Startled Meng

The magistrate of Jiangling went to the palace to report on his duties, and had a very happy chat with the emperor, and they talked about eating all the time. The news spread from the inner palace to the outer court, which caused a lot of discussion.

Ordinary magistrates don’t take half an hour to report on their duties. Even the younger magistrates waited for half a month before entering the palace and did not wait for the chance to face the saint. The magistrate Yan went all morning, and the emperor even specially invited him to the palace to give lectures to the prince. , this is really a great honor.

Someone invited Yan Cijing to travel with him on the basis of Jiangling's disaster management strategy. Yan Cijing heard that it was a serious matter, he had to go, and he had to make good preparations.

When he went with the documents, he was disappointed when he saw the crowd drinking and having fun with their wives in the hall. He hid the documents in his sleeves again and again, and he no longer had the desire to communicate.

It's a pity that people have already arrived, and they are surrounded and seated, and then the maids surround them to serve, and the shochu is brought to their mouths, Yan Cijing is too busy to take care of himself.

Some people ridiculed: "Why is Mr. Yan still wearing Zhou Zheng's court clothes when he comes out to play?" Then a maidservant laughed and wanted to help Yan Cijing undress.

An angry "presumptuous" can no longer be tolerated, the maid did not dare to do it again, but the few people around her didn't take it seriously, and still joked: "Master Yan is a celebrity in front of the emperor, and he has to enter the palace every day to accompany the prince to study, naturally Always be mindful of what you wear, what you say, and what you do!"

Yan Cijing refused to answer with a cold face, and heard a few disdainful sneers, and there was no reason to stay any longer. He wanted to get up and leave, but his colleague on the left held down his wrist.

"Your Excellency Yan rarely entertains, so it's inevitable that you don't get used to it for a while, but don't make grudges with others because of impulsiveness."

Yan Cijing heard the words and looked around, and saw that the person next to him was not as dissolute as others, although he was smiling, he was very kind, with a calm and serious face.

It was a good intention to persuade him, but Yan Cijing was really not used to it, so he just said, "Thank you."

The man pulled Yan Ci mirror again, and whispered in his ear: "The person you are facing is the new servant of the Ministry of Households, and the person who is talking to him is the Lord of the Ministry of Industry. I heard that Jiangling, where Lord Yan lives, has newly built a dam and I don’t know how much money was spent on the city wall, and what is the construction period, it would be best if it is completed, if not, if you leave today, the hard work of the craftsmen will be in vain.”

"you--"

"I didn't scare you. They just delayed the approval of the paperwork you submitted for a month or two. Can you wait, Jiang Ling?"

The upper court is a play, and the lower face is also a play. Yan Cijing figured out the key points, sat down firmly, took the wine brought by the maid, and drank it in one gulp. Pain, turned the wine glass upside down, facing the person beside him.

"Your Majesty Yan has a good drinker capacity, and I will serve as an attendant at the Imperial Academy."

Yan Cijing looked at him with some surprise as he drank a glass of wine. He knew that Bi Shouyan was the number one scholar in the imperial examination last year and the only son of Tai Fu Bi Zhixing.

Someone made a fuss, saying that Yan Cijing should punish himself with three cups for being late. Yan Cijing responded and drank three cups in a row, pushing the atmosphere to the climax.

In fact, it was right for Yan Cijing to stay. This is the most direct and convenient way to understand the current situation in the capital.

The most concerned thing nowadays is the matter of the selection of imperial merchants by the internal servants. The people present can more or less say a word or two in the court. These days, the merchants have received a lot of gifts from merchants, ranging from small snacks to pastries. As big as solid wood tables and chairs, some even received Ye Mingzhu.

"There are so many houses, all of which look good to me, how do I choose?"

"I heard that some people in the DPRK even brought out distant cousins ​​who couldn't even be reached, just because they were doing a small business."

"Fat and water don't flow into outsiders' fields..."

Yan Cijing listened quietly, and probably understood. Of course, not only one of the imperial merchants was selected for the housekeeper's supervisor. Although the profits of seat decorations and other items are high, they can't be replaced much in a year, and such bulky items cannot be supplied by large merchants. , while the small daily necessities are cheap, but consume a lot of energy, and all parties compete for the most.

Bi Shouyan got closer, and he asked, "In Jiangling, where Mr. Yan is located, the Yu family has done a lot of business, do you have the idea of ​​becoming an imperial merchant?"

Yan Cijing was very resistant to the fact that Yujia was an imperial businessman, and he didn't want to answer, but he found that as long as he talked to Bi Shouyan, others would not come to toast him, so he deliberately faced Bi Shouyan and mentioned a few more words. Contribution to canal repair.

After Yan Cijing finished speaking, he didn't respond, so he looked up, but saw that his expression was loose, as if he was in a daze.

"Master Bi?"

Bi Shouyan was taken aback, lowered his head and coughed, and said with a smile: "I heard that Jiangling has beautiful mountains and rivers, and when it rains, there is a unique view of emptiness. If I didn't know that Mr. Yan has only stayed there for half a year, I would have thought that Mr. Yan had been in the south since he was a child. grew up."

"What?" Yan Cijing was puzzled, but Bi Shouyan didn't intend to answer. He just sipped his tea, and Yan Cijing didn't want to ask too many questions. When he turned his head, he saw an unfamiliar man approaching with a wine glass, and sighed softly. .

"Shouyan, how much wine did you offer Lord Yan? Why is Lord Yan blushing so much?"

Bi Shouyan hurriedly introduced: "This is Xiao Mo from Xiao's Dental Clinic." Then he said to Xiao Mo, "Didn't you ask someone to make tea? Don't drink the wine, bring tea to taste."

Yan Cijing heaved a sigh of relief, took the tea respectfully brought by Xiao Mo, and said, "Thank you."

Xiao Mo turned over and sat on the armrest of Bi Shouyan's chair, his black hair was tied high by a jade crown, throwing out a neat and unrestrained arc, "Oh, it's a pity that my Xiao's only charges commission for business, and the emperor's business is out of luck."

Bi Shouyan said: "The dental pawn shop in Quanye City is dominated by your Xiao family. Even if you can't become an imperial merchant, isn't it still full of money?"

Xiao Mo waved his hand: "It's been hard to make a breakthrough for many years, but it's just barely enough to make ends meet. It's lucky to have a lot of income last year. If the empty houses on Dihua Street are sold at the same time, the commission will naturally be more. I'm afraid it will be difficult to have such a situation this year Good thing."

Bi Shouyan was surprised: "It's too rich and powerful."

Xiao Mo smiled, and said, "Young master of the Jiangling language family, he is really rich and powerful. He bought a row as soon as he bought it, just like buying vegetables." Then he said to Yan Cijing, "The house is next to Yan's mansion. Master Yan, have you seen him? I heard that he wears a gold collar and jeweled boots. When he goes out, he takes twenty slaves with him, and the rewards are all given with gold leaves..."

Yan Cijing's drunkenness was diluted by the tea, and he said, "How could you be so outrageous?"

The language is out of the ordinary, it has nothing to do with the ostentation, or broke into his room in the dark, or jumped out the window to hug him, and then pressed him face to face in the cabin...

Being mentioned by an outsider, Yan Cijing's concern for Yu Fangzhi was like the misty rain in Jiangling, out of control and endless.

He didn't remember how much wine he drank afterward, how he was sent back home by Bi Shouyan, and who helped him take off his shoes and socks and cover him with a quilt. Meet people you want to meet.

It was just wishful thinking, but unexpectedly, it really made him see it.

When Yu Fangzhi opened the door and came in, a candle in the room was still flickering, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

In the room, apart from the tiny crackling sound of burning charcoal, there was only the sound of Yan Cijing's steady and even breathing, and the tulle green tent covered most of the scenery, and Yu Fangzhi brushed it away with his hands.

Without seeing the bright teeth and star eyes, Yu Fang knew that this sleeping image captured his heart and soul.

When he came here, he thought about Yun Yu, which made his lips redder and his cheeks more colorful. Now that the person was close in front of him, he didn't dare to disturb him easily. He just hugged him lightly, and slowly planted a kiss between his brows that he thought about day and night. .

Looking down again, I saw Yan Cijing staring at him with sleepy eyes, the corners of his lips curled up, and there was a hint of joy in his voice, "Are you here?"

Yu Fangzhi also laughed, sliding his index finger from his cheek to the peak of his lips, "How much did you drink?"

Yan Cijing's eyes were half closed, and he put his palm on the side of his face, and said: "It's enough to see you in my dream."

Drunk words are the truth, Yu Fangzhi touched the tip of his nose with him, "If you miss me, call me out, don't you?"

Yan Cijing shook his head honestly, but the gleam in his eyes said everything clearly. Being silent doesn't mean he doesn't want to miss him. He needs to stay longer when we meet. He softened his voice:

"Is it too late to call you now?"

Two sudden birdsong outside the window didn't dampen Yu Fangzhi's interest, this time he put a kiss on Yan Cijing's lips.

The bird chirping outside the window became more and more urgent, and the breathing of the two people on the bed was also inextricably entangled.

Yu Fangzhi sat up while Yan Cijing bent his legs, coaxing softly: "We will see each other soon, wait for me, okay?"

Yan Cijing shook his head.

Knowing that he couldn't stay any longer, Yu Fang helped Yan Cijing tie up his neckline, "I'll come to you soon."

Yu Fangzhi got out of bed and left.

Before leaving, he blew out the only lamp in the house.

It was dark before Yan Cijing's eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep again. He didn't dream in the next half of the night, and slept until dawn.

When I woke up, I touched my lips, explored the clothes around the neckline, sat up and looked at the unburned candles on the table, and finally fell back on my back covering my face.

He was still confused, was everything real last night, or was it just a dream?