Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Three

"I've always wanted to ask you something, you are a very lively person; how do you get used to that kind of deserted life?" "Take desertedness as excitement, and you'll get used to it." Xiuchun replied casually. "These words are very inspiring." Qin Guan said with a smile: "How about I practice Zen with you?" "What meditation? I don't know how to do it." "Yes, no, no yes." Qin Guan picked up a stick of Tibetan incense and lit it on the candle; inserted it into the Boshan stove, and asked, "Since you have entered Buddhism, why haven't you broken your bond with the world?"

"What is Dust Fate?" "It's the fate of the lay family." Qin Guan explained again: "For example, when you come to see your wife, you are thinking of your past love; this is the fate of the world," "Since we are in the world, how can we break the mortal relationship; if we break the relationship, how can you and I be together today?" Qin Guan didn't think he was right for a while, but was dumbfounded; Xiu Chun couldn't help laughing. "Look at your clumsy tongue," Xiu Chun said with a smile, "You're still practicing Zen!"

Hearing this, Qin Guan was surprised; he said in surprise and joy: "So you know how to practice Zen." "Yes or no." "No, yes. Let me ask you again: where are you from?" Xiuchun has seen that Guan Qin's original intention is the same as Mrs. Ma's, that he wants to refute her in an aggressive way so as to persuade her to return to vulgarity.With this vigilance, I said it first: "I came from the empty door, and I will go from the empty door." "Wrong! You came from the world, and you are going to the world." "It's good to be wrong." Xiuchun quickly said, "The door of Buddhism exists in the human world; the world is not a door of Buddhism."

"Since the world is not empty; why are you here?" "Because the door of emptiness is in the human world." "Then the world is an empty door?" Rust Chun wanted to entangle him, and was about to fall into his trap; so he thought for a while and replied: "The Buddhist door is also the human world; when I am in the human world, I am still in the Buddhist door." "Then you came from the empty door and went to the human world." "I come here and go everywhere; I come from there and go back there." "Come on!" Qin Guan shouted: "Come from Cao's house, go back to Cao's house! Don't be obsessed with it."

Xiuchun didn't expect that he would cut straight to the point and give a slap in the face; just like Qin Guan before, he was just in a daze. "Okay, you lost!" Qin Guan said with a smile: "'Zen mind has been covered with mud', don't mention it from now on!" Xiuchun is a competitive person. Although he escaped from Zen, his nature has not changed. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Now it's my turn to ask you. You told me not to mention the Zen mind, but I prefer to mention the Zen mind. May I ask what is the heart?" Zen, what is a Zen center?"

She always speaks very quickly; with her piercing clear eyes staring at her, she has an intimidating aura, so that Qin Guan immediately stopped her from asking. "It turns out that you've been out of words!" Xiuchun said triumphantly. "Poor words don't make sense. Could it be that what is Zen in the heart and what is the center of Zen? You can explain it?" This is a big backlash, Xiuchun thought, if he couldn't speak out, he would be at a disadvantage again; so he smiled on his face, but he was searching in his stomach.Just when he was desperate and about to admit defeat, he suddenly remembered two lines of poetry, raised his long eyebrows, and read them out calmly.

"What is Zen in the heart: 'Abandoning death, life, sorrow and joy'; what is Zen center, 'paying the idler with gains and losses'." "I've convinced you!" Qin Guan said joyfully, "It's Han Yu's poem, thanks to you for wanting it." "I don't know what 'salted fish' is. There is a Tang poem in the nunnery that I don't know where it came from. If you have nothing to read, just read a volume of scriptures." "'This scripture' is actually unreadable. You are a splendid spring; you are no more frustrated than Han Yu in his later years! Just like these two poems, they are also helplessly open-minded. I don't believe you can see them."

"Is there anything I can't see? There is nothing in this world that I can't see." "No one has anything. Dreaming back at midnight, there is always someone shaking in your heart, right?" "Who are you talking about?" Xiuchun asked, "You mean our second master?" "It's also the second master, but it's not the second master Zhen." Guan Qin pointed at him from a distance, "The second master of the gentleman who is far away outside the pass." Upon hearing this, Xiuchun lowered her head; Qin Guan knew that what was on her mind was right on her mind.

But she didn't want to admit it, and read in a low voice: "'Chunxin doesn't share flowers, every inch of lovesickness and every inch of ashes.'" "Don't be discouraged either! Come back—" "That's right! I was just about to ask you," Xiu Chun rushed to ask, "What am I doing back in the mansion?" Qin Guan thought for a while and replied: "Come to share the joys and sorrows." "No! Suffering can be shared; happiness cannot be shared." "How do you say that?" "Your Gan, not mine." "Then what is your Gan?"

"No." "Why do you say that?" "That's the truth. Even your suffering is not my suffering." "I'm sure of that. But it should be said that your suffering is not our suffering." "Oh!" Xiuchun asked very attentively: "Tell me, what is my suffering?" "Yes——" Qin Guan scratched his scalp: "It's also Han Yu's poem, why can't I remember it?" He frowned and thought hard for a while, and finally said briskly: "I remember it!" Who is going on a blind date with other people? '"

"You are wrong! There are many people who love to be close to me. You know, my popularity is always good." "You misunderstood me. 'Blind date with different interests' means that there is no real blind date. In the world, there are the most people who don't hate meeting each other, and don't think about him if they don't meet; probably those who love to be close to you are He is such a person. You should think about it and see if that is the case." Thinking about it, sure enough, even Xiuchun himself didn't discover this.Therefore, I can't help feeling admiration for Qin Guan, and realize that I must never treat him like a child again. "I'm thinking, the second gentleman must be something you often think of." "How did you know that?" "You say, 'There is no flowering in the heart of spring, every inch of lovesickness is one inch of gray.', this is 'Tao is ruthless but has love'. The Sixth Patriarch said it best: 'Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand; there is nothing in the first place. , where does the dust come from?' You really thought——." "Okay!" Xiuchun was quite embarrassed, because she said exactly what was on her mind; in order to avoid it, she said deliberately: "I will also change my name to you, Second Master Qin. Second Master Qin, you say, since you left , I always think of a few people on the road; who do you think of the most? Tell the truth." "Second Grandma Zhen." Xiuchun always thinks that if he is willing to tell the truth, it must be Chunyu who is the first; but it is the Second Grandma Zhen, so she is surprised. Seeing her expression, Qin Guan asked, "Who do you think it is?" "I thought it was always spring rain." "Spring rain comes next." "Will you come down again?" Xiuchun asked curiously. "Qiuyue." "How about coming down again?" "Jin'er." Xiuchun nodded and smiled, "After that, it will be your little teacher's turn. Isn't it?" That refers to Biwen; "No." He said: "The next one is you; then it is my little mistress." "Slowly! I'll do the math." Xiuchun smiled again: "It's okay, it's okay! I'm finally within the top five." "What are the top five?" There was a voice outside the door; then Xia Yun appeared. "If Xia Yun is still in Nanjing, I will never be in the top five." Xia Yun was even more puzzled; Qin Guan also smiled and said nothing, only asked: "Is Madam asleep?" "I went to bed early." Xia Yun pointed to the clock and said, "It's already New Year's Eve." Seeing that the time had passed, Xiu Chunxian exclaimed in surprise: "It's terrible! There's still a lot of work to do tomorrow! Go to sleep!" "It doesn't matter if you sit for a while longer." Qin Guan said: "Everything is simple at the guest's side; there won't be many things tomorrow, so it doesn't matter if you sleep late." "Tomorrow I will worship. You can't sleep too late, but it doesn't matter if you say a few words." Xia Yun suddenly said: "Oh, there is something I forgot to tell you. I heard that the fourth master has passed Jinan; In just one or two days, you can go to Honghua port." "Where did the news come from?" "I don't know. I heard what Uncle He said." When he heard that Cao Fu was coming back, Officer Qin couldn't help feeling worried; because he had to ask questions about his homework, he said at that time: "I hope the fourth master will arrive a few days later." "Why?" Xia Yun and Xiu Chun asked in unison. "So that I can catch up with my homework." "Then," Xiu Chun said, "I can't ask you to write the Heart Sutra." "Why can't I even spare the time to write a scripture for you? That's really saying goodbye to the New Year!" Xia Yun noticed that Qin Guan's eyebrows were slightly frowned, and said again: "You don't have to worry! But the New Year is here again. On the way; besides, the fourth master met with his wife and had a lot of business to discuss, so where is the free time to check your homework?" "What if we want to check?" Xia Yun thought for a while, and said resolutely, "Just push it on me." "I don't understand what you mean; how to push it on you?" "You won't say that you handed over all the articles and words you wrote on schedule. The fourth master asked me, and I said I didn't know it was stored in that box. I had to find it now. The fourth master really wanted me to find it. , I went out for a spin, and came back and said I couldn’t find it; why don’t you forget it?” "This refers to the previous window draft; after leaving, there must be homework on the way!" "Still doing your homework on the way?" Xia Yun felt unbelievable; then he said, "Aren't you writing poems everywhere? Isn't that also homework?" "That's right!" Xiuchun interjected, "It's not like taking a canal; setting up a pen and inkstone on the boat, you can write essays slowly. What else can you do besides writing poetry in the car or on the horse?" Hearing what the two of them said, Qin Guan felt sad, and it turned out that he had "finished" learning to write essays; the so-called "articles" refers to stereotyped essays, which is the writing that Qin Guan hates most.It is stipulated that every three and eight essays should be composed, six drafts a month, and after more than half a year, there must be at least thirty or forty essays before the account can be handed in. However, his stereotyped manuscripts total less than ten, and I feel that Unreasonable.Now let Xia Yun design a way to avoid him, so he doesn't have to worry about his fourth uncle asking him. "It's thanks to the two of you for giving me an idea. However, I still need to deliberate on my poems." Qin Guan said energetically, "Go to sleep! I'll light up the night to fight." "I'm not busy at the moment—" Xia Yun didn't wait for Xiuchun to finish speaking, and rushed to say: "You let him go! It's good to have a peace of mind and celebrate the New Year after it's settled. Anyway, he has nothing to do with him during the day, so let him sleep as much as possible." So, he refilled the charcoal in the brazier; brewed a pot of tea again, and Xia Yun moved a can of lotus seeds, red dates, barley, and rice porridge that she had stewed on the "five-geng chicken". . Qin Guan washed his face, turned on the lamp, and began to revise his poems; not because he was scrutinizing his skill, but because he changed those sentences that were a little romantic or almost desolate, but he didn't change them; I stayed there, and re-copied the new manuscript that I changed but didn't want to keep. There were about twenty poems, and nine of them were close styles. I felt that the ancient style was less, but I had no choice but to let it go. Stretch out, look at the clock, it is already the end of the ugly year; although the sky is dark, there are faint sounds of cars and horses ahead, and the travelers on the road are leaving. Qin Guan felt heavy on his head, fearing that he had been caught in charcoal gas, so he opened the window first, then opened the door, thinking of the corridor to take a few breaths of fresh dawn air. As soon as Budao opened the door, he found a little fire; rubbing his eyes and looking again, he saw that it was a stick of incense burning, and then found a figure; suddenly realized that Xiuchun was doing morning class, so he didn't dare to disturb her. "Your 'battle' is over." Xiuchun got up; asked softly. "It's over." Qin Guan shrank back to the room; Xiu Chun followed in, just standing at the door; he pointed to the poems on the table and said, "Barely able to do business." "Then go to bed quickly!" Xiuchun was about to leave after saying that. "No, no! Talk for a while. I don't know when you got up." "You have no other purpose, how do you know? I wanted to do my homework in it, but I was afraid that some aromatherapy would wake up Xia Yun and Tang Guan, so I came to chant scriptures in the main room." "You still recite scriptures?" Qin Guan was even more surprised: "Why didn't I hear it?" "It is enough for the Bodhisattva to hear." "So you were reading silently." Qin Guan suddenly became curious, and asked cautiously: "Xiu Chun, I want to ask you something, I wonder if it is a crime?" "The crime is your own, why ask me." "It makes sense. I'm not afraid of sin." Qin Guan asked, "Are you reciting Buddha's name with all your heart? Or are you thinking of other things while reciting." "It's unavoidable. I don't have the ability to not have distracting thoughts when I want to recite sutras." "Your morality is already very high, and your words are very clear." Qin Guan asked, "How about today? What distracting thoughts do you have?" "I've been thinking about Second Grandma Zhen; I think she's so pitiful!" Qin Guan was greatly surprised: "I dare not think so!" He shook his head. "It's not that you don't dare, it's that you can't bear it. I have been with Second Grandma Zhen for so many years, and I have understood her temperament; it is nothing to say that she is terrible, hateful, and hateful; but to say that she is pitiful is simply ruining her." She won't accept it! But, whether she accepts it or not, I can't help but think about it. It's not because I have the heart to think about it, it just comes out of my heart naturally." Qin Guan nodded, and said sadly: "You not only understand the temperament of Second Grandma Zhen, but also speak to my heart. People, you really can't make a mistake. 'One mistake will cause eternal hatred, and then turn around and it will be a hundred years old.' Unless—— ——" Qin Guan was so sad that he wanted to cry, he really couldn't bear to say any more. "There's no need to be 'a hundred years old'," Xiuchun said in a soothing tone, "'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately', just in a blink of an eye, there is naturally a place to settle down." "That's true!" Qin Guan nodded deeply: "It is obvious that she is determined to stand up to this family crisis; at this moment, not only does she have a sustenance, but others will also feel that she has a responsibility after all. , not that pitiful person. However, it will not happen overnight for everyone to have this idea. " "Take your time! When you reach the end of your practice, you will become a true fruit." Xiuchun stood up and said, "You should go to sleep. I'll leave after I fall in love with the bed." The quilt had been folded earlier, Xiuchun stepped forward to touch it; took out "Tang Pozi", and then came to undress Qinguan.He hurriedly took a step back, folded his palms together and said, "Don't dare, dare not!" Xiuchun didn't force it, so he closed the window first, then checked the charcoal basin, and saw that Guan Qin had already undressed and went to bed, so he tucked in the quilt for him.Her hand was very soft, brushing it back and forth between his neck, she couldn't help but feel agitated in her heart; but before the sweet thoughts came to life, she forced herself to close her eyes and restrain herself. "I have nothing to do with you tomorrow morning, just go to bed! I will go back to my wife with her." The person is gone, but the shadow is still in Qin Guan's mind; from Xiuchun to Jin'er, and then to Qiuyue, he can't help but compare the women in his family one by one, Jin'er is gorgeous, Qiuyue is beautiful, Chunyu is charming, Xiayun is refreshing , Dongxue is delicate and simple, and Biwen is dignified, each with its own style, and they are all beautiful, but compared with Xiuchun's variety of faces, the so-called graceful manners, they all pale in comparison.Such a stunning beauty, spending all his youth sitting alone at five o'clock, in Qin Guan's mind, it is not only a pity, but also makes people unwilling. Things in mind are like a tide, and firecrackers rise and fall one after another; Qin Guan can't fall asleep until the sky is clear.When he woke up, he saw Xiuchun folding tinfoil in his room. "What time is it?" "The moment before the beginning." "Hey!" Qin Guan turned over and sat up: "I'm so sleepy." "The fourth master will be here tonight." Xiuchun took a silk padded jacket and put it on him, and told him, "Uncle He and my second brother's assistant went to pick him up early in the morning; Tang Guan will follow, Uncle He Said that riding a horse is not a car, and there is dust and wind, so you don't have to suffer this crime; anyway, you will see the fourth master at night. Xia Yun also doesn't allow him to go; if you are still arguing there, let him go later. " "It doesn't matter!" Qin Guan replied, "I only promise him one thing, and I guarantee that he will be happy right away." "What's up?" "You'll know later; let's keep it a secret for now." Qin Guan asked, "Have you eaten yet?" "It's late, so I've already eaten." Xiuchun asked, "There are cakes, dumplings, and rice. I'll tell Xia Yun what you want to eat, and I'll prepare it for you." "I'm ready to eat vegetarian dumplings." Qin Guan replied, "Eat a vegetarian meal, write down your heart scriptures, and fulfill a wish." "That's good. There's nothing to do for the rest of the day anyway." So he asked the little girl to slap her face; Xiuchun re-braided his hair for him, put on long clothes, first went to see Madam Ma, came back to eat, took a short rest, washed his hands again, and prepared to write scriptures. At this time, Xiuchun had already ground an inkstone for him; he took out a roll of white silk that he had brought with him, and it had already been printed with red grids, and the bottom was lined with rice paper. Hold down.When Qin Guan saw it, he hesitated. "If the writing is broken, the white silk is worth nothing; it's a pity that the scarlet grid!" "No. Don't worry, write slowly; it doesn't matter if you don't finish writing." "I have to write behind closed doors." Qin Guan said: "Don't let Tang Guan disturb you, you take him to your second brother." "It's at my second brother's place. I'll keep an eye on him, so you can finish it with peace of mind." Xiuchun said again, "The tea is on the table over there." So Qin Guan closed the door and burned incense, writing the scriptures quietly; halfway through writing, someone knocked on the door, it was Xia Yun, holding a long strip of plum red paper in his hand. "My wife told me that you have to set up a ancestral throne for worshiping the ancestors. Second Master Qin, how do you think it should be written?" This stumped Qin Guan; he scratched his scalp with a pen and said, "You have to ask the old man to know; but you are not here. Why didn't you say you want to establish a god?" This was a bit unreasonable; Xia Yun was funny and angry, and replied casually: "Okay, okay! Next time I will say yes." Hearing her answer like this; Qin Guan himself smiled embarrassedly.But how to write the ancestral god is still at a loss. "Yes!" Qin Guan suddenly remembered: "If you find Xiu Chun, she must know." "How does she know?" "In her nunnery, there are always people who save the souls of the dead and do Buddhist ceremonies; I must have seen how the ancestors' gods are written." Before he finished speaking, Xia Yun realized it; then he went to find Xiuchun, and after talking to the truth, he found something. "Just write 'the gods of Cao's ancestors, Liezong Zhaomu and Zongqin'." "Do you want to write the place name?" "It's okay to write; it's okay not to write." "Let's write!" Qin Guan replied: "Our Cao family came from the descendant of King Cao Wuhui, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty; he had seven sons who lived scattered in various places. It is easy for ancestors to find a place to enjoy blood food." So the white silk was removed and the pen was changed to write; "Cao's" was added with the word "Liaoyang".Xiuchun asked, "Isn't it Jingdong Fengrun?" "No. At the beginning, my great-grandfather entered the customs with Prince Rui Dorgon and 'enclosed land' in Jingdong; our land is divided into Fengrun." When the writing was finished, the ink stains were still wet; Qin Guan was impatient, holding both ends of the red paper flat with both hands, and went to the charcoal basin to bake, but accidentally missed, one end fell into the charcoal basin, and a large piece was burnt. Seeing that Guan Qin was so angry, Xia Yun hurriedly comforted him and said, "It's okay, it's okay; there's still red paper, so it's nothing to write a new one." After finishing speaking, he immediately went to fetch another piece of red paper; and at this moment, Qin Guan had another "misfortune", and the ink stained the white silk used to write scriptures.I saw him sighing and feeling extremely frustrated; while Xiuchun was persuading him. "If it's broken, it's broken. I don't care, why should you do this? It's Chinese New Year, don't make your wife unhappy." "Oh!" Qin Guan frowned tightly: "It's really disappointing to the extreme." "It turns out that you were disappointed!" Xia Yun said quickly, "Only one piece of this satin is dirty; the rest is still usable. Cut off the unused part, and you can write something else and send it to Xiuchun. " "That's a great idea!" Qin Guan's interest was immediately piqued: "You find scissors to cut the silk; I have written the god's position to discuss, and write something for Xiuchun." When he finished writing, Xia Yun and Xiu Chun had already tidied up Bai Ling, "What to write, you can figure it out by yourself!" Xia Yun said, "We can't accompany you anymore!" So Qin Guan sat alone and thought about it, recalling the situation just now, he suddenly realized that everything happened, unpredictable, a month ago, he would never have thought that he was celebrating the New Year in Xuzhou; the one who accompanied the New Year was not Chun Yu, but Xia Yun; There is still this meeting with Xiuchun; it is even more unexpected that the guest will meet his uncle.It's so strange to meet in life; if you can't make your own decisions, why bother to disturb the camp, and end up in a self-seeking trouble of "unsatisfactory things are often eight or nine", it is better to let your heart and luck, detached from things, then God and Tao are in harmony. Thinking about this, I immediately had an idea; first, I took a piece of paper and wrote: "There is no camp, there is no specialness, there is more regret when there is more love, things follow disturbances, Tao and nature will meet. Mo Di really suffers from himself, and I love Zhuang Zhou." "Everything is self-sufficient, this statement is really admirable." This is Wang Anshi's poem; Qin Guan wants to inscribe a money to send to Xiuchun, which is a commemoration of a very good mood on this day.After thinking about it for a while, he picked up a pen and wrote again: "Ding Weijia went to the north with his mother in Pingyue. The next time Pengcheng spent his new year, he sat alone except for the sun. He occasionally recalled the poem "No Camp" by Duke Jing, and wrote the rest of the scriptures with his old couple in Xiuchun. , Talk about offerings to fill the wall." The signature below is "Shuangzhi". I have the manuscript, but I dare not let go of writing, because if the writing is broken, I will inevitably spoil myself again.Fortunately, recording this poem is not like writing scriptures. It requires fasting, and it can be written at any time during the New Year; "My second brother's buddy, just came back to inform, and the fourth master received it; something happened to the car, I can't go fast, and it will arrive in about two o'clock." "I think," Mrs. Ma continued Xiuchun's words in the back room: "Turn back and ask Qin Guan to offer incense and kowtow first, and the table will not be removed; wait for the fourth master to come and salute before eating. Everyone is going to be hungry, let's get some snacks first; but make an appointment It seems that it is inconvenient to keep him waiting for a long time." "Forget it!" Xiuchun replied, "Madam is doing it to show you face; but he was on the table, feeling uncomfortable. Let him go to drink by himself, my second brother can't wait. I'll go and tell him not to wait." gone." "Slowly!" Mrs. Ma came out and said, "It's getting late, wait for Qin Guan to serve incense, wait a little longer, and take two dishes from the table for him; won't it be a blessing?" "Madam's words are very eloquent!" Xia Yun said: "Let's do it like this; Second Master Qin, please go back and put on a mandarin jacket, and I'll serve the food to make an offering." So Qin Guan offered incense and kowtowed; then Mrs. Ma came out to salute and retreated to the bedroom.Girl, the old mothers evaded as usual during the sacrifice, and Qin Guan was left alone, guarding the empty hall; Yeye red candles, wafting fragrance; pine and cypress branches in the charcoal basin exuded a strong fragrance; The crisp sound of Qin Guan recalled the lively and joyful memories of previous years, and made him feel more and more desolate at this time and place. "Kowtow a second time!" Xia Yun reminded him through the door in the corridor. So Guan Qin saluted again; after kowtowing three times, Xia Yun removed a bowl of fish and a bowl of meat from the altar, and asked someone to give it to Wang Dachen; then asked Qin Guan, do you want to make some snacks first to satisfy your hunger? "I'm not hungry!" Qin Guan opened the curtain of the west room, and saw Mrs. Ma leaning on the kang with her eyes closed, and quietly went back to her bedroom without disturbing herself. When I was sitting alone and bored, Xiuchun came; Qin Guan said happily: "I just wanted to talk to you. Look, I will write a poem by Wang Anshi for you, okay?" Xiuchun took the manuscript from him, read it carefully, and handed it back without saying a word. "how?" "I don't quite understand." "Let me tell you." Qinguan talked about Wang Anshi's achievements; he talked about Zhuangzi and Mozi.In Xiuchun, Zhuangzi knew about it; in his later years, Wang Anshi asked to solve the family affairs, and sentenced Jiangning Mansion as an envoy of the Zhennan Army Jiedu, and lived in Zhongshan, Jinling; The only one who doesn't understand is Mo Zi. After listening to Qin Guan's talk about how he rubbed his head against his heels in order to benefit the world at the same time, he immediately understood Wang Anshi's poem entitled "No Camp". "You persuaded me to return to the world; why do you want to escape the world?" "I suddenly looked away—" "Duh!" Xiuchun interrupted him, "You haven't seen anything in the world; how can it be considered fancy?" Hearing the sharpness of her diction, Qin Guan couldn't help but blush, and was silent for a while.Xiuchun knew that the words were too serious, but she was enthusiastic, thinking that at Qin Guan's age, having such specious thoughts was a mistake that could delay her life, and she had to be punished. Therefore, she said in spite of everything: "The dude is complaining because he is thankless. Don't get me wrong, I really think he sees it! Passionate people can't see it. If it was less at that time Several people opposed him; Empress Shenzong said: Come and do it, it doesn’t matter if you don’t do well. Do you think he will do it? He will still work hard.” Qin Guan was very surprised, "I didn't expect it," he said, "You are actually Wang Jinggong's confidant." "my home--." Xiuchun swallowed suddenly, his expression was very strange; Qin Guan couldn't help being surprised, stared blankly for a while, and suddenly thought, "Could it be, could it be that your family is the descendant of Wang Jinggong?" He said, "My guess is not unbelievable. Bar?" Xiuchun nodded, "You guessed right." She said, "Young Master is the ancestor of my family; do you think my temper is also a bit stubborn?" "That's a little bit." Qin Guan said again: "Not only is it a bit stubborn; but your heart is also like his. You can't see it; it's a lie to say you see it. Don't forget your own words, your heart is warm." people can't see it." "My heart is not hot, I have long been disheartened." "No! If your heart wasn't warm, you wouldn't have come here at the end of the year." "That's another matter." "Cheat!" Qin Guan said proudly, "Finally I have dug out your true heart." Xiuchun smiled wryly, neither admitting nor denying it.But just this has already made Qin Guan very excited; he kept thinking about how to get Wang Dachen, and persuade her firmly in front of Mrs. Ma. pity. "Don't make up your mind!" Xiu Chun had already seen his intentions, and warned first: "No matter what you think, it's all in vain." Qin Guan responded, "It's only due to everyone's hard work, it's time for you to change your mind." "'My heart is a stone, and I can't change it.'" Xiuchun looked around and said, "What is Qiuyue doing now?" "Let's talk about her; presumably she's talking about you and me." "Talking about you won't talk about me." "How did you see that?" "Qiuyue didn't even know that I came to Xuzhou." "So they don't know!" Qin Guan was quite surprised: "Actually, you should have told them." "It's too late." Xiuchun replied, "I didn't think of it at the time, I should tell them." Hearing this, it seemed that she hadn't let go of her regrets about Second Grandma Zhen; perhaps this was the main reason why she didn't want to return to vulgarity.Qin Guan thought to himself, how to eliminate this obstacle is a difficult problem. After pondering for a while, I felt that I should have a desperate talk with Xiuchun; even if she still couldn't forgive Second Grandma Zhen, at least letting her vomit the grievances in her heart would be beneficial. So, he first asked, "Let's talk about your second grandma, okay?" "It's a strange question for you to ask. You can talk about whoever you want. Why ask me first." "You're right to blame—" "Second Master Qin," Xiu Chun rushed to say, "Where did the word 'blame' come from? Please don't say that in the future; people will think I'm arrogant if they hear it." "Okay! I'll take it back. You're right; I'm overthinking." Qin Guan paused for a moment, and asked bluntly, "If you had changed your second mistress, what would you have done?" "You mean that thing"? "The period after you and your second grandma came back from Suzhou?" Qin Guan said again: "Please tell the truth." Xiuchun didn't answer, and after pondering for a while, she raised her eyes to look at Qin Guan and said, "I know that you and Second Grandma are not uncles and sisters, but like sisters and brothers. If you want me to tell the truth, don't be sad when you hear it; Jealousy is a woman's nature. If I were the second grandma, I would not want Xiuchun to be favored by the second master. I would try to get her away. However, the second grandma forgot a word; It’s a fault of reading less.” "Oh," Qin Guan felt vigilant, Xiuchun must have been harsh on Second Mistress Zhen's criticism; with such a thought ready to accept, he asked calmly, "You said she forgot that sentence?" "An old and out-of-the-ordinary saying: There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no offspring is the greatest. For the sake of the second master, she should let me give birth to the child. Keeping the son and leaving the mother, although the method is powerful, is still worthy of the ancestors in the end; the second master always has a tone Swallowable. If that's the case, how could the couple be at odds?" Qin Guan was speechless, but he was really sad for Second Mistress Zhen; it was an incomparable humiliation for a mistress to be criticized by a girl for "less reading". At this moment, Xiu Chun felt sorry, "My words seem to be a little too harsh." She defended, "You forced it out." "Then," Qin Guan asked, "after I forced you to tell the truth, do you feel better?" Once Xiuchun recognized his feelings, he nodded and admitted; then he instructed: "Please don't mention my words to Second Grandma in the future." "I know if you don't tell me." Qin Guan said again, "I just hope that you don't have any grudges against your second grandma." "After so many days, it has already faded away. I wouldn't have said it if you hadn't forced me just now." Speaking of this, she suddenly concentrated, as if she heard something. So Qin Guan also held his breath and listened carefully: there was a faint sound, which could not be heard clearly. "The fourth master is probably here." Xiuchun stood up, "I'll take a look." Qin Guan also went out, met Xia Yun, confirmed Xiu Chun's words, and went out of the yard to wait; I saw two lanterns coming slowly, and when I got close, I could see clearly that He Jin was in the lead, and behind him was the dusty man. Cao Fu. "Fourth Uncle!" Qin Guan greeted An and said, "Best trip." "Oh, it's okay." Cao Fu asked, "Where's your mother?" "Waiting for Fourth Uncle." Qin Guan got up and supported Cao Fu's left arm, "Fourth Uncle go." After entering the courtyard, seeing Mrs. Ma standing at the door of the north house, Cao Fu hurriedly walked a few steps and called out, "Second sister-in-law!" Then he picked up the hem of the leather robe and prepared to salute. "Officer Qin, help your fourth uncle!" After Madam Ma finished speaking, she walked in first. Cao looked down and saw the ancestral altars and sacrificial tables in the main room, stopped immediately, wiped his sleeves and said, "I will kowtow to the ancestors first." He went up to burn three sticks of fresh incense on the altar, lit the candles, lit the incense himself, kowtowed eight times respectfully, got up and paid his respects to Mrs. Ma, and then Officer Qin and his servants came to pay respects to Cao. "You, aren't you Xiuchun?" Cao Fu was surprised, "Why are you here?" "She's here to share our troubles." Mrs. Ma interjected, "Just sit here!" After sitting down and talking about the situation on the road, Xia Yun said: "Please wash your face first; dinner will be served right away." "Not busy! I can't eat either." Cao Fu looked at the sacrificial table, then turned to Qin Guan, "You haven't eaten yet." "Waiting for fourth uncle." "Actually, there is no need to wait." Cao Fu said to Xia Yun: "Withdraw the food offering, and you serve the brothers to eat; I have something to say to my wife." This explanation is for everyone to avoid it.Xia Yun went to wring a hot towel, and brought tea, then withdrew the food offerings, and all retreated. "Fourth Master, sit this side." Mrs. Ma pointed to the lower chair and said. The people who were originally sitting opposite each other changed to one side; Cao Fu said sadly across the tea table, "I'm really ashamed of my ancestors!" "Today, it's not your fault. Fourth Master, don't be sad." Madam Ma persuaded her in this way, but her voice was choked up. Both uncle and sister-in-law wiped their eyes with handkerchiefs and blew their noses; the sound of breath and breath made Xiuchun, who was waiting alone on the porch, feel sad and burst into tears. "Has the edict come down?" "Come down! It's for Liangjiang Fan Zhijun; the county king entrusted someone to copy it for me." Cao Fu took out a Western wallet from his arms, and took out the copy of the imperial edict that was treasured; Tell Madam Ma. At the beginning of the Shangyu, Cao Fu was reprimanded, saying that he "behaved badly"; he was short of public funds a lot, and he gave grace many times and relaxed the deadline for compensation. If he is grateful, he should do his best to make up the shortfall as soon as possible.Who would have thought that he would not be grateful for the map, and it was reported that there was a secret transfer of property, which is extremely abominable! The next paragraph is to order the Ministry of Internal Affairs to issue an order "Fan Shiyi, the acting governor of Jiangnan and Jiangxi", to seal up the property of Cao Fu's family and take care of it; Hurd took office. After Madam Ma listened quietly, she asked, "Is it a seizure, not a seizure?" "It sounds like the seizure is a little more relaxed than the seizure, but it's actually the same." "Then why do we have to wait for the new appointment to deal with it?" "Wait for the new manager to check the account and see how much is short, and then decide how to do it." "According to the logic, as long as you make up the shortfall, you'll be fine, right?" "Yes!" Cao Fu replied, "That's how it is." The six words "that's what it was" aroused Mrs. Ma's deep regret; at the same time, she also felt that Second Grandma Zhen was duty-bound.I knew that if I didn't make up for the shortfall, I would end up like this, so I had to try to make up for it.In fact, the money spent now is quite a lot; moreover, Second Grandma Zhen has already planned to use the house as a means of atonement.In this case, wouldn't it be the best policy to make a painful decision to make a clean-up.Others may not have thought of this level; Second Grandma Zhen was in front of the grave, and she knew she could do what she could, but she followed her own path because of selfishness.The daughter of the Ma family became a sinner of the Cao family; Mrs. Ma felt that she could not lift her head up in front of Cao Fu. "The troublesome thing now is not in the capital; after all, there are two kings in the capital to take care of it. Moreover, Jiang Ning's shortfall is not a large amount in the capital's view." "The trouble is not in Beijing, where is it?" Mrs. Ma asked, "Could it be in Liangjiang?" Cao Fu nodded deeply, "Exactly! This time, it was Fan Zhijun who said something in the secret melody, which led to this edict." He said, "It would be better if Beijing directly sent someone to investigate; hand it over to Fan Zhijun's office. , then just let him take advantage of it.” "Fan's family has also been friends with each other for three generations; what's more, the House of Internal Affairs and his Yamen in the two rivers, the river water does not interfere with the well water, why does he bother to do so?" “这是因为浙江李巡抚的缘故，这话说来很长，一时也说不尽。总之，范制军那里必得想法子疏通；我这趟特为赶回来，就是为此。” “是的！趁早疏通总不错。”马夫人又说，“最好托人跟他打个招呼。” “是的。我带了两封信来。不过，要趁早，京里说，不到元宵，不会动手，我看这话也不一定靠得住。”曹俯接着又说，“明天大年初一，总得让车夫休息一天；我初二就走。” 马夫人想了一会答说：“四爷，我也不留你了。家里总比较舒服；两位姨娘也都惦着你。不过有件事，得看四爷你的意思，我把棠官带了去，是以为你在京里有一阵子耽搁，好让你们父子团圆；如今见了面，是你仍旧带他回去呢？还是我带了他到京里？” 曹俯一楞，他根本没有想到会有这么一问；当时毫不考虑地，表示仍按原议，他说：“让他们兄弟在一起，是最要紧的事；手足休戚相关，外侮由何而入？不过要二嫂费心。” “费心谈不上；只要你放心就好。”马夫人又说：“我本来想住张家湾，后来想到：一则，我打算仍旧请朱先生来教他们兄弟；如果先生在王府抽不出工夫，另外请老师，也得朱先生常时来查查功课，张家湾不方便；再则——，”她迟疑了一会，终于说了出来：“张家湾的房子，恐怕未必保得住。” “二嫂如果真的想住张家湾，总有法子好想。”曹俯安慰她说：“事情并没有坏到一筹莫展的地步；尤其是小郡王，通情达理，明辨是非，咱们家得有这门贵亲，真正是天恩祖德！” 接下来谈平郡王府的一切；也谈到朱实与碧文。这时夏云已与绣春来换了班，听得是在谈家常，料想正事已经谈过，闯进去亦自不妨。 于是她咳嗽一声，轻轻推门进去说道：“四老爷喝酒吧！我留着菜呢。” “这会儿倒是有点饿了。”曹俯点点头，他又问：“芹官他们两个呢？吃了没有？” “吃过了。”芹官在门外应声，接着推门而入；棠官跟在后面，兄弟俩并排站在下方，等候曹俯问话。 棠官的功课，曹俯已在路上问过；所以此时只问芹官：“你还是逢三、八做文章？” "yes." 曹俯没有向他要窗课；只说：“虽在路上，也别丢了书本。” “是！我随身总带著书看。” “你带了些什么书？” “资治通鉴，史记菁华录，还有几部诗集。” “论语、孟子，总得带在手边。”曹俯忽然转脸说道：“二嫂刚才谈到他们兄弟的学业，当时来不及告诉二嫂；到了京里，他们不能像南边那样，自己请了西席，在家读书，得进官学。” “啊，官学。那里的官学？” “自然是景山官学。” “噢？对了！”马夫人这才想起；八旗各有官学，但内务府子弟，统在景山官学就读，“既然如此，得想法子在后门找房才方便。” “这倒无所谓，反正是要住堂的。”曹俯转脸向芹、棠兄弟，正色说道：“一回到京里，事事得按规矩，要吃得起苦，耐得起劳，才有出息。养尊处优的日子，是不会有的了！” 接下来便是讲立身处世的大道理了。曹俯就是这件事惹人厌！看芹官局促不安；棠官却如顽石的神态，绣春便忍不住了。 “四老爷累了。”她说：“请安置吧！” “都预备好了。”夏云很快地接口：“四老爷住前院，特为挑的最好的一间屋子。” 曹俯听出话中真意是下逐客令；他自己也觉得不合时宜，一笑起身，但落寞的神态，只有年龄仿佛的马夫人，能够察觉到。 就在这一念之间，她对曹俯忽有无限的关怀。 也许是隐隐然有“马家女儿”作曹家媳妇，未能克尽妇职的疚歉；也许是曹俯星夜赶路，一身尘土，满面于思，觉得他可怜；也许是从来只有礼数上的周旋，眼前咫尺，心底千里，而这份距离在客中相逢，突然消失了的缘故，使得她对曹俯临去时的神色，深感不安，自觉对曹俯有种必得予以慰藉的责任。
马夫人突然想到了一个主意，毫不迟疑地说：“夏云，你去看一看，四老爷是不是睡了？” “不用看，我刚去过，四老爷还在看书。”夏云问说：“是不是有话要说给四老爷？我再去一趟。” “对了！你得再去一趟。”马夫人指着屋角说：“你把最下面的那只箱子打开。” 马夫人随身所携，最贵重的东西，装了三口箱子：凡是下店住宿，这三口箱子，一定卸下来放在她住的那间屋子。夏云不知道她是何因由要开箱子：也不便追问，只答一句：“我找绣春来帮忙。” 找了绣春来将最下面的那口箱子，抬了出来；等取钥匙打开了箱盖；马夫人问道：“一共是几幅字画？” “六幅。” “把这六幅字画，都给四老爷送去！” “那可好？”绣春脱口说道：“这一下，四老爷今晚上就不用睡觉了。” “本来就是守岁嘛！” 夏云不知道马夫人的真意何在？便问一句：“跟四老爷怎么说？” “就说给四老爷消遣。” 夏云略想一想又问：“还有呢？” “还有什么？”马夫人突然有些不悦：“你说，还有什么话？” 夏云没想到会碰一个钉子，惶恐之下，不能不解释：“我怕四老爷问一句：是不是让我带回南京？我得知道太太的意思，才好回话。” 马夫人点点头说：“你的顾虑不错；不过是多余的，四老爷不会带回去；如果能带回去，我也就不必带出来。” 夏云一想，果然不错，这六幅字画带回南京，将来抄家时，无非白填在里面；“四老爷”不能做这么傻的事。 及至夏云与绣春抱着画轴出门时，马夫人忽又变了主意，“看老何睡了没有？”她说：“如果老何没有睡，让他把画送去。” “正是！”绣春接口说道：“我心里也正在想，让老何送了去才合适。” 这老何自是何谨而非何诚。夏云唤小丫头将何谨找了来，当面交代；何谨细看了画轴上的题签，喜动颜色，但很快地又转变为感慨的神色。 “怎么回事？”绣春问道：“何大叔，你仿佛有点儿伤心，为什么？” “这六件东西，大半是我经手买进来的；二十多年了！那时正是大爷最得意的时候，二老爷才棠官这么大。如今，唉！”何谨摇首不语；物在人亡，昔荣今枯的无穷感伤，都在那一声长叹中了。 绣春与夏云相顾无言，等何谨走了；夏云低声问道：“刚才我说错了什么话；惹太太生气了？” “别问了！各人心里一块病；以后留神，别碰人家这块病就是。” “真是，”夏云咕哝着：“不问还好；越问越糊涂。” 绣春到底是在感情上经过大波澜的；马夫人那种幽微的心境，能够揣摩得出来。但虽有所知，苦于难言；也不便明言，只说：“咱们还到太太屋子里守岁去。”
看到红绫题签“北齐校书图卷”的字样；曹俯失声说道：“这幅画找到了！” 何谨不解所谓，只说：“是阎立本的真迹。”他一面将画轴展开；一面指着“蕉林书屋”的印文说：“是梁家流出来的；可惜不全。” “怎么不全？” “四老爷看题跋就知道了。” 原来题跋中说，北齐文宣帝高洋诏文臣十一人校定群书，以教皇太子，但图中只剩下了四个人，所以说“不全”。 “就不全，也还是稀世之宝。”曹俯说道：“四年前，皇上传口谕，说曹某人忠厚谨慎，不会出乱子；把我归入怡亲王照看的名单。当时我跟老太太说，怡亲王收了三幅唐画，一幅王维，一幅吴道子，一幅杨升，咱们把阎立本的这张画送他，凑成四幅，岂非美事？老太太答应了；那知过几天再问，说是'不知道搁那儿去了，慢慢儿再说吧！'就此没有下文了。我以为真的找不到了，那知还在？” “这么名贵的东西，怎么会找不到？”何谨慢吞吞地说：“大概是老太太怕有忌讳。” “忌讳？”曹俯抬眼问道：“什么忌讳？” “四老爷倒先看看陆放翁的这段跋。” 这幅画五段题识，都出于宋人，范成大居首，陆游列在第四，题的是：“高齐以夷虏遗种，盗据中原，其所为皆虏政也。虽强饰以稽古礼文之事，如犬着方山冠！而诸君子乃挟书从之游，尘埃膻腥，污我笔砚，余但见其可耻耳。淳熙八年九月廿日，陆游识。” 看完，曹俯惊出一身冷汗，“怪不得！”他说：“这让皇上知道了，咱们曹家不就成了汪、查两家之续？” 这是指汪景祺、查嗣庭而言，一为“西征随笔”，一为乡试出题犯忌讳，被祸极惨，记忆犹新。曹俯想起来不寒而栗，自己吓自己，脸色苍白，不住喘气，好半天作声不得。 何谨没想到一句话的影响如此严重！心里既不安又抱歉，赶紧将画挪开，换了一杯热茶，捧给曹俯；他接过来喝了两口，才能启齿。 “咱们家，还真是少不得老太太这么一位当家人。如果老太太在世，不致于会有今天。”曹俯喝了口茶说：“我在京里听说你震二爷夫妇闹得不可开交，而且是丑事，我见了二太太都不好意思问。倘若有老太太在，何致于有此外扬的家丑？”说着，不由得喟叹，脸色变得极其阴沉了。 见此光景，何谨亦为之黯然。想劝而无可措词，只好用别的话岔开这一段；“四老爷，”他说：“实在说，这幅画送怡亲王，物得其主，确是好事。倘或四老爷决定这么办，我倒有个主意。” “喔，”曹俯先没有听清楚，抬起眼来来看着何谨，思索了一会，才记起他的话，便即问说：“你有什么主意？” “把陆放翁的那段跋拿掉，重新裱过，不就没有忌讳了吗？” 曹俯沉吟了一会，点点头说：“这倒使得！就不知二太太的意思怎么样？” “不会舍不得。”何谨停了一下又说：“而况这是件求之不得的事。” 所谓“求之不得”是正遭祸事，全靠怡亲王缓颊；有这么一条可以致意的路子，在马夫人自亦是求之不得。这番含蓄的意思，曹俯自然听得出来，便又深深点头。 “光是一幅不像样，至少得再配一幅。” “那就在余下的五幅中挑选。”何谨答说：“有了画，再挑一张字，就成对了。” “言之有理。”曹俯问道：“你看挑那一幅？” 何谨随手取了一轴，展开来看，入眼便知是苏字：牙色宣纸上，苏东坡写了他的一首寒食诗，字前小后大；余幅有黄山谷大字行书的题识。纸幅犹自有余，董其昌用小字行书写了一篇跋：“余生平见东坡先生真迹，不下三十余卷，必以此为甲观。已摹刻戏鸿堂帖中。” “苏字还有比这好的。不过有董香光这篇跋，不算最好也算最好了。就是它吧！” “要送就得快。”何谨意在言外地说：“送得越早越好。” “只有让二太太带去。” “二太太不知道什么时候才动身？王老二的伤势还没有好透，骑不得马。”何谨建议：“不妨让王老二派一个伙计，专程走一趟，请朱师爷代送。” 刚谈到这里，只听门外何诚的声音：“回四老爷的话，铜山县王大老爷派人送了一桌菜，还有信。” 曹俯大为诧异，半夜里送筵席大是奇事，也不知这铜山县的“王大老爷”是谁？等将何诚唤了进来，接信一看才知来历。 原来铜山县的知县，名唤王朝禄；当年曾受曹寅的提拔，与曹俯亦曾见过数面。说起来原是泛泛之交，不道信中写得极其恳切，叙旧以外，说刚得信息，本来要亲自拜访，只为时逢除夕，官场有许多仪节，他身为首县，不能不加应酬；只好元旦来拜年。又附了一份帖子，年初二中午，请曹俯吃饭。 “这可糟了！”曹俯皱着眉头说：“我这一露面，一道、一府，还有河务同知衙门，都得应酬，年初五都脱不掉身。” “王大老爷派来的听差还在等回帖。”何诚问道：“四老爷要不要亲自交代他几句话？” 曹俯沉吟了一会说：“不必！我写封回信。”又向何谨说道：“你到二太太那里去要个赏封来。” 等何谨取来四两银子的一个赏封，曹俯信也写完了，一起交给何诚去打发了来人，方将信中内容告诉何谨，向他问计。 “我归心如箭，那有工夫应酬？不走就一定被拖住了，我告诉王大老爷，说路过徐州，明天一早就走。万一王大老爷不信，明天真的来拜年，这可怎么办？” “只有找个地方躲一躲。” "Where?" 何谨想了想说：“有座道观叫紫清宫，地方很清静。老道法名玄胜，人很不俗，会下棋。四老爷到那里去下一天围棋吧。” “也好！”曹俯问道：“远不远？” "Not far." “好！明天一早，连行李一起搬过去，跟柜上说我已经走了。” “怎么？”窗外有人接口：“四老爷明天一早就走？” “是夏云。”何谨一面说，一面掀开门帘，放她进来。 “不是真的走，是躲应酬。”曹俯又问：“二太太睡了没有？” “二太太让我来问四老爷，那一桌菜怎么办？吃不了蹧蹋了可惜。” “我也不知道怎么办？请二太太作主好了！” “是！”夏云要的就是这句话，因为马夫人已有了主意，要拿这桌菜送镖局，但照道理不能不先问一问“四老爷”。 “你回去跟二太太说，我还有点要紧事跟她谈，看今晚上方便不方便。不然，就是明天一早谈。” “我想没有什么不方便。”夏云答说：“我先回去跟二太太说；四老爷就请过来吧！” 要谈的就是送画的事，马夫人自然一口应承；至于如何派人，责成何谨跟王达臣去商议。马夫人所关心的是，何以曹俯要到道观中去过年初一。 “淮徐海兵备道驻