Chapter 46 The 19th round of Jixiang Cottage to show off tonight

The Paozi River at the east corner of Chongwenmen was originally the old course of the Tonghui River in the Yuan Dynasty. After Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, he built a large-scale construction project to expand the inner city, so he cut off the river in the middle, leaving half in the city and half outside the city. up.This part of the river in the city is called the Paozi River, and its upper reaches are connected with the Jinshui River at the southern end of the Forbidden City.The Paozi River is sparkling, and there are dozens of ponds with the size of hundreds of acres connected to each other like ivy.The banks of the river are densely covered with tall locust trees and weeping willows.In the inner city of Beijing, where houses are row upon row, traffic is busy and people are rolling in red dust, this section of the river, which is two or three miles long, is indeed a rare wild and deserted place.  On both sides of the river, some wealthy families in the capital built some gardens. On the south bank, there are Fangjiayuan, Zhangjiayuan, and Fangjiayuan, and Fangjiayuan is the best; .At the west end of the Paozi River, there is a Lugong Temple.This temple is dedicated to the immortal Lu Dongbin.There is a dream couch in the temple, and it is said that praying for dreams here is quite effective.Less than one mile to the north of Lugong Temple is Gongyuan.Every Spring and Autumn Examination, Juren from all over the country gathers in the capital to come to this Gongyuan to take the exam.In order to take the exam carefully, many people came to the South Bank of Paozi River to live in rented houses a few months in advance, and they also came to Lugong Temple with reverence to pray for their dreams.Therefore, the scholars who came to play in Paozi River left such a poem: "After Zhang's family wine, Fu Yuan's poem, the horses go by the Paozi River late. Walk all over the road full of Sophora japonica, and come to pray for Lu Gong Temple in autumn." Every spring and autumn, many tourists come to Paozi River to enjoy the scenery.There are more than a dozen famous gardens by the river, flying red and dancing green all day long, and there are endless singing and dancing.However, very few people can enter the best garden by the river to have a glimpse of its magnificence. This is Jixianglu next to Fangjiayuan.Jixiang Lu covers an area of ​​more than 60 mu, which is considered the largest among the private gardens in the capital.Yuanzi was originally the other business of Yan Song, the traitor of the former dynasty.It is said that when Yan Song wanted to build this garden, he invited Ji Cheng, a master gardener in Suzhou at that time.When Ji Cheng asked him what kind of garden he wanted to build, Yan Song did not answer directly, but wrote two lines of Song poems: "The pear blossom courtyard melts into the moon, and the catkin pond is light and windy." It took five years to build this garden.This garden uses the beauty of borrowing scenery, on the bank of Paozi River, above and below the water. , patchwork.Once completed, it will become the first famous private garden in Beijing. After Yan Song was dismissed from office and his family property was confiscated, Jixianglu was also confiscated and has been under the jurisdiction of the cabinet.After Yan Song, the chief assistant Xu Jie, Li Chun. Fang, etc., are all respected Ci Fu masters by scholars, and they are good at singing the wind and the moon.Every year, good princes and ministers are invited to play in this fragrant house several times, or enjoy spring flowers, or sing autumn moon, or listen to the lotus wind, or look at the snow, send love to fish and birds, and taste algae.In the spare time of official duties, enjoy the pleasure of literati and refined scholars.After Gao Gong took over as the chief assistant, he had never been here once.Firstly, it was because he was not fun, and secondly, because he was too busy, and the cabinet and staff members ran at both ends, and never had a free time.The door of Jixianglu was rarely opened a few times a year, but under the hands of Gao Gong, "the door is always closed even though it is set up". But said that at dusk that day, I saw a sedan chair carried by two people hastily carried past Lv Gongci, and went south along the embankment of Paozi River.When they stopped in front of the gate of Jixiang Hut, a person got out of the sedan chair, and this was Zhang Juzheng.I saw him wearing a wide-sleeved Yuanqing silk straight gown, and around his waist was a very expensive dark green jade belt with rice grits oozing.Just looking at this outfit, if you don't recognize him, you might think he is an idle prince. Why did Zhang Juzheng come to this Jixianglu suddenly because of his light car and simplicity? The reason is still related to Wang Zhuan. Last night, Wang Zhuan was overjoyed when he accidentally got the news of Yuniang because he was checking the patrol shop in Suzhou Hutong.Although he has never met Yuniang, he is familiar with the name.He heard Zhang Juzheng talk about this woman more than once.Zhang Juzheng commented on Yuniang's use of the words "sex and art", which surprised Wang Zhuan.He has followed Zhang Juzheng for so many years, and he has never heard him praise any woman so much.Therefore, he immediately sent someone to Yaozi Street to rescue Yuniang from Xia Po's hands, and then informed Zhang Juzheng overnight.After hearing the news, Zhang Juzheng thought for a while, and ordered Wang Zhuan to send Yuniang to Jixianglu for recuperation.There was nothing to say that night, the next day, Zhang Juzheng went to the cabinet as usual, he changed into casual clothes when he finished his shift in the afternoon, and came straight to Jixianglu in a small sedan chair. As soon as Zhang Juzheng got off the sedan chair, Wang Zhuan, who had already come here to wait, and Liu Pu, the subordinate in charge of Jixianglu, stepped forward to greet him.At that time, it was dusk, and the tall pagoda trees and weeping willows on the embankment were full of afterglow, while the reeds and grasses in the water were gradually whitening, and the reeds were green, and the mellow autumn colors made people feel refreshed.Zhang Juzheng was intoxicated by the scenery in front of him, he walked in front of the door for a while, praised him, and then stepped into the gate of Jixianglu. When Xu Jie and Li Chunfang served as the chief ministers of the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng bowed every time they held an elegant gathering in Jixianglu.Gao Gong was in power for two years, but Zhang Juzheng never came to Jixianglu again.This time, as soon as I entered the courtyard, facing the patchwork of pavilions in the twilight, and the blooming trees and flowers dotted around the small bridge and flowing water, I felt a special feeling in my heart. The three of them had just bypassed a clump of green bamboos, stepped on a mossy brick path, and were about to enter the main building of Jixianglu—Shanweng Tingyu Tower, when they suddenly heard the Qiuyue Pavilion by the river In the room, there was the sound of the pipa, and then someone sang, Zhang Juzheng stopped and listened:

come and go, go and come, Like the identity of a bee; Eat and play, play and eat, Think of me as a sugar figure.  East refers to West, West refers to East, It's all deceiving people.  Whether you blame me or I blame you, You ask your heart, your mouth asks your heart. Don’t look like this cloudy sky,   rain is not rain eyes not eyes confused tightly. The melody is sad, like a lone goose, like a crane chirping in the middle of the sky, more like rain hitting frosty branches in an ancient temple in a deep mountain.Zhang Juzheng was stunned when he heard this, and his expression became more serious.Wang Zhuan whispered from the side, "That's Yuniang." Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly.On the other side of the small pavilion, the music played again:

Old enemy, I treat you with gold and jade, You treat me like dirt and mud.  Now you go back to your hometown by bullock cart, My tears have dried up, and my face is haggard.  Since ancient times, beauties have suffered a lot, but who knows? My life is as thin as paper, and my breath is as weak as silk.  God, I am the one who is infatuated Who can say that you are the one who cheats... Next is the sound of  Cong Cong's pipa, thousands of words are lingering in the fingers, or anger, or resentment, or infatuation, or desolation... Zhang Juzheng listened quietly until the end of the song for a long time, then he stroked his beard and sighed: "Wu Nong's soft words are so painful!"

Liu Pu saw that the sky was already dark, so he said cautiously from the side: "Master Shoufu, please enter the house and rest first, and I will go and call Yuniang over.""She can't see Don't scare her." Zhang Juzheng stepped up the stone steps of Shanweng Tingyulou, and when he was about to enter the door, he turned around and asked, "There seem to be two women beside Yuniang, who are they?" "Ah, These are the two maids of the student's family," Wang Zhuan quickly replied, "I sent them here temporarily to serve Yuniang." "It's so good!"

Zhang Juzheng nodded in satisfaction, walked into the gate of Shanweng Tingyu Building.The building has three floors, and the bottom floor is as large as seven couplets. It is the place where Yan Song used to hold banquets for guests.On the second floor, there are many orchid smoked secret rooms in the curved sill corridor, which originally belonged to the place where the golden house hides its beauty.On the third floor, the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting furnace, tripod and Yi are all available, and it is a place for entertainment.Yan Song was already in his later years when he built the Jixiang House. He had stayed in the cabinet for more than 30 years, and it had passed without any surprises. That's why he named this building Shanweng Tingyu Tower.After his downfall, someone proposed to change the name of the building, but Xu Jie, the successor chief assistant, claimed that nothing in Jixianglu needed to be changed. Only then can you be a man and a husband, a dignified gentleman." Not only did he say so, he also wrote a quatrain for it:

Who will send Qingluan to replace crane couple?   was Merry Department and Merry.  In his old age, he walked on the Jiangnan Road with a stick, Gossip Shanweng Tingyu Lou. Now, this poem is engraved on a huge pineapple screen at the entrance of Shanweng Tingyu Tower.When Zhang Juzheng came in, the first thing he saw was this poem.He was in front of the screen, facing the handwriting of his mentor, who was beautiful on the outside and strong on the inside, thinking about others when he saw things, and felt a little melancholy in his heart. At the beginning of the Chinese lanterns, in a small room next to the flower hall on the first floor of Shanweng Tingyu Building, a table of Huaiyang-style dishes has been placed, which Zhang Juzheng specially prepared for Yu Niang.Zhang Juzheng had already taken his seat, after a while, the maid helped Yuniang in to sit opposite Zhang Juzheng, and then withdrew.Only Zhang Juzheng and Yuniang were left in the room.  "Who's in the room?" Yuniang asked. 

 "You and I." Zhang Juzheng replied.   "Who are you?" Yu Niang asked alertly, and touched her chest habitually.Zhang Juzheng looked at Yuniang carefully, and he hadn't seen her for more than two months. Although this beauty was a little haggard, and her big watery eyes were also gloomy, she was still so pure.Soft nostrils, moist cheeks, two crescent eyebrows, and a small cherry mouth, even if you are confused, there is no ecstasy.  "You, who are you?" Seeing no one answered, Yuniang asked again.  "Talk a little longer, and you will know who I am," Zhang Juzheng said, and put a thin piece of meat loaf from the cold plate on the plate in front of Yu Niang, saying, "Taste first Let's go."

 "This is salted meat." Yu Niang shrugged her nose and said with a shallow smile.But don't move your chopsticks.  "Why don't you eat it, because you're afraid of being drugged?" Zhang Juzheng said, and took a piece of it into his mouth. From Zhang Juzheng's first sentence, Yuniang felt that the voice was a bit familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere, she searched hard for memories, but she still couldn't remember it.But the voice was steady, and there was something irresistible about it.With a woman's intuition, she knew that the man opposite was not a dandy.So, she fumbled to pick up the chopsticks and put the piece of salted meat into her mouth.  "Is it delicious?" Zhang Juzheng asked. 

Yu Niang replied: "I have never eaten such authentic hometown food when I came to Beijing.""Are you from Nanjing?" "Yes." "When did you enter Beijing?" “It’s been more than four months.”  "During this time, it was a stormy and violent storm in the capital, Yuniang, you came at the wrong time."Yuniang smiled sadly and said, "I don't know what the storm is."" You know, you know more clearly than our majestic seven-foot eyebrows," Zhang Juzheng suddenly raised his voice, and sighed, "Didn't you sing 'Intrigues in the imperial city, iron horses in the yamen'?"  Yuniang was taken aback for a moment, the scene of singing "Mulan Song" at Jingnan Station appeared in her mind, her face flushed immediately, and she asked: "You, you are Zhang, Zhang..."

 "Yes, I am Zhang Juzheng." Zhang Juzheng took over the topic and replied. Yu Niang stood up abruptly, pulled out the pair of scissors that never left her body, and stabbed directly at Zhang Juzheng across the table.Zhang Juzheng tilted his body, and Yuniang stabbed him in the air.Knowing that she couldn't stab him, she angrily picked up the dish on the table and slammed it towards the opposite side.Although Zhang Juzheng dodged quickly, he was still splashed with vegetable soup. Wang Zhuan and Liu Pu, who were waiting outside the door, heard something was wrong with the noise inside the house, so they hurriedly opened the door and came in. When they saw this scene, their faces paled with fright. Wang Zhuan stomped his foot and reprimanded: "Bold Yu Niang, how can you be so unreasonable!"

Liu Pu didn't say a word, he just rushed forward and snatched the scissors from Yuniang's hand, and hugged her desperately.  "Don't blame her by mistake." Zhang Juzheng dusted his straight coat, and said calmly, "Let the maid come and help Yuniang tidy up, and I'll come after changing clothes."About one hour After drinking tea, Zhang Juzheng, who had changed into a clean Taoist robe, walked into the restaurant again.The room has been tidied up and the table has been replaced with new dishes.Yu Niang sat in the corner of the room, still covering her face and weeping.Zhang Juzheng signaled the two maids to go out, poured himself a glass of wine, swung his neck and drank it all, and asked: "Yu Niang, why are you doing this to me?" Yu Niang raised her face and said angrily: "You took away Gao Ge's position as chief assistant."  "You did it, so I can't say it. Today, you brought me here, what do you think?"  Yuniang said, habitually putting her hand on her chest again.Looking at her, Zhang Juzheng became more fond of her.He took a sip of wine slowly, and said: "Yu Niang, I know your mood at this time, don't worry, I won't do anything to you, please sit down and talk."Yu Niang hesitated for a while, then touched Went to the table and sat down.Zhang Juzheng put some vegetables on her plate, and said gently: "Let's chat while eating, shall we?" Yu Niang did not comment, bowed her head and remained silent.Zhang Juzheng said earnestly: "Yu Niang, you are a weak woman, how can you really know what intrigue is, and how have you ever seen a real iron horse Jin Ge! Just now, you said that I snatched the position of the chief assistant of Gao Ge, how could you know this?" A majestic prime minister, with the confidence of the emperor and the supervision of hundreds of officials, was it possible to snatch it?" After a pause, Zhang Juzheng continued to ask, "Yu Niang, who else is there in your family?" Yuniang shook her head, since she was sold into a brothel at the age of nine, she lost contact with her family.Zhang Juzheng went on to say: "If you have a younger brother who is only ten years old this year and he is always worried about being bullied by others, as an older sister, how should you deal with it?" Yu Niang thought for a while and replied, "Protect my younger brother and don't let people bully him." I was worried about being bullied by Mr. Gao Ge, this is the real reason why Mr. Gao Ge resigned.""Oh?" Yu Niang raised her head and stared blankly at Zhang Juzheng.  Zhang Juzheng went on to say: "Mr. Gao Ge has worked with me for many years. He is not only my good teacher, but also a good friend. I never had the slightest thought to harm him. That day in Jingnan Station, you suddenly appeared. I was very happy for Mr. Gao Ge , Hanging the crown and going south, with a confidante like you by your side, even if it is Lin Quan, what regrets do you have? It is a pity that Mr. Gao Ge regards the affair between a man and a woman as immoral, and he has let down your infatuation.”“Don’t , stop talking."  Yu Niang waved her hand lightly, and because she poked the sore spot, she lowered her head and began to cry.  "Yu Niang, I invited you here to help you." "Help me?" Yuniang raised her head.  Looking at her tear-stained face, Zhang Juzheng was even more moved with compassion. He sighed and said:  "There is a saying in the ancient sages that people have great desires when eating and drinking. Ruthless is not necessarily a hero. This point , is exactly the difference between me and Mr. Gao Ge. In the past years in the Hanlin Academy, colleagues once said with a smile that there should be four levels of love between men and women: the emperor's joy should be a game of dragons and phoenixes; Huan, one should feel pity for fragrance and jade; the joy of literati belongs to seeking flowers and asking willows; the joy of common people is mostly stealthy. Although I, Zhang Juzheng, am not talented, I have a heart of pity for fragrance and jade after all.""My lord!" Yuniang couldn't help shouting With a sound.   "Don't call me sir, just call me sir." "Mr.—student." Yu Niang yelled shyly, her face full of embarrassment.  This change was noticed by Zhang Juzheng. He got up and walked to the window, opened the curtain, and looked through the window. He saw a bend in the middle sky. beauty of.Zhang Juzheng sighed: "The moonlight is beautiful tonight, but it's a pity that you... ah!" Yu Niang groped and walked to the window, listening to the cool breeze outside the window, and the chirping of autumn insects, recalling the light clouds and autumn moons she had seen in the past, she suddenly felt sad from , she couldn't help covering her face with her hands, and sobbed again.  Zhang Juzheng was close at hand, smelling the orchid-like body fragrance from Yu Niang's body, and felt that his body was so hot that he couldn't hold it back. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Yuniang's thin shoulders, and asked tenderly: " Yuniang, I heard you want to leave the capital?"  Yuniang nodded.   "I just said that I can help you." Zhang Juzheng stared at Yuniang's tear-stained face, his voice became softer, "Whether you are going back to Nanjing or want to go to Xinzheng, Henan to find Mr. Gaoge, I can send someone to escort you .”“No, I’m not going to Henan.” "Ah?" Zhang Juzheng's eyes showed excitement, "You don't want to see Gao Ge grow old?" "When the slave's eyes were bright, he didn't want to, but now, the slave's eyes are dark, and he won't talk to him anymore After that, Yu Niang burst into tears, sobbing and said, "I want to go back, but I can only go back to Nanjing.""Do you have relatives in Nanjing?" "No, there is only one Daxia Shao who can be regarded as a benefactor. He redeemed the slave's family from the brothel with money.""Shao Daxia?" Zhang Juzheng was taken aback, he was no stranger to this name. "Did he come to you during these times?" "No," Yu Niang smiled wryly, "He thought that the slave family had returned to his hometown in Henan with Gao Ge." Where do you want to go back is the future The thing, now, you can't go. " "Why?" "  "For your eyes." "Eyes, my eyes?" Yu Niang nervously pressed her eyes with her hands, and said painfully, "What else can I do with my eyes?""In the afternoon, has a doctor come?" Yes, it was brought by Mr. Wang, and the doctor looked into my eyes." "Yes, that is the imperial doctor, I asked him to come." Zhang Juzheng helped Yuniang back to the dining table and sat down again. Next, continue to say, "The imperial physician said that your eyes are cured." "Really?" Yuniang couldn't believe it.  "The imperial doctor said that your blindness is caused by a mixture of heart fire and blood stasis on your head. As long as you calm down and take his decoction, you can recover your breath and regain your sight."" Sir..."  Shouted, Yu Niang was choked up and speechless.Comparing the two as the chief assistant, she felt that Gao Gong was too heartless, while the Zhang Juzheng in front of him—as he himself said, had the heart of a gentleman who cared for the fragrance and cherished the jade.  "Yu Niang, do you know where you live now?" "I know, it's in Jixianglu." Yuniang took out her ropa, wiped away her tears, and asked, "Why is it called Jixianglu?" Burning incense and refining medicine is a pleasure. Therefore, the incense in the incense house is the incense of the fasting ceremony, not the incense of the dowry."  Zhang Juzheng's words were a little provocative, but Yu Niang didn't take it to heart, but worried Question:  "Is it inconvenient for my husband to live here?"  "There is no inconvenience, you just do your best to recuperate."  "Thank you, sir," Yuniang wanted to get up and salute, but she didn't know whether it was because she was excited or she couldn't see, but she didn't stand up three times, so she could only laugh at herself and said, "Look, I look like an old woman."" What do you want to do?" Zhang Juzheng asked.   "I want to hold the pot and pour wine for my husband." "Ah, this is not necessary." Zhang Juzheng dissuaded, "If you still have energy, Yu Niang, please sing "Mulan Song" again." What are you doing? I won’t sing it anymore. If sir wants to listen to the song, I will sing something else.”  “Hello.” Zhang Juzheng immediately shouted to the door, “Come on.”Liu Pu responded When he entered, Zhang Juzheng told him to bring Yuniang's pipa.Liu Pu went out for a while and came back with the pipa, handed it to Yuniang, and backed out again. Yu Niang tuned the strings and asked, "What do you want to hear, sir?"  "As you like." Zhang Juzheng poured himself a drink.  "Come up with a question, and try the skill of Ying Jinger."  "Alright," Zhang Juzheng turned his head, saw someone walking by with a lantern on the far side of the river outside the window, and said , "How about you sing a lantern?""Lantern?" "Yes, lantern!" Yu Niang embraced the pipa, frowned and pondered for a while, then slowly turned her slender jade fingers, and flicked lightly on the four strings. Opening her lips, she sang softly: Lantern, you are born exquisitely,   what a warm-hearted love Merry.  Be able to take care of the front and back when acting.  Thanks to the tightly entangled bamboo thread,   added fuel to the fire.  Sitting in a corner in the daytime and guarding loneliness, When the night comes, the green shirt and red sleeves will be taken away, Crossing the long bridge, listening to drums and beating Qiaolou... Yu Niang's voice is sweet, and even though she sang impromptu, she still retains her inherently melancholy qualities.Zhang Juzheng held the jug in his hand, but forgot to pour the wine, closed his eyes, he was already fascinated by listening.Suddenly, hearing a noisy sound coming in from outside the door, Yu Niang stopped singing first.Zhang Juzheng opened his eyes and scolded angrily: "Who is making noise outside?"  "Master, is it me?" A voice answered eagerly.  "You Qi?" Zhang Juzheng was startled, he immediately sat up straight, and shouted, "Come in."            : "Master, Mr. Feng sent Xu Jue to send you an urgent letter."  "Where is the letter?"  "It's a message." Seeing You Qi's terrified face, Zhang Juzheng's heart sank, and he thought to himself: "What big event happened in the palace?" He led You Qi to the flower hall outside.