Chapter 108 Gathering
At the south gate of Beijing, the weather is getting colder day by day. The soldiers guarding the gate rub their hands from time to time, and they are so cold that they are breathing.
"It's really cold this damn day!"
"Who said it wasn't? I just got up this morning and the door hasn't been opened yet. I shivered and almost fell to my knees."
"Hahaha, you are not weak, are you?"
The soldiers guarding the gate gathered together and joked, using the popularity to keep warm. In this kind of weather, there are not many people entering and leaving the city. Sometimes you can't meet a few people in a day, so guarding the gate has almost become a chore of blowing the wind for nothing.
Not far away, a middle-aged man with a stubble on his face was carrying a load, braving the oncoming wind and snow, and walking towards the city gate step by step. The soldier who was joking and joking forced himself to cheer up, waved to the visitor, and walked up to ask questions.
"Where are you from? What are you doing in the city? Put down your burden and let me see what's inside."
The young man was stunned for a moment, then quickly put down the burden on his shoulders, carefully lifted the cloth covering it, and smiled flatteringly, "Sir, my name is Bai Er, and I'm from Baijia Village in the south of the city. I came to the city to buy some meat for the New Year. There's nothing in my burden, it's empty. Sir, you're wise, I dare not do anything illegal!"
The two men stepped forward and roughly lifted the cloth covering the burden, reached in and searched, and after confirming that there was nothing inside, they searched the middle-aged man's body, then turned back and nodded to the other soldiers.
"We don't want to embarrass you, but recently some Hu people have sneaked into the capital to assassinate those officials. The higher-ups have issued a death order to investigate more carefully. There's nothing we can do. Okay, go in, but remember not to cause trouble. Jinyiwei is not as easy to talk to as us."
"Okay, thank you for your reminder, I will behave myself and not cause trouble." Hearing the three words Jinyiwei, the middle-aged man's expression changed, and there was a little more fear in his flattering words. After covering himself with a cloth, he picked up his burden and walked towards the city.
"Boss, you've been standing here all morning, and you don't get any money. What a damn world!" The soldier who just walked forward said indignantly.
"Forget it, he looks like a farmer. Even if you squeeze his bones dry, you won't get a few taels of silver. What's more, if he doesn't cause trouble, everything will be fine. Haven't you heard? The last time an assassin sneaked into the city, the emperor was furious, and the captain was beaten forty times!" The soldier called "boss" laughed disdainfully, holding a long spear and standing in the corner of the wall to avoid the wind.
At the same time, at the north gate of the capital, a short old man wearing a linen cotton gown and with gray hair limped towards the city gate.
"Old man, where are you from? What are you doing in the city?" The soldier at the gate shouted hurriedly before entering the gate.
"What? The old man has poor hearing." The old man tilted his head, frowned and looked puzzled.
The soldier sighed, took a few steps forward and asked impatiently, "Old man, I asked you where you are from? What are you doing in the city? Did you hear it clearly?"
"I heard it clearly! I heard it clearly! Sir, I am the gatekeeper of the Yizhuang in the north of the city. My legs hurt a lot in the cold weather. I went into the city to ask the doctor to prescribe two doses of medicine." The old man covered his legs and explained his purpose in a hoarse voice.
Hearing about the Yizhuang, the soldier hurriedly stepped back two steps, secretly saying that it was bad luck. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the old man for a while, then waved his hand and said disdainfully, "Go in, old man, don't cause trouble, otherwise you will be spotted by the Jinyiwei, and you will have no place to complain even if you are right."
"This... Jinyiwei? Military sir, don't scare me."
"Do you want to scare you? Come in quickly, don't cause trouble!" The gatekeeper didn't want to pay any attention to the old man, and turned around and walked in. It was so cold, who would be willing to stand in the snow, blowing the wind and talking to a stranger they met for the first time.
The old man saw that the soldier was unwilling to continue talking, and he was not angry, but just smiled twice with his eyes curved, and limped into the city. After walking a distance, he looked back at the city gate a few times, and a trace of envy inexplicably surged in his eyes. When he turned his head again, the envy in his eyes had turned into a strong murderous intent.
As the old man walked into the capital, in a tavern in the capital, a diner dressed as a wealthy businessman raised his head with a smile and drank the little bit of wine left in the glass. He said proudly, "Boss, another pot of good wine and some side dishes."
"Okay, is there anything happy today, sir?"
"Nothing happy, I just drank a pot of wine, and my mouth is fragrant and the aftertaste is endless. My whole body is warm. I have to drink more when I encounter good wine." The diner laughed, his cheeks slightly red, as if he really drank some good wine, squinting his eyes and smacking his lips.
"Thank you for the compliment, sir. I will serve you wine and food right away. Come back after you eat well." The shopkeeper was surprised and surprised, and he smiled and walked towards the inner hall with the wine pot, and even his body was a little lighter.
The Zongrenfu is located at the back of the west side of the imperial city, near the North Palace Gate. Originally, there was a duty room of the Silijian next to it. Later, after Yuan Zhuo moved to the Qingxuan Palace in Xiyuan, only the Taichi Lake was left in the Zongrenfu.
Although there were no people around, it was quiet. After all, in the Zongrenfu, there were only some old men who were convicted of crimes. It was a good thing to be quiet.
Beside the Taichi Lake, Zuo Zongzheng was fishing leisurely with a fishing rod. Although there was no fish in the bucket beside him, there was no impatience on his face. When Zuo Zongzheng was staring at the lake in a daze, the float moved, and it seemed that a fish was hooked.
Zuo Zongzheng came back to his senses in an instant and quickly pulled up the fishing rod. A foot-long carp bit the hook and swung its tail. Zuo Zongzheng smiled proudly and took off the hook skillfully. Just as he was about to throw the fish into the bucket, he suddenly felt something wrong in his heart. His hand paused and he was a little absent-minded. In this moment of daze, the fish in his hand broke free from the restraints and fell into the water.
"Oh, the fish doesn't want to enter my stomach. What a pity." Zuo Zongzheng put away the fishing rod with a look of regret, looked at the direction of the city gate, sighed, and walked back carrying the wooden barrel.
In the room of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, Eunuch Feng was sitting in front of the stage with a red pen in his hand, approving the cabinet votes.
The sound of the ink pen brushing on the paper continued. Eunuch Feng had been in the palace for many years and had studied with several Imperial College officials, so he was good at cursive calligraphy. Dealing with the approval process is naturally simple. I have finished writing a few drafts in a blink of an eye. I blow dry them gently and put them aside to wait for sending back.
Just when he was about to get wet and continue criticizing, a strange feeling came to his mind, and there was a change in Mr. Feng's face, which was as calm as water. Putting the ink pen back into the pen holder, Eunuch Feng put down what he was doing, walked to the window, opened it, and looked towards the north city gate against the flying snowflakes.
He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the window sill to calm down the uneasiness in his heart, and his face quickly returned to its original state.
At the same time, the third master of Zhao Prison put down his tea cup and walked out of the room for a rare occasion. He still had a smile on his face, but his inner emotions could not be seen.
The Third Master extended his hand with great interest to catch the falling snowflakes. After the snowflakes melted slightly, he waved his hand away. He returned to the eaves and stared in the direction of the palace from a distance, his smile gradually fading.
It seemed that it was snowing heavily, or it was getting dark, or other things were blocking his sight. In short, the third master suddenly stopped looking in the direction of the palace and walked into the room with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself.
"The rain is coming and the wind is blowing all over the building..."