Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu stepped forward: "Tantai."

"Where's the girl?" Zhang Yuelu asked.

Qi Xuansu rarely took the initiative and said: "I suddenly feel that the title 'Miss Tantai' is a bit unfamiliar. How about I call you by your cousin?"

Zhang Yuelu thought for a while and said: "You also know that I shouldn't be called Zhang Yuelu. It's a star name. I should be called Zhang Yuexin, or Zhang Xinyue or Tantaichu, so my surname has nothing to do with Zhang Yuelu. In my case When I got my haircut, my father gave me a cousin name, which was based on 'Zhang Xinyue'. The word 'Xinyue' comes from Danyang Zhenren's "Wang Penglai". Have you read it? "

"Master Danyang." Qi Xuansu tried hard to recall the lessons at Wanxiang Taoist Palace. If we talk about lyrics and poems, compared with Shixian Shisheng and others, the level of Danyang Zhenren, Changchun Zhenren, Lu Zu and others is only ordinary. However, because they are the founders of Taoism, they have an advantage, so they are all from Wanxiang Taoist Palace. A frequent visitor to books, he should have some impression.

Zhang Yuelu didn't warn her, just gently wrapped his fingers around a strand of black hair on his chest.

At this time, Sanren's good memory came to the fore, and Qi Xuansu really remembered: "Is it the sentence 'The lamp of correct life is better than the day, let the moon shine through the sky with ease'?"

"Yes, that's the sentence." Zhang Yuelu smiled and nodded, "My cousin is 'Qingxiao'. The reason why I don't mention my cousin very much is also for this reason. My name is 'Zhang Yuelu', but I The cousin's surname is "Qingxiao", and there is no relationship between the two. Others will inevitably be surprised. I can't explain my real name every time, and what is the relationship between this surname and my real name. That would be too troublesome. , let’s just not talk about it, very few people know about it.”

"So, I'm very honored." Qi Xuansu said with a smile, "Qing Xiao."

"It's strange." Zhang Yuelu felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't stop Qi Xuansu from calling him by his cousin.

Qi Xuansu asked: "By the way, what's the show today?"

"It looks like "The Peony Pavilion."" Zhang Yuelu took out two theater tickets and waved them in his hands.

Qi Xuansu had never heard of the opera but knew the name of "The Peony Pavilion". He didn't know how to evaluate it, so he could only say: "A classic."

Zhang Yuelu said: "If the ticket is bought by Master Zhang himself, given his age, he cannot accept new things and only likes these classics. If it is a ticket given to Master Zhang by others, he will only give it to him if he likes it. These are classics.”

Qi Xuansu laughed and said: "Both the left and right are classics, are there any that are not classics?"

"Yes." Zhang Yuelu said, "It is said that there is a new play that tells the story of the Taoist sect and the Confucian sect at the end of the previous dynasty."

Qi Xuansu became interested: "This is rare."

"I haven't seen it, I just heard other people's general remarks." Zhang Yuelu said, "It said that the fight between the Taoist sect and the Confucian sect intensified, and the Taoist sect sent Liu Jinyi, a loose man in the world, to join the Confucian sect and become an internal agent. Coincidentally, the Confucian sect also sent Xie Yungan, a descendant of the aristocratic family, entered the Taoist sect and became an internal leader. Because of the strong support from the Taoist sect and the Confucian sect, these two internal strategists were promoted quickly and became middle-level figures in just a few years. "

"During the second incident of the Imperial Capital, the Confucian sect sent people to secretly arrest Zhang Baizhou. Liu Jinyi risked his life to summon Zhang Baizhou and allowed Zhang Baizhou to escape successfully. After this incident, the Confucian sect realized that there was an internal agent from the Taoist sect. While conducting self-examination, , and also hoped that Xie Yungan could find clues from within the Taoist sect. However, at this time, Xie Yungan had already sensed that the failure of the Confucian sect was inevitable, and was unwilling to follow the ship of the Confucian sect to perish, so he decided to rebel from the Confucian sect and become a disciple. A true Taoist man.”

"On the other hand, Liu Jinyi has to face the huge pressure from the Confucian hermit. He is on the line between life and death, and he doesn't know when he will return. Buddhism says that Abi Hell is also called the Infinite Hell, where suffering is endless, body is endless, time is endless, and form is endless. A person whose identity should not belong to him is like living in an endless hell, and he is afraid that others will expose his identity in his dreams. Only when he escapes from this indistinguishable situation can he leave the endless hell and find himself. "

He does not mean that. Qi Xuansu's expression remained unchanged, but his heart gradually sank.

Because this play reminded him of his own identity, members of the Qingping Society entered the Taoist sect. With two identities, black and white, wouldn't they also fall into the "infinite hell"?

He couldn't help but wonder, had Zhang Yuelu noticed something? That's why I said this on purpose.

For a moment, Qi Xuansu's heart was a little confused, and he could only barely control his expression to prevent Zhang Yuelu from seeing anything strange about him.

Zhang Yuelu asked: "What do you think?"

Qi Xuansu forced a smile and said: "I first knew about these two because of the Xuansheng card. Liu Jinyi and Xie Yungan are both spy cards. It turns out there is such a story."

Zhang Yuelu suggested: "It's still some time before the show starts. How about... we sell these two tickets and go see the new show?"

Qi Xuansu was wary in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face: "This is not good, after all, it is the ticket of the real person in charge. If the real person in charge knew that we sold the tickets he gave us, would he be angry?"

"It doesn't matter. Master Zhangtang is not a stingy person, and he has no time to care about such trivial matters." Zhang Yuelu said nonchalantly, "It's okay to watch a show. As long as the money is used for good purposes, it doesn't count. I have failed to live up to Master Zhangtang’s kindness.”

Qi Xuansu did not dare to object too much, lest he arouse Zhang Yuelu's suspicion. He had experienced this girl's keen intuition, so he could only nod and said: "That's good."

"Follow me." Zhang Yuelu turned and walked towards Taishangfang.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to follow Zhang Yuelu.

This is the first time Qi Xuansu has come to Taishangfang. Qi Xuansu intuitively feels that Taishangfang is worthy of being the first of the twenty-four streets. From the streets to various buildings, everything is exquisite, no less than Xuandu . Because today is the Xiayuan Festival, lanterns are hung on both sides of the streets in Taishangfang and on the heights of various buildings. They are brightly lit, like a city that never sleeps. And unlike other squares, Taishangfang is not a complete residential area, but has some "city" functions. In addition to the theater, there are also chess clubs, tea houses, painting clubs, book clubs, etc.

However, when Qi Xuansu asked about it, Zhang Yuelu responded with disdain and said: "You are selling dog meat with a sheep's head."

Qi Xuansu understood, and even his attention was slightly diverted, and he had the idea of ​​​​finding out, which indirectly calmed the uneasiness in his heart.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Qi Xuansu and said, "A pot of tea costs one hundred Taiping. Can you afford it?"

"Are the tea leaves made of gold or the tea melted with gold?" Qi Xuansu asked in surprise, "Why don't you go and grab it?"

Zhang Yuelu said: "Although I am not from a wealthy family, I have heard that some teas are much more expensive than gold. I remember there is a kind of tea. There are only a few old tea trees left in the world, and the annual output is less than ten Jin, do you think it’s precious or not?”

While talking, a two-story building was already in sight.

Zhang Yuelu said: "It's said to be a theater, but it's actually called Tianyin Tower. After all, the land in Taishangfang is very expensive, and the rent is too expensive."

This Tianyin Building is located just at the intersection of three streets, with Yuyang Street on the left and Shaochu Street on the right. It is right on the natural street where Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu came. It can be said that it is an excellent location. At this time, Tianyin There are red lanterns hung high in front of the building, the lights are bright, people are flowing in, and it is very noisy.

Qi Xuansu was surprised and said: "It's so lively! There are still many rich people in Yujing City."

Zhang Yuelu said deliberately: "What's this? Two hundred peace coins per quota, just charge for a few more quotas."

Qi Xuansu heard that Zhang Yuelu was talking about what happened between him and Sun Yongfeng, and couldn't help but cough slightly and asked, "Are we also going to imitate these ticket dealers?"

In a dark corner, there are several ticket sellers, constantly asking people who have not bought tickets if they want tickets.

This is completely different from the cold Yujing in Qi Xuansu's impression.

Zhang Yuelu led Qi Xuansu towards the ticket sellers and explained: "Actually, it's not so lively usually. Today happens to be the Xiayuan Festival, so there are more people."

When a ticket seller saw the two of them, he took the initiative to greet them and asked, "Do you want a ticket? A ticket for sitting in the back row costs 30 Taiping coins, and a ticket for standing in the back row costs 10 coins."

This is nearly twice as expensive as the normal fare.

Zhang Yuelu took out his two tickets and shook them slightly.

"Private room tickets on the second floor?" The ticket seller's face changed slightly, "Since you two have tickets, why don't you come here to have fun instead of going to the theater?"

Only then did Qi Xuansu realize that the theater tickets were divided into three, six or nine grades according to the location. Most of these tickets were given to the director by others. Since they were given to the director, of course they could not let the director go to the lobby on the first floor to squeeze in with others. together.

Zhang Yuelu said: "I don't buy tickets, I sell them."

"Selling tickets?" The ticket seller was startled.

Zhang Yuelu said: "These two tickets will be sold to you at the original price for only 200 Taiping."

The ticket seller was surprised at first, and then delighted. You must know that you can't buy tickets for private rooms on the second floor no matter how early you line up. Their respective places have been arranged long before the tickets are sold. In other words, this is a marketable and priceless good thing. The original price is only 100 Taiping, but he can change hands for two or three times.

"Seriously?" The ticket seller still couldn't believe it.

Zhang Yuelu said angrily: "If you buy it, you'll get the money. If you don't buy it, I'll find someone else."

"No, no. I'll buy it, I'll buy it." The ticket seller was afraid that the duck would fly away, so he quickly took out two large tickets and handed them to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu gave him the ticket and smiled at Qi Xuansu with two large tickets.

Qi Xuansu sighed: "After going around in a circle, I finally sold it. You might as well have listened to me in the first place."

Zhang Yuelu rolled his eyes at him: "You do it for money, I just want a change of taste, we can't generalize."

After that, Zhang Yuelu led Qi Xuansu away from Tianyin Tower and went to a small theater with a deserted entrance. Because today is a big day for Tianyin Tower, the business here is very bleak, so naturally there is no need to find ticket sellers, just buy tickets normally, and the prices are sky-high.

Zhang Yuelu spent fifty Taiping money to buy two private room tickets on the second floor, and entered the small theater together with Qi Xuansu.