Chapter 29 Twenty-ninth set up

"Young Master Xue really deserves to be the Young Master Bingli bestowed by King Yan, but his knowledge is different from that of ordinary people." "Yes, yes, on the son's sixth birthday, the villain was lucky enough to receive a post and even visited your mansion. I don't know if the son still has any impression..." Hearing these genuine and false compliments, Xue Cai just smiled, and suddenly turned to the beauty at the next table who was drinking with Jiang Xiaocheng, "This girl has such a beautiful bracelet..." This sentence made everyone's eyes turn to the beauty.The beauty was even more delighted to receive such attention, and she said sweetly, "Young master has good eyesight. This bracelet..." As he spoke, his eyes turned around on Guan Dongshan's face, and he covered his lips with a smile, "This is a family heirloom, it is said to be a real ice flower Furong jade is worth a fortune."

Xue Caidao: "Can I borrow it to watch next time?" The beauty was also happy, and happily took off the bracelet and handed it to Xue Cai. Xue Cai picked it up, looked at it carefully, and handed it back to her, with a strange expression on his face.The beauty couldn't help asking: "Young master, why does he have such an expression? Is there something wrong with this bracelet?" Xue Cai sighed softly: "The so-called family heirlooms are precious in the heart. It's good to have the heart, so why care about its real value." In fact, it's fine if he doesn't say it, but the beauty would not let it go if she said it this way, and asked: "My lord has something to say, but please be frank, isn't this bracelet ice flower lotus jade?"

Xue Cai said in a deep voice: "As we all know, this jade is named after Concubine Yang. It was this jade that Tang Minghuang gave Yang as a token of love. The concubine's nickname is Furong, and because its texture is like crushed ice, so, Later generations named it Ice Flower Hibiscus. Because of its rare pink-purple color, which is formed in the spring eye, it can whiten and beautify the skin when worn for a long time, so it is extremely precious." Everyone nodded. "As a result, there are many counterfeiters, and those with exquisite craftsmanship can even confuse the fake with the real one."

"My son, you mean that I am a fake?" "Whether it's true or not, you can tell it at a glance..." Xue Cai said, looking around, and asked another beauty, "Can I lend you your bracelet for the next time?" The beauty quickly took off the bracelet and handed it to him. Hers was a white jade bracelet.The two bracelets are stacked together, the pink and white colors are really beautiful.After Xue Cai folded the bracelets, she began to twist and rub them. After a while, she handed the two bracelets to the first beauty: "Smell and see." The first beauty sniffed lightly and exclaimed, "What's this smell?"

"The smell of artificial stone." Xue Cai explained, "It comes from your bracelet, which means that her bracelet is real, while yours is fake." The beauty suddenly turned pale, and turned to look at Guan Dongshan. Guan Dongshan quickly turned his head away and pretended to talk to others.The beauty was so angry and angry that she threw the bracelet and ran away crying. The whole house roared with laughter. The attitude of the people present immediately changed.Although Xue Cai and Jiang Xiaocheng were both imperial envoys to Jiangdu this time, those high-ranking officials and dignitaries mainly wooed Jiang Xiaocheng, and when facing Xue Cai, they always felt a bit unspeakably embarrassed.

The Xue family is dead, and it can be said that there are only two of the Xue family now——Xue Ming, the disused queen in the cold palace, and Xue Cai, who is still a slave despite being an imperial envoy.It is human nature for everyone not to dare to get too close to him. But he showed such a skill, everyone was amazed in their hearts, and they couldn't be more scruples anymore, they stepped forward to express their admiration, and invited him to be a guest at home. Xue Cai did not refuse anyone who came, and agreed to all of them. That night, he and Jiang Xiaocheng stayed in the city lord's mansion, and visited Guan Dongshan's study by the way. When Guan Dongshan showed him the paintings and calligraphy collected over the years, he just smiled and said nothing, without expressing any opinions.

On the second day, it is also the same to go to the homes of celebrities. Still the same on the third day. In fact, other than flattery, everyone invited him for the purpose of appraising their own treasures with his wise eyes.But he looked back, but didn't express any opinions, which was really depressing.In the end, it was Guan Dongshan who couldn't hold back anymore, and asked, "Are the calligraphy and paintings of my family so out of your eyes? Why won't you comment on it?" Xue Cai smiled leisurely: "Why does Mr. Guan like calligraphy and painting?" "Why do you like it? This... just like it..."

Xue Cai said again: "Master Guan spent a lot of money for these calligraphy and paintings, right?" "Of course, you don't know, these calligraphy and paintings are more expensive than gold, silver and jewelry..." At this point, Guan Dongshan suddenly remembered the identity of the other party, and quickly explained, "But I did it all because of my relationship. I got it, so it's still very cheap, very cheap, hehe..." "Do you have one hundred thousand taels?" "No! Absolutely not!" Guan Dongshan shook his head like a rattle. "Guan Chengzhu, do you know that if Gu Kaizhi's authentic work of this volume of "Biography of Benevolence and Wisdom" is Gu Kaizhi's, it must be at least 50,000 taels? Not to mention the price raised by bidders on the black market."

Guan Dongshan's eyes lit up when he heard it: "Is that so? Then it seems that I have made a profit, and I only spent 30,000 taels of silver to get it." Xue Cai lowered her head, raised her eyelashes, and smiled: "So, this must be fake." Guan Dongshan's originally excited expression suddenly turned into astonishment: "What? Wait, Mr. Xue, why are you so sure it's fake?" "Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is a person who also loves calligraphy and painting very much, and his wealth is far higher than that of adults. He offered a sky-high price of 100,000 taels three years ago for this "Biography of Women and Wisdom" Acquisition. If you were the original owner of this painting and intended to sell it, would you not sell it for 100,000 yuan and sell it to someone else for 30,000 yuan?"

Guan Dongshan tremblingly said: "But, but I have friendship with that person!" Xue Cai sneered. "Xue, Xue, Mr. Xue?" Xue Cai turned around and looked at the clouds in the sky outside the window, and said quietly: "I think back then, my father also thought that he had friendship with many people. If he wanted something, he ordered it, and there were many responders, and everyone flocked to it. But when something happened to him, one who dared to No one stood up to help, friendship... City Lord Guan, you have been immersed in officialdom for so many years, and you still believe in the word 'friendship'?"

Guan Dongshan's old face was red and white at the time, which was extremely embarrassing, but he still didn't give up: "Just based on the price, we can't infer that it must be fake, right?" Xue Cai turned around, took the "Biography of Ren Zhi Biography", opened it and said: "City Master, please take a look, we all know that this picture is based on the third volume of "Biography of Ren Zhi", and record its eulogy after each section. language, indicating the characters painted, a total of fifteen were collected." "That's right, fifteen." "The mistake is here." Xue Cai sighed softly, "In fact, after a long period of war, this painting is not only "Chuwu Dengman", "Mrs. Xu Mu", "Cao Xi's Wife", "Sun Shuao" "Mother", "Jin Bozong's Wife", "Mrs. Linggong", and "Jin Yang Shuji" have been preserved intact, and the others have been lost. However, the one collected by the city lord is completely intact. This is Biggest loophole." Guan Dongshan's complexion was ashen, and he was hit hard, and finally said in a small voice: "So, are the other calligraphy and paintings of Xiaguan also fake?" "It's not all, but it's almost the same." Xue Cai raised her head, her expression was indifferent, with a sense of sarcasm, emotion and a kind of condescending loneliness like snow, "Where are there so many treasures in this world for people to share and collect? Absolutely Much of it is just arty." The last sentence of arty style deeply stimulated Guan Dongshan. He picked up the calligraphy and painting and was about to tear it up. In the end, Xue Cai persuaded him. What Xue Cai said was: "Although these are fakes, they are not bad imitations. Not reconciled, I have a way to turn waste into treasure." "Oh? How about turning waste into treasure?" Xue Cai smiled mysteriously: "Master Jiang and I are going to invite everyone back at Yujiang Tower tomorrow, and the city lord is welcome to come. Don't forget to bring these calligraphy and paintings of yours." In this way, the two imperial envoys arrived in Jiangdu. For the first three days, they did nothing but eat, drink and have fun.On the fourth day, it was still eating, drinking and drinking, but there was one more fun than usual, that is - fundraising for disaster relief. When the wine was half drunk, Xue Cai signaled Guan Dongshan to take out the calligraphy and painting, and said loudly: "Everyone, when the country is in crisis, our ministers should also contribute to the emperor. Since the severe drought in Jiangdu, the Lord of Guan City has been unable to sleep at night. , worried, and thinking of a solution. But as Lord Jiang said, the sky is going to be a drought, and the mother is going to marry, and the sky won't let it rain, so what can we mortals do?" When Jiang Xiaocheng heard that even Xue Cai would quote him, he couldn't help but feel very proud, and nodded repeatedly.But everyone present didn't understand what kind of medicine Xue Cai was selling in the gourd, and they all watched quietly. Xue Cai quickly got to the point and said, "Therefore, the Lord Guan came to me last night and expressed his willingness to donate all his collection income over the years, converted into cash, to donate to this drought and relieve the country's worries. , to relieve disasters for the people..." Guan Dongshan's eyeballs popped out when he heard this, and he hurriedly pulled Xue Cai's sleeve, but Xue Cai ignored him after saying "be quiet and don't be impatient", and instead took the picture of "Biography of Women's Benevolence and Wisdom" " was the first to take it out, and said in a loud voice: "This "Biography of Women's Benevolence and Wisdom", after my appraisal, is the authentic work of Gu Kaizhi. That's it. Do you want anything?" When Guan Dongshan heard this, he understood.It turns out that Xue Cai's so-called turning waste into treasure is to sell fakes as genuine ones.Either way, convert it into money and then buy it. If you don’t believe him, he will be so unlucky that he will encounter fakes all his life.It's just that...all of you here are not vegetarians, how can you buy it easily?Sure enough, after a long time, the surroundings were still quiet, no one was bidding, let alone making a sound. Xue Cai thought for a while, then turned to Jiang Xiaocheng and said, "Master Jiang, everyone is shy, and they don't want to say this first. You need to support me." Jiang Xiaocheng laughed, and waved his hand: "Okay. Accepted. I bought this scroll." As soon as this remark came out, there was an uproar everywhere. Even though Jiang Xiaocheng was the right minister's son, and also held the position of Captain of the Habayashi Army Cavalry, but it was 80,000 for a single shot, which was really scary.Jiang Xiaocheng said with a smile: "Serving the country is everyone's responsibility. Besides, as long as the Jiangdu matter is resolved, the emperor is happy and rewarded, won't they all come back? Come on, go get some 80,000 silver coins Come and give the ticket to Lord Guan." The servant behind him responded, and was about to leave when a voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "I will pay one hundred thousand taels." The voice is clearer and brighter, just like the wind in April, the light of the morning sun, and the lights of thousands of houses, warm and pleasant. Everyone followed the voice and turned their heads to look, and saw a young prince walking in from outside the hall Shi Shiran with two attendants.The lights in the building are bright, but not as bright as his smile; there are many beauties in the lobby, but not as enchanting as his eyes... Some people present who knew him stood up in shock: "Yi, Yi, Your Majesty Yi!" It turned out that this young master was none other than King Yi Heyi. Taking advantage of everyone's attention on He Yi, Xue Cai lowered her voice and turned her head to Guan Dongshan and said, "The buyer I mentioned yesterday who kept asking for 100,000 taels is him." Guan Dongshan said gratefully: "Young master's coup, even he was invited here." And He Yi waved his hand to greet everyone one by one, and when his eyes fell on Xue Cai's face, he smiled meaningfully: "Cheng Guo said goodbye, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon." Xue Cai saluted and said, "Respectfully, Your Majesty Jin An." "Okay, these red tapes will be skipped. I'm here to do business today, so you can treat me as a businessman." He Yi said, raising his arms, and copied the volume of "Biography of Women's Benevolence and Wisdom" "He took it and looked it over carefully. Guan Dongshan's heart was in his throat, and he was beating so hard that he was afraid that he would see it as a fake. But He Yi finally touched the worn place on the corner, and sighed: "Things from thousands of years ago can still be preserved so well, not bad, really good..." Only then did Guan Dongshan feel relieved, and said with a dry smile: "I have nothing else to do with this official, but to cherish these calligraphy and paintings, and specially hired two craftsmen to take care of them, and hang them up from time to time." "Guancheng Lord is indeed an expert." He Yi said, turning his bright eyes, "Master Jiang, do you still want to follow the price?" Jiang Xiaocheng rubbed his chin and laughed: "No matter how rich and powerful I am, I dare not compare myself with His Majesty Yi Wang. The original bid was just to get a lottery, but to be honest, I am actually a rough person. , it gives me a headache just looking at it." As soon as this remark came out, everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the building suddenly became joyful. "If that's the case, then I will accept it." He Yi ordered his attendant to carry a box up, opened the box, and the box was full of banknotes, which made everyone's eyes straight. Xue Caidao: "It seems that His Majesty has made full preparations for this fundraising and disaster relief." He Yi stared and smiled: "It's nothing else, but there is one thing that I must have." When everyone heard this, they were all interested. What kind of treasure is it that makes this shopping mall so famous that ghost spirits travel thousands of miles here to buy it? Guan Dongshan couldn't help asking: "What is it?" He also wanted to know which calligraphy and painting he had collected that made King Yi covet it so much? He Yi lowered his eyes, deep for a moment, then raised them again, still smiling and smiling brightly: "I want Ji Hu's manuscript of "The Fu of National Beauty and Natural Fragrance." There was an uproar in the hall, which could not be calmed down for a long time. As we all know, Ji Hu is the number one talented woman in the Bi Kingdom, and the reason why she is so famous is related to "The Fu of National Beauty and Natural Fragrance".It is said that when Ji Hu finished writing this fu, Zhao Yin, who was still the prince at the time, saw it and was shocked to be a heavenly man. He immediately rode to Ji's mansion to propose marriage.After several twists and turns, she finally embraced the beauty. A poem leads to an imperial concubine, and finally achieves the hegemony of an emperor.For thousands of years, how can there be a second article more beautiful than it? But although this Fu is famous, Ji Hu is a living person after all.The things of living people are always not too valuable.So when everyone heard that He Yi came for Ji Hu's manuscript, they were more or less disappointed. He Yi swept his eyes, saw all the subtle expressions of the people, and said with a smile: "Of course, if there are other good things, I will also take them together." He did not break his promise, and the four pieces of calligraphy and three volumes of ancient paintings that Xue Cai auctioned were all bought by He Yi in one go, with a total sum of 370,000 yuan.At this point, the atmosphere in the hall reached its climax. Xue Caidao: "That's it for today, and we'll continue tomorrow. I'm really sorry that His Majesty King Yi couldn't buy "The Fu of National Beauty and Natural Fragrance." He Yi waved his hand and said, "Good things should always be saved for the last, I know this truth. No problem, I'll come back tomorrow." Just like that, the banquet ended and everyone left.As soon as Xue Cai returned to the mansion, Guan Dongshan invited him into the study, closed the door, and bowed to the ground: "Live God of Wealth, you are really my God of Wealth!" Xue Cai scolded with a smile: "It's a shame that you are still a third-rank official, but you actually kneel down to worship a slave, what do you look like when people see you?" Guan Dongshan leaned forward and hugged his legs, saying: "No, no, I want to worship, I want to worship. Mr. Xue, I have heard of your name as a child prodigy for a long time, even people like King Yan I was coaxed into obedience by you, and today I made a lot of money, how can I thank you?" Xue Cai kicked him and said sternly: "Let's gossip, do you want to make a lot of money?" "Isn't this big enough?" Guan Dongshan was speechless. "Look at your worthless appearance, you really have been staying in a small frontier town for a long time..." Guan Dongshan hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, except for entering the capital once in the year of the scientific examination, the villain has been staying in the poor mountain ditch all his life... Mr. Xue is talking about how to make a lot of money?" "You have also seen what King Yi looks like today. He is bound to win "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance Endowment." "But we don't have "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance Endowment"." Xue Cai smiled strangely: "If he said he would, of course he would not, but the owner of "The Fu of National Beauty and Natural Fragrance" is still alive, so it would only take half an hour to copy it..." Guan Dongshan's eyes lit up, he slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! If we get the manuscript of "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance" and resell it to King Yi..." "That price, isn't it up to you to open it?" Guan Dongshan squinted his eyes and smiled for a long time, but suddenly wrinkled his face again, shrunken like a chrysanthemum: "But, how can I get the manuscript of "National Beauty, Natural Fragrance"?" Xue Cai asked back: "What do you think?" Guan Dongshan thought for a while, then pondered: "If there is anything to do with that Concubine Ji, I'm afraid the only one among us is Mrs. Jiang. His sister will be sealed soon, if he speaks up Concubine Ji Gui wants it, Concubine Ji Gui will dare not refuse..." Xue Cai was noncommittal about this. "Okay, the little one will go to Mr. Jiang first." Guan Dongshan said, and hurried away. When he arrived at Jiang Xiaocheng's place, it was no problem to pat his chest a hundred times, but when the subject changed, Jiang Xiaocheng began to lament that it was difficult to be an official in Beijing, how hard it was to get some oil and water under the eyes of the emperor, it was no better than the sky here Emperor Yuan can do whatever he wants, even a mere calligraphy and painting can be sold for a sky-high price of 370,000 taels a day, he is really rich... After complaining about himself for a while, Guan Dongshan knowingly stuffed a red envelope in the past , said with a smile: "Master Lao Jiang will take care of everything." Jiang Xiaocheng weighed the weight of the red envelope, and then began to tell how concubine Ji Guifei had no one in her eyes and never had contact with the outside world. If it wasn't for his sister's special status, he might not be able to do anything, but he just asked her to put down her status and take care of a concubine Begging for things is really difficult for her. Guan Dongshan hastily stuffed another red envelope in the past: "If Mr. Jiang can help the villain this favor, after the completion of the matter, there will be a big thank you." Only then did Jiang Xiaocheng get up, turned around the room a few times with his hands behind his back, and solemnly extended three fingers: "One price, three million taels." Guan Dongshan was so frightened that he plopped and sat on the ground: "What? Three, three, three million taels?" He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but he was already cursing in his heart: You stole it! Jiang Xiaocheng sat down leisurely, crossed his legs, drank tea and said, "Master Guan thinks it's expensive, and I can understand it. Three million taels is enough to buy several thousand acres of fertile land, build a house, and hire a bunch of people." People, live the life of a wealthy landowner with no worries about food and clothing. But, my lord, you also said that everything is sold for a price, and only those who know the goods are expensive. Now there is King Yi who wants to buy the "National Beauty, Natural Fragrance and Endowment" ", I can go to the palace and beg to sell it to him, why do I have to let you be caught in it to earn a ticket?" Guan Dongshan's eyes were wide open, and he was about to speak.Jiang Xiaocheng said again: "However, everyone who has money earns it, so you can't block all the money, right? How about this, I'll give you another 20%, a one-buy price, two million four hundred thousand taels. Don't think so, my lord. I am at a loss, first go to find out what the base price of King Yi is, and then see if the 2.4 million taels are worth it or not. Back off 10,000 steps and say, the money allocated by the court will come down, and wait for the money to be delivered Now, how to buy rice, and how much rice to buy, is not up to you, sir? Hehehehe..." While Guan Dongshan exited the inn respectfully, he greeted all eighteen generations of Jiang Xiaocheng's ancestors in his heart.Thinking of giving up such a large sum of money to someone else, I felt ten million and ten thousand reluctance to give up, but I was unwilling to let him give up such a large piece of fat.I had no choice but to send someone to He Yi to inquire about the reserve price, and when I went to Xue Cai again, I was so excited that I could barely speak: "Mr. Xue! My God of Wealth..." Seeing that he was about to pounce on Xue Cai's lap again, Xue Cai quickly dodged and dodged, frowning: "Speak up if you have something to say, stop this disgusting person!" Guan Dongshan sneered a few times, withdrew his hand and said, "Mr. Xue, good news, great news!" Xue Cai didn't even raise her eyelids, and said lazily: "Master Jiang promised to help you get "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance"?" "That's not true, but it's a matter of time. It's like this. The villain just sent someone to find out what He Yi said. He never thought that He Yi would actually pay five million taels for the "National Beauty, Natural Fragrance Endowment"! Five hundred Wan Liang! Mr. Xue, do you think he is crazy?" Xue Cai smiled faintly: "If you have an obsession in your heart, you will fall into a demon. If you long for something for a long time, you will naturally become rare." "Oh? King Yi really wants "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance Fu" so much?" Xue Cai put down the book in his hand and hooked his fingers.Guan Dongshan leaned forward obediently. "Let me ask you, how old is He Yi?" "He, like King Yan, is 23 years old this year." "Then is he married?" "This... I haven't heard of it." "Does he have a concubine?" "I haven't heard of this..." "As the emperor of Yi country, he is still not married at such an advanced age. Do you know why?" "That...has a dark disease?" Xue Cai slapped him on the forehead, and spat: "Such words can be said indiscriminately? Let me remind you - our emperor is not the only one who bows down under the skirt of "National Beauty and Natural Fragrance" what……" Guan Dongshan suddenly realized: "Oh! Oh oh oh oh! That's how it is!" "Understood?" "Understood, understood! Unexpectedly, King Yi is still an infatuated species..." Guan Dongshan felt sorry for He Yi when he said this, "The emperor is not as good as he imagined, and there are things he can't get. It's really hard for King Yi, who has been in love for so many years. Speaking of which, our emperor's life is good. One Ji Hu and one Xi He were all married into the palace by him. I heard that the Queen Jiang who will be canonized recently is also a Waiting for a big beauty..." Xue Cai lowered her eyelashes, stared at the ground for a while, and then raised her head with a cold expression and said: "I'm tired." "Oh, yes, it is indeed getting late, I have disturbed Mr. Xue, I will leave now, and sleep well. Sleep well..." Guan Dongshan retreated while talking. When the door closed with a "squeak", Xue Cai's eyes showed disgust. Looking at her sleeves that had been pulled by Guan Dongshan just now, she immediately took them off and threw them on the ground. In the room where there was no second person, the laughter of the second person suddenly sounded: "I checked, there is no pedophile in this Guandong Mountain, why do you care so much about his touch?" "A parent official is so vile, despicable, ignorant and incompetent, each one is enough for him to die a hundred times!" The gauze curtain moved, and Zhu Long appeared under the light, looking into Xue Cai's eyes, with a faint sigh: "This has always been the case in officialdom, don't you see it rarely?" Xue Cai looked at the clothes on the ground. After losing his temper, he calmed down: "I didn't understand it when I was a child. I just thought that those officials were just a decorative human background. The huge palace made me stand out. Only now do I realize that they are so serious about it. It is one way to look at the emperor and those who are higher than them, and another way to be inferior to the people. If the side of the emperor is mediocre and flattering, then the side of the people is true. Really ugly and dirty." Zhu Long looked at him quietly for a long time before he said, "People in positions of power usually cannot see this side. You can only see it when you step down. So, master, in fact, you are still lucky." Xue Cai frowned, then relaxed, and changed the subject: "Have you done everything I told you to do?" "Fortunately, life is not humiliated." "Well... this is the first battle since I took over Bai Ze, I must... win for him." Zhu Long's eyes flickered a few times, and he said in a low voice, "Young master will be very pleased to see it in the sky." Xue Cai remembered something and asked, "Is he buried?" "The day after tomorrow, Wusong Mountain." Xue Cai's eyes suddenly became lonely. And when Xue Cai and Zhu Long were discussing this matter in the bedroom, what happened in Jiangdu on the fourth day had not been reported to the imperial capital. Therefore, after hearing the situation of the previous three days from the man in purple, Zhao Yin announced that scattered. When Jiang Chenyu left Baiyantang, Zhao Yin suddenly called her to stop: "Chen Yu, you... just go for me." "Yes. Where?" Zhao Yin was silent for a moment, then said: "Qi'aohou Mansion." Jiang Chenyu was taken aback. Zhao Yin explained: "Qi Ao Hou is scheduled to be buried at the end of the day after tomorrow. I have asked Yan Rui to preside over the whole process. But you also know that Ji Ying... only has one head left... So, I want you to go tomorrow Let's go to Qi'aohou's mansion to see if there are any things that can be buried with him, and put some more so that he can go to heaven, so he won't be too lonely." Before Jiang Chenyu could speak, Zhao Yin said again: "Ji Hu was supposed to do this, but she fell ill after learning the news of her younger brother's death. And the family of the Ji clan has no closer relatives. The others I'm not worried about going, so, Chen Yu..." Before he could finish his words, Jiang Chenyu knelt down on the ground, and said firmly: "My concubine is willing to go!" Zhao Yin stopped and stared at her. After a while, he slowly put his hand on her shoulder. Jiang Chenyu raised her head, her eyes were wet and red, her voice was almost choked with sobs: "Thank you, thank you... Your Majesty." At this moment, no matter what Zhao Yin's original intention was, whether he wanted to test her or because he felt guilty about Ji Ying, he really wanted to do something for him, but because he chose himself to do this for Ji Ying, Jiang Chenyu I decided to be grateful. She really... loved this opportunity so much. I liked it so much that I couldn't help crying in front of the emperor. Zhao Yin didn't blame her. There were deep shadows in his brown eyes, making it impossible to see his expression clearly, but he gently patted Jiang Chenyu's shoulder with his unique way expressed tenderness. No matter what differences and personalities there are between him and Jiang Chenyu, at this moment, there is one emotion that is the same. That is - sadness. Jiang Chenyu returned to the Yaoguang Palace the next day after listening to the morning court, hurriedly changed into a set of white clothes, put on a black cloak and left the palace.After driving for an hour, the carriage arrived at Qiaohou Mansion. The sky was gloomy, the clouds were thick and there was no rain, and the whole world was covered with a layer of blue-gray. From the car window, she watched the familiar buildings approaching from far away. Her heart, like pearls rolling on a plate, could not be calm for a long time. Qiaohou Mansion—of course it was not the first time for her to come. Before entering the palace, she came here once.That time, she asked Ji Ying for a gift, and that gift is still in her ear. Jiang Chenyu couldn't help but raised his hand and touched his left ear. The wound that had healed up already seemed to be in pain again. After the pain, there was a long emptiness. How could that person suddenly...not be there? That person, who obviously pierced her ears, saved her when she was hunted down by the killer, he took her hand to bargain with He Yi and the others, his body temperature seemed to never subside, and it still remained in her body ... But why did that person suddenly disappear? The eunuch put down the stepping stones, Jiang Chenyu pushed the door and went out, looking up at the Hou Mansion, there were two white lanterns hanging at the door, blown by the wind, swaying, looking indescribably bleak. An old woman in her sixties staggered to open the door, claiming to be the housekeeper of the Hou Mansion, and then the woman surnamed Cui led her in. First go to the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall is located in the north of the mansion. It is not as dark and remote as the ancestral halls of ordinary people. Hundreds of candles are neatly placed, reflecting the forest of memorial tablets, which looks solemn and solemn. Here is the ancestral hall of the Ji family... the names on each tablet were once prominent.To Jiang Chenyu's surprise, there were also tablet tablets for the hostesses, which were placed next to the heads of each generation. In other words, if her marriage with Ji Ying hadn't broken back then, she would have had a place here... But at this moment, the tablet at the end is empty and has not been filled in. Jiang Chenyu couldn't help it He raised his hand and touched it, feeling the delicate texture slipping across his fingertips, and suddenly cried. Intermittent and suppressed sobs came out of his throat uncontrollably.While thinking about what to do, she lost her composure like this, but at the same time she let her tears continue to flow down. Mrs. Cui at the side tactfully did not dissuade her, but just said: "I will take you to the son's study." She led her out of that sad place. Jiang Chenyu wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and was able to take a good look at Ji Ying's residence. This place... is Ji Ying's home. It is the home of the man she loves the most... It was the first time for her to have such an opportunity to browse carefully, walk through the cobblestone paths he had walked countless times, caress the railings he had touched, and occasionally blow the wind at the hem of his clothes, and he had blown his robes like this before ... Thinking of this, Jiang Chenyu's heart melted softly, full of tenderness. The young master must have read books under this tree when he was a child, and had snacks at that stone table. The slender bamboo branches are lush and lush, and the clean house is extremely elegant. Every stone and tree here, in her eyes, are all so satisfying. Just like the person she likes, everything from head to toe is beautiful. After a while, a group of people came to a small courtyard. There were three tile-roofed houses built with bamboo, and the doors and windows were all carved in the shape of bamboo, which almost blended with the bamboo forest.There is a glazed plaque on the door, filled with green lacquer and painted with three big Yin characters of "Yousi", which are vigorous and elegant, and have a strong foundation.Jiang Chenyu knew - this is Ji Ying's study. Cui pushed open the door and went in first to light the incense inside, then turned around and said: "My lady, please." Jiang Chenyu stepped into the threshold slowly, a familiar scent of bergamot came to his face, the first thing that caught his eyes was the book. Thousands of books are neatly placed on the bamboo shelf at the same height as the wall, and a small piece of bamboo is hung on every other floor, with classification written on it.Next to the bookshelf is an ancient tripod with a chi head about a foot high. At this moment, incense is burned in the tripod, and white smoke rises from the hollowed-out pattern, making everything in front of you seem so unreal, like a dream. Did she... really come to Ji Ying's study? Or, because I missed her so much, God took pity on her and gave her such a dream? Jiang Chenyu walked over involuntarily, touched the soft couch under the ancient tripod, the bedding was cold, yes, that person has not come back for a long time... No, that person will never come back... Zhao Yin's words echoed in his ears at this moment, each word became more desolate: "You also know that Ji Ying...has only one head left...so, I want you to go to Qi'aohou Mansion and see Is there anything that can be buried with him, put more, so that he can go to heaven, don't be too lonely..." Is there anything that the young master can take away?This fragrance must be brought... Cui said quietly at the side: "When young master was a child, apart from congenital heart disease, he also had asthma. So the doctor prescribed the medicine of bergamot for him, and he took it with him, and then he recovered slowly. The result spread to the outside world. , many princes and grandchildren are vying to follow suit, making the capital fragrant and expensive for a while. Hey..." Jiang Chenyu walked to the desk, and there was a half-person-high vase beside it. There were no flowers in the vase, but many scrolls.She took out a roll and opened it, and there was a painting inside. Jiang Chenyu let out an "ah", and the hand holding the painting suddenly trembled. It was a picture of Bihe. But to be precise, it is not a "painting". Because it is glued on. That is to say, the owner of the painting cut real lotus flowers and lotus leaves, glued them on the painting paper, and then used a unique method to suck out the air to keep them fresh and beautiful when they were alive. The reason why Jiang Chenyu trembled was because it was not the first time she had seen such a painting.Just a few days ago, she played with another person in Baohua Palace.That person's name is Xihe. Cui's calm and unwavering voice sounded softly again, as if she was thinking about it, but also seemed to be just stating: "Young master has had the most headaches about painting since he was a child, and he was often taught by the old master for this. Later, some Someone taught him to paint like this, so he learned to use it to deal with the teacher. The master smiled after seeing it, and never asked him to paint after that. On the contrary, the young master himself cut and glued it from time to time. He made this picture before he went to Chengguo. At that time, the lotus had just sprouted a corner, and the young master said to do half of it first, and the rest would be done when he came back. But who knows... once he left, he never came back... ..." Jiang Chenyu slowly rolled up the scroll and handed it to the palace servant behind him.This unfinished new lotus picture, let's go on the road with the young master... On the wall of the study room, there is also a bow, which is very delicate and small, usually used by children or women. Cui said: "This is Xue Cai's bow." Jiang Chenyu was slightly surprised. Cui explained: "This is Xue Cai's famous bow in the past. He shot a tiger to death with this bow. After Xue's family was raided, this bow was folded into a pawn shop after many twists and turns. The young master happened to pass by, so he bought it. He came back. Later, when Xue Cai was sent to Ji’s family as a slave, the young master told him that when he was mentally prepared and able to let go of everything in the past, he would return this bow to him.” Jiang Chenyu couldn't help reaching out to touch the bow, and the palace man behind him asked, "Do you want to accept it?" Accepting it means burying the son with him. Jiang Chenyu shook his head, this bow should be left for Xue Cai to retrieve it himself. This is the son's hope. It is also her hope. In the next half an hour, Jiang Chenyu searched the study again, but found nothing more.Although the furnishings in the house are very exquisite, there is nothing outstanding, not a single antique treasure.Seeing that she couldn't find anything meaningful, Cui suggested, "Let's go to the bedroom to have a look." 此言正合姜沉鱼的心意，当即随她去了姬婴的卧室。卧室距离书房很近，就在书房后方隔了一道曲廊的主屋。这样的设计自然是方便姬婴休息与办公。卧室与书房相比，少了那些书，多了一张床，床头还有个衣柜，崔氏上前打开，里面是叠得整整齐齐的一箱白衣。 姜沉鱼取过一件，抖开，白泽图案映入眼帘，回想起那人生前的风采，不由得有些痴了。 崔氏在一旁道：“世人都道公子喜白，其实公子并不喜欢白衣，嫌它易脏难洗。但是老侯爷生前交代，既然先帝以白泽图腾赐予姬家，就是姬家的荣耀，要时时刻刻都记着这荣耀，不能忘怀。公子无奈，只好定制了一批一模一样的衣裳，期间为他绣衣的绣娘集体病倒，延误了整整三个月才交衣，结果流传出去，就不知怎的变成了'淇奥侯光一件衣服就要耗费巨资绣上三个月'那样的传闻……”说到这里，忽然颤颤巍巍地跪了下去。 姜沉鱼吓了一跳，连忙伸手搀扶：“老管家这是做什么？快起来！” “娘娘，老奴有一事相求，还请娘娘答应。” “你先起来，有事好说。” 崔氏摇头，双腿都直打哆嗦了，仍不肯站起来，一边流泪一边沉声道：“老奴知道最近外头有些不好的谣言，都是在诋毁我们家公子的。所谓树倒猢狲散，墙倒众人推，我家公子生前也得罪了不少人，现在他死了，那些人就开始来落井下石……这些都没什么。但是，老奴不甘心，不甘心我清清白白日月可鉴的公子，被人家这样冤枉。正巧今日里娘娘替皇上来为公子收拾遗物，老奴就让娘娘看看，我家公子他生前究竟过的是什么样的日子，究竟有没有像外头说的那样贪污受贿！我想，这也是皇上不派别个，单单派娘娘前来的理由。” 姜沉鱼醍醐灌顶，一语惊醒梦中人。 之前，她一味地沉浸在悲伤之中，只顾着感受此地主人留下的气息，而今被崔氏这么一说，才意识到自己有更重要的使命在身。诚然，如崔氏所言，自姬婴死后，不利姬家的流言四起，再加上国库真的是空了，一时间，官宦贪污就成了很严重的一项罪名。昭尹之所以派她前来，想必真正的用意是借她之口辟谣。 因为她姓姜。还有什么，能比一个姜家的人去为姬氏正名更有效？ 昭尹……果然处处都有心机啊…… 一念至此，姜沉鱼深吸口气，将崔氏扶了起来：“我明白了。放心，我知道该怎么做了。” 崔氏泪光盈盈地看着她，哽咽道：“老奴，替我家公子，谢谢娘娘！” 姜沉鱼最后挑的是三管秃了毛的笔，一箱绣着白泽图案的白衣，一幅新荷图，和一匣子佛手柑香，便离开了侯府。 等她回到宫中将这些东西交给负责葬礼的官吏时，已近亥时了，整个人像打了一场大仗一般，浑身虚脱无力。拖着沉重的双腿返回瑶光宫，还没到门口，就看见里面一片灯火通明——怎么回事？ 怀瑾小跑着迎出来道：“小姐小姐，你可算回来了，曦禾夫人她……” 怀瑾的话还没说完，另一个人影便从殿内飞快扑了出来，一把抱住她，嘴里不停喊道：“娘！娘……” 姜沉鱼定睛一看，原来是曦禾，只穿着一件单衣，还光着双脚。怀瑾在一旁道：“曦禾夫人申时就来找小姐了，一直等在里头，无论我们怎么劝都不肯回去，我们取了衣服和鞋子来，她也不让我们碰，我们没办法，只好让她这么待着……” “把衣服和鞋子拿来给我。”姜沉鱼一边如此吩咐，一边拉着曦禾的手走进屋内。 握瑜取来衣服鞋袜，她伸手接过，一件件地帮曦禾穿上。 曦禾睁着一双大大的眼睛，乌溜溜地看着她，忽又雀跃道：“娘！看！看！” 怀瑾取来一幅画，展开给她看：“这是夫人下午做的。” 姜沉鱼一扭头，就再次看见了那种以独特方式粘贴出来的图画。她的视线有一瞬间的恍惚。偏偏曦禾还一直拉着她的手道：“画画！画画！娘，画画！” 姜沉鱼打量那幅画，左边是个绿色的圆圈，由好几块碎布拼凑而成，中间还少了一块；右边的好认，是本书，曦禾直接撕了一页书的封皮粘上去的。 曦禾叫道：“娘！娘！” “好画。画得真好。”姜沉鱼安慰她，曦禾一听，立刻就高兴地笑了。清澈得像水晶一样的眼眸，和灿烂得春花一般的笑容，映入姜沉鱼眼中，却越发辛酸了起来。 她伸出手，慢慢地摸了摸曦禾的头，最后一把将她搂入怀中，泣声道：“曦禾……我、我……我好羡慕你……我真的、真的……好羡慕你……” 被她搂住的曦禾先是莫名其妙地睁大了眼睛，然后，仿佛感应到了沉鱼的痛苦一般，仰起脸庞，静静地注视着姜沉鱼，吻了吻她的额头。 “娘……不哭……不痛、不痛……”夜光里，曦禾的声音沙哑低柔，溢满伤悲。