The sky is clear and the wind is gentle and gentle.
The only teahouse called "Qing Ming Ju" in Zizhu County, Xing'an County was full of seats and bustling, with bursts of laughter from time to time.
In a crowded teahouse, an old storyteller with white hair and beard sat high on the stage, exaggeratedly telling some interesting rumors about the world to the listeners in the audience.
As soon as the tree woke up, the old storyteller took a sip of tea in a mature manner and said in a raised voice: "Dear readers, I have told you before about the heroic men in the world who have never seen their beginnings. Next, let's talk about this. A beautiful girl with beautiful face and beautiful face..."
Hearing the words "beautiful lady", the audience immediately exploded. Whether they were farmers passing by to rest or young men shaking fans for fun, they all became more interested and started shouting.
"Finally, I've been waiting for your old man's specialty!"
"Good job, reward me with one!"
Someone deliberately shouted: "Old man, how many have you seen? Are you talking so mysteriously?"
"Young man, don't think I'm just a storyteller here now. When I was young, I saw a lot of things in the world." The old storyteller said proudly when faced with doubts. .
While the teahouse was noisy, the old storyteller facing everyone caught a glimpse of two more groups of people entering the teahouse. Judging by their clothes, they were all distinguished guests.
The first group of people are three women. The identity of the three masters and servants can be seen at a glance. The woman in the middle is wearing a gorgeous white dress with gold threads on the corners. It is fluttering like clouds and silky like snow. Her face is hidden by a curtain and hat. She has a tall face, tall figure, graceful curves, and every move is elegant and luxurious. She does not look like an ordinary woman born into a wealthy family.
To the left of the woman in white is a pretty, baby-faced girl with half her head lowered and her hair tied up in a bun like a man's. The girl is about seventeen or eighteen years old. She is carrying a delicate little bookcase that belongs exclusively to women on her back. She is extremely playful; Behind the woman in white, on the right side, was a tall, gray-haired old woman dressed as a servant.
The second group of people were Yan Longyu, Dugu Haodang, Hua Fengju and Yan Gui who had been here all the way and wanted to come in and have a rest.
When they reached the intersection of the street where the teahouse was located, Yan Longyu and the others began to notice the three women who entered the teahouse before them.
Part of the reason is that the two young women are pleasing to the eye, and a larger part of the reason is the casual evaluation of the three people by the "well-informed" Hua Fengju.
"Although the tall woman in white is dressed monotonously, the material of the clothes cannot be found in folk dyeing and weaving workshops. Even if it is placed in the capital, it is priceless and has no market. The old woman next to the woman is obviously a He is a martial arts master with a restrained spirit."
The two groups of people were led to the quiet and elegant seats upstairs by two discerning waiters in the teahouse.
After arranging seats for the two young women, the brave waiter did not forget to give the two young women a serious look before leaving. However, after being glared at by the old woman standing behind the two women, he became embarrassed. He turned around and ran away.
Yan Longyu and the other two were sitting not far from the two women, observing them quietly.
"Sister Chen, look, there's a man!" The pretty girl with a baby face rolled her eyes and pointed in the direction of Yan Longyu and the others not far away. She was extremely playful and said softly to the woman in a white dress with a curtain hat sitting next to her.
Under the curtain, the woman surnamed Chen turned her head slightly and saw the four people not far away. The first thing that caught her eye was Yan Longyu, who deliberately lowered his head and looked at her as well.
The woman's heart trembled, there really are young people in this world with beautiful features, like a painting of mountains and rivers!
The well-informed woman just looked at it for a moment, then turned her head again, as if she was whispering to a woman, and said dotingly: "What's wrong, my good sister is interested in which one, white clothes? Black clothes? Or that one? Qing Yi, who is in her forties?"
The baby-faced girl, whose real name is Fan Xiaochun, smiled innocently and said shyly, "Sister Chen, you know how to make fun of me. I just think that the boy in black is a little bit handsome, just a little bit."
"A graceful gentleman, what a lovely lady."
As she spoke, Miss Fan stretched out her little finger and made a subtle gesture in front of her face.
On the other side, after Yan Longyu vaguely saw the beautiful oval face of the woman in white under the veil, he deliberately smiled stupidly, bumped Dugu Haodang who was sitting next to him with his arm, and whispered: "Dugu, that fairy sister just looked at I took a look, did you see it?"
Dugu Haodang didn't want to pay attention to this embarrassing thing, and said disgustedly: "Looking at your worthless appearance, don't say you know us when you go out in the future."
Yan Gui, who was forced by the young master to change into a delicate and elegant earth-colored animal pattern silk and satin, but exuding a rustic look, sat side by side across from his great uncle Hua Fengju. Hearing the two young masters talking and laughing, Yan Gui couldn't help laughing. , grinning innocently.
"Sister, listen up, the storyteller downstairs seems to be talking about you!" Miss Fan said proudly.
The woman in white clothes and hat covered her face with a smile, dignified and elegant, and raised her delicate body to listen downstairs...
"Let me tell you in detail what Princess Yuxiu, the apple of our Emperor Chunfeng's eye, looks like. She is as graceful as a startling giant, as graceful as a swimming dragon, with eyes as bright as the moon and a face like a hibiscus. , once you look at your heart, you will look at Qingcheng again, thousands of cities are full of sincerity, and your appearance will not change..."
The old storyteller's witty words aroused cheers from everyone in the audience.
However, the woman in the curtained hat upstairs blushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, the white gauze covered her face so no one could see it.
This woman whose face could not be seen clearly was none other than the eldest daughter of Emperor Chunfeng, the half-sister of the current crown prince, and Princess Wu Zhao who had paid a "private visit" here in private, Chen Yunchai.
"It's not that exaggerated. I'm embarrassed to hear it." Chen Yunchai turned his head and whispered softly.
Next to him, Fan Xiaochun, the daughter of Fan Liangchun, the chief minister of the Imperial Academy, who personally drew the world-famous "Twenty-Four Kingdoms of Beauty and Fragrance", the "most talented woman in the capital", shook her head violently, disapprovingly, "In my opinion, It’s obviously a bit more conservative.”
The fathers of the two women are good friends who talk about everything, and they are also close friends who have naturally grown up together.
Chen Yunchai was angry, stretched out her slender white fingers, and gently scratched the tip of her good sister's nose.
At this moment, there was a lively scene in the teahouse, but unexpectedly, a group of uninvited guests came outside the teahouse, and they were very aggressive.
A middle-aged man with a face that could barely be called a gentleman appeared outside the teahouse, leading a hunchbacked scholar with a wretched face and eight government servants with thick arms.
The scholar with a wretched face said plausibly, "Sir Qian, I saw it absolutely true. After the two foreign beauties entered our county, they wandered around and then entered Qingming Juli."
The middle-aged man surnamed Qian casually curled his lips and smiled, full of official air: "Master Wu, you are really a good legion of our county magistrate. You usually don't think about my brother and me, but when you catch women for the county magistrate, you think of me. Here I am, the county magistrate."
Not to be outdone, the wretched master narrowed his eyes and sneered: "The money is here to get people for the county magistrate, but you are not helping me. How angry are you!"
Qian Lai disdainfully shouted: "Okay, brothers, listen to the master and go in and catch women for our county magistrate!"
Master Wu hurriedly stopped him, and the philistine laughed and said: "Alas, Master Qian, please don't talk nonsense. That's called 'capturing important criminals of the imperial court'."
The county magistrate Qian Lai rolled his eyes and led the people inside. In order to avoid suspicion, Master Wu stood outside the teahouse with a smile and his triangular eyes, watching the nine people enter the teahouse with great fanfare.
After entering the teahouse, the eight yamen ignored the several waiters who came to accompany them and dispersed among the people listening to the book in the audience.
The Prime Minister of Zizhu County came to Qian, kicked off his feet, and flew up to the high platform where the storyteller was. Facing the packed audience, he spoke in an official tone and said loudly: "The Prime Minister of Zizhu County is handling the case and apprehending the important criminals of the imperial court. The rest of the people are waiting to get away quickly. "
For the people in isolated places, the orders of local parents and officials are more effective than the imperial edicts of His Majesty the Emperor who are far away.
As soon as these words came out, the teahouse was filled with excitement and the crowd dispersed in all directions. Within a moment, even the waiter and the storyteller disappeared.
Qian Lai, the county magistrate, squinted his eyes and looked around, and finally saw the two women still sitting upstairs. Then he slowly raised his hands, and the eight yamen officials ran upstairs, dragging the water and fire ruthless sticks in their hands.
Upstairs, the two women from the capital who noticed something strange downstairs were still sitting upright as usual.
Fan Xiaoniang tilted her head towards the princess sister and said innocently: "Sister, didn't you ask General Cang and others to station troops outside the county? Why did you send these government officials to follow us again?"
Chen Yunchai, whose face was covered by white gauze, said helplessly: "Silly sister, you can tell by the posture of these people that they are not here to protect us, but rather to arrest us."
"The girl is indeed smart, and she is indeed here to catch you." County Prime Minister Qian Lai clapped his hands and walked up slowly.
Qian Lai waved his hands sadly and said: "This place is not worthy of the status of these two girls. Brothers, please invite these two girls to the county government office for tea!"
"It's your order!" Eight people behind Qian Lai said in unison.
Seeing that the eight strong men were about to walk towards them, the two women looked at the old woman behind them at the same time. The eldest princess Chen Yunchai said softly: "Then I'll bother Aunt Murong."
The old woman smiled coldly, took a few steps forward, and stood in front of the two women.
Before the old woman could take action, the two women saw three swords and three figures flying towards the eight officials.
It was the three people who were mentioned by the girl: Yan Longyu in white, Dugu Haodang in black and Yan Gui.
In fact, when the eight government officials went upstairs, Yan Longyu and the others saw the clues. After they came to Zizhu County, they intentionally or unintentionally inquired about some of the customs of the county, and accidentally learned about Zizhu County Magistrate Ji Chunfan. In some private ways, this person is extremely lustful, but he does not like promiscuous women. He likes to use power for personal gain, and instructs his subordinates to secretly rape women and force girls into prostitution.
The problem of official corruption in Xing'an County is actually not limited to Zizhu County, but is built up over a long period of time.
Due to the unique topographic environment of "one mountain within ten miles and one cliff within a hundred miles", Xing'an County has been blocked and isolated from the outside world since ancient times. It has become an excellent place for gangsters and bandits to live.
Since Emperor Chunfeng came to the throne, there have been more than 20 Jianghu sects, large and small, recorded by the local government. The first sect in Qinzhou, because of the incident of Gunlongjiang blocking the river and Yan Longyu, the Luming Valley is located here. .
In this situation of overwhelming power and difficulty in contacting the court, the officials of Xing'an County, big and small, gradually became tyrannical, contemptuous of the king's law, and occupying land as kings, and other bad habits.
The burly old woman frowned slightly when she saw that the swords of the three strangers had been unsheathed and they were flying towards the eight officials. She tiptoed a little faster and flew higher than the three of them. She made an astonishing arc in the air and stood between the teenagers and the eight government officials who were getting closer.
The old woman turned her body slightly and put her palms together in front of her chest. Transparent Gang Qi, visible to the naked eye like flowing wind, emerged from between her palms and quickly spread to both arms. The Qi was so powerful and domineering that it frightened everyone present.
"No!" Hua Fengju, who had been sitting at the table with his back to everyone, suddenly said loudly: "Boys, step back quickly and don't go any further."
As soon as Hua Fengju finished speaking, the old woman spread her arms and pushed them out with her palms on both sides. The teahouse was like ripples caused by pebbles entering water. With the burly old woman as the center, circles of domineering gangs visible to the naked eye exploded. gas.
There was a loud bang, and dust quickly evaporated from the ground. Nine people from the county government, including the county magistrate Qian Lai, were shocked by the ripples of strong energy and smashed the teahouse. They flew out, just like falling. Like rain, it fell in front of the wretched master of the county government who was looking in from outside the teahouse.
All nine people had their internal organs broken and their orifices bleeding. They died in the street.
The master, who had no idea what was going on, was so frightened that he ran back, shouting, "Someone is killed!"
Because the old woman deliberately restrained herself, Yan Longyu and the others who planned to "hero save the beauty" just took a series of small steps and retreated dozens of feet before kneeling on the ground against the wall. There was no fear for their lives.
Hua Fengju couldn't help but stood up and yelled angrily at the old woman: "You old woman, are you blind? My three children are kind enough to help. It's fine if you don't appreciate it. You are so ignorant of the importance of what you do!"
"If I really didn't understand the importance, I'm afraid the three of them would have split their livers and gallbladders by now." The old woman's eyes were fixed and her words were cold, and she turned around and walked back behind the two women.
"Aunt Murong, please don't be rude." Chen Yunchai, who was wearing a curtain and white clothes, stood up solemnly and gave a blessing to Hua Fengju and the three fallen youths respectively. "My little girl and my sister encountered this difficulty when they first came here. Thank you very much." A young hero came to help, this palace..."
"Um, my family's surname is Chen. I wonder if any of the young heroes would be willing to tell me their surnames?"
Fan Xiaoniang smiled awkwardly when she heard that the princess sister almost revealed her mouth.
Yan Longyu straightened up with difficulty, rearranged his clothes, glanced at the burly old woman behind the young woman with lingering fear, swallowed his saliva, and then pretended to be calm and said: "I'm here, Yan Longyu, and I'm just washing away the dust."
Hua Fengju responded immediately and coughed at the top of his voice, cursing in his heart that this boy really forgot to feel pain when he saw a woman.
Dugu Haodang's expression remained as usual. After patting the dust on his clothes, he stood up and said coldly: "My surname is Dugu, my given name is Haodang."
Perhaps because he was being looked down upon by the woman because he was wearing clothes that were inappropriate for his status, Yan Gui had no choice but to follow the two of them and grinned, "I'm just a servant. Don't worry, miss."
How can any of the servants wear silk?
Although they were a little puzzled, Chen and Fan, two women of high status, still nodded politely and politely.
"The most talented woman in the capital", the young lady of the Fan family quickly stood up after hearing what the young man in black said, and faced Dugu Haodang with a red face and said softly: "Hello, my name is Fan Xiaochun, Dugu~, You have the same surname as our Queen Mother of Wu Zhao!"
"Oh, um." Dugu Haodang was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to the silly girl in front of him. He just said "oh" and looked away from her in embarrassment.
Yan Longyu's exquisite mind suddenly seemed to see the subtle thoughts of this man and woman, and deliberately cast a meaningful look at them, causing Fan Xiaoniang, who was a little annoyed that she could not talk to him, to glare at him resentfully.
Chen Yunchai saw all this and couldn't help but smile.
After a second thought, Yan Longyu suddenly realized something and hurriedly said: "It is not suitable to stay here for a long time. You two girls should leave here as soon as possible!"
Chen Yunchai left his seat and said softly: "In that case, please ask a few young masters to follow the slave family and go to the Zizhu County Yamen to ask for an explanation."
