Jinyi Night Walk

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After talking to Huang Shilang, Xia Xun took Liu Yujue, Chen Dong, and Ye An away from Dabaoen Temple. They got on their horses and walked towards Qinhuai along the tree-lined path in Changganli. The general came galloping lightly with several guards.

Xia Xun is wearing casual clothes today. Liu Yujue and others have just left Jinyiwei and have not yet received the official uniforms of the Ministry of Industry. conspicuous.

Xia Xun took a closer look and recognized that the man was Xue Lu from the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion, so he couldn't help but rein in his horse.

Xue Lu, who was on the opposite side, was heading towards the Dabaoen Temple intently. When he saw a few horses coming from the opposite direction stop, he subconsciously glanced at them. Xun Changyi said: "The last general, Xue Lu, has met the Duke!"

Xia Xun dismounted from his horse, jumped steadily to the ground, stepped forward to support him, and said with a smile: "Brother Xue, we will meet again today after we leave Phoenix Island. Haha, where are you going?" Xue Lu said: "The last general is about to go to the Dabaoen Temple to find you, Duke." Xia Xun was startled, and asked in surprise, "How do you know I'm in Baoen Temple today?"

Xue Lu said: "The last general went to the Duke's mansion first. He heard that you are in the Dabaoen Temple, so he came here."

Xia Xun said: "Oh, there must be something wrong. I am going to sit in a restaurant with Yu Jue, Chen Dong, and Ye An. Are you in a hurry? If not, why don't you come together and have a drink? Speak slowly."

Xue Lu's temperament is very straightforward, and he doesn't hide it. He grinned and said: "The general is in a hurry to marry, but the matter is not urgent, so the general will disturb the Duke once."

A group of people got on their horses again and walked forward together. When they arrived at the Qinhuai River, they found a small pavilion near the water, which was not very big but had exquisite carvings and paintings. The three of them went in and went straight to the second floor. Sit down at the table, and there is a green gauze curtain on the window to prevent mosquitoes and flies from flying in. Through the curtain, the scenery outside the window is clear.

Facing the river outside the window, there is a small boat, hiding in the shade of a tree, the cable is tied to a thick tree root, a fluffy-haired boatwoman lazily got up, carrying a basin of clothes, and squatting down at the bow, cleaning Clothes, cicadas are still clamoring on the trees, which makes people lose their strength from the bottom of their hearts.

After a while, the food and wine were all served, and a few people were not polite, so they ate with chopsticks and raised their glasses to drink.

Xue Lu and Liu Yujue sat on the left and right of Xia Xun, and the second general Heng Ha sat next to him, and Xia Xun ate.dish, and asked: "Brother Xue is busy today, why are you looking for me?"

Xue Lu had long waited for an opportunity, and when he heard this, he smiled, and said a little embarrassedly: "Master Guo, don't you manage the Dabaoen Temple? There are tens of thousands of craftsmen under your command, hehe, the last general This... uh..."

Xia Xun laughed and said: "With Brother Xue's character, when did you become so hesitant?" Xue Lu shy for a moment, then moved closer to Xia Xun, and said in a low voice: "Master, it's like this, Jinling There is a Taoyuan Temple in the east of the city. As you know, there is a lot of good Buddhism in the south of the Yangtze River, and Taoism is not very popular. In this huge Jinling City, the Taoist temple that everyone knows is actually only a place like Chaotian Palace built by the royal family.

Therefore, this Taoyuan temple is very indifferent to incense, and there are several acres of land in the Taoist temple. The fairy girls in the temple mainly rely on farming and embroidering purses to earn some food, which is hardly the worship of the believers.

Now that Taoist temple has been in disrepair for a long time, even the wind and rain can't be shielded, it's too pitiful, the temple is poor, and can't spend money to repair it.Therefore, the general wanted to do a favor and repair the Taoist temple, but although the general has some money, it is not much. If it is used to hire workers, buy wood, paint, bricks and other materials, it will be very helpful Nothing. "This is the truth. A military officer like Xue Lu can earn money, but it is limited. Local generals, more or less, always have the behavior of embezzling soldiers' salaries. This is their main money. In fact, it is not too much. At this time, the administration of officials in the Ming Dynasty was still very clear. Of course there were bold and corrupt officials, but among so many officials in the Ming Dynasty, they were still a minority.

As for the military officers in the imperial court, there is even less foreign money. Xue Lu works in the Dudu Mansion of the Five Armies. Yes, I built a big house for my hometown, and this time I celebrated my father’s birthday, and it was a big deal. If he said that he didn’t have much spare money, he was telling the truth. Rare.

Xia Xun couldn't help but respectfully said: "I didn't expect that such a rough army man like Brother Xue is actually a devout Taoist believer!" "Hey! I don't believe in any Buddha or Taoism!"

"Ah?" "Uh..., believe it! Yes, I believe it! I believe in the Jade Emperor... Taishang Laojun!" Xue Lu looked at Xia Xun's narrow eyes, feeling a little embarrassed, and his big black face turned slightly red After a while, he lowered his voice and said, "Grandpa, I'll tell you, you have to keep it a secret for me." Xia Xun laughed and said, "Say it!" Xue Lu said, "That's right, In the Taoyuan Temple, there is a fairy girl, um, this fairy girl..."

Speaking of this, Xue Lu suddenly felt something, and turned his head away. Chen Dong and Ye Angan, who were former killers, reacted so quickly, they had already sat upright with their leaning forward bodies, their pricked ears were flattened, and their chopsticks were flying up and down After a while, Liu Yujue had already stuffed his mouth with food, but Liu Yujue, who was listening on the other side, had returned to normal, and was looking at the boat lady who was doing laundry outside the window leisurely.

Xue Lu felt relieved, approached Xia Xun again, and said in a low voice: "The general Ting likes Ting likes this fairy......"

As soon as he spoke, Liu Yujue, Chen Dong, and Ye An's ears perked up again.

Xia Xun glanced at him in surprise, and said hesitantly: "Well, brother Xue, you are the second-rank official of the imperial court. Even if the official is a concubine, the other party's identity can't be so picky. The girl is a monk, isn't that right?" It's very appropriate, if this matter makes a fuss, and you can read a book in front of the emperor, it will be very harmful to your official reputation." Xue Lu said anxiously: "No! The Duke doesn't know, that fairy girl is not real. The monk of the temple......" Xue Lu slipped his mouth, so he had to sigh helplessly, and said: "I tried every means to find out from the mouth of the temple master, so it is like this, Lord Guo, this girl is here Her hometown was forced into a marriage by bullies, and she escaped pretending to be a fairy girl. Thanks to her, she bypassed the inspection pass all the way, but it was difficult to move even an inch in Jinling City. Later, the old fairy girl in the temple saw her pitifully and took her in. Because she I can't see the light of my identity, and what can I do with a daughter's family? So I stayed in the temple as a fairy girl..."

Xia Xun suddenly came to a sudden, couldn't help laughing and said: "So that's the case, then why are you putting in so much effort? You like her. Why do you have to be such a mother-in-law and just ask her to admire her? With your status as General Xue, how can you still pay her attention?" Isn't she good enough for her? She's not a real Taoist nun, if you go around and go to a Taoist temple like this, I'm afraid they might not accept your favor."

Xue Lu said dejectedly: "Oh, the general is a straight man. Does the Duke think that the general did not do what the Duke said? That girl was probably bullied by the bullies and squires in her hometown. People are very hostile, she doesn't accept me, I think she is very grateful to the Taoist temple because she is accepted by the fairy girl in the temple, so... she made this bad plan."

It was only after Xia Xun heard this that he realized his infatuation with Xue Lu. He couldn't help being angry and funny, but at the same time he couldn't help admiring him.This Xue Lu is really an upright person, just based on his current official position and power, since he already knows that the woman has no way to lead the official, she belongs to a black household in Jinling and has no relatives here, so if Xue Lu wants to force her to survive in this poor Taoist temple She gave in, there was a way, but he was just trying to please, hoping to please the beauty.

Xue Lu said: "So, the general thought of Duke Guo, and wanted to ask Duke Guo to help you build a big project such as the Dabaoen Temple. The remaining scraps are enough to repair the Taoyuan Temple As for the workers, the craftsmen of Xiubaoen Temple, as long as they take some time to go, such a small Taoist temple will be built soon.”

Xia Xun thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Sure, the project of Dabaoen Temple is huge, and there are many tenons on the corners. They are piled up there to get in the way, and they have to be hired to transport them away, so it's okay to send them to you. I just want to borrow the craftsman's service." If it is used by the husband, the money will not be saved. Although the above-mentioned words tell them to do it, they must do it, but they are all bitter, haha, and they have to live, so they can’t let others spend their energy in vain.”

Xue Lu was overjoyed, and thanked repeatedly: "Cheng Chengcheng, even if the leftovers are cheaper to deal with the general, the general will be grateful, the Duke is willing to make this convenient, and the good thing will be done, the general. The two of you will go to the Duke of the State and offer tea together!"

Xia Xun couldn't help laughing, and said with a smile: "Nonsense! Why did you put me and your old man in the same position."

Xue Lu smiled and said: "Master, I will tell you the truth. The general has not yet taken a concubine, but he has a daughter-in-law in his hometown. It was the marriage that my father said for me back then. My daughter-in-law is actually a concubine. I respect her very much for a girl of this family, but when it comes to liking..., Grandpa Guo, this fairy is the first woman Xue Lu really likes in his life. If I can stay with her forever, Guo Gongye Grandpa's great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten in the end of his life!"

Xia Xun shook his head and sighed: "It's" a seed of infatuation, but your method is really... Forget it, cows eat straw and ducks eat grain, each has its own blessings.If you are destined, maybe you can really achieve marriage.

Xia Xun turned to Liu Yujue and said, "Yujue, since I have asked you to work in the Ministry of Industry, I will leave this matter to you. Tomorrow, you will tell Huang Shilang that I am asking him for help."

When he talked to Liu Yujue, Xue Lu suddenly remembered something.He is Xu Jingchang's confidant who works in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies. There are many secrets in the court, which are naturally not secrets to him, unlike many officials who can only see the appearance.Xue Lu then whispered to Xia Xun: "Master Guo, the trial of that case is over, and Ji Gang has been punished. I thought you won it simply, Mr. Guo. Look at this, it seems that the emperor is still suspicious?" Xia Xun Xun laughed without saying a word, and only said in his heart: "It's more than that! You don't know how dangerous it was at that time. If it weren't for the friendship that I have formed with the emperor for so many years, and I was alert enough, the answer took advantage of the emperor's will. If someone else went to , and now the heads have fallen to the ground."

Xue Lu thought he was right, so he couldn't help but slapped his head and said, "Hey, the Duke is loyal to the court, how could he have anything to do with the White Lotus Sect? If there is really that white lotus demon who let the Lord know his identity, don't worry about it." Thinking, the Duke of the country will have to pull out his knife to kill him immediately, how could he deceive the court! You said that this matter is serious, even though Ji Gang was beaten, his arrogance became even more arrogant. Duke, don’t think so much , I think the emperor still trusts the Duke of the country, and after a while the weather will calm down."

Xia Xun said with a smile: "I don't bother to persuade you, I can think about it. Who can live a smooth life and always go smoothly? It is said that the emperor raised the flag back then, and it was difficult. How much was the victory? A person who can only succumb to fate, and can never be the master of fate!"

Xue Lu cheered up and said: "What the Duke said is that the last general is a military officer, and he has fought a lot. I have the most experience of this. I can't say this, but I can hear the truth most clearly!"

Xia Xun glanced at Liu Yujue, Chen Dong, and Ye An again, and said confidently: "You also remember that the shame of life is not in losing, but in not being able to lose: the glory of life is not in never being defeated, but in being able to do it repeatedly Get up again and again. I will not fall down! You will stand up again one day! And those who are laughing happily now, if you want to drink and have fun here like you and me, I am afraid that you will have no chance!"

The next day, Liu Yujue, Chen Dong, and Ye An officially reported to the Ministry of Industry, took official uniforms and changed into them, and then asked Xue Lu to go to Dabaoen Temple to meet Huang Shilang, and casually mentioned Xia Xun's words to him, Huang Shilang Hearing that it was Xia Xun's arrangement, he naturally agreed.Immediately asked someone to do it, and immediately allocated some people to transport the leftover materials to the Taoyuan Temple in the east of the city, and at the same time asked them to stay there to repair the Taoist Temple.

Huang Shilang was so enthusiastic about Liu Yujue, he was even more considerate than Xia Xun, and immediately wanted to lead him around the construction site and give him pointers on what he should pay attention to. Seeing this, he proposed to go to the east of the city with Chen Dong and Ye An to see the Taoist temple. The excuse was that they and Xue Lu were friends.

Huang Shilang is the second in command of the Ministry of Industry, but he is very polite to Liu Yujue, a subordinate. How can he not agree to this kind of request.The workers over there were loading some usable leftover materials into the car, Liu Yujue, Chen Dong, and Ye An rushed over, Xue Lu was waiting there, he also fell in love with these three people, and when he asked why, he was naturally happy .

After a while, several cars were filled with leftovers, and the four of them got on the horses and led the stewards and foremen that Huang Shilang had set aside to walk outside the Dabaoen Temple.The four of them drove towards the east of the city while talking and laughing with the car.Leaving Changganli, not far away, more than ten horses came to meet him, fresh clothes and angry horses, with extraordinary momentum.

The four of them were talking and laughing without realizing it. They didn't want those knights to see them, and they stopped immediately, and a yin and yang voice sounded: "Hey! Isn't this Brother Yujue?"

Liu Yujue looked up, and it was Ji Gang who was facing more than ten cavalry guards Gongwei 〖Central〗! ! .