Judge of the Lamp

Chapter 176
Xu Zhiqiong came here after this soldier.

He went to Zhang Jiugu's stall to buy cloth, and Zhang Jiugu added things to the cloth.

This sergeant is in charge of delivering the letter.

Xu Zhiqiong groped the sergeant's little face several times, and Wu Shanxing was embarrassed: "Zhiqiong, you are drunk, it's getting late, go back and have a rest."

"I'm not drunk, I just like this brother, I think he's always standing by your side, don't you usually love him?"

"What's this called, Zhiqiong, it's enough to drink enough, let's meet again some other day!"

Wu Shanxing sent Xu Zhiqiong away, and the sergeant stood beside him with an aggrieved expression.

Wu Shanxing looked at the sergeant and couldn't help frowning.

Since when did Zhiqiong have this hobby?
……

Xu Zhiqiong entered the small black room, twisting his hair, imagining the appearance of the sergeant delivering the letter.

There was a picture in front of my eyes, which was the sound of hawking in the market. It seemed that this soldier often went to the market to deliver letters.

The picture was very blurry, Xu Zhiqiong wanted to see it more clearly, but unexpectedly the picture changed suddenly, and Xu Zhiqiong saw a Confucian scholar, who was reciting aloud with a scroll.

Who is this Confucian scholar?
Wanting to see more clearly, the screen switched again, Xu Zhiqiong saw a blazing red, and heard the sound of impact.

The screen switched again, and there was a majestic palace in front of him. There was a flickering fire in the center of the hall. Xu Zhiqiong recognized it as the Suzaku Palace.

The screen switched, and a court appeared, which was Dali Temple.

The screen switched, a group of soldiers, each armed with guns and sticks, practicing formations. This is the Wuwei Camp.

The screen switched, the candles flickered, and the sound of screams could be heard endlessly. This is Wanhualou...

The screen switched rapidly, and Xu Zhiqiong was overwhelmed.

It's useless to look around like this. Xu Zhiqiong concentrated his energy and wanted to see a picture clearly. Suddenly, he felt a throbbing pain in his scalp.

This time he fell heavily in the alley, and Xu Zhiqiong couldn't get up for a long time.

This was the first time he was forced to leave the small black room due to exhaustion. In the final analysis, it was because he had just been promoted and his physical fitness was poor.

Patting the dust, Xu Zhiqiong staggered home, stopped after taking two steps.

He only has two houses, one bedroom and one barn. Now Han Chen lives in his home, Chang Decai lives there, and Shi Shuangliu lives there.

He went back to sleep with Han Chen, Shi Shuangliu and Chang Decai...

inappropriate.

He slept with Chang Decai, Shi Shuangliu and Han Chen...

inappropriate.

He slept with Shi Shuangliu, Han Chen and Chang Decai...

inappropriate.

In short, the place is too small to be crowded.

Back to Yilangyuan?

Yilang Courtyard is spacious, very suitable for recuperation.

However, recuperation is not necessarily conducive to recovery. Xu Zhiqiong slept for two days, and now he is not tired.

What he needs is to adapt to the cultivation base of the sixth rank as soon as possible through the effective operation of the power of imagery.

What he needs most now is to practice without distraction.

He went to Beiyuan and entered the Peach Blossom Shed.

The old shopkeeper rushed out to greet him: "Xu Qianhu, you are here! I heard that you have been resurrected from the sun, and that you have been promoted to the red lantern man. I have been happy for several days!"

Xu Zhiqiong took out five taels of silver and put it in the hands of the old shopkeeper: "I still want my original elegant room, and bring some fruits and wine."

The old shopkeeper shook his head again and again: "Qianhu, you can't do this, you can still come to my small shop, it's because you look down on me, how dare I take money from you!"

Xu Zhiqiong held the hand of the old shopkeeper: "Let's not talk about thousands of households, and don't mention red lights. We still follow the old rules. If I bring money, I will give you more. If I don't bring money, I will owe you on credit first. It's still the same as before, do you think it's okay?"

The old shopkeeper clutched the silver, his eyes were red: "It's the same as before, send Xu Denglang to the elegant house."

Xu Zhiqiong went to the private room on the second floor, lay down on a chair, ate fruit, drank wine, and watched the graceful dancing posture of the dancer.

The power of imagery slowly settled in his thoughts, and Xu Zhiqiong fell into samadhi.

Qi mechanism circulates among the meridians, Xu Zhiqiong is gradually getting better.

There is a slight blockage in the Ren Meridian, which should be the scar left when the Ren Meridian burst.

It doesn't matter, let the air machine run gently, up and down, but fluttering with the gauze skirt.

It's still a little bit off, just a little bit off...

A dancer came to Xu Zhiqiong, rubbed Xu Zhiqiong's legs, and went to see that Xu Zhiqiong had some bruises on his thighs.

"Master Deng Lang, are you injured?"

Yes, I fell just now.

The dancer rubbed gently, and Xu Zhiqiong's pulse trembled.

Scars, healed.

……

At dawn the next day, Xu Zhiqiong came out of the Goulan shed refreshed and walked around the Beiyuan.

The footsteps are lighter than before, and the speed has increased a lot.

The arms are waved powerfully, and the strength has been greatly improved.

How big is it?
Looking at the dilapidated walls of Qierzhai, Xu Zhiqiong felt that he could knock down a wall.

After leaving Qierzhai and heading south, Xu Zhiqiong wanted to go home, but he heard a burst of crying from the alley.

A middle-aged woman dragged a young man of fifteen or sixteen, and said with tears all over her face: "Son, don't go, I made a few pairs of straw sandals for my mother last night, let's go to the market and sell them together. There is food."

There was a little girl next to him, about twelve or thirteen years old, who also pulled the young man: "Brother, I'm going to sing in Wanhualou, and some older sisters are leading me. They say they can earn sixty yuan a night."

"Dare!" The young man said angrily, "If you dare to go there, I will break your legs!"

The woman said: "Son, I can't eat much for my mother, so sell this straw sandal, it will be enough for the two of you to have a full meal."

The young man smiled and said, "Mother, Brother Liu told me that as long as you go to sign up, you will be given three hundred Wen. You keep the money. I will go out with them for a month, and I will give you two hundred Wen a day, and you will get paid once a day." Money, I can’t do it, I’ll just come back.”

The woman said: "Where did you get that skill? Why do people give you so much?"

"You don't need crafts, people are just recruiting laborers, so just do manual work, it's written in the notice."

"You can't read, how do you know what is written on the notice?"

"We don't know each other, but someone does. The masters of the workshop have read it word by word. Can't we understand? Mother, hurry up!"

The family walked towards the city gate.

Xu Zhiqiong hid aside, frowning secretly.

Two hundred cash a day for recruiting laborers?

How can this be?

According to Daxuan's market price, Ligong pays [-] Wen a day, and if he pays [-] Wen, it means he has met a good employer.

Xu Zhiqiong secretly followed the family to the north gate. There were many people gathered under the north gate, including young and strong young men, middle-aged people with gray temples, and many old people who were over sixty years old.

What is the old man doing here?
Who will recruit them to do labor?

A man walked to the center of the crowd, wearing a red robe, a gauze cap, and a forged steel chain around his waist. On the chain was an iron plate with the word "bitter" written on it.

This is the official of the penance workshop.

Wearing a red robe, it proves that the official position is at the sixth rank. Like Niu Yuxian's father, he is a national worker.

Xu Zhiqiong's guess was correct, someone in the crowd shouted: "Lu Guogong is here, everyone stand neatly!"

Xu Zhiqiong had heard of Lu Qingming, a state worker who scraped and rubbed. Lu Qingming was very good at polishing, and he often repaired weapons for the yamen in charge of lamps.

Standing among the crowd, he repeated the content of the notice in the simplest language: "Your Majesty has a decree that autumn (autumn hunting) is approaching, and a new palace will be built outside the city. Gather all of you together and go out of town to do your best,
Hard work, everyone must have done it, fifty or sixty cash a day, not a lot of money, but your majesty will not treat us people badly, two hundred cash a day, you just go and ask, is there any in the big publicity boundary? This price!
We are not picky about age, as long as a man has the strength and strength, but there is a word, we have to make it clear in advance, this is an imperial mission, if you go, you have to go to the end, whoever dares to escape halfway, don't blame Wang Fa ruthless! "

The woman gave the young man a hand: "Did you hear that? If you want to do it, you have to do it to the end. You are not allowed to come back. My son, don't go!"

"Mom, keep quiet and listen to what others say."

Hear what people say?
Can you hear me?
Even Xu Zhiqiong couldn't understand it!
Autumn hunting is autumn hunting. According to the rules of Daxuan, the emperor has four huntings a year, which are called spring search, summer seedlings, autumn hunting, and winter hunting.

This is not an earth-shattering event, it is just a prescribed action every year. It has never been heard that a hunting requires a new palace.

Besides, to recruit laborers, at least recruit some really strong ones. What can the elderly who are over sixty years old do?
Not only old people, but also some skinny beggars, as long as he is a man, he wants it, and counts the money on the spot, three hundred coins each!
It would be a liar to say that someone else said it.

But this was said by the national worker of the penance workshop, and he was holding a royal notice in his hand.

The young man was a little hesitant, and his mother was crying beside him.

Xu Zhiqiong stepped forward and asked the young man in a low voice, "Brother, what's your name?"

The young man smiled: "My name is Xie Yong, how about you?"

"My name is Ma Fu," Xu Zhiqiong made up a name casually, "Brother, do you think this job is good for you?"

"Why can't you do it! You see, everyone has already got the money!" Seeing others counting copper coins, the young man was anxious.

"I said brother, let's find another job to do, you are so young, you don't need a job!"

The young man looked at Xu Zhiqiong's clothes: "You are a rich man, so you must not lack this livelihood. I have to support my mother and my sister."

While speaking, Lu Qingming shouted loudly: "No matter how many people are recruited today, we will leave at noon, and we will not wait after the deadline!"

Everyone scrambled forward, Xie Yong rushed up regardless of his mother's obstruction.

He didn't even have the number of recruits, and he didn't pick and choose, but he closed his mouth according to the time. No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.

Xu Zhiqiong recalled what Wu Shanxing said, that on the night of Huazi Festival, more than a thousand beggars left the west gate and were picked up by carriages.

Think again about the scene seen in the small black room, it was glowing red, and there was the sound of hammering.

Is that fiery red thing molten iron?Is the sound of hammering iron?
Could this be a penance workshop?
Will the Penance Workshop be related to Nufu Cult?
Could it be related to the Gu worm on Shi Shuangliu's body?

Follow out of town to see.

But Master reminded me not to leave the capital as much as possible.

But such an important clue can't just be cut off.

Get a helper to go with you.

Xu Zhiqiong went back to the courtyard and saw that Han Chen was still taking care of Chang Decai.

Chang Decai is in good condition now, he doesn't need Han Chen to take care of him, and he doesn't want Han Chen to take care of him either.

Xu Zhiqiong said: "Brother Han, can you decipher the mark on Miss Shi's face?"

"It's difficult," Han Chen shook his head and said, "The mark is very meticulous. I tried my best these days, but I couldn't find a way to crack it."

Xu Zhiqiong looked at Chang Decai, and said to Han Chen: "Are you looking for a trick on Miss Shi's face, or on Miss Chang?"

Han Chen gave Xu Zhiqiong a white look: "Since Miss Chang is here, I naturally want to show her some methods, but if I don't have ten days and a half months, I'm afraid there will be no progress."

"Then don't wait ten days and a half months, let's go out of the city to be a laborer."

"What kind of manual work?" Han Chen looked at Chang Decai and said, "Miss Chang needs to be taken care of, and Miss Shi needs to be protected. How can I spare myself to do that kind of thing?"

Chang Decai waved his hand and said, "Doctor Han, we don't need you to take care of our family. Miss Shi will leave it to me. Master, if he doesn't go with you, I'll go out of town with you."

"Miss Chang, you can't go!" Han Cheng took a compass and quickly calculated, "There is a bad omen outside the city!"

Xu Zhiqiong glanced at the compass and saw a bloody light.

(End of this chapter)