Gel makeup

Chapter 31
The two of them didn't want to go back after they came out of Que'er's Nunnery, so they walked slowly along the remaining veins of the West Mountain. Siqing mentioned some Wing Chun poems and Fu, and slowly changed the topic.

I didn't know how far I walked, and I saw a grass pavilion. Although it was old, it was spacious and tidy.Roller curtains made of bamboo are hung on all sides, and flags with the word "tea" of Dou Dadi are hung at the corners of the pavilion.There is a pair of couplets on the pavilion, which reads: "Go and have a cup of tea in the busy work for the sake of fame, and bring a pot of wine for the sake of clothing and food for pleasure."

Xiao Yi saw the slang couplets, which were popular and humorous, but he felt a bit miserable, because he said to Si Qing: "Come on, let's go in and have a seat."

There are few seats in the pavilion, and there are many people coming from outside the city today, so there is only one seat at the entrance of the pavilion.Xiao Yi and Siqing felt thirsty after walking for half a day, so they sat down at the entrance of the pavilion and ordered a pot of wild celery tea.

After serving the tea, Siqing took a sip, then suddenly put her hand on the back of Xiao Yi's hand and pressed it softly, "The atmosphere is not right."

Xiao Yi put his hand on the long sword at his waist, and said softly to Si Qing: "Are you here for us?"

Siqing was also carrying a sword, although alert, but not frightened, said: "Let's leave after drinking tea."

The person behind Si Qing who sat with his back facing back suddenly answered softly: "I'm afraid it's too late, they've been sitting for a long time, and they're about to start."

Siqing didn't turn her head, but Xiao Yi couldn't help looking behind Siqing, and met the eyes of the female companion of the person who was sitting with Siqing's back to her.

The sword came out of its scabbard as quickly as lightning, a group of dressers wanted to kill the shop, but the first person came straight to Xiao Yisiqing's seat.Xiao Yi drew his long sword out of its sheath, and saw Siqing taking a step ahead of him, pulling the sword flower, and almost at the same time as the person who spoke behind her just now made a move.The two joined hands to raise their swords upwards, the tip of the sword twisted, Siqing suddenly flashed lightly, and locked the tip of the opponent's sword, the person who joined hands with him took advantage of the situation and struck down in the air, a silver light flashed, and blood spattered on the spot.

Seeing that his accomplice was injured, all the members of the sales team gathered to besiege Siqing and that person.At this time, Xiao Yi's eyes were quick and his hands quickly pulled away the female companion of the person who answered Si Qing's words. With the sword still unsheathed, he blocked the opponent's sword and joined the team battle.

The man flew off the ground, stabbed to the left, the tip of the sword formed an arc, and swiped to the right suddenly.This move of "throwing stones to ask for directions" is quite subtle, pushing the opponent away a few feet, and being able to hide the female companion behind.

The man was paying attention to his female companion, Siqing raised her wrist, using the word "sticky", first wrapped around the opponent's sword, then suddenly withdrew her hand, the long sword flipped and pierced the opponent's chest.The opponent backed away in a hurry, the man guarded the female companion behind him, and pushed outwards, stabbing the lower abdomen first, sinking the wrist, and then chopping the opponent's legs.Although his moves are lagging behind, they are very fierce and his moves are continuous.Siqing, Xiao Yi and that man took care of their female companion who was not good at martial arts, and at the same time, with three against ten, they still gained the upper hand.

Seeing that they couldn't resist, one of the group of people who sold Jiejie's costume raised his anger and shouted loudly while defending: "Quick back!"

Siqing listened attentively, and the speaker raised his sword and beheaded the old man who opened the tea booth.

The diners in the pavilion had already scattered away, and a few who hadn't escaped were cut down to the ground, blood trickling down.Siqing pulled out, the tip of the sword was on the right to pick the tendons of the opponent's hand, and the scabbard was on the left to charge the acupuncture points.Looking back, Xiao Yi and the man fought fast, the two teamed up, and a silver light rolled, gaining the upper hand.

The man tightly guarded his female companion, both defending and attacking, seeing the right moment, the long sword poured down like a cold current, and cut off the opponent's wrist.Siqing, Xiao Yi and the man received their moves at the same time, the one who broke his wrist and raised his neck suddenly jumped up and stabbed Xiao Yi, but unfortunately, his strength was exhausted, and Xiao Yi pierced his throat.

"With so many dead and so many lying on the ground, why don't you leave? When the government is alarmed, isn't it just asking for trouble?" The man suddenly said while protecting his female companion.

Xiao Yi nodded, and Siqing had a heart, pulled out an enemy short knife and hid it in his sleeve.

There is only one way out of the tea pavilion in the valley, and everyone is tense.Everyone walked up the mountain along the road, and stopped when they saw that they were far away from the tea pavilion.

The man clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your help with your swords." As he spoke, he took a deep look at Siqing.

Xiao Yi was puzzled, and quietly held Siqing's hand, but felt that Siqing's hand was covered with greasy cold sweat.Xiao Yi was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but look up at the man's female companion again.

Si Qing's body trembled slightly, she seemed to have made up her mind, took a deep breath, and suddenly said, "Brother."

Xiao Yi gave a "hmm" after hearing that, turned his gaze back from the man's female companion, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Siqing suddenly felt timid due to the closeness to her hometown, and didn't answer Xiao Yi's words. She walked away two steps, then suddenly stopped, and turned to ask the man, "Is Uncle Fu okay?"

The man smiled and asked, "You still remember Fu Shibo."

Siqing sighed, and introduced to Xiao Yi: "This is my brother, Gu Liangfen." Only then did Xiao Yi realize that Siqing's "Brother" was not her own.

She returned to the Imperial Capital at the age of 17, and has not seen her senior brother Gu Liangfen for five or six years, but Gu Liangfen's appearance has not changed much.In the next year, I heard Jiang Feng say that Gu Liangfen was often in Beijing, but I didn't expect to meet again in this situation.

Siqing was born in the Ye family, and at this time a "brother" with the surname Gu appeared suddenly, Xiao Yi was startled.

Seeing this, Siqing had no choice but to explain again: "He is my righteous brother from the same family."

Xiao Yi suddenly realized that this person is the "Brother" Si Qing said.

Xiao Yi said: "It's a pleasure to meet you." Gu Liangfen also clasped his fists in return.

Xiao Yi looked at the female companion behind Gu Heng whose eyes were dodging, and suddenly asked: "May I ask, what is the name of this little lady?"

Gu Liangfen's female companion was pale and didn't speak for a long time. Finally, she looked up at Xiao Yi, then at Gu Liangfen. Seeing that Gu Liangfen and Xiao Yi were both looking at her, she asked softly, "Third brother?"

Now Siqing and Gu Liangfen were both stunned, Siqing raised her eyes to look at the picturesque woman beside Gu Liangfen, thinking: Is there such a coincidence in the world?

Xiao Yi suddenly trembled all over, walked forward involuntarily and said, "Sixth Sister, it really is you? It really is you..." As he spoke, he burst into tears.

Siqing was quite surprised, but after thinking about it, she realized that this was Yan Mowei, the daughter of Duke Yasukuni, the daughter of Duke Renkang who had done bad things before, and the adopted daughter of Empress Dowager Renkang.She suddenly remembered Shen Huanhua's words that Yan's daughter had been poisoned by the empress dowager and passed away. She couldn't help but look a few more times, and looked at her righteous brother Gu Heng in doubt.

Yan Mowei turned his head to one side, and didn't even answer Xiao Yi's words, only nodded to Si Qing, turned his head and said: "Liang Fen, let's go back."

Xiao Yi was at a loss for what to say, but seeing Yan Mowei's expression was cold and serious, he didn't know how to speak.

When the atmosphere became cold, Siqing was the first to react, and asked Gu Liangfen meaningfully: "Those people just came here for brother?"

Gu Liangfen still didn't react.Yan Mowei is the daughter of Yan Jingxiu, Duke of Jing, and Yan Mowei's elder brother is the son of Yan Jingxiu.But when Yan Jingxiu fell from power, all his sons died, so this person in front of him is...

If Siqing was the daughter of the late Dongge University scholar Ye Xiufeng and the direct younger sister of Ye Lancheng, then she should be in the middle palace now. Why would she appear in this tea pavilion outside the city at this time when she is the empress of the country?Isn't she Ye Lancheng's biological sister?But in terms of appearance alone, the two are so similar!

Yan Mowei whispered in Gu Liangfen's ear: "This is my cousin—" Gu Liangfen thought and thought, and suddenly remembered that Yan Mowei said that his aunt was the late Empress Dowager Renkang, his eyelids twitched and he narrowed his eyes , looking at Xiao Yi and Siqing.At this time, Xiao Yi was also looking at Gu Liangfen with cold eyes.

"When I returned to the Imperial Capital from the south, I had conflicts with medicinal material dealers in Yunnan and Guizhou. Judging by my skills, these people may be targeting me."

Siqing nodded and asked again: "When did brother come to the Imperial Capital? Uncle Fu..."

"In the 13th year of Xining, Fu Shibo and I went to the north for some reason. After we were behind, I returned to Xiangyang to deal with the ancestral house. Fu Shibo was worried about you, so he returned to Jiahe first. When Fu Shibo returned to Jiahe from northern Zhejiang, you were nowhere to be found. When I returned to Jiahe from Xiangyang at the end of the year, you disappeared, and Shibo had left Jiahe to look for you. I waited in Jiahe until the spring of the next year when Fu Shibo did not return with you, so I traveled to Xijing. In the past one or two years, I came to Dijing Yes. Since the end of Xining's thirteenth year, Fu Shibo and I have lost track of each other, and we have never known where Shibo left off."

After hearing this, Siqing raised her eyebrows and asked: "Is there really no news from Uncle Fu?" Seeing Gu Liangfen nodding his head, he asked again, "Are the Xian couple relatives in Shangjing?"

Yan Mowei suddenly replied: "Yes." Fu said to Gu Liangfen, "Liang Fen, this is my third brother" and then said to Xiao Yi, "This is my husband. What is the third brother coming to Xishan today, I will come to Xishan to do it." What. The third brother doesn't need to ask any more about other things now."

Xiao Yi was about to speak, but it seemed that someone was coming, and he didn't know if it was Cheng Yingzhou and others chasing him.Yan Mowei's status is special, so Gu Liangfen and his wife bid farewell to Xiao Yi and his wife.Gu Liangfen looked at Siqing with an indescribably complicated and weird gaze, and Siqing sighed secretly, then asked, "You live in Uncle Wu's house?"

Gu Heng smiled: "No, in Ginkgo Lane. Does Uncle Wu know that you are in Beijing?"

Siqing shook his head, Gu Heng saw this and walked away quickly with his wife, Yan Mowei did not greet Xiao Yi from the beginning to the end, and only nodded slightly to Siqing.

However, after Gu Liangfen and his wife left, the people who came were only tourists, not Cheng Yingzhou.Watching Gu Liangfen and Mo Wei go away, Xiao Yi said: "I remember you said you don't know how to fight."

Siqing said: "You've misunderstood, you can hardly do it. I know a little bit about self-protection."

Xiao Yi asked: "Actually, I have always wanted to ask you, why do you always hide the dagger in your sleeve?"

"When I was young, I went up to the mountains with my father and brother to collect herbs, and stayed in the mountains at night. Wild animals would often come and go. They would jump behind my father and brother and attack me," Siqing said, "so it became my habit to carry a short sword when I went out. This short sword is It was a gift from an elder, and it is very useful.” After speaking, Si Qing asked Xiao Yi: “How do you know that she is your sixth sister?”

Xiao Yi looked at Yan Mowei's back and said, "Beside her skirt are the jade token and purse that her mother gave her back then. The situation was critical just now. When I pulled her away, she called me 'Third Brother' in a low voice——she spoke, My intuition told me that she is the sixth younger sister. There are unburned scriptures at the entrance of the nunnery just now, so she must have gone to pay homage to my mother. Also, the old purse I am wearing today is also made by my mother. Hers are the same. This Mr. Gu..."

"He is Xie Xiang, a senior scholar of Zhixiu in the Taizong Dynasty. His name is Heng and his name is Liangfen. He originally lived in Xiangyang. His father and my adoptive father, Mr. Fu Linchuan, are family friends. Because his father died early, he studied with Mr. Fu Linchuan since he was a child. He is six years older than me. The reason why he was surnamed Gu was after his mother's. As for why he took his mother's surname instead of his father's, I don't know." Si Qing replied.

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "So I came from the old Zanying family." He added, "There is such a coincidence in the world that the sixth child has a good home. After a hundred years, I can go to see my mother with peace of mind. It's just..." He was silent For a moment, "Uncle's case has not been solved yet, and the sixth child seems to have a heart knot with me."

The two walked along the mountain road to the official road, and Siqing said again: "Before Mrs. Yuanxi told me that my elder brother was in the imperial capital, my sister-in-law said that my biological elder brother met a merchant named 'Gu Heng', The two of them sang poetry and wine, and they have a good friendship. At that time, I had doubts whether this 'Gu Heng' was that 'Gu Heng'."

Xiao Yi smiled and said: "You are so similar to Lan Cheng, this Mr. Gu has been suspicious for a long time, right?"

Si Qing said: "My elder brother has a very good temperament, but he was not forgiving in the past, I don't know what's going on now... I haven't seen him for several years..."

Xiao Yi was very concerned about what Siqing said to Brother Nai, "Have a good temper?"

Siqing smiled, "It should be 'virtuous'. He can do everything. When I was a child, I hated washing clothes. The whole family's clothes were washed by the river, and those aunts laughed at him. He can also cook and know how to wash clothes. Mending clothes. I am a few years younger than him. When I was a child, Uncle Fu went out to see a doctor, and he was the one who saw me at home. I remember when I was a child, he recited "Qian Jin Fang" in the yard and tied me with a rope , tied to a tree at one end..."

Xiao Yi thought that this has nothing to do with virtuousness?

"When you went north, why didn't you tell your elder brother?" Xiao Yi asked.

Si Qing said: "I left the letter, but it was destroyed by the Ye family. The old man doesn't want me to have any contact with the people in Nan Province."

When Ye Xiufeng was mentioned, Xiao Yi changed the subject and asked, "Who did you say was the assassin just now?"

Siqing said: "There are so many assassins in the imperial capital, and they bumped into them head-on. The law and order in the capital is not good. I am really a little suspicious. Did that group of people come after us just now? Look at this short blade." He took out the short blade he had just picked up on the ground of the teahouse.

Xiao Yi took it over and looked at it. The words "Duanwangfu" were cast on it.He pointed it out to Si Qing, and Si Qing was surprised: "Is it Prince Duan?"

Xiao Yi suddenly changed the subject and said, "When the sixth younger sister was born, there was a light rain in Tian Mo Jian, so she was named 'Mo Wei'."

"The mood of this name is really good." Si Qing couldn't figure out what Xiao Yi meant, so she followed him.

Xiao Yi nodded and said: "My uncle had an accident in the dispute with the Zongwang. Could it be that Duanwang is eyeing the sixth sister?"

"But the assassin is clearly going for you. Third brother, could it be someone from King Dingnan? The daughter of Shi, the head of Dingnan Palace, pointed out that she was given to King Duan as a side concubine. King Dingnan wanted to get a weapon from Prince Duan's mansion." Isn't it easy? Concubine Ning died in vain before, and Dingnan Fan will not find another way? This may be a trick of Dingnan Fan to sow dissension and kill with a knife."

Siqing was a little guilty when she said this, and she had no good intentions in pointing out the daughter of Shi's daughter, the head of Dingnan's palace, as Prince Duan's side concubine.

Xiao Yi suddenly asked: "Your elder brother is quite skilled, why are you so far behind?"

Siqing said: "My brother is talented and hardworking, I can't compare with him."

Xiao Yi said: "I'm quite curious, what kind of person is that Mr. Fu?"

"Uncle Fu came from a wealthy family. When he was young, he loved poetry and prose. He once studied at Gushan Academy in Yuhang. Later, for unknown reasons, he suddenly left Gushan Academy and went north. After finishing his studies, Uncle Fu went back to his hometown to practice medicine for a living." Siqing dug a hole in the ground and buried the short blades he picked up from the tea house, and Xiao Yi also came to help fill the soil.

Siqing continued: "However, Uncle Fu has been in contact with some of his classmates in Gushan Academy. My brother's biological father seems to be Uncle Fu's classmate when he was in Gushan, so when something happened to my brother's family, he followed Uncle Fu. I grew up. Then there is Lin Shiyi, a very prestigious scholar in Jiangzuo, who is close friends with Uncle Fu. Lin Shiyi is also the mentor of Xu Wenchang, the household secretary, and Du Sizhong of the Imperial Academy. There is another one, who is a little special..."

"What kind of special method?" Xiao Yi interrupted and asked.

"He helped Uncle Fu, maybe even saved Uncle Fu," Siqing took out his handkerchief and wiped his hands, "He is Yao Yuantu, the current governor of Zhejiang. I have always felt that Yao Yuantu had contributed a lot to Uncle Fu's escape from the case. Later, when I was a child, he also helped when there was a problem with the property at home. But my brother said He helped Uncle Fu because Uncle Fu healed his son when he was seriously ill."

"Your elder brother is after Xie Xianggong, and the Xie family is considered a rich family. Why did your elder brother grow up with others?" Xiao Yi pondered.

Siqing sighed: "It's a big family, but his father and mother were young, and my brother was always bullied, so he followed Uncle Fu later. After he left with Uncle Fu, he broke off contact with the Xie family. , and changed his mother’s surname to Gu. But my brother has a side branch uncle who is very kind to him. When I was young, his side branch uncle visited my brother at Uncle Fu’s house. In Xining 12 years ago, my brother’s uncle didn’t Now, my brother should have no contact with Xie's family anymore."

Xiao Yi murmured, "Why don't we send someone to find Mr. Fu?"

Siqing shook her head again and again, "It's not right, it's not right, we send people to look for it, it's easy to arouse people's suspicion. Uncle Fu is carrying the case of Lord Yasukuni, Yu Yun and that on his back, it's better to be more cautious."

The two walked while talking, and they saw the official road at the foot of the West Mountain.The setting sun shone on Xiao Yi, Siqing watched intently, Xiao Yi asked: "What are you looking at?"

He was born with snow-white skin, like porcelain and jade, and Si Qing was very envious, "Snow skin and flowers have different appearances."

Xiao Yi smiled, "Since I was a child, I hated people saying that I was a girl."

Seeing that the official road was full of sentry posts of officers and soldiers, Xiao Yi couldn't help laughing even if he was in a bad mood: "Such a large formation seems to be buying money from the road."

Siqing glanced at him: "Why are you laughing? This must be looking for us."

In the evening of early spring, when the mountain wind was slightly cold, Xiao Yi took off his cloak and put it on Siqing, and fastened the lace on her chest, smiling: "Anyway, I'm the one who makes noise when I go back, and I won't make noise to you."

"It's you who are making noise, and it's me who is cursing secretly..." Before finishing speaking, Shi Shibao sneezed, Xiao Yi hurriedly wrapped her cloak for her, and walked down the mountain.Siqing then began to chant mantras in Xiao Yi's ear: "A son of a thousand pieces of gold will not sit on the throne... A son of a hundred pieces of gold will not ride a horse... The Holy Lord will not take advantage of danger and get lucky... Hanging clothes and handing over..."

The evening wind blows, and green waves ripple on the fields in the mountains.The two walked through flowers to find their way, and left hand in hand.

Returning to Zhiyuan in the evening, Xiao Yi was both happy and disappointed, and said: "I really didn't expect Lao Liu to still be alive. After so many years, the emperor's grandmother is gone, and the matter of uncle is still unsolved. Lao Liu Now I don’t want to see me, but when I meet, I will remind her of her sadness. Tomorrow, I’d better trouble you to go there. One is that Yuan Xi is not in Beijing, so don’t let Mrs. Yuan Xi know about her affairs. Two Ask her what the introduction is about, and whether she still has contact with her uncle's family. You also talked to your brother about the three things."

Siqing shook her head, "If you have anything to say, it's better for you brothers and sisters to talk about it. If you don't talk about it, if there is an incident in the future, it will not be calmed down. Let's go together."

(End of this chapter)