Chapter 16 Mystery of the study

Just as Ma Shiying finished speaking, someone suddenly yelled loudly at the lobby door: "Oh, no, no, that's not the case!" Everyone was startled, and looked back, it turned out that Ruan Dacheng came back at this time, not too late or too early. Ruan Dacheng is a fat man of medium build. He is also in his fifties this year. He has broom eyebrows, a round nose, a big mouth, a pair of black eyes that are quite lively, and the famous big beard hangs on his chin.Although he has a big belly, he walks like a gust of wind.Now he was walking hurriedly towards the center of the hall, with a look of dismay on his face.

Xu Qingjun and Ji Cheng stood up, intending to greet him.But Ruan Dacheng didn't see it.He walked up to the group of actors who were performing, and stopped. "Duh! Stop, stop!" he yelled. The players immediately stopped obediently. "You——" Ruan Dacheng's eyes were wide open angrily, and his beard was up and down panting, "You are acting? Ah! You are deliberately ruining my script!" He yelled, stomping his feet. The actors moved their bodies in fear, and each of them lowered their heads in guilt, not daring to meet his staring eyes. "You—" Ruan Dacheng pointed to the girl who sang Xiaodan, "'The sun is long and the spring dream is short, and the willow smoke is low where the swallows fly'. How did you pronounce these two sentences?" Holding his throat, he imitated Xiao Dan's tone and read it again, deliberately exaggerating and highlighting the shortcomings, making it sound strange and harsh.That Xiaodan immediately blushed and knelt down tremblingly.

Xu Qingjun and Ji Cheng couldn't bear it anymore and laughed. But Ruan Dacheng sullenly said, "And you!" He pointed to another girl who sang Danjiao, "'Drawing the golden bell, the wind is tight on the embroidered curtain, watching the shadow of the flower, reflected in the screen window', sang like a cat Scream! Ah—" He said, imitating her singing in a strange tune.Na Danjiao's complexion was pale, and he tried his best to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes, and knelt down on the ground with both knees. At this time, Zang Yijia put down the drum board, walked over and clasped his hands and said, "Dong Weng..."

Ruan Dacheng turned his head abruptly: "Ah, so you are still here! I only thought that you followed Su Kunsheng's example and ran away with Donglin and Fushe! It turns out that you didn't run away, it's very good, very good! Then, may I ask, this team How did you bring it? Ah!" The troupe of Ruan Dacheng's family was originally trained by an old man named Su Kunsheng.Su Kunsheng is an old opera troupe, he is very good at teaching opera, Ruan Dacheng treats him well.Unexpectedly, in the 11th year of Chongzhen, all the students of Fushe published "Liudu Preventing Chaos Public Announcement". After reading it, Su Kunsheng was greatly shocked and immediately offered to resign.Ruan Dacheng did everything possible to keep him, so he hired Zang Yijia as a teacher instead.This matter has always been cited by Ruan Dacheng as a matter of hatred in his life, and he is reluctant to bring it up easily.Today he suddenly said it again in front of many people, and Zang Yijia understood that the master was really angry to the extreme, that's why he was so anxious to speak.

"Tell me, how did you lead this team?" Ruan Dacheng asked loudly again. Zang Yijia's throat moved a few times, and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.He felt very embarrassed: Today's "Swallow Notes" was performed very badly, of course he knew it.But it can't all be blamed on these children, or even on my poor guidance—the guests in the seats were not watching a play at all, they talked and yelled, and the actors and musicians were all disturbed Even myself, I can't concentrate.In addition, it was a play that had just been rehearsed, and I was not familiar with singing, reading, acting, and playing, and it turned out to be a mess.However, Zang Yijia understands very well that in such an occasion, it is impossible to argue, and it is absolutely impossible to criticize the guests.He hesitated for a moment, but arched his hands and said:

"What Dong Weng blamed was that the disciples were lax in discipline and insulted Yin who was entrusted by Dong Weng. I will definitely make amends in the future, and I pray for forgiveness!" Ruan Dacheng stared at Zang Yijia intently.His mouth was still open, but gradually, his expression changed, his tense face began to relax, and his ferocious eyes became gloomy.A unwilling but helpless expression appeared on his face.He looked around, turned around suddenly, and walked towards Ma Shiying. "Aha, Mr. Yao, you are here!" He arched his hands and said, then turned to Xu Qingjun and Ji Cheng briskly, "Brother Qingjun, brother Wubu, you are here too! Did you come with Mr. Yao, or you?" first?"

"Old Yao came first, and we came later." Ji Cheng replied politely. "Ah, good, good!" Ruan Dacheng nodded, looking very happy, "Good, good!" He said repeatedly, turning back to Zang Yijia: "Hey, Lao Zang, don't worry too much! You teach well and do your duty. I know it very well! It's just that just now—hey, let's not talk about it. In short, you and I are best friends, even if there is Your words have offended you, please don’t blame me! You have worked hard for a long time today, and you are tired of thinking, so it’s unknown if you slack off while singing. That’s all for today, you take them down to have a good rest. Ask Steward Zhao to tell the twenty-four taels of silver to go, and we will have another day off tomorrow, so that everyone can breathe and have fun. Your father Zang also takes a break and comes to drink with me!"

Zang Yijia respectfully agreed, and said goodbye to the guests one by one, and led the girls down. "Ah, Mr. Yuan! I haven't seen you for a few days, so it turns out that you have a new work! We looked at it for a long time and thought it was good, but we didn't ask what it was, but we wanted to ask for advice!" Xu Qingjun complimented with a smile. Ruan Dacheng blushed, and said solemnly: "Oh, the name of this play is "Swallow Notes"—Brother Qing Jun, you are making fun of me. Just like this, you still praised the performance well? Misplaced, out of place Not counting, just take the "boudoir sickness" that was performed just now as an example, everything was wrong from the beginning! As soon as Mei Xiang appeared on the stage, she opened her mouth to read a passage, "When the sun is long, the spring dream is short, and the willow smoke at the place where swallows fly Low'——it is clearly a scene of early morning and the rising sun. That Mei Xiang was standing in the boudoir, and she was supposed to be chanting while opening the curtain with her right hand. Smiled slightly: Oh, the sun is coming out!" Ruan Dacheng said as he imitated the posture of a little girl, acting coyly, unexpectedly lifelike. "But the one who sang Xiaodan just now raised his chin all the way, wouldn't that be like a daylight? That's why I scolded her just now! Alas, Brother Qingjun, thanks to you, you still agreed to make me feel ashamed." Ruan Huzi!" He said, shaking his head like a rattle.

Ji Cheng held back his laughter and said, "The performance of Xiao Dan was really not up to par. But we only thought the script was good and the lyrics were beautiful, which covered up the lack of workmanship." In fact, Ji Cheng was the same as Xu Qingjun. Didn't pay attention to the show. Ruan Dacheng became happy now.He said with a smile on his face: "Brother Wufu, what you said just scratched my old Ruan's itching spot. To tell you the truth, this "Swallow Notes" is the first work I am proud of in my life. Although I dare not I boast that I can catch up with Tang Ruoshi's "Four Dreams of the Jade Tea Hall", but compared with "The Story of Zhenwen", I ask myself that it is even better!"

"Mr. Yuan, don't talk about drama for now. Brother Qing Jun has something to discuss with you!" Ma Shiying stood aside, seeing Ruan Dacheng dancing like a demon when talking about drama, feeling quite impatient in his heart. Just stop him. Ruan Dacheng said "Oh" and looked at Xu Qingjun questioningly. When Xu Qingjun was reminded, his face suddenly became depressed.So, he told Ruan Dacheng again about being bullied by the people in Fushe. After Ruan Dacheng listened to it hahaha, he raised his face, stared blankly at the octagonal palace lantern hanging on the pillar in the lobby for a while, then turned around and said: "This is not a place to talk, let's go to my study room." How about sitting down and talking about it?"

Everyone had no objection, so the boy led the way with a lamp, and they left Yonghuai Hall together and walked along the winding corridor. Ruan Dacheng's study is located in a small independent courtyard. It is two bungalows, one bright and one dark. The outside is usually decorated with flowers, plants, trees and stones, but the interior is surprisingly simple.Especially the one inside, there are only a few shelves of books, a long couch, and a few chairs; except for pens, inks, papers and inkstones, there are no rare ornaments on the desk.There is only a picture of "Baizi Mountain Woodcutter Li and Clogs" hanging on the middle side of the wall. In the painting, Ruan Dacheng wears a bamboo hat and clogs, with the air of an idler outside the world.It's just that the couplets on both sides don't match the painting.That couplet is: The next sign: Baizi Shanqiao wrote the auspicious day of the first month of the tenth year of Chongzhen It was the first time Xu Qingjun walked into Ruan Dacheng's study.He fully thought that the Stone Nest Garden was full of bead curtains and embroidered curtains, and the furnishings were exquisite, and this study must also be extremely gorgeous and exquisite.I never expected it to be so simple, even shabby, and I couldn't help showing a look of surprise on my face. Ruan Dacheng had been paying attention to his reaction, and now he saw that he didn't expect it, so he smiled triumphantly.After everyone sat down and the servant brought tea again, Ruan Dacheng said calmly: "Brother Qingjun must think it's strange that my study is too shabby? There is a reason here-a few years ago, I was forced out by the Fushe gang, so I had to hide in Zutang Temple on Niushou Mountain. At that time The monk's room where I live is very simple, and there is only such a small room, and there are only two chairs and a table, and I dare not even open the door. But it is strange, but in such a small room, I have all my worries and chests. No distracting thoughts. After the third watch every night, sitting alone in front of the lamp, I would wander in a different realm. When I held the pen and spread the paper, I was full of literary thoughts. With the help of God, I wrote "Peach Blossom" in one breath within a few months. "Laugh", "Jing Zhongmeng", "Double Gold List", you are not surprised?" Ji Cheng let out an "ah" and blurted out: "Could it be that this study room is actually arranged according to the appearance of the Zutang Temple?" Ruan Dacheng nodded: "That's right. From this, I realized a truth. In the past, the reason why my writing and thinking were sluggish was because the embroidered pearls and emeralds in front of me were too rich, which suffocated the ethereal spirit in my heart. Therefore, after I came back, I ordered someone to take away all the excess. All the furnishings were removed, leaving only these few things. Afterwards, haha, it really is quite different! Even this "Swallow Notes" only took two months to write." Xu Qingjun opened his mouth wide when he heard this, and even forgot the main topic.He could never have imagined that the arrangement of this study room was so mysterious. Ma Shiying sneered and said, "Then Mr. Yuan should thank Fushe!" Ruan Dacheng patted his fat and round knees, nodded solemnly and said, "Exactly, although they are not polite to me, but I don't annoy them now. If it weren't for their trouble that time, my four or five legends would have I'm afraid I may not be able to write the truth. Speaking of it, they can be regarded as the heroes of my Yonghuai Hall!" Xu Qingjun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled reassuringly.He remembered that when he talked with Ma Shiying just now, it was like this at the beginning. "These old, treacherous old guys always like to play tricks!" He thought, so he asked in a sly tone: "Old Yuan, do you really not hate Fushe? You?" "Really don't hate, really don't hate! Brother Qingjun, I advise you not to hate. These people are a bit fierce, but they are not necessarily bad people. For example, they knocked you one hundred and fifty taels of silver just now, I just saw that you have money, and I made a little joke with you, but in fact, I didn’t put it in my own pocket. Didn’t they use it to feed the hungry people in a blink of an eye!” "Ah, you, how do you know?" "I know everything, I know everything. When I went out just now, people all over the street were talking about it. They gave the relief, but the money belonged to you, Second Master Xu. Everyone knows that. Without you, Second Master Xu , They couldn’t release the relief even if they wanted to. So it’s you who actually did the good deeds! They wanted to blackmail you, but instead contributed to your good deed. This is just like me writing legends, why should you bother him!” Xu Qingjun let out a "hum". "Old Yuan, aren't you joking?" He asked Ruan Dacheng sideways. "Haha?" Ruan Dacheng pretended to be surprised, "No, absolutely not! Why do you want to play haha? I hate it so much!" Xu Qingjun was really stunned.He looked at Ruan Dacheng in bewilderment, then at Ma Shiying.The latter is sitting on a chair at the moment, silently stroking his goatee, closing his eyes and resting his mind, with an air of non-intervention. "But I must take revenge!" Xu Qingjun suddenly jumped up and shouted. "Ah, brother Qingjun must avenge this?" "Of course I have to report it!" Xu Qingjun's pale and fat face was flushed with anger, and he said as if arguing, "I'm a small man! I'm not as generous as you are! You are always like this, like this——" He choked, unable to find the right words for a while, his eyeballs rolled around in anxiety, as if he was trying to grasp the reliance that could help him to continue speaking.Suddenly, his eyes fell on the couplet on the front wall: "In this way, in this way, 'being an official is everything'!" Ruan Dacheng's face turned red, as if someone accidentally punctured his mind.But after a while, he returned to his normal state: "Hey, Brother Qingjun must take revenge? This is very good, very good! I don't object, let alone obstruct, my brother Wei Guogong is staying in the capital to guard the Lord. With him, Qingjun Brother, this hatred must be avenged!" Xu Qingjun sneered: "Well, I don't need Lao Yuan's advice, the younger brother has his own calculations--Okay, let's leave now!" As Xu Qingjun said, he bowed his hands to Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng, then flicked his sleeves, angrily led Ji Cheng out. "Oh, Brother Qingjun is leaving now? Don't sit here for a while, drink a glass of wine before going? Then, if this is the case, I dare not force you to stay. Hey, this way, this way..." Ruan Dacheng babbled Chattering, sent out all the way. After a while, Ruan Dacheng wiped his sweat and walked back again. "Hey, you can send this Huahua Taisui away!" He said, and sat down on the chair. "Well, are you really not willing to give him a single idea?" Ma Shiying asked. "Huh!" Ruan Dacheng raised his head and slapped his knee, "How can I give him advice? I'm afraid it's too late to please Fushe now. If I give him advice, if it gets out, those nerds will let me go? Now I just hope Hua Hua Tai Sui goes out and yells, saying that I rejected him, that would be great!" Ma Shiying shook his head: "Although he is a frivolous dandy, he made friends with us after all. It's too ruthless for you to send him away without saying anything nice." Ruan Dacheng said nonchalantly: "Just don't worry! I can guarantee that within three days, he will come to Stone Nest Garden to find us obediently. I'm sure, he wants to have a good time, and he can't leave us!" "But he must regard us as villains in his heart!" Ma Shiying frowned. Ruan Dacheng snorted, and shouted angrily: "Let him go, let him go! A villain is a villain! It's all like this. No matter how hard I pretend to be a hypocrite, I, Ruan Dacheng, will have to squat in the city of Nanjing for the rest of my life." Be an apartment!" Ma Shiying said coldly: "I'm worried that you're just trying to make money out of nothing—the Fushe group, do you really think they'll let you go?" Ruan Dacheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, and said in a vicious and triumphant tone: "You don't know that! Just now, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to meet someone. Can you guess who this person is? Haha, it’s not someone else, but the majestic giant of the East Lin, the leader of the gentlemen—Qian Yangxian, the cousin of Qian Muzhai!” After Ruan Dacheng finished speaking, he deliberately paused.Seeing that Ma Shiying involuntarily put away his disapproving expression and was looking at him attentively, Ruan Dacheng was even more proud: "Qian Yang first sent me a message on behalf of Qian Muzhai, saying that he has made known my sincerity to all parties, and asked With the consent of the majority of people, we are going to formally discuss it at the Huqiu meeting on March 28, so let me wait for the good news! Haha, how about it, the gentlemen have come to surrender, didn’t you expect it?” Ruan Dacheng said happily laugh it out.The triumphant and loud laughter rushed out of the window, waking up the birds perched on the trees, causing them to flap their wings and start flying... After laughing for a while, Ruan Dacheng looked back at Ma Shiying, saw that his brows were still frowning, showing doubtful expression, so he stood up, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Old Yao, this matter cannot be faked! Since Qian Muzhai lost his position in the second year of Chongzhen, he has been out of office for thirteen years. He is probably more anxious than us in his heart! How could he let such an opportunity go for nothing! I predict that he will do his best to accomplish this! You just need to rest assured!" After finishing speaking, he turned his fat body excitedly, looked at the couplet on the wall, and stroked his beard , shaking his head and reciting: "'An official is full of everything, but a childless body is light'! Ruan Dacheng, Ruan Dacheng, you are a natural genius. Is it finally here?"