The red of Yueqiu

On the day of inviting relatives, the unknown mansion is decorated with lanterns and festoons, as if wishing for a beautiful woman to return home, revealing the arrogance and self-confidence of the host family everywhere.The decoration is luxurious and dazzling, but not tacky; the carvings on the beams are not majestic beasts such as dragons and tigers, but climbing vines on the pillars, with an elegant look; where gold threads are used on the curtains and carpets, they are Use a special embroidery method to create uneven line segments to make it more shining under candlelight.The short filaments are arranged delicately together, like stars in the sky.After all, girls like to look at bright and eye-catching things. When they were young, they didn't think much of it, but when they grew up to be girls, the family has become poor. Now Liu Yi's younger sister is really dumbfounded.This morning Liu Yi personally dressed up her little sister, a wild child, and specially combed her black and beautiful hair into high cloud temples.If she hadn't shown such a fussy expression, people would have thought she was the eldest lady of this rich family.Liu Yi didn't make a sound, just looked at her eyes silently, not knowing what she was looking at.

"Hey, what are you two doing? The competition for recruiting relatives is about to begin! Little brother, please stay outside, and family members are not allowed to accompany you inside." The gatekeeper shouted at the two brothers and sisters.But the two ignored it and retreated to a corner to talk.

Liumei looked at her brother anxiously and asked, "Is it really all right?"

Liu Yi stroked his head pityingly: "If necessary, I will secretly give you tips, or sneak in to help you." This is the true meaning of marrying a brother for a sister.After watching his sister enter the mansion with the unmarked plaque, he walked away alone.

There were unexpectedly many people who came to participate in the competition, and there were so many relatives of the girls waiting outside, it was so crowded that Liu Yi was almost submerged in it.It turns out that most of the girls in this town can't get married. Even if they think it's just a scam for a troublemaker to find someone to make fun of, they don't care so much and always want to try it.Of course, there were many good-for-nothing people in the crowd who came to join in the fun. There were men and women, who were arguing in front of the aisle, and the atmosphere gradually became high.Liu Yi didn't like noise, so she squeezed behind the crowd and found a low eaves, and sat on it to watch the match.

Not long after, a man stepped out from the inner hall, everyone said that the master wanted to announce something, and fell silent for a while.The man was wearing a pure white turban, with a piece of warm emerald inlaid in the middle of it; a bunch of black hair was tied in it, neat and beautiful.With a clear and well-defined face, and a tall and slender figure, wrapped in a plain long gown, he can be regarded as a handsome and handsome boy.He cleared his throat and began to explain the rules of the competition.The content roughly means that girls need to pass three tests with their own literary talents and wisdom, just like passing three tests.Some people will be eliminated in each level, and the one who can stay until the end will be the winner. At that time, the host will marry her according to the agreement.At this point, everyone knew that the handsome young man who was talking was not the one who recruited relatives, but just his entourage.If the servant's speech is so elegant and generous, and his manner is gentle and polite, it means that the status of the servant is far above that of a teenager, and he is a real dignitary.Knowing that this was not a drunkard's farce, there was a thunderous cheer in front of the mansion, deafening.But from what he said, the master seemed unwilling to show his face before the result of the competition, which made Liu Yi more convinced that there was something wrong with recruiting a relative, and there was something else going on.

"Now give each girl a veil of the same style. Unless you are instructed, please wear it all the time and don't peek outside. Once the person in charge of monitoring finds that the contestant has seen the outside privately, no matter what For any reason, all will be disqualified. Bystanders are not allowed to use any means to remind. Then, the first round is about to begin!" The gentle man swayed, turned around and walked around to the rear of the upper center of the hall, and the girls retreated side by side. When they arrived at the door, they all wore red veils.Liu Yi thought to himself: "The function of the veil is to limit the time for the contestants to be exposed to the content of the game, so that they can test their responsiveness. Since the host is confident that so many people will be eliminated within three stages, the problem must be difficult. I will try to solve this game according to the rules of the game, if we can't solve it, we probably have no chance of winning until the last level." He knows how much his sister weighs, and if he can't solve the problem, she is absolutely Nothing.If I can't do it myself, I can't tell my sister the answer secretly, and I can simply quit the competition without her.So, Liu Yi walked around behind a tree, turned her back to the open door of the mansion, and created a situation for herself that was similar to that of the contestants who couldn't see things.

All the onlookers held their breaths, and there was a sudden silence inside and outside the arena, all the silence was only waiting for the coming of the boy's slogan.After a while, everyone heard a "click", and the hanging scroll that had been rolled up and hung on the ceiling of the hall unfolded before everyone's eyes.On it were eye-catching words in bold and strange handwriting: "The cannon crossing the river, the car facing the screen horse, the left horse and the horse crossing the river." At the same time, the boy gave instructions for the girl to lift her veil.But everyone looked at it and couldn't speak.Liu Yi behind the tree turned around and took a look, and couldn't help being startled: "Isn't this the 'middle cannon versus screen horse formation' in Chinese chess? It's too harsh for a girl who hasn't studied much."

The young man smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "The time allowed to unveil the veil is limited to half a stick of incense, and after that, there will be half a stick of incense to think about. In other words, please find the answer within one stick of incense. Farewell After finishing the words, the young man turned around and went back to the inner hall regardless of everyone's eagerness to ask what the topic was.

The young man undid the door button of the room at the end of the corridor, and a smell of alcohol hit his face.He shook his head helplessly and sighed, and closed the door again after entering. "Master Zuoqiuyuan, now is not the time to drink."

I saw Zuo Qiuyuan leaning halfway on the bench, pouring wine with a wine jug in one hand, and using his groom's official hat to fill it with the other hand, if someone else saw it, he would definitely think that this person was out of his mind of.But the young man has been a follower for many years, and he knows that the young master's words and deeds are absurd and uninhibited, so he is used to it.Zuo Qiuyuan put down the jug, shook the red robe that fell to half his waist, drained the wine in the hat in one breath, and said unhurriedly: "Why not? On a festive day, of course you have to drink a few more glasses." It seems that he doesn't care about being called by his first name directly.

The boy glanced at him again, then frowned and asked, "What's the matter with your outfit?"

Zuo Qiuyuan replied happily: "I learned it from the girl yesterday. I asked her to teach me how to dance, so she put on a light and fluffy dance dress. I saw her wrap those golden ribbons around The waist and arms are really pretty, so I asked her to borrow a pair of red ones and wrapped them around my trousers. Isn’t it beautiful? This groom’s suit is stuffy and rustic, and it’s uncomfortable to wear.” The groom’s red robe has been torn to pieces It was messy, the skirt of the clothes was crooked to the side, revealing the fair skin on the chest; the black trousers that should have been worn on the lower body were also exposed from the seams of the red robe.The red tape is wrapped around the trousers in a spiral shape, forming a sharp contrast with the black, but it has a different flavor.But the young man blushed for a while, and asked anxiously: "That girl... what happened next?" According to the character of the young master, he really can do anything.After the dance, they drank together and spent the Spring Festival together. The consequences were really unimaginable.If the stern master knew about it, he might be so angry that he would faint.

"It's nothing, let's send it back tomorrow. Anyway, I can hold Liu Yi's younger sister in my arms today. That kind of thing can only be played for two days, so there is no need to keep it."

It was Zuoqiu Yuan's own plan that the dignified county guard's son actually stayed in such a poor place.After all, he was a wealthy family, and his ability to collect information should not be underestimated. Even in a small place that was not even marked on the map, the detailed information of one of the families could be obtained.The information detailed Liu Yi's resourcefulness and her sister's beautiful appearance.Zuo Qiuyuan's plan to recruit relatives was aimed at the two brothers and sisters of the Liu family.As the only son of the Zuoqiu family, he was a free-spirited person, so he was naturally unwilling to accept the heavy training of inheriting the family business.So, relying on his intelligence and quick-wittedness, he waited for the opportunity to escape from home and secretly recruit relatives. He wanted to attract the brothers and sisters of the Liu family to his pocket, introduce talents to his father to replace him, and at the same time marry a beautiful woman.This move can kill two birds with one stone. If you don't show your face in front of others before marrying the winner, you can hide your identity and reduce the possibility of being discovered by someone sent by your father who uses heresy. "In this small place, only Liu Yi can answer questions of this level. When his sister comes into my hands, I don't believe that idiot who loves his sister so much will dare to refuse to work for Dad."

The young man was puzzled, and asked: "How many people are in this position? It's hard to know! He should be very grateful for giving Liu Yi a chance to become an official; the young master is willing to marry his sister, and the whole family will have no food or clothing for the rest of their lives." Worry, why do you use such a circuitous way to attract them?"

Zuo Qiuyuan told the young man about Xiangyao, and said seriously: "The reason why Liu Yi's father's business did not make a profit but instead lost money was partly because the political situation was chaotic and the social atmosphere was corrupt. During the transfer of Xiangyao , some dignitaries colluded with officials, unscrupulously wronged Liu's father, and embezzled the interests of Liu's father, a successful businessman. But this can only be blamed on him not knowing the sinister heart, so he ended up like this. From then on, Liu Yi hated the officials to the bone , Now he is prejudiced against all officials. If others do not enlighten him, it is impossible for him to go to the test of fame or marry his own sister to an official." After finishing speaking, Zuo Qiuyuan took out a He opened the small box and showed it to the young man, and continued: "I also have this so-called fragrant medicine, but it's just that today's people are incompetent, and they only cared about health preservation before, so there were all kinds of rumors about elixir among officials. It's just a scented plant, and it has no effect on prolonging life. Its two unique features are its strong smell and long-lasting smell. I put a little on the recruitment notice. As long as Liu Yi gets it in her hands, she will definitely notice it, and she can't help but personally A thorough investigation. It's just that he doesn't know if I'm an enemy or a friend, and his behavior will be sneaky.

"Then do you know the truth about the case of Liu Yi's father?"

"I can find out who used the box of fragrant medicine that was used as a tribute. It is called a direction of investigation. But I don't have the time to help him collect information."

"I see. No wonder he is full of poems and books, but he is willing to do physical work, competing with the workers every day to deliver goods. It seems that the two of them have suffered a lot, and it is pitiful."

Zuoqiu Yuan smiled again: "He is pitiful, it's another matter what method I use to make things difficult for him. Even if I collect information, I have to see with my own eyes whether he is really as knowledgeable as rumored."