Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 1 Changan Snow

Winter, November, Chang'an.

Snowflakes rustle outside the window.In the study room, the Duobao shelf is full of books, and there is a belt on the table, and a silver fish bag is hung on the belt.

The fish charm falls on the outside, and in the middle is the raised "Tong" character for verification. On both sides are "Prince Zuo Chunfang" and "Zanshan Doctor Du Youlin" respectively.

Du Youlin was sitting on the Hu bed, holding a volume of books and concentrating on reading, immersed in the scholarship of the sages.

Suddenly hearing hurried footsteps outside the door, his wife Lu Fengniang called "Lang Jun" in a panic and pushed the door open.

Du Youlin, who was disturbed, immediately frowned and asked, "What happened again?"

"It's not good." Lu Fengniang was so anxious that she stammered, "Wu Lang was bullied outside!"

Du Youlin put down the scroll and said impatiently, "Speak well."

"Liu Ji took Wulang to Pingkangfang, and he had a conflict with some rascal, and moved... his hands."

"Bastard, dare to go there and wait for it." Du Youlin scolded fiercely, "You still haven't brought it back? Can you stay outside and ruin Jingzhao Du's reputation?"

"How has my son ever been to that place? It wasn't brought by your eldest son-in-law."

Lu Fengniang's chubby face was full of grievances, but she couldn't explain clearly, so she stomped her feet and turned around, pointing, and called a boy waiting outside the study to come in.

"Quick, tell me."

Du Youlin saw that it was the servant next to the eldest son-in-law, his eyes showed disgust, and he turned sideways.

"Returning to Alang, my lord just wanted to take Du Wulang to Nanqu for tea. Du Wulang saw the mansion of the right minister on the east side of the square building, and asked, 'how does the right minister live in this place of red willows and green', Just when Ji Dalang heard it, there was a quarrel, and Ji Dalang ordered Du Wulang to be taken away, saying that he would take Du Wulang to the prime minister's mansion to make amends."

Hearing this, Du Youlin's expression changed, and he asked, "Which Ji Dalang?"

"He is the eldest son of the Jifacao family in Jingzhao Prefecture."

Du Youlin got up suddenly, walked out with his shoes on, and called, "Quan Rui."

Quan Rui, the family steward, had already been waiting in the porch, bent down, stepped forward and responded with small steps: "The villain is here."

"Bring that bastard back quickly!"

"Let's do it."

Quan Rui let the boy lead the way, and hurried out to Pingkangfang.

Du Youlin looked displeased, walked back and forth for two steps but sat down again, picked up the scroll and continued to read.

for a long time.

Lu Fengniang was wandering in the corridor, and saw Quan Rui, the housekeeper at home, hurried back alone.

"Where are the Goro people?"

"The villain can't find Goro."

Quan Rui was still panting, and while answering the mistress, he knocked on the door of the study.

"What do you mean?" Lu Fengniang was shocked, she chased him and asked, "What do you mean if you can't find it?"

"Ji Dalang didn't take Wulang to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, but he didn't know where he took it. The villain has left someone nearby to look for it."

When Quan Rui said this, he hesitated to speak.

Du Youlin heard the movement outside, opened the door and came out.

"A Lang." Quan Rui said in a low voice: "I heard people around say that today Nanqu killed someone, I'm afraid it's a serious matter, will A Lang come to Ji's house for a visit?"

As soon as Lu Fengniang heard about her life, she was so frightened that she was on the verge of collapse, and hurriedly said: "Lang Jun, please go and beg..."

"Shut up." Du Youlin scolded his wife, and ordered: "Go and find Wulang again."

Quan Rui wiped his forehead and said: "Ah Lang, there are only a dozen servants in the house, can the villain go to the opposite Wei's house to borrow some people to look for them together?"

Du Youlin looked calm, but he had no idea, and asked, "Is it possible?"

"Young man, let's go."

~~
This time Lu Fengniang rushed directly to the side door and waited, anxious.

Finally, the maid Qing Lan raised her hand and said, "Miss, look quickly."

I saw two servants in green clothes running towards this side, one of them was carrying someone on his back, and shouted to this side from a distance.

"I found it, Du Wulang was found by us!"

"My son!" Lu Fengniang was overjoyed, crying and coming forward.

The two servants of the Wei family were very enthusiastic. One continued to run forward and carried Du Wulang into the courtyard, while the other comforted him.

"Don't worry, Madam Du, she's alive... The villain checked first, thinking he was out of breath, then checked again, alive, alive."

It can be seen that they are also very happy to rescue the young man of the Du family.

After much difficulty, the comatose boy was laid down under the veranda in the front yard of the Du residence.

He looks to be about 15 years old, with a very good appearance, exquisite facial features, even with his eyes closed, he can make people feel good.

It's just that he was only wearing unlined clothing, and there were bruises on his neck, obviously being pinched severely.

"My son..."

Lu Fengniang cried and rushed forward, fixed her eyes, but the shouting in her mouth stopped abruptly.

She was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise, "This is not my son."

"Isn't this Mr. Du's family?"

The two servants of the Wei family looked at each other.

"How could this not be Mr. Du's family? When we found it..."

Suddenly, there was another noise outside the door.

Quan Rui hurried back, beckoning a servant to put down the boy on his back.

"Quick, put it down first, pinch the person."

The boy who was brought back this time woke up quickly and sat up from the porch.

He is 15 years old this year. Like Lu Fengniang, he has a big round face, a flat nose, and small eyes. Although he is not too ugly, he has a timid temperament.

At this moment, he seemed to wake up from a nightmare, his whole body was trembling, and he was still muttering something.

"My son?" Lu Fengniang pushed away the others, took a closer look, and cried loudly, "This is my son!"

"Goro, are you okay?"

"..."

Behind the crowd, a servant in blue looked up and patted himself on the forehead in frustration.

"Oh, this ugly one is Du Wulang."

The steward of the Wei family hurriedly pulled away the impudent person, accused Lu Fengniang of the crime, and led the person out of the front yard of the Du family.

"Is there no way to talk? You have to say it in person."

"Uncle, I carried that handsome one all the way from Pingkangfang."

"You don't even know who it is, so who is to blame? You didn't ask Quan Rui to identify it first."

"Isn't that just to... get more rewards?"

"Speaking of which, the lady of the Du family really doesn't reward a single coin."

"Search."

While talking, they stopped.

I saw a dead body wrapped in straw mats in the alley, blood gradually trickled out from the mats, dyeing the snow a bright red.

"Is it really dead?"

"The boy next to Du Wulang, I heard that his name was Duan Yan, and he was beaten to death by Ji Dalang, and Du Wulang fainted from fright."

The servant in Tsing Yi whispered, sighing endlessly.

The same is a lowly private slave, and it is inevitable that the rabbit will die and the fox will be sad...

~~
In the study, Du Youlin was holding the fish amulet and gently rubbed it with his fingers.

Du Wulang, who was kneeling in front of him, was crying so hard.

"The boy kept saying 'I was wrong', but Ji Xiang refused to be stopped, the boy was pinned down on the ground, I don't know how to make him stop, Duan Yan... Duan Yan... was beaten..."

Having said that, Du Wulang choked up and almost couldn't breathe.

Du Youlin sighed, sighed several times, and asked, "What else did Ji Dalang say?"

"He asked me 'Can you swallow this breath?' Grandpa, shall we ask Second Sister to seek justice from Duan Yan?"

"Bastard!" Du Youlin slapped the table and shouted, "Don't you think you haven't caused enough trouble for the Du family?"

Du Wulang was startled, his lips were trembling, but he still looked up at Du Youlin, his eyes full of begging.

Lu Fengniang couldn't see her son like this, she wiped her tears and said: "Your Majesty, Wu Lang is being bullied!"

"That's enough, did Ji Dalang hurt Wulang? Go to Jingzhao Mansion and sue him for beating and killing slaves and servants. You will be satisfied with the punishment of [-] sticks and [-] compensation? Go out."

"Lang Jun." Lu Fengniang jumped aggrievedly.

Du Wulang burst into tears, his lips trembling, and said: "Grandpa, Duan Yan has been..."

Du Youlin sighed, closed his eyes, and ordered: "Quan Rui, bury Duanyan with the rites of common people, and fulfill the friendship between master and servant and the benevolence and righteousness of the Du family."

"Yes, Aaron."

"Let's all go." Du Youlin raised his hand and pointed at Du Wulang, and shouted, "You are confined at home from today, and you will stop seeing Liu Ji in the future!"

"Big brother-in-law, he..."

"You still care about that evil spirit."

Lu Fengniang didn't let Du Wulang speak again, and pulled him up to help him out.

After leaving the study, he left a low-pitched complaint.

"Before leaving the pavilion, she was also a lady from a famous family, and she married into Du's house to suffer such a useless attitude."

It was still snowing outside the porch, the courtyard was quiet, and the servants returned to their places.

Quan Rui followed, and said in a low voice: "The villain is going to take care of the funeral of the Duanyan. The pole is three feet long, and the artifact is nine things. What do you think?"

"You know how to ask me now?" Lu Fengniang knew that the steward was asking for money, so she said, "Ask Ah Lang."

"Alang doesn't care about ordinary affairs." Quan Rui responded, feeling embarrassed.

Du Wulang then pulled the corner of Lalu Fengniang's clothes and cried, "Mother, let's bury the inkstone generously."

"A false official who raises such a big ancestral house and takes care of your two elder brothers, I..."

Lu Fengniang muttered, but seeing her son's sad expression, she finally gritted her teeth and said: "Death is the most important thing, let's do it, and get it from the account."

"Yes, there is one more thing. In the afternoon, Liu Lang's son-in-law said that he would go to a friend for help. Should someone inform him that Wu Lang has been found?"

"He really thinks he has a lot of friends." Lu Fengniang cursed secretly, and waved her hands to let the steward do what she wanted.

She was too lazy to care about the eldest son-in-law.

"Caiyun, go to Xuandu Temple and invite a real person to perform a method for Wulang to exorcise evil spirits."

Du Wulang was still choking, and said, "Mother, I don't need to exorcise evil spirits."

"Look at you like this, you are out of your mind." Lu Fengniang stroked Du Wulang's shoulder, "Please, let the real person help Duanyan bridge."

"OK then."

At the Waiyi Gate, Caiyun had just left from the second courtyard, while Qing Lan was coming in from the front courtyard, and said, "Lady, that young man has woken up."

"Help Wulang to rest." Lu Fengniang said, "I'll go and have a look."

When Du Wulang just woke up, he noticed the comatose boy, he was quite concerned, and insisted on going together.

~~
In the verandah of the front yard, the young man sat up with his body propped up.

If it is said that when he was in a coma, he gave people the feeling of a noble and weak nobleman, but when he opened his eyes, his demeanor changed again, making people feel a calmness that did not match his age.

What's even more strange is that there is a daze in the calmness.

"Xiao Langjun, which family are you from?" Lu Fengniang asked, "Why are you unconscious on the road?"

The boy was looking around suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, and asked a very slow question.

"Am I not dead?"

There was a pause in the middle, and he didn't seem to be very good at talking.

"You're not dead." Lu Fengniang said, "You were rescued by the Du family."

Still puzzled in the boy's eyes, he nodded his thanks.

"Don't be afraid, do you have a name?"

"Xue Bai."

"But he was from the Xue family in Hedong?" Lu Fengniang asked again.

Xue Bai shook his head, and his eyes fell on Du Wulang's sideburns, looking very seriously, as if he was observing something.

Du Wulang looked a little embarrassed by him, scratched his neck and lowered his head.

After thinking for a while, he said to Lu Fengniang: "Mother, he seems to be sick, can you give him a bowl of ginger soup?"

The ginger soup was boiled for Du Wulang just now, so Lu Fengniang sent someone to bring another bowl.

After a while, Xue Bai got up and staggered to the door.

He was still a little weak, leaning on the wall, standing on the steps and looking out.

Du Wulang couldn't help following, stood on the threshold and poked his head out, following Xue Bai's gaze to the west.

There was a pool of blood on the side of the alley.

In the distance, in the two-inch-wide picture between the archway of Shengpingfang and the wall of Wei's house opposite, there is a lot of traffic on Zhuque Street.

"Where is this?" Xue Bai asked.

"Chang'an, Wannian County, Shengping Square."

"Chang'an?"

It was still snowing lightly in the sky, and pavilions, terraces and pavilions, layers of wooden bucket arches, double-eaved gable-style roofs, and owls on the ridge of the roof stood with their mouths raised from the courtyard wall opposite the alley.

The wind blew the bells hanging under the eaves, making a clear sound.

"Which dynasty, generation, and year?"

"Don't you even know this?" Du Wulang said, "The Heavenly Treasure of the Tang Dynasty has been in existence for five years."

"Tianbao five years?"

Xue Bai sighed slightly when he heard the words, and let out a sigh of white air, which drifted in the cold wind during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty.

The single clothes on his body were very thin, and his lips were already white with cold.

"Zai, not the year, but Zai." Du Wulang reminded: "Xia is called Sui, Shang is called Sacrifice, Zhou is called Year, Tang and Yu are called Zai. Only the kings of Yao and Shun use Zai to record the years. The achievements of today's saints are better than Yao and Shun, called Zai. "

Xue Bai glanced at him with a confused expression, not in awe.

Du Wulang couldn't help shrinking his head and muttering in a low voice: "It doesn't matter if you don't read the book next to you well, you must keep this matter in mind."

"it is good."

"Where is your home?"

"I don't remember." Xue Bai said: "Die... After passing out, I don't remember many things."

"Is someone going to kill you?" Du Wulang pointed to the pinch mark on Xue Bai's neck with a small movement.

"Can not remember."

Du Wulang became worried, and whispered to Lu Fengniang, "Mother, he is lonely, shall we take him in?"

Maid Qinglan said: "My lady, I saw that there were bruises on his ankles and burnt marks on the back of his neck, and he was found in Pingkang Fang. He may be an official slave who made a mistake and was beaten like this." Drop it by the side of the road."

"Official slave?" Lu Fengniang murmured to herself, "I just have to buy another servant for Wu Lang."

Seeing that the mistress didn't understand, Qing Lan reminded: "It's not easy to establish a contract and become a lowly person in this situation. It might not be appropriate to stay here. If you cause trouble again, after all, the Du family is not an ordinary family."

After hearing this, Lu Fengniang immediately hesitated.

Du Wulang said anxiously: "But he will die outside like this, and there will be a curfew soon..."

"Wu Lang has a kind heart, he doesn't want to see people suffer, just give some money and relief."

Du Wulang really wanted to take Xue Bai in, but his eloquence was not as good as Qing Lan's, so he was so anxious that he didn't know what to say.

But this conversation fell into Lu Fengniang's ears. Thinking of buying another slave for the benefactor and signing a contract to become a lowly person, she couldn't help asking Xue Bai, "Can you read?"

"Literacy."

It is not cheap to have such a big head in the west market now, so Lu Fengniang moved her mind and asked: "Today my son was frightened and needs someone to accompany him. Since you have nowhere to go, why don't you just stay and be his book boy? "

Xue Bai didn't answer right away, but took a careful look at everyone in the courtyard.

Qing Lan looked at him, only to feel that there was a scrutiny in his eyes, and then he seemed to have weighed in his heart before nodding.

This is not an attitude that a boy in his teens can have, and he is a person of unknown origin, so Qinglan can't help but feel a little worried.

But as a maidservant, I can't say anything more after fulfilling my duty of reminder, I just hope that he won't bring disaster to Du Zhai.

　When the new book is released, the signing will be completed during the day, and then the monthly vote can be cast.It is very important to ask for monthly tickets and follow-up reading in the new book issue, thank you very much.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)