scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 53
(PS: It's on the shelves, two updates today, the first one will be delivered, ask for support from monthly tickets and recommendation tickets.)
The next morning, Lin Tianqing really couldn't wait to come to Fatty Lu's room early, pulled Fatty Lu out of the bed who was still asleep, and forced Fatty Lu to get up and go to Suo'etu's house for a banquet.Fatty Lu couldn't laugh or cry, and said: "Master Lin, I said you are too anxious, right? You have just arrived at Sishi now, and Master Suo is still working in the palace in all likelihood. Go over now, I'm afraid even Master Suo will be in a hurry to get you to work." Are you not at home?"

"Lord Lu, you are still new to the officialdom, so you don't understand this." Lin Tianqing shook his head and pointed out kindly: "In the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, officials of a certain level invited colleagues to a banquet. It’s okay to just invite dinner. You can go there in time for dinner. But it’s very grand to say that you’re going to treat guests at your own home one day in advance. Usually, the host has to prepare a troupe of dancing girls, divas, and troupes. The guest has a good day to swim, and the sooner the guest arrives, the more respect and affection he will show to the host.”

"Especially after a public servant like Mr. Suo said he invited you to stay at his house at noon yesterday, he must have let you stay at his house all day today, not only for lunch, but also for dinner. , maybe he will keep you overnight in his mansion, and let the servant girl serve you to bed."

"In the final analysis, it's just a waste of the hard-earned money of our Chinese people, right?" Fatty Lu snorted coldly in his heart, sat up and hummed: "Thank you, senior Lin, for your guidance. This junior understands. Please wait a moment, senior. This junior will get up and change clothes now." , to accompany you to the banquet at Master Suo’s residence. By the way, Senior Lin, should this junior bring some gifts?”

"You can bring it or not, it depends on your own mind." Lin Tianqing replied casually, and then said in a low voice: "However, Mr. Lu, your current official position is still a bit low. According to this old man, you'd better prepare presents. The more precious the better, pay more respect to Master Suo."

"But the younger generation is poor now, how can I buy expensive gifts with the money?" Fatty Lu said distressedly.

"Forget it, the old man will help you find a way." Lin Tianqing now has something to ask for from Fatty Lu, so he had no choice but to say: "Well, the old man happens to have an authentic Wu Daozi handwriting by his side, and I originally planned to wait until Yunnan to present it Give it to Lord Pingxi, today I will reluctantly part with you, and give it to Lord Lu as a gift to Lord Suo."

"Since that's the case, then the younger generation will not be polite." Fatty Lu didn't blush, and agreed to take other people's things as a favor.Here, Lin Tianqing turned and went back to the room to pick up the painting, while Fatty Lu got up, called Xiao Erlang to his face, and whispered in his ear: "How is it? Are all the things that should be prepared ready?"

"Don't worry, young master, everything is ready." Xiao Erlang agreed in a low voice.

"Very good, when we arrive at the Suo Mansion, we will split up. I will deal with it in the Suo Mansion, and you will leave the Suo Mansion under the pretext of visiting the capital." Fatty Lu nodded with satisfaction, and then whispered: "Also, one is yours." The most important task is to take care of that idiot Fang Shiyu, and pay attention to the brothers of the Liu family. After all, their time with me is short, and they are not as stupid as Fang Shiyu. There is one more thing, you should immediately go to Prince Pingxi's son and tell him this..."

After Fatty Lu finished speaking, Xiao Erlang took the order to go, and Fatty Lu dressed himself and got up, washed and dressed, and after a little breakfast, Xiao Erlang and Lin Tianqing returned to Fatty Lu one after another. The goons and Lin Tianqing went out, found Wu Yingxiong and said that they were going to Shichahai to enjoy the snow, and they might not be able to return until evening.Wu Yingxiong didn't doubt it either, just agreed with a smile, and also asked a few words of concern about skating on Xuedalu, don't take risks in skating, and then waved Fatty Lu, Lin Tianqing and others out of his house.

After successfully leaving the gate of the Wu Mansion, Fatty Lu and others hired a carriage and rushed all the way to the Suo'etu Mansion outside the Shenwu Gate. Along the way, Fatty Lu's henchmen carefully remembered the road without mentioning it.And after the carriage walked along the official road in the city for more than half an hour, it stopped in front of a mansion with a large area. The driver greeted: "Masters, the old Suo Zhongtang mansion you mentioned is here, please get out of the car." .”

"Good guy, he's much richer than Aobai's family." Glancing at the Suo'etu Mansion, which occupies an area of ​​tens of acres and clustered with houses, he secretly admired, and Fatty Lu jumped out of the carriage, only to have his feet stand still on the snow. , A strong man came over in front of the Suo mansion, cupped his hands to Fatty Lu and said: "Dare to ask this master, but Lu Yifeng from Yunnan, Mr. Lu?"

"The next one is Lu Yifeng." Fatty Lu nodded.The man immediately beat him down, and said respectfully: "The general of the Suo family, Zhao Fengchun, has been waiting here for a long time by the order of my master. Please rest assured, Mr. Lu. I will send someone in and ask the master to come out to greet you."

"Slow down." Lin Tianqing quickly stopped Zhao Fengchun, winked at Fatty Lu and said, "Master Lu, Mr. Suo is the son of Suo Zhongtang, the former chief assistant of the imperial court. What are our identities? How dare we work for him? Come on, Brother Zhao, just lead us into the mansion."

As he said that, Lin Tianqing also took out a piece of silver and stuffed it into Zhao Fengchun's hand.Fatty Lu snickered and scolded the old man in the officialdom, then he also cupped his hands to Zhao Fengchun and said, "Brother Zhao, Master Lin is right, we really don't dare to ask you to come out to welcome us, please lead us into the mansion."

Zhao Fengchun, who was ordered to treat Fatty Lu with courtesy, hesitated for a moment, and quickly agreed, and ordered the doorman to open the gate, and respectfully invite Fatty Lu and Lin Tianqing into the mansion, and Xiao Erlang, Fang Shiyu and other dog legs followed them in, and went to the front door. Rest in the gatehouse of the courtyard.

All the way to the second gate of the Suo Mansion, Suo Etu also led Kong Sizhen and Zhou Peigong out in a hurry. As soon as they met, they handed over to Fatty Lu and complained: "Lord Lu, Lord Lin, what do you think you are doing? You came to the door of the house, Why don't you wait for Suo to go out to meet you, isn't that making Suo a rude guest?"

"Master Suo, you are too polite. It is already rude for us to disturb you at the door. Why do you dare to ask you to come out in person?" Lin Tianqing rushed to greet Fatty Lu, and asked impatiently: "Master Suo, Mr. Longde Hailong yesterday What? I wonder if he was here before?"

"My distant brother went out to play, maybe he won't come back today." Suo'etu replied with a smile.Hearing this, Lin Tianqing, who was eager to sell his ass, was inevitably disappointed. Suo Etu held Fatty Lu with one hand, and Lin Tianqing with the other, and said with a smile on his face: "It's snowing and it's cold, both adults hurry up!" Inside, please, Suo has prepared a tea singer in the Nuan Pavilion, please move to the Nuan Pavilion to talk, two adults."

Following Suo'etu all the way into a warm pavilion with charcoal fires in the ground, snacks and tea have already been set up in the pavilion, and there are also a few singers sitting behind the screen playing the pipa and singing, the singing is clear, the pipa is clanging, and it is extremely beautiful. Sophisticated luxury.Suo'etu first asked everyone to sit down, and then said with a smile: "I don't know whether Master Lin and Master Lu like to listen to opera or music, so I arranged for a few singers for the time being. If you think listening to music is too monotonous Just open your mouth, there is a troupe specializing in Kunqu opera in Suomou's mansion, and it is also prepared, and you can call it right away."

"Master Suo is too polite. I am not proficient in these things, just feel free." Fatty Lu replied modestly.

"Master Suo, this old man is quite interested in opera." Lin Tianqing, after all, has been in the officialdom for decades, rolled his eyes and said, "If Lord Suo can invite the opera troupe from your house to sing " "Chasing Han Xin under the moon" will be fine."

"It's easy to say." Suo'etu agreed without hesitation, and immediately ordered his servants to make arrangements.Taking advantage of this gap, Kong Sizhen, who is also proficient in this way, pursed his lips and said, "Master Lin is really good at playing tricks—Han Xin gave up the overlord and voted for Liu Bang, helping the great ancestor to be a great man for 400 years, and he himself has achieved fame for a lifetime. It is worth emulating for future generations.”

"What Si Gege said is very true." Lin Tianqing nodded, and said meaningfully: "The Marquis of Huaiyin was under the tent of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, because he saw through Xiang Yu's courage and lack of strategy, and the benevolence of a woman is difficult to become a great weapon. Give up Xiang Yu and join Gaozu, and you will become a famous official of a generation."

"It's a pity that Weiyang Palace ended up with a dead body." Who is Fatty Lu, and Kong Sizhen and Lin Tianqing can't hear the subtext?At that moment, Fatty Lu said calmly: "It can be seen from this that none of those who betray the Lord and seek glory will end well."

Hearing this, Kong Sizhen and Lin Tianqing's expressions inevitably changed, and Suo'etu was also slightly startled, thinking that today's affairs might be difficult if Fatty Lu said such words.

Sure enough, in the following time, although Kong Sizhen, Suo'etu, and Lin Tianqing used the story of Han Xin to tease and test Fatty Lu's ambitions many times, Fatty Lu refused to take up the conversation, and just kept changing the topic. Wipe left and turn right, and say nothing to Suo'etu, Kong Sizhen and others to win over and buy him.Kong Sizhen had no choice but to wink at Zhou Peigong, Zhou Peigong understood, got up and smiled at Fatty Lu: "Master Lu, it seems that you are not very interested in listening to the opera, just sitting here is boring, how about Let Master Lin and Master Suo listen to the opera here, how about we go to the garden to enjoy the winter plums?"

Fatty Lu really hated operas that Ruan Mian couldn't understand, and he hated Kong Sizhen from the bottom of his heart. Hearing this, he also got up and said, "Okay, then let's go for a walk in the garden together." Tu He, Kong Sizhen and the others agreed with a smile, and only said to let Fatty Lu and Zhou Peigong go as they please, and send someone to call them after the banquet.Fatty Lu and Zhou Peigong left the Nuan Pavilion together, and walked slowly to Suofu Garden side by side.

The Suo'etu family snatched this house from the dignitaries of the former Ming Dynasty. The garden covers more than [-] acres. There are water, mountains and pavilions in the garden. Under a turmeric stone rockery in the pool, it is extremely elegant and quiet, and it is indeed a good place for walking and enjoying the snow.But it's a pity that Lu Fatty and Zhou Peigong, who have their own ghosts, obviously don't have this kind of elegance, and they just talk very unnutritious words all the way.It wasn't until he reached the edge of the pool that Fatty Lu thought of asking Zhou Peigong's name, "My lord, this is the second time we've met today, and I haven't had time to ask your official name yet. I wonder if my lord can enlighten me?"

"Next week Chang." Thanks to Zhou Peigong's luck, he only gave his name but not his own name, "At present, I am serving as a seventh-rank priest in Hongwen Academy, acting as an agent for some insignificant documents for the Zhongtang. This time, Sigege came to Beijing in a hurry. I don’t have any staff by my side, so I borrowed my humble position from Hongwen Academy, and temporarily followed her, acting for her in Guangxi official documents and Dingnan Palace documents.”

"Zhou Chang? Nobody, why did Kong Sizhen choose such a person as his confidant?" Fatty Lu wondered, and seeing Zhou Peigong's handsome face, Fatty Lu suddenly realized, "Damn, it's probably Kong Sizhen who picked him. Don’t take it to heart—if it’s called Zhou Peigong, I have to be careful.”

"So, I'm at the same level as Mr. Zhou?" Fatty Lu said with a hypocritical smile, "For the sake of acquaintance, I will ask Mr. Zhou to take care of you from now on."

"It's okay to take care of me, but it's a pity that I have a humble position, even if I want to help you, I don't have the qualifications." Zhou Peigong smiled even more falsely, and said: "Master Lu, although you are only in the seventh rank now, I heard that The current Emperor and Ao Bai Ao Zhongtang are very appreciative of your lord, and the promotion of official positions is just around the corner, and when that time comes, you will have to ask Lord Lu to support you in humble positions."

"Your Majesty and Ao Zhongtang appreciate lowly positions?" Fatty Lu was stunned, and said, "Master Zhou, what joke are you talking about? It's the same thing as a seventh-rank sesame official in the lower district, whether or not Long Live has heard of your name. How could it be possible?" Appreciate humble positions? There is also Ao Zhongtang, who has just come to the capital to see you, has not officially taken office, and has no political achievements, how can Ao Zhongtang appreciate humble positions?"

"Fatty dog, you pretend to be pretty." Zhou Peigong snorted coldly in his heart, and said with a smile on his face: "Lord Lu is being modest, as far as I know, at noon the day before yesterday, Ao Zhongtang sent someone to invite Master Lu to the mansion for a talk. As the chief assistant of the imperial court, Zhongtang takes care of all kinds of opportunities, and he still spares such precious time to meet with your lord, isn't this a compliment to your lord?"

"Oh, that matter." Fatty Lu suddenly realized, and said with a smile: "Master Zhou misunderstood. The reason why Ao Zhongtang met the subordinate that day was to seek the truth about the case in Fujian, but not for anything else."

"Oh, why did Ao Zhongtang pursue that case?" Zhou Peigong asked curiously.

"I don't know about this. I just reported what I know to Ao Zhongtang truthfully, and I didn't dare to say a word." Fatty Lu shook his head, and said cunningly: "However, the humble official speculates in private, maybe the current emperor knows the reason. , Mr. Zhou can report this matter to Si Gege, and let Si Gege report to the current emperor, maybe the current emperor will tell Si Gege the reason."

"Hey, this fat man is so fucking insidious, he still doesn't have any excuses to stir up dissension - let the emperor know that Ao Zhongtang is pursuing this case in private, so it's no wonder he doesn't suspect Ao Zhongtang." Zhou Peigong was secretly angry, and said with a smile: " Why is Lord Lu so troublesome, anyway, you are coming to Beijing to meet His Majesty this time, so you will have a chance to see the beauty of the sky, and when it is time for His Majesty to meet, Lord Lu will report directly to the Emperor, right?"

"This kid is very shady, let me take the initiative to report this to Kang Xiaomazi, old man Ao knows, can he give me something good to eat?" Fatty Lu glanced at Zhou Peigong, he was also wary, and smiled Said: "Your Majesty Zhou's words are wrong. What an honor it is to see Long Live? At such a moment, how dare the subordinate officials say such a trivial matter to the emperor?"

"This is not a trivial matter." Zhou Peigong said with a smile: "Perhaps the emperor will look at you differently when he hears that Mr. Lu, you have to be received by Ao Zhongtang in person."

"Hmph, a man should be honorable and upright when he takes fame and fame, and he can only take it straight away, not just in the middle of it." Fatty Lu said righteously and awe-inspiringly: "Such sidewalks, Lu doesn't bother to do it!"

"Damn it, fat man, then you still want to translate "Elements of Geometry" and dedicate it to the current emperor? Are you saying it so righteously now?" Duke Zhou Pei was furious, unable to do anything about Fatty Lu's brazenness.

While talking, Fatty Lu and Zhou Peigong walked along the white jade railing passing through the pond to the foot of the rockery without knowing it, and then bypassed the rockery, and the three thatched huts appeared on the artificial island in the pond.Zhou Peigong pretended to be happy and pointed at the three huts with a smile: "This is a good place to study, Mr. Lu, how about we go in and have a look?"

"It's done." Although Fatty Lu didn't have much elegance in his body, he felt that the thatched huts in the pool were very elegant, so he went there with Zhou Peigong. An inviting gesture, saying: "Lord Lu, please."

"Lord Zhou, you're welcome." Fatty Lu said modestly, but he strode into the door honestly with his hands behind his back. After entering the door, he looked inside and saw that the three thatched huts had internal doors connected to each other. At this moment, Suddenly a majestic boy's voice came from the inner room, "Bold, who will disturb Zhen Qingxiu's study?"

"Zhen?" Zhou Peigong was startled, hurriedly rushed to the inner door and went to the inner room to have a look, immediately knelt down on both knees, kowtowed and said: "My humble minister Zhou Chang, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

After saluting, Zhou Peigong hurriedly turned around and waved to Fatty Lu, urging him: "Lord Lu, what are you still doing? The holy driver is here, why don't you come to salute?"

(End of this chapter)