beg for chivalry

When the wind is cold and the clouds are gloomy.

Under the lead-colored sky, the lanterns are dim, swaying in the autumn wind, as if they are about to be torn off by the grass rope at any time, and crushed in the howling cold wind.Even though there were servants walking around and shouting in the Jin Mansion, the shouts echoed in the empty courtyard, it seemed desolate and lonely.

Wang Xiaoyuan had put on a mandarin jacket this day, but it was too hot, so he only wore a single coat and went to sweep the fallen leaves in the courtyard.After sweeping for a long time, he couldn't help itching in his heart, so he put the broom against the wall and jumped up to the top of the wall.

He was thinking happily in his heart.If he sneaked around the street and bought a candy man for Jinwu, maybe Jinwu would be overjoyed and reward him with more money.

These days, Hui Lanwu also escorted the young master in the study, insisting that Jinwu read and learn calligraphy, and read some books on mathematics and military science.Wang Xiaoyuan followed Jinwu to write for a while, and he probably knew a few of the frequent envoys.But he was really too stupid, even after practicing thousands of times, he still wrote crooked like a reptile. Jin Wu was angry at him for being too stupid, so he simply kicked him out to sweep the floor.

At this time, Wang Xiaoyuan turned over the wall lightly, and put his feet firmly on the ground.He patted the ashes off his body, raised his head, but was stunned again.

Beside the gray wall are stacks of haystacks as tall as a person, and they are piled up every ten feet or so, which is extremely strange.There are few people living outside the walls of the Hou Mansion, who would pile up haystacks here?And neither the concierge nor the servants noticed this, which is really strange.

Suddenly, a chill came to his heart, and Wang Xiaoyuan walked along the wall for a few feet, only to see that the haystack was dripping with water.He stretched out his finger to touch it, only to realize that it was not water, but viscous and dark oil, exuding a pungent smell.

—It’s kerosene!

My heart trembled violently.Trembling, Wang Xiaoyuan looked around, only to see that the piles of firewood surrounding the gray wall were all drenched with kerosene.Who on earth put these firewood drenched in black oil here without anyone noticing?Could it be that the Jin Mansion is going to be burned to ashes?

A strong sense of foreboding came over him.Wang Xiaoyuan spread his legs, ran to the door, and patted on the door of the porter's room, waking up the sleeping man.The servant from last night yawned and opened the door slowly, seeing Wang Xiaoyuan standing outside the door, he said angrily, "What? Isn't the sky still bright?"

Wang Xiaoyuan turned his body sideways, allowing him to glimpse piles of raised haystacks behind him.Seeing the haystack doused with fire oil, the servant's previously sleepy eyes widened.

"When were these firewood piled up here?"

The servant immediately turned pale, and stammered: "No, I don't know..."

It seems that the guy who brought the firewood has some skills, and can move these things around the Jin Mansion without anyone noticing.No, it would be better to say that you are too capable. To be able to move such a large amount of firewood to the wall and pour fire oil on it without anyone noticing when the moon is dark and the wind is high, what kind of skill and ability do you need ?Thinking of this, Wang Xiaoyuan was already in a cold sweat.

He begged the servants to find some hands to remove the haystacks from the wall, and the porter answered, but suddenly grabbed his wrist when he turned around.

"Wait, Xiao Yuan. Yesterday a flying slave flew back and landed here. I saw you fed it rice, did you raise it?"

Wang Xiaoyuan nodded, the concierge turned and went into the room, and came out with the pigeon wings after a while.Wang Xiaoyuan had caught pigeons and opened the letter box on his lap, but it was empty inside, with no confetti poured out.

"Strange..." Wang Xiaoyuan murmured, "Why didn't you believe me?"

The porter wondered, "Where did this letter come from?"

"It was sent from Xindian Station. The master told me to send a letter from the soldier brother there every few days." Wang Xiaoyuan turned the letter box upside down, but it was empty.With a strange expression on his face, he said, "But now... I don't know where the letter went?"

He was talking to himself, but he saw the porter looking at him strangely.

"what happened?"

The concierge's face was pale: "Xindian Station...seems to be gone."

Wang Xiaoyuan's heart trembled: "It's gone?"

"Yes... yes." The concierge's lips trembled, "Yesterday evening, a businessman from Xiangchu was passing through Jiading, and Lao Zhao took my place. I wanted to take the opportunity to go to their place to add some candles, so at that time I heard them say... Xindianyi is gone!"

"Why is it gone?" Wang Xiaoyuan grabbed his sleeves, and his expression became excited, "Why exactly!"

"I... I don't know either. I only know that it was a good inn, but somehow it disappeared without a trace. The group of Hunan merchants passed by and wanted to rest there... It's a ghost! There is nothing there. The paving, bricks and tiles...are empty, as if they flew away, there is nothing left..."

Great fear swept over his heart, Wang Xiaoyuan pursed his lips, sweating profusely, and said after a while: "This... these days, we have to be careful, and we can't let what happened today happen again."

The concierge saw his panicked expression and trembling body, and was still a little dazed for a while.Wang Xiaoyuan, however, changed his usual gentle expression, and sternly shouted, "Someone wants to do something to the Jin Mansion! Seeing those firewood, Brother Li, don't you understand? This is a blow to us!"

After a few more instructions, asking the concierge to ask more servants to watch the gate of the mansion, Wang Xiaoyuan turned around and ran, rushing into the courtyard in a hurry.

That was the inn where Zuo Buzheng was located, if anything happened, it must be the ghost of that woman.The secret smile when he saw her for the last time, the firewood piled up along the wall, the entire station bunk that disappeared... all kinds of horrible thoughts were circling in his heart, and sprouted terrifying sprouts.

Wang Xiaoyuan strode like crazy, bypassing the lush green trees and cobblestone paths, and ran all the way to the study.The study seemed to be quiet, without any human voice.His heart suddenly became tense, and he didn't even care to knock on the door, so he pushed the door open.

Jinwu was resting his paws on his hands, his head bit by bit, dozing off like a chicken pecking at rice.Wang Xiaoyuan pushed the door suddenly, the noise was quite loud, he was so shocked that he blew out his snot bubbles, and jumped up from the seat.

"Master!" Wang Xiaoyuan saw that he was still sitting at the desk reading, and the big stone in his heart was suddenly lifted.

"Who!" Jin Wu yelled sleepily, half of his eyelids were still open, and when he realized that it was Wang Xiaoyuan, he breathed a sigh of relief, then rubbed his eyes, and cursed viciously.

"Why is it you? Don't you knock on the door before you come in! You don't know any etiquette... Get out! Come in after knocking on the door!"

Wang Xiaoyuan looked left and right, cautiously looking at the window drawers and bookshelves, as if he wanted to catch one or two clues of something lurking there.He opened his mouth heavily and asked, "Master, do you think there is anything weird these days?"

"Weird?" Jin Wu shouted loudly, still looking angry, "I think you are the weirdest!"

"The woman who was recuperating in the backyard of the mansion last time... I think something is wrong." Wang Xiaoyuan said.After finishing speaking, he saw that Jinwu's face turned pale and his hair stood on end, so he asked, "Master? Do you also think there are many strange things about her?"

Jin Wu lowered his head, and Wang Xiaoyuan caught a glimpse of the thin beads of sweat on his forehead. "Yes... indeed."

"That woman...is very strange." Jinwu hesitated for a moment, then pressed his voice, "She... before she passed out, she held my hand firmly and called me 'Yi Qing'. Wang Xiaoyuan, do you know that 'Yi Qing' is who?"

Speaking of that woman, he suddenly turned back his voice, and there was an unclean shadow between his brows.

Wang Xiaoyuan was taken aback for a moment, he seemed to have heard the name somewhere.Yiqing, Yiqing, where did he hear about it?Suddenly, there seemed to be a bright light shining through his mind, and he remembered the scene a long time ago in a hazy state.He followed Mrs. Wang idly, through the crowded streets and alleys, and saw the yellowed paper pasted on the wall beside the road. , there are also sharp-mouthed monkey cheeks and skinny ground sticks. Their names are written under the portraits. Among the names written in thick ink, a name suddenly broke into his mind——

"...Yi Qing." Wang Xiaoyuan murmured, "By the way, I've heard of this name before."

Jin Wu looked at him in surprise.

An indescribable tremor swept through Wang Xiaoyuan's heart, and his heart was throbbing incessantly.Why did Zuo Buzheng say that irrelevant name to Jinwu?Could it be that there is some unknown relationship between him and Jinwu?

"I remember..." Wang Xiaoyuan looked at Jinwu, his eyes filled with seriousness and disbelief.

"That's the name of a wanted criminal arrested by the government..."