Yang Ling's mansion doesn't have many old clothes and grain, so he went to the city to buy two carts of coarse grain. He set up a shed outside the western part of the city and serves porridge twice a day. There are a total of four porridge shops in the western part of the city. In addition to the woman in red's porridge shop, there is also a wealthy businessman from Jiangnan who came to the capital to do business, and a local rich man.
The four porridge shops are lined up in a row, hanging banners with the characters "Yang", "Yang", "Zou", and "Li". The refugees who spend the winter in the simple and crude shacks built by the Ministry of Revenue are thin and ragged, but they have adapted to the cold winter weather and rarely get sick.
Gao Wenxin goes to several households and gives prescriptions to several sick and weak elderly people. She then returns to the shed and looks left and right. She says to Yang Ling: "Daren, the family on the left is also surnamed Yang. That kind man is from your family."
Just now, Cheng Qiyun and the manager's family asked their families to serve porridge. Yang Ling looks around and knows that the woman in red was the woman in red. The Zou family on the right is said to be a wealthy family in Wuxi in Jiangnan. The owner is surnamed Zou and his first name is Zou. The family has 300,000 mu of fertile land, 3000 servants, and more than 100 villas. It can be said that they are as rich as a country.
This time, Zou Wang came to the capital to do business. When he saw the refugees fleeing to the capital, he was very kind and sent his family to serve porridge. His family is so rich that they can serve porridge three times a day. It is now noon, so the refugees are lining up in front of the Zou family's shack waiting for the porridge.
It was precisely because these refugees were standing there, blocking her line of sight that Gao Wenxin did not see the Li family on the far right, which was the Li Jimeng family that she was once engaged to. This saved her a lot of embarrassment.
Yang Ling is worried that when the refugees leave, Gao Wenxin will be embarrassed when she meets the Li family. He says: "Yes, that family is also passing by the capital. They are really kind people who are willing to give money to help the people."
He looked at Qi Yun, who was snuggling in front of the pot of porridge that was gradually extinguishing to keep warm. He smiled and said, "I was still a little worried at first, but now I see that although these disaster victims don't have enough to eat, everyone is law-abiding. No one dares to make trouble and steal the food. In a while, you and Miss Cheng should go back to the mansion first.
Cheng Qiyun's nose was red from the cold and her cheeks were numb. She sniffled and said, "It's really cold here. I'm even warming myself by the fire and it's so hard to bear. I really can't imagine how the commoners survive the winter. Daren should mobilize more wealthy families to come forward and provide disaster relief. Those families are rich, and it's easy for a family to support dozens of people through the winter.
Moreover, although these people are poor and pitiful, most of them have strength, and there is no lack of lazy people among them. They can't be supported by others for a few months. They can be porters or servants. Why don't we organize some young and strong people and allow them to work in the city? On the one hand, they can earn some wages, and on the other hand, they don't have to do anything and end up doing some sneaky things. "
Yang Ling laughed and said, "That's right, that's a good idea. Later I'll go see Duke Cheng and Marquis Of Shouning. One of them is a high-ranking official and the other is a relative of the emperor. If I can persuade these two to come forward and sympathize with the people, and then let the court sing praises of them, the other rich and powerful people will definitely respond. I'll discuss it with Grand Secretary Li and have the QING Five Cities Warlords register these refugees. Then we'll select young and strong people with clean family backgrounds and issue a special order to allow them to work in the city. "
When he finished speaking, he saw Cheng Qiyun snuggling up to the fire like a little quail. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Is it really that cold? Why don't you go back to the sedan chair and stay for a while? Wrap yourself in my big blanket to warm up. "
While he was talking, he saw a yellow-maned horse galloping from the city gate. The rider on the horse turned the corner and looked at the banner with the character 'Yang' on the shed. He bent down to look inside the shed, and then he whipped his horse and galloped toward another banner with the character 'Yang' in front of him.
He was running a little too fast. A young man in his early twenties had just returned with a bowl of porridge. In order to avoid the rider's horse, he slipped and the bowl of porridge spilled out. The young man's face turned red as he glared angrily at the rider.
The rider raised his hand and threw back a string of copper coins, which scattered on the snowy ground. He laughed and said, "I've offended you. Go buy some food for yourself. I have an urgent matter to attend to."
The rider looked to be in his early thirties, with a full beard on his face, looking very rough. Although his action was rude, it seemed like he still knew how to cherish and protect these common people.
But the young man in his early twenties was dressed in a shabby green robe. He had thin eyebrows and a white face. He looked like someone who had read books. How could he be willing to lower his head to pick up the copper coins from the snowy ground? He snorted heavily. Seeing that there was still a small half bowl of porridge left in his bowl, he hurriedly and carefully carried it to a shack.
Cheng Qiyun saw this and sneered disapprovingly, saying, "Isn't begging for porridge the same as begging? If you really don't want to eat food given in handouts, you might as well starve to death. "
Gao Wenxin, however, looked appreciatively at the green-robed scholar and said, "That's not the case. Giving porridge is a kind heart. There's nothing shameful about people in distress accepting some aid. But if it's something insulting, how can people with some backbone accept it?"
Cheng Qiyun laughed and said, "Although the rider's behavior is vulgar, throwing back the copper coins after knocking over his porridge is also an apology. In his heart, he finds it hard to accept bowing down. It's only because he's the only one bowing down that it's somewhat embarrassing. If there's a group of people around him carrying a big bowl of porridge like he did when he went to beg, he'll have someone to cover up his shame and he won't be so virtuous. "
Gao Wenxin wanted to argue further, but Yang Ling said with a smile, "Forget it. The two of you have completely different values. There's no point in arguing anymore."
Cheng Qiyun blinked her eyes and asked curiously, "Values?"
Yang Ling suddenly realized that he had made a slip of the tongue. He stammered and didn't know how to explain when the yellow-maned horse galloped back again. Beside it was a handsome white horse. On the horse was a pretty woman dressed in a fiery red dress. As she walked, she asked anxiously, "Really useless. How did your Brother Hu get injured? Where is he now? "
The rough bearded man beside her said loudly, "I'm entering the city to look for Sister-in-law. Brother Hu is about to enter the city as well."
The horse passed by and the red-dressed woman on the horse's starry eyes were like lightning. She saw Yang Ling standing under the canopy. Obviously, she still recognized his appearance. Her expression was slightly surprised. She saw the big flag with the word "Yang" hanging on the canopy and couldn't help smiling sweetly. Nodding slightly at Yang Ling, she swept past like a gust of wind.
Cheng Qiyun propped up her chin with her hand and turned her eyes to say, "This lady dressed in red has good horsemanship. Does Daren know her?"
Yang Ling shook his head and said, "She's the owner of the Yang Family's porridge shop. Yesterday, a few ruffians took liberties with her. I've seen her martial arts. It's very impressive. Liu Biao once said that he couldn't last more than twenty moves against her."
Cheng Qiyun suddenly sat up straight and mumbled, "The lady dressed in red. Her martial arts are excellent. You said … her surname is Yang? What did they just say? I heard them say something about Brother Hu? "
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Perhaps her surname is Yang, or her husband's surname is Yang. I don't know if the Brother Hu they mentioned is her brother or her husband."
Cheng Qiyun frowned and thought suspiciously, "It can't be so coincidental, right? The great thief Yang Chuhu dares to come to the capital? "
The white and yellow horses had not gone far when a few horses and a carriage came to meet them. The two parties stopped to talk for a while and then walked back together. Yang Ling stood under the canopy and looked at the group of people. Cheng Qiyun also stood up and walked to his side with her hands in her sleeves. She and Gao Wenxin stood to his left and right.
The group of people came closer and closer. Yang Ling took a few steps forward and stood by the roadside. When the group of horses arrived, the lady dressed in red said loudly, "He Gang, go tell Cui 'er to close the porridge stall first. I'll accompany your Brother Hu back to the city first."
Yang Ling's porridge stall was located on the side of the official road at the edge of the city. As the carriage approached, the curtains of the carriage were lifted, and a man in his forties stuck his head out to look. Looking at the tall and majestic city gates, he said joyfully, "Brother Yang, is this the capital city?"
His eyes turned and saw Yang Ling. He was stunned at first, then he cried out in surprise, "Brother Ling? You're Brother Ling? "
Yang Ling was stunned. He saw that the man in the carriage was in his forties. He didn't look ugly, but he had a lewd expression and was looking at him with a pleasantly surprised expression. Yang Ling felt that he looked familiar. He cupped his hands and said, "I am indeed Yang Ling. You are … Ah! Yang … Yang … You're Third … Brother? "
Yang Ling was speechless. Wasn't this guy the third brother who wanted to tease Young-niang and take over his property? Why did he come to the capital too?
Yang Quan heard him confirm his identity and was so happy that he quickly patted the shaft of the carriage and said, "Stop, stop quickly. This is my brother Yang Ling. He's my brother from the same family. He's the governor of Ming Destiny's inner factory. Hahahaha …"
Another young man in his twenties came out from the carriage. He had delicate features and called out happily when he saw Yang Ling, "Uncle Ling? It's really Uncle Ling! "
This person was older than Yang Ling by two years. Yang Ling knew that his seniority was high. When he was resurrected, many older men and women called him uncle. He couldn't remember who he was at the moment, but he should be from the Yang Family.
A man in his thirties wearing a yellow robe reached out to pull the horse and jumped off. He laughed rudely and said, "Are you Mr. Yang? Commoner Yang Fu greets Milord. "
The woman in red also jumped down from her horse and walked to his side. She frowned and said with displeasure, "Brother Hu, you …" The man called Yang Fu turned his head and signaled to the woman in red. She immediately understood and shut her mouth.
Cheng Qiyun saw their expressions and a smile flashed across her lips.
Yang Quan saw the carriage stop and got off the carriage with his nephew. He came forward and said, "Brother Ling, this brother from the Yang Family saved us on the road and escorted us all the way to the capital. He's our great benefactor."
Even though Yang Ling hated Yang Quan and didn't have much affection for the Yang Family, he was now a member of the Yang Family. He smiled and bowed to the rudely big man with a yellow face and thick eyebrows. He said, "Thank you, Brother Yang, for helping my brother and nephew."
The man jumped off the horse and his left arm swayed a few times. It was limp as if he couldn't exert any strength. At this moment, he quickly reached out with his right hand to stop Yang Ling and said, "Milord, please don't be so polite. This commoner is a Jianghu person who carries horses and sells goods. I'm not worthy of your great courtesy. It's fate that we met and helped each other on the road."
Yang Ling saw that his other arm was hanging motionlessly and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yang's arm …?"
Yang Quan hurriedly said, "Brother Ling, on the road we met a Taoist priest who can come and go. I don't know how he got into a fight with a young man. That young man was slapped and is still unconscious. He often vomits blood and is lying in the carriage. This Brother Yang was slapped on the arm by that Taoist priest and is now limp and unable to exert any strength."
Yang Ling saw that the people on the road were gradually gathering to watch the show. He said, "I have a divine doctor with me. This is not a good place to talk. Let's go to your residence and ask her to treat you. We'll talk in detail there."
Yang Ling brought Cheng Qiyun and Gao Wenxin, who were dressed as men, to the city. On the way, he asked around and found out that the Chicken Cry Inn had also fallen into enemy hands. This time, the Tartars had attacked the frontier fortress on a large scale. They burned, killed, and looted even more than last year. It was obvious that they wanted to take revenge for the death of Bayan Khan's beloved son.
The Yang Family's plain was located in a remote area. As soon as they got the news, they escaped to the mountains. But the Yang Family Grand Master was old and suffered from cold and hunger in the mountains. In the end, he fell ill and unexpectedly died.
When Yang Quan first heard that Yang Ling had become a high-ranking official, he wanted to come to the capital and rely on him. But the Yang Family Grand Master was very stubborn. What he hated the most was his sons and nephews who relied on nepotism to cling to the rich and powerful. Therefore, he was determined not to allow it. Now that he was dead, there was no one who could restrain Yang Quan. Therefore, he encouraged a nephew of his to come to the capital and rely on Yang Ling.
The two of them trekked over mountains and rivers, purposely choosing small paths. With great difficulty, they managed to bypass the battlefield between the Tartars and the Ming army. Then, with great difficulty, they saw a young scholar and an old Taoist dressed in grey fighting in front of the mountain. Soon after, a group of carriages and horses passed by. Seeing that the two sides were fighting fiercely, the scholar was seriously injured by the Taoist. A man in a brown robe, called Yang Fu, could not restrain himself and stepped forward to help. Although he was able to drive the Taoist away by relying on his numbers, he was also hit by a palm.
On the other side, Yang Fu was leading the horse and walking side by side with the lady in red. The lady in red glanced at Yang Ling and said in a low voice, "You have suffered from a sinister internal palm attack. Even I will have to spend some effort to completely remove the poison from your body. Who did you meet?"
The man in brown robe was tall and big. The veins on his pair of Giant Spirit Palms were bulging. If Liu Biao saw it, he would know that this was the peak state of external martial arts. He glanced at Yang Ling who was whispering to Yang Quan and said in a low voice, "I don't believe it. Could it be that these hands are crippled? That person is the Maitreya Cult Leader Li Fuda. The scholar in the carriage is very skilled in martial arts. He has already injured that bastard. I originally wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him. Unfortunately … he still escaped. "
The lady in red glared at him fiercely and scolded, "That evil Taoist's martial arts are very strong. Do you think you can injure him? Besides, he is also gathering people to rebel. It will be of great help to us. You really don't have a brain! "
Although Yang Fu was her husband, it was obvious that he was used to being scolded by her. Not only was the burly man not angry, he was even a little afraid. He awkwardly explained, "Li Fuda said 'Sakyamuni Buddha has passed away, Maitreya Buddha rules the world'. He claims to be the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha. He is best at bewitching people's hearts. I am also called the True Dragon Son of Heaven. If I cooperate with him, will I still be able to gather so many people to follow me to conquer the country? If there is a chance, naturally I should get rid of him. "
The lady in red sneered and said with a cold face, "My ass, the True Dragon Son of Heaven. The world has not been conquered yet and you are already dividing the spoils. Let me ask you, what kind of kindness have you shown this time? You are trying to befriend that Yang Ling. He is the Governor of the Inner Sanctum. We are one soldier and one bandit. Do you dare to play with fire? "
Yang Fu said with a face full of saliva, "I originally did not want to bring those two boys. It is just that I heard them say that they are relatives of Yang Ling from the Inner Sanctum. I want to get to know them. It will be of great help to our activities in this area. Oh yes, my wife, how about going to Shandong? Will the bandits of Taihang Mountain be willing to join us in the rebellion? "
The lady in red shook her head and said, "It will be difficult. They are all short-sighted. They think they are great just because they are the king of the mountain. No one is willing to submit to anyone, and they have no ambition."
The group arrived at the courtyard rented by the lady in red. After the two of them met again, they found out that the man who called himself Yang Fu was the leader of a caravan. The lady in red was his wife, Shi Cui.
Cheng Qiyun had a faint smile on her face as she looked on coldly from the side. Gao Wenxin stepped forward to help Yang Hu roll up his sleeve. She saw five jet-black fingerprints on his thick, hairy arm. The muscles of his entire left arm were bulging. Although Gao Wenxin did not know martial arts, she could see that this man's internal organs had been hit. The meridians of his arm had been damaged. In addition, there was poison on his palm and blood loss.
Yang Ling had a good impression of this couple. He hurriedly asked, "Wen Xin, how is your injury?"
If Shi Cui wanted to use her internal energy to expel the poison, it would take more than half a month for her to recover. So her beautiful eyes were also focused on Gao Wenxin. She appeared to be very concerned.
Gao Wenxin had just examined the injury of the ashen-faced scholar on the carriage; now that he saw Yang Fu's injury, he heaved a deep sigh and said, "Daren, this warrior's injury is not serious, his body is strong to begin with, after letting out all the spoiled blood and taking some medicine, he will be fine after five or six days of recuperation. On the contrary, the scholar on the carriage whose chest is injured will require some trouble to treat. Other than using medicinal stones, we must also use acupuncture."
As she said this, she took out a pen and ink and wrote down a prescription in a flamboyant manner. She handed it to Shi Cui and said, "I will first use a silver knife to help your husband let out all the spoiled blood. Madam, please bring back ten doses of each of these two medicines."
When Yang Ling saw this beautiful woman in red holding the prescription upside down, he almost laughed out loud. He quickly coughed twice to cover his laughter.
Shi Cui was naturally the Red Madame, who was known as Yang Chuohu in the Lulin Road. Her parents were both heroes of the Lulin Road. Since childhood, Cui Ying 'er wielded a spear and a stick. She followed the heroes of the Lulin Road in robbing and robbing houses. She was more heroic than men.
At that time, she had a martial arts competition to choose her husband. Among the heroes of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, only Yang Hu's martial arts and appearance were passable. She deliberately lost and married him. Although she had a graceful figure and a beautiful appearance, she was illiterate.
When she heard Yang Ling's strange cough, she felt that he was laughing at her illiteracy. Her face couldn't help but turn slightly red. She called Cui 'er and handed over the prescription, saying, "Quickly go find a pharmacy and buy the medicine according to the prescription." After that, she raised her head and glared at Yang Ling. The more she looked at this pretty boy, the more she felt that he was not pleasing to the eye.
Yang Hu had a heroic temperament. Moreover, he had saved the Yang Family's relatives. He didn't seem to care about the injury on his arm. He sat at the table with Yang Ling and chatted. They seemed to hit it off very well. After a while, Cui 'er came back with two large bags of medicine. One was a powder for external application, and the other was a decocted medicine.
Gao Wenxin took out a silver knife and cut open the black palm print on Yang Fu's arm until the stinky, dirty blood turned bright red. Then, she carefully poured the powder on the wound and wrapped the wound with a white cloth that had been boiled in boiling water. Yang Fu felt that his left arm was slightly sore. He couldn't help but be happy. "It really is effective."
Gao Wenxin smiled slightly and said to Cui 'er, "Madam, decoct the medicine. Change the dressing once a day and take it once. You will recover in about five or six days."
Cui 'er was overjoyed. She quickly put her hands on her waist and bowed.
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Brother Yang is injured. Your body must be tired after such a long journey. We won't disturb you any longer. The unconscious scholar's injury is too serious. I think it's better for this one to bring him back to the residence. What does Brother Yang think?"
Yang Hu got up and said with a smile, "Well, my injury is not serious. Your Excellency is busy with official business. Please go back." He ignored Cui 'er's eyes and laughed, "It is this commoner's good fortune to be able to know Your Excellency. In the future, Yang will certainly visit to thank Your Excellency for saving my life."
* * *
Yang Ling brought Yang Quan and his nephew back to the residence. He arranged for them to stay in the wing room. Then, he opened another room and asked someone to bring the unconscious scholar in. With the help of his family, Gao Wenxin applied medicine to the scholar, who had a high fever and a pale face. The scholar had not yet woken up, but his body temperature had gradually dropped.
Yang Ling leaned over to take a look at the young scholar. After a few days of suffering, his fair and clear face was untrimmed. Although his green robe was wrinkled, it could be seen that the material was not bad. Yang Ling said to Gao Wenxin, "Wen Xin, let the family take care of him. You go to the back and rest."
Gao Wenxin gently sat on a chair and secretly glanced at him. She said in a low voice, "I still need to observe him for a while. If Your Excellency is busy, please go back first."
Yang Ling smiled and said, "I have nothing to do. I'll stay here for a while."
Gao Wenxin sat quietly for a while and secretly looked at Yang Ling. She said in a low voice, "I really miss it …"
"Huh? What do you miss? "Yang Ling raised his head and asked in surprise.
Gao Wenxin gathered her courage and said, "I miss the days when I went to Jiangnan with you. Although I was a servant at that time, I could often be by your side. Since we returned to the capital, since that night … you listened to my cousin … now you are more and more distant from me. Every time I go to Yang House, I feel that my identity is very awkward and I don't know how to deal with it …"
Yang Ling suddenly became ill at ease. He put his hands on his knees and was silent for a long time. Then he smiled bitterly and said, "Wen Xin, you are a lady of a noble family. You are talented and beautiful. Do you worry about not having a suitable husband? It is because I love you and respect you that I don't want you to be a concubine.
Young-niang is simple and kind. I also treat Yu 'er and Cher equally. Even so, they still respect Young-niang and deliberately try to please her. Between husband and wife, there is more than just loving each other. You are proud and arrogant and have been educated for generations. If you marry into the Yang Family out of gratitude, you will regret it sooner or later. "
Gao Wenxin impulsively stood up. The candlelight reflected the starlight in her eyes. She shook her head and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, I won't regret it. I know … with my current identity, perhaps I can marry and become a legal wife, have children and grow old together. But … is identity so important? If I can't be with the person I like. "
Her eyes became confused. She leisurely said, "When I was with you in Jiangnan, it was my happiest time. You went out to work and socialize. I waited in the room for you to come back. We listened to the waves and crabs, boated in Tai Lake, and listened to your soft words under the willow. What a happy time. Young-niang meimei, Yu 'er and Cher, we are sworn brothers. We have gone through life and death together. I am also very happy when I am with them."
Her eyes gradually dimmed. She said with hidden bitterness, "But now … I feel that I have gone further and further away from them."
Yang Ling was speechless. After a long time, he laughed at himself and said, "Now I feel like I am a piece of Tang Seng's meat. This is a major event. Do you really only have this one choice?"
Gao Wenxin said doubtfully, "Tang Seng's meat?"
Yang Ling suddenly realized he had said something wrong. He laughed dryly and said, "I said it wrong. It is Dongpo pork …"
Speaking to this point, he suddenly remembered the two of them boated in Tai Lake and drank wine in the lotus sea. He remembered that she had sprained her ankle and he had washed her beautiful feet. He remembered the gentle kiss they had shared.
He also felt a bit impulsive. He quickly stood up and walked to the door. He said, "You haven't forgotten what I said to you, have you? Maybe next year today I will already be buried in the grave. "
Gao Wenxin clearly saw that his heart was moved, but he retreated. In a moment of extreme anger, she said, "I haven't forgotten. Your servant still remembers what Master said. If you die today next year, your servant will become brother and sister with you in front of the memorial tablet. If you are lucky enough to survive, you will wear the veil and marry your servant!"
Right now she was using the same tone she used to use when she was a slave in the Yang House. Yang Ling laughed dryly and said, "Fine. Let's wait and see. Let's talk about it next year today."
After listening to Cheng Qiyun's words yesterday, Gao Wenxin endured her embarrassment and confessed her feelings to Yang Ling. She didn't expect him to repeatedly evade her. Her ladylike temper also rose. She stamped her feet and said, "Let's wait and see. Daren must remember his bet!"
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