in the morning, it was dinner time.
There were only three people sitting at the dining table in the main residence of Prince Yun. They were Princess Yun Ou Xixi and her two sons: Xia Chengyang and Xia Chengsui.
Xia Muyan was having his meal when He Fukai rushed over in a hurry.
He Fukai never came to see him during meal time. Today was the first time. Xia Muyan had already expected that something must have happened outside.
He smiled and greeted Ou Xixi, then led He Fu to the study.
"Say, what happened?"
He Fukai was thinking about this along the way. Hearing the prince's inquiry, he immediately replied in a deep voice: "Usually, at the first quarter of the hour, the whistle outside will come back to report the news. It has been more than an hour now. We have arranged Eleven sentry posts including Duanwang's Mansion, Yiwang's Mansion, Jhawang's Mansion, Zhiwang's Mansion, Shangshutai, Wenhua Bachelor's Mansion, Counselor's Bachelor's Mansion, etc. have not come back to report, I'm afraid it's not good."
In this bureau of Prince Yun's Mansion, the most useful ones, apart from the more than 40,000 golden guards in the capital, are the more than 500 spies scattered at various outposts.
The guard holding the gold is the hand of Prince Yun's palace, and the whistleblower is the eye of Prince Yun's palace.
If the spies couldn't report back home immediately, then Xia Muyan would be blind. This is indeed a serious matter.
"When was the last time they came back with news?" Xia Muyan calmed down and asked seriously.
"Today at 2:00 noon. Each whistle post usually reports a message every three hours. If there is an emergency, you can report it at any time. Even if there is a delay, it is rarely more than an hour late, let alone so many whistles suddenly. The mouth was delayed at the same time. I guess something happened to them." He Fukai said anxiously.
These more than 500 spies were secretly trained by Xia Muyan seven years ago. In the past month or so, they have made great achievements and delivered many secrets. They are an important chess piece of Prince Yun's palace.
Xia Muyan clenched his fists and asked in a deep voice, "Have you sent someone to check?"
"Three-quarters of an hour ago, I sent eleven teams out, but not a single team has returned yet." He Fukai replied.
Based on his vigilance, after the time passed, more than a dozen groups of people came back without reporting the news. He felt something was wrong and immediately sent people out. After waiting in the yard for three-quarters of an hour and still no inquiring person came back, he concluded that something must have happened outside.
"Zhang Suiguang did it." Xia Muyan snorted coldly.
He thought Zhang Suiguang would be dissatisfied with him, but he didn't expect him to be so bold.
"You are a charlatan. If you don't live your happy life and get involved in political affairs, your good life will be over."
Xia Muyan originally didn't want to be distracted from dealing with Zhang Suiguang, but after this incident, he changed his mind and said seriously, He Fukai: "Go to Hu Xiu'an and ask him to lead someone to bring Ling Chengzhai!"
He was angry, he hadn't been this angry for a long time. All along, he was the only one who plotted against others, and no one could plot against him. Zhang Suiguang was the first person to make him suffer.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll go right away." He Fukai responded coldly. After finishing speaking, he walked towards the secret passage behind Xia Muyan.
... ...
In an unnamed small wine shop in the capital, nearly twenty people gathered together. One of them was an old man holding a staff. If he looked carefully, he was clearly King Duan.
"You have all read the secret letters, secret accounts, and receipts. Do you still have any doubts?" King Duan looked at the crowd and said in a deep voice.
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