Aspirations

Chapter 14 The sky, the earth and the moon are hazy, and there is no trace of people at night.

At this time, it was nearly three watch, and the night market in front of the Cao Mansion was still very lively, not to mention the increase in the number of young men and women, secretly teasing their feelings amid laughter and laughter, even the wonton stall couple who were almost knocked over by a frightened horse. , over fifty years old, still full of energy at this moment, not tired, and warmly greeted every guest who came to eat.

The old man's surname is Ma, ranking third, and his name is Ma Xiaosan, and the old woman's surname is Niu, ranking second, and his name is Niu Erniang.The two had a son and went out to do business in their early years. They went to sea from Quanzhou and went south to the South China Sea. They never returned, and their life and death are unknown.The two originally had a shop in Shangjing, but in order to go south to find their son, Dian sold the shop.I went south for five or six years and found nothing.After returning to Beijing, he was penniless.He had to borrow a few thousand yuan from the east and west, and set up a wonton stand to sell some wontons at the night market to make ends meet.

Fortunately, Shangjing is the capital city, and it is also a prosperous and prosperous age. A wonton stall only has a night market, and the daily income is more than [-] yuan, which is enough for the two of them to make ends meet.

Although it was more than an hour after the shocking incident, the two still had lingering fears.Fortunately, there was an endless stream of guest officials, and the two were too busy to think about what happened just now.After a young woman and her maid left, there was no guest official for the time being. After the two were able to rest, they couldn't help but talk about the shocking horse.

"Second Mother, if it wasn't for Xia Xiaolang-jun pulling me and the two of them, we might have been trampled and injured by the horse." Ma Xiaosan sighed with emotion, "Why did the two of us become so stupid just now? , I forgot to thank Xiao Langjun for saving his life, it's too inappropriate."

"That's right, the two of us are too rude." Niu Erniang gathered her hair on her forehead, wiped her hand on the apron, and wiped her tears, "Little Langjun just now, looks like we are lost. Our son, Saburo, if he can be our adopted son, I will wake up laughing in my dreams.”

"What are you thinking? Xiao Langjun is our savior, do you still want to recognize him as our adopted son? It's not that we are his savior." Ma Xiaosan blamed Niu Erniang, but he couldn't help thinking in his heart. , If he can really recognize Xiaolangjun as his adopted son, he and Erniang will be able to rely on them in their later years. Forget it, don't think about it, how can he let Xiaolangjun recognize him as a father?
"It would be great if my son was still there..." Niu Erniang sighed and wiped away her tears again.

"Shop, two bowls of wontons, more coriander, more vinegar, soy sauce, no spicy dishes."

Two guest officials, a man and a woman, came to the wonton stall. Both were 20 years old. The man wore a long gown, with a thin face and brows, thin lips and big ears. His eyes kept moving around, shrewd and alert.The woman is dressed in an ordinary way, with a thin face and light eyebrows, a small cherry mouth, a smooth forehead, and a pointed chin.The upturned bun on her head indicated that she was a married daughter, but her expression was slightly sad, and the white flower on her head was particularly eye-catching, obviously she had just lost her husband.

When Ma Xiaosan and Niu Erniang saw the guest officer, they quickly recovered their thoughts and started to get busy.

"Qiniang, as soon as Luo Da died, you are now free. If you meet someone you like in the future, you can remarry. You don't have to be sad." After the man sat down, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the table and bench before inviting the woman to sit. Next, "Besides, Luo Da is ruthless and unlucky to you, why should you be sad for him? His death is also his own fault."

"Fourth brother, I'm not sad for Luo Da, but for myself." The woman sat opposite the man, facing the Cao mansion, her eyes stopped for a moment at the entrance of the Cao mansion, "If it wasn't for my father who forced me to marry him three years ago Luo Da, if I have been doing business with all my strength in the past three years, all companies will not be worse than good times today. Daddy wants me to marry Luo Da. In the past three years, apart from arguing and getting angry with Luo Da, I have achieved nothing. Good times are always there. It is precisely in the past three years that the storm has been surging, and I can see that it is the first business firm in Daxia. It is really hateful and irritating. Even the girl is really lucky. No one forced her to marry, otherwise she would not have achieved today. She is also Didn't meet me, hum, if I make a move, I will definitely be able to swallow all the good times."

Before the big summer, girls mostly referred to unmarried women.Before the girls reach the hairpin, they have to wear two "buns" on their heads, separated from the left and right, and stand symmetrically, like a "ya" character, so they are called "girls".In the Tang Dynasty Liu Yuxi's poem "Gift to Xiaofan": "The flower-faced girl is thirteen or fourteen, when spring comes gracefully to others."The woman called the little lady of the Lian family as a girl, which was deliberately contempt.

"Daddy's decision, I can't refute it, but I have wronged you over the past few years." The man looked at the woman lovingly and handed the chopsticks, "Qiniang, when Luo Da is dead, you can find another good family to marry, Luo You also bring the family's property with you. With the financial resources of the Luo family, you can help the All-you-owned business to grow rapidly, and it is not a problem to eat up in three to five years."

The Daxia Law stipulates that the dowry that a woman brings when she gets married is her personal property, and it can be taken away when she remarrys.In the big summer style, in order to prevent brothers from dividing their property, men often buy real estate in the name of their wives after marriage. After the wives remarry, they will also take them with them.Luo Da bought a number of real estate and businesses in the name of Dong Qiniang during his lifetime. Once he died, Dong Qiniang could naturally dispose of it at will.

"That's what I mean!" Dong Qiniang took the wonton handed over by Niu Erniang, picked up a coriander with chopsticks, and her eyes fell on the door of Cao's residence again, "The lord said, Li Dingshan has only two places to go back to Beijing, one is Song Chaodu's place, another place is Cao Yongguo's place."

"I think the prince is too careful." The man buried himself in eating wontons, but he was hungry, and the food was unsightly. When the prince met, how could he go to see Song Chaodu and Cao Yongguo, who were already gone? Besides, Li Dingshan was forced by the three princes to return to Beijing this time. Looking at the capital, the only one who can protect Li Dingshan is the prince. Just wait for Li Dingshan to come to the door. Cao Yongguo is only a young official from the fifth grade Honglu Temple. He has no power or power. He is called Sleeping Qing. Among the seven ministers, he is the most idle and useless. If Li Dingshan goes to Cao Yongguo, Cao Yongguo will Where can you protect his integrity?"

Seven ministers refer to Guanglu Temple, Sinong Temple, Taifu Temple, Weiwei Temple, Taipu Temple, Honglu Temple, and Dali Temple.Taifu Temple is known as a "busy minister" because of its many affairs; Sinong Temple is known as a "going minister" because of its wide distribution of warehouses; Guanglu Temple is known as a "full minister" because it handles wine and food. Honglu Temple pays tribute to neighboring countries, and although Daxia's national power is on the rise, there are still wars with neighboring countries. Because there are few tributes, it is called "Sleeping Qing".

"Since the lord thinks that Li Dingshan is likely to come to the Cao mansion, there is a reason for the lord. You and I don't need to question the lord's eyeliner and judgment, just follow the instructions of the lord to inspect the Cao mansion. It's also that the lord cares too much about Li Dingshan and doesn't want him to do anything. Mistake." Dong Qiniang carefully ate a wonton, the mouth was fragrant, and she couldn't help but praised, "It's delicious, delicious, and eaten all over the capital, this wonton is the best. Store, I will come to your house often in the future. ."

Ma Xiaosan nodded and smiled: "Thank you, guest officer."

Ma Xiaosan, dressed in a short coat, has a loyal face, big nose, big eyes and big lips, as simple as the poplar trees that can be seen everywhere in the capital.Niu Erniang is also gentle and simple in appearance, no different from most of the lower-level hawkers in Shangjing.The two were as ordinary as a wave in the river, and no one would pay more attention to them.

Brother Dong and Qiniang Dong are brothers and sisters of a compatriot of the same mother.Dong Qiniang was named Dong Qiniang, and because she ranked seventh, she was called Dong Qiniang.The ancestors of the two were originally important ministers in the previous dynasty, but later the family fell into disarray, and the two depended on each other since childhood.

Dong Qiniang gave Dong Si a wink in secret, she got up and added some coriander, took out more than ten cents of money and put it aside, pretending to ask accidentally: "The shopkeeper, Cao Shujun just fell into the water and heard that someone rescued him. , who is that person?"

"Yes..." A bowl of wontons is only three words, and the guest official's shot is more than ten words. Niu Erniang was overjoyed, and when she was happy, she opened her mouth to say Xia Xiang's name - when Cao Shuli asked Xia Xiang's name, Xia Xiang replied. At the time, she could hear clearly from the side—suddenly her foot tightened, and Ma Xiaosan stepped on it, she immediately knew that she was talking too much, and the words turned around again, "It's a white-faced scholar who looks like So handsome, like a little lady."

Dong Qiniang showed a hint of disappointment: "Do you know his name, where is he from?"

"The square table is set up, and all the guests are here. This Shangjing is the capital, and the people who come and go are all guest officials from all over the world. There are even people from the Fanuo and Hu people. Who remembers the surname of a white-faced scholar? But do you recognize him?" Ma Xiaosan was afraid that Niu Erniang would lose his words in a hurry, so he took the conversation and smiled, "This scholar is no different from other scholars, but he is more handsome and fairer, but he suits the little lady very well. Didn't he live up to the little lady's affection?"

"Bah, bullshit!" Dong Niang couldn't help being embarrassed and wanted to attack, but after thinking about it, she held it back, and simply followed Ma Xiaosan's words and said, "Don't hide the old man, he is really a heartless man, he originally said he would wait for the slave family. After the divorce, he married the slave family. Now the master of the slave family died of illness, I came to look for him, but he avoided seeing him. Most of the men in the world are just as ruthless."

The Daxia Dynasty was much more enlightened than before. When a couple got married, in addition to the husband who could divorce his wife, if a woman was dissatisfied with her husband, she could also take the initiative to file for divorce. Both parties agreed that it was for reconciliation. "The unruly people marry their wives, take their wealth and die, and those whose wives are unable to provide for themselves will be allowed to reform from now on." This means that if a husband is unable to support his wife, the wife has the right to divorce. "The husband has been away for three years and does not return, but the wife will remarry." If the husband has not returned from home for three years, the wife also has the right to remarry another person.

"Hehe, hehe..." Ma Xiaosan kept laughing implicitly. With his eyesight, he could see at a glance that Xia Xiang was definitely not the heartless man that Dong Qiniang said. Dong Qiniang and Xia Xiang had never known each other, so he pretended to understand. Confused, "There are many unkind men in the world, and unkind women are also common. Men and women are in love, who is right and who is wrong, how can one sentence or two make it clear? What kind of love and hatred can't be solved by a bowl of wontons? If there is, then Two bowls."

"Haha." Dong Qiniang didn't laugh, but Dong Si was amused by Ma Xiaosan's words.

The entertainment industry in Shangjing is very developed. As a large-scale entertainment place, there are as many as [-] or [-] Washe Golans, each of which can accommodate thousands of people. In addition to Kabuki, there are also various entertainers, storytellers, animal trainers, Jugglers, magicians, sumo, skits, martial arts, bow and arrow, Cuju, puppets and more.

"The guest officer is joking, I only sell wontons, how can I tell a book? I don't even know a few big characters." Ma Xiaosan stirred the pot and scooped up a spoonful of soup, "Would you like to add soup, the two of you? Guest officer?"

"Don't." Dong Qiniang was no longer interested in Ma Xiaosan and Niu Erniang, she sat back in her seat, glanced around the Cao mansion, and said in a low voice, "The prince suspects that Cao Yongguo and the third prince are secretly communicating closely, and it's not unreasonable. Doubt. Cao Yongguo and Li Dingshan have always been on good terms. Three years ago, Li Dingshan was dismissed from office and left Beijing. Either dismissed from office or banished from the capital, only Cao Yongguo and Song Chaodu remained. He is safe and sound. With the power of the third prince and the temperament of Hou Pingpan, how could it be possible that he was not banished from Beijing? Based on the prince's speculation, Cao Yongguo may have secretly surrendered to the third prince."

"If this is the case, the prince sent me and the two to monitor the Cao mansion, because I was afraid that Li Dingshan would not know that Cao Yongguo secretly voted for the three princes. If he came to the Cao mansion after entering the capital, he would have been caught by himself?" Dong Si slightly frowned, the original It was a complete waste of time to think that the king ordered him and Dong Qiniang to pay attention to Cao Yongguo's every move, but the king's order was hard to violate, so he had to do it no matter how reluctant he was. After hearing what Qiniang said, he suddenly became enlightened, "Listening to Yan Hao, he has already investigated When Li Dingshan left Zhongshan Village, three people from Zhongshan Village also left at the same time, one called Xia Xiang, one called Xia Lai, and the other called Xia Go. All three were students of Li Dingshan in Zhongshan Village."

"Your Majesty asked us to pay attention to Cao Yongguo's every move because he wanted us to protect Mr. Li Dingshan comprehensively." Dong Siniang looked back subconsciously and saw that Ma Xiaosan and Niu Erniang were busy and did not care what they were saying. It was too much to think about, but they were just a couple at a wonton stall who knew about the important affairs of the imperial court, and even if they heard it, it was in vain, "We can't guess what Wang Ye is thinking. Although he is close to Li Dingshan, There is no need to fight against the third prince for the sake of Li Dingshan. In the past three years, the third prince is not what he used to be, but he is already in the sky. Besides, the emperor is sick now, or the third prince is likely to succeed."

"Let's stop thinking about your lord's thoughts, guessing right or wrong is wrong." Dong Si didn't bother to think too much, just wanted to do what he could do in front of him, "Yan Hao found Xia behind his back with Gao Jianyuan on his back. What is the purpose of Xiang, Xia Lai, and Xia Qu? Could it be that they want to use Xia Xiang to induce Li Dingshan to show up? Li Dingshan must have been in Shangjing at this time. In addition to Cao Yongguo and Song Chaodu, there is also a connection in Shangjing. Yan Hao wants to use Xia Xiang and the three to find Li Dingshan's whereabouts. ?"

Dong Qiniang lowered her head and said nothing, the wontons in the bowl had already been eaten, only the clear soup at the bottom of the bowl was left, with a few coriander leaves floating on the soup, she pondered for a while before saying: "Yan Hao also only found the whereabouts of Xia Lai and Xia Qu. , but I don't know where Xia Xiang went, but he has already sent a fast horse to Zhongshan Village to ask Xia Xiang's mother Xia Xiang's whereabouts. It is estimated that it will not be long before Xia Xiang is in Beijing or somewhere else. It's clear. If Xia Xiang is in Shangjing, it may be useful for attracting Li Dingshan, but if he is elsewhere, it will be of no use to the prince's affairs."

"Xia Lai and Xia Qu are really fateful. They can't die if they fall off the cliff. The village children are really solid, haha." Dong Si remembered the report he received, saying that Xia Lai and Xia Quo were under the cliff. It was a miracle that they fell one after the other and were rescued separately, but they all suffered only skin injuries, which is also a miracle. I know if I can see each other again in this lifetime. It's all my fault for Li Dingshan, if it wasn't for him, Xia Laixia would not have left Zhongshan Village, and it would be better to be a villager peacefully than to travel far away."

"Whether they are dead or alive, let's just talk about irrelevant things." Dong Qiniang threw her chopsticks with a snap, and got up and left with a look of displeasure, "It's getting late, it's time to go back. How to report to the lord, you Make a plan early, don't let the lord pick it up."

Dong Si was not annoyed, he smiled, took out a few coins and put them on the table, remembering that Qiniang had paid more than ten coins just now, and took it back.

When Dong Qiniang and Dong Si disappeared from the crowd, Ma Xiaosan and Niu Erniang looked at each other, both of them looked stunned and panicked.Although the two of them didn't understand what was going on, they probably knew that someone wanted to harm their benefactor Xia Xiang, what the three kings and Yanhao, Xia Xiang, a commoner, under the pressure of the king's authority of the three kings, he would not be smashed to pieces. Strange.

No, the benefactor cannot be harmed by the bad guys behind the back, Ma Xiaosan said to Niu Erniang in a low voice: "Erniang, I will go to Cao Mansion to report the news, and you will close the stall."

"Cao Mansion... Where can you get in?" Niu Erniang thought for a moment, got an idea, got up and borrowed a pen and paper from Tian Dalang, who wrote letters on his behalf, "San Lang, write a letter and send it to Cao Mansion. "

Ma Xiaosan patted his thigh: "It's still Erniang who thinks well, there is no way to report letters, and there is a way to write a book." After speaking, Ma Xiaosan, who claimed to be illiterate just now, lays paper on the chopping board for wrapping wontons to write a letter. After a while , more than a hundred words in a flick.

Afterwards, Ma Xiaosan took off his apron, tidied up his clothes, came to Cao's mansion with a solemn appearance, and handed the letter to the concierge.

(End of this chapter)