Chapter 238 Chapter Eight Kabuki Troupe

Xiang Shaolong got out of the tunnel without any surprise or danger. It was a big well next to the stables.The exit is in the middle of the well wall, seven or eight feet away from the water surface, and there are stone gaps for people to step on to the wellhead. When he poked his head out of the well, the snow had stopped, and the sky was dawning. A row of stables lined up on the left, and there were several houses for horse breeders. This kind of stables is very common, there are public and private management.Most of the horses come from pastures outside the city, for the rich and those who can afford to buy and rent horses.

Xiang Shaolong walked into the stable, hesitating whether to steal a sheep or not, but he was afraid that the target would be too obvious. Suddenly someone's voice came, so frightened that he quickly hid in a corner, covering himself with the grass for the horses. There were two people. One of them said: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. The superiors have already informed you that the villain will pick the best four horses for you. Alas! Who in Daliang doesn't want to see your young lady's singing and dancing that is known as the best in the world? Can the villain It was a great honor to do something for her.”

Han Yu, surnamed Zhang, was obviously very good at putting on airs, so he just snorted, and came to the horse fence near Xiang Shaolong's hiding place, and said, "This horse looks good, its teeth are neat and white, what kind of horse is it?" The man in charge of the stable said: "This is a thoroughbred horse from Luyuan in the north. It is both good-looking and hardworking. Mr. Zhang really has vision." After pondering for a while, the man surnamed Zhang said: "Did I find the controller you were looking for? We are really troubled these days, and a person who is so good will suddenly die of illness. I am so tired that I have to look for someone everywhere."

The head of the stable said: "If you can do things for Miss and Master Zhang, how can a villain not do his best? I have already found a man named Shen Liang, who once drove a chariot for Mr. Wuji and is proficient in martial arts. It's pretty good, and definitely meets Mr. Zhang's requirements." Then he said in a low voice: "He is an old friend of the villain, Mr. Zhang should understand that no one in Daliang dares to use Mr. Wuji's old man, otherwise, with Shen Liang's skills, how could he have been idle for two full years." Hanyu Zhang surnamed coldly snorted, "Where is he?"

The head of the stable smiled and said: "He didn't know that Mr. Zhang would come so early. He is afraid that he is still sleeping at the moment. Mr. Zhang goes to the house to have a sip of hot tea first, and the villain will call him to kowtow to Mr. Zhang." The man surnamed Zhang said: "I don't have time to drink tea. You pull my horse out first, and I will pay you immediately, and then you call that guy. Don't blame me for not waiting for him. We are not There are no other warriors available." Then there was the sound of leading a horse, and the two went to another stable.

Xiang Shaolong secretly called God to help me, and quickly took out the stolen clothes and changed them on.This set of clothes is the most unremarkable in Mr. Pingqiu's suitcase, and it is very suitable for Shen Liang, who is a servant of a wealthy family in distress. After hiding the old clothes in a secret place, the stable chief left the stable and walked towards the house, obviously wanting to wake up Shen Liang. Xiang Shaolong dodged out, saw that Master Zhang was inspecting the four horses, coughed dryly, went up to meet him and bowed to the tunnel, and said, "Little man Shen Liang, please forgive Master Zhang for being late."

That master Zhang didn't expect him to come so fast, he looked him up and down, his expression flashed with satisfaction, his eyes fell on his blood wave sword, and he said lightly: "My name is Zhang Quan, and I'm Miss Feng's official job. Those who have surpassed Wei Wuji certainly know the rules. Five taels of silver per month, if Miss Feng is satisfied, you can continue to do it for a long time." Zhang Quannian was in his thirties, shrewd on the one hand, but rather vulgar in appearance, with two thick beards on his lips, and a look of excessive wine. Xiang Shaolong hastily agreed.

Zhang Quan said: "Time is running out, let's go, it's going to snow again." Xiang Shaolong secretly called "Thank God", put on his cloak, led his horse and followed him. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ The process of leaving the city was surprisingly smooth. The most ironic thing is that there are countless dignitaries who came to see him off, and he, a fugitive, was among them. Before he reached the city gate, heavy snow fell again. Putting on a cloak and a windshield mask, he lowered his head. Moreover, this was the normal attire of a royal, so no one doubted it.The most wonderful thing is that because he sits in the position of the ruler, people cannot perceive his majestic figure.

Originally, he was afraid that Feng Fei would recognize him, but luckily he never had the chance to meet Feng Fei.And at this time he was full of beards, if Feng Fei hadn't paid attention to him, she would never have easily identified him as Xiang Shaolong. It's funny to say, he didn't want to disturb Shan Meimei, but finally escaped from the palace with her help.He also didn't want to implicate Feng Fei, who didn't have much friendship, but in the end he still relied on her to break through the difficulty of the East City gate. This time it can be described as a lifeline from a desperate situation.

I hope it will be smooth sailing from now on and return to Qin safely. Of course he didn't want to go to Qi, as long as he saw the opportunity, he would immediately desert and slip away. The people of Wei treated Feng Fei very politely, and sent a team of 500 light cavalry to escort them along the way, led by a general named Ao Xiang. Feng Fei's song and dance troupe was crowded with more than a dozen carriages.There were two hundred dancers and musicians plus servants, and it was enough to just pay each person's salary, which shows how rich Feng Fei's income is.He couldn't help but think of the stunning beauty in the carriage behind him, and even remember the touching scene of whispering with her in the small building that day.

She is like a superstar in the music scene of the 21st century, but being able to appreciate her singing and dancing is the privilege of the rich and powerful, and ordinary people do not have such a blessing. After leaving Daliang, the chariot and horse team crossed the ditch and headed straight north. When they reached Jishui, there were already five three-masted giant ships waiting. Only then did Xiang Shaolong realize why he had to leave early, because it was almost dusk. When he saw that Wei Bing was also accompanying him on board, he couldn't help crying in his heart.It would be terrible if he was forced to go to Qi State like this. Going downstream like this, it takes only four or five days to enter the state of Qi. At that time, it will take a lot of trouble to return to the state of Zhao.But there was no other choice at this time, so I bit the bullet and boarded the ship. Of the five large ships, the Wei people took three and Feng Fei took two.This made Xiang Shaolong heave a sigh of relief because he didn't have to face Wei Bing day and night. He was on the boat where Feng Fei lived.At this time, his status was the lowest in the maiko troupe, and he was assigned to a room with only one small window in the bottom cabin, and he had to be squeezed together with other imperial servants, six of whom shared a room. The other riders didn't know if they ganged up to exclude him because he snatched the honor of driving for Feng Fei, and they immediately gambled after they entered the room, but they didn't invite him to join. Xiang Shaolong was so happy that after dinner, he got into the quilt on a corner of the mat and fell asleep with his head covered. Those people also deliberately said some gossip, some of which insulted his "master" Lord Xinling, pointed at Sang and scolded Huai, Xiang Shaolong was amused in his heart, but he really had nothing to do with him, and soon fell asleep. I don't know how long I slept, suddenly there was a sharp pain in my thigh, I opened my eyes and saw that it was one of the warriors named Gu Ming who kicked him hard. Xiang Shaolong sat up angrily, and shouted: "What's the matter?" Another royal, Fu Yan, hugged his knees, sat in a corner by the wall like a rascal, and said with a smile: "Shen Liang, when were you born? Are you a pig? Otherwise, how could you sleep like a dead dog?" Like a pig?" The others echoed and laughed, full of disdain and sarcasm. Another person named Fang Sheng, he was the only one who didn't make fun of Xiang Shaolong, shouted in a low voice: "Stop playing tricks. Shen Liang! It's dawn, come with me!" Xiang Shaolong suppressed his anger and followed him out of the room. When I came to the deck, I saw that the sky was clear and the two banks were all white. I felt relieved and forgot all the unpleasant things just now. All the servants are queuing up to wait for the cooked meals, and a bunch of people are fetching water to freshen up. It is a noisy place, which does not have a feeling of life. A rather pretty maidservant, accompanied by two healthy women, was talking to Zhang Quan. Seeing Xiang Shaolong's more majestic figure than others, she showed a look of attention and sized him up a few times. Xiang Shaolong had a ghost in his heart, and he felt unnatural when she saw it. Fang Sheng's voice sounded next to his ears and said, "That's the second miss, Dong Shuzhen's maidservant, Miss Xiaoling. We call her Little Chili. Miss loves pets, and likes to be domineering the most, it is best not to provoke her if there is nothing to do." Xiang Shaolong smiled wryly in his heart, he had always been aloof, so he never thought that there were different classes and factions among maids and servants. After Fangsheng washed his face, he had two bowls of food in his turn, and squatted in a corner to eat and drink. Fang Sheng said: "Are you still angry about what happened just now? In fact, they are angry with Zhang Quan, and Gu Ming is the person who is the deputy in charge of Sha Li. The chief in charge just wanted to kill their arrogance, and deliberately hired you, an outsider, to replace this person The position that people compete for. If they are not afraid of going too far and angering the chief executive, you will be fine." Only then did Xiang Shaolong understand why he had to hire him even though there were so many people, and he secretly thought he was lucky. Seeing that he was silent, Fang Sheng stopped talking. Xiang Shaolong felt very sorry, and said, "How long has Brother Fang been with Miss?" Fang Sheng said, "It's been three years." Xiang Shaolong really wanted to ask him about Feng Fei's background, but finally felt that it was inappropriate, so he asked instead: "Does Brother Fang have a family?" Fang Sheng wiped a wry smile from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Slaves of a subjugated country, how can we talk about getting married? If the lady hadn't shown mercy, my Fang Sheng might have died of cold on the street." Xiang Shaolong stayed for a long while before he lowered his head and finished his meal, at the same time he asked Fang Sheng about the situation of the song and dance troupe without saying a word. At this time, a strong male servant came to Xiang Shaolong's side, and said coldly: "Are you Shen Liang?" Xiang Shaolong remembered his identity, stood up quickly and said, "What orders does this elder brother have?" The strong servant said proudly: "My name is Kunshan, and I am Master Zhang's deputy. Just call me Brother Shan. I heard that you know how to use a sword. Show me the sword!" Although Xiang Shaolong was unwilling, he had no choice but to draw his sword and hand it over to him. Unexpectedly, Kun Shan's expression changed and he said, "Is your other hand lame?" Xiang Shaolong almost punched him down Jishui, so he had to offer it with both hands instead. Most of Feng Fei's male servants wear long swords, and Kunshan is no exception, but it is undoubtedly far worse than Blood Wave.Kunshan held the sword in his hand and looked at it, his eyes lit up immediately. Xiang Shaolong knew that he was greedy, so he preemptively said: "This is the precious sword given to me by the lord. The sword is with the people, and the sword is with the dead." He blocked his mouth first. Kun Shan had an envious look on his face, he played with it for a long time before he was willing to return it to Xiang Shaolong, and said with a straight face: "Master Zhang wants to see you, come with me!" Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that those who are really high-ranking officials don't put on airs like these people.With a wry smile in his heart, he followed him to the upper platform. This ship is about 30 feet long, nearly twice as long as Qin's largest "Dayi" warship. This is because the ship is used to carry people and goods, not flexible and fast, but heavy.The hull is slender, more than two feet wide, the bow and stern are upturned, and two sails are set on the bow and one on the stern.In the middle of the two sets of sails and masts is the cabin, which is divided into three floors, the upper two floors are built on the deck, and the bottom floor is under the deck. Feng Fei and a group of high-status singing and dancing girls naturally live in the most comfortable top floor, and the servants in charge of the next level live in the next floor. Those with low status like Xiang Shaolong are squeezed into the bottom floor with the worst environment. Including the sailors, the ship carried nearly a hundred people, and it was noisy, but it was a different scene. The development of water transportation has been very developed during this period, and there is a saying that "the boat can't be used for one day".Especially in the southern water network areas where the rivers are dense, water transport has always been the main mode of transportation. When wars are frequent, the establishment of a water army is inevitable, and civilian ships are also popular. Every time Xiang Shaolong took a boat in the past, he was "high above others", only this time he tasted the feeling of "below others". Zhang Quan was leaning against the railing on the platform and looking forward, and there were two swordsmen who looked like bodyguards beside him, looking very proud. When Xiang Shaolong walked up to him to salute, Zhang Quan seemed not aware that he had arrived, still facing the cold wind, he didn't look at him. Xiang Shaolong was amused in his heart, Zhang Quan himself was like this, no wonder everyone below wanted to put on airs and show their authority. During the chat with Fang Sheng just now, he already had a general understanding of this song and dance troupe. Of course, Feng Fei, who is the head of the three famous concubines, stands high above all others. Then came the twelve singing and dancing girls, all of whom were first-rate beauties, and Dong Shuzhen, also known as the second lady, was the first among them.The reason why Dong Shuzhen's status is detached is because she is the only person besides Feng Fei who knows how to compose and arrange music. Zhang Quan, who is in charge, and Sha Li, who is in charge, also belong to this level; they are responsible for all affairs in the regiment.The latter is more in charge of servants such as the imperial porters. This time Zhang Quan intervened in the imperial who was personally hired to drive Feng Fei, obviously intervening within the scope of Sha Li's authority and carrying out the power struggle within this small circle. After the singing girl is in charge, it is the turn of the senior musicians and the personal servants of the singing and dancing girls.Since they are all close to Feng Fei and the singing and dancing girls, although they have no real positions, they actually have quite a lot of power. Among the senior musicians, Yunniang is the first, just like the foreman of the band.She is a retired singing and dancing girl, and she is also in charge of training newcomers, she is highly regarded by Feng Fei, so no one dares to mess with her. Among the maidservants, Feng Fei, who had been met by Xiang Shaolong before, and Feng Fei called her a pretty maid, Xiao Ping'er, and Xiaoling, the maid who met Dong Shuzhen just now, had the most status, even Zhang Quan. Waiting also have to rely on their noses to do things. Since the founding of the state by the Zhou family, rites and music have always been valued, and this kind of singing and dancing troupe came into being. Famous performers traveled around the world and performed on tour, and were welcomed everywhere. Outstanding people like Feng Fei were even more expensive than princes. unaffected by the war. Zhang Quan asked Xiang Shaolong to wait for a while before he said in a deep voice, "I heard that people like Gu Ming provoked you many times, didn't they?" Xiang Shaolong didn't know what kind of medicine his gourd was selling, so he replied: "They are indeed not very friendly, but the villain can bear it." Zhang Quan turned around like a whirlwind, and said disdainfully: "Aren't you proficient in martial arts? You should have seen many scenes. If someone kicks your ass, you dare not fight back. What kind of man are you?" The other two bodyguards and Kun Shan standing behind both sneered flatteringly and agreeingly. Xiang Shaolong couldn't figure it out and said, "I was afraid that Master Zhang would blame me if something happened when I arrived, so I didn't dare to fight back. If Master Zhang thinks it's okay to fight back, I will know how to do it next time. gone." In fact, he knows that he has a hard time, and he is most afraid that the matter will get into trouble with Feng Fei, and she will recognize him, otherwise this will be a good way to get out.It would be best if Shari dismissed him at once, so that he could go away when the ship berthed. Although Shan Meimei said that Feng Fei admired him very much, but people's hearts are unpredictable, and that is always an unknown variable.He has worked so hard to escape from the hunting net, and never wants to fall into this hunting net again. Hearing what he said, Zhang Quan's expression softened a little. The tall bodyguard on his left said: "Master Zhang thinks highly of you and has taken up this fat position for you. Naturally, you should perform a little bit, and you can't weaken Master Zhang's prestige." After Xiang Shaolong came to this era, he started following Tao Fang and spent every day in the struggle for power. Hearing what they said, he immediately understood. It's a wonderful move without seeing blood. The reason why he was hired was that Zhang Quan intentionally angered people from the faction of deputy manager Sha Li.That Zhang Quan can take the opportunity to arrange and dispatch Sari, isn't it?And now Sha Li is on another boat, and he didn't even have a chance to defend himself. This trick is really not enough. Only Zhang Quan's act of hiring him can kill Sha Li's prestige and show the servants that only Zhang Quan is the most talkative person.Who would have thought that such a matter would involve a power struggle within the song and dance troupe? The lifespan of this kind of song and dance troupe will never be too long. Once Feng Fei gets tired or gets married, it must end.Of course, the members of the song and dance troupe can also get generous severance pay, and that is what Fang Sheng told him the greatest expectation for the song and dance troupe. Kun Shan, who was behind him, interjected at this moment: "Even if someone is killed, as long as you don't cause trouble first, Mr. Zhang will help you, understand?" Xiang Shaolong had nothing to say, so he nodded helplessly. Zhang Quan's tone was a little gentle, and he said: "As long as you are loyal to me, I, Zhang Quan, will never treat you lightly. Seeing your yellow skin and thin skin, you must have suffered a lot in the past two years. Do things with your heart! You Since you have served Wei Wuji before, you will naturally understand what I am talking about." Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, his appearance has indeed changed a lot.In addition to having an extra beard, he also lost a lot of weight.So even if facing Feng Fei and Xiao Ping'er, I'm afraid they won't recognize him. We met in the small building that night, the lights were dim, and we spent most of the time sitting and talking. Now that the image has been completely changed, it is indeed possible to hide it from them. Thinking of this, I feel relieved. After Zhang Quan swung him back, Xiang Shaolong returned to the deck on the lower level, but Fang Sheng went nowhere.Just as he was about to look for him at the bow, when he passed the narrow aisle on the side of the cabin, someone blocked the way and shouted, "Didn't Manager Zhang tell you the rules? No servants are allowed to come to the bow. If you disturb the ladies, you will feel better." .” Xiang Shaolong was startled, and looked forward to see his husband, only to see a slim and handsome maid staring at him fiercely with round eyes, with her hands on her hips, like a tigress. He hurriedly apologized, retreated back, and simply returned to the bottom cabin and fell asleep.When he woke up, there was music coming from above. It should be Feng Fei who was rehearsing singing and dancing. The afternoon sun shone through the small window, and he was the only one in the room. Xiang Shaolong sat up and leaned against the bulkhead, thinking that he had missed the time for lunch, but Fang Sheng pushed the door in with a bowl of white rice full of vegetables, handed it to him and said, "I saw you sleeping I don’t want to wake you up, so I leave a bowl for you.” Xiang Shaolong was moved in his heart, took two mouthfuls after receiving it, and chewed: "Brother Fang, do you have any other relatives?" Fang Sheng sat down beside him, remained silent for a while, and then said calmly: "They all died in the chaos of war!" Hearing his tone, Xiang Shaolong knew that things would not be so simple. This Fangsheng has a good conversation, obviously he is a person of good background.Maybe it was the clan of a small country, escaped when the country was ruined and the family was destroyed, joined Feng Fei's song and dance troupe after a while, and became the emperor. Fang Sheng said again: "I have no other hope now, I just want to earn a few bucks, then find a quiet place to build a house, buy a few acres of land to cultivate, and don't have to look at the faces of those villains in the future." Xiang Shaolong saw that his face was covered with frost, and although his age was similar to his own, but he looked like he had experienced many hardships, his heart was sad, and on impulse, he almost took out the two ingots of gold in his arms and gave them to him, so that he could fulfill his dream.But knowing that it is very unwise to do so, he suppressed this tempting thought and continued to eat. Fang Sheng said: "The boat will arrive at Gucheng at dusk, and we will sail again tomorrow. Let's be companions and find two girls on the shore to have fun. If Brother Shen has no money, I can lend it to you first." Xiang Shaolong was surprised and said, "Don't you want to save money to buy a house and land?" Fang Sheng said: "Return the savings to the savings, we low-spirited people are not like Zhang Quan and the others who can take advantage of those elder sisters, and we have to spend some money when necessary. But we must be careful to avoid Gu Ming Those people, just now I saw them whispering to several generals, and they mentioned your name, are they going to deal with you?" Hearing Wuming, Xiang Shaolong became angry, snorted coldly, and did not speak again.If you don't give them some color, how will you live your life in the future?Xuan also secretly scolded himself for being confused.If you have this opportunity, you would be a fool if you don't take the opportunity to sneak away.