Changsha Prefecture, Xiangyin County. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In the Zuo family's mansion, the flower drum opera is singing lively, the people of Hunan, with a warm temperament, do not like those water mill cavity of the southern opera, so every lively party, birthday, festival, it is inevitable to invite a group of flower drum opera to sing music, in the words of the city people, the flower drum opera is for the countryside to see, the performance is farming, male and female feelings, family life, it is really vulgar, but on this day, from the Hunan governor, the political envoy, according to the inspection envoy, Changsha prefect and other senior officials of Hunan Province, each is sitting in danger, It's just to watch this very vulgar flower drum show in the past.

In the main hall, the bearded old man standing tall in the main seat, wearing a dark red cotton robe with five blessing patterns, is the second-class minister of military aircraft Zuo Zongtang who returned to his hometown to sweep the tomb and raise him, he looked at a man in honest coarse cloth clothes with a smile on his face, and the accompaniment of Ding Dong Ding Dong sounded, and there was a Dan Jiao wearing red clothes on the side, although it was a Dan Jiao, but it looked a little old, but it can be called Lao Dan, the man sang first, using the Hunan dialect, "Sister Hu!" ”

The woman's face was covered with a thick layer of foundation, and she replied happily, "Hey! ”

"My wife!"

"Ahh

"Who do you compare me to?"

The horn sang happily, "I compare you to a cowherd, no worse than you." ”

"Then I can't compare!"

"You're more than him!"

Everyone who watched the play laughed, and the governor of Hunan, who was under Zuo Zongtang, turned his head and smiled at Zuo Zongtang, "Park Cungong has lived in the north for a long time, but I didn't expect that my favorite thing to watch is this hometown opera." ”

"Isn't it beautiful, hometown water." Zuo Zongtang said with a sigh, he took a sip of tea, and listened to the flower drum player outside on his knees and beat the beat, "Nothing else, listening to this flower drum play, I am young and young." It's just that a few of you local officials came to watch these village dramas with me, an old man, today, I'm afraid it's boring. ”

Futai Fantai and others said again and again that they didn't dare, Zuo Zongtang twisted his beard and looked at the official on the right, and couldn't help but move slightly, the Changsha general sitting on the right was graceful, not angry and arrogant, and he was also majestic when he sat in his position, but he was about tired this time. was leaning on the back of the official hat chair and closing his eyes to recuperate, and snoring slightly from time to time, Zuo Zongtang smiled dumbly, "This Chang Si really doesn't give the old man face." ”

The court is full of red tops and dazzling eyes, everyone is smiling and laughing, today Zuo Zongtang was originally entertaining himself, and invited a small opera troupe from the countryside near Zuo to sing the flower drum opera for a while, but he didn't expect that in the afternoon, in Changsha Mansion, from the governor of Hunan, all the civil and military officials arrived to pay New Year's greetings to Zuo Zongtang.

The governor of Hunan saw that Zuo Zongtang was very interested, so he said with a smile, "This year is the fiftieth birthday of the Western Sage, but I don't know what good gifts have been prepared for the boss?" ”

Zuo Zongtang patted his stomach, "Xisheng doesn't care about these gadgets the most, so after thinking about it, there is nothing to offer, it cost me three thousand taels of silver a few days ago," his face showed a painful expression, although Zuo Zongtang is not short of money to spend, but he is a rare person in the military aircraft department who does not seek personal gain, and Baojun and others, there is a world of difference, so these three thousand taels is a very considerable wealth for him, so he can't help but show a distressed expression, "I got a picture of Wen Zhengming's authentic longevity, on which are written in different fonts of longevity, but it's rare, just take this as a gift. ”

The governor of Hunan couldn't help but secretly slander, three thousand taels can't even buy a word of Wen Zhengming, and he can still buy a hundred longevity words? This eighty percent is a fake, but I'm afraid to offer it, and the calligraphy and painting of the inner house will laugh off the big teeth when I see it. The political envoy on the side hurriedly answered, "The boss is diligent and thrifty, he is really a model for my generation, the boss is a talented person in Sanxiang, and he congratulates Xisheng on his birthday, how can this silver be embarrassed to let the boss pay out of his pocket?" The money should come from our treasury. ”

Zuo Zongtang shook his head, "No, this is my own mind, I can mix with you there, you give it to yourself, I give it to me." ”

The governor said cautiously, "Pu Cungong, this word can make people look at this, this, naturally I can trust Pu Cungong's vision, but I want to dedicate it to Xisheng, I'm afraid I have to be more careful." ”

Zuo Zongtang laughed, "I know what you mean by Futai, it's just that you think that the three thousand taels of silver are really too cheap, and I'm afraid that the old man will buy Xibei goods, right?" Don't worry, Changsha's Zhibao Zhai must be wrong, besides," Zuo Zongtang said with a smile, "The original price of Baishoutu is not this, the shopkeeper's offer is 30,000 taels of silver, and I said that I will have to pay back." ”

It's still a fold? The governor and the political envoy looked at each other, "Boss," a middle-aged man wearing an imperial robe on the side heard Zuo Zongtang's words, and couldn't help but smile and said, "You said this thing of buying and selling in front of me like this, it really makes it difficult for me to do, I came to Changsha and knew about the boss, but I have to report it." ”

"Where can you buy and sell? I just paid back. Zuo Zongtang said with a smile, "You are inspecting the imperial history, supervising the place, and your responsibilities, and reporting to me is that I am recuperating at home, not bullying the market, bullying men and women, isn't that losing face as a minister of military aircraft?" Besides, I told the shopkeeper that this was going to be offered to Xisheng, so he was naturally willing to pay the price. ”

Li Ciming smiled slightly, looked at the opera outside and stopped talking, after a while, a companion suddenly ran in outside, and said eagerly to the ear of the governor of Hunan, he couldn't help but change his face slightly, stood up, and said to Zuo Zongtang, "Pu Cungong, a telegram has come from Beijing, and I want to announce it to you." ”

Now the urgent decrees are transmitted by telegram first, and then the written decrees are conveyed by eight hundred miles of expedited, or trains, ships, etc., Zuo Zongtang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stood up, "Will? Hurry up and change my clothes! ”

On the third day of the first lunar month, what will be the urgent telegram to be transmitted? You know, the long telegram, according to the number of words, the cost is very high, many people will inevitably have to guess what the purpose is, but there are many people who look very far, knowing that this military aircraft department, Gong, Zuo two people do not agree, now Zuo Zongtang temporarily returned home, avoiding Prince Gong's edge, is it Prince Gong to kill everything?

Everyone discussed, the flower drum show naturally no one watched anymore, the housekeeper hurriedly asked them to retreat, and then prepare the incense case and other things, Zuo Zongtang, who was wearing a Zhengyipin court dress, walked out and lay down under the incense case, at this time, a director of the ceremonial hall in Hunan Province, who specially received the will, unfolded a telegram and said: "Strike the left military machine, give the minister of Zuo Qin, the chief of Yunnan, Sichuan, Huguang, Liangguang, Fujian, the military and political affairs of the eight provinces, and the Lord fights against France!" (To be continued.) )