Record of ups and downs in troubled times

Autumn and winter solstice.

After the first snow, the weather is getting colder.Zhou Zheng was thoughtful, and without the emperor's instructions, he set up a warming charcoal stove in the warm pavilion of Changle Palace early on, protecting the warmth in the room.

Today, after dinner, Mu Tang was still sitting on the other side of the table laying paper and practicing calligraphy.Back when I was at Ying’s Teahouse outside the palace, the Red Square on the left street was ten miles away, and the right street was full of alcohol, and there was Young Master Fu by his side trying to persuade him to go out to play. What about in the palace?

The palace is clear and quiet, there is nothing to do except practice calligraphy.

Mu Tang turned the edge of his pen, thinking of Ying Guzi in his heart.Yingguzi often admired the demeanor of the ancients, and many times felt that he wanted to hide in the mountains and forests to cultivate himself.According to what Mu Tang saw now, it is not necessary to go to the mountains so much, it is better to come to the palace, isn't it cleaner than the mountains?

If these words were told to Emperor Liu Pu, I am afraid that he would not agree more.

The majestic emperor of a country actually requires him to deal with less and less government affairs day by day.The current situation is difficult, and it is by no means a peaceful and prosperous age. There is no government affairs to deal with, and it does not mean that the country is peaceful and the people are safe, but it means that power is emptied.What did the master say in the past?The waves are ups and downs, but they can still be crossed dangerously; the undercurrent is surging, and it is impossible to guard against it.

But he didn't want to guard against it.

Since there is no political affairs to bother him, then he should read the books of sages.These days, whenever he doesn't practice calligraphy with Mu Tang, he must lean on the warm couch with a small stove in his arms, and books or yellowed bamboo slips in his hands.

These books were once placed in Tan Yangui's room, and the emperor would not even turn them in the past, but now he can read them one by one calmly.

Not only did he read it, but he also took a pen in his hand. Whenever he encountered something he liked or didn't understand, he would draw a pen to mark it down, mark the doubt, and read it in detail in the future.Every book that Tan Yangui has read has notes, and the words of the two people complement each other, like a conversation, squeezed together intimately in the small gaps in the pages.

"Your Majesty?" Zhou Zheng bowed and entered the room with small steps, "The Empress Dowager sent you here."

He is so busy these days that he seems much older than in previous years.At this moment, his shoulders and head were covered with crushed snow, making him look more and more aged.

The emperor raised his head from the book and narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that I can't get out?"

Zhou Zheng lowered his head and remained silent.

"Since you can't drive away, then accept it."

The self-cultivation in the palace was really effective, even the emperor's temper improved a lot.Usually in this kind of situation, it would be easy for him to send the person to Yeting Prison after changing hands, and he must teach the person to suffer so much and retreat in the face of difficulties.Now knowing that it was a move made by the Cheng family, the emperor could easily say "accept it".

These thoughts were spinning in Zhou Zheng's mind, which brought him in.

He was a tall, thin boy with broad shoulders.

Liu Pu couldn't help being dumbfounded.

Earlier it was only said that this person was from the Changchun Pavilion of the Guanguan, so he must be from the Xiaowan Pavilion.But looking at this person in front of him, there is no part of his body that looks like he was born in a world of mortals, and his awe-inspiring demeanor, if he is said to be a lecturer in the palace, no one would dare not believe it.

Could it be that the soft-waisted and good-dancing ladies are not popular these days, but the frosty beauty is more popular?

"What's your name?" Liu Pu closed his curious eyes, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a sip.

"Su Jun."

The young man was holding a guqin, lowering his ginger-colored eyes, looking at his own toes.Ginger yellow was originally an extremely docile wink, but when it fell into his eyes, it seemed very alienated.

"Okay, Su Jun." Liu Pu nodded, not knowing what to say to this child who was three or four years younger than him.How did he usually deal with undercover agents sent by the Cheng family?Should he send this little guy surnamed Su to Yeting?Tell them to skin them, or debon them?

"You must think that I was sent by the Cheng family," Su Juan said unexpectedly.It was his first visit to the imperial palace, but he didn't seem to be afraid of the imperial power. "But I'm not. The person the Cheng family talked about is Rufei, not me."

Hearing his words, Liu Pu and Zhou Zheng looked at each other, wondering what kind of medicine the Cheng family sold.

"I work as a musician in the Changchun Hall, and I live in the same room as Rufei. The Cheng family looked for him, but he was afraid, so he changed me. Rufei and I switched privately, without going through the Cheng family. So I'm not loyal to the Cheng family, nor do I want to get involved in the government affairs, I hope the emperor will find out."

Liu Pu raised his eyebrows, and when the child finished speaking like an adult, he burst out laughing.While laughing, he put the teacup in his hand on the table, and opened the book on his lap.

I don't know what he is thinking.

Su Juan has met many powerful people. After all, there are far more dignitaries with special preferences than ordinary people imagined.But when he met Shengyan for the first time, he still felt that the emperor was indeed different from ordinary dignitaries.

Not everyone can imitate the nobility and the arrogance of perennial superiority that come out of his bones.

"The words are all from the bottom of my heart, I hope the emperor will see clearly."

This kid has some guts, and dares to repeat what he said just now.

Liu Pu turned the book in his hand to the next page, and asked casually, "What's the matter with the mask on your face?"

Both of them were shocked.

Zhou Zheng was surprised by his dull eyesight, while Su Jun was surprised by the little emperor's meticulous observation.He was silent for a while, put the guqin in his hand properly under his feet, pressed his chin with one hand, and peeled off half of a face as thin as a cicada's wing from the forehead with the other.This thin skin is really light and light, shallow and opaque, symmetrical with the other half of the real face, blending very naturally.

When covered with half a human/skin mask, Su Juan's face was stunningly beautiful, but after taking off this highly skilled mask, half of his face's burnt scabs were revealed to others.

The beauty and the ugliness are on the same stage on the same face, and they are not inferior to each other, creating a strange ferocity.

No wonder she looked like this, but she was not sent to become a red lady.

It turned out that his face had been ruined long ago.

"Okay, since you are being honest with each other, I don't want to appear too petty." Liu Pu could see the mask on his face, and of course he had prepared for the worst in advance of the ugly appearance under the mask.Therefore, when he saw Su Juan's true face at first glance, he was not surprised, but smiled with satisfaction: "There are no eyes and ears in Changle Palace. This mask is airtight and uncomfortable after wearing it for a long time. You can rest assured that you can go in and out with your true face. Besides, you You have to understand one thing, if you leave Changle Palace, it is wrong to say a single word. I am surrounded by old people who know the basics, only you are new here, once you leak anything, you will be tortured first."

This conversation was said lightly, but when I thought about it carefully, it was all swords and swords.

Su Jun was silent and nodded.

"By the way, who made this mask for you?" The emperor showed full interest, and said a name in a deep voice, "Wen Wanshu?"

Wen Wanshu is the owner of the Changchun Pavilion, and he was once a very popular celebrity in the capital. It is unexpected that he has such abilities.

Su Jun pursed his lips tightly and refused to answer anything, but Liu Pu had the answer in his heart.He didn't care much about the young man's unreasonableness, he waved his hand and said, "It's a good thing that you are quite strict. Step back, Zhou Zheng, and choose a place for him to live."

Zhou Zheng bowed respectfully, led Su Jun and his qin, and stepped into the boundless snowfall again.

"So, it was your idea to change this person? What kind of moths are running around in your heart? Whether it is reliable or not, you just change it. Be careful if I sue you in front of Dongyang! Oh, I'll just say, Just listen, don't worry! You really don't want to come in? It's very cold outside, if you don't come in, you will be frozen to death!"

In the backyard of the Fu's mansion, the two looked at each other through the window, talking in low voices.

Inside the room, leaning against the window sill was Fu Xiyuan, the owner of the Fu family. The man standing on the snowy ground under the window was wearing a colorful cloak, his face was hidden under the brimmed hat, and his eyebrows and eyes could not be seen clearly.

The man covered his mouth and coughed a few times, as if he was not in good health.

Fu Xiyuan looked at his right hand that blocked his mouth when he coughed, and thought: Why are there so many rings on one hand?Show off your money?If you have the skills, don’t wear three on one hand. If you have money, poking three fingers on one finger is your uncle’s ability!

Thinking of this in my heart, my tone will inevitably become jealous: "I said, don't work too hard. As long as money is not your life, you don't care about your buttocks if you are bald. Be careful that you will lose your body one day. You will feel better!"

Feixue, Lengyue, Xuanchuang, what an intoxicating scene would it be if there were no old fellows who spoil the scenery?

"By the way, since you picked that person, you should listen to your words, right? You can push him towards me a few times, okay?" Fu Xiyuan finally remembered the business, and in a blink of an eye he became serious again, " Also, your old man is weak and sick, so if you really froze to death under my window, then you can’t justify it. I’ll ask quickly, and you can answer quickly, sir, can’t we just hang out by the window?”

The cloak and hood with snow on his forehead trembled, and he spoke softly, "I picked him, not for the Cheng family, nor for you. Don't make up his mind anymore. The outcome is betting on people like us, Cheng Hanfeng is too confused, are you also delusional?"

The voice was soft and weak, but it didn't sound like a woman's.

"If that's the case, then why are you here with me?! It's in vain that I endured the cold all night, just to say such nonsense? Since it's a useless pawn, what are we going to do in the palace for nothing? Otherwise, you were thinking about that kid, so you sent him to the palace to eat and drink? If I knew you were unreliable, I might as well let that Rufei go! Just wait, I must join you in front of Xu Dongyang It can't be!"

Fu Xiyuan complained and complained, and the people who complained made their brains hurt.But the one in the cloak seemed to be quite patient, and actually listened quietly, as motionless as a mountain, until Fu Xiyuan himself felt bored and stopped talking.

"Rufei has already been dealt with." When Fu Xiyuan shut up, the soft voice rang out again, "Dead, or almost dead. If you still want to get his chess back, I will I can get it back for you, anyway, it doesn't take much effort, the only pity is that he is not even considered a 'person' now, and I am afraid he can't serve Fu Yushi anymore."

Fu Xiyuan had just been officially named Doctor Yushi the month before last. It was reasonable for this person to call him "Fu Yushi", but in his soft and charming tone, he brought out a lot of ridicule for no reason.

"Then what are you doing here?!"

Fu Xiyuan folded his arms, shivering from the cold, and felt that he stayed up in the middle of the night and came to enjoy the snow through the window with a guy with a brain problem.

"Of course I came here to ask Fu Yushi, please don't waste your time on Su Juan. You and I met each other anyway, please give me some face."

I really don't know what kind of relationship Su Juan has with him, and why he protects him so tightly.

"Okay, okay, I was teasing you just now! You won't let me use him, I just don't need him, he is a little guy, my uncle Fu still doesn't care about him. Don't worry, your little friend is good, I will never go to him, And definitely don't let Cheng Laogou find him, do you think it's okay? If it's okay, you should hurry up, I have to go back to sleep!"

While speaking, Fu Xiyuan narrowed his eyes, as if he was going to sleep on the window sill.The man in the cloak smiled, and circled his fingers around the embroidery of the cloak, without waking him up on purpose, probably to conclude that Fu Xiyuan would never miss what he was going to say next.

He said: "In return, I have the recent situation of the Feng family on the border here. It's very exciting, but I didn't even tell the master..."