Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

Bai Yue followed Zi Mian along the mountain road for half a day, and arrived at Longhu Mountain at noon.They found a small inn to pass the test, and then continued on the road to the county government of Guixi County.On the way, she kept looking for opportunities to talk to Zi Mian, and seeing the county government in sight, she finally found a topic: "He Lingyun said that the county magistrate of Guixi County is his friend, what a coincidence." "Yeah," Zi Mian nodded, feeling embarrassed by the silence all the way, "My master also said that he is young and promising, and he is known as Yama with Jade Face."

"Yan Luo with jade face?" Long Baiyue made a joke, thinking that it was quite vulgar, "Jade face probably refers to his handsomeness, Yan Luo doesn't know why." "It's nothing more than strict law enforcement and unsmiling words." Zi Mian answered casually. The two went to the gate of the county government office and handed Zaoli his name badge.The little official received the famous assassin and went in to pass the pass. After a while, he saw two rows of officials coming out of the yamen, standing in a row of wild goose wings at the door. At this time, a man came out from inside, wearing a scarlet official robe, slender and tall, His face was like a crown of jade, and his lips were tightly pursed and serious. He must be the "Yama with jade face".

This appearance looks quite like Cuixu, Long Baiyue sneered in his heart. "My subordinate Yan Xiu, I have met Master Zi Mian." Zi Mian is a Beijing official, and his rank is higher than that of the county magistrate, so "Yan Luo with jade face" should pay his respects first. "Excuse me, I'm bothering your mansion, please take care of the magistrate Yan these few days." Zi Mian returned the courtesy. Long Baiyue followed suit: "My slave, Long Baiyue, has met the magistrate." Yan Xiu's expression was serious and serious, but he had warm eyes. He looked Long Baiyue up and down, and there was a flash of joy in his eyes, which made Long Baiyue stunned.

Strange, what is he happy about?He should be amazed, or coveted, Long Baiyue thought rather narcissistically. Yan Xiu led Zi Mian and Long Baiyue into the county government office.Since Zi Mian didn't come here for official business and brought his female relatives with him, he led the two of them directly into the backyard of the county government office - where his wife and children lived. Zi Mian and Long Baiyue were led into the living room, and as soon as they were seated, a servant came out to serve tea.Zi Mian and the others took the tea, and before they had exchanged a few words of greeting, Yan Xiu's wife, as the head of the house, led Yan Xiu's two concubines out to greet them.

Everything is in order, worthy of being "Yama with jade face".Long Baiyue secretly looked at Yan Xiu, who was sitting upright, and looked sideways at his main room - dignified and elegant, with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes, which is the most typical appearance of Mrs. Gao Ming.Yan Xiu's sons and daughters also ran into the living room laughing at this time, and the two powder-carved dolls both threw themselves under Yan Xiu's knees, looking at the guests curiously. What a scene of harmony and harmony, Long Baiyue just wanted to feel in her heart that a man should be so self-cultivated and family-friendly, but Yan Xiu laughed loudly in the seat: "Bai Yue, do you still remember me?"

Zi Mian looked at Long Baiyue sideways with some surprise, frowning slightly. Long Baiyue was stunned - what is this?When had she dealt with this jade-faced Yan Luo?In He Lingyun's letter to her, it was said that the county magistrate was an old acquaintance of hers, but she always regarded him as a fake. She really didn't know the county magistrate in front of her. "I am Changde!" Yan Xiu smiled and said his name. He pointed his finger to his lips, grinned, and pulled his toothless lips to the sides, but he saw the empty gums wide open, and the two front teeth disappeared without a trace.

Long Baiyue sprayed far away with a sip of tea, and was so shocked that she almost passed out. "Master Changde..." she recalled - the broken lute, the cracked jade pieces, the falling front teeth, the dripping blood... the big fat man who wailed like a pig--Mr. Changde-- Strict repair. "Remember? Hahaha..." Yan Xiu didn't have to hide the embarrassment of missing teeth in his own home, he smiled happily, and the child under his knee who had just changed his teeth saw his father smiling happily, so he laughed too. A father and a son have no front teeth and are still laughing together, the scene is extremely funny.Zi Mian couldn't hold back anymore, she turned her face away and covered the smile on her mouth with her hands.

"My lord has changed so much, I can't even recognize him!" Long Baiyue looked at Yan Xiu in surprise, and sure enough, he started to feel familiar. Yan Xiu's wife and concubine also couldn't help laughing, and raised their sleeves to snicker.The scene was no longer gentle and courteous, but it added a bit of joy. "I can't do it anymore..." Looking at Yan Xiu's smile, Long Baiyue felt weak for a while, she couldn't even hold the teacup steadily, and splashed a lot of tea on her hand.She hurriedly threw the teacup on the table, turned her head, and couldn't bear to see Yan Xiu's smile again: "Please stop laughing, my lord..."

She was really a sinner back then! "I'm really sorry at the beginning." The instigator, Long Baiyue, stood up and nodded, bowing down, sincerely sorry, although she had long forgotten why she threw the pipa in the first place. "What's the matter?" Yan Xiu hugged his little daughter into his arms and smiled, "It's also thanks to you that I changed my past." Thanks to her?Long Baiyue raised her head in surprise, and looked at Yan Xiu.There was no reproach in his eyes, only a clear and calm expression. Really changed a person. "To say that you are not afraid of your lord's anger, your lord was really an out-and-out dude back then." Thinking about the past, Long Baiyue was filled with emotions and found it funny, "Do you know what nonsense we made up for you at that time?"

"Is that a jingle?" Yan Xiu smiled in disbelief, and felt that the absurd days of the past were funny, "I know—" all day long, Yan Xiu is not ashamed. Walking in the fireworks alley, he was so angry that he faced the old uncle .'" Everyone in the room was amused and laughed. It was the first time Zi Mian came into contact with Long Baiyue's past, so she couldn't say anything, she just drank tea quietly and listened carefully. Long Baiyue pointed to her cheek: "I remember that my lord was very fat at that time." She still vaguely remembers the tall and chubby Mr. Changde, who was wrapped in silk and satin, and his shiny figure could be seen from afar.It's no wonder I didn't recognize him before. I haven't seen him for a few years. He has lost a lot of weight. His figure has become slender and tall, and his face has a good-looking outline. Coupled with a calm and noble official robe, he has long been a handsome young talent .

"Well, after losing the front teeth, it was inconvenient to eat, so I gradually lost weight," Yan Xiu smiled, and he didn't expect that he would look handsome after losing weight, "I thought I was in pain that day, Ling Yun helped me back I covered my mouth and called the doctor. But at this moment, my wife was giving birth to a daughter for me, and the servant walked past me with basins of blood from the room, and I covered my mouth and suddenly felt ashamed." Yan Xiu lowered his head and hugged his daughter: "My wife gave birth to me, and it hurts a hundred times more than me. I was still spending time outside, barking when I lost a tooth, what kind of man? Hehe... Then I broke up with my friends. , I was fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination, and I have been waiting for this official, and it has been two years since I took office." "That's great," Long Baiyue smiled, "It's the common people's blessing to change your lord." "Hehe, you've changed too." Yan Xiu stared into Long Baiyue's eyes for a while, with a sad and relieved expression, "Why did you follow Master Zi Mian? Ling Yun didn't mention it in detail in the letter." Long Baiyue was shocked all over, she bit her lips and was speechless - she hadn't changed, she was still doing her previous job.Follow Zi Mian because she is a minion for the tiger. The hall suddenly fell silent. "It's just a coincidence." At this moment, Zi Mian calmly interjected. Long Baiyue breathed a sigh of relief, and cast a grateful glance at Zi Mian, thankful that he rescued her. "Oh, that's how it is." Yan Xiu observed his words and did not ask any more questions. Under Yan Xiu's arrangement, Zi Mian and Long Baiyue stayed for two days. According to Yan Xiu's plan, they will go to Beijing with Nitre Gang passing through Guixi County. A large number of fireworks and firecrackers are consumed in every grand festival celebration in the capital every year.Salter, the raw material for making fireworks and firecrackers, needs to be sent to the capital in batches from the end of summer.A large amount of saltpeter is shipped in batches, and each batch is numbered and divided into several groups. One group is called Yigang. Because it is an official organization of gang movement, and saltpeter is flammable, gang saltpeter will arrange many soldiers to escort each time.Zi Mian and Long Baiyue followed them, it was equivalent to having an extra team of bodyguards. "Walk from us for a few days and change the waterway and water transportation. The itinerary will be easier." After Yan Xiu handed over to the chief of Nitpegang that day, he arranged for his servants to pack the luggage for Zi Mian and Long Baiyue, "Bai Yue, you Come on." Long Baiyue glanced at Yan Xiu in puzzlement.In order to cover up the missing teeth outside, Yan Xiu kept a serious look.She didn't know what Yan Xiu was looking for her alone, but she still greeted Zi Mian and followed him. Yan Xiu led Long Baiyue back to the backyard of the county government, took the pipa and handed it to her: "This is for you." "Why did you give me this?" Long Baiyue was very surprised, she untied the cloth bag that wrapped the pipa, and a fine jade-inlaid dragon head pipa was revealed. "When you were young and careless, I annoyed you to break the pipa. I heard that the dragon bust punished you, right?" Yan Xiu smiled, "Today I will return you a new one, as a token of my affection." "Thank you." Long Baiyue was pleasantly surprised, stroking the brand-new pipa happily, and suddenly she frowned, and said guiltily: "How about... I beg Zi Mian, maybe he has a way to restore my lord's teeth ?” ——Handsome is much more handsome, but missing teeth are always an eyesore. "Hahahaha," Yan Xiu laughed when he heard the words, and showed his gums unscrupulously, "No need." "Some changes are good things, and there is no need to restore anything." He paused, then asked Long Baiyue with a smile, "Bai Yue, how is Long Madam?" Long Baiyue was stunned, feeling cold from the soles of her feet, the blood in her whole body seemed to be emptied all of a sudden, making her a little dazed: "I... I separated from her three years ago, and I haven't heard from her for a long time..." The madam, her madam... where did she go?Long Baiyue's mind suddenly became chaotic, and all kinds of old memories became noisy, the madam sneered, angry, ridiculed, frightened... Countless faces with different expressions were kneaded together in a mess - but there was no whereabouts of her. "Oh." Yan Xiu nodded, he was still struggling in his heart at the moment, and didn't notice Long Baiyue's strangeness.He lowered his head and considered for a long time, finally raised his face, looked at Long Baiyue with some hesitation: "By the way...do you know, Chu Xun and I are in the same batch of Jinshi and the first degree." Chu Xun.Such a distant name... Long Baiyue's churning heart suddenly became calm when she heard this name.She smiled suddenly, but Yan Xiu felt strange about her charming look - it should be the smile he was familiar with, skillful, seductive, and a little elusive. "Master Chu... I haven't thought of him for a long time..." Yan Xiu's expression changed, and he was silent for a long time.Gradually he understood and smiled in relief. "Also."