fluttering night wind

The first month of the 15th year of Chongming.The year is a cold winter, if it was at this time in previous years, Yongjing would be full of broken jade and chaotic jade, but this year, there is not a single snowfall, and the weather is monstrously hot.The siege of the city was resolved before the twelfth lunar month, so the four gates were opened wide, and the capital city returned to its former bustle and bustle. The faces of the officials and dignitaries were all the same, and they still only cared about leisurely, not asking about state affairs, as if the capital had never been in danger.

There is a family in Broken Bridge Hutong in the south of the city, with a vermilion lacquered door, quiet inside, a small garden with luxuriant herbs, and a towering old pine tree that blocks out the sun. The death knell sounded.Under the tree, there are qin bottles and stoves, bamboo, stone, poultry and fish, Xiao Ran is lovely.Two big men are sitting opposite each other on Wenping, you come and go, the age difference between the two is similar, they are both in their thirties.

On the right, a man in an aloes-colored forging robe put down a white stone and said, "You lost."

When the black-faced man on the left saw it, he messed up the chessboard and laughed loudly: "It doesn't count, come again."

The pale man with a square face, slender eyebrows, bearded cheeks, and a look of helplessness in his eyes, is none other than Yang Nandang, a light chariot general defending the capital.He is playing against Zhongzhou defender, Huben Zhonglang general Lu Zhe, both of them are from the same hometown of Zhongzhou, so they can be regarded as friends of the general.Lu Zhe was ordered to lead more than [-] soldiers from Zhongzhou to the king of Jingqin years ago, and the aftermath was not over. He did not have a mansion in Beijing, so he has been living in the home of his fellow general Qingche.

Yang Nandang cleaned up the chess game, only to hear Lu Che smack his lips after taking a sip of hot tea and said, "Xiao Nan, didn't the Ministry of War forbid you to leave the city? Was there any punishment afterwards?"

Yang Nandang heard him say "little trouble", his whole body trembled, pretending he didn't hear, and said: "The battle situation is changing rapidly, there is no time to report back, but fortunately we returned with a big victory, the damage was not much, the governor only issued a reprimand, and has been The military achievements have been offset." He was talking about his immediate boss, the governor of Gyeonggi, and the leading general Han Xianzong.

Lu Che said "oh", the chessboard returned to zero, and the two started a new round.Asked: "Is the rumor about Xu Kuang guarding Youzhou true?"

Yang Nandang's subordinates paused for a moment, then said calmly, "What rumor?"

Lu Che's eyes widened, and he said, "Xiao Nan, don't play tricks on me. Xu Kuang's family members disappeared from Yongjing overnight. You are in the defense of Kinki. Don't say you don't know. People say that Xu Kuang died after seeing Pei Xiu. , The imperial court was silent and disheartened, so they voted for Xianbei and handed over Youzhou City, is it true or not?"

Yang Nandang stared at the chess game and said without squinting: "Since it is a rumor, there is no need to respond."

Lu Zhe knew that he had always been like this and was very boring. After thinking about it, he asked an extremely vulgar question: "When do you think I will get the money?" After driving away the Shu army, all his soldiers withdrew to Zhongzhou, and only he stayed as usual Submitted the account books to the Ministry of Households, waiting for reimbursement of military expenses, and rewards for meritorious deeds from the court, so he never returned to Zhongzhou with the army.

Yang Nandang raised his head and glanced at him, then looked back at the chessboard, and said in a rambling voice: "There are a lot of national expenses, and the soldiers are not paid enough. All the money and food are used for the expenses of the palace, and even the Kinki camp guards are still owed. But if you are in a hurry to use the money, It's cold this winter, why don't you send more charcoal to the household department, maybe you can add more bookmen, and it will be done quickly day and night."

As soon as Lu Che heard his joke that he was blatantly asking for bribes, he knew that this trip was in vain.Slapping the chess piece on the board, he said angrily: "So it's the princes of Fenghuo Opera. If I had known, I would have refused to come like Xuzhou and Jiangzhou. Is this an imperial army or a private army? Yifu Ren Sandan, Uncle Ping sits on nothing, I think this Zhaoyang Palace will become Shanyu Palace sooner or later."

Yang Nandang saw that the jade and stone chess pieces were torn apart and the chess game was unsustainable, he couldn't help but sighed and looked up at him and said, "Senior brother, this place is not like the foot of Cangshan Mountain in Zhongzhou, you can do whatever you want, and you don't have to avoid words."

He mentioned the place where the two practiced martial arts when they were young, and Lu Che's anger gradually disappeared.Thinking of the past in the countryside, riding fast horses like dragons, chasing deer in the lake with juniors and juniors, thirsty to drink their blood, hungry to eat their meat, sweet as nectar, the black-faced man was unconsciously distracted, suddenly grabbed his junior's wrist with one hand, eagerly Said: "Xiao Nan, let's go back to Cangshan Mountain and live in seclusion. This world is a mess, so why get stuck in it."

Yang Nandang avoided his gaze, pulled out his wrist, and said softly: "Brother, you are joking."

A look of embarrassment flashed across Lu Che's face, and suddenly he looked up to the sky and smiled, unrestrained and open-minded.Amidst the laughter, a servant came to report, and Zijin Zhonglang begged Bai Yansheng to see him. Yang Nandang took a piece of red paper from the servant's hand, glanced at it, and was about to stuff it into his sleeve, when Lu Che snatched it away and looked at it.It turned out to be a list of gifts, and there were some local rituals and special products written in a fluttering pattern. They were not expensive, but it showed that the people who prepared the gifts were very attentive.

Yang Nan glanced at him as if to blame, and then hurriedly ordered someone to invite the guests in.

Lu Che stroked his stubble-covered chin and said, "I don't know the origin of the sound of the white goose, but he was able to fight this battle thanks to him. When I arrived, he saw that there were less than a hundred people around him, and he killed so much that he couldn't even hold the sword in his hand." Curled up, but still greeted me in a hurry, what a strange person."

After all, Yang Nandang was in Beijing, so he was well-informed, so he told Bai Yansheng's net worth one by one, and finally said: "Although he is related to Li Wenbo, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, he does not have the pomp and style of the Li family. Xiu's only son got married."

Lu Che's eyes flickered when he heard this, thoughtfully.

The two of them were talking about Cao Cao, when Cao Cao arrived, he saw a young man in plain clothes and robes, with a handsome face, wearing a sword at his waist, and his actions were distant and quiet.Bai Yansheng saw that the two people in the courtyard had already stood up from the chess table, one white and one black, the contrast was striking, set off against the old pine tree Yue Zhiyuan, the two walls were in the same brilliance, they were about to bow their knees to salute, but Yang Nandang stepped forward to support them , the iron arm sank, and he held him up firmly and said: "General Bai is a heroic young man who relieved the people from hanging upside down. I am so impressed, there is no need to perform this great gift."

As he spoke, he took him to the courtyard, and as soon as he let go, Lu Che laughed and leaned over and hooked his shoulders, and said without hesitation: "Good brother, tell brother, how dare you fight Chen Yuanda with your little soldiers. Fighting, you can really do it, did you prepare the shroud in horse leather?"

Today, Bai Yansheng saw that Shuangbi in the army was originally reserved, but he saw that the two of them did not respect their teachers and military achievements, so he let go, and smiled slightly: "It's not that I'm looking for my own death, it's that the arrow is on the string."

Lu Che laughed heartily again: "I know, I know, you inadvertently took the grain and grass camp of the Meng thief, and asked him to keep an eye on it, and drive the ducks to the shelves."

Bai Yan laughed without saying a word.He went to the palace a few years ago to receive the title of Zijin Zhonglang General, and these few days he was held back at various banquets in Beijing, only now is he free to visit these two benefactors who saved his life that day.

The three exchanged pleasantries for a while, and Yang Nan's orderly brought a wooden sign, saying: "This is the belongings of the sentinel of your army who came to report to me that day. Maybe he left in a hurry, so he left it in my camp. The sign is in the The army is like Lu Yin, it is better to give it back. General Bai is an outstanding character, even his subordinates are also full of talents, even a small orderly soldier is also extraordinary in martial arts, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Bai Yansheng was stunned, and he returned to normal in an instant. He took the waist badge and put it in his sleeve without showing any emotion, and thanked Yang Nandang.He also knew that it was a great kindness for Yang Nandang to help him despite the order from his superiors not to leave the city, so he clasped his hands and said in a loud voice: "I don't want to say thank you for the kindness of the two generals. Bai Yansheng has written down the kindness of the two generals. If there is a chance, I will definitely repay it." .”

On Lu Che's face, there is a complex meaning of the Yangtze River's back waves pushing the front waves, and the front waves dying on the beach.Then he looked him up and down and said, "Brother Bai, every time I see you, you are dressed cleanly, even when I see you in Zhaoyang Palace. I am most annoyed by those flirtatious youngsters who spend their days adorning fans and beauties, wearing gold and silver. You are very kind to me." appetite."

Bai Yansheng thought that he might have misunderstood something, so he said: "My sister passed away a year ago, Yansheng has filial piety in her body, so it's only natural that she doesn't dare to exaggerate."

Yang Nandang said casually, "General Bai, I heard that Meng Ye's nine sons are in your army."

Bai Yan predicted that he must have something to ask, nodded and said: "It is true. I am married to Jinlan with him, and he has already left West Shu. Chen Yuanda and Chen Sen were picked by him."

Yang Nandang and Lu Zhe looked at each other, he originally wanted to be vigilant and persuasive when he brought up this topic, but he heard that the relationship between the other party was already extraordinary, so he stopped talking and said: "If that's the case, I'd better invite you brother It’s better to avoid it appropriately, I heard that someone in the court has written a memorial for impeachment.”

Bai Yansheng paid attention to it, and thanked the two of them again.The Yang family wanted to stay for dinner, but Bai Yansheng politely declined.He rented a mansion with three courtyards near the Jingang Bridge, and went to Meng Ziying's residence first when he returned home. He was not recovering from his illness, and the servant who served him said that Meng Ziying went out for a drive in the afternoon.

Bai Yan said: "Going for a ride in such a cold day, is he going crazy?"

The servants are all hired temporarily, if he doesn't know if he cares, he will be confused, thinking to himself, if the weather is warm, he will catch a cold, the master is really bad-tempered.

As a result, Ziying didn't come back when the bright moon rose to the east.

Bai Yansheng had put on his clothes and was flipping through books in front of the desk after washing up, when he heard a small noise, he put down the book and pretended to yawn, and walked to the bed with the oil lamp.Not long after he blew out the candle and lay down, a few tiles on the roof were gently removed, and a long and thin shadow jumped down from the beam.The shadow tiptoed around the room for a while, seeing that there was nothing to gain, looked up at the beams of the house, and was about to jump back again, when it heard a "chi", the fire flickered, the oil lamp swayed, and the room instantly The light brightened.

The visitor turned around blankly, Bai Yansheng was sitting on the bed with his feet down, holding a kit in his hand, looking at the visitor leisurely: "A Rong, why are you back again?"

The Hu man straightened his back, and said arrogantly: "I remembered that there was something left with you."

Bai Yansheng threw the kit in his hand to him, Ah Rong took it and opened it, and rolled out a few glass beads, needless to say, his slingshot inside.He put him in his arms, but he still didn't leave, his eyes rolled all over the room, as if he wanted to say something.

Bai Yansheng sneered, and took out another wooden sign from his sleeve. A Rong's eyes lit up when he saw it, and he couldn't help walking a few steps in front of him.

"The sentinel I sent to the city gate for help was captured by Chen Yuanda. It was you who sent the letter to Yang Nandang? Why?"

Ah Rong rolled his eyelids slightly, and muttered in Xianbei language for a while, before he said: "You dare to slap me in front of so many people, if someone kills you casually, won't I be ashamed if it gets out?"

Bai Yansheng was funny and angry, the reason was completely unheard and unseen: "Since you finished delivering the letter, why don't you leave, what are you doing sneakily?"

Ah Rong scratched the top of his head, looked left and right, suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground, and said loudly: "I've changed my mind. There is a saying in the south that says that if you have a grudge, it is not a gentleman, and there is a saying that it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years. I will follow you until the debt is recovered."

Bai Yansheng then restrained his smile, his eyes were like knives, Ah Rong's pupils shrank suddenly, as if he couldn't bear his gaze, he lowered his head unconsciously.After a while, something flew into his arms, he took it over and saw that it was his waist badge, he couldn't help being overjoyed.Hearing Bai Yan's voice: "You can go back to the camp, but you ran away in a fit of anger that day, and you still owed thirty army sticks to fight. If you report your credit in time to make up for your merits and demerits, go to Sun Jiren's tomorrow to get ten army sticks, and return to your original position." .”

Ah Rong didn't jump up and call for grievances this time, but he obediently said hello, stood up, and walked outside.

Seeing him go out and close the door, Bai Yansheng blew out the oil lamp and went back to sleep on Hu's bed.It's no problem to overturn overnight, and I didn't fall asleep until four o'clock.As soon as he opened his eyes, it was already daylight, and when he came out, he saw that Ah Rong was not outside, but a few newly hired servants were gossiping.

"Er Chen's head is said to have been quietly removed in the middle of the night."

"The southern city wall is so high, how did you climb it?"

"Scary, I heard from the watchman that it flew up. In the blink of an eye, the figure flew past."

Bai Yansheng's complexion changed suddenly, and he walked outside without making a sound.When the servants saw that their master was in bed together, their complexion was not good, and they were all silent.

He went straight to Meng Ziying's other courtyard, the door of the moon cave was ajar, and a small handyman was sweeping the courtyard, when he saw the sound of white geese entering the room, he hurried forward and said, "Mr.

Before Bai Yansheng could answer, Meng Ziying's voice came from the room: "I'm fine, Brother Bai, come in."

The door opened with a squeak, Bai Yansheng stepped forward, and then closed the door. The room was empty, and before any furniture could be arranged, a bed was placed in the west wing, with curtains hung on it. Print out the figure of Mencius Ying.Bai Yansheng went over and opened the curtain with one hand, revealing Ziying's pale face, half leaning on the bed, with bottles and cans in hand, the tent smelled of medicine and blood.

Bai Yansheng's expression changed drastically, he kicked his shoes on the bed, and pulled Ziying's neckline open with one hand, revealing the blood-stained cloth strips, Ziying was unprepared for being caught by him, Bai Yansheng wanted to pull down the skirt again, but Ziying held her down, begging Said: "Brother Bai, it's okay, it's just a small injury."

The breath of his words sprayed on Bai Yansheng's face, the latter was taken aback, quickly let go of his collar, and turned away unnaturally.It took Bai Yansheng a long time to realize how close the distance between the two was, and Ziying's eyelashes seemed to be clearly countable.

Ziying had just wrapped up her wound, but now she had to lower her head and rearrange her clothes again.

He only heard the sound of Bai Yan sitting on the bed and still asking with a straight face: "Did you go to take the heads of Chen Yuanda and Chen Sen last night? Did you fight with the people from Jinji camp?"

Ziying said: "It's done, but it's not with the Kinki camp."

Bai Yansheng was taken aback, then turned his head and said, "Who is that with? Who can hurt you?"

Ziying was silent.

The sound of the third watch was knocking on the thoughts of the cold night, and the soldiers guarding the city were holding their spears and simmering torches to make their dreams sweet.There are two heads hanging on the top of the city gate, reflecting the beacon fire, one is old and the other is young, one is smiling with closed eyes, the other is staring at the city with round eyes.

A horse wandered around the city, the man on the horse took out a long bow from behind, stretched the bowstring to make a sound of thunder, the arrows screamed like hungry owls, two heads fell one after another, and landed in the skin bag in the man's hand.As soon as the man tied the pouch, he was about to steer his horse away when suddenly a black shadow flew down from the city gate and grabbed the pouch in his hand.

He blocked the longbow in his hand, hung the leather bag on the horse's back, clamped his legs, and steered the horse towards the forest outside the city.The black shadow chased after him closely, and he caught up again in a short time. With a sword cut, one of the horse's legs had been removed. He heard a sad hiss in the mountain, which startled countless night owls.The person on the horse fell to the ground and rolled, and the black shadow had already attacked his eyes.After dozens of moves, the man said again and again: "Are you from the Huajian sect? Stop, I'm Meng Ziying."

But the black shadow didn't respond. Without saying a word, the ultimate move came again. Ziying dodged left and right with the skin bag in her hand, and couldn't help shouting: "Baishu, stop! You want the head, I'll give it to you!" that is!"

Bai Shu was still merciless, Ziying couldn't figure it out, so she had to shout again: "Sister-in-law, I'm Ziying, tell Baishu to stop!"

There was the sound of horseshoes in the night, and a carriage slid out of the dark woods. The carriage was covered with bamboo curtains, and glazed lanterns were hung on the corners of the carriage. Zhu Sha, the driver, parked the carriage and stood beside the carriage with his head bowed. I don't even look at Ziying.

From the carriage came Shen Huaixiu's soft voice as usual, but it sounded extraordinarily heavy this night: "Bai Zhu, you stop first and listen to him."

Bai Shu heard the words and jumped back.Mencius Ying lowered his head and took a rough look. His chest was cut in a hurry, and a little blood was seeping out. With a wry smile, he turned around and picked up the skin bag on the ground, threw it to Baizhu and Zhusha, and said, "Return the head of General Erchen to you." The bodies of the two have been sent back to Jingzhou earlier, and now they can be buried in the ground."

There was no sound in the carriage, even Bai Shu and Zhu Sha hung their heads in silence.

Mencius felt quite strange, took two steps forward, and was about to speak, when Shen Huaixiu sighed suddenly: "Ziying, you are very wrong this time."

Meng Ziying bit her lips and said nothing, her face was completely pale, and she tremblingly said after a while: "Bai Shu just kept fighting, is it because of the order to kill?"

Shen Huaixiu sighed again, and said: "Xiao Jiu, you are really smart, even if you are not in the middle, you are not far away. You tore off an arm of Xishu, the lord is furious, and wants to take you back to Jinguan City, regardless of life or death."

The cold night was long, but Ziying felt as if it had been a long time, and smiled wryly, "I won't go back even if I die."

The white horse driving kept stepping on the grass under his feet, Shen Huaixiu said: "Xiao Jiu, you must not regret it. I will return to Sichuan right now, and you and I will become strangers from now on."

Mencius nodded and said, "Thank you sister-in-law for not killing me."

After Shen Huaixiu sighed three times, he shouted: "Baishu, Zhusha, let's go."

The carriage drifted westward, taking away the only light in the cold night. In the darkness, Ziying was alone, unable to distinguish things, almost shed tears, and did not return to the city until dawn.

When Bai Yansheng saw the sadness in Ziying's eyes, he suddenly realized, "Is the Meng family making things difficult for you?"

Ziying nodded slightly.

Bai Yansheng was so distressed that it was hard to say, seeing his eyes were black and blue, he said softly: "Go to sleep. I told them not to disturb you. Today is the 15th Lantern Festival, sleep well, we will go to see the lanterns tonight."

Ziying looked up at him, suddenly felt very at ease, rolled her eyes, and said with a smile: "Okay."

Sure enough, at night, there are fire trees and silver flowers inside and outside Yongjing, and people's voices are full of voices.The area near the Jingang Bridge where they live has always been a place where temple fairs are concentrated, and even Sun Shuye, who doesn't like to watch the excitement, is also attracted.In this era, high-ranking officials and nobles have their own ways of entertainment, and ordinary people have their own ways of having fun while suffering, which is only a little embellishment for a year of hard work.

Bai Yansheng and Mencius Ying stood at the head of Jingang Bridge, looking down together, the water meanders, dragging the gold powder skirt to the east.

The willows on the river are like smoke, and the geese are flying in the waning moon.

Bai Yansheng couldn't help sighing: "It's so fast, two years have passed." He came to Yongjing in the spring of Chongming's 13th year, and now it's the first month of Chongming's 15th year.

Mencius burst out laughing. He slept with his head covered during the day, and now his face finally regained some blood, and said: "I think when someone went to Beijing, he was looked down upon by others, and he almost froze to death on the street. Now he is dressed in fine clothes. return."

Bai Yansheng also smiled when he remembered the two met under the King Kong Bridge back then: "That is, thank you Mr. Meng for the warmth of the mattress and the kindness of the porridge. Why can't the sound of the wild goose be unforgettable without teeth?"

The two looked at each other and smiled, the fireworks on the river were brilliant, the music and music were interspersed, and cruise boats and painted boats covered in red and colorful colors passed under the bridge like lanterns, and the fragrant wind was blowing.Mencius frowned, and suddenly said, "Where is the sound of the pipa coming from?"

Bai Yansheng looked at the boat on the river, and said, "Is it on the boat? If you want to hear it, we will also rent a boat to swim on the lake."

The corners of Meng Ziying's eyes twitched slightly, suddenly feeling unspeakable boredom in her heart, she reluctantly nodded and said, "Okay."

The two rushed through the crowd and walked towards the pier under the bridge.Originally going hand in hand, several large boats just stopped under the bridge, and the passengers came ashore, and the crowd was crowded, but in the blink of an eye, Bai Yansheng looked back and saw that Mencius Ying was gone.

The moon is in the middle of the sky, and the flow of people is like a tide, but there is one person walking through the gorge like a reverse wave.Wearing a sky-blue brocade gown, with a blank expression on his face, he staggered to the door of a house where a big elm tree was planted in Yuyin Hutong, but he saw that the white lantern had been replaced by a colorful palace lantern with a picture of Donggui Ji.The door is wide open, and the sound of the pipa is melancholy, soul-stirring, coming from the boudoir.Mencius Ying stepped forward, and the quiet atmosphere in the door changed from the past, with radiance and color. All kinds of parrot thrushes and delicate lanterns were hung all the way under the corridor. Ruo Mingxia.The old house was completely new, but there was no one in sight.Mencius walked along with the music, and soon came to the small courtyard where Shen Huaixiu saw him that day. There were corridors on all sides, Zhulou painted buildings, bright lights in the room, and the sound of the pipa was like weeping.

Mencius Ying stood at the door, the furnishings in the room were different from what they saw that day, the walls had been re-arranged, fresh flowers and plants such as Suihan Sanyou were placed, and the warm fragrance was blowing on the face, there was a running water mat in the hall, and one person was pouring himself a drink , sitting next to it was a young woman in red, holding a red sandalwood lute in her hand, gently twirling it slowly.The food and drinks are exquisite, and the cast members are excellent.As soon as the man raised his head, his voice was as pleasant as flying pearls splashing jade, which Meng Ziying would never forget in his life.

The man clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Honglian, I'm not wrong, a distinguished guest is here."

Mencius Ying nailed to the door, looked straight at him, called "Brother", tears streamed down her face as soon as the words came out.

The man sighed softly, then turned to the woman playing the pipa and said, "Honglian, go down."

The girl was simple and pretty, Nianzi carefully put away the pipa, and went straight to the back room without any further words.

The lingering sound of the pipa lingered, and Mencius slowly fell to the ground, and gradually regained consciousness in his hands and feet.But he lay motionless on the cold ground, tears streaming down his face.

The person at the table stood up. He looked to be in his thirties, and his facial features were somewhat similar to Mencius Ying. There is a small white lotus flower at the corner of the robe, because it is the same color with dark patterns, ordinary people can't easily see it, rich and elegant, rare in the world, but this person has it all.

Seeing the lotus slowly approaching her, Mencius cried even more fiercely, and murmured softly, "Brother, mother."

Meng Ziyou picked him up from the ground, put him on the armchair, took out a brocade handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped the tears on his face. The handkerchief carried the cold fragrance of his body, and Meng Ziying only listened to him: "Ah Bao, so you still remember what you called me."

The author has something to say: