Chapter 39 The thirty-ninth chapter, Mr. Joy, act like a boy

Officials greeted and saw off along the way, and bribes were generous.Naturally, Wei Xiaobao would not refuse anyone who came, he meandered southward, and his luggage became heavier day by day.Speaking to the brothers of the Tiandihui, we said that we corrupted the officials of the Tartars. The more bribes we received, the more the people complained, and the reputation of officials in various places was bad.Xu Tianchuan and others deeply agreed. Not one day came to Yangzhou.The governor of Liangjiang, Malji, and the governor of Jiangning, Ma You, the chief envoy, the inspector, Xuezheng, Huaiyang Road, Liangdao, Hegong Road, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture, the county magistrate of Jiangdu County, and military officials at all levels have already been informed and greeted them. miles away.

The imperial envoy was set up in the Daotai yamen of Huaiyang, Wei Xiaobao felt that it was too restrictive, so he only stayed for one night, so he told Daotai that he wanted to move to another place.He thought that the best place for Xingyuan was to be in the old residence of Lichun Courtyard, where he was bestowed with clothes and brocades, so it was the most beautiful place to go back to his former residence.But the imperial envoy set up the Xingyuan in a brothel. After all, it was unreasonable. Thinking about the ambitions he had when he was in Yangzhou that day, apart from opening a few large brothels, he uprooted all the peony flowers in the peony garden in front of the Chanzhi Temple.

Yangzhou peony is well-known all over the world. The peony garden in front of Chanzhi Temple is particularly magnificent, with thousands of famous species and flowers as big as a bowl.When Wei Xiaobao was ten years old, he went to play with a group of urchins, saw the peonies blooming beautifully, picked two peony flowers and held them in his hands to play with, the monk in the temple saw them, took the flowers, and hit him twice on the ear parenthesis.Wei Xiaobao kicked and bit, fought with the monk, was pushed to the ground by the fat monk, and kicked a few times.All the urchins rushed forward, pulling peonies randomly.The monk yelled, and a group of monks and firemen came out of the temple, holding sticks, and drove the urchins away.Because Wei Xiaobao was the culprit, he had eaten a lot of sticks on his body, and a big lump swelled up on his head. When he returned to Lichun Courtyard, he punished his mother with no food.Although he finally sneaked a full meal in the kitchen, he was ashamed of the event of "Humiliation at Chanzhi Temple".When I came to the temple the next day, I cursed from afar, from the Tathagata Buddha's mother to the monk's daughter, declaring: "One day, I will pull out all the peonies in front of this temple, and trample your stinky temple to death. The flat ground will be dug into a cesspit", and he scolded until the monk in the temple chased him out and he ran away.

After several years, I have long forgotten about this incident. I returned to Yangzhou today and wanted to find a place to use as a place to go. Only then did I think of Chanzhi Temple, and I told Huaiyang Daotai immediately, and I have the intention to practice it.Na Daotai pondered: "Chanzhi Temple is a Buddhist resort, a thousand-year-old temple. The imperial envoys live in it, and I'm afraid it will be a mess." He said: "Return to your lord: the scenery of Chanzhi Temple is really excellent. My lord has a high opinion, and I admire it from a lowly position." So much. But it may not be very convenient to use meat and wine in the temple." Wei Xiaobao said, "What's the inconvenience? It's enough to move the Bodhisattva out of the temple." When the platform heard that the Bodhisattva was going to be moved, it was even more frightening. I jumped, thinking that this would lead to disaster, if the people in Yangzhou city were aroused by public anger, it would be difficult to deal with, so I greeted with a smile, and said in a low voice: "My lord: Yangzhou fireworks, that is It is famous all over the world. My lord has worked hard all the way. When I came to my place, I should serve him wholeheartedly. I have selected many beautiful girls who are good at playing the piano and singing for my appreciation. The hard bed and hard bench in the monk's temple, I'm afraid it will spoil the scenery. very."

Wei Xiaobao thought it was reasonable, and said with a smile: "According to you, where is the Xingyuan located?" The platform said: "There is a salt merchant in Yangzhou whose surname is He, and his garden is called Yangzhou name. No. 1 in the garden. He intends to curry favor with the imperial envoy, and he has already prepared everything properly, and looks forward to his visit. It’s just that his fame is too small to dare to speak out. If your lord doesn’t mind it, you might as well move over and have a look.” This salt merchant surnamed He is rich and wealthy, Wei Xiaobao used to walk outside the high wall of his house when he was young, and when he heard the sound of silk and bamboo coming out of the wall, he was very envious, he just went in by chance to take a look, and immediately said: "Okay, Let’s live here for a few days, if we don’t feel comfortable, we can move again. There are many salt merchants in Yangzhou, so we can live there by shift and eat there, and we can’t eat enough of them.”

The buildings in He Garden are full of clouds, the springs and rocks are secluded, the pavilions are elegant, and the construction is exquisite. At a glance, you can tell that a lot of gold and silver have been spent on every foot of land.Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and ordered his soldiers and followers to live in the garden.Zhang Yong and other four generals led officers and soldiers and stationed in nearby official houses and private houses. At that time, Yangzhou was prosperous and the best in the world.In the Tang Dynasty, there was a saying that "ten miles of bead curtains, twenty-four bridges of wind and moon".In the early Qing Dynasty, Huaiyan was distributed here, and it was even more prosperous.According to historical records, there were more than 375,000 men (men over 16 years old) belonging to Yangzhou Prefecture in the late Ming Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou was slaughtered by Qing soldiers. In the third year of Shunzhi, only 9,320 people remained. Ding, but by the sixth year of Kangxi, it had increased to more than 397,900 Ding, not only the vitality had been fully restored, but it was even better than before.

In the early morning of the next day, officials of all sizes in Yangzhou city lined up to see the imperial envoy.After meeting with Wei Xiaobao, he read out the imperial decree.He didn't know the characters in Kangxi's imperial edict, he had been taught by his master to read them well, and now he was recited each word, and he finally remembered it well, and he didn't make mistakes in reciting it. Didn't notice either. All the officials heard the emperor's decree to exempt the counties of Yangzhou Prefecture from three-year money and grain, to provide compensation to the orphans and widows of the victims of the military disaster at the founding of the country, and to build a martyr's temple to worship Shi Kefa and other loyal officials.

After Wei Xiaobao announced the decree, he said: "My lords, when my brothers left Beijing, the emperor ordered that the province of Jiangsu produces Yinfu. However, in recent years, the government has been slack and the military equipment is not in order. I ordered my brothers to investigate and rectify it. The emperor said to the people of Yangzhou. To cherish so much, we officials should do our best to repay the holy grace." All civil and military officials claimed to be so, and they couldn't help worrying secretly.In fact, these few words were taught by Suo'etu.Wei Xiaobao knew that if he wanted to take a lot of bribes, firstly, he wanted the other party to ask for something, and secondly, he wanted the other party to be jealous, so it was inevitable to intimidate Jiangsu civil and military officials, but the words had to be serious It's heavy, just right, and full of bureaucracy, but you have to ask Suo'etu for advice.

The bureaucratic article has been done, and local officials have chosen a place to build the Martyr's Shrine, made up a list of disaster-stricken households, and sent people to the four townships to announce the emperor's exemption of money and food.These things cannot be done overnight, and during this time, he was allowed to enjoy the blessings in Yangzhou, the den of selling gold.In the next few days, the governor and the governor held banquets, the chief secretary and the chief inspector held banquets, and all the Taoists held banquets. Naturally, the abbots were displayed and the delicacies were listed, which was extravagant and extravagant.

Every day Wei Xiaobao wanted to visit his mother in the Lichun Courtyard, but it was not convenient for the entertainment.The imperial envoy's mother was working as a prostitute in Yangzhou, and this matter must never be exposed.Embarrassment and embarrassment are small things, but losing the dignity of the court is a big thing. Besides, Wei Xiaobao has been a high-ranking official for a long time, and he has never taken his mother to Beijing to enjoy the blessings. Difficult to protect.I thought I had to wait until I settled down, changed my clothes quietly, went to Lichunyuan to have a look, and then ordered the soldiers to send my mother back to Beijing to live in peace.In the past, he always had the idea of ​​rubbing oil on the soles of his feet. When he saw something wrong, he immediately ran away and ran away. Unexpectedly, the official became bigger and bigger and happier. This officer has continued to do so.

A few days passed, and on this day, Wu Zhirong, the prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture, hosted a banquet to cleanse the imperial envoy.Wu Zhirong heard from Daotai that the imperial envoy once intended to use Chanzhi Temple as a place of residence, and thought that the essence of Chanzhi Temple is just a peony garden in front of the temple. The imperial envoy's preference for this temple must be because he likes to appreciate flowers.He is good at flattering, and a few days ago, he built a flower shed beside the peony garden. He ordered the master craftsmen to build it with unbarked pine trees. The branches and leaves on the tree are still the same, and the tables and chairs in the shed are all natural trees The stone, the shed is full of flowers, trees and green grass, and then the bamboo joints are used to divert water, and it flows around the shed. Hall, but also do not have the general flavor. Unexpectedly, Wei Xiaobao was a very vulgar person, with no bones in his body, when he came to the flower shed, he asked at the first sentence: "Why is there a shed? Ah, yes, it must have been set up by the monks in the temple to do things. After passing through the mouth of the flame, I will give food to the hungry ghosts here." Wu Zhirong made a lot of hard work, but it was completely wasted, he couldn't help but look very embarrassed, and said that the imperial envoy was trying to be sarcastic, so he had to laugh and said: "The lowly position has little knowledge, and the arrangement here is not suitable for adults, it really deserves to die." Wei Xiaobao saw that the guests had already stood up and waited for him, and he took his seat immediately after greeting him.The governors of Liangjiang and Wei Xiaobao had been socializing for a few days, and they had already returned to the Jiangning administrative office.The Governor of Jiangsu Province, the Chief Secretary, etc. are located in Suzhou, and they all stayed in Yangzhou at this time to accompany the imperial envoy.The rest of the guests were either celebrities or famous salt merchants. The banquets in Yangzhou are very elaborate and rich, there are dozens of kinds of tea and fruits just before the banquet, even though Wei Xiaobao was born in the local area, he can't know all of them. After drinking tea for a while, the shadow of the sun gradually slanted to the west.The sunlight shines on the thousands of peonies outside the flower shed, which are bright and beautiful, just like a brocade.But Wei Xiaobao became angrier the more he looked at it, remembering the hatred of being beaten and humiliated by the monks in the temple, he immediately wanted to pull out all the peonies and burn them, but he had to think of an excuse before he could do it.While thinking about it, Governor Ma You smiled and said, "Lord Wei, from the voice of your master, it seems that he lived in the area of ​​Huaiyang. Huaiyang has a rich soil and water, so it not only produces talents, but also produces good flowers." The officials only knew that the imperial envoy was Zhenghuangqi Manchurian, the governor heard him speak these days, and he has a Yangzhou accent, so he took the opportunity to praise him. Wei Xiaobao was thinking that the monks in Chanzhi Temple were hateful, so he blurted out: "The monks in Yangzhou are not good." The governor was startled, not knowing what he really meant.Chief Secretary Mu Tianyan is a well-behaved and knowledgeable person, and said: "Your Majesty, what you see is very true. The monks in Yangzhou are snobbish, flattering the government, and bullying the poor. This has happened since ancient times." Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Yes. , Mr. Mu is a scholar, and he knows that there are some in the book." Mu Tianyan said: "The story of the king of the Tang Dynasty broadcasting the green sarong, isn't it from Yangzhou?" Wei Xiaobao loves to listen to stories, so he quickly asked: "What The 'Yellow Booby Salon' story." Mu Tianyan said: "This story happened in the Stone Pagoda Temple in Yangzhou. During the Qianyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Stone Pagoda Temple was called Mulan Courtyard. The poet Wang Bo's family was poor when he was young..." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "So this person's name is Wang Bo, isn't it A piece of yellow cloth." Listen to him continue: "...I live in Mulan Courtyard. When the monks eat in the temple, they ring the bell as a sign. When Wang Bo heard the bell, he went to the dining hall to eat. The monks hated him. Once everyone Eat first, and then ring the bell when the meal is finished. Wang Bo heard the bell and walked into the dining hall, only to see that the monks had already dispersed, and the food had been cleaned up..." Wei Xiaobao patted the table and said angrily: "Fucking monk is hateful." Mu Tianyan said: "Yes, how much does it cost to eat a meal? At that time, Wang Bo felt ashamed and wrote a poem on the wall:' I have already gone to the hall, and I am ashamed of the bell after dinner.'” Wei Xiaobao asked: "Who is 'Jali'?" All the officials had been with him for many days, and they knew that this imperial envoy was not a scholar, and that most of his fame and wealth did not come from studying, so they were not surprised.Mu Tianyan said: "Jali is a monk now." Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "It turned out to be a bald thief. What happened next?" Mu Tianyan said: "Later when Wang Bo became a senior official, the imperial court sent him to guard Yangzhou, and he went to Mulan Courtyard. Naturally, those monks flattered him a lot. He went to see if the poem written on the wall was still there. , I saw a piece of precious green gauze glued on the wall, and the two poems he wrote were covered to prevent damage. Wang Bo was very emotional, and added two more poems: "Thirty years ago, the dusty face , and now I get a green sarong.'" Wei Xiaobao said: "He must have caught those bald thieves and beat them up?" Mu Tianyan said: "Wang Bo is a gentleman, I want to write a few lines of poems to show some sarcasm. Forget it." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "If it were me, how could I give up so easily? But I don't have the ability to write poems. I can only shit, but I can't write poems." After telling stories for a while, the tea and wine were poured out.Wei Xiaobao looked around, and saw Wang Jinbao sip a cup from the next seat, drinking very refreshingly, he thought, and said: "General Wang, you once said that a war horse will be very strong if it eats peony, isn't it?" Wink.Wang Jinbao didn't understand what he meant, and said: "This..." Wei Xiaobao said: "The emperor chooses famous breeds of horses, such as Mongolian horses, Western region horses, Sichuan horses, and Yunnan horses. The emperor has ordered us to raise them carefully, right?" Kangxi thought Wang Jinbao knew about the storage of horses, so he said: "My lord is right." Wei Xiaobao said: "You are familiar with the nature of horses. When you were in Beijing, you said that if you give peony to a war horse, it will run twice as fast. Your Majesty If we love horses so much, as slaves, we should pay homage to the Holy Spirit. If you dig up the peony flowers here and send them to the capital, and give them to the chariot driver of the Ministry of War to feed the horses, the emperor will be delighted when he hears about it." When everyone heard this, all of them looked very strange. It was the first time they heard that peony flowers can strengthen horses. Seeing Wang Jinbao's only disapproval, they obviously didn't think so, but they didn't dare to refute it openly.But when Wei Xiaobao talked about the emperor, and kept his mouth shut, and raised the big hat of emperor, who would dare to raise any objection?Seeing that these more than a thousand plants of famous peony are about to be destroyed by him, Yangzhou has lost a scenic spot since then, but I don't know why Master Wei hates these peonies so much?Everyone looked at each other, speechless. The magistrate Wu Zhirong said: "Master Wei is very knowledgeable, which is really admirable. This peony root is called Chishao, and there are some in it. It is said that it has the function of removing blood stasis and promoting blood circulation. There is a word 'medicine' in the name of peony, which shows that the ancients knew it. Good medicine. The horses ate the peony, their blood flowed smoothly, and they ran like flying. When the lord returned to Beijing, the humble official sent people to dig up all the peony flowers here, and asked the lord to bring them back to the capital." Hearing this, all the officials scolded Wu Zhirong in their hearts. Despicable and shameless, in order to meet Shangguan, he wanted to destroy the beauty of Yangzhou.Wei Xiaobao clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Master Wu is capable in handling things, very good, very good." Feeling very honored, Wu Zhirong hurriedly got down from his seat to greet him, and said, "Thank you for your compliment." Chief Secretary Mu Tianyan walked out of the flower shed, came to the peony bushes, picked a peony flower that was as big as a bowl, returned to the seat, presented it to Wei Xiaobao with both hands, and said with a smile: "My lord, please put this flower on the hat. There is a story to tell the grown-ups." As soon as Wei Xiaobao heard the story again, he took the flower and saw that the petals of the peony were deep red, and there was a yellow line along the middle of each petal, it was very delicate and beautiful, so he stuck it on the hat. Mu Tianyan said: "Congratulations, my lord, this peony has a name called 'Golden Belt Wai', and it is a very rare species. It is recorded in ancient books. Anyone who sees this 'Golden Belt Wai' will do it in the future. prime minister." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "How can it be so accurate?" Mu Tianyan said: "This story comes from the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time Han Wei Gong Han Qi was guarding Yangzhou, and in the peony garden in front of the Chanzhi Temple, a peony plant suddenly bloomed four times. It is a big flower with deep red petals and a golden thread around its waist. This kind of peony has never been seen before, and it is extremely rare. The subordinates reported that Duke Han Wei came to watch and liked it very much. There were four flowers. , so I want to invite three more guests to enjoy the flowers together." Wei Xiaobao took the flowers off his hat and looked at them again, and he felt that the red and yellow complement each other, which was extraordinarily brilliant.That golden horizontal stripe is even more unique to Hundred Flowers. Mu Tianyan said: "At that time there were two famous people in Yangzhou, one was Wang Gui and the other was Wang Anshi, they were both talented and knowledgeable people. Han Weigong thought to himself, there are four flowers, but only three people, it is inevitable. There is a fly in the ointment, please invite another person, but the reputation is not worthy. I was hesitating, and suddenly someone came to pay respects, but it was Chen Shengzhi, who was also a famous person. Han Wei Gong was very happy, and the next day he had a big banquet in front of the peony garden. The four gold belts were picked off, and each had one on his head. This story is called "Four Phase Hairpin Banquet", and these four people later became prime ministers." Wei Xiaobao laughed and said: "That's interesting. These four brothers are all famous scholars who can compose poems and essays. Brothers can't compare to them." Mu Tianyan said: "That's not the case. During the Northern Song Dynasty, scholars were the prime ministers In the Qing Dynasty, I won the world right away, but what the emperor values ​​most is a brave and resourceful hero." Wei Xiaobao couldn't help being very happy when he heard the nine-character comment of "a courageous and resourceful hero." He nodded repeatedly. Mu Tianyan said: "It goes without saying that Duke Han Wei was named Duke of Wei. Wang Anshi was named Duke of Jing, Wang Gui was named Duke of Qi, and Chen Shengzhi was named Duke of Xiu. The four famous officials not only became prime ministers, but also became Dukes of the state. He is both rich and honorable. Master Wei arrived early as a young man, and now he has been conferred the title of earl. If he is promoted to another level, he will be a marquis. If he is promoted to another level, he will be a duke. Even if he is crowned king or prince, it is only during the day It's something." Wei Xiaobao laughed loudly, and said: "I hope that everyone here will be promoted and get rich like Master Mu Jinkou." All the officials stood up together, held up their wine glasses, and said: "Congratulations to Master Wei for being promoted to rank, All generations of princes." Wei Xiaobao stood up, drank a drink with all the officials, thinking: "This official is both knowledgeable and eloquent. He can tell stories and is likable. If you ask him to work in Beijing, you can listen to him tell stories all the time. Is it better than a storyteller? This person is born to be a flatterer, and he took the name of Mu Tianyan, and he made it clear that he wanted to see the emperor." Mu Tianyan said again: "Duke Han Wei later led troops to guard the western frontier. The Xixia people were afraid to death when they saw him, and they dared not send troops to invade the border. At that time, the Xixia people were afraid of the two ministers of the Song Dynasty, one was Han Weigong, Han Qi, and the other The person is Fan Zhongyan, Duke Wen of Fan Wen. At that time, there were two sayings: "There is Han in the army, and the western thieves are terrified when they hear about it. There is a fan in the army, and the western thieves are frightened when they hear it." That's 'There is a Wei in the army, and the western thief kneels when he sees it'!" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed, and said: "The word 'Xi Thief' is very clever, King Pingxi is here..." Suddenly he thought: "Wu Sangui hasn't rebelled yet, so we can't call him 'West Thief'." He quickly changed his words: " King Pingxi guarded the western frontier, and it was peaceful and peaceful, which is a great contribution." Wu Zhirong said: "Prince Pingxi is both wise and brave, and has made great achievements in hard work. He was named prince and his son-in-law. In the future, Mr. Wei will be rich and powerful, and his life expectancy will be longer than Nanshan. It’s the same as King Pingxi.” Wei Xiaobao cursed in his heart: “Mommy, you want me to be the same as Wu Sangui, a big traitor. This old turtle is about to move his head, you want me to be like him!” Mu Tianyan spent her days trying to figure out the court's movements, but when she saw the mansion report a few days ago, the emperor announced the intention to withdraw the feudal clan, and she expected Wu Sangui to be in bad luck. Seeing that Wei Xiaobao's face changed slightly, she was even more enlightened, and said: "Master Wei He is a minister selected by the emperor himself, and he is the confidant of the sage, the pillar of the court, and the pillar of the country. Although King Pingxi has a high official rank, he cannot be compared with Master Wei after all. The metaphor of Wu Fuzun is a bit wrong. Master Wei's ancestors , Wei Nie, the Zhongwu King of the Tang Dynasty, once defeated 480,000 Turpan soldiers and shocked the western frontier. When Zhu Xi rebelled, he sent people to invite Wei Zhongwu King to join the army. Zhongwu King was loyal to the emperor, so how could he be willing to do such a thing? Great rebellion? Immediately beheaded the envoy of the rebels, and sent troops to help the court defeat the rebels, and made great achievements. Mr. Wei is handsome, and his blessings are unparalleled. It must be the blessing passed down by King Wei Zhongwu." Wei Xiaobao smiled and nodded.In fact, he didn't even know his own surname. He took his mother's surname just because his mother was called Wei Chunfang. Unexpectedly, there was such a powerful person named Wei. The Chief Secretary insisted that he was his ancestor. He insisted on putting gold on his own face; listening to what he said, he actually figured out that Wu Sangui was going to rebel, this man's intelligence is also very remarkable. Wu Zhirong was not annoyed by Mu Tianyan's rebuttal, but he didn't dare to contradict his superior openly, saying: "I heard that Mr. Wei is from the Zhenghuang Banner." The implication of his words was naturally: "He is a Manchurian, how can he talk to his boss?" Can Wei Nie of the Tang Dynasty be involved?" Mu Tianyan said with a smile: "The Master Wu only knows one thing, but not the other. Now that the Holy Son of Heaven is in power, he treats all people in the world equally. Why should there be any differences in the Manchu and Han families? "These few words were really a bit forceful, but Wu Zhirong didn't dare to argue any more, thinking that if he said a few more words, he might offend the imperial envoy even more, so he even claimed right now. Mu Tianyan said: "Prince Pingxi is from Gaoyou, Yangzhou Prefecture. Are Wu Fuzun and King Pingxi the same family?" He was quite proud of his surname Wu, and said: "According to the ranking of the genealogy, the humble position is a generation lower than King Pingxi, so the prince should be called the uncle of the clan." Mu Tianyan nodded, ignored him, and said to Wei Xiaobao: "Master Wei, although this golden peony is not as rare as it was in the Song Dynasty, it is very rare to see such a blooming peony. Today happened to be when Master Wei came to admire the flowers. Openness, this is not a coincidence, it must be God's will. I have a little opinion in the humble position, please make up your mind." Wei Xiaobao said: "Brother, please advise." Mu Tianyan said: "How dare you take the word of advice? The root of the peony flower is available in the medicine shop, and adults want to use it to feed horses. I think it is more effective to refine it in the medicine shop. I ordered a large number of purchases. Go to Shijing for backup. As for the peony flowers here, I think they have contributed to the lord's good news, can I stay for a while? In the future, Lord Wei will be in command to break the bandits, worship the prime minister and become the king, just like Han Weigong and Wei Zhongwu King, and then come here Come to enjoy the flowers, when the golden belt will be in full bloom again, wouldn’t it be a beautiful thing to welcome the nobles? According to my humble opinion, there must be something to do in the future.” Wei Xiaobao was elated, and said: "You said that the actor pretended to be me?" Mu Tianyan said: "Yes, then naturally a handsome and beautiful young man is required to play Mr. Wei, and there are some white beards, black beards, painted faces, and white noses. Clown, just pretend to be officials like us." All the officials laughed.Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "What's the name of this play?" Mu Tianyan said to Governor Ma You, "Then I have to ask Mr. Futai to write the name of the play." Seeing that the governor has been silent, he thought he couldn't neglect him. Ma You said with a smile: "Master Wei will be crowned king in the future, so this play should be called "Wei Wang's Hairpin Flower"?" All the officials praised it together. Wei Xiaobao felt happy, so he no longer cared about the old grievances of the past, thinking: "I can't do it as a prime minister, I can beat the thief, play with the prince, but I can do it, if I pull out these peonies I'm afraid the omen is not good." Looking out, he saw that there were at least dozens of golden belts in the flower garden, and thought to himself: "There are so many prime ministers, can't all of you be prime ministers? There is still some hope in Taiwan and Fantai, this Wu Zhirong is a thug, and he doesn't look like anything, and the white-nosed clown in the drama will definitely play him in the future." Knowing that the Chief Secretary's words were roundabout and laborious, he meant To preserve the thousands of peonies in front of the Chanzhi Temple, the key to being an official is that everyone can live with it. This is called "carrying people on a flowery sedan chair". They couldn't even come down, so they didn't mention the matter of Shaoyao now, and said with a smile: "Even if there is such a play in the future, we won't be able to watch it anymore, why don't we just listen to the music first!" All the officials claimed that it was.Wu Zhirong was already prepared and ordered to go on.All I could hear was the sound of pei jingle on the outer ring of the flower shed, followed by a gust of fragrant wind.Wei Xiaobao cheered up, and thought: "A beauty has seen it." Sure enough, a woman walked into the flower shed gracefully, bowed to Wei Xiaobao, and said delicately: "My lord and all the lords are blessed and safe." , the little girl waits and sings." I saw that the woman was in her thirties, dressed gorgeously, but her appearance was mediocre.When the flute master played the flute, she sang two Yangzhou poems by Du Mu: "The green mountains are faintly covered with water, and the grass and trees in the south of the Yangtze River are withered in autumn. On a moonlit night at the Twenty-Fourth Bridge, where can the jade man teach how to play Xiao? " "The desolate rivers and lakes are full of wine shops, with a slender waist and light palms. Once in ten years, I dream of Yangzhou and win the honor of being a brothel. " The sound of the flute is melodious, and the singing is melodious, very pleasant.Wei Xiaobao looked at this singing girl, but felt a little impatient. After the woman sang, another singing girl came in.This woman was thirty-four or five years old, her manners were elegant, her singing voice was even more proficient, even in the slightest twists and turns, she could sing in a rhythmic and varied manner.The song "Watching the Sea Tide" by Qin Guan was sung: "The stars are divided into bulls, borders are connected to Huaihai, and Wanjing in Yangzhou is sealed off. The flowers are fragrant, the birds are singing, and the spring breeze is ten li behind the vermilion curtain. The hero is like a rainbow. The spring shines on the golden purple, and the flying cover follows each other. The alley goes down. Yang, in the green smoke from north to south of the painted bridge." The lyrics were indeed sung extremely beautifully, but Wei Xiaobao was very annoyed when he heard it, and couldn't help yawning loudly. At this time, the word "Wang Haichao" was only sung halfway, Wu Zhirong was very obedient, seeing that the imperial envoy was not very interested, he waved his hand, the singing girl stopped singing, saluted and left.Wu Zhirong laughed and said: "Master Wei, these two singing girls are the most famous in Yangzhou, and they sang about the prosperity of Yangzhou, what do you think?" Unexpectedly, when Wei Xiaobao listened to the music, the first thing he wanted to sing was young and beautiful;On that day, Chen Yuanyuan, with his beautiful appearance, talked and sang, explaining all the way, made him listen to a piece of "Yuanyuanqu".The two courtesans in front of him were mediocre in appearance, dull in expression, and he didn't know what they were singing, he yawned, he was extremely polite, when Wu Zhirong asked, he said: "It's okay, it's okay, It's just a little too old. I don't have much appetite for this kind of old stuff." Wu Zhirong said: "Yes, yes. Du Muzhi is from the Tang Dynasty, and Qin Shaoyou is from the Song Dynasty. They are indeed too old. There is a new poem written by a new poet. This person is called Cha Shenxing. He has not long become famous. He wrote The charm of the girls from the Tian family in Yangzhou is very fresh, very fresh." With a gesture, the waiter spread the word, and another singing girl came in. When Wei Xiaobao said "Old Years Suhuo", he meant singing girls, but Wu Zhirong thought it meant that the poems were too old.Wei Xiaobao didn't know what Du Muzhi and Qin Shaoyou said to him, he only understood the sentence "the charm of the Tian family girls in Yangzhou is very fresh, very fresh".I thought: "Since she is a very fresh girl from the Tian family in Yangzhou, you might as well take a look." The singing girl walked into the flower shed, Wei Xiaobao didn't look at it, but when she saw it, she couldn't help feeling angry, and the evil came to her gallbladder, she was about to explode immediately.It turns out that this singing girl is not fifty, but more than forty, with white hair on her sideburns, large wrinkles on her forehead, eyes that should be big and thin, and a mouth that is small but large instead.Seeing this singing girl holding a pipa, Wei Xiaobao became even more furious, and thought: "You can also learn from Chen Yuanyuan!" But when he heard the string move, it was like a jade ringing like a pearl jumping, and the chants of swallows were very pleasant to hear.Just listen to her sing: "The Huai Mountains are floating in the distance and green, and the Huai River is deep and deep. The reflection enters the terrace, and the fence is full of flowers. Unexpectedly, there are still reed houses outside the shopping mall. Sometimes I see people with light makeup and long green skirts." The singing voice is elegant, and every sentence is matched with the rhyme of the pipa, sometimes like flowing water, sometimes like silver bells and tinkling, and at the end of the sentence "the green skirt is dragging a long line", the sound of the pipa flows slowly, if there is or is not, and all the officials All of them felt refreshed, some closed their eyes intently, some shook their heads.After the sound of the pipa stopped, all the officials cheered in unison.Mu Tianyan said: "The poems are good, the tunes are good, and the pipa is also good. It's really a Jingchai cloth skirt, which can't hide the beauty of the sky. No matter when you compose poems or songs, seeing the naturalness from the elegance is the first-class skill. " Wei Xiaobao snorted, and asked the singing girl: "Can you sing "Eighteen Touches"? Sing a song and listen to it." When all the officials heard this, they all turned pale.The geisha's complexion changed drastically, tears streaming down her eyes suddenly, she turned around and ran out, with a clap sound, the pipa fell to the ground.The geisha didn't pick it up either, and ran out. Wei Xiaobao laughed loudly and said, "You don't know how to sing, and I won't punish you, why should you be so scared?" The "Eighteen Touches" is an extremely obscene ditty, even touching eighteen places on a woman's body, each touch has a metaphor to describe it.Although everyone among the officials has heard of it, how can they openly mention it at the place where the feast is held?Isn't that the official adage?The singing girl's pipa and singing voice have long been famous in Yangzhou. She is not only good at singing, but also can compose poems herself.For Wei Xiaobao to ask this question, it was a great humiliation to her. Mu Tianyan said in a low voice: "Master Wei likes to listen to ditty songs, let's find someone who can sing and listen to them." Wei Xiaobao said: "Even "Eighteen Touches" can't sing, this old bitch is no good That’s great. When will I invite you to Mingyufang Lichun Courtyard, the whores there can sing a lot of ditties.” As soon as I said this, I immediately felt inappropriate, thinking: “Whether Lichun Courtyard is Why can't I invite him to go. Fortunately, there are many brothels in Yangzhou, nine famous courts, nine small famous courts, whichever one is fun." He raised his wine glass and said with a smile: "Drink, drink." All the civil servants were a little embarrassed to hear his vulgar language, and everyone pretended not to hear him by drinking.A group of military generals had happy faces, and Junjue and the imperial envoy were quite like-minded. At this moment, a guard walked out of the flower shed with his head bowed, Wei Xiaobao saw his back, and his heart moved: "This person's back is so familiar, who is that?" For a moment, it will be forgotten. After drinking a few more glasses of wine, Wei Xiaobao felt that socializing with these civil servants was boring. He neither acted nor gambled. , touched my sister's hair..." I couldn't bear it anymore, stood up, and said, "Brother, I've had enough wine, let me go." I bowed my hands to the governor, the chief secretary, the judge and other officials, and left out.All the officials came out of the flower shed and sent him to the sedan chair.
Wei Xiaobao went back to Xingyuan, told his soldiers to rest, no matter who came, they would not see them, entered the room and changed into a set of tattered clothes.It was a set of old clothes that Shuang'er went to the market to buy a few days ago. After buying it, it was torn in several places, trampled on the ground, and poured with a lot of lamp oil, it was already dirty and greasy.The hats, shoes and socks, and the headbands connecting the braids were also replaced with worn-out and inferior ones.I grabbed a handful of ashes from the charcoal stove, mixed it with water, smeared it on my face and hands, and took a look in the mirror, and I really returned to my appearance as a servant in the Lichun courtyard. Shuang'er helped him change his clothes, and said with a smile: "My lord, in the play, the imperial envoy Bao Longtu disguised himself as a private visit, is this how it looks?" Hui." Shuang'er said: "I'll go with you, okay? You're alone, if something happens to you, you don't have anyone to help you." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Where I go, beautiful young ladies can't go Yes." Then he hummed: "Touch one, touch two, touch my sweetheart's face..." He stretched out his hand to touch her face.Shuang'er blushed and giggled, and avoided it. Wei Xiaobao stuffed a large stack of silver bills into his bosom, took another bag of broken silver, grabbed Shuang'er, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and slipped out through the back door.The guard guarding the back door asked: "What are you doing?" Wei Xiaobao said: "I am the brother-in-law of He's nurse's son's cousin, can you take care of me?" It doesn't matter, Wei Xiaobao has already left the house. He is familiar with all the streets and alleys in Yangzhou, and he can hardly go wrong even if he closes his eyes. After a while, he came to Mingyufang by the Slender West Lake. Qu, shout and shout six.As soon as these sounds hit the ears, they really sounded ten times better than Juntian Xianle, and it was indescribably comfortable in my heart.Walking outside the Lichun Courtyard, but seeing the courtyard remains the same, no different from when he left back then.He quietly walked to the side of the courtyard, pushed open the side door, and slipped in. He tiptoed to the outside of his mother's room, and saw that there was no one in the room, and knew that his mother was accompanying a guest, so he thought to himself: "Spicy mother, I don't know if that Plague is prostituting my mother right now and being my wife." Godfather." Walking into the room, I saw that the bedding on the bed was the same as before, but it was much worn out, and I thought to myself: "Mom's business is not doing well, and I don't have many godfathers." Turning my head, I saw my little bed Still put aside, there is a pair of old shoes in front of the bed, and the bedding on the bed has been washed clean.Going over to sit on the bed, seeing his long green bamboo cloth gown folded and placed on the corner of the bed, he felt slightly apologetic: "Mom is waiting for me to come back. Damn, I am happy in Beijing, and no one sent money to me. Mom, I really have a bad memory." Lying on the bed, waiting for mother to come back. There are rules in the brothel, the client stays overnight, and there is also a big room with neat layout.The small houses where the prostitutes live are quite simple.Young and beautiful red prostitutes have better housing, like Wei Xiaobao's mother, Wei Chunfang, who is not young and her business is cold, so the madam treats her very sloppily, living in a thin board room. Wei Xiaobao lay down for a while, when he suddenly heard someone yelling and cursing from the next room, it was the voice of the bustard: "My old lady bought you with a lot of money, but you push her back and forth, always refusing to accept customers, hum, I bought you to be the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, does it look good in the yard? Beat, beat me hard!" Followed by the sound of the whip hitting the flesh, the sound of crying, crying, and cursing, the whole crowd resounded. Wei Xiaobao was used to hearing this kind of sound since he was a child, he knew that it was the old bustard who bought a young girl and forced her to receive customers, and it was very common to beat her with a whip.If the little girl refuses, all kinds of tortures, such as needle-punching nails and iron-burning flesh, will be used one by one.这种声音在妓院中必不可免，他睽别已久，这时又再听到，倒有些重温旧梦之感，也不觉得那小姑娘有甚么可怜。 那小姑娘哭叫：“你打死我好了，我死也不接客，一头撞死给你看！”老鸨吩咐龟奴狠打。又打了二三十鞭，小姑娘仍哭叫不屈。龟奴道：“今天不能打了，明天再说罢。”老鸨道：“拖这小贱货出去。”龟奴将小姑娘扶了出去，一会儿又回进房来。老鸨道：“这贱货用硬的不行，咱们用软的，给她喝迷春酒。”龟奴道：“她就是不肯喝酒。”老鸨道：“蠢才！把迷春酒放在肉里，不就成了。”龟奴道：“是，是。七姐，真有你的。” 韦小宝凑眼到板壁缝去张望，见老鸨打开柜子，取出一瓶酒来，倒了一杯，递给龟奴。只听她说道：“叫了春芳陪酒的那两个公子，身边钱钞着实不少。他们说在院子里借宿，等朋友。这种年轻雏儿，不会看中春芳的，待会我去跟他们说，要他们梳笼这贱货，运气好的话，赚他三四百两银子也不希奇。”龟奴笑道：“恭喜七姐招财进宝，我也好托你的福，还一笔赌债。”老鸨骂道：“路倒尸的贱胚，辛辛苦苦赚来几两银子，都去送在三十二张骨牌里。这件事办得不好，小心我割了你的乌龟尾巴。” 韦小宝知道“迷春酒”是一种药酒，喝了之后就人事不知，各处妓院中用来迷倒不肯接客的雏妓，从前听着只觉十分神奇，此时却知不过是在酒中混了些蒙汗药，可说寻常得紧，心想：“今日我的干爹是两个少年公子？是甚么家伙，倒要去瞧瞧。” 他悄悄溜到接待富商豪客的“甘露厅”外，站在向来站惯了的那个圆石墩上，凑眼向内张望。以往每逢有豪客到来，他必定站在这圆石墩窥探，此处窗缝特大，向厅内望去，一目了然，客人侧坐，却见不到窗外的人影。他过去已窥探了不知几百次，从来没碰过钉子。 只觉厅内红烛高烧，母亲脂粉满脸，穿着粉红缎衫，头上戴了一朵红花，正在陪笑给两个客人斟酒。韦小宝细细瞧着母亲，心想：“原来妈这么老了，这门生意做不长啦，也只有这两个瞎了眼的瘟生，才会叫她来陪酒。妈的小调唱得又不好听，倘若是我来逛院子，倘若她不是我妈，倒贴我一千两银子也不会叫她。”只听他母亲笑道：“两位公子爷喝了这杯，我来唱个《相思五更调》给两位下酒。” 韦小宝暗暗叹了口气，心道：“妈的小调唱来唱去只是这几只，不是《相思五更调》，就是'一根紫竹直苗苗'，再不然就是'一把扇子七寸长，一人搧风二人凉'，总不肯多学几只。她做婊子也不用心。”转念一想，险些笑了出来：“我学功夫也不肯用心，原来我的懒性儿，倒是妈那里传下来的。” 忽听得一个娇嫩的声音说道：“不用了！”这三字一入耳，韦小宝全身登时一震，险些从石墩上滑了下来，慢慢斜眼过去，只见一只纤纤玉手挡住了酒杯，从那只纤手顺着衣袖瞧上去，见到一张俏丽脸庞的侧面，却不是阿珂是谁？韦小宝心中大跳，惊喜之心难以抑制：“阿珂怎么到了扬州？为甚么到丽春院来，叫我妈陪酒？她女扮男装来到这里，不叫别人，单叫我妈，定是冲着我来了。原来她终究还有良心，记得我是跟她拜了天地的老公。啊哈，妙极，妙之极矣！你我夫妻团圆，今日洞房花烛，我将你双手抱在怀里……” 突然听得一个男子声音说道：“吴贤弟暂且不喝，待得那几位蒙古朋友到来……”韦小宝耳中嗡的一声，立知大事不妙，眼前天旋地转，一时目不见物，闭目定得一定神，睁眼看去，坐在阿珂身侧的那个少年公子，却不是台湾的二公子郑克塽是谁？ 韦小宝的母亲韦春芳笑道：“小相公既然不喝，大相公就多喝一杯。”给郑克塽斟了一杯酒，一屁股坐在他怀里。阿珂道：“喂，你放尊重些。”韦春芳笑道：“啊哟，小相公脸皮嫩，看不惯这调调儿。你以后天天到这里来玩儿，只怕还嫌人家不够风情呢。小相公，我叫个小姑娘来陪你，好不好？”阿珂忙道：“不，不，不要！你好好坐在一旁！”韦春芳笑道：“啊，你喝醋了，怪我陪大相公，不陪你。”站起身来，往阿珂怀中坐下去。 韦小宝只看得又是好气，又是好笑，心道：“天下竟有这样的奇事，我的老婆来嫖我的妈妈。”只见阿珂伸手一推，韦春芳站立不定，一交坐倒。韦小宝大怒，心道：“小婊子，你推你婆婆，这般没上没下！” 韦春芳却不生气，笑嘻嘻站起身来，说道：“小相公就是怕丑，你过来坐在我的怀里好不好？”阿珂怒道：“不好！”对郑克塽道：“我要去了！甚么地方不好跟人会面，为甚么定要在这里？”郑克塽道：“大家约好了在这里的，不见不散。我也不知原来是这等肮脏地方。喂，你给我规规矩矩的坐着。”最后这句话是对韦春芳说的。 韦小宝越想越怒，心道：“那日在广西柳江边上，你哀求老子饶你狗命，罚下重誓，决不再跟我老婆说一句话，今日竟然一同来嫖我妈妈。嫖我妈妈，倒也罢了，你跟我老婆却不知已说了几千句、几万句话。那日没割下你的舌头，实是老子大大的失策。” 韦春芳打起精神，伸手去擞郑克塽的头颈，郑克塽将她手臂一把推开，说道：“你到外面去罢，咱兄弟俩有几句话说。等我叫你再进来。”韦春芳无奈，只得出厅。郑克塽低声道：“珂妹，小不忍则乱大谋，要成就大事，咱们只好忍耐着点儿。”阿珂道：“那葛尔丹王子不是好人，他为甚么约你到这里来会面？” 韦小宝听到“葛尔丹王子”五字，寻思：“这蒙古混蛋也来了，好极，好极，他们多半是在商量造反。老子调兵遣将，把他们一网打尽。” 只听郑克塽道：“这几日扬州城里盘查很紧，旅店客栈中的客人，只要不是熟客，衙役捕快就来问个不休，倘若露了行迹，那就不妙了。这妓院中却没公差前来罗唣。咱们住在这里，稳妥得多。我跟你倒也罢了，葛尔丹王子一行人那副蒙古模样，可惹眼得很。再说，你这么天仙般的相貌，倘若住了客店，通扬州的人都要来瞧你，迟早定会出事。”阿珂浅浅一笑，道：“不用你油嘴滑舌的讨好。”郑克塽伸臂搂住她肩头，在她嘴角边轻轻一吻，笑道：“我怎么油嘴滑舌了？要是天仙有你这么美貌，甚么吕纯阳、铁拐李，也不肯下凡了，每个神仙都留在天上，目不转睛的瞧着我的小宝贝儿。”阿珂嗤的一笑，低下头去。 韦小宝怒火冲天，不可抑制，伸手一摸匕首，便要冲进去火併一场，随即转念：“这小子武功比我强，阿珂又帮着他。我一冲进去，奸夫淫妇定要谋杀亲夫。天下甚么人都好做，就是武大郎做不得。”当下强忍怒火，对他二人的亲热之态只好闭目不看。 只听阿珂道：“哥哥，到底……”这“哥哥”两字一叫，韦小宝更是酸气满腹，心道：“他妈的好不要脸，连'哥哥'也叫起来了。”她下面几句说话，就没听入耳中。只听郑克塽道：“他在明里，咱们在暗里。葛尔丹手下的武士着实厉害，包在我身上，这一次非在他身上刺几个透明窟窿不可。”阿珂道：“这家伙实在欺人太甚，此仇不报，我这一生总是不会快活。你知道，我本来是不肯认爹爹的，只因他答应为我报仇，派了八名武功好手陪我来一同行事，我才认了他。”韦小宝心道：“是谁得罪了你？你要报仇，跟你老公说好了，没甚么办不到的事，又何必认了吴三桂这大汉奸做爹爹。” 郑克塽道：“要刺死他也不是甚么难事，只不过鞑子官兵戒备严密，得手之后要全身而退，就不大容易。咱们总得想个万全之策，才好下手。”阿珂道：“爹爹答应我派人来杀了这人，也不是全为了我。他要起兵打鞑子，这人是个大大的阻碍。他吩咐我千万别跟妈说，我就料到他另有私心。”郑克塽道：“你跟你妈说了没有？”阿珂摇摇头，说道：“没有。这种事情越隐秘越好，说不定妈要出言阻止，我如不听妈的话，那也不好，还不如不说。”韦小宝心想：“她要行刺甚么人？这人为甚么是吴三桂起兵的阻碍？” 只听郑克塽道：“这几日我察看他出入的情形，防护着实周密，要走近他身前，就为难得很。我想来想去，这家伙是好色之徒，倘若有人扮作歌妓甚么的，便可挨近他身旁了。”韦小宝心道：“好色之徒？他说的是抚台？还是藩台？” 阿珂道：“除非是我跟师姊俩假扮，不过这种女子的下贱模样，我扮不来。”郑克塽道：“不如设法买通厨子，在他酒里放毒药。”阿珂恨恨的道：“毒死了他，我这口气不出。我要砍掉他一双手，割掉他尽向我胡说八道的舌头！这小鬼，我……我好恨！” “这小鬼”三字一入耳，韦小宝脑中一阵晕眩，随即恍然，心中不住说：“原来是要谋杀亲夫。”他虽知道阿珂一心一意的向着郑克塽，可万万想不到对自己竟这般切齿痛恨，心想：“我又有甚么对不住你了？”这个疑窦顷刻间便即解破，只听郑克塽道：“珂妹，这小子是迷上你啦，对你是从来不敢得罪半分的。我知道你要杀他，其实是为了给我出气。你这番情意，我……我真不知如何报答才是。” 阿珂柔声道：“他欺辱你一分，比欺辱我十分还令我痛恨。他如打我骂我，我瞧在师父面上，这口气也还咽得下，可是他对你……对你一次又一次的这般无礼，叫人一想起，恨不得立即将他千刀万剐。”郑克塽道：“珂妹，我现在就报答你好不好。”右臂也伸将过去，抱住了她身子。阿珂满脸娇羞，将头钻入他怀里。 韦小宝心中又酸又怒又苦，突然间头顶一紧，辫子已给人抓住。他大吃一惊，跟着耳朵又被人扭住，待要呼叫，听到耳边一个熟悉的声音低喝：“小王八蛋，跟我来！”这句“小王八蛋”，平生不知已给这人骂过几千百次，当下更不思索，乖乖的跟了便走。 抓他辫子、扭他耳朵之人，手法熟练已极，那也是平生不知已抓过他、扭过他几千百次了，正是他母亲韦春芳。
两人来到房中，韦春芳反脚踢上房门，松手放开他辫子和耳朵。韦小宝叫道：“妈！我回来了！”韦春芳向他凝视良久，突然一把将他抱住，呜呜咽咽的哭了起来。韦小宝笑道：“我不是回来见你了吗？你怎么哭了？”韦春芳抽抽噎噎的道：“你死到哪里去了？我在扬州城里城外找遍了你，求神拜佛，也不知许了多少愿心，磕了多少头。乖小宝，你终于回到娘身边了。”韦小宝笑道：“我又不是小孩子了，到外面逛逛，你不用担心。” 韦春芳泪眼模糊，见儿子长得高了，人也粗壮了，心下一阵欢喜，又哭了起来，骂道：“你这小王八蛋，到外面逛，也不给娘说一声，去了这么久，这一次不狠狠给你吃一顿笋炒肉，小王八蛋不知道老娘的厉害。” 所谓“笋炒肉”，乃是以毛竹板打屁股，韦小宝不吃已久，听了忍不住好笑。韦春芳也笑了起来，摸出手帕，给他擦去脸上泥污；擦得几擦，一低头，见到自己一件缎子新衫的前襟上又是眼泪，又是鼻涕，还染上儿子脸上的许多炭灰，不由得肉痛起来，拍的一声，重重打了他一个耳光，骂道：“我就是这一件新衣，还是大前年过年缝的，也没穿过几次。小王八蛋，你一回来也不干好事，就弄脏了老娘的新衣，叫我怎么去陪客人？” 韦小宝见母亲爱惜新衣，闹得红了脸，怒气勃发，笑道：“妈，你不用可惜。明儿我给你去缝一百套新衣，比这件好过十倍的。”韦春芳怒道：“小王八蛋就会吹牛，你有个屁本事？瞧你这副德性，在外边还能发了财回来么？”韦小宝道：“财是没发到，不过赌钱手气好，赢了些银子。” 韦春芳对儿子赌钱作弊的本事倒有三分信心，摊开手掌，说道：“拿来！你身边存不了钱，过不了半个时辰，又去花个干净。”韦小宝笑道：“这一次我赢得太多，说甚么也花不了。”韦春芳提起手掌，又是一个耳光打过去。 韦小宝一低头，让了开去，心道：“一见到我伸手就打的，北有公主，南有老娘。”伸手入怀，正要去取银子，外边龟奴叫道：“春芳，客人叫你，快去！” 韦春芳道：“来了！”到桌上镜箱竖起的镜子前一照，匆匆补了些脂粉，说道：“你给我躺在这里，老娘回来要好好审你，你……你可别走！”韦小宝见母亲眼光中充满担忧的神色，生怕自己又走得不知去向，笑道：“我不走，你放心！”韦春芳骂了声“小王八蛋”，脸有喜色，掸掸衣衫，走了出去。 韦小宝在床上躺下，拉过被来盖上，只躺得片刻，韦春芳便走进房来，手里拿着一把酒壶，她见儿子躺在床上，便放了心，转身便要走出。韦小宝知道是郑克塽要她去添酒，突然心念一动，道：“妈，你给客人添酒去吗？”韦春芳道：“是了，你给我乖乖躺着，妈回头弄些好东西给你吃。”韦小宝道：“你添了酒来，给我喝几口。”韦春芳骂道：“馋嘴鬼，小孩儿家喝甚么酒？”拿着酒壶走了。 韦小宝忙向板壁缝中一张，见隔房仍是无人，当即一个箭步冲出房来，走进隔房，打开柜子，取了老鸨的那瓶“迷春酒”，回入自己房中，藏在被窝里，拔开了瓶塞，心道：“郑克塽你这小杂种，要在我酒里放毒药，老子今日给你来个先下手为强！” 过不多时，韦春芳提着一把装得满满的酒壶，走进房来，说道：“快喝两口。”韦小宝躺在床上，接过了酒壶，坐起身来，喝了一口。韦春芳瞧着儿子偷嫖客的酒喝，脸上不自禁的流露爱怜横溢之色。韦小宝道：“妈，你脸上有好大一块煤灰。”韦春芳忙到镜子前去察看。韦小宝提起酒壶往被中便倒，跟着将“迷春酒”倒了大半瓶入壶。 韦春芳见脸上干干净净，哪里有甚么煤灰了，登时省起儿子又在捣鬼，要支使开自己，以便大口偷酒喝，当即转身，抢过了酒壶，骂道：“小王八蛋是老娘肚里钻出来的，我还不知你的鬼计？哼，从前不会喝酒，外面去浪荡了这些日子，甚么坏事都学会了。” 韦小宝道：“妈，那个小相公脾气不好，你说甚么得灌他多喝几杯。他醉了不作声，再骗那大相公的银子就容易了。” 韦春芳道：“老娘做了一辈子生意，这玩意儿还用你教吗？”心中却颇以儿子的主意为然，又想：“小王八蛋回家，真是天大的喜事，今晚最好那瘟生不叫我陪过夜，老娘要陪儿子。”拿了酒壶，匆匆出去。 韦小宝躺在床上，一会儿气愤，一会儿得意，寻思：“老子真是福将，这姓郑的臭贼甚么人不好嫖，偏偏来讨我便宜，想做老子的干爹。今日还不嗤的一剑，再撒上些化尸粉？”想到在郑克塽的伤口中撒上化尸粉后，过不多久，便化成一滩黄水，阿珂醉转来，她的“哥哥”从此无影无踪，不知去向。她就是想破了脑袋，也猜不到是怎么一回事，“他妈的，你叫哥哥啊，多叫几声哪，就快没得叫了。” 他想得高兴，爬起身来，又到甘露厅外向内张望，只见郑克塽刚喝干了一杯酒，阿珂举杯就口，浅浅喝了一口。韦小宝大喜，只见母亲又给郑克塽斟酒。郑克塽挥手道：“出去，出去，不用你侍候。”韦春芳答应了一声，放下酒壶时衣袖遮住了一碟火腿片。 韦小宝微微一笑，心道：“我就有火腿吃了。”忙回入房中。 过不多时，韦春芳拿了那碟火腿片进来，笑道：“小王八蛋，你死在外面，有这好东西吃吗？”笑眯眯的坐在床沿，瞧着儿子吃得津津有味，比自己吃还要喜欢。 韦小宝道：“妈，你没喝酒？”韦春芳道：“我已喝了好几杯，再喝就怕醉了，你又溜走。”韦小宝心想：“不把妈妈迷倒，干不了事。”说道：“我不走就是。妈，我好久没陪你睡了，你今晚别去陪那两个瘟生，在这里陪我。” 韦春芳大喜，儿子对自己如此依恋，那还是他七八岁之前的事，想不到出外吃了一番苦头，终究想起娘的好处来，不由得眉花眼笑，道：“好，今晚娘陪乖小宝睡。” 韦小宝道：“妈，我虽在外边，可天天想着你。来，我给你解衣服。”他的马屁功夫用之于皇帝、教主、公主、师父，无不极灵，此刻用在亲娘身上，居然也立收奇效。韦春芳应酬得嫖客多了，男人的手摸上身来，便当他是木头，但儿子的手伸过来替自己解衣扣，不由得全身酸软，吃吃笑了起来。 韦小宝替母亲解去了外衣，便去给她解裤带。韦春芳呸的一声，在他手上轻轻一拍，笑道：“我自己解。”忽然有些害羞，钻入被中，脱下裤子，从被窝里拿出来放在被上。韦小宝摸了两锭银子，共有三十几两，塞在母亲手里，道：“妈，这是我给你的。”韦春芳一阵喜欢，忽然流下泪来，道：“我……我给你收着，过得……过得几年，给你娶媳妇。” 韦小宝心道：“我这就娶媳妇去了。”吹熄了油灯，道：“妈，你快睡，我等你睡着了再睡。”韦春芳笑骂：“小王八蛋，花样真多。”便闭上了眼。她累了一日，又喝了好几杯酒，见到儿子回来，更喜悦不胜，一