Su Xue brought the bowl of shredded chicken wontons to Shen Mo and handed him a spoonful. Shen Mo sent a wonton to the entrance, and sure enough, the skin was thin and tender, smooth and fragrant, and he couldn't help but praise: "I've eaten a lot of good things over the years, but I can't catch up with the three things you have here." ”

Taking a deep breath, Su Xue had calmed down, smiled slightly, and answered his initial question, "Don't listen to children's nonsense, what does it have to do with you, I'm worried about his studies." ”

"Any questions?" Shen Mo asked.

"I have read so many books that I can't teach him anymore." Su Xue said: "A few days ago, I asked Lao Wang to go to the nearby school to have a look, but he had to ask for the identity documents of the government, and he had to be issued by his neighbor to issue a guarantee before he could accept it. Said a little depressed: "I didn't hear of this when I was in Suzhou." ”

"Yanjing, under the roots of the imperial city, it is naturally a little different." While eating silently, he comforted her softly: "Don't worry about this, I'll find someone another day and do it for him." ”

"I'm going to trouble my lord again." Su Xue said softly.

"Why are you out again?" Shen Mo smiled: "Are you still angry with me?" ”

"Nope." Su Xue bowed her head and said, "You are also thinking about me......"

The two of them didn't speak, eating wontons silently, while Su Xue was looking down and thinking about her heart - they had known each other for five or six years, and they had experienced some things together, and in the eyes of outsiders, Su Xue had long been a silent outer room. But in fact, Shen Mo didn't even touch her with a finger...... This is not his hypocrisy, but unwillingness, and he really can't do it.

When he was in Suzhou, Shen Mo held the power handle, I don't know how many rich businessmen and gentry flattered him, and he didn't know how many times he acted on the spot, so he also thought at first, and he would do Su Xue by pushing the boat down the river...... But Su Xue never gave him any hints, if he didn't come, Su Xue would never invite, if he came, Su Xue would cook a meal for him, play a tune for him, or play a game with him, and then drive him home before it was dark.

Shen Mo thought at first that this was a little trick to catch the old man, so he waited patiently, but waited, waited, waited for several years, he finally believed that Su Xue was really different, this woman was like a lotus flower in the water, but it could not be played with from a distance, and it was like a quiet orchid in the empty valley, beautiful but extremely ethereal, he even believed that if it were not for the ties of his younger brothers and sisters, she would definitely disappear without a trace.

Silent this person, whether he has a black heart or a thick skin, he is never shameless, and he never thinks about eating the bowl and occupying the plate, for his own selfish desires, to make others fall into pain, so he has asked Su Xue many times what his plans are for the future...... Does he need to arrange for her to go to a place that no one knows and start a new life?

But whenever this happens, Su Xue will gently refuse and say softly: "I know what I'm doing, this is already the best choice for me." ”

Shen Mo wanted to understand what this sentence meant, but every time she asked, she would refuse to answer like this time, which made him feel depressed for a while.

After getting along for a few years, Su Xue turned out to be a silent confidant, whenever he felt tired and sad, and wanted to talk, he would unconsciously sneak to her, and he could always get great relief...... Ruohan is too busy, and her children and career make her not as delicate as she was back then, or she doesn't have the energy to be delicate. And Rou Niang is always restrained in front of silence, and she can't be like Su Xue, completely ignoring his identity and status, and treating him with an equal mentality.

Gradually, Shen Mo became accustomed to Su Xue's existence, and no longer asked her about her future plans...... It wasn't until he was sure that he was going to leave Suzhou that he suddenly realized that this was a problem that he had to face.

So one day in the first month, Shen Mo said to Su Xue: "I'm going to Beijing." ”

Su Xue was making tea, and when she heard it, her hand trembled slightly, and then the bright yellow tea soup was steadily poured into the cup, as if nothing happened.

Shen Mo took out an envelope from his arms and said, "I have already left Zhijian's household registration in Lanzhou, Shaanxi...... Although he had to travel thousands of miles to participate in the imperial examination, the children of the guards there had few students to study, and they couldn't use up the number of students at all. ”

Su Xue brought the teacup to Shen Mo and said softly: "I was sold to the Qinglou by my parents, but I implicated my younger brother and made him lose his future, and now the adults have helped me make up for this lifelong regret, I really don't know how to repay the adults." ”

Shen Mo said softly: "It's just a gesture, and you don't need to repay anything." After a pause, he said, "It would be better if you could listen to me and tell me what I want to do in the future." ”

Su Xue'e frowned lightly and said in a low voice: "Why do you have to ask hard? ”

"Because I'm leaving, you should tell me where you go." Shen Mo said: "I also have an arrangement." ”

"Maybe leave the Southeast." Su Xue said softly: "Since my younger brother is going to Lanzhou to take the exam, our sister and brother should go to the north." ”

"You don't have to rush that much, do you?" Shen Mo said: "The teaching there is a little worse, which will delay Zhijian's studies." ”

Su Xue looked at him and said softly, "What do you mean, should we stay in Suzhou?" ”

"That's not what I meant," Shen Mo said with inexplicable irritability: "I ask what you mean, looking at a very beautiful person, why is he confused all day long, and has no plans for the future?" ”

Su Xue was stunned for a moment when she heard this, and then sighed faintly: "Adults have seen catkins and wanderers, but have you asked where they are going?" ”

"That's different...... "You still have younger brothers and sisters, you are a family!" ”

"Actually, it's the same," Su Xue lowered her head and said in a low voice: "For Qiao'er and Zhijian, the place where there is a sister is home, but what about me?" I don't have a home myself. ”

"If you want, you can follow me to Yanjing." Shen Mo thought that she was hinting at herself, and gritted her teeth fiercely and said, "If you go out and be blamed by Ruohan for a lifetime, I can't throw you here." ”

"You are not my home there," Su Xue felt a little relieved, but shook her head firmly and said, "You are your wife's home, and it has nothing to do with me." ”

"Then listen to me, arrange for you to go to other places, and then find a good family to marry." Silent said helplessly.

"Don't bother with it." Su Xue's face also turned cold, and said, "I Su Xue don't believe it, can't you live a lifetime without a man?" After a moment of toughness, she slowly lowered her proud head and whispered: "I admit that without the protection of adults, I would have been ruined by the likes of Hu Gongzi and Lu Gongzi, and the younger brother should not want to study, and the little sister may also follow in my footsteps and fall into the dust......

She clenched her hands tightly, her white skin revealed cyan blood vessels, and her excited body trembled slightly: "The adults will definitely laugh at me, as a lowly, but my heart is higher than the sky...... I also felt ridiculous, but I didn't want to be like those women, completely forgetting who I was and becoming a vassal of some man. "At this point, the tears are like beads with broken threads, and they can't be stopped.

The silence had to stop there.

But no matter how strong Su Xue is, she can't compete with the situation stronger than others, of course she knows that her most important task is to let her younger brother have a good way out and marry her sister to a good family.

In the end, she accepted the silent arrangement, took her younger siblings to the capital, slowly waited for Qiao'er to grow up, and silently urged Zhijian to study...... Compared to these two life events, what is her pitiful self-esteem?

Back in Lilac Hutong in Yanjing City, Shen Mo had finished eating, moved to the West Wing, and drank the Biluochun brought by Ruohan from Suzhou. Looking at the white clouds in the cup, the snowflakes flying, smelling the striking aroma, feeling the warm afternoon sunshine, silently feeling a sense of satisfaction in my heart, and the sorrow and fear that have been entangled in my heart recently seem to be diluted a lot.

Su Xue sat in front of the piano behind him and said softly: "I haven't played the piano for adults for a long time, do you want to listen to it today?" ”

"I can't ask for it." Silently reclining under the bed, he looked back with a smile and said, "I haven't listened to your piano for a long time, and I feel that there is no taste in eating meat." ”

Su Xue pursed her lips and smiled, her slender ten fingers hung on the piano and twisted them slowly, and the melodious sound of the piano floated into his silent ears and into his heart. Looking out the window silently, but seeing that the noon day was no longer so poisonous, the brilliant brilliance was bright but not fierce, splashing on the green trees and bamboos, the breeze was light, and the sparkling waves made him feel refreshed. Recently, what has been entangled in my heart, those sour, astringent, bitter, and spicy tastes, and all kinds of thoughts that make him upset, make him anxious, make him annoyed, and make him angry, gradually unfolded.

The silent brain finally began to clear up, and straightened out what happened one by one - in today's Yanjing City, all sides are intertwined, there is no Pure Land to escape, there is a confrontation in all directions, and I want to meet the source left and right? What about the front and back sides?

In today's situation, if you don't join the Yan Party, then join the Xu Party, if you don't join the Xu Party, you will be with King Jing or King Yu, otherwise you can only have no pain from your grandmother, no one will love your uncle, and no one will cry and mourn when you are killed.

Originally, he had a very good idea, first holding Jiajing's thickest thigh, and then moving the camera, but the emperor gave him that wishful heart, which was tantamount to kicking him into the fire pit and cutting him off from the idea of staying out of the matter. The ancients said that if you can't resist, then you can only enjoy! For the sake of today, I can't escape anymore, I have to kill myself a way to heaven!

Thinking of this, the long-lost fighting spirit surged into his heart, he couldn't help clenching his fists tightly, opened his mouth and whistled, the whistle was clear and high, and the sonorous sound of the piano was very in tune, encouraging each other, encouraging each other, and together they broke through the roof and broke through the sky...... Finally, the whistle stopped. Su Xue wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Shen Mo, but seeing that the hesitation and entanglement when he came had been swept away, she couldn't help but smile with relief.

Shen Mo also smiled at her, arched his hand and said, "The wind is sluggish and the water is cold." ”

Su Xue smiled, like spring returning to the earth, and said softly: "The strong man is going to triumph." ”

When he returned, he wrote invitations to invite those 'celebrities' to come and participate in the banquet of grace held by him, and the time was set for the later Shen Shi.

The next morning, he finally appeared in front of the Zhan Shifu opposite the Ministry of Rites, and he was also a horse washer, so he had to care about the subordinates of the Economic Bureau.

The soldiers in front of the door were lazy and lazy, and when they saw Shen Mo wearing a blue robe and being young, they thought he was an ordinary Hanlin, so they ignored him and said, "What are you doing?" ”

Shen Mo thought for a while and said: "Looking for someone, the school book of the Department of Economic Affairs, called Wang Qiming." ”

"Wang Qiming?" At the mention of this name, the soldier couldn't help but say, "What are you looking for that oil seller?" ”

Shen Mo frowned slightly, and said: "You soldier is so troublesome, this official has his own reason to find him, and he still has to report to you?" ”

The soldier was bored, waved his hand impatiently, and said: "Come back another day, he is not in the yamen today, if you want to find him, go to the iron grate alley, Wangjia sesame oil store to find it." ”

"It's not Xiu Mu today," Shen Mo frowned, "What did he do at the sesame oil shop?" ”

The soldier was about to answer, when he saw an official wearing a seven-grade uniform come out of the door, so he said to the man: "Old horse, someone is looking for Wang Laoyou." He said to Shen Mo again: "You ask him, he is also from the Economic Bureau." ”

The old horse looked at Shen Mo, and then at the white pheasant on his chest, and couldn't help but be stunned, and whispered: "Is it Lord Shen?" ”

"Good eyesight." Silent chuckled.

"Oh, why did you come here quietly?" The old horse hurriedly saluted Shen Mo and said, "See your lordship." ”

"No need to be polite," Shen Mo smiled gently, "I didn't notice, I just didn't want to trouble everyone." Then he pointed to the courtyard with his chin and said, "Let's go in and talk." ”

"Your Excellency, please come in." The old horse hurriedly brought Shen Mo in and led him to the west across the courtyard. On the way, he also introduced to him that the main courtyard is the headquarters of Zhan Shifu, the east courtyard is the left and right spring squares, and the west courtyard is the largest, which is the Department of Economic Affairs. "Because we have a lot of books, we can't do it if the place is small." Lao Ma explained for Shen Mo.

Shen Mo nodded, and followed the old horse into a barren and dilapidated courtyard, full of dangerous walls and houses, which made him worry that a heavy rain would completely wash them all down.

Seeing his strange expression, Lao Ma was a little embarrassed and said: "No way, who let there be a rule of 'officials do not repair the government'?" ”

Shen Moxin said, is that the rule of the magistrate? No one has ever asked for such a Beijing official. But he didn't want to be too mean, so he nodded and followed him into the main hall.

In the bare hall, except for the horizontal plaque of 'Si Jing Washing Horses', the big case under the plaque and the chair in front of the case, there is nothing, which is shabby and outrageous.

Shen Mo had no choice but to ignore it, and sat down on a chair casually, but was stopped by the old horse: "Don't sit!" Shen Mo was stunned for a moment, and said in his heart, this is all up to Lao Tzu's one-third of an acre, how can anyone dare to call me? But I didn't want to get angry as soon as I came, so I endured it.

But seeing the old horse pointing to the other one with an embarrassed face, he said, "You sit on this one." ”

"What, is this reserved for whom?" asked silently.

"No," Lao Ma shook his head vigorously, "In our Economic Bureau, who can be bigger than adults." ”

"Then why can't this official sit?" Shen Mo frowned.

"It's not just you who can't do it, no one can sit in this chair." The old horse smiled bitterly and said, "Because it's a bad chair." As he spoke, he pushed the chair with his hand, and before he could see how hard he tried, the chair fell over.

Shen Mo looked at it, it turned out that there were only three good legs, and the remaining one was supported on it, so he couldn't help but pull down his face and said: "This is the yamen of the imperial court, how can it be ridiculous enough to play such a prank?" ”

"It's not a prank," the old horse sighed, "Of the twenty chairs in these two rows, only half of them can sit on people, and the rest are in disrepair and can't sit anymore." ”

"Why not change?" Shen Mo asked.

"I don't have any money." Lao Ma said depressedly: "I won't tell you that I have been on an errand in the Economic Bureau for eight years, and I haven't seen a penny of funds allocated by the Ministry of Households." Only then did Shen Mo realize that the official uniform of this Ma Xiaoshu had inconspicuous patches on the inside of his elbows.

"I see." Shen Mo couldn't blame him anymore, and said in his heart that it seemed that I had arrived at a good yamen with a clear bottom, so he said softly: "Go and call everyone in." ”

"Yes." The old horse hurriedly went out, and after a while, he led three officials and two soap officials in, and the six of them saluted Shen Mo together: "See your lordship." ”

Shen Mo ignored them, and said to the leading old horse: "Bring the roster." ”

The old horse hurriedly ran out, and after a while, he brought a yellowed roster, silently turned to the nearest page, and said softly: "In the thirty-ninth year of Jiajing, there is a total of one six-grade scripture in the bureau, five seven-grade school books, eight eight-grade orthography, and nineteen non-mainstream scribes, a total of thirty-three people. After reading it, he raised his head and said, "Where are the twenty or so?" ”

A few people, you look at me, I look at you, and finally Lao Ma replied: "Anyway, there is nothing to do in the bureau, everyone is busy with their own work, and it is okay to leave a few people on duty every day." ”

"Whose rule is this?" Shen Mo couldn't help but say: "What is the crime of collective dereliction of duty?" Aren't you afraid that there will be a royal history to participate in you? ”

"This adult is too worried," Lao Ma said cautiously, "because the colleagues of the Metropolitan Procuratorate are also busy with their own affairs." ”

(To be continued)