Chapter 92: Deep Courtyard (1)
The night shrouded Yangzhou City, the lights were on, and the crowds were crowded. The night market did not become cold and depressed with the sudden autumn wind, but it became more prosperous.

But no matter how lively the scene is, it can't penetrate the high wall. In the deep courtyard, a servant is busy holding a fire letter and holding a lamp.The lamps were lit one by one, the yard was brightly lit, and the whole mansion still gave off a lifeless feeling.

In the depths of the inner courtyard, a door was pushed open, and a little maid in a bright yellow skirt came in with a lantern.

"Girl, Xiao He will light the lamp for you right now."

The bed was hung with thick pink curtains, hanging down to the ground, but the people inside did not answer.

"Girl, you're feeling better today. Do you want to ask Mr. Zhang to take a look?" Xiao He lit the candle, and the light in the room was dim, reflecting her mediocre and delicate face.

"Girl." Xiao He walked to the bed, and pulled out a jade hand from the tent. The fingers of that hand were pointed, as crystal clear as onion tubes, but it was a little pale, without a trace of blood, "Wait until you recover from this illness It's probably spring, and the girls and I are going to fly a kite."

The people in the curtain were still silent, Xiao He turned around and went out after talking for a while, "The lady will bring the medicine in a while." The door closed slowly, and in the flickering candlelight, the pink curtain was opaque. , as if hiding death.

There were footsteps in the empty corridor, and the person in the curtain moved, and she seemed to see the pair of beautiful soft shoes again, satin-topped and embroidered with bright red peonies.

Her heart tightened accordingly, the satin-faced peony, the coquettish peony, in her opinion, was no different from death.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and the door was pushed open again with a creak, bringing a burst of scent, and a soft female voice said: "Liu'er, I've taken the medicine..."

The tense heartstrings finally broke when she heard this voice. She closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

Maybe it would be better to die like this.


"Fei Xiao, how do you think this night market compares to Tokyo City? Yangzhou Prefecture is really a big city." Wang Zijin rode a horse and walked among the crowd.

"No matter how prosperous it is, it's just passing away." Fei Xiao said disapprovingly.

Wang Zijin shook his head secretly, it seems that living too long is not a good thing, seeing everything is boring.

"Let's find an inn and stay overnight. It won't be too late to go shopping later." Fei Xiao had already steered her horse around the crowd and ran into the downtown.

A group of people next to Wa Si were surrounding a juggler, who seemed to be from Tubo. The performance was very exciting, and there were endless applause.

"Let's watch it for a while..." Wang Zijin really didn't want to miss such a good show, but seeing Fei Xiao with a serious face, she had already left first.

Wang Zijin looked at his indifferent appearance, his face was as peachy as dust, and he had no choice but to follow his footsteps.

The two of them had just arranged the inn, Wang Zijin couldn't wait to go out, pulled Feixiao and said: "Go together, go together."

"Zi Jin, you go alone, I'm a little tired." Fei Xiao nestled under the quilt as soon as she entered the room.

Wang Zijin knew that he didn't want to play, and he couldn't force him, so he said, "Then I'll go out alone."

"Wait, Zijin." Feixiao said, took out a bell from her bosom, and handed it to Wang Zijin, "Take this."

"Huh? What is this thing? Why do you want me to bring this Lao Shizi?" Wang Zijin held the bell and shook it left and right, but there was no sound, it seemed that it was broken.

Scarlet silk things are indeed not very useful.

"Take it with you, it will be good for you." Fei Xiao was too lazy to talk nonsense with him.

Wang Zijin had no choice but to put the bell in his arms, then turned back to Fei Xiao and said, "Could it be that you forgot to give me something better than the bell?"

"What?" Seeing his smirk, Fei Xiao felt an ominous premonition.

"Of course it's your purse full of silver." After speaking, he fumbled into the bag.

After hearing this, Fei Xiao was both angry and funny, and took out a large ingot of silver from her bosom and threw it out, "Is that enough?"

The prince got the money and went out humming a ditty all the way, looking very happy.

The night market was indeed bustling and lively, Wang Zijin looked all the way, but felt that he didn't know where to put his eyes, there were all kinds of groceries from the north and the south, and there were even beautifully dressed flower girls selling wine on the street.

Seeing a small shop for buying snacks in front of me, I hurried over, bought a bowl of cold cakes, and walked around while eating. I was in a good mood at first, but it lost its freshness after a while. I was alone, and I was a little lonely after all.

Maybe it's better to come out with Scarlet.

Just as he was about to go back, he saw a peddler selling sauced duck. He couldn't help being happy, seeing that the duck was made purple, it must be very delicious, and Fei Xiao would definitely like it.

"Boss, I want a pack of ducks." Wang Zijin threw a few copper coins over, but saw that the boss turned a deaf ear to his voice, and was holding the handle of the knife on the chopping board with one hand, staring straight at something.

"Boss." Wang Zijin yelled again, but there was still no answer. He hurriedly looked over there, only to see the back of a young girl walking away gracefully, holding a bag of ducks in her hand.

The prince couldn't help being fascinated when he saw it. The girl looked like she was shrouded in a cloud of fog from a distance, like a fairy descending from the earth, and the back view alone was too beautiful to behold.

He seemed to be seduced by someone, and followed straight ahead.I saw that the girl was wearing a moon-white gauze skirt with green willow branches embroidered on the skirt, and she was like a weak willow supporting the wind, with a graceful and graceful posture.

"Turn back, turn back." Wang Zijin yelled in his heart, but the girl just didn't look at her.

He had no choice but to walk over quickly, pretending to look back inadvertently, and was stunned when he saw this face, which he was all too familiar with, with peach blossoms in his eyes, spring breeze on his face, very much like Scarlet Silk.

There seemed to be a thunder in the prince's mind: it's over, it's over!Scarlet has turned into a girl, how could this happen?Could it be that he sent me out because he didn't want me to see him like this?

What can we do in the future?I don't know if it can be changed back again?
He hurried over to hold the girl's hand and said, "Fei Xiao, why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?"

The girl turned her head to look at him, "Feixiao? Is that my name? It sounds nice."

When Wang Zijin saw her playful and charming, she was no different from Feixiao, he felt sour in his heart, and suddenly remembered that in Dufeng City, Feixiao was also framed by someone, could it be that there are traitors in Yangzhou mansion?
He became even more anxious, "Fei Xiao, don't worry, I will rescue you no matter what."

"Is what the young master said true?" The girl was very happy when she heard it, "I really want to go home, can you really help me, young master?"

Immediately, Wang Zijin's blood surged, "Don't say you are going home, I can help you even if you go through fire and water. Let's go back to the inn, I remember the way."

He pulled the girl and walked out of the crowd, anxious in his heart, and couldn't tell the difference between east, west, and north. He walked all the way forward, but he even forgot where he came from.

I just feel that the more people go, the less people live, and the less lights there are.

"Huh? Where did you go?" Seeing the desolation around, compared with the lively scene just now, it seemed like two worlds.

The two were helpless in the wilderness, but saw a figure staggering in the distance, with a hunched back.

Wang Zijin looked back at the girl happily, "Let's ask the people in front."

In the dark night, the figure in front of him gradually became clear, like the back of an old woman, seeing the old woman walking very slowly, but he couldn't catch up anyway.

The prince took two quick steps forward, and the distance was finally shortened, but the girl behind him began to tremble.

"Huh? What's the matter with you?" Wang Zijin couldn't help but wonder, after running for two steps, he wouldn't be so tired, right?
The girl's body was shaking like a sieve, she was sweating profusely, she pulled the prince back and said, "My lord, my lord, don't ask her for directions."

Wang Zijin saw that the old woman's white hair was clearly visible, how could he be reconciled, "Why? Could it be that this old woman can eat people?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I just know that if I ask the way, I will never come back..."

But the surrounding area was desolate, and there was only a small road in front of him. How could he go home without asking for directions?

"Don't worry, I'll come back after asking for directions, nothing will happen." Wang Zijin shook off her hand, ran two steps quickly, and caught up with the old woman in front.

The old woman bowed her back, her clothes were tattered, and she described it as decayed.

Wang Zijin bowed hurriedly and said, "May I ask which direction the road to Yangzhou market should go?"

The old woman was very puzzled and said: "Yangzhou market? I only know one road, and that is this one, and I keep walking every day." She looked back at him again, "Aren't you going to walk with me too?"

The prince saw that her face was cracked and rotted like bark, with a dead black color, and there were only two empty black holes left in her eyes.

"You? This is you?" Wang Zijin couldn't help being frightened and went limp. How could there be such a person on this road?

The old woman grabbed Wang Zijin's hand and said, "Come with me..."

Wang Zijin felt like his hands were bound by iron hoops, and he couldn't break free. He was anxious and scared, and suddenly heard jingle, jingle bells next to his ears.

The old woman's face suddenly twisted, and she put her head in her hands and wailed: "Why are you carrying such a thing? My head hurts..."

Wang Zijin was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat, and dragged the girl to run for his life, but saw that she also had her head in her hands, with a painful expression on her face.

"My lord, my lord, stop the bell from ringing."

Wang Zijin reached out and took out the bell, the sound of jingle, jingle, like jade beads falling on a plate, was very pleasant to hear.But no matter how you do it, it just keeps ringing.

Seeing the bean-sized beads of sweat dripping down the girl's forehead, Wang Zijin couldn't help feeling anxious, and shouted loudly: "Shut up."

With this shout, the bell stopped suddenly, and the girl and the old woman disappeared in an instant, as if the world had changed in an instant, and he was still standing in the middle of the night market, surrounded by people coming and going, bustling.

Wang Zijin stared blankly at the crowd around him, and suddenly felt pain in his hand, he hurriedly looked down, and saw three black and purple finger marks clearly visible on his wrist, where the old woman had just grabbed him.

What exactly is going on?Where does the end of that road lead to?Wang Zijin was at a loss, holding the golden bell in his hand, standing blankly in the crowd, not knowing where to turn.

two

He came back to his senses, and hurriedly ran to the inn. The most urgent task now is to confirm whether the girl was changed by Scarlet or not?
He rushed all the way, the closer he got to the inn, the more anxious Wang Zijin's heart beat, he was afraid that when he opened the carved wooden door, there would be a beautiful girl sitting inside instead of a handsome boy.

Trembling, he pushed open the door of the inn, and in the flickering candlelight, he saw a young man in white sitting cross-legged on the bed and meditating.

When Wang Zijin saw this scene, his heart was agitated, and his eyes couldn't help being blurred. This scene is not different from the usual scene, but now it is so cherished.

"Feihong, it's a good thing you're still here..." Wang Zijin said, and threw himself on the bed to hug Feihong.

Fei Xiao was practicing with her eyes closed, and now she was taken aback by being touched by him like this, and hurriedly pushed him away, "What's wrong with you? Two big men, just separated for a while, as for this? "

Prince Jin had a runny nose and tears, with a contented smirk on his face.

Seeing his crazy demeanor, Fei Xiao couldn't help wondering, "Zi Jin, what bad food did you eat when you went to the night market?"

Prince Jin wiped his face with his sleeve and shook his head.

"Then you must have seen some beautiful girl."

This time he nodded, seeing that his guess was correct, Fei Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's easy to handle, as long as it's not some ghost, I will try my best to marry you back home."

But Wang Zijin said with horror on his face: "Yes, she is indeed a beautiful woman, but the frightening thing is that that beautiful woman looks exactly like you."

Unexpectedly, Fei Xiao didn't take it seriously when she heard it, "There are so many people who look similar in the world, what's so strange?"

Wang Zijin couldn't help feeling refreshed when he heard this, "You mean she has nothing to do with you?"

"That's right! I am like this because I thought about the strengths of others. After such a long time, I have seen people similar to me. What's so strange?" Fei Xiao asked.

"The strange thing is that this girl doesn't seem to be a mortal." Wang Zijin described what he saw today and Feihong, the path in the dark night, the path without end, and the scary old woman on the road, all with him one by one. Having said that, I still feel lingering fear while talking.

After hearing this, Fei Xiao stretched out her hand and said, "Bring the bell, let me have a look."

Wang Zijin hurriedly took out the little golden bell, feeling the same as before, "What's wrong?"

Fei Xiao took the bell, held it in her hand for a while and said, "You almost came to a dead end just now."

"What dead end? It's just a small road in the wilderness."

Fei Xiao shook her head again and again, "Have you never heard of Huangquan Road? That is Huangquan Road. The scenery varies from person to person, but the end of the road is death."

"Ahh..." Wang Zijin was terrified immediately, it turned out that he had walked on Huangquan Road once, "How could this happen, I just wanted to go back to the inn, how could I walk on such a road?"

Fei Xiao thought for a while and said: "I don't know, you don't have the ability to go to that place, I'm afraid there is something weird about that girl."

"Really? I think she's normal." Wang Zijin looked confused.

"Don't think about it, it's good if you can come back safely. We will go to the night market to find that girl tomorrow." Fei Hong said, sniffing around and asking, "Zi Jin, did you bring me something delicious?" ?”

"Delicious, isn't it?" He was talking, Fei Xiao had already reached into his arms and took out an oilcloth bag.Fei Xiao happily opened it to see that it was a package of ducks in maroon.

Immediately he cheered, with a smile on his face, and ran to the table to eat.

When the prince saw the sauce duck, he thought it was left by the girl, and a beautiful image appeared in his heart. The moon-white dress was exquisite and elegant, and the green willows were lifelike, fresh and green, dyeing the bleak autumn wind with a bit of spring.

In the daytime of the next day, Wang Zijin took Feixiao to visit Yangzhou Mansion early in the morning. After finally coming to such a big city as Yangzhou, how could he not go to open his eyes.

The two walked and strolled, and most of the day passed in the blink of an eye.Tired from shopping at noon, I found a restaurant to rest.Wang Zijin saw Xiao Er coming over to say hello, and asked, "Is there any famous scenery in your Yangzhou mansion?"

Xiao Er covered his mouth and smiled and said: "Guest officer, you have come to the right place. The best scenery in Yangzhou is in the painting boat at night."

Wang Zijin knew that he was talking about a kabuki, and suddenly remembered that he and Shen Xing also met in a boat, he couldn't help feeling sour, and hurriedly dismissed him.

Seeing that he was unhappy, Fei Xiao didn't answer, and went to eat chicken alone.

I only heard the guests at the next table say: "Oh, that Governor Yang is really pitiful. He has no heirs and only one daughter. Now life is worse than death. So what if he has a high official and rich salary?"

Wang Zijin looked back and saw a table of scholars, touched by the scene, and remembered the scene of going to the exam with Dao Ran and the others in the past.
"Zi Jin, don't think too much about it." Seeing this, Fei Xiao comforted him.

"Don't think too much..." For some reason, Wang Zijin's heart was very sad. All kinds of things in the past rushed to his heart. Among the crazy monsters and resentful spirits he met along the way, which one was not obsessed with his own life?So what in the end?
A sense of grief and indignation welled up in my heart, and I couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. I saw Feixiao's handsome face looking at me worriedly, and couldn't help but feel relieved. Fortunately, fortunately, there is still Feixiao. Fei Xiao also left her.

That night, Wang Zijin was woken up in a daze by Fei Hong, only to realize that he was drunk in that small restaurant.

"Zi Jin, Zi Jin, let's go to the night market and see if we can find that girl."

Wang Zijin responded, hurriedly got up from the bed, and went out with Feixiao.

Blown by the night wind at night, Wang Zijin's wine also woke up seven or eight points. He saw people coming and going in the night market, which was very lively. His eyes seemed to be insufficient, looking around.

After walking for a while, I even forgot what I was here for, and watched the juggling with the crowd for a while, only to feel excited, "Fei Xiao, Fei Xiao, come and see."

As he said that, he went to pull Feixiao, but the pull came to nothing, and Feixiao separated from him at some point.

He couldn't help being anxious, and hurriedly went to look for Feixiao, only to see a sea of ​​people around him, laughing and laughing, finding someone in the vast crowd was like finding a needle in a haystack.

"By the way, Feixiao must have gone to eat chicken." He hurried to the chicken shop, only to see a man in white shirt standing in front of the shop.

(End of this chapter)

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