Chapter 3 third chapter

The Chenpai are mating, and there is a lot of traffic inside and outside the south gate, bustling with people like crucian carp.Only the surrounding area of ​​Bailian Lake is shimmering, the blue mist is faint, and the coldness has not subsided.Rows of weeping willows are like a team of neat dancers, draping the fluttering long strips on the water, and a pointed pagoda on the fallen flower pier in the lake shows a slender figure in the jasper-like lake waves. Di Gong and Ma Rong disguised themselves and walked on the street, seemingly unrecognized.Seeing the busiest shop in the south gate, Ma Rong suddenly saw a woman staring at him and her with wide eyes.The woman was tall and tall, as tall as a jade tree, wearing a Taoist nun's black robe, with a large feather scarf wrapped around her head, covering half of her face, only showing her red silk eyes, which seemed to be bursting with anger.

Ma Rong couldn't help but stare blankly, wondering.A large sedan chair yelled and crossed the road, and the woman suddenly disappeared. "The back street of Confucius Temple is on the right, and the antique shop is in the middle of the street." Di Gong said.He suddenly saw Ma Rong standing on the side of the road blankly, with a confused look on his face. "Ma Rong, what did you see?" "Master, there is a woman who is staring at us from a long distance, her eyes are about to burst into flames, it is very suspicious." Di Gong looked around and said with a smile: "Don't be suspicious! I'm afraid you saw the woman yourself, and your eyes spit fire."

Ma Rong was about to argue, but he had already arrived at the door of the antique shop.Mr. Di pushed the door open, and behind the counter an old shopkeeper with a clear face came forward with a smile. "The guest officer wants to buy one or two pieces of gold and silver jewelry and jade hairpin bracelets for his wife." As he spoke, he had already held out a translucent jasper plate with gold and silver bracelets in it.Pearl necklaces, earrings and rings sparkle and sparkle, eye-catching. ——Look at the cupboards, but there are some old and dull porcelain bottles.Baoding incense burner; calligraphy and paintings of famous people on the wall, and a clay puppet wood carving on the ground. ——It turns out that the shopkeeper of this shop still mainly sells gold, silver and jade wares.

Duke Dee chose a pair of ruby ​​bracelets finely carved into the shape of plum blossom branches. ——There is a small letter on the bracelet with the price: twenty taels of silver. Mr. Di paid the silver and asked with a smile: "Does the shopkeeper remember me? I visited your account early this morning and bought a red sandalwood box with the word 'Shou' inlaid with a piece of white jade on the lid." The old shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, took a closer look, and laughed: "That's right, that's right, maybe the wooden box doesn't suit my wife, so I want to return it."

"No, I just want to ask about the origin of the wooden box. It is an extraordinary masterpiece. When I collect it, I always want to note its origin, such as the hand of a famous craftsman in which dynasty." The old shopkeeper blinked, then scratched his head again: "Come on, come on, the guest officer still has such a sense of elegance? I really don't know which generation of famous craftsmen made this wooden box. I only know that it is valuable and I took it in. Wait for me Go and check the account book, I have clearly recorded the details of the entry and exit accounts." As he spoke, he went to pick out a thick book from the drawer of the silver cabinet, and flipped through it page by page.

"Yes, yes. Guest officer, I bought the red sandalwood box from Mr. Li Ke three months ago, and bought it together with a basket of old antiques. Guest officer, you can go to Mr. Li Ke to ask about it." "Who is Li Ke? How does he make a living?" Di Gong asked urgently. "Hehe, then Li Ke is a painter with eccentric behavior, and he is good at painting landscapes. It's a pity that fate is so bad that no one appreciates it. Up to now, he still lives in a small dilapidated house, and the door is empty. Ghosts are ashamed to come to the door .” "Where does this Li Ke live now?" Di Gong asked.

"His little dilapidated house is in the side street below the Drum Tower. It's extremely filthy. Is the guest officer interested in getting acquainted with him? You might as well tell the guest officer that Li Ke's brother is Li Mei, and he is a wealthy man with a lot of money." Lord, Dongcheng has a gold and silver jewelry store, all gold, silver, pearls and gemstones. Compared with him, my account is really a so-called little witch who has met a big witch. It's just a pile of old rags. How much is it worth? The guest officer saw it When he is here, it will be interesting to meet a friend."

Di Gong was puzzled and said: "Since Li Mei is a rich man, why is his brother Li Ke poor and poor?" The old shopkeeper sighed: "Filial piety, filial piety, Li Ke doesn't value the word 'brother' the most. He has never respected his elder brother, behaves wildly, and has a surly manner. As time goes by, brothers will naturally be regarded as strangers." Di Gong nodded, carefully wrapped the jade bracelet into his sleeve, thanked the shopkeeper and walked out of the antique shop. "Ma Rong, this place is very close to the Drum Tower, why don't we take this opportunity to visit that Li Ke?"

Ma Rong agreed and followed Di Gong to the Drum Tower. There was a side street behind the Drum Tower. At the corner of the street, Mr. Di asked about the door, and soon found the dilapidated hut where Li Ke lived. Duke Di buckled the wooden door for a long time, and finally opened it. He saw a tall man with sleepy eyes and disheveled clothes.A few black dirty beards grew messily on the thin cheeks, and a worn-out robe was covered with color stains. "Who are you? How did you rush into the humble house?" Li Ke looked at Di Gong and Ma Rong in panic, his eyes were flickering, full of suspicion and hostility.

"Is Mr. Li Ke under your feet?" Duke Di saluted. Li Ke nodded numbly. "Master Di, the county magistrate, came to visit in person, still not polite?" Ma Rong couldn't help but speak. Li Ke's heart was shocked, and he looked at Di Gong with fear, and hastily bowed to return the gift, uttering a few words: "The villain is so honored, so honored." "I heard that Mr. Li is a master of painting and has great attainments. This county loves landscape calligraphy and painting the most. I pass by occasionally today, and pay respects to Chongjie to comfort my longing."

Li Ke said embarrassingly: "The servant hired by the villain has not been here for the past two days, and the house is in such a mess that it is unbearable for Mr. Di to stay here." "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Di Gong smiled, walked into the inner room, and sat down on a high chair beside the painting table, admiring the painting tools on the table. The nibs in the pen container are all dry and cracked, there is no dripping water in the washbasin, and a thick layer of dust has accumulated on the stone inkstone.A large piece of silk was spread out on the table, but there were pickled vegetables and bowls and ladles.Di Gong couldn't help but frowned, shook his head and sighed. There are not many "landscapes" on the scrolls on the wall, Qinguan and Hanyue, the vast sea and sand moraine, the camel shadow of the long river, the blue wind and the sun, all of them are of high charm and beauty, with a strong character.The rest are all Buddhist paintings, most of which are themed by Buddhist scriptures and stories, and some are mixed with pagan gods, grinning and grotesque. ——In this city of Lanfang, the five Hus live together, the nine religions prosper concurrently, and prostitution, celebrations and sacrifices are prevalent.The sacred seat of the idol has many names, supplemented by colorful golden makeup, which confuses people's eyes. ——While watching, Di Gong couldn't help sighing frequently, feeling annoyed in his heart. "Mr. Li is a famous painter of landscapes, how can he paint so many heresy and evil gods, it is a sight to behold." Li Ke blinked his eyes and replied in a low voice: "Master, people here will see mountains and rivers when they go out, and those who stay with each other all the time are also mountains and rivers. How can there be a solution to this poor mountains and rivers? No matter how realistic the shape is, you can paint it for the seal. Who appreciates ink pads? But those Buddhist paintings can be sold.” Di Gong nodded: "This county will order a large landscape in the central hall from your step. If the painting is good, you will pay ten taels of silver. How do you like it? I will recommend you to famous sages, great eunuchs, Mohist poets, Let them also buy your landscapes. ——Only one, don’t paint those pagan gods in the future, return to Zong Yao, Shun, civil and military, Duke Zhou, Confucius and Mencius is our right way.” Li Ke couldn't help but knelt down and kowtowed in thanks. "Mr. Li, get up, do you know this wooden box?" Di Gong took out the red sandalwood box from his sleeve, put it on the table, and watched Li Ke's face carefully. Li Ke was very surprised, suspicious in his heart: "Master, the villain in this wooden box has never seen before... Why did the master think of asking the villain to verify this wooden box?" Di Gong wiped Fang Baiyu's 'shou' word with his hand, but didn't speak. Li Ke said calmly: "This kind of wooden box can be bought in antique shops. Manshuo villain has no money, even if he has money, he won't buy it." Duke Di put the wooden box into his sleeve, smiled slightly, and asked casually: "Brother Ling, did Li Mei ever buy your calligraphy and painting?" Li Ke's face was gloomy: "My brother is a broker. He works as a businessman and only knows how to make money. He has nothing to do with this Mo Danqing. He always underestimates villains, so he never passed by for a long time." Di Gonggong said in disbelief: "I guess from this county, I'm giving Shangxu a single step, and I live here alone. Oh, just now, I just said that I hired a servant to help with my livelihood." A glimmer of gloom flashed across Li Ke's face: "My lord, this villain has already made an oath not to marry for life, but to be accompanied by pens, ink, paper and inkstones. The servant of the villain, Yang Maode, only serves to spread paper and ink. , It's a pity that the master didn't see him today. He is smart and has a lot of writing and ink in his stomach. Ouch, I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, I haven't offered a cup of tea to the master yet." He got up and looked for the teapot. Di Gongdao: "I'm leaving the county, and I'm waiting for me to be the director of the yamen at this moment. Please don't forget the Zhongtang Shanshui." Standing up, he cupped his hands and exited the inner room. Li Ke went all the way to the door. Turning out of the side street, Ma Rong scolded: "Li Ke is lying in front of the master. The old shopkeeper's account book is clearly written, but Li Ke is not willing to bear it. It is necessary to ask questions about Li Ke." Di Gong nodded: "Now I'm going back to the county government. You can inquire about Li Ke's whereabouts in the neighborhood. By the way, ask about Yang Maode's whereabouts. Didn't Li Ke say that he hasn't come back for two days. " Ma Rong agreed, and made a draft in his heart. After Di Gong left, Ma Rong looked around and saw a tailor stand at the corner of the street, under the arbor a fat woman fifty years away was cutting a piece of plain silk.Ma Rong smiled and leaned forward: "The old man has a good business, you are so diligent, and you have a good land." The fat tailor looked up and saw Ma Rong dressed up in a very mighty manner, so he didn't dare to be negligent, so he responded: "The customer-receiving officer is awarding the award, but the business is not so good. Where is the good land?" "There are bachelors without wives living in the opposite door. This tailor and hat maker, I beg you." The fat tailor snorted: "The guest officer is referring to the poor painter who buys a piece of cake for a copper coin, and takes a few photos in the square hole. He won't buy a pair of trousers even if his buttocks are exposed to attract the wind. How can he earn his money? His servant is a rascal, a gang of cronies, prostitutes and gamblers, why don’t they come? Half of the neighbors are avoiding them.” "This Li Ke is very poor, but Yang Maode's behavior is evil, how can he get together and become a master and servant." Ma Rong was puzzled. The seamstress smiled slyly: "God knows how the two of them hooked up together. Hmph, the neighbors on this side have seen that wooden house several times, and there are women coming in and out in the middle of the night. They behave like pigs and dogs, really polluting this side street. Fame. I’m going to move to another place that day, and the guest officer said it’s a good land.” Ma Rong listened carefully, thanked him sarcastically, sang a fat song, and swayed away on his own.