Chapter 6 The sixth episode: a blunt scholar mistakenly threw himself into a tiger and a wolf's lair, and the treacherous man's son-in-law plotted his life

Wu Sidao rushed to Beijing after going through many twists and turns, and it was already Duanyang.Since mid-April, there has only been one heavy rain in Zhili. Although it has rained twice in this month, the land is not completely wet, but it is cloudy and sunny, and the humidity is so stuffy that it is impossible to breathe.The city of Beijing is quite different from that at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China.The streets, alleys, alleys, and alleys of the Nine Cities are lined with houses and densely populated. If there is no strong wind, even the tops of the trees in the city will not move.At this time, the water transportation has been opened, and there are boats of watermelons, melons, peaches, water apricots and various fruits, as well as bamboo fans, cattail mats, cool pillows, bamboo ladies, honeysuckle, bamboo leaves, chrysanthemums, etc. sold by Huguang merchants. Dayeqing and other cold medicines for relieving summer heat were immediately snatched up by second-hand dealers as soon as they arrived at Chaoyangmen Wharf.Even so, the supply still exceeds the demand, Dongzhimen drags people to Zuojiazhuang every day, and they all die of heat stroke because they cannot stand the heat.

Wu Sidao was busy with crutches, walking on the hot ground step by step, and when he arrived at the door of Dongjin Qiuze's house in the Confucius Temple at Zhengyangmenguan, his whole body was already drenched in sweat.He stopped in front of a red-painted iron door of a tiger head store, set up a pergola to look around, and saw a wooden sign beside the door, which read "Inside the military selection department of the Ministry of War, the golden taboo and jade jade", and pondered for a while. , Then he stepped forward and knocked on the door with his hand. "What are you doing?" A porter in a gray gauze robe opened the door, looked Wu Sidao up and down and asked, "Is there anyone knocking on the door at this time to beg for food?"

Wu Sidao just took a look at his own body. The top and bottom of the moon-white bamboo cloth shirt was smudged with oil and sweat. His hair had not been shaved for more than a month. Black and dirty "white" socks come.Wu Sidao couldn't help smiling, and said: "Go in and pass a message to Mr. Jin, my name is Wu Sidao, I just came from Yangzhou..." The family was slightly startled, nodded and said: "Wait a while." Then they closed the door. Wu Sidao breathed a sigh of relief, leaned his crutches on the "Shi Gandang" in front of the door, sat on the stone slab under the shade of a tree, while arranging his shabby robes, he shook his felt hat to cool off.Not far from the opposite side is a soup pancake shop. Bowls of nepeta butterfly noodles, green garlic noodles, and mustard jelly are placed under the arbor.Shirtless people gathered around the small desk, eating cold noodles and setting up a dragon gate.The scallion meat in Chen Zhen's hot pot was fragrant, and Wu Sidao swallowed, only to feel that he was really hungry.He touched the tattered bag - money, he had plenty, fifty taels of scattered silver coins, and a one thousand taels of dragon head silver bill.He didn't dare to reveal his wealth because there were many thieves along the way—but when he went to eat now, the people inside came out to say hello, so he had to sit and wait.Unexpectedly, for half an hour, there was no movement at the door, Wu Sidao was thirsty and tired, burning with hunger, and couldn't help feeling angry and hated, because he got up and knocked on the door, and the iron ring made a loud noise, which attracted everyone The people at the noodle shop all looked this way.

"You are so rare, are you crazy?" The door opened with a "wow", and it was the same person just now, with triangular eyes and said viciously: "Didn't I just say that I told you to wait a while, the masters are all sleeping!" Wu Sidao did not wait for him to finish, and spat in the face Passed over: "Bah! A murderer with no eyes, as I said just now, I am Wu Sidao! Did you make a sound, did you break your dog's legs? I came thousands of miles to visit my relatives, and I was left to death. It's been more than half an hour outside, what's the rule?"

"Going to relatives?" The family stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "I have been at the master's house for many years, why haven't I heard of it? What kind of relative are you? It is probably a wild Taoist priest who can't die of starvation in some temple. Is it something to eat? Is it a relative, cousin, father-in-law, or brother-in-law?" Wu Sidao was so angry that he trembled all over, seeing the smirk on that family member's face, he wished he could crutch him and beat him away.A thought suddenly came to mind: Could it be that my uncle deliberately let this vicious dog get in the way?Seeing the idlers coming around, picking their teeth and watching the excitement, Yin sneered and said loudly: "Put up your dog ears, Jin Yuze is my uncle, and I am his uncle. It's just such a relative, can't you understand?" The words made people burst into laughter, some said: "Uncle's uncle is here, why don't you go in and answer?" The family said: "What are you! If you don't understand, I will leave immediately, don't regret it, don't regret it!" Then he turned around.The group of idlers booed:

"My father-in-law doesn't see my son-in-law, so I'm going to refuse the marriage!" "Don't go, don't go, it won't look good if you go!" "Hmph, hate the poor and love the rich!" "Hey, evil! Isn't Mr. Jin's son-in-law a party guerrilla in the Ruijian camp? I never heard that he has two daughters!" "This old turtle..." While he was in a mess, he heard footsteps coming in, an official in his fifties, wearing a bright gauze inlaid jade melon skin hat on his head, and a white gown made of bamboo cloth, his mustache and eyebrows were painted black on his fair face, Still wearing a pair of crystal sunglasses, he walked out slowly and asked, "Zhang Gui, what's the matter, it's in the middle of the day, why don't you call An Sheng for a while?"

"Yue Zhang!" Wu Sidao took a step forward, bowed and said, "I'm here!" Jin Yuze was stunned for a moment, took off his glasses and looked Wu Sidao up and down for a while, then laughed and said: "It's Sidao! How come it is so down? It's no wonder that there are so many refugees in Beijing. There are all blackmailers, I told the door to be guarded tighter... Come in, alas... Look at you nephew, sorry to see you..." Saying that, he drank his life: "Zhang Gui, it's so lucky that you came in with your nephew and master !" This is a courtyard with two entrances. The family lives in the front yard. After passing through the hall, there are five rooms with dripping eaves in the upper room. The middle one is bright and the other is dark. Jin Yuze and his wife live in it.Seeing the master brought Wu Sidao in, the maids were busy and went to tidy up the room.Jin Yuze smiled and said: "Madam is taking a break, it's inconvenient to go in, let's go to the study first."

"Uncle," Wu Sidao followed into the west study room, sat down and said, "What's the inconvenience for my aunt, I should go over to pay her respects first." Jin Yuze ordered someone to fetch water for Wu Sidao to change his clothes, and sat down to eat Tea, after half a day, Shenfang sighed: "Si Dao, you don't know yet, your aunt has a tuberculosis background, and she abandoned me in the spring of the year before last. Now you also recognize this aunt, who was originally the third aunt Lancaoer. If you can manage the family again, you will be able to straighten yourself up... Tell me about your situation. The news will be ten years old... If it weren't for the mole under your left chin, I wouldn't dare to recognize it!" Wu Sidao nodded, " With a buzzing sound, his face turned pale: that warm and kind old aunt of mine is no longer alive!Jin Yuze didn't catch a single word of those words behind him.Wu Sidao opened his mouth and said "Ah" for a long time, then suddenly a thought arose: Could it be true that the people at the door said that cousin Pipa should not be hugged?Thinking about it in my heart, I said: "I am already disabled, so poor and down, what can I say? I have been away from home for ten years, went bankrupt and studied, and I originally wanted to come back to the mountain to take the exam, but now I have no hope. This time I have no extravagant hopes for Beijing. I went to my uncle and aunt to find a bowl of food to eat, but unexpectedly my aunt also died... How does life start?" As he spoke, he remembered that his aunt was already in the underworld, and he couldn't help bursting into tears.

Jin Yuze didn't answer, lowered his head and sighed, got up and paced, and after a long time he said slowly: "This is something that can't be helped, let's not talk about these sad things... You probably haven't eaten yet? It's a hot day, I also have to take a bath and change clothes. I am no more than a foreign official now, and I have too many entertainments, so I can't take care of you. Be as usual, just live in peace, and your aunt is very virtuous, so I won't dislike you. What do you need? , just give Zhang Gui and the others an order.” Then, he took out a pocket watch and looked at it, put it in his arms cherishingly, got up and said: “Elundai, the first-class guard in front of the emperor, invited me to Chaoyang Gate today. Drinking at Wai Ba Ye's Mansion. You arrange it, I will go first." After finishing speaking, he left.

Wu Sidao saw that he never mentioned his marriage, not even mentioning his cousin's name, so he knew that he had a good suspicion.But when I think back, I was a "key criminal in the Qin case" and had been on the run for ten years, during which time there was no news, and marrying someone else was the original meaning of the question.Feeling bored, Wu Sidao ate some snacks, took a bath, and stood under the eaves to look around. The sun had already passed, and the sun shone with waxy white light. The ground was steaming with steam, and there was no wind, making it uncomfortably hot. , then turned around, and half-lyed on the bamboo cool chair, shaking the fan until his hands were sore and sleepy, and then fell asleep vaguely.

"Uncle, Uncle..." A naive child's voice called in his ear.Before Wu Sidao woke up, something cold touched his lips, making him tremble.When he opened his eyes, it was a little boy of four or five years old, with a "overturned prong" on the top of his shaved head, wearing Ning silk trousers and a bellyband, with an innocent face and a chubby hand Holding a bunch of wet ice grapes, he was picking them and stuffing them into Wu Sidao's mouth. Wu Sidao sat up straight, hugged the child to his lap with a smile and asked, "So good! What's your name?" "A Bao." "Last name?" "The surname party..." "Well, Dang Abao, good!" Wu Sidao swallowed the grapes he stuffed into his mouth, and asked with a smile: "You call me cousin?" Dang Abao smiled and pointed to the room, and said, "Grandma said, you are my cousin. Grandma asked the chef to cook for you and cook a lot of delicious food for you!" "Grandma!" The smile on Wu Sidao's face froze, his heart was empty and messed up, and he didn't know what to think, so he asked after a long time: "...Why doesn't your mother coax you, where is your father?" Dang Abao held his little finger Said: "We don't want to call you father, but master. Master and grandpa went out to drink. Mom——" He turned his face, and a young woman was coming in through the second door, so she broke away from Wu Sidao, ran out and shouted: "Mom! You came to pick me up? My cousin is here! Don't you often tell stories about your cousin? He can't walk...hehe..." When Wu Sidao looked out, he couldn't help trembling!This radiant young woman with a bun and knife-cut sideburns is actually Jin Fenggu, his fiancée who has been haunted by his dreams for ten years!Wu Sidao straightened his body and wanted to stand up, but he almost fell down, and sat down on the chair again, like a puppet! Jin Fenggu came back from the party's house to pick up her son. She never expected that this "dead long time ago" person would suddenly appear in front of her.As if being drained of blood all of a sudden, Gu Feng's face was blue and yellow, and she stood dumbfounded in the courtyard, letting A Bao rub her hands in her arms. Wanfu lowered his head and said: "Cousin Jingren, you are here..." Wu Sidao held the handle of the chair tightly with both hands, his complexion was terribly pale, his whole body seemed to be soaked in ice water, he was so silent that he couldn't breathe .He tried his best to suppress his heartbeat, nodded numbly, and said: "Feng... Cousin, you... Good." "En." Feng Gu's voice was so low that only she could hear it, and after a while she let out a breath and asked, "What about you?" "You've seen it all." ... "Brother, you are suffering..." After an unknown amount of time, Jin Fenggu whispered, "I..." Wu Sidao suddenly calmed down.He bit his lips proudly, said "um" in a cold and dry guttural voice, and said, "Go ahead." After thinking for a while, he set up his crutches to the desk, and took out a piece of silver that weighed two taels from the bag , gently put it on the coffee table, and said, "Tell uncle later that I have something to leave. Here are clothes and food money." "Jingren!" "My name is Wu Sidao." Wu Sidao was not in a hurry, his tone was as cold as ice, "From now on, I will never use the word 'Jingren', please don't open your mouth." "Jingren—Sidao! It's hot and cloudy, where are you going?" Jin Fenggu said anxiously, "Listen to me—I'm...I'm not..." She was so anxious that she didn't know what to do It was good to say that, he stabbed his hands, wanted to come up to help, but stopped abruptly, tears rolled down like beads.At first, Ah Bao was staring blankly, but now he was so frightened by the expressions of the two people that he went straight into his mother's arms, looked up at the two sullen adults and cried "wow". Wu Sidao ignored the mother and son, and walked out of the hospital, only to see dark and dark clouds rise up, and a gust of wind swept by, making him tremble all over.He went back to the room with a dumb smile, slumped on the chair, looked out of the window, and said, "Do you remember Qingliang Mountain?... How close is it to Huju Pass... What a beautiful view! I remember your poems at that time Is it?" His eyes were full of tears, rolling and refusing to let them fall, and he groaned: The year of birth is empty and the bones are exquisite, hidden in the clouds of ancient love. A gentleman can turn into a crane, when will a beauty become a rainbow? Wangsun Fangcao is green every year, and the peach blossoms in Lingtou are red every year. Twelve songs in the night of Bicheng, who is repeating the pear blossom dream? Singing, Wu Sidao could no longer be himself, and let out a dry throat that sounded like crying and laughing, and murmured in his mouth: "...I said at the time that this poem is not good, it's just sentimental... Now that I think about it, it seems like Another life! You still have the heart to pity me today—joke, am I pitiful?..." "God!" Jin Fenggu's face was as white as paper, "What are you talking about?" After saying that, she picked up the stunned A Bao, covered her face and left. Wu Sidao stared blankly at her back, when a gust of wind rushed over, he shuddered: Did I overdo it?But in this matter, at this stage, it is inappropriate to live in the Jin family anyway.He thought for a while, packed his luggage, and came out with a cane.Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the hallway of the second gate, Ke Keerdi met Jin Yuze and a middle-aged man in his thirties came in talking and laughing. "Si Dao," Jin Yuze stood still, looked at the man with a somewhat embarrassed look, and said, "Are you...?" Wu Sidao bowed slightly, raised his face proudly, and said, "Uncle, My nephew has a few friends in Beijing, I'm going to visit them, so let's say goodbye." "Friend?...Why don't I know?" Jin Yuze muttered. "Birds of a feather flock together and people are divided into groups. Mine are all poor and humble friends." "Then you don't have to go. You just live with me, and uncle decides everything." "Uncle, although Liang Yuan is good, it is not my hometown. How can I live here for a long time?" Jin Yuze had already expected that Wu Sidao would be uneasy living in the mansion, but he couldn't prevent him from tossing about to leave so soon, because he put up the airs of an elder and said, "What kind of talk is this? What's the reason for coming in a hurry and leaving in a hurry? I Did I treat you badly?" "Don't dare," Wu Sidao looked at Jin Yuze provocatively, "I never said that my uncle treated me badly, how could my uncle treat me badly?" Jin Yuze was stunned by him, but Wu Sidao knew this, and he could cause trouble the most How can you let him out to talk nonsense so easily?After staying for a while, Jin Yuze changed his smile and said slowly: "Why do you have the same temper as your father? After many setbacks, you are still so aggressive! Oh... I almost forgot, this is your cousin-in-law, Dang Feng Well, now in the Xishan Ruijian camp, I have already achieved guerrilla warfare—go back to my room, you see that the day is about to change, it will be dark—tonight I won’t be going back, it’s rare for us to have a good talk... ..." Although Dang Fengen is a military officer, his conversation is very elegant. Seeing Wu Sidao's expression is not good, even though he didn't know, he helped his father-in-law to stay and said: "It turns out that my cousin is here, no wonder my father-in-law is restless at the eighth master's house. Xi! Cousin, I have heard of your literary name for a long time. Although I am a martial artist, I also like arty. Don’t leave tonight. Let’s re-burn the crimson wax, move the wine bottle, and have a quick talk overnight..." Wu Sidao raised his head to look at the sky, it was past unitary hour, the black clouds in the sky stirred up the electric snake, and there were heavy thunder sounds from time to time, like a huge wheel rolling over a glacier, making a terrifying crackling sound.Wu Sidao pondered for a moment, knowing that it would be difficult to get out of this, and felt that he was going too far, so he said: "Okay then... I'll leave tomorrow. It's fate..." The wine and wine of the three were not happy.Dang Fengen has gradually heard the signs of the matter from the mouth of the two of them.Although he tried his best to deal with it and tried his best, Wu Sidao was not in a good mood and had no interest in drinking. Seeing that Wu Sidao was lazy even when talking, he changed the subject and asked, "Yue Zhang, are you sitting with the Orondai military gate?" One seat, I heard you say that the emperor intends to visit Rehe, is it true?" "It's scheduled to go after the August Festival." Xiaoguan Cao of Jin Yuze Department, originally not qualified to chat with a first-class guard like Erlundai, but now he wants to pretend to be big in front of Wu Sidao. Seeing his son-in-law asking, he said mysteriously, " This time when the emperor went to Chengde, it was Tong Guowei who was sitting in the middle hall in Beijing, and Zhang Tingyu and Ma Qi were escorting him! There has been a decree, and the court has sent the fifth and fourteenth elder brothers who are away to rush back to Beijing from Gubeikou. The master is in Anhui, and he also asked the thirteenth master to rush to Tongcheng from the Wuhu naval camp, and deal with the river affairs as soon as possible, and he must return to Beijing before August 15." Dang Fengen said: "To inspect Rehe, it is nothing more than sentry deer hunting Why do you want to make such a big fight? The fifth master and the fourteenth master didn’t say anything, they were about to come back. The fourth master and the thirteenth master are very busy with errands, what did you call them back for?" Jin Yuze was already blushing after eating two drinks in a row. , wanting to show off his dignity in front of Wu Sidao, giggled and said: "Young generation, it's good to appreciate the holy will of the Long Live Lord. Maybe the seat of the Crown Prince will not be stable!" Dang Fengen frowned, and said: "What you say is not a joke! Before the Duanyang Festival in May, the crown prince was still going to the west mountain to work on behalf of the emperor. How could the good ones be discarded?" Could there be any mistakes?" Jin Yuze took a sip of his wine "Zhi'er", "All the guards in the prince's east palace have been changed! The fourth master belongs to the princeling party. He has been cleaning up deficits in the household department for the past two years, and his black eyes are fixed on Bai Yinzi. The bills are extremely high, and with the help of the Thirteenth Master, forcing people to pay back the money, more than 20 provincial officials committed suicide, and the Tenth Master sold all his belongings in Liulichang—such a master will be in power in the future Sitting at court, do you still have the chance to survive? Have you seen the wine today? The one sitting next to Lord Jiu at the first table is Eunuch He from Yuqing Palace, the chief eunuch of Lan Lingzi, and he is serving plates I want to join Eighth Master!" Dang Fengen couldn't help shaking his head, and said: "This is all on the bright side. The fourth master and the thirteenth master's household errands failed, and they went to other provinces to hide their shame and avoid disaster. Seeing that this autumn and August Fifteen, Long Live Lord just celebrates the fifty-fifth Christmas. I think the house is full of children and grandchildren, and there is some excitement. The father-in-law, the eighth master and the prince are a little bit upset. The people below make these rumors. It’s okay to hear it as autumn wind, but it’s not. Believe it all!" "You have to believe it." Jin Yuze glanced at Wu Sidao who was sitting quietly, seeing his indifference, somewhat disappointed, and said coldly: "Feng En, the Vice-Constable of my in-laws has retired for many years. It’s not the situation when the in-laws fled from Guangdong to Beijing in the twelfth year of Kangxi. The queen has been dead for more than thirty years, and eighteen new brothers have been added, each with their own connections, each with their own power, and he is also incomparable. Keep an eye on the past, you have a long way to go, and you have to judge the situation. The eighth master said that since the forty-second year of Kangxi, the court has already changed a lot!" Wu Sidao's brows twitched slightly, he thought of Yinzhen, unexpectedly the situation of this illustrious elder brother was also in such a precarious situation, a sudden chill hit him: What happened to me tonight?After hearing so many things that shouldn't be heard, I'm so ignorant!Just as he was thinking of getting away, there was a bright flash in the sky, and then a shocking thunder sounded, shaking Fangyu trembling.Wu Sidao saw that the two of them were stunned by the shock, he stood up with a smile and said, "Grandpa, my cousin is lost, the thunder and strong wind helped the conversation, and I had a good time drinking tonight. But I really can't support myself anymore, I have been abandoned by the world like me The crippled ones, the ones that people in your fame talk about are called 'like floating clouds to me'. Come, let me offer you a toast, but I have to take my leave first." "We only cared about the court situation, and neglected our brother." Dang Fengen stood up with a smile and said, "Actually, these after-drinking remarks can be laughed off--in that case, let's drink three cups together, and then toast to father-in-law , so I can rest. Fortunately, there is a day to talk!" So the two drank three cups in a row, and offered another cup to Jin Yuze.Jin Yuze was already a little drunk, and said: "Just live here with my uncle, everything is on my uncle's body! My uncle is getting along well with the people in the eighth master's mansion now. I'm afraid you have heard of the eighth master. Knowledge, benevolence, righteousness, and kindness, the poor and the weak are the most cherished - when you were troubled by Nanwei, the eighth master praised you as a real celebrity and a man! Now that you are disabled, you have no knowledge, I will recommend it tomorrow After you go in, he still lacks a Si Mo in his north study, and he wants to be a Qing guest there. !” After saying that, Nianxu laughed out loud. "Thanks to uncle's kindness." Wu Sidao smiled, and he couldn't hear the sarcasm in his tone if he didn't pay attention, "Although I don't know official careers, I can tell that you all want to be promoted. I have despaired of politics, this time When I came to Beijing, I wanted to be Tao Zhugong in TOEFL, but I didn’t expect my uncle to have such skills! That’s it, I’ll rest here for a few days, meet friends, how about discussing it with your son after you trust me in finding a job for me?” With a smile, he walked away calmly with a cane.At this time, the sky had begun to rain sporadically, and the raindrops as big as soybeans made the green bricks in the courtyard crackle. Standing on the steps, Dang Fengen saw his family members using lights to guide Wu Sidao away, he turned around after thinking for a while, and approached Jin Yuze, who was drunk and blurred, and called softly, "Father-in-law!" "Well." "This is Wu Sidao who made a big fuss in Nanwei back then?" "Well." "This person is not something in the pool." Dang Fengen said abruptly, "You have talked too much tonight." "Huh?" Jin Yuze was startled, Qu Ran opened his eyes, looked at his son-in-law in a daze and said, "What did you say?" Dang Fengen's face was green and white, and he said, "My father-in-law, don't misunderstand, the man surnamed Dang is a real man. I don't care about Feng Gu's affairs with him in the past at all. I thought Wu Sidao was a reckless scholar, but I saw his color today." Jin Yuze said with a smile: "What's the color? What's the use of patience?" "He is here, I feel depressed; he leaves here, I feel horrible." Dang Fengen continued following his own train of thought, "This temperament is frightening... He said that he would not succeed in being an official, and wanted to be a rich man in Taozhu , but you said tonight that you can support him with a little effort, so why doesn't he beg?" ... "Ba Ye's potential power is already higher than that of the prince," Dang Fengen said with piercing eyes, "If you want to recommend such a powerful royal nobleman, he will not be tempted!" Jin Yuze was stunned by his heavy tone. He woke up too, and said after a long time: "You mean..." Dang Fengen slowed down, "I said, he didn't come to Beijing for promotion or to get rich. What did he come to Beijing for? I think he came here for something. !" Jin Yuze stared and thought for a while, then shook his head.Dang Fengen smiled and said: "Anomalies are demons. This person led hundreds of people to raise the God of Wealth to make troubles in the Gongyuan. He failed and went away to live in seclusion for ten years. He was full of hope to make a comeback, but he became disabled again and traveled thousands of miles. If you came here to seek relatives, and you met Feng Gu and married another, what would happen to you?" Jin Yuze uttered a word between his teeth: "Hate!" "Of course," Dang Fengen said coldly, "I hate everyone, but the one who bears the brunt hates you and me the most! So no matter which elder brother or high-ranking person takes him in, but he only gains power, you and I will never have peace!" These words hit the bone, and Dang Fengen spoke eloquently. Jin Yuze felt that every sentence was penetrating, and couldn't help shivering, and said viciously: "Tomorrow I will send him back to his hometown!" "Going back is still coming again!" Dang Fengen said quietly, "and the hatred is doubled." "What do you propose?" Dang Fengen walked up to a piece of wax, and blew it out with a puff, and the light in the room suddenly dimmed.Jin Yuze shrank back and said: "Under the capital's chariot, you can't do this kind of thing." Dang Fengen walked back and forth for two steps, then turned around and said, "You can borrow a knife." There was a bright flash, and there was a crisp sound as if the sky was about to split in two, and the darkness returned, only torrential rain poured down.