Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

Zhu Yuanzhang woke up from his contemplation, his eyes fell on Chen Yuzhen's pretty face first, and he smiled slightly: "Yuzhen! Is the play good?" Chen Guifei lowered her head and said calmly: "Whether Lian Xiuxiu raises her hands, closes her eyes, or sings, she has reached the pinnacle of perfection. Coupled with her peerless beauty, it's no wonder she can fascinate people. Yuzhen really opened her eyes today." Then said softly: "Is the emperor tired?" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help admiring her. I put her under house arrest for many days, not only did she show no resentment, but she was also as gentle and considerate as before, accepting everything.

well!But he had to harden his heart and put her to death. He couldn't bear to look at her, so he turned to look at Yun Wen on the other side, only to see that his face was flushed, as if he was working hard. Zhu Yuanzhang wondered, "Is Wen'er feeling unwell?" Yun Wen was grateful for the plan, touched his stomach and said: "Grandson is in a hurry to have diarrhea, but he doesn't want to miss a play, so... oh!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said: "Now there is still a little time before Lian Xiuxiu's next appearance, you..." Suddenly fell silent, after a long while, he stood up, smiled and said: "Sit here and don't move, I will come back later Talk to you." After speaking, he walked out of the wing.

Lian Xiuxiu changed into a new costume, and in the separate dressing room backstage, she sat in front of the mirror and combed Hua'er's hair, while the old servant Qi Bo put on her powder and makeup. Hua'er said excitedly: "Miss's performance today is really beyond the standard, you can ask Uncle Qi if you don't believe me." Qi Boxian was not a talkative person, he just nodded his head. Lian Xiuxiu secretly said that people knew that Lang Fanyun would appreciate it from the sidelines, so naturally she had to go all out. The "talented man plays beautiful woman" later will be my first play for Lian Xiuxiu. As long as I treat that talented man as a wave, it will be strange if I don't forget to devote myself to that role.

Thinking of this, I felt sweet from the bottom of my heart, and looked at myself in the mirror showing a beautiful face like a flower in full bloom. There was a knock on the door. Qi Bo frowned and muttered: "I said earlier that no one should come to harass Miss!" Lian Xiuxiu remembered that after performing another play, he could fly far away with Lang Fanyun. He had a child and was in a good mood, and said: "Huaer, what's the matter?" Hua'er opened the door unwillingly, and one of the eight Dongchang masters guarding the door said: "Cao Guogong Li Jinglong and his wife are begging to see the lady." Then he said in a low voice: "Let the villain refuse to the lady!"

Hua'er happily said: "So it's Mrs. Li, he's a close friend of Miss!" Turning to Lian Xiuxiu, she said, "Miss! It's Mrs. Li Jinglong who came to visit you!" This Li Jinglong has a little friendship with Cai Zhiqin, the big backstage boss of Xiaohuaxi in Huangzhou Prefecture, so Lian Xiuxiu came to Beijing several times, and he had to take care of him. Li Jinglong is very talented and very personable. Lian Xiuxiu has a good impression of him. It is only natural for him to visit her backstage. If he refuses, it will be unreasonable. After sighing, Lian Xiuxiu said: "Please come in!"

When Han Bai, Feng Xinglie, Qi Changzheng, Yan Wuwei, and Fan Liangji were called to the small hall behind Zhu Yuanzhang's wing, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the dragon chair, drinking a cup of hot tea calmly, with the old man and Ye Sudong standing on both sides . Han Bai was about to kneel down while waiting, Zhu Yuanzhang said softly: "No!" Then he smiled slightly at Feng Xinglie and Qi Changzheng, and said gently: "Xinglie and Changzheng can sit down, and don't need to perform the ceremony of the emperor and ministers." Although Feng and Qi knew that they were being treated with such courtesy by Zhu Yuanzhang because of their usefulness, they still couldn't help his arrogance.

When everyone sat on both sides, King Yan was also called to come from the other side room, followed by three subordinates. They did not receive preferential treatment, and Zhu Yuanzhang approved them to die after they knelt and kowtowed.King Yan sat down, and his three subordinates, two men and one woman, stood behind King Yan with their hands down.However, this is considered a special kindness. Under normal circumstances, no matter how high-ranking a minister is, he can only kneel and talk in front of Zhu Yuanzhang. The sound of drum music started at this moment, but hearing the noise outside, one knew that Lian Xiuxiu hadn't appeared yet.

And the sound insulation equipment in this small hall is obviously very good, the sound of music drums and human voices can only be heard faintly, compared with the outside room, it is extremely quiet. Han Bai has been staring at the beautiful woman who came with King Yan with pity, not only because of her excellent figure, personality and pretty face, but also because he recognized her as the master who used the flywheel to assassinate him on Xining Street that day. Her complexion is extremely fair, her hair is a little brownish-yellow, and her eyes are as blue as luminous gemstones. One can tell at a glance that she is not a woman from the Central Plains.

Qi Changzheng also looked at her curiously, unlike Feng Xinglie who looked back after a couple of glances. The beauty looked at the two of them as if nothing had happened, and from time to time she stole glances at the two of them, her eyes full of curiosity towards them. Yan Wangdi smiled slightly and said: "Father! These three are the most powerful retainers of the emperor. Their martial arts can be included in the forest of first-class masters. The emperor wants to arrange them next to the emperor." Zhu Yuanzhang had noticed Han Bai's unblinking expression early on, so he naturally guessed that this beauty was an expert who had assassinated Han Bai, and said with a slight smile, "Give me your name!"

The three immediately knelt down. The beauty first reported: "The little girl Yan Lingna is a woman from the Hu'er tribe outside the Great Wall." The burly man kneeling on her left side was about forty years old, his face was pockmarked, at first glance he was extremely ugly, but after looking at it, he became more and more pleasing to the eye, and respectfully said: "Young general Zhang Yu, see the emperor. " King Yan interrupted and said: "Zhang Yu is proficient in the art of war, and is my child's right-hand man." At this time, everyone's eyes were focused on the last person.

This person is tall and tall, with a strange appearance. If he wears Taoist robes, he must look like a person who is very powerful and comprehensible.It seems that he is only about 30 years old, but looking at his sharp and thoughtful eyes, one can know that this person has the highest martial arts among the three. Before he could speak, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "This must be Seng Daoyan, Xiaodi's number one adviser." Seng Daoyan replied calmly: "It's Xiaomin! But he dare not be praised by the emperor." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Please get up!" The three of them stood up. Han Bai stared at the alien beauty Yan Lingna, and asked, "Why can't I see Third Brother Xie?" Yan Wangdi coughed dryly and said, "Ting Shi and Gao Chi went back to Shuntian the day before yesterday." Fan Liangji muttered: "You still talk about sworn brothers, and you don't even tell my big brother when you go back." Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing. Fan Liangji was probably the only one in the world who dared to call himself Laozi in front of him. King Yan was extremely embarrassed, the reason why he secretly sent the two away was that when something happened, the two could echo from afar.Now to question Fan Liangji face to face, it is hard to say.He coughed again, and changed the subject: "Father summoned the child here, did something happen? Alas! Lian Xiuxiu has reached the stage of being superior to her predecessors regardless of her voice, appearance, or art." Everyone nodded in sympathy. Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "Xiao Di, you will miss the next play!" King Yan asked in astonishment, "What?" Zhu Yuanzhang gestured to Yan Wuhou, and the latter immediately explained the whole matter in the most rapid and concise way. When it was said that Mr. Lian was Zhang Hao, the servant of the Ministry of Industry, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed coldly. snort. King Yan breathed out a breath of cold air and said: "It's dangerous! Do you want to cancel the following show immediately?" Zhu Yuanzhang said indifferently: "If you don't enter the tiger's lair, how can you catch the tiger's cubs? How can you plan to lure the snake out of the cave without taking some risks? Judging by the enemy's movements, we can see that Shan Yuru has lost confidence, and he is not sure whether the poisoned wine conspiracy will work." Only when it works, can we use other vicious methods to deal with Zhen and you, even Madam Gong and Concubine Chen can be used as funerals." The more we are in such a bad and dangerous situation, the more we can see Zhu Yuanzhang's courage that remains unchanged from before. Han Bai and the others couldn't help thinking about the spirit of when he fought the world, even though he was in a desperate situation, he still fought the enemy bravely until he turned defeat into victory. Ye Sudong frowned and said, "The inside and outside of this stage is completely monitored by the officials, so there should be no problem." Zhu Yuanzhang glanced over the crowd, and finally landed on Seng Daoyan's face, and said with a smile, "What did Sengqing's family think? Even if you say it boldly, I won't blame you if you make a mistake." Seng Daoyan exclaimed inwardly, he did guess some possibilities, but in this small hall, all of them are Zhu Yuanzhang's cronies, such as the old man, Ye Sudong and Yan Wuwei, or their identities such as Han Bai, Fan Liangji, Feng Xinglie And Qi Changzheng.Yan Wang is his son, let alone.So if not everyone has made a speech, which round will he express his opinion. And Zhu Yuanzhang obviously saw that he had something to hide in his heart, so he asked him to speak. Seng Daoyan hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "The villain got clues from Zhang Hao's identity. He is the real power of the Ministry of Industry. If he cooperates with the party, he can do things that ordinary ministers can't do without knowing it... ..." Speaking of this, King Yan, Ye Sudong and Yan Wuhou were moved together, showing shocked expressions, obviously guessing what Seng Daoyan was thinking. On the contrary, Han Bai and others looked blankly at Seng Daoyan and then at Zhu Yuanzhang because they were not clear about the organization and jurisdiction of the Six Ministries and the scope of their work. There was a chilling smile on the face of the Supreme Under Heaven, as if he had a plan in mind. King Yan slapped the handrail vigorously and sighed: "The cannon was set up on Zijin Mountain, and the cannon hit the Forbidden City." Han Bai was startled, and lost his voice: "What? Then let's run for our lives!" Zhu Yuanzhang said happily: "As long as Xiaodi leaves with an excuse, it's useless to kill everyone else." Said to Seng Daoyan: "Seng Qing, please stand up and give me a seat!" Seng Daoyan was so flattered that he sat beside King Yan. Fan Liangji laughed and said, "Shan Yuru is really daring, but she can only think of setting up a cannon on Zhongshan, the highest place in the capital, so she has to admire her. If my guess is right, the mezzanines of these wing rooms must be painted with Yi Combustible medicine, once it catches fire, unless it is a martial arts master, it will be impossible to escape." Qi Changzheng took a deep breath and said in amazement: "In my opinion, even a first-class expert may not have the hope of getting out safely, because when these flammable drugs burn, they will release a powerful poisonous gas specially made by the Demon Gate, and the consequences will be terrible. , as you can imagine." Yan Wuwei said angrily: "Let me immediately send someone to Zhongshan to dismantle the cannon and capture Qi Tai and Zhang Hao." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said: "Capturing one or two people won't solve the problem, as long as I keep Yun Wen by my side and Xiao Di is not in the theatre, probably I can safely enjoy Lian Xiu's wonderful performance that is world-renowned. " Then he said in an emphatic tone: "Don't startle the snake, I will drink that glass of fake poisoned wine." Feng Xinglie frowned and said, "Feng doesn't know much about cannons, but Zhong Shan is so far away, so there won't be any problems in principle?" King Yan said: "Brother Feng doesn't know that Zhang Hao is an expert in making cannons among my courtiers. He tests cannons in the outskirts of the city from time to time. No one is more qualified to carry out this conspiracy than him. Moreover, Zhongshan has artillery fortifications. The whereabouts and residence of the father are highly confidential, and there are high walls blocking them, so it is difficult to use the cannon in the air. But now the theater is set up in the square, the target is obvious, and it happens that the imperial city is exposed to Zhongshan The artillery fire is at the closest point, so Zhang Hao might be able to hit the target with one shot." Zhu Yuanzhang interjected: "As long as a cannon falls on the theater or on the square, it will inevitably cause great panic. It is the spies of the Destiny Sect in the imperial guards and the East Factory. They can take the opportunity to set fire. Huh! Can you say Shan Yu Are you not thinking carefully?" Then he smiled calmly and said: "Okay! Everyone can go back to watch the play, the time is almost up, enjoy the rest of the wonderful birthday celebration show!" Yan Wangdi stood up with a smile and said: "My boy should go back to the harem to do his homework and force out the remaining bit of poison." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Daoyan, you go with the emperor! I have enough people here!" Cao Guogong Li Jinglong's figure is a bit like that of the "Xiaoyao Sect Master" Mo Yixian under the command of Sangming Yufeng and Qi. The posture of walking like a tiger makes people clearly feel that he is the kind of man who has been in high position for a long time. His wife was at least thirty years older than him, and she was in her early twenties. She was pretty and pretty, with a beautiful smile on her face, making people want to get close to her, without any airs.Holding a clay cup in his right hand, he just stepped in and smiled with Hua'er on his arm: "Officer! Look at our elder sister Hua'er is even more beautiful!" Hua Hua'er couldn't close her mouth with a smile. Lianxiu stood up gracefully, turned around and bowed to Li Jinglong and his wife, "This time I am in Beijing, I haven't had the chance to pay my respects to Mr. Li yet!" Qi Bo returned to the side, watching silently. Four masters from Dongchang followed in. They were strictly ordered to protect Lian Xiuxiu, even if they were high-ranking officials like Li Jinglong, they would not show affection. Li Jinglong laughed and said: "Xiuxiu is being polite, the old man didn't dare to disturb the lady, but Xiufang insisted on me coming backstage to visit, Xiuxiu knew that I would never be able to beat her!" Mrs. Li Guan Xiufang glanced at Naifu, and said coquettishly: "Obviously you want to see Xiuxiu yourself, but you rely on others." She shook Hua'er's hand and said: "Hua'er come to judge for us!" Hua'er had been paying attention to the cup she was holding in her right hand, and couldn't help but ask, "What is that?" Mrs. Li smiled and said: "This is the almond milk I prepared for your young lady, Hua Hua'er and Qi Bo come and try it." Lian Xiuxiu hadn't had time to thank her, but the leading Dongchang expert standing behind the Li couple had already said, "Lord Li, Mrs. Li, please forgive me for this. Master Yan has ordered that Miss Xiuxiu not use any of the gifts brought by anyone." thing." Mrs. Li's face changed, she was furious and said: "How can there be such a reason, we and Xiuxiu are like a family, could we harm her? This is too unreasonable." The Dongchang master politely apologized, but he didn't give in at all. Even Qibo's attention was attracted by their quarrel. Lian Xiuxiu looked at Li Jinglong apologetically, just as Li Jinglong also looked at her. When the eyes of the two met, Li Jinglong's originally smiling eyes suddenly became extremely deep, with a strange and inexplicable cold light. Lian Xiuxiu knew something was wrong, but she was confused for a while, the argument between Mrs. Li and the Dongchang expert immediately became distant and difficult to reach. At this time, Li Jinglong happened to have his back to everyone, and no one noticed the strangeness in his eyes. When Han Bai and others returned to the studio, the girls were whispering and laughing happily, all talking about Lian Xiuxiu's wonderful performance that turned the audience upside down just now. They messed up their seats, Xu Yeyue sat next to Gu Qianlian who was her favorite, and Xiao Linglong sat on the other side.Han Bicui and Gu Zixian became a couple.Zhuang Qingshuang talked to Bo Zhaoru. In addition to them, there were two more sisters, Yun Qing and Yun Su. They sat at the farthest end, but they did not see Mrs. Wangqing. When Fan Liangji saw Yun Qing, he forgot everything, squeezed to the last chair beside Yun Qing and sat down, Han Bai followed behind him, and naturally sat between Yun Su and Zhuang Qingshuang. Seeing that the seat between Bo Zhaoru and Xiao Linglong was still empty, Qi Changzheng secretly called out to God to help me, and quickly took that seat.Feng Xinglie changed to sit on the outermost seat in this row of seats. Xu Yeyue leaned over to wrinkle her cute little nose at Han Bai and said, "Didn't you just sneak away to squeeze women to take advantage of your business? Why did you come back so soon? Did you give me a few big slaps?" Han Bai smiled wryly and said, "It's true that we were squeezed for a while, but someone else came to squeeze our lives." All the girls showed surprise. Feng Xinglie was afraid that Han Bai would reveal his words unintentionally, so he winked at everyone and said, "Let's talk after the play!" The audience suddenly fell silent, and it was time for Lian Xiuxiu to play again. The first one to come out on stage was Ren Ronglong, a well-known student from the Beijing Normal University. Both his singing skills and his hands are top-notch, his appearance is not bad, and he has fascinated many people. The audience in the audience continued to talk again, making some buzzing sounds, but it was much quieter than before. Zhuang Qingshuang's small mouth approached Han Bo's ear and said: "We decided to visit Lian Xiuxiu backstage after the play, Han Lang, please find a way for us!" After speaking, he focused on the stage again, Ren Ronglong was finally attractive . Han Bai turned his head to look at Yun Su, and seeing her lowered her eyes, counting the Buddha strings in her hand, as if she was reciting Buddhist scriptures, he asked in surprise, "Didn't Master Yun Su come to see a play?" Yun Su opened her beautiful eyes and looked at him, her eyes were clear and free from any worldly distractions, and said indifferently: "Of course I'm watching a play, but it's just different from the way Master Han watched it!" Han Bai thought of Mrs. Wangqing and asked about her. Yun Su replied: "She sat down with Sect Master Zhuang and Senior Sha Tianfang, and Senior Cangsong and his son and daughter-in-law came, hoping to help a little." Her words are always gentle and gentle, making it difficult to imagine her appearance when she is angry. Han Bai felt his heart itch, and couldn't help but said, "How do you watch the show? Are you turning a blind eye?" Yun Su smiled slightly and said, "Of course not! Xiao Ni was just thinking about the difference between on stage and off stage." Han Bai was very impressed and said, "So what?" Yun Su was a little afraid of his curious and burning eyes, lowered his eyes and said calmly: "What is expressed on the stage is the exaggerated and condensed reality of human affairs, which makes the audience resonate with them, and they are immersed in it without emotion." Han Bai thought for a while, and said: "The little master's words are very reasonable, but to my brother, what happened in reality is more bizarre than on stage. But Lian Xiuxiu still attracts me so much, and now this acting The talented boy makes me feel that it doesn't matter whether I watch it or not. It can be seen that what attracts me on the stage is still the factor of "people", so it makes me think that there is no performance category that is greater than people themselves, such as Lian Xiuxiu's sex art , itself is the highest work of art, representing the most beautiful dream in people's aspirations." Yun Su looked at him in surprise and said: "The benefactor's words are thought-provoking. No wonder an outstanding artist is worth so much. All the disciples of the eight sects are proud to see Lian Xiuxiu!" After Han Bai finished his seriousness, he said without any restraint: "When the little master entered the arena just now, were there many people looking at you?" Yun Su said as if nothing had happened: "Of course! No one would be surprised that monks would come to take advantage of the excitement, right?" Han Bai blurted out: "Even if the little master is not a monk, I'm afraid everyone will stare at the little master!" Yun Su frowned and said, "Benefactor Han! Little Ni is a monk!" Han Bai touched a soft nail, but he was not ashamed, and smiled smartly: "I'm sorry! Maybe the young master is so young and charming, so it's hard for me to regard the young master as a cultivator like the old lady Wangqing." Yun Su showed no displeasure at his increasingly cheating words, nodded and said: "It's no wonder the benefactor, it's human nature to be obsessed with appearance, didn't everyone treat you as Xue Mingyu that night? Nothing more." Han Bai couldn't help getting closer, sniffing the faint natural fragrance from her jade-clean body, and said softly, "But the wisdom of the little master knows that the little brother is not a bad person, right?" Thinking of the situation that night, Yun Su showed an innocent and pure smile, nodded slightly, lowered her eyes, and continued to count her prayer beads. Han Bai wisely stopped harassing her and focused on the stage. After Qi Changzheng sat down here, he first smiled at Xiao Linglong, which made the latter lower his head in fright, fearing that he would talk to her in embarrassment. Qi Changzheng found it interesting, and said to Xiao Linglong, "Is Linglong afraid of my old Qi?" Gu Qianlian who was sitting next to Xiao Linglong poked her head out, glared at him and said, "Don't bully Xiao Linglong, otherwise I won't let you go." Qi Changzheng spread his hands to show his innocence, and said with a wry smile: "To avoid misunderstanding, it's better for Sister Xiaolian and Linglong'er to change seats." Xiao Linglong's face flushed with embarrassment, she tugged at the corner of Gu Qianlian's clothes and said anxiously: "Sister Xiaolian! Old Qi didn't bully anyone!" Gu Qianlian gave a "puchi" smile, gave Qi Changzheng a look, leaned back on the back of her chair and continued talking about her daughter's family with Xu Yeyue, and ignored them. Qi Changzheng loved Xiao Linglong very much, and didn't want her to be shy and embarrassed. He turned to look at Bo Zhaoru, and just happened to be looking at them, who was a professed celibate beauty master. As soon as their eyes met, both of them naturally avoided their eyes, pretending to appreciate the scene on the stage. performance. At this time, Xiaosheng, played by Ren Ronglong on the stage, came to a temple with his little book boy who was played by a girl, but the greedy temple priests pestered him to sign sesame oil. The lyrics of sincerity, just don't want to reach into the sleeves and take out two pieces. Qi Changzheng laughed. Bo Zhaoru couldn't help but asked, "Brother Qi, what are you laughing at?" Qi Changzheng said: "The people who made up this drama must not be good enough. If they are sincere, they will be spiritual. Xiang Bi will enter the temple to worship those deceiving things made of clay. Who can guarantee that the gods and Buddhas will be so obedient and obedient? Will you live in those temples and listen to people's complaints?" Bo Zhaoru glared at him and said, "You are a person who loves to argue, so you are lying to yourself when you say that you go to the temple to worship the gods." Qi Changzheng laughed and said: "Buddha is in the Lingshan, don't seek far away, the Lingshan is only in your heart; everyone has a Lingshan pagoda, so they can cultivate in the Lingshan Pagoda. It is also said that the heart is the Buddha. These words are not from the Buddhists themselves Did you say it? But how many people know how to practice it, and they always worship at every temple, isn’t it the best proof that they are deceiving themselves?” Bo Zhaoru was stunned for a while, and then nodded after a long while, speechless. Qi Changzheng approached her again, her nose was filled with her unique fragrance, he suddenly felt like revisiting old dreams, and even remembered the touching expression of this beauty when he went straight to ask her out that day. well!In the end she still didn't keep the appointment. Thinking of this, I felt resentful, and said in a low voice, "I was waiting for you at the bridge that day, so I almost lost my life." Bo Zhaoru's delicate body trembled slightly, she frowned and said, "Don't be so exaggerated!" Seeing her beautiful silhouette, Qi Changzheng said with enthusiasm: "I'm just telling the truth, I couldn't wait for you that day, but I waited for the Jurchen Princess Meng Qingqing, who chased him to a duel at the Confucius Temple, and almost died to see you again Woolen cloth." Bo Zhaoru lowered his head even lower, and said softly, "So what if I see you?" Qi Changzheng saw that she didn't show any displeasure, so he smiled and said, "Don't worry! Although I, Qi Changzheng, am not a hero, I will never make things difficult for others." Bo Zhaoru shook his head and said: "Don't belittle yourself, who knows that Qi Changzheng is a good man, but he is just as good as a blessing. Sigh!" Qi Changzheng said in amazement: "In this way, it's not that Miss Bo dislikes Qi, but she has something to hide." Bo Zhaoru begged for mercy: "Brother Qi! Don't force him, okay?" If she softened up, if Qi Changzheng pestered him again, it would appear that he was not gracious enough. Qi Changzheng shook his head with a wry smile, and didn't force him to ask any more questions. At this time, Gu Zixian had just talked to Han Bicui, turned his head and said to Feng Xinglie: "I don't know why, Zixian always feels a little ominous today, Feng Lang should be careful!" Knowing that his beloved wife cared most about him, Feng Xinglie felt grateful and went over to hold her soft and slender hand tightly. The audience suddenly fell silent, of course it was Lian Xiuxiu who was about to appear.