Chapter 62 avoid seeing

Liu Jingting guessed well.After the four masters and servants boarded the warship, the journey went smoothly, and they were not inspected again.Not only that, because the military schools on the ship were all locals who surrendered from the Ming army, if Liu Jingting used his storytelling skills a little, he immediately won their warm applause, and he has been haunting him ever since.As a result, they came and went again and again, and they really spied some confidential military information from them.The most important thing is that in view of the tense battle situation in the south of the Yangtze River, the Qing Dynasty appointed Dorobe Le Boluo as the general who conquered the south, led troops south, reinforced Hangzhou, and launched more violent attacks on eastern Zhejiang and Fujian.At present, the Qing soldiers are collecting civilian ships along the Yangtze River in preparation for Boluo's arrival.After Liu Jingting told Yu and Shen the information, everyone became nervous and felt that it was necessary to inform King Lu as soon as possible.However, because Ziyi once said that Maoxiang had fled in the Haining area a while ago, and now it is possible to go to Yixing to join Chen Zhenhui, which made them worry about the safety of their old friend.In addition, Yu Huai also wanted to visit Chen Zhenhui who had been away for a long time, and ask this talented elder brother for his views on the current situation.In the end, the three of them agreed: first, Shen Shizhu and Liu Jingting would go directly to East Zhejiang to report the news, while Yu Huai and A Wei would take a detour to Yixing, and then rush to East Zhejiang to meet up.

Now, Yu Huai's master and servant have landed in Changzhou according to the plan, changed to a small boat, and headed for Yixing.The vast area from Danyang to the south has always been a land of fish and rice with intertwined water networks and abundant products.Yixing County, located between Taihu Lake and Gehu Lake, is also famous for its rich rice, wheat, sericulture and various fish, shrimp, crab and turtle.In the past, at this kind of plowing season, there must have been boats passing by on the river branch, and fishermen singing to each other; on the banks on both sides, there must have been cows and people screaming, and countless farmers were busy.However, since Wu Risheng, the former head of the Ming Dynasty, revolted in Wujiang in July last year and occupied Taihu Lake, this area has become a territory repeatedly contested by the rebels and the Qing army.The continuous brutal fighting caused the common people to run away in a hurry, and they could no longer live in peace, or they were involuntarily involved in the war, or they fled in all directions; Many of them have become ruins.Until now, when Yu Huai's master and servant came all the way south along the edge of Gehu Lake, all he could see were the endless yellow reeds and bitter bamboos, reflecting the abandoned fields.Sometimes the boat travels for miles and miles, and there is no human habitation, only black towering ruined walls, collapsed bridges, and horrible, swollen floating corpses that flow past the side of the boat from time to time.Some of the corpses had their heads cut off, and after water was poured into the cavity, they became upright, and then the half of the headless body was exposed on the water surface, slowly floating over. I fainted on the spot.On the contrary, those wild ducks, egrets and other water birds do not know the misery and danger of the world, they still croak and fly around in groups, which at least makes the water town after the catastrophe a little more heart-wrenching. fun of life...

Since he has been living in Nanjing, before this, Yu Huai did not have much deep feeling for the cruelty and horror of the war.It was only then that he somewhat regretted this non-essential trip.But he was already on the way, and he was unwilling to retreat, so he had to bite the bullet and rush forward.As a result, after two days and one night of terrified sailing, the master and servant finally arrived at Chen Zhenhui's hometown - Bo village at sunset. This is a small village far away from Yixing County, close to the edge of neighboring Liyang County.Along the way, because all he could see was the dilapidated scenes of war and death, Yu Huai was secretly worried: If Chen Zhenhui also fled to another country, then the trip might be in vain.However, after entering the west of the county seat, they found that the situation gradually changed.Especially in the area of ​​Bo village, because of its remote location, it seems that they were able to avoid disaster.Although there is still a long time before it gets dark, the field has stopped working and there is not a single farmer in sight, but the land has been plowed and the seedling fields are still green—the scene of plowing can still be seen everywhere.And on the roofs of thatched houses and tile-roofed houses looming among the green trees, wisps of cooking smoke still rose... This kind of situation made Yu Huai somewhat calm.So when the awning boat docked at the head of the village, he couldn't wait to stand up.

Chen Zhenhui is a well-known figure, naturally everyone in Bo village knows it.Without much effort, the master and servant were led by enthusiastic villagers to the door of the old friend's house. "Well, I haven't seen him since he was framed by two thieves, Ma and Ruan, in Liudu last April, and put in a prison. I only heard that he escaped with Huang Taichong and Gu Zifang, but they couldn't. See. So what will he look like now after going through the catastrophic changes for more than half a year? Judging from the appearance of those villagers just now, this area has not escaped the humiliation of shaving their hair, so what is his plan? Also, did the Pijiang family really defected here?" When the enthusiastic villager came in to inform them, Yu Huai was looking at the rather well-built gatehouse in front of him, thinking somewhat uneasy.However, he quickly stopped thinking because there were already hurried footsteps coming from inside the door.So, he quickly turned his face away, and at the same time, his old friend's tall body and familiar round face appeared in his mind, and his heart jumped out of excitement.

However, it was not Chen Zhenhui who came out to greet him, but a thin middle-aged man.The man had a bony nose and a pair of slender eyes.He looked at Yu Huai's master and servant, saluted and said: "Sir, you have come from afar to work hard! If you make a mistake, you will be welcome, and I will forgive you - dare not ask Mr. Gao's name, what's your business?" "Oh, the student's surname is Yu and his name is Huai. He is a friend of your master. He came here from Liudu to visit him today. Please let me know." Yu Huai said, and handed over the greeting card.

"It turned out to be Mr. Yu, I'm so disappointed!" The man looked at the greeting post, and then said thoughtfully, "It's just that my fourth master is not at home..." Yu Huai couldn't help being startled: "What? Brother Dingsheng isn't here? Then, where did he go?" "Oh, sir, don't be in a hurry. It's not easy for you to come from far away, so please come in to rest and serve tea, how about?" "But--" "Sir, please come in and talk." The man made a gesture of concession. Yu Huai blinked, had no choice but to stop asking, and walked into the room suspiciously.

Yu Huai had never been to Chen Zhenhui's family before. He only knew that his old friend's late father, Chen Yuting, had once been the censor of Zuodu in the Metropolitan Procuratorate of the Ming Dynasty, and was a second-rank official.Therefore, he imagined that the Chen family should also be a high-end luxury house, quite grand.But at this moment, Yu Huai didn't have the mind to look at it at all, because this time he risked all kinds of dangers on the road and came all the way to Bo village, the only purpose was to meet Chen Zhenhui.Unexpectedly, Chen Zhenhui was not at home!So where did he go?If you can't see it, wouldn't it be a waste of hard work!It was this kind of uncertainty that made his heart fluctuate, so that he didn't feel anything from passing through the hall and patio until he stepped into the main room. He didn't stop suddenly until he heard a call from behind.

The man first asked Yu Huai to sit down and have tea, and then introduced himself, his name is Chen Zhicai, he is the housekeeper of the mansion, if there is anything to do, just give orders.Then he asked Yu Huai to wait a moment, he took the greeting card and hurried into behind the screen.After touching a cup of tea, he came out again, saluted and said: "Shicai, I have already informed my old lady about your visit. The old lady said: I can't receive you because my fourth master is not here. I am very sorry. The old lady said: Mr. Yu is not easy to come, so please stay in the humble house for a while." Day, rest your feet before going.”

During the half a day of waiting eagerly for Chen Zhicai to come out, Yu Huai had stood up and sat down several times, unable to calm down to drink tea.It wasn't until the sound of footsteps came from behind the screen again that he rekindled a glimmer of hope.Hearing what the other party said suddenly, he seemed to be strangled by the throat, unable to speak a word.After a while, I had no choice but to nod weakly, and sat down on the chair. "Then..." Chen Zhicai's voice sounded from the side. "No," Yu Huaiyi shrugged and stood up again, unwillingly said, "Tell me, where is brother Dingsheng now, I want to find him!"

"This……" "Tell me, where is it? Where is Brother Dingsheng?" "Sir, please stay in the humble house first, wash your face, have a meal, and then make a long-term plan..." "No, Yu came this time to meet Brother Dingsheng. If you don't tell me where he is now, my master and servant will stay here today until we know his whereabouts!" After expressing this categorically, Yu Huai really went back to the chair and sat down, with an air of never giving up until he achieved his goal. Chen Zhicai was obviously at a loss when he saw him act violently.After a while, he shook his head, turned around and walked out.

"Hey, sir, is it okay for us to behave like this?" After Chen Zhicai's footsteps disappeared, Ah Wei approached and asked in a worried voice. Yu Huai frowned: "Well, just wait. However, I saw it just now—since Chen Dingsheng is not here, he should tell me his whereabouts, but he hesitated. I'm afraid there is another article here! His Didn't he go out again? He must have reported to the master, let's see what he says when he comes back!" Since the master's idea was so, Ah Wei stopped talking and went back to the luggage to watch.After a while, Chen Zhicai reappeared.But this time, he was followed by two servants, carrying trays containing rice and vegetables, and a jug of wine.After entering the hall, Chen Zhicai directed the servants to put the food on the table of the Eight Immortals and light the lamp, then turned around and said with a smile: "Mr. has traveled all day. At this point, even if he is not lacking, he must be hungry. Please have a meal, how about it?" Yu Huai shook his head expressionlessly. "Then this elder brother..." Chen Zhicai turned to Ah Wei. Ah Wei also remained silent. Chen Zhicai looked at him and then at Yu Huai, his face suddenly changed.He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but finally he flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked out.Although the two servants were puzzled, when they saw the boss leaving, they also followed out suspiciously. Only the master and servant were left in the lobby again.Above the courtyard outside, the sky has completely darkened, but the wine and food on the table of the Eight Immortals continue to emit a tempting aroma.At such a time, it is a lie for the master and servant to say that they are not hungry.However, when he thought of being frightened and working so hard to get here, if he ended up not even being able to get Chen Zhenhui's whereabouts, it would be too unlucky and a loss, so Yu Huai still endured hunger and persisted. Go touch those wine and rice. Time passed little by little, and as the food cooled down, the aroma became less intense and attractive than before.During this time, Yu Huai's master and servant vaguely noticed that someone approached the window lattice more than once to see what was going on in the hall, so they became more determined, gritted their teeth and closed their eyes, neither moving nor speaking... Finally, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the house.Then, Chen Zhicai stepped in.He seemed to know the situation of the guests in the room very well just now, so he didn't look at the food on the table at all, but walked up to Yu Huai, clasped his hands and said, "Mr. It is true that I am not at home. However, I have repeatedly reported to my master just now, and there is a chance to change things. Please eat quickly, sir, and then go out with me." At first Yu Huai heard that things could turn around, and he was overjoyed; but then he heard that he had to go out, and he was quite puzzled.However, he knew that the other party had made such an arrangement, and there was a reason for it, so he didn't ask any more questions, and hurriedly thanked Ah Wei, and called Ah Wei to come over to serve him. He hurriedly picked up two bowls of rice, didn't even drink the wine, and dropped his chopsticks.According to Chen Zhicai's wishes, he asked his relatives to stay, and he followed the housekeeper alone, left the main room and walked towards the gate. The two servants of the Chen residence were already holding lanterns and waiting on the pier.When Yu and Chen got on the boat, they pulled up the bamboo poles and pushed them down the winding river, one after another, toward the dark depths of the night. "Oh, Mr. Mao Pijiang from Rugao - is also a friend of Brother Dingsheng. I don't know if he has come to the house?" After the boat sailed for a while, Yu Huai suddenly remembered that there was another purpose for this trip, so he hurriedly asked Chen Zhicai. . "Mr. Mao Pijiang?" Chen Zhicai shook his head, "I've never been here before! Could it be that he wants to come too?" "Oh, no." Yu Huai said, feeling a little disappointed, but then thought to himself: "So, maybe Pijiang is still in Haining?" So he put this matter aside.Then he asked again: "Then what about Mr. Hou Chaozong? I heard that he and your fourth master are in-laws. Well, has he been here?" "The third master Hou Yin, he has been here. I remember last June, not long after my fourth master came back from Liudu, he came. But at that time, there were rumors that soldiers were going south, and people were very disturbed, so he After staying for a few days, I hurried back to Shangqiu." Hearing that Hou Fangyu had been here, Yu Huai let go of his worries: "So, he didn't die when the city of Yangzhou was broken, and he escaped alive. It's a blessing among misfortunes!" Thinking this way in my heart, I heard Chen Zhicai explaining in my ears: "Mr. Haojiao learned that it is not my fourth master who is putting on airs and pushing you away. Today's matter is actually a last resort - because my fourth master is too famous. , being watched all day and night. I remember that at the beginning of June last year, when the third master Hou Yin was still there, Yang Longyou killed officials and started an incident in Gusu..." "What did you say?" Yu Huai's heart moved, and he turned around quickly, "Which Yang Longyou? Could it be Yang Wencong——Yang Longyou?" Seeing the other party nodding his head affirmatively, he asked in surprise: "Kill the officials and start trouble? Yang Longyou killed the officials What's wrong?" "Well, I heard that at that time, the Qing Dynasty had appointed Huang Jianai, the Minister of Honglu Temple, Zhou Quan, and a general surnamed Wu to appease Gusu. Chen Taizun of the Su Mansion and Li Xianzun of Changzhou all abandoned their officials and fled at night. Everyone thought that the big event was settled. Who knew that Yang Longyou, who fled from Zhenjiang, colluded with Zhu Guochen, the governor, to give false thanks, and led the battalion to the Bingfu Road. By surprise, he captured three Huang Jianai and more than 20 followers, all of whom were tied up. Outside the Fen Gate, he beheaded immediately, and re-established the banner of the Ming Dynasty. I heard that there were many people who responded. At that time, Mr. Fang Mizhi’s brother-in-law, Mr. Sun Kexian, was also among them. Yang Longyou sent Mr. Sun to Bo Village and invited four of my family My father came out of the mountain, saying that he was conspiring to make a big deal. Because my fourth master refused to agree, he had no choice but to go. It is also fortunate that my fourth master is knowledgeable, otherwise, he would definitely be implicated by him!" "Oh, what happened later—this Yang Longyou?" "Later, after a few days, I heard that Liudu had sent soldiers. He knew that he would not be able to resist the enemy, so he led the troops and fled to Fujian!" Yang Wencong, who is Ma Shiying's brother-in-law but also has contacts with Donglin and Fushe, is a good man. In the past, Yu Huai and his friends always regarded him as a cunning guy with two ends, and they looked down on him in their hearts. But in the end, he actually made such a bold move.This is indeed a big surprise... "Hey, this was just one incident." Seeing that Yu Huai was silent, Chen Zhicai went on to say, "Later, when the Qing Dynasty's Xinfu academician came to work, he also recruited my fourth master to go out to work; then Taihu Wu Risheng sent people to the door Asked him to join the rebel army, and said that he would recommend him to Lu Jianguo in eastern Zhejiang. My fourth master was in a dilemma, so he simply hid and let him come to anyone, but he just refused. Just now I saw that Mr. is his old friend , It’s rare to come so far, so I specially asked someone to take Mr.’s post to tell him, and he dared to speak to Mr. after he agreed. I hope Mr. will forgive me for the crime of negligence!” Yu Huai let out an "oh", and it was only at this moment that the doubts in his heart were resolved, thinking to himself: "So that's it! So, Dingsheng decided to stay out of the matter and stand by. However, with his usual behavior, But it doesn't seem to be the case. Well, there must be something hidden in it, and when we meet, I will ask him!" Having made up his mind, he no longer asked Chen Zhicai, and only silently browsed the pure and beautiful scenery far and near. Painting the night, listening to the singing of night birds from both sides of the river from time to time.He didn't turn his head until the punting servant said "This is it!" However, in fact, the destination has not yet been reached, it is just that the waterway has been completed.A group of people landed in a low-lying place, and a servant led the way with a lantern, and continued along the rugged mountain path.It wasn't until entering a small forest that there was a faint yellow light in the darkness.The servant leading the way quickened his pace.We walked zigzagging for a while, and the light gradually became brighter and clearer.Finally, it can be recognized that it is the light, which is shining through the window of a small earthen house. "Ah, I'm going to meet Dingsheng soon! I'm going to see him soon!" Yu Huai thought, her heart beating fast again.At the same time, I heard that Chen Zhicai had stepped forward to knock on the door. Chen Zhicai knocked twice, but there was no answer from the door.He looked back at Yu Huai, and knocked again.Unexpectedly, there was still no response.He became puzzled, and pushed with his hand, only to find that the door was ajar, and opened it in response to his hand.So he stepped in step by step, and at the same time called: "Fourth Master, Fourth Master!" However, almost immediately, he turned around and poked his head out, and said nervously, "Hey, there is no one inside, Fourth Master is not here! " "What did you say?" Yu Huai was taken aback, took two quick steps, and followed into the room. This is a small dirt house.In the room that entered the door, a table and a chair had just been placed, and after a bed was placed in the room on the right, there was almost no place to turn around.However, no matter whether it was outside or inside, there was indeed no Chen Zhenhui, only the oil lamp on the table, dimly illuminating the rough walls around, and also illuminating the four treasures of the study scattered on the table. "Eh, what is this?" Chen Zhicai suddenly reached out and picked something up from the table. "Yu Dan..." he read aloud, and then said "Oh", "It's a letter! It's a letter to Mr. Yu!" "What? A letter for me?" Yu Huai was even more surprised, and quickly took a look. Sure enough, on the envelope was written "From Brother Yu Danxinshe", which was in Chen Zhenhui's handwriting that he was familiar with.The dripping ink has not dried completely, it seems that it was written not long ago. "Well, why did Dingsheng leave me a letter? Where did he go?" Thinking so doubtfully, Yu Huai involuntarily opened the letter and looked at it under the light.The letter is not too long, but the wording is very clear.The general idea is: I was very happy to learn that my old friend was visiting, and I planned to rush back to the village to meet each other immediately.But then thinking about the current situation, he hesitated again.Because of this great upheaval, he has seen through the filth and chaos of the world, and is determined to return to the countryside from now on, serve his parents and teach him, and never participate in any world affairs.However, because of his reputation, people kept coming to his door, including some old friends, who invited him to join the army or persuaded him to become an official, which made him hard to deal with and troubled.Now that Yu Huai is here, what is the purpose?He estimated that it was nothing more than the above two.But no matter what kind, he couldn't agree to it.So instead of wasting words and talking in vain, and finally broke up unhappy, it is better to take a step back and leave room for reunion in the future.So after thinking twice, I decided to avoid it temporarily, and it would be better not to meet each other.I also know that it is impolite to do so, and it will make Yu Huai very disappointed and even very angry.But I hope my old friend can understand his painstaking efforts and forgive him.At the end of the letter, Chen Zhenhui wrote like this—— As Yu Huai watched, his heart couldn't help tightening.While still on the boat, he had already learned from Chen Zhicai the reason why Chen Zhenhui left home to avoid guests, and he did not take seriously the old friend's indifference and passivity, and planned to persuade him after meeting.Unexpectedly, even before he came to the door, Chen Zhenhui made a temporary decision not to call him face to face, so that he didn't even have a chance to speak!Then the other party's pessimistic estimation of the current situation, his cold feelings, and his decisive attitude are obviously far beyond his imagination.However, with Chen Zhenhui's extraordinary intellect and foresight, why did this happen?Could it be that he believes that the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, which is currently being vigorously promoted in Jiangnan and even all over the country, is useless and impossible to succeed?It was this kind of speculation that for a moment made Yu Huai's emotions violently impacted, so that he was dumbfounded, but the hands holding the letter couldn't stop trembling. However, with such a shake, unexpectedly, another note came out from the envelope.Chen Zhicai had sharp eyesight and quick hands, picked it up from the ground and handed it to him.Yu Huai took it mechanically, held it up to his eyes, and saw only two lines written on it: Yu Huai's heart trembled, and she vaguely felt that Chen Zhenhui's prophecy-like words contained something complicated and extremely important.But in a hurry, but can't figure it out.He hesitated for a moment, then slowly folded the letter and put it in his pocket.But after all, he was unwilling, so he turned around, walked out of the door, covered his mouth with his hands, and opened his throat to call out to the dark night as dark as ink: "Brother Dingsheng—Brother Dingsheng—Brother Dingsheng—" But after shouting seven or eight times in a row, Chen Zhenhui never showed up, nor did she respond—it seemed that she had really left decisively.When the call was submerged in the depths of the jungle, only the sound of the wind blowing grass and the endless "boom-boom-boom" of frogs echoed back to my ears... Finally, Yu Huai turned around in disappointment, looked at Chen Zhicai who had come out, and said helplessly: "In that case, then, let's go back!"