Chapter 10 chapter Ten
Di Gong and Hong Canjun couldn't find Wu Feng's whereabouts for a while, and asked several shops behind the Martial God Temple, and they all said that they had never heard of Wu Feng's name.Duke Di was troubled, and suddenly remembered that he lived upstairs in a hotel called "Yongchun", which was famous throughout the city for its vintage wines.A street boy led Di Gong and two into a small street, and saw a wine glass blowing in the wind, with the four red characters Yongchun Hotel written on it.
The hotel door is open, and a row of high counters separates the shop from the market.In the store, there is a log of firewood against the wall, and the shelves are filled with wine jars of various sizes, all of which are pasted with red labels.
The shopkeeper of the hotel had a sweet round face, standing behind the counter, picking his teeth while looking at the street, with a relaxed and contented look.
Di Gong and Hong Canjun walked around the counter, entered the shop and sat down at a small table.The shopkeeper hurriedly came over to greet the new customers, while wiping the tabletop again.Di Gong asked for a small pot of gourd spring, "Dare to ask the shopkeeper, how is the business going?"
The shopkeeper replied: "Thanks to the care of the guest officer, I don't dare to brag, but I can get by, and I make some money every day. I often say that it is a hundred times better to not be cold on the body and not hungry in the stomach, than to cry from hunger and cold. Be content and be happy."
Di Gong asked: "Why is there no waiter in the store?"
The shopkeeper went to the corner altar to take a plate of bacon and put it on the table, and replied: "It's not because I don't want to hire someone, but if I have an extra hand, I have an extra mouth, so I would rather run the shop myself. I don't know if the two gentlemen are in the city." What do you do for a living?"
"The two of us are silk merchants. We came from the capital and passed by here. We smelled the aroma of wine, so we went into the shop to quench our thirst."
"Wonderful! Wonderful! I live upstairs with a Hakka named Wu Feng. He also came from Chang'an. I think the two of you must know him."
Hong Canjun asked: "This Mr. Wu is also in the silk business?"
"No, he's a painter. I'm a layman when it comes to reciting poems and painting, but I've heard people say that his paintings are very skillful. He paints non-stop from morning to night every day. No wonder he has such accomplishments." Walking towards the stairs, he shouted loudly: "Mr. Wu, there are two gentlemen downstairs who just came from the capital. Come downstairs to hear the latest news!"
Someone upstairs replied: "I'm painting a new painting here, I can't leave, please come upstairs!"
The shopkeeper is not happy.Di Gong took a handful of copper coins from his sleeve and put them on the table, thanked the shopkeeper, then got up and walked up the stairs with Hong Canjun.
There is only one big room upstairs, with a row of large lattice windows at the front and back, and the window lattices are pasted with fine white imitation paper.In front of the window, a young man is leaning over his desk, sketching and coloring, and the painting is Yan Jun on the Senluo Palace of the underworld.The young man was dressed in a flowered gown, with a multicolored strip wrapped around his head, and he was dressed like an outsider Hu Rong.
The painting case is very large, and Wu Feng spread the whole scroll of white silk painting on it.There are many scrolls hanging on the left and right walls, but they have not been finely pasted.A bamboo couch stands against the back wall.
Di and Gong came upstairs, but the younger generation did not raise their heads or eyes, but they still looked at the portrait and said, "Sirs, please sit down on the bamboo couch for a while. Xiaosheng is painting in blue. If you stop, the color will fade away." The work is not even. The two came from a long way, and Xiaosheng was not welcome. I hope you will forgive this sin of negligence."
Hong Canjun went to sit on the bamboo couch, and Di Gong stood still. Seeing that the young man lifted the brush lightly and used it freely, his interest increased greatly.Looking closely at the paintings under the pen, I can only feel that there are many peculiarities on the screen, especially the faces of the characters and the creases of their clothes.Turning his head to look at the paintings hanging on the wall, all of them show their fanhu characteristics.
After finishing the last stroke, the young man straightened up, took advantage of the opportunity of washing the paintbrush in the porcelain bowl, shot two sharp eyes at Di Gong, slowly turned the paintbrush in the bowl, and said: "It turns out that the new county magistrate is here! Since The master came here in private, so Wansheng had no choice but to avoid all the red tape, and also save the master a lot of embarrassment and inconvenience."
Di Gong was shocked when he asked, and asked: "You know that I am the head of a county, how can I see it?"
Wu Feng put the paintbrush into the pen container, narrowed his eyes, smiled slightly and said:
"The late student is not presumptuous. He thinks he is a portrait painter, so he has some eyesight for people's appearance. Although the master is dressed as a merchant, he has a high-spirited bearing, a fiery official authority, piercing eyes, and a prestige without anger. Please. Look at Yan Jun in this painting on the desk, although he is not as beautiful as your real face, it seems that he was drawn with you as a model."
Di Gong couldn't help laughing, and thought in his heart, this young man is extremely smart, it is useless to lie to him, so he said: "You have extraordinary eyesight, there is a reason for it, I am Di Renjie, the new county magistrate of Lanfang, and this is my personal assistant Hong Liang. "
Wu Feng nodded calmly, asked Mr. Di to sit on the chair, and said: "The master is well-known all over the world, and his fame is far and wide. I don't know how much kindness and favor I have received in my later life, and I have come here in vain after being honored and favored by the laborer? Come to think of it lately, kill me." A chicken is useless with a sledgehammer, but the master will never let a lion fight a rabbit, and come and catch me in person."
Di Gong asked: "You have a premonition of being arrested, but where does this idea come from?"
Wu Feng pushed his head back.
"My lord, your time and mine are precious, so I'll just cut to the chase, and please forgive me. There was a rumor this morning that General Ding Huguo had been murdered. I said that this hypocrite deserved what happened to him! My father and Ding Huguo has a sworn feud, the world knows it, and it didn't start today. But Ding Yi, the son of Ding Huguo, made something out of nothing, spread rumors to confuse the public, and falsely accused me of intending to kill his biological father. Ding Yi wandered around in the neighborhood It has been more than a month, and he has tried every means to spy on me from the shopkeeper, and on the other hand, he has accused a deer as a horse, and when things happen, he makes gossip and makes gossip, maliciously slandering me. From this point of view, Ding Yi has undoubtedly sued me to the lord's yamen, accusing me of ruining him Father's life. If it is another county lord, he will immediately send his servants to come and take me to the lobby for questioning, but you have always been wise and intelligent, and you are not comparable to others. Therefore, you might as well come here to visit me and watch me Behavior, watch my words and deeds."
Seeing this cynical attitude and hearing this lukewarm words, Hong Canjun jumped up angrily, and said loudly: "Master, this madman is so rude, how can we allow him to talk nonsense!"
Di Gong raised his hand, smiled calmly, and said: "Hong Canjun don't want to get angry, Wu Xianggong and I have never lived together, but today we hit it off and met openly. I like him very much."
Hong Canjun sat down quickly with a sullen expression on his face.Di Gong said to Wu Feng again: "Wu Xianggong really deserves to be a cheerful person. I want to be straightforward like you. Let me ask you, your father is a senior member of the military department and is in the court. You come from such a noble family, don't think about it." In the area of the first benevolence, you are pampered and treated well, swallowing fat and drinking jade, but you come to live in this poor village for a long time, why is this?"
Wu Feng glanced at the scroll on the wall, and replied: "Master, I don't know something, Rong Wansheng said slowly. I was born three years ago and won the honor of a scholar. I should have worked hard to make progress, and I won the gold list in the imperial examination. Good legacy, fragrant, glorious ancestors. But in his late life, he didn't think about making progress, and he didn't think much about the prosperity and decline of his official career, so he decided to drop out of school halfway and focus on painting. This series of gates and walls, with a bright spring, made my father very disappointed. But In the end, he couldn't resist his late life, so he revised the Guan Shu and hired two masters of painting in Chang'an City to his home and worshiped them as his teachers. The second masters taught them tirelessly, even though they were not tired of studying with such a good teacher in their late life , At the beginning, he also studied hard. With the spring wind and rain, the late students naturally entered the classroom and continued their studies. But as time passed, the late students saw the old-fashioned painting styles of the two of them, and they gradually became willing to change their teachers.
"Half a year ago, in the city of Chang'an, Wansheng came across a Tutuo from the Western Regions. Seeing the paintings he made with the 'concave-convex method' were brightly colored, lifelike, lifelike, and superb, Wansheng's eyes were wide open. Freshmen must learn this painting method and style. From now on, I can’t calm down in my heart, why don’t I explore the wilderness first and find my own way? So I decided to go to the West to seek the true meaning of art.”
Di Gong said coldly: "According to the view of this county, my Tang Dynasty calligraphy and painting, dance music, architecture, sculpture, ingenuity, hundred operas and other arts are brilliant. Fusang and Taixi are ashamed of their appearance. Is there any Guo Hu Bang who can be my teacher. Although this county does not pretend to be an expert in painting with gold, it also knows that the method of concave and convex has existed since the Sui Dynasty, and you don't need to ask for it. Go on! "
"My father is a bodhisattva, and he can't stand Wansheng's rhetoric and debating. He gave Wansheng all the way to Sichuan, thinking that when he is young, he will be young and do nothing, so high and ambitious. Once he hits a wall, he will change his mind, and one day he will return to his hometown and become an official. When I was born in the capital, I was only immersed in learning painting, but I didn’t know that the road to the Western Regions had already been rerouted, so I came to Lanfang more than two months ago in a daze. After arriving, I knew that there was a wasteland outside the western boundary of the city, only a little did not know There is no fanhu fishing, hunting and nomadic there. In this way, knowing that the Western Regions will not be able to go for a while, I stayed here."
Di Gong asked: "Since you are determined to go to the Western Regions to study painting, why don't you leave here quickly, go north and then go west?"
Wu Feng smiled wryly and said: "This matter cannot be explained clearly in a few words. To be honest, late-born is lazy by nature, and often does things in extreme cold, and there is no rope to saw wood. It's easy to see different thoughts and move towards Qin and Muchu. I don't know why, but Wan Sheng just feels very comfortable here. I think I might as well stay for a while longer, so that I can practice my writing. Besides, Wan Sheng is very satisfied with this place. Wan Sheng always likes wine, just right I live on the first floor with the owner of this hotel. This store has been in business for many years, but you can tell at a glance. His store is small, but the old wines stored are no less than those of the famous stores in the capital. Wansheng drinks and paints here every day , so uncomfortable, so the idea of going to the Western Regions to seek a teacher gradually faded."
After a discussion about this, Di Gong didn't say yes or no, but said: "Let me ask you again, where were you from the first watch to the third watch last night?"
Wu Feng immediately replied: "Here!"
"Who will testify?"
Wu Feng shook his head, and replied: "No one can prove it. Last night, Sheng didn't know that Ding Huguo was being plotted against, nor that Ding Yi would frame me as a murderer. How could he think of witnesses?"
Digong went to the stairs, greeted the shopkeeper, and asked: "I was joking with Wu Xianggong. I said that he left the store last night to visit friends and returned after midnight. He said he didn't go out of the door or go down the stairs. Do you help us?" To be fair, did he go out last night?"
The shopkeeper scratched his head and cheeks.Hee hee smiled. "Guest officer, I'm sorry I can't follow my orders. Last night, the business of the small shop was very prosperous, and there were a lot of drinkers. I really didn't have time to take care of whether Mr. Wu went out or not."
Di Gong shook his head, twirling his long beard with his hand, and said seriously to Wu Feng: Ye Xiucai reported that you put eyeliner around his mansion, plotting something wrong! After finishing speaking, a pair of sharp eyes stared at Wu Feng.
Wu Feng laughed loudly when he heard the words. "What a big lie, it's ridiculous! It's ridiculous! Thinking that Ding Hu's country is called Gao Diliang, he is actually a piece of dung. Wan Sheng has always dismissed this fake general. How could he spend money to send someone to watch him?"
"I heard that your father once entered the pilgrimage to visit him, do you know what crime he committed?"
Wu Feng said solemnly: "The old thief is greedy for life and afraid of death. He betrayed his country and sought glory. In order to survive his own life, he did not hesitate to exchange the heads of my eight hundred men for his dog's life. All the soldiers of my government army were chopped into pulp by the Fanbing, and none of them were lucky. Ding Huguo should be hacked to death, but because the army at that time was quite dissatisfied with the court's reuse of some mediocre cowards, in order to stabilize the morale of the army and prevent mutiny, the emperor ordered that the dirty crimes of the generals in the court should not be publicized. Everyone, on the one hand dismiss Ding Zei as a citizen, and let him return to his hometown after his old age, so that he will never face the king."
Di Gong was silent, walking along the wall, looking at Wu Feng's paintings on the wall.I saw that the paintings are all Buddhist saints and gods, among which Guanyin is particularly well painted, some are sitting alone on the lotus platform, and some are accompanied by gods.
After looking at it for a while, Di Gong turned around and said to Wu Feng: "Let me be blunt, I don't think so about your new style of painting. Maybe it's not pleasing to the eye at first glance, but you'll get used to it after seeing it more often. I don't know if you can give up the painting. It’s for me, so I can watch it carefully in my spare time.”
Wu Feng had no doubts in his heart, so he couldn't help but glanced at Di Gong, hesitating for a while, and finally took down a medium-sized scroll from the wall, on which Guanyin sat in the center, accompanied by four gods.Wu Feng put the painting scroll on the painting table, took a small white jade book from the pocket ebony wood stand beside it, pressed the color on the vermilion printing pad, and covered a corner of the painting scroll.I saw a strange and twisted "peak" character coming into view, which shows the fine carving of this seal.Wu Feng rolled up the scroll, presented it to Duke Di, and asked, "Will the master still take me today?"
Di Gong said coldly: "It seems that you have a sense of crime in your heart, and you have a heavy burden. No, the county is not here to arrest you, but you must stay in this hotel, and you are not allowed to leave the gate without the permission of the county government. .You take care of yourself, goodbye!"
Di Gong and Hong Canjun went downstairs, Wu Fengji bowed to him, but he didn't dare to send him to the gate.
Hong Canjun was annoyed when the two of them went out of the store. "If that fellow Wu Feng was imprisoned in the master's hall, he would never dare to be so presumptuous!"
Di Gong said with a smile: "Although Wu Feng is extremely clever, he made a wrong first move!"
Tao Gan and Qiao Tai are waiting quietly in Digong's inner yamen.The two of them took several testimonies of extortion cases in Qian's house in the afternoon, and Tao Gan confirmed that Liu Wanfang's statements about Qian Mou were indeed in line with the facts.Qian Zhai has no big or small details, Qian Moujun is arbitrary and has to do everything himself, the two strategists are just decorations around him.However, whenever the master speaks, they are humble and kind, and they follow every sentence repeatedly.
When Di Gong returned to the inner office, Hong Canjun offered tea.Di Gong took a few sips, took out the scroll from his sleeve and unfolded it, and said, "Tao Gan, you have hung this figure painting side by side with Ni Shouqian's landscape painting on the opposite wall, let us take a closer look."
Di Gong looked at the second painting silently for a while, and said for a long time: "I want to solve the mystery of Ni Shouqian's will and Ding Huguo's death. The answer may only be found in this second painting!"
Hong Canjun and the other three were all baffled when they heard the words, and they turned the stools at the same time.Also take a closer look at the scroll.
Ma Rong entered the study of Neiya and was surprised to see this unusual scene.
Di Gong ordered: "Ma Rong, sit down too, let's watch and study these two paintings together."
Tao Gan got up, stood in front of the Fengjing painting with his hands behind his back, turned around and shook his head when he was young, and said, "For a while, I thought that there were very small words hidden between the branches and leaves or in the outline of mountains and rocks, but I looked carefully, but I didn't see them. Come up with a word."
Mr. Di stroked his long beard with his hand and said, "I thought hard about this painting for nearly two hours last night, and this morning I looked at it inch by inch. To tell you the truth, I still don't know the secret of this painting. .”
Tao Gan twirled his short beard for a while, and asked, "Master, is there a note hidden in the interlayer behind the scroll?"
"I also thought of this layer, so I looked at the painting against a strong light. If there is another paper in the interlayer, it will appear immediately."
Tao Gan said again: "When I was in Guangzhou, I learned the skills of calligraphy and painting. I want to open the interlayer of the scroll, take apart the brocade frame and check whether the sticks on the top and bottom of the scroll are solid or not. Hollow, Ni Shouqian hid a tight roll of notes in the hollow wooden stick. I don’t know what the master thinks about this?”
"If you can restore the scroll to its original state, why not take it apart? I think it would be a bit reckless for Mr. Ni to hide the secret in such a place, and it is not in line with his superior intelligence. However, in order to solve the mystery of the scroll, even the smallest We should not easily miss the opportunity. As for Wu Feng's painting, the situation is quite different, and it provides us with a direct clue."
Hearing the words, Hong Canjun asked anxiously, "Master, what do you say? This painting must have been chosen by Wu Feng himself and given to you."
Di Gong said with a smile: "Hong Canjun didn't know something. Wu Feng missed a flaw in this painting, but he didn't know it at all. He probably thought I was a layman in appreciating art, but I knew it right away. Something that he neglected in the painting."
Di Gong took a sip of fragrant tea again, and ordered Ma Rong to call Fang to arrest him and come to Neiya's study to discuss matters.
After saluting, Fangzheng stood in front of the book case and asked, "My master called me, what is your order?"
Di Gong ordered him to sit on the wooden bench in front of the case, looked at him seriously, and said:
"Your daughter, Heilan, has been serving everyone in my house, and she has done a great job. My eldest wife often praises her for her hard work and hard work."
Fangzheng thanked: "Master, you are too praised!"
Di Gong said again: "I invite you here today to discuss something with you. Your daughter is now in my mansion, not to mention food and clothing, and she finally has a safe place to stay. I want her to leave. It's really not my intention. Besides, your eldest daughter Bailan is dead or alive, and she is still like a yellow crane, so I can't bear to act like this. But I urgently need to send someone to Ding's house to find out the truth, and Heilan is the most suitable candidate. Before Ding Huguo's burial, Ding's house must be very busy, and it is inevitable to temporarily increase the gestures of help. If Hei Lan can stay in Ding's house for a few days as a maidservant, she will be able to learn a lot of inside information from the mouths of the slaves. You are her biological father, Without your permission, I can't make my own decisions."
Fangzheng said calmly: "Master saved me from fire and water, that is, reborn parents, and also received the kindness of love, Fangzheng, I am worried that there is no way to repay me. Today, Master is useful because I have a little girl. Although my Fang family has gone through fire and water, I will not hesitate to do it. Kuang Heilan is quick-witted and courageous, so she is fit to take on the job. You don't have to worry too much, master, just send her there."
Ma Rong listened, feeling uneasy, and couldn't help interjecting: "Master, I think Tao Gan is more suitable for this important task, why don't you send him there?"
Ma Rong tried his best to prevent Heilan from leaving. Duke Di already understood what Ma Rong's intention was. He glanced at Ma Rong and said, "Master's words and deeds can never be hidden from your servants' eyes and ears. Finding out the inside story of Ding's house from the maidservant's mouth is the best strategy. Fang arrests, and ordered Hei Lan to go to Ding's house quickly!" Then he said to Ma Rong and Tao Gan: "You two will go to Yongchun Hotel to set up whistle, Ma Rong will be the clear whistle, and Tao Gan will be the secret whistle. Ma Rong must pretend You look like you are afraid of being discovered by Wu Feng, but you must let him know that you are sent by the government to monitor him, and you must give him every opportunity to leave the hotel secretly. Ma Rong, Wu Feng is a bit clever, you must use all your skills to fight against him. Tao Gan must be the real eyeliner, you should keep your face and hide it, if you see Wu Feng throwing Ma Rong away from the store, you must follow him secretly, find out where he went, and what he did What is it? If he wants to leave the city and abscond, you will come out and arrest him."
Tao Gan was very good at such errands, and when he heard Di Gong sent him, he was very happy in his heart, and said, "Don't worry, my lord, Ma Rong and I have performed this oboe more than once, and our cooperation is the most tacit, and we can guarantee that we will not miss the big event." .Now I will take away the painting scroll of Mr. Ni, soak it in water, and take off the lining tomorrow morning. After dinner, I will go to Yongchun Hotel with Ma Rong.”
After Tao Gan and Ma Rong left, Duke Di discussed with Qiao Tai and Fang Zheng how to deal with the aftermath of Qian Mou's house, and decided to send Qian Mou's wives and concubines back to their natal homes. , but the housekeeper will not be released, and will be interrogated in the future when he understands.
Qiaotai reported that the dozens of troops were all obeying the law and the laws and regulations. He personally led the dozens of troops to practice riding and shooting twice a day, morning and evening, without interruption.It was also reported that all the soldiers were in awe of Dui Ling.
After Qiao Tai and Fang Zheng left, Duke Di leaned back in his chair, thinking that although he had worked with Qiao Tai for many years and was like a brother, he knew little about his background as a follower.It is only known that he and Ma Rong became Jinlan in the green forest in the past, but they don't know anything about his early life.Although this pair of brothers and sisters have a lot in common, whenever they talk about their own family background, Ma Rong always talks about it in detail, while Qiao Tai has always been taciturn.dodge.Over the past few days, Qiaotai has been diligently training military horses and inspecting military affairs in Lanfang, taking pleasure in doing so. Mr. Di couldn't figure out that Qiaotai was a professional military officer in the past.He was determined to get to the bottom of this matter, but there were so many urgent matters at the moment that he couldn't take care of it for the time being.Duke Di sighed, looked down and suddenly saw the official document presented by Tao Gan on the desk, Qian Mou's crimes were all recorded in the case file, so he opened the case file and began to study it silently.
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