Just in time for rain [恰逢雨连天] - Chapter 91

[91. Chapter Ninety]

This is the beginning of the spring rain for the burglar Zhang, and the scorching glow shrouded the world. He could tell from a distance that the person standing outside the house was Su Jin. He guessed her intention in his heart, and was overjoyed for a while, so he ordered his servants to invite him to the hall for good tea. Serve.

Su Jin took out the secret post: “Please take a look at Xiaohou Ye.”

Ren Xuan had read Su Jin’s article five years ago. At that time, she entered the Hanlin, and she was quite famous for her policy and theory.

He grinned and said: “Your article is too good, just leave it to His Highness, he can’t use it. I will make some changes to the wording later, don’t worry, don’t let the old Hanlin see it. The clue.”

Su Jin said: “It’s all up to the young marquis.”

Ren Xuan carefully took the secret message, thought about it and asked, “You are willing to take this risk, but you can’t stay in the capital’s yamen? I have acquaintances in the official department. , It is said that there is a shortage of records in the Zhan Shifu, although it is only a ninth grade, anyway, working under the East Palace is much more respectable than the capital Yamen, do you want to?”

Su Jin was silent for a while, and then he said: “Since Xiaohou is here The Ministry of Rites must know about Chao Qing’s disappearance.”

Ren Xuan said yes, Su Jin continued: “Chao Qing and the lower officials are old friends. I went to the Gong Shi’s office to ask about him. On the day he disappeared, the third son of the Grand Master Yan came to look for him. He has a jade seal of the Yan family as evidence, and the two have had disputes. But when Lord Shaozhan left, Chao Qing was still there, and he could not find out about Shaozhan. My official is soft-spoken, and I know how to break in. If I can’t get to the Grand Fu’s mansion, I just ask Young Marquis to let me and Young Master Yan meet face to face.”

Ren Xuan didn’t expect Su Jin’s troubles, because it was someone else. Thinking about it carefully, Yan Ziyan is now a young man in the Zhan Shifu. The Yingtianfu yamen probably doesn’t want to offend anyone, so he wanted to put the case down. The government is here.

This is also self-denial.

Thinking of this, Ren Xuan expressed some respect in his heart, and his words were also kind: “Don’t hide Su Xian brother, because of a private matter for my brother, it is really inconvenient to bring Xian brother to the Taifu’s house to visit. Why don’t you do this, tomorrow morning, you pretend to be Zuo’s attendant and Wei-xiong enter the palace together. Yan Ziyan must pass by the Jinshui Bridge at the fifth watch every day, and Wei-xiong will help you stop him, so you can ask more clearly.” That

night, Su Jin relied on Ren Xuan’s words, Rest in Houfu nearby. The next day, he got up at the fourth watch, hurriedly had breakfast, and got into the carriage. Ren Xuan asked again, “In this court, apart from the old Hanlin, who the virtuous brother no longer knows?”

Su Jin replied: “At that time in the Hanlin Academy, I only devoted myself to writing articles on Xiushu, and I had few contacts with people, and I only had a few months, so no one would recognize the lower official.”

Ren Xuan said: “That’s good, you don’t know the newly appointed Zuo Du. Lord Censor Liu, his discipline is very strict, if you let people see the clue and find that my virtuous brother Gangji and I are not in good shape, it will be difficult to clean up.”

Su Jin was stunned for a while, seeing that the imperial city was close to him, he made a move. The pair of eyes looked at the nose, and the nose looked at the posture of the heart: “Oh, I have never heard of this person.” In front of the

noon gate, the carriage and horse stopped. In order to eliminate fire hazards in the palace, the lights of the ministers were prohibited, and only senior officials of the second rank and above could enter by car with lanterns.

Before the fifth watch, there were a few people standing by the Jinshui Bridge, all waiting for the waiter in charge of the lamp to come and lead them into the palace.

Ren Xuan led Su Jin to wait at the bridge, and at the fifth correction moment, Yan Ziyan came with a bang.

Ren Xuan went up to greet one or two, and led Huatou to the palace examination, and said: “I checked the list of tributes yesterday, there should have been eighty-nine, but I didn’t think that one was missing. I went to the yamen to ask. The corpse. The Ministry of Rites has to deal with errands, and the report is to return home in a hurry, but you also know Luo Shangshu’s scrupulous temperament, and when you look back, you are afraid that he will ask, and you have to walk down to the Gongshi’s office to inquire. Now, the military guard said that you had been there before this Gong Shi disappeared.”

Yan Ziyan hummed, “nonsense.” Then he narrowed his eyes and asked, “Young master asked me what I was talking about. What do you mean? Do you suspect that I robbed people?”

He was born with long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and he also wore a court dress with a wide-sleeved long coat, just like the famous Wei and Jin scholars in ancient paintings. It’s just that a great hero can be true to his true colors, a true celebrity is self-righteous, and Yan Ziyan’s eyes are higher than the top.

Ren Xuan smiled and said, “If I doubt you, I’m here to ask you what you are doing? Are you tipping off the news?”

Yan Ziyan lowered his brows and thought for a while, and thought it was true. Has someone changed?”

Ren Xuan said, “Ali was ill, so he brought another one at random. Coincidentally, he was sent to ask Gongshi yesterday.”

Su Jin stepped forward and bowed: “Little man Jia Su, see Lord Shaozhan.”

Yan Ziyan didn’t answer, looked her up and down, and didn’t look away for a while, Su Jin said again, “Sir Shaozhan is probably the one who forgets things too much, but what Gong Shi has done Wu Wei is not without evidence, they say that Shao Zhan has been there, and there is a jade seal of the Yan family as proof.”

Yan Ziyan shook his sleeve robe, thinking he was listening to a joke: “A group of reckless men spread their words, and the jade seal of the Yan family is the identity of the Yan family. It symbolizes that this official has always cherished his life and never took his side, so how can it fall into the hands of others?”

Su Jin looked up at Yan Ziyan and spread his right hand: “Then according to what Shaozhan said, what is in the hands of the villain? This jade seal is fake.”

There is only moonlight at the end of the sky, and the seal made of suet jade is bright and shiny, Yan Ziyan’s face changed instantly, and he reached out to grab the jade seal, but Su Jin took it back one step before him. Holding his hands, he said lightly, “It doesn’t look fake.”

Yan Ziyan said angrily, “What are you, you dare to hold this official accountable!” But under the moonlight, Su Jin stood alone, indifferent and calm, Make him feel a hint of déjà vu, “No, I seem to have seen you before, you are—”

A star of light shone from the other side of the Jinshui Bridge. All scattered as birds and beasts.

Since there is no need to wait for the lights for the second-rank and above officers, there are not many who come early. The only ones who can arrive at the Noon Gate at five watch are probably the newly appointed Tie Mian Bodhisattva of the Ducha Yuan.

Ren Xuan’s heart was not good, and he only hoped that the bodhisattva’s sedan chair could separate the whole world, so that he could not hear any movements. However, the Bodhisattva dropped off the sedan in front of him, and the attendant with the lamp in front of the sedan greeted him in a friendly manner: “Mr. Hou, it’s early for you, Mr. Shao Zhan.”

Su Jin heard the sound familiar, raised his eyelids and glanced at him. It was the one who gave her the umbrella at Dali Temple that day. There is no need to guess, the other person who made the world quiet as soon as he appeared was Lord Liu Chaomingliu, the censor of the Zuodu capital.

Liu Chaoming didn’t say anything, even his expression was calm, and the waiter on the side of the lamp said again: “I heard from a distance that the little prince and Shao Zhan are in high spirits. I don’t know what to talk about, so I asked the villain to join in the fun.”

Ren Xuan is very modest: “Brother An Ran is joking, Shao Zhan is just looking at me with a new face and asking a few questions.” After that, he gave Yan Ziyan a wink, meaning it was a big deal Small.

How could he know that Yan Ziyan would not like this, so he said coolly: “Miansheng? I think the noodles are very familiar.” He took two steps forward and stood in front of Su Jin, “I already remember who you are, Jing Jinshi in the eighteenth year of Yuan Dynasty, but Su Shiyu?” In the

past, Yan Ziyan and Yan Ziyan only had a relationship at the Qionglin Banquet, and they didn’t even say a word, and it didn’t occur to him that he remembered himself.

Right now, there are hundreds of officials, and there is also a censor of the Zuodu, who is an inspector, who pretends to be an official to attend.

Su Jin just thought he was a taller, looked at Yan Ziyan calmly, opened his mouth and asked, “What is Su Shiyu? Did your lord forget it?”

Yan Ziyan sneered: “You can not Yes, but don’t think that I’m the only one who remembers you!” With a flutter of his sleeves, he turned his head and bowed in front of Liu Chaoming: “Master Liu, Enke in the eighteenth year of Jingyuan, you went to Qizhou to handle the case, and after returning to Beijing, At the Poetry Ceremony, the local Jie Yuan Su Jin Su Shiyu was mentioned, and he said that his article has the talent of the champion, and he is the person in front of him!” In the

night there was only one star of light, reflected in the depths of Liu Chao’s bright eyes, flickering gently, as if Quiet water.

After a long while, he said indifferently, “Really?” He took the lantern and held it in front of Su Jin and looked at it for a while. She is eloquent and stubborn, just like the one she saw in the wind and rain at Dali Temple that day.

Liu Chaoming handed the lantern back to An Ran, turned back to the sedan chair, and said indifferently, “I don’t know this person.”

Ren Xuan did not expect that this stubble would fall under Liu Chaoming’s eyes and be taken by a stroke. After the luck of the rest of his life, he hurriedly pulled Yan Ziyan to bid farewell to the official sedan chair of Lord Censor.

Yan Ziyan took another look at Su Jin, snorted, and flung his sleeves into the palace.

Ren Xuan turned his head and stared at his back, and waited for the others to walk away before saying to Su Jin: “Yan Ziyan has a bad temper, but he is still a daredevil, I see his reaction just now, it really doesn’t look like he has been to tribute. Shi’s office, but the jade seal in your hand is clearly real.”

Su Jin said, “Yes, I also suspect this.”

Ren Xuan took a few steps back and forth and said, “In this case, you wait here first. I will send the secret message for my brother later, and I will take time to go to the Zhan Shifu to inquire about what Yan Ziyan did on the day Chao Qing disappeared.”

At that time, Emperor Jing Yuan was suffering from a chronic illness, and all matters large and small were handled by him . Juminda took the place of Criticism.

When Zhu Nanxian’s book was handed over to the emperor’s case, Zhu Minda threw it back, and scolded him for “do your best to be a reckless husband”, which made him think behind closed doors for seven days.

At that time, Zhu Nanxian had a temperament that he would not look back when he broke through the southern wall.

He silently collected the book and returned to the palace. Not only did he close the door, but he also refused food and water. For five days, he did not run out of rice until Juminda ordered someone to slam the door open and saw the half-dead man with cracked lips. The younger brother who grinned at him as if he was victorious.

Juminda wished he couldn’t kick him to death.

After all, he grew up with him, Zhu Minda knew that the old thirteen was soft and not hard, and then he thought about it again, and persuaded him emotionally, to the effect: “It’s not the emperor, I won’t let you go, But as a child of heaven, you don’t have any strategy in your heart, you can only dance with swords and swords, wouldn’t you make people laugh?”

Then he sent a letter to Zhu Nanxian, saying, “In this way, this emperor will give you a chance. , I have a pair here, within three days, as long as you can match ten different second couplets, proving that you have some ink in your stomach, this emperor will approve your letter of order.”

Zhu Nanxian’s mind is very simple. The pair Zuo in his impression was nothing more than “the mountains end in the daytime, and the Yellow River flows into the ocean”, so what’s the difficulty in having to match ten sentences?

It wasn’t until he opened Juminda’s letter that he knew that he was in the scheme –

a cup of tea to quench his thirst.

Zhu Nanxian frowned and thought deeply, what the hell is this?

At that time, Zhu Shisan had not yet opened the yamen and built a mansion, and still lived in the East Palace with Zhu Minda.

Within two days, he took his pair and asked for advice all over the Zhanshi Mansion, Wenhua Pavilion, and even the maids up and down the East Palace, and even put the knife on the neck of the little fireman, and the little fireman just knelt down tremblingly. , replied him tremblingly: “Your Highness, Your Highness, the slaves are illiterate…”

Zhu Nanxian knew that he was following Zhu Minda’s way, presumably Zhu Minda had already known everyone, and he was not allowed to help His Highness the Thirteenth. .

So he sat at the door of the Zhanshifu and thought gloomily, in this palace, can we find a piece of pure land?

At that time, he heard two Chunfang officials talking about poetry and prose not far away, and they mentioned tomorrow’s poetry ceremony.

Zhu Nanxian had an epiphany in his mind and stepped forward to find out what the poetry ceremony was.

It turned out that this was a semi-annual event held by the Hanlin Academy for the exchange of talents and learning between universities and civil servants. And tomorrow’s Poetry Ceremony, the new scholars who entered the Hanlin in March will also go.

Zhu Nanxian thought that this was a God-given opportunity.

He dealt with Hanlin on weekdays, and the old pedants who went around had long been accustomed to seeing Zhu Minda’s face, but the new jinshi were different. If he found a fish that slipped through the net and made a match for him, he would go to the Northwest Guard Institute. Hopeful.

The next day, Zhu Nanxian slipped to the poetry ceremony in Hanlin Wenyuan.

He is the prince, and many people in the palace recognize him, so he did not get together in the Wenyuan, where Wen Si was flying and flowing, but bypassed the bamboo forest and went to the back garden.

There is a shallow lake in the back garden, and there is a water pavilion in the center of the lake.

Zhu Nanxian faintly saw a person standing in the waterside, with his hands behind his back facing him, dressed in plain clothes with wide sleeves, and his robes flying over, like a banished immortal.

This person is Su Jin, Su Jin five years ago.

Zhu Nanxian walked along the stone bridge and called out, “You are—”

Su Jin turned around.

Zhu Nanxian was born in a deep palace. He has seen a lot of talented Gao Shi since he was a child, and there are also elegant and clean people.

But Su Jin was still too different.

Her brows contained clear frost and mist, and when she looked back, it seemed as if the spring breeze and the bright moon were all embraced by her arms, and her slightly closed eyes revealed thousands of brilliance.

She just stood in the water pavilion with her hands behind her back, and the boundless wind in the dark night seemed to rise because of her, and the shallow lake behind her with rough water suddenly turned into a sea, and the waves came rushing through the mountains.

Zhu Nanxian was completely stunned.

So much so that when Su Jin knelt down to greet him and said that he was “surnamed Su, first name Jin, styled Shiyu, he is a jinshi in this department”, he didn’t remember to say “flat body”, but instead said Dong Shi with a frown: “Oh, I The surname is Zhu, the name is Ai, the word is Nanxian, the line is thirteen, and I’m… being the prince in the palace.”

Su Jin smiled lowly.

The laughter made Zhu Nanxian come back to his senses, and he asked hesitantly, “Are you…will you be a pair?”

Su Jin was a little surprised, raised his head and asked, “What pair?”

Zhu Nanxian handed over the letter in his arms that read “A cup of tea, quenching the thirst of the Yuan”, and said, “If you are right, would you like to write a few couplets for this king?

” With ready-made brush and ink, Su Jin picked up the pen, thought for a moment, and then asked, “How many lower couplets does your Highness want?”

Zhu Nanxian was so nervous for the first time, for fear of embarrassing her, he said, “Three or four

is fine.” After thinking about it, three or four is not enough, he said, “Seven or eight will do.”

After thinking about it again, I have to meet tomorrow, can I find a second one to help the pair overnight, and finally said: ” Ten, is it done?”

Su Jin smiled again, and the sentence “Seven Strings Wonderful Song, the sound of Lele Yuefu” has been written down on the paper.

Zhu Nanxian remembered the past, when Su Jin was in high spirits, his eyes were full of smiles, and there were thousands of brilliance in his eyes.

And after many years, when she came from the hustle and bustle alleys and alleys covered in blood, and survived the rest of her life from the prince of Zhan Shifu, Zhu Nanxian never saw Su Jin smile from the heart again.

Not once.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Yashu Street. Su Jin lifted the curtain of the carriage and said to Zhu Nanxian, “Your Highness, Wei Chen will go over by himself.”

Then he jumped out of the carriage, walked a few steps and paused, without turning his head. He added: “His Royal Highness does not need to come.” The lights in front of the

capital yamen were brilliant, and there were two senior officers standing first, one was a squat stump, dressed in a scorpion, and it was the Lu Yuanwai whom Su Jin had met in the Punishment Department. , the other with a moustache, a slightly higher official rank, dressed in a five-rank white pheasant tonic.

Yu Linwei took the people out of the office one by one, and stood by the side of the directory to check them one by one. Su Jin watched from a distance, except for the big and small officials, and Sun Yinde, the prefect of the government, and sentenced Zhou Ping and the two co-authors.

After the recorder checked the list, he whispered the moustache.

The eight-character moustache stood upside down, and said angrily, “Why don’t you hurry to find it? Anyone can be less, but he can’t be without him!”

Su Jin guessed that they were talking about him, so he walked out of the crowd around Yulinwei, and said, “Sir, the lower official is here.” The

moustache squinted at her, raised his chin and gave Yulinwei a wink. .

Yu Linwei immediately pushed Su Jin, and Su Jin stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Liu Yichu smiled apologetically on the side and said, “Master Shaoqing, do you think you have made a mistake? If it wasn’t for Governor Su on the day of the trouble, Master Tanhua would not have been able to come out alive.”

[End of This Chapter]