Chapter 2 Chapter Two

Yangzhou City gradually became lively. After the gates of the city were opened at 9 o'clock, merchants and peasants rushed in and out of the gates. The boats that arrived yesterday were unloaded at the pier, and they were sent into the city at this time. From Yangzhou to the Yangtze River in the east, you can go to the Japanese country, Ryukyu and other places in Southeast Asia. Therefore, Yangzhou has become one of the most important transshipment stations in the country, busier and more tense than any other city. However, the atmosphere today is a bit different. There are a large number of officers and soldiers in and outside the city, and the inspections for customs clearance are much stricter, and there are long queues.However, although everyone is anxious, no one dares to complain, because those who are used to the rivers and lakes can see that there are many big men in imperial guard uniforms among the local officers and soldiers. Dare to offend the most domineering guards from the capital.

There are five bazaars in the city, among which the Nanmen bazaar facing the Yangtze River is the most prosperous, and there are at least dozens of food stalls of various sizes, which are the most popular for tourists who are going to take a boat on the river. Ideal location for repairs. In addition to being a hub of transportation, Yangzhou is also a famous fireworks resort since ancient times. No matter whether you are a rich businessman, a celebrity who claims to be a literary talent, or a fencing hero, if you don’t visit here, it’s not considered a place. The heroes in the Fengyue field are so prosperous that they can meet each other.

Among the food stalls in the south gate, Lao Feng's vegetable and meat buns are the most famous.In addition, the old Feng's concubine, Zhensao, who is in charge of selling buns, has a beautiful face, which has become a living sign to attract business. When Lao Feng brought a plate of steaming vegetable and meat buns from the kitchen inside to the shop for Mrs. Zhen to sell, the impatient customers rushed to hand over their money. Sister-in-law Zhen was so busy that she was sweating profusely, when suddenly a young boy came out from the crowd, and said with a smile on his face, "Eight steamed stuffed buns with vegetables and meat, hello, sister-in-law Zhen!"

This son was Xu Ziling, because he was afraid of being seen by Lao Feng, he bent his body deliberately, and was half shorter than the others, his appearance made people laugh. Fortunately, his appearance is very pleasing, with long and elf eyes, a straight nose, a broad forehead, and a sunny smile on the corner of his mouth.If it wasn't for the oily face, ragged clothes, and the fact that his face was blue and his lips were swollen from being beaten by Boss Yan, he would look really good, now!It makes people less dare to flatter. When Sister-in-law Zhen saw him, she turned her head worriedly and glanced at Lao Feng and Mrs. Evil, who were too busy in the kitchen, and felt relieved when they saw that they couldn't see what was going on here.

While dealing with other customers, she pretended to be coquettish and said: "If you don't have money, what kind of buns do you buy?" Xu Ziling laughed and said, "If there is any delay, I will pay you back tomorrow." Sister-in-law Zhen grabbed four buns in the fastest way, hesitated for a moment and took two more buns, wrapped them in paper, stuffed them into his hands, and cursed: "This is the last trip, alas! What did it look like?" With a cheer, Xu Ziling withdrew from the crowd, straightened his waist, and immediately became more airy. It turned out that although he was young, he was as tall as an adult man. His shoulders were broad and his waist was narrow, but he was thinner due to malnutrition.

Squeezing past a row of fruit and vegetable stalls, Hengli Kou Zhong snatched it out, grabbed a steamed stuffed bun with his hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and said vaguely, "Is this the last trip again?" Kou Zhong was a year older than him, but half an inch shorter than him, with broad shoulders and thick arms, quite stout.Although he owes Xu Ziling's handsomeness, he has big ears and a masculine and strong outline. His demeanor is indifferent and very attractive. His eyes are deep and dynamic, and he is by no means inferior to Xu Ziling. Not in the pool. However, his clothes were patched and patched, more filthy than Xu Ziling, and not much better than a little beggar.

Xu Ziling was already eating the third steamed stuffed bun, frowned and said, "Don't talk about sister-in-law Zhen, okay? How many kind-hearted people like her are there in Yangzhou now? It's a pity that her natal family owes money, and my father treats money poorly." Just like fate, I sold her to stinky old Feng as a concubine, God must be blind." At this time, the two walked out of the market, came to the street, squeezed in the flow of people going out of the city, and walked towards the south gate. Kou Zhong filled his stomach, put his head on Xu Ziling's shoulder, looked around and said, "There are so many fat sheep today, it's better to find someone who is older, with gorgeous clothes, single, full of worries, and doesn't know if he loses his wallet." Kind of stupid."

Xu Ziling smiled wryly and said: "That time you were the bastard who wanted to kill the old man. Later, when he saw people robbing the land, he pretended to pick up the money bag and returned it to him. I was so tired that I was beaten up by the slanderous boss." Kou Zhong said: "Don't forget that I'm just going to pay back half of the money to the old man. It's you who wanted to please the old man and insisted that I pay back the full amount intact. Now you're talking about me. Hey! But we stole There is also Tao, the real good man. Ha! Look!" Xu Ziling followed his gaze and happened to catch a glimpse of an old Confucian scholar in his fifties walking towards the city gate.

This gentleman is gorgeously dressed, has a hurried expression, bows his head and walks quickly, fully meeting all the conditions proposed by Kou Zhong. How could it be such a coincidence?Both of them were dumbfounded, and their eyes fell on the slightly raised part of his clothes behind him. Of course, he hid the money bag in his lower back. Kou Zhong leaned close to Xu Ziling's ear and said, "Whether we will be lucky depends on whether this guy is ostentatious." Xu Ziling said anxiously: "I will definitely pay back the money to Sister-in-law Zhen first." When the two rushed to chase, suddenly a group of officers and soldiers came to meet them. They were taken aback, turned around, dodged into the side alley, and rushed to the other end of the side alley, which was another street parallel to the south of the city.

The two sat down against the wall. After Kou Zhong sighed for a while, he thought about it again: "If we try to apply for the imperial examination, although our materials are obtained from eavesdropping on old master Bai's lectures, at least they are better than those useless people who paid enough money to listen to the books. , If you get the inscription on the list, you can become a high-ranking official at that time without having to spend money or take the risk of traveling long distances." Xu Ziling said angrily, "You said you were going to join the volunteer army, but now you say you're going to take the imperial examination. It's as easy as peeking at the girls in Chunfengyuan taking a bath. After all..."

Kou Zhong punched him in the ribs, winking. Xu Ziling looked at the way he had come, and saw that the old Confucian scholar was walking hastily like them, turning a blind eye to them and rushing towards the street. Overjoyed, the two jumped up and chased after the old Confucian scholar. The time to act has come. The old Confucian scholar hurried on his way, unaware that there was a slit in his clothes behind him.Just now he was going out of the city by the south gate, and he shrank back in fright due to the strict guards. He knew that it was not suitable to go out at this time, and he dared not return home. . When the old Confucian scholar was shocked, he was held hostage by people on both sides, unable to move. The person who blocked the way was Yu Wenhuaji and a group of subordinates. The master of the Yuwen clan came to the old Confucian scholar with a smile, looked him up and down, and said calmly: "This is not Tian Tian who is famous for his poetry and prose. Teacher Wen? I heard that the teacher is a close friend of Master Shilong. Just now we took the liberty to pay a visit to Teacher Tian in your residence, but accidentally fished out Master Shi’s body from the bottom of the well. Now Teacher Tian is in a hurry and doesn’t know what to do. Why?" Tian Wen's face changed drastically, and he could still speak. At this time, the passers-by noticed something different, but they saw that among the people surrounding Tian Wen, there were the city's garrison adults, who would dare to intervene. The two burly men carrying Tian Wen didn't have idle hands, they searched Tian Wen's body, but they couldn't find the "Secret of Longevity" that should be on him. Zhang Shihe shot himself, and after a while, he realized that the clothes on Tian Wen's back had been cut by a sharp weapon, and his expression changed, "No! They were taken away." Yu Wenhua and his eyes flashed coldly, and said in a deep voice, "Chen Shoubei!" Chen Shoubei, who is usually domineering and domineering, hurried forward, met Yu Wenhuaji's eyes, his legs became weak immediately, he knelt down, and said in a trembling voice: "The humble job is here!" Yu Wenhuaji said coldly: "Immediately close the gates of the city and arrest all the thieves and ruffians at the same time. If they don't hand over what the Holy Majesty wants, they will die." Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong sat side by side in a quiet alley in the east of the city, staring blankly at the opened "Secret of Longevity". Xu Ziling said disappointedly: "The next time you pick things up, don't run into these people who look like teachers. This strange book is more difficult to understand than the heavenly book. Don't you, Young Master Zhong, often boast that you have a lot of knowledge? Tell me What is written on it?" Kou Zhong said triumphantly: "How can I be as ignorant as you are? This must be a martial arts secret book from the time of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. Once you practice it well, you will be invincible in the world. Even Master Shi will be willing to bow down. Just look at these figures The image, you know it is the secret of meridians and qi, ha! This time I got treasure. Look! Have you ever seen this kind of strange paper?" Xu Ziling laughed and said, "Stop bragging about it, read two words to me, and see how you learn." Kou Zhong was old-fashioned, his eyes were bright and he said: "As long as someone can write it, someone will understand it. Let us find the most knowledgeable old scholar and ask him to translate these strange words, and our Yangzhou Shuanglong is responsible for practicing. This is called division of labor and cooperation, everyone gets what he wants, understand?" Xu Ziling said dejectedly: "Do you consider yourself the manager of Yangzhou? Who would listen to our orders so obediently? Now our Yangzhou Shuangshes have problems with their next meal. It seems that we have to take out the hidden coils and exchange them for two steamed stuffed buns. It’s more realistic to have a full stomach.” Kou Zhong laughed, stood up, covered the book with his clothes, and stretched his waist: "My young master Zhong will be in charge of lunch, come on! Let's go home and get the money out first, and then go to the pier outside the city to be his mother." There is no cost to buy and sell the two orders, and then run away immediately, otherwise if the stinky boss finds out that we are carrying treasures, it will be terrible." Xu Ziling remembered the brutal beating yesterday, and still had lingering fears, so he jumped up and followed Kou Zhong to sneak to his "home" in the abandoned garden. Yu Wenhuaji was sitting in the lobby of the general manager's mansion, drinking hot tea, accompanied by Yu Chisheng, the general manager of Yangzhou. The two are not only knowledgeable, but their relationship is even more extraordinary. Before Yang Jian established the Great Sui Dynasty, he was a minister of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Later, after the death of Zhou Xuan Emperor Yu Wenyun, Yang Jian colluded with Zheng Yi, a doctor of internal history, and Liu Fang, a doctor of Yuzheng, and used the excuse that Yu Wenchan, who succeeded him, was young. The court is in power.A year later, Yang Jian forced Emperor Jing to abdicate and proclaim himself emperor.The Yuwen surname in the Northern Zhou Dynasty ruled the world, and it was replaced by the Yang surname from then on. However, because of the deep-rooted influence of the Yuwen surname, although Yang Jian became the emperor, he still failed to uproot the Yuwen clan. When his son Yang Guang became the emperor, the Yuwen surname became stronger again. Strictly speaking, although Yuwen's surname seems to serve the Sui Dynasty loyally, in fact, he only buried his hatred deep in his heart. After Yang Jian seized the throne, three ministers who supported the Yuwen family in the Northern Zhou Dynasty rebelled. They were Yuchi Zhou, the governor of Xiangzhou, Sima Xiaonan, the governor of Zhengzhou, and Wang Qian, the governor of Yizhou. These people were either related to the Yuwen family or loyal to the Northern Zhou royal family. . Among them, Yu Chi Zhou was Yu Chi Sheng's uncle, so it could be seen that the two had a close relationship, so they had no scruples when they talked about secrets. Yu Wenhuaji sighed and said: "This is really important. I have prepared experts. As long as I get the treasure book, I will immediately pretend to be successful in deciphering it, and give it to the stupid king to practice. I guarantee that within three months, he will be able to decipher it successfully." Practicing to death. Who would have expected to get what should have been handy, but there were twists and turns, and it would be bad if you wanted to counterfeit another book." Yu Chisheng snorted coldly: "Even if there is no treasure book, I am afraid that the Yang family will still lose their throne. God bless Zhou, since this foolish king came to the throne, he has levied violently at home and built large-scale construction projects; he has waged war abroad and conquered Korea in the east. He has lost three wars and three defeats. Now Rebels are everywhere, as long as we seize the opportunity, we will surely repeat the glorious days of Dazhou." Yu Wenhua and his eyes turned cold, and said in a deep voice: "Yang Guang's days are numbered. The only ones to worry about are the other three surnames, and among them, the Li clan is the most important one. She is the aunt and nephew of Empress Dowager Dugu, so she is deeply trusted by the Yang family, especially my Yuwen family. If I fail to clear up the clans of the three surnames, my restoration of the Great Zhou will inevitably encounter great resistance." After a pause, he continued: "As far as foreigners are concerned, the Turks are really the biggest disaster. Now the rebellious people have joined the Turks in the north one after another, relying on their power, making the Turks even stronger, and the four masters of the Turks are even more superb in martial arts. Even thinking about it makes people worry.” Yuchi Sheng said: "I thought Hua Ji you don't have to worry too much about the Li family. Although Li Yuan is Yang Guang's aunt and cousin, he is deeply jealous of Yang Guang just because of his kindness and kindness. Li Yuan is protecting himself now. No time, as long as we can devise clever tricks to deepen Yang Guang's suspicion of Li Yuan, maybe we can use a knife to kill people, so that we can reap the benefits of the fisherman." Yu Wenhuaji showed a smile in his eyes, and when he nodded his approval, Zhang Shihe came in and reported: "There are some eyebrows!" Yu Wenhua and He Yuchisheng were overjoyed. Zhang Shihe said: "Tian Wen confessed that before he was arrested, he was bumped by two 15- and 6-year-old hooligans. It seems that these two kids stole the precious book." Yu Wenhuaji said happily: "Shihe must have found out what kind of people these two little rascals are, so he came to announce the good news." Zhang Shihe said with a smile: "That's right. These two people are called Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. They are the most famous pickpockets in Yangzhou. Their boss is Yan Kuan. Now they are detained to find those two little guys." Yu Chisheng laughed and said: "This is easy to do, unless they can grow wings, as long as they are still in the city, they will never escape our grasp." Yu Wenhuaji heaved a sigh of relief, and leaned against the back of the chair, as if the precious book had come to his hands. Before the two of them had a chance to get out the more than ten five baht coins, Xu Ziling, who was in charge of the situation, caught a glimpse of the dejected Boss Yan, who was escorted by more than a dozen big men and walked towards the abandoned garden. Xu Ziling was an extremely elf, although he was taken aback, he still knew how to quietly rush to join Kou Zhong, and hide together in another dilapidated house with only three rotten walls left, in the crypt dug specially to avoid Boss Yan, It was also covered with planks covered with fallen leaves and gravel to camouflage the ground, leaving only a small gap for ventilation. "Bang bang bang bang bang" the sound of rummaging through boxes and objects continued to come from their small nest, and after a while they heard Boss Yan's miserable howling, obviously he was being beaten severely. Although they wished that someone would beat Boss Yan to death, they still couldn't bear to hear his current situation.I was shocked again, not knowing what happened. Boss Yan is finally a well-known figure in Yangzhou City. He has more than twenty brothers under his command. He recently worshiped the head of the Bamboo Flower Gang as his grandpa, but in front of these big men, he is not even as good as a pig or a dog. A gloomy voice sounded over there: "Search for me!" As soon as this word came out, Yangzhou Ssangyong immediately changed from a dragon to a snake, curled up in a bunch, and dared not speak out. Boss Yan said in a trembling voice: "Gentlemen, please give me a little more time. I will definitely be able to get the book back. I can assure you... ah!" It was obvious that he was punched or kicked. Footsteps sounded beside the crypt, and then someone shouted, "Can't find anyone yet?" Boss Yan begged for mercy in a hoarse and painful voice: "Please give me one more chance, these two goddamn boys must have come to the Shilong martial arts field to peek at the people practicing kung fu in the martial arts field, ah!" That gloomy voice said: "Shilong's martial field was sealed off for us this morning, what else is there to see?" After a pause, he said, "Leave the four of you here until they come back. You ruffian will take us to all the places this kid will go to find one by one. Quickly, drag him up!" The footsteps gradually faded away. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling in the crypt looked at each other, and they both saw that the other was so frightened that his face turned pale. At the same time, the two thought of the dark ditch next to the east gate leading to the outside of the city. That was their only hope now.