Wangping six years, the ninth day of the first lunar month.
A notification letter stamped with the official seal was sent to the class leader of Jinxiu Garden. In order to ensure a smooth performance on the Lantern Festival, the class leader simply stopped the performance for the past few days. He was also afraid that someone would break his voice during the singing. My legs and feet are injured from practicing or I get cold from the cold.
In such weather, the open-air stage is useless. Even if there are people outside who want to watch in the wind, the thin costumes can't withstand the biting cold wind. What's more, the big shots can't be with the ordinary people due to their status. The children had to move stools to sit together, and they had to be served by people who made hot tea and warmed the stove. There were quite cumbersome rules. The shopkeeper of the inn is also a cheerful woman. She vacated her luxurious restaurant Mingzhulou in the inn early to set up a stage for the theater troupe to familiarize themselves with the venue.
Backstage, Jin Xiuyuan's biggest talent was applying oil paint on his face. He never needed anyone else to help him apply makeup, and he didn't even need to look in the mirror to do it all. It is precisely because his attainments in folk art have reached an extreme level that he is able to perform heart-stirring roles.
"Senior, your loquat soup." An unusually short boy came over holding a tray and soup bowl, and respectfully served the loquat soup that soothed his throat. In fact, he was able to pass the threshold of being called a youth, but it seemed that due to congenital deficiencies, his height development stopped around the age of thirteen or fourteen.
Su Qiuyue took the loquat soup, took a sip, put it on the table in front of her as a dressing table, and then said, "Did you cook the loquat soup today?"
Unlike the high-pitched or melodious drama on the stage, Su Qiuyue's regular voice is a powerful bass, which combined with his almost enchanting face makes people feel very dreamy. However, the short young man had long been accustomed to this sense of dislocation, so he nodded: "Everyone else went to work, so the class leader left this matter to me... Senior, what are you dissatisfied with?"
"The taste is okay, but it could use some cooling." Su Qiuyue nodded and confirmed her guess: "Little Mirror, how old are you this year?"
The young man thought for a moment and then said: "If the old man was not that old when he picked me up, I should have been nineteen."
The "old man" in Little Mirror's mouth was the old headmaster of Jinxiu Garden. The orphans raised by him called him that, and Jinxiu Garden even became a homeless shelter for a time. It’s quite interesting to say that in Jinxiu Garden, from the actors on stage to the handymen behind the scenes, half of them have a hard-earned background where heaven is their father and earth is their mother. The old class leader is also a kind person. If such a person comes to seek refuge, as long as As long as they could provide a living, they would take it in. Although the new class leader who succeeded him later had a slightly mean temperament, these children also remembered the kindness of the old man and continued to stay.
"I'm nineteen..." Su Qiuyue smiled silently: "Although I have been learning opera since I was a child, I was almost the same age when I came to Jinxiu Garden... I was also very confused at that time, but luckily It was the old class leader who gave me guidance."
Xiaojing remembered that when he came here, Senior Su was already a famous person in Jinxiu Garden. However, after more than ten years, his appearance showed almost no signs of aging. Sometimes Xiaojing would secretly complain about the injustice of God—— Why is it that she is an unbeatable beauty, but her height is ruined?
"You are always bullied...the class teacher assigned you this chore again, haven't you ever thought about going on stage?" Su Qiuyue asked again. Although he is a person who focuses on opera and does not pay much attention to the personnel arrangements in the troupe, he is not ignorant.
Although many people in the class come from poor backgrounds, this dwarf young man is often bullied because of his appearance. For example, everyone will push him to do some troublesome tasks and chores. Even if he occasionally has the opportunity to appear on the stage, most of them are These dwarf juggling performances were arranged to satisfy the audience's curiosity, and he dressed as a clown in the final farewell scene. Even his name was given with a little ridicule by others. Fortunately, he is optimistic by nature and does not care too much about these exclusionary actions.
"Why don't you want to? The general in that play is so majestic! I have been asking the senior martial arts students in the garden for advice, and I have also practiced according to it in private." The little mirror sighed, thinking that this was a koi pond for making wishes: " As for other thoughts... just think that I think too much. If I become successful one day in the future, I will probably help people like me... who are in poor health like the old man did!"
I don’t know which part of these words touched this famous singer in the music industry. Su Qiuyue was silent for a long time, but she also felt a little sad: "The old boss has given birth to a good boy..."
"Yejie City, can you sing? Let's listen to it... Whether you can go on stage on the Lantern Festival depends on your current performance." Su Qiuyue suddenly said.
The city is being robbed at night, and the song sounds like a general ordering his troops to fight at night, which is exactly what the little mirror wishes.
This request made the small mirror tremble, and it didn't know where to put its hands and feet. Su Qiuyue's almost harsh standards were well known in the theater troupe. Even if it was just for private practice, the apprentices were required to put on makeup and costumes before entering. state. However, there was no martial arts costume tailored for the small mirror, so Su Qiuyue made an exception and asked him to just put on oil paint and start to test his voice, while the other characters' passages were composed by himself.
It seems that the effect of practicing in private with Xiaojing is not bad. After listening to the first paragraph alone, Su Qiuyue felt that he was already at an average level in the class. But after all, he promised to recommend the other person to the stage, so listening to the whole thing would be considered responsible. .
"I will do what I promise you, just think of it as a thank you gift for today's loquat soup and your candid heart!" After saying that, Su Qiuyue had finished drinking the soup, and then said: "But in this scene, I I suggest you change it."
"Changing the play?" Xiaojing asked in panic. There was no precedent for changing the play in the opera industry, but that was usually something only famous actors like the seniors were qualified to do. It was the first time that he took on the leading role, and he was really a little uneasy. If it goes wrong, not only will the troupe's brand be ruined, but even the seniors will be affected.
"Don't worry, as long as you listen to me, there will be no problem. If something happens, I will still be the one to show off." Su Qiuyue said soothingly for the other party, and handed the general's robe in the song to his hand: "Now Just go find a tailor shop and ask them to make a suit of clothes that suits you within three days."
"It's your order!" Xiao Jing was very excited as he took over the embroidered jersey. He didn't care whether the dressmaker would ridicule him for having to sing for his short figure. Since the senior supports him, he doesn't care what others say.
Su Qiuyue drank a cup and sang in a low voice, then opened the drawer. Inside was a roll of yellow paper. After unfolding it, you could see the content drawn on it - a square table covered with half a page of paper. In addition to black ink stains, there were also There are many contents marked with oil paints of different colors.
After thinking for a moment, Su Qiuyue dipped her finger in red again, carefully added some footnotes, and finally stamped a fingerprint heavily on a blank space.
"Doing this...should be foolproof, right?" Su Qiuyue frowned and clenched her hands tightly in front of her chest.
…………
You may not believe it, but what I do is actually a delicate technical job.
Of course, I am referring to the kind of premeditated and basic planning of plundering activities, not like bandits who occupy a place and wait for death, relying on large numbers of people and force to force passers-by to leave money to buy their lives—— Maybe they will go back on their word and silence people. Although we are in the green forest, I am ashamed to walk with these people.
In fact, I don't like to be associated with anyone, but I don't mind sharing this vote at the moment. After all, there is an insider in this temporary gang, and information like this is priceless.
But it wasn't until now that I realized how wrong I was.
…………
"Chef said that he has already found out the information and asked us to be ready to take action at any time." Three men and one woman were sitting together to study their upcoming robbery, and the "chef" in the name of the conference organizer was The so-called internal response. In fact, the chef may not really be a chef, but it is better for this kind of rabble gathered for profit to use code names and keep a distance from each other, so that even if any unlucky guy is caught in the end, it will not be due to psychological imbalance. Give the others away.
"What exactly does the cargo look like? Where is it placed? Who is guarding it?" A very handsome man who was capable of both literary and military skills twirled his own unique weapon and asked three key questions in succession. It seemed that Quite insightful.
"Old Shoe", the initiator of this meeting, suddenly showed a strange expression and hesitated: "The things are placed in that Hu Shang's bedroom. As long as he leaves the room, the assistants will take turns guarding them. It will take about two to Three people—it’s just the appearance of that thing…”
Seeing that the other three people were impatient with Lao Xue's evasive appearance, he said: "The chef said that day the tripod looked like a pot...a hot pot."
"What? Hot pot?" the only woman asked in surprise, even wondering if there was something wrong with her ears.
"You heard it right." Old Boots shrugged: "I have repeatedly confirmed whether he said this word."
"Did he see it with his own eyes?" The withered old man who had been silent coughed twice, and his body was even shaking when he spoke. He didn't know why he was doing this at such an old age. Maybe he was worried about his long life.
Old Shoe added: "That's not true, but since he heard it from Hu Shang's apprentice, this news should be true!"
"What if he wants to steal this treasure behind our back? First, he sends us a wrong message, and then uses us as bait to mobilize the guards. Finally, he gets the advantage of the fishermen." The woman showed a look of disgust. Expression, the world is full of hustle and bustle, all for profit, this tripod is worth a sky-high price in the black market, who dares to say that it is not exclusive?
In the end, the handsome man spoke up to maintain the situation: "In that case, we might as well stay in the Xianyang Inn, just to see what's going on, and to connect with the chef more easily."
This is really a risky move, but what does the person who robbed care about? Otherwise, it is better to go home as soon as possible and be a good citizen. The remaining three people exchanged glances and nodded in agreement, but the talkative woman finally said: "Although it is settled, I still have to say something ugly beforehand - we will fly separately when disaster strikes. If If something really goes wrong, don’t worry about me, and I won’t care about you either.”
…………
This arrangement doesn't sound good when spoken out, but it is very realistic and in line with my position. I will definitely not be high-profile.
In fact, the information provided by the chef was not only the inexplicable and humorous details such as "the legendary living furnace looks like a hot pot", but more importantly, the information about the members of Hamd's caravan. It seemed that there was nothing in it. Amazing master - I am also a well-known figure in the green forest after all. Guys who can defeat me one-on-one will not suffer in this kind of caravan, but just in case, especially what these temporary companions do If the moth comes, I'll just use the method I'm best at.
To put it simply, it is to advance the progress of things, and then run away after getting the goods - there are never promises in the green forest. If you have been in the industry long enough and your life is hard enough, you will naturally understand this truth.
In fact, I don’t really believe that anything in this world is foolproof, but fortunately, I am still very confident in my abilities.
…………
Wangping six years, the twelfth day of the first lunar month.
In front of the official residence in Luoyan City, a man in casual clothes ignored the two officials and servants on duty in front of the door and walked straight in. The two of them had no intention of blocking him. They gave a perfunctory reply with a fake smile and then smacked into the palm of his hand. Heater, complained: "Look at how majestic and majestic they are day by day, how can it be like us having to stand outside like my grandson in the cold weather."
The other person didn't complain like his companion, but there was a hint of envy in his tone: "It can't all be said that he has a good fortune. I heard that Mr. Zhou was a little catcher back then, and he was always good in the wind and the fire. Now that we have such a status, although we can't live as elegantly as him, we don't have to worry about dying one day, right?"
That Master Zhou was none other than Zhou Yanxuan, the Shangqing of Shanhe Prefecture who was merged with the Duchayuan and Dali Temple after the reform of the official system. He was known as one of the four spears of Shanhe Prefecture and was highly regarded by the Imperial Censor. Six years ago, he was a small policeman in a small border town. Because of his strict law enforcement, he was promoted to the government and worked in the Ministry of Water Resources, which was responsible for arrests and pursuits.
This week Yan Xuan didn't have to put on airs after rising to prominence, it's just that he was a stern person, and with his busy schedule recently, how could he find the time to talk? Inspector Zhou strode into the mansion and spoke in a warning tone to his nominal superior: "Master Cheng, please forgive me for speaking frankly, we are not here for pleasure."
Don't blame Zhou Yanxuan for speaking so harshly and directly, because they came all the way from the capital to deal with a mysterious assassin organization "Liyuan". The Liyuan was named after this, and its members often used their identities as actors as a cover to carry out assassinations. According to the intelligence from the governor, the Jinxiu Garden seemed to be related to the Liyuan, and the famous actress Su Qiuyue was a key suspect. The Liyuan Assassin was elusive and unpredictable, and he didn't know what was going on in the troupe, so Shanhe Mansion sent two heavyweights to make secret visits - Zhou Yanxuan was very powerful, and Cheng Zhaoguo was very important.
It's just that Cheng Zhaoguo seems to be too careless about business. Jiang Taigong has other motives for fishing, but Master Cheng seems to be here with all his heart on fishing. Not only does he have no sense of crisis, he also invites other people with great fanfare. The imperial court ordered officials to go to a banquet and enjoy the opera together. They were afraid that the matter would not be disturbed enough, so the incident of Dianmao at Xianyang Inn spread like wildfire.
Zhou Yanxuan's style of acting has always been to ensure that everything is as safe as possible, but now that the governor of Luoyan County and the censor of Xun'an were both invited by Cheng Zhaoguo, the concentration of security forces was suddenly dispersed, which also made it easier for the execution of the plan. Many variables were added, which made Zhou Yanxuan, who was originally planning to keep a low profile, angry. But now that the news has been leaked, we have to change our thinking and hang Cheng Zhaoguo on the hook, turning Jiang Taigong into fishing bait.
"How outrageous! It's better for Zhou Xunxuan to show his identity. With your attitude in front of these two adults, are you trying to make people see Shanhe Mansion's jokes?" Cheng Zhaoguo immediately widened his eyes and shouted at Zhou Yanxuan for his disrespect. : "I know all the matters well in my mind. How could I have you here to point fingers, call a deer a horse, and point out the country?"
Cheng Zhaoguo was always a good face person, otherwise he would not have taken this opportunity to make things happen, and he was made angry and incoherent. In fact, he really made a mistake in saying something - the hierarchy of seniority and inferiority in Shanhe Mansion is indeed unusual. The original intention of the imperial censor in establishing the mansion was to promote young people with real talents and hard work regardless of seniority. Therefore, there are also some of the following in the mansion. No matter how big or small, there are people who dare to correct the mistakes of the imperial censor immediately. However, for an old-school bureaucrat like Cheng Zhaoguo who only entered Shanhe Mansion because of the merger of agencies, this is a completely unhealthy trend, which he hates deeply.
Zhou Yanxuan still wanted to argue, but a young guard behind him tugged at the corner of his clothes, and used his eyes to signal Zhou Xunxuan not to start another dispute. This guard Xu You was the one who gave Zhou Yanxuan advice and made mistakes, and he was quite courageous. , the two have a good personal relationship.
Xu You pulled Zhou Yanxuan out of the mansion under Cheng Zhaoguo's unkind look. He was a sensible person and knew that people like Cheng Zhaoguo cared about food and not about fighting. He relied on his seniority to overwhelm people and refused to listen to what you said. , so they, who are subordinates, have no choice but to do what they have to do.
"Brother Xian, why are you trying to stop me?" The stubborn Zhou Yanxuan still felt uncomfortable.
"Brother Zhou, do you think Mr. Cheng is a serious person? Ever since we arrived in Luoyan City, when has he not pretended to be working while actually eating, drinking and having fun?" Xu You took out a small piece of soft paper from somewhere. and a pinch of tobacco. These were brought back from the Western Regions by the former Hu merchant. He neatly rolled up the cigarette and lit it with the charcoal basin in the courtyard. He took a long breath and said, "He is not here to investigate the case." Huh? He clearly took advantage of the opportunity to go on vacation. But if this thing is done in the end, he will get most of the credit. But if things go wrong, then we will have to take the blame for him and face a bad start. His name will be punished."
Although Xu You was complaining on the surface, he was actually reminding Zhou Yanxuan to directly cross Cheng Zhaoguo and take the lead on his own. After Zhou Xunxuan struggled with himself for a long time, he figured it out and had to say: "That's all. That's it...but in the final analysis, we can't beat the eagle and teach the eagle to peck its eyes. The safety of these Shangguan must not be compromised. When the time comes, you and your brothers must stay together."
"What a big deal, just leave it to me." Xu You said easily, brushing off the cigarette butt that was about to burn out, and from a few feet away, he plunged it into the charcoal basin like a falling meteor and turned it into paper. Hui: "Then I'll go to Xianyang Inn to check it out now. Brother Zhou, do you want to go with me?"
