Under the sky

Chapter 111 Indiscriminate and indiscriminate ([-])

Kunlun April Summer 90

Gu Qingshang was a little irritable.

After returning from Qingcheng a few years later, Shen Yuqing sent someone to cancel the marriage certificate, saying that she had someone else to marry, and that she did not dare to reach out to others. Her words were courteous and her attitude was sincere.But she knew that the master would not believe it. The master pointed at her right hand that was still bandaged and asked, "How did it get hurt?"

She wanted to quibble that the injury was due to the injury while sparring with Shen Weichen in martial arts, but finally told the truth. In order to prevent herself from committing suicide, Miss Shen broke her arm.She also wanted to defend herself: "Dian Cang returned without success."

Li Xuanxuan didn't say anything else, touched her head and said softly: "It's hard for you, go and rest." He sent someone to bring her medicinal materials to replenish her body.Since then, he has been teaching and running public affairs, and has not mentioned the marriage with Qingcheng again. Gu Qingshang breathed a sigh of relief, but deep down he felt sorry for his master.

But that wasn't the reason for her irritation.Master went to Kunlun Palace in February and could not see it on Hengshan Mountain, so his heart that was hanging in the air felt at ease.

She was anxious because the academy was in a tight situation.

Although some gifts were received during the Lantern Festival to relieve the urgent need, the academy admitted five more students later in the year. Among them, three girls simply hanged themselves because their mothers were divorced and could not support them.Hengshan prohibits drowning of girls, but it does not prevent husbands from divorcing because they cannot give birth to a son.Of course, this cannot be used as a reason in Hengshan, but if a man wants to divorce his wife, is he afraid that he will not find a reason?As for the remaining twins, whose father beat their mother to death and were sentenced to death, she couldn't bear to see them in the execution hall, with their bodies covered with sores and skinny bones.

There are now 26 children in the academy, and Yuan Zhen, the accountant, has always told her that the academy cannot accept any more children and cannot afford to support them.In addition to the donations raised by oneself, the maintenance of the academy relies on the reputation of Li Xuanxuan's apprentice, who allows the older children to do odd jobs to supplement the expenses.

As early as when the academy first started to accept students, Yuan Zhenzhi advised her: "A child costs three coins per month. This does not include the daily miscellaneous expenses of the academy and the monthly money of the four gentlemen. Too much Too much. Miss Gu needs to take in more schoolchildren, or she can only feed each child with two yuan and save some money so that she can take in more in the future. Besides, she won’t let the schoolchildren who came first feel that life has become harder because Later school children were divided thinly.”

It's not that Gu Qingshang is ungrateful, but three yuan for a child is considered a hardship. Two yuan... She opened the academy to take care of the child, but why did she make the child's life worse than when she was a child?
"It's not a hardship if they have enough to eat." Yuan Zhen said bluntly, "The girl also helps them study."

She somewhat regretted not listening to Yuan Zhenzhi's words. Now that she has five more children, she has an extra one to two or five dollars in expenses every month. The academy cannot make ends meet. If something unexpected happens, it won't be able to survive for a long time.

"Miss Gu, we have a visitor." A young man with a Gejin, about 24 years old, walked up to her. It was Yuan Zhizhi whom she had just remembered.

"God of Wealth?" Gu Qingshang smiled bitterly.

The person who came was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a plain blue robe, with a pointed chin, a clean face with two beards, and a bit of a businessman.Gu Qingshang felt that he looked familiar, but couldn't remember where he had seen him before. He asked, "Brother, you have a kind face. May I ask where you have seen him before?"

"I'm Jingren, I met you once in Tianshui. My brother-in-law gave me a stick of fragrance from the girl. Do you still remember it?" the man in blue robe cupped his hands.

"Ah, are you Wen Ruoshan's brother?" Gu Qingshang finally remembered.She, Shen Weichen and Li Jingfeng had visited Wen Zhai and met once before, so they asked, "Are you the second brother or the eldest brother?" She became even more suspicious, so she only accompanied Shen Weichen to pay homage to Gansu and Hunan, thousands of miles away. How did he find himself?
"We are traveling at home." Wen Jingren said, "The girl said she was a disciple of Hengshan. I remember the girl's name and it took a lot of effort to find out."

"Why are you asking from Gansu?" Gu Qingshang was very curious. He was not a big shot, but how could he find someone like this from thousands of miles away?

"Young lady once stayed at the Xingxiu Sect for several days." Wen Jingren replied, "I asked the disciples of the Xingxiu Sect."

Gu Qingshang suddenly realized that Shen Weichen was seriously injured by an unknown person at that time and had been recuperating at Xingxiu Gate for a long time. He had also been with her for a few days, and his identity was known.However, she still didn't understand why Wen Jingren came to her. Seeing Wen Jingren still standing at the door, she hurriedly said: "Brother Wen, please come in." Then she invited Wen Jingren into the study to serve tea.

Wen Jingren stood by the window, listening to the schoolchildren reciting poems, and sighed: "When my brother was alive, there was the sound of reading in his school. Now listening to it, I feel a little sad." He added, "Miss Gu bought a school by herself and took care of her. Being an orphan is very hard.”

Gu Qingshang didn't know how to talk to him, so he could only say: "To be honest, I don't know Mr. Wen a lot. That day, I went to pay homage to Mr. Wen with Miss Shen. Regarding your younger brother, I need to ask Miss Shen."

Wen Jingren smiled: "I'm not here because of my younger brother's affairs. I have something to ask of Miss Gu."

"What's the matter?"

"I want to settle down in Hunan, but I can't find a way for the moment. I heard that Miss Gu is a disciple of Hengshan, and I would like to ask you to help me."

Gu Qingshang was very surprised. The household registration control of the nine families was very strict. Without a household registration, they were not allowed to purchase real estate, houses, do business, or even work.The Wen family is a wealthy businessman in Tianshui, so why bother to move all the way to Hunan?Then he said: "The rules of Hengshan are that if you are a good household from other places, you only need to live for one year. Even if you don't have a household, you can live in the household for three years as long as you farm the land. Brother Wen, you are a good household from Gansu and you are temporarily living in Hunan." , just wait a year.”

"I can't wait any longer." Wen Jingren shook his head and said, "My eldest brother and I split up and we have to find a household registration as soon as possible to make a living."

Gu Qingshang became even more suspicious and asked, "How come you suddenly have the sudden idea to settle in Hunan?"

"Have you read the second volume of "Longyu Mountain Records" written by my brother-in-law?"

Gu Qingshang shook her head. She had only heard Li Jingfeng mention it when she was at the Wen family.

"In addition to the topography and customs of Longnan, Brother Shi's book also contains two things. The first is the barbarian secret way. At that time, everyone thought he was crazy and said he was alarmist and trying to gain fame. Master Zhu even ordered a ban. Got this book.”

"The second thing written in this book is that the world is in chaos and Kongtong cannot be at peace."

Gu Qingshang was surprised: "The world is in chaos?"

"When my younger brother was here, no one believed him." Wen Jingren sighed, "But the first thing he said was right. There were really barbarians lurking in the pass. Then he left Tianshui. Two years ago, the third master found the secret passage. , proving that he was right again.”

"What if what he said in the end was right?" Wen Jingren asked Gu Qingshang, and Gu Qingshang didn't know how to answer.

"I am his brother. When he was alive, I didn't believe him until he died inexplicably."

"I want to believe him once."

"The Wen family's business routes have always been in the Gansu and Shaanxi areas. I discussed with my father that the Wen family could not put all their eggs in one basket, so I said goodbye to my father, took my luggage and money, and came to Hunan to take root. I also asked Miss Gu for help."

After Wen Jingren finished speaking, he bowed deeply.Gu Qingshang hurriedly stood up and returned the greeting, saying: "I will help with this matter." She was the eldest disciple of the sect leader, and she was favored. As long as she said hello in the place, she should be given some face.

"This work is not in vain. It is not easy for Miss Gu to maintain the academy. When Wen Mou settles down, she will do her best."

Gu Qingshang quickly declined, but Wen Jingren said: "My brother is also a teacher, so I will take care of the apprentices for Ruoshan. Even if Miss Gu can't help, I will do my best for the academy."

■

Shen Yuqing was preparing to review the files. The cinnabar he used to review the files was always ground by himself. This was a habit passed down from his ancestors.Shen Yongci taught him that the words annotated on the files are political orders, and there are many orders. If they are erased and changed, it will appear that the person who gave the instructions is hesitant and has no fixed opinions.When grading papers, you will inevitably encounter things that make you confused or upset. At this time, you should do a rough reading first without giving any instructions, and you should just grind the ink quietly. All the hesitations will be carefully considered while grinding the ink, and the final decision will be made when you write.

The cinnabar spreads on the inkstone, and a few particles can still be distinguished at first. As the cinnabar ink goes on, it gradually blends with the water and dyes it red.Shen Yuqing was a little lost in thought, thinking that if the cinnabar was dissolved in the water, would it be inseparable?That's not true. If the water dries, the cinnabar will turn back into the original cinnabar, but it will change from an ink block to a powdery form.However, after scribbling and eating it into the paper, it will not change back to cinnabar.

It's not that it can't be changed. No matter how deep the ink is on the paper, the cracked ink marks after years are still clearly visible.If you are not afraid of damaging the famous artist's handiwork, you can scrape out some toner by scratching the paper with your fingernails.

So the ink is still ink, and the paper is still paper, but they are stuck together and can no longer be separated.

He suddenly thought of Li Jingfeng. Li Jingfeng had good eyesight. Could he distinguish paper and ink from the small cracks?

Next time we meet, I must ask him carefully.

Cinnabar ink, this is really a strange name.Vermilion is red and ink is black. Of course, ink is not a color here, but red, black, and paper. Good paper is white. Although it is a little yellow, it is still white.There are three colors: black, white, and red. The file presented is written on white paper with black characters, and the annotation of the decision is in red characters. Why has no one thought of using a green pen or a yellow pen?Is it too expensive?Why is it red?
As the cinnabar ink was rubbed away bit by bit on the inkstone, the red became more and more vivid, extremely bright, yet tinged with a hint of darkness.

"If you grind it further, it will become a paste."

Shen Yuqing woke up with a start, only to find that nearly half of a five-inch piece of cinnabar ink had been worn away. She quickly stood up and called out: "Mother."

"See you are hesitant, thinking about Commander Song?" Mrs. Chu sat down at the half-moon table by the window and said with a smile, "Your generation is becoming more and more impressive, and even your mother is here."

Shen Yuqing bent down and said respectfully, "I don't dare, kid." He had always been filial. When something happened, he would ask his mother for advice. Most of the time, he would go to see his mother in person. If it was inconvenient, he would send someone to ask and wait for Mrs. Chu to make an appointment. This was his first priority. This time I sent someone to invite my mother to Junzi Pavilion for a talk.

Shen Yuqing walked to the door and dismissed the guards. Seeing his caution, Mrs. Chu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, do you remember that two years ago, Third Master and Jing Feng discovered the secret passage of the barbarians?"

"Remember. The barbarians are at odds with the nine great families. How can we forget this?" Mrs. Chu frowned and asked, "Is it related to the barbarians?"

Paper is paper, ink is ink. When the paper is stained with ink, black and white cannot be separated. Cinnabar is the mark.

"Third Master said that barbarian spies may have infiltrated the Nine Families. Mr. Wen, who accompanied his children to the Tang Clan and died of poisoning on the ship, said before his death that there may be extremely noble figures in the Nine Families colluding with spies."

Madam Chu suddenly stood up: "You mean someone in Qingcheng is colluding with the barbarians? Who is it?"

White paper, black characters, and the final word is the final word.

"It's dad..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Mrs. Chu laughed, "Now you are making fun of your mother."

Black, white, and red were mixed together in Shen Yuqing's mind, and he could no longer tell what color they were.

"Mom, what I said is true."

■

Old Ding and his wife would get up every day when they were ugly. They would go into the kitchen in the dark, light an oil lamp, and with a light as big as a bean, Old Ding would grind the beans while his wife would do it.When the vat of beans was almost exhausted, the lady lit a fire. Old Ding poured the newly ground soy milk into a large wok, boiled it, stewed it, pressed it into molds, and drained it.

They hardly spoke while working. The eldest son and second son both worked as servants in Zhao's house, and the younger son learned carpentry skills in Lehe Shop. They had to get enough sleep to work.Before midnight, they would wake up their nine-year-old daughter. Old Ding's wife would go back to her room to rest, while Old Ding would take a nap against the kitchen wall.The younger daughter will clean up the kitchen, collect the remaining firewood, put on a small stove, bring stools to put her feet on, wash the rice and cook porridge, put the bean dregs dumplings on the stove to dry, stir-fry two plates of side dishes or dig out a spoonful of fermented bean curd and pickles, and look at what’s in the kitchen. What, finally wake up the family for dinner, obediently return to the kitchen and squat in the corner of the room with two pieces of bean cakes to eat.

After breakfast, Lao Ding would string bean cakes on a pole, hang a basket of tofu on each end, carry the family's livelihood on his shoulders, and go to the streets to sell them.

The morning market on Dongxiang Street is where he goes most often. There are many good shops there, including Baihuahao, where nobles from Baxian County often go to buy cloth, Qingyuwashe, where they listen to ditties and watch plays, and Jin Laigui, who sells jewelry. It's a lively place.

It was still early, and there were not many people on the street. Most of the others were like him, carrying or carrying goods. Some of the market goers carrying goods also pulled carts, or more elaborately - a donkey cart carrying fresh vegetables. Passing by, I guess I was going to Zhuxiang Tower.People were walking in twos and threes, back and forth, with distances ranging from ten to dozens of feet, like ants returning to their nest, walking in the same direction.

Ba County has closed the city. In the past, one or two carriages carrying goods could occasionally be seen passing by, but now they are gone. Instead, there are a few more guards who have just completed the curfew.Lao Ding felt uneasy. In a few days it would be the Dragon Boat Festival. It should have been a day of joy, but the lockdown had made people panic.The leader, Shen Yongci, had only left for more than a month, but there was such a big commotion in the city. Could something be happening?
Regardless of this, the sun has been getting hotter these days and the tofu will go rancid if kept for a long time. If I can sell out these two loads of tofu before noon, I can buy some ingredients to make meat rice dumplings home tomorrow, and buy a few eggs to celebrate the festival. .

Just as he was thinking about it, he happened to reach the intersection of Tianshuijing.It was a crossroads, so he should go straight, but at the intersection, someone used chalk to draw an eight-foot-square, weird-looking image on the ground.

It was an oval that was not quite square. There were several earthworm-like winding threads outside the circle facing north. There was an olive-like oval in the middle, about one-third of the size of the big circle. There were more than a dozen diverging curves in the small circle. It is entangled in the ellipse, and part of it pops out of the small ellipse.

This image was right in the middle of the crossroads. Everyone passing by saw it. It was just busy time for the market. Some people stopped for a while and muttered a few words, and some stopped to look at it, but they didn't stay too long.Whether it was a person, a donkey, a horse or a cart, they didn't pay much attention to the strange pictures on the ground.

Old Ding's pace slowed down for a while. He didn't stop, but he slowed down obviously, and his heart was pounding.He felt a little dizzy, as if there was some magical power in this image that attracted his attention.He hesitated. The sudden impact made his head confused. Thousands of thoughts arose. He was momentarily panicked. Finally, before he was about to step on the image, he turned a corner and bypassed the image.

As if he was frightened, Lao Ding's steps became more urgent after bypassing the image.He walked faster and faster, and before he reached the second alley, several people suddenly jumped from the eaves.Old Ding swung the pole, and threw the two baskets of tofu towards the two of them. He lowered his body, took three or seven steps, put the pole around his shoulders and firmly grasped it in his hand. He shot out like a gun and hit the oncoming man. The disciple's nose was flat and his teeth were missing, and his face was covered in blood.

No one knew that Old Ding knew kung fu, not even his wife of eighteen years.Old Ding used the shoulder pole like a spear to hold down the incoming person. This spear technique opened and closed wide, sweeping across Zhishuo. Although the change was small, the power was great. It was not so much a martial art of fighting with others, but more like a rampage on the battlefield. Posture.Several visitors could not get closer, so Old Ding gave a loud shout, holding the pole with his left hand, holding the end of the pole with his right hand and circling around, making seven or eight circles with the head of the pole like a gun. His feet were not idle, and he managed to get out and sweep away. As soon as possible, he ran towards the end of the street.

Suddenly, a man with a strong build walked out from the end of the street. Old Ding had no time to look, and stabbed the man in the throat with a pole.The man opened his big hand to cover, and he used all his strength to poke Old Ding. Just as he was about to smash the man's metacarpal bone, there was a "click" and he hit a hard object.The pole was not strong, and the front end was bent and deformed due to the force on both ends. The debris was scattered and the man was knocked back.

Lao Ding was so frightened that he picked up the end of his stick and hit the person in the face. The man blocked with his right hand and punched with his left hand. Lao Ding crossed the pole to block it. With a "pop" sound, the pole broke from its base. The punch did not stop at all, and went straight into the palace, hitting the door in front of Old Ding.

Old Ding's nose and front teeth were broken, his head was dizzy and his steps staggered.The man rushed up, pushed him to the ground, sat on top of him, grabbed his throat with his left hand, and his right hand was like raindrops, bang, bang, bang, bang, falling on his face and chest one after another. "What a hard fist!" Lao Ding thought, protecting his head and face with both hands, but he still couldn't stand it.He felt a heavy blow to his chin, and then his vision went dark.

Seeing that Old Ding was unconscious, Xia Lijun got up from him and said in a deep voice: "Tie him up, hurry up!"

The two guards quickly stepped forward and tied Old Ding skillfully with ropes.Passers-by couldn't help but be curious, watching from a distance and pointing.Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xia Lijun lowered his head to examine his left hand. Old Ding poked a small hole in the leather glove, revealing the iron-gray material inside.

It was Xia Lijun's weapon, a pair of iron gloves that were protected around the knuckles, palms, and backs of the palms, and connected with thin iron rings. They were made of fine steel, extremely thin, and extremely hard.

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[Announcement] The update method of the second series of Under the World: Double updates every week, that is, 1 chapter will be updated every Tuesday and Friday

(End of this chapter)