Lamp Flower Smile

When the news came that Fan Zhenglian had committed suicide in prison, it had just begun to rain.

Widow Sun came to the tailor shop opposite to buy cloth, but was stopped by the sudden heavy rain. She simply sat down under the shed at the door and waited for the rain to stop, while eating melon seeds and telling everyone on West Street the news she had just heard.

"Fan Qingtian" who was in the trial court committed suicide last night.

Perhaps he had been pampered for a long time and could not withstand the torture in prison, or perhaps he knew that he was guilty of serious crimes and could not escape death. This well-known and once prosperous man hanged himself from the prison beam with his belt at night. The jailer came to inspect in the early morning and saw a long figure dangling in the shadows in the prison. When he got closer, he realized that it was a dead man.

Widow Sun spoke vividly, as if she had seen it with her own eyes, "The long tongue hanging out was so scary. It was said that when he died, his eyes almost popped out of his eyes, as if he saw a ghost threatening his life. It was pitiful. Yo--"

Fan Zhenglian worked as an "upright official" all his life and solved many unsolved cases. He never imagined that he would eventually become a prisoner and committed suicide in prison. The positions of the judge and the judged were reversed overnight, which is really sad.

Sister-in-law Song said "poof" and cursed "You deserve it."

"Who told him to act like a dog and collude with those people behind the scenes? It's not easy for us poor people to live, but they are better off. Even the examination room is in the palm of their hands. Do they still want to live? A good death, a good death. You have to give him an advantage!"

Sister-in-law Song's family also had a son who was hoping to achieve fame in a few years. Naturally, he was very angry when he learned that the Gongyuan business was in such a mess.

After saying this, everyone's original sigh disappeared a lot, and they all nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right!"

Someone said: "Wu Xiucai from the Fresh Fish Shop died and was resurrected in the Palace of Hell, just because his family of good deeds had accumulated good fortune. I don't know how the person surnamed Fan was sentenced to the underworld. It will not be based on his previous merits. Was he put back too?"

"Supreme Lord!" Blind He squeezed over at some point, closed his eyes and pretended to count, and said: "That's impossible! I think that Fan Zhenglian is guilty of injustice and bears the karmic debt of killing men, women, old and young. , once you enter Jiuquan, you are afraid that you will be immediately thrown into hell by Lord Yama, and you will never be able to stand up again."

When everyone heard this, they immediately became interested and gathered around Blind He. The conversation gradually shifted from Fan Zhenglian to the Feng Shui technique of choosing a grave after death.

Lu Yan looked at the people chatting animatedly in front of the tailor shop across the street, took out an umbrella from the wall at the door, and was about to go out.

Du Changqing stopped her: "It's raining, where are we going?"

Lu Tong: "Go buy some hawthorn."

Yin Zheng explained with a smile: "It's cold and dew, and the girl wants to make some hawthorn pills to sell. Sister-in-law Song said that there is a fruit shop on Queer Street that sells big and red hawthorns. The girl and I went to take a look."

When it came to making medicine, Du Changqing remained silent and only warned: "Someone died on Wangchun Mountain. The murderer has not been found yet, so don't run around."

Lu Zhuo agreed, and he and Yin Zheng held umbrellas and went out.

It's raining outside, and it's all white. As soon as September arrives, the weather has cooled down completely, and there is already a faint shadow of winter. The bluestone slab had been soaked by drizzle, giving it a damp and cold feel.

Perhaps because of the rain, Queer Street was not as lively as before. The door panel of the shop at the end of the corner was half removed, and several strong men were moving in and out to move things.

Lu Tong stopped in front of "Liu Ji Noodle Shop".

The drizzle is like silk, making the words "Liu Ji" on the door plaque slightly moist. It seems to have been painted again, red like blood, which makes the deserted shop look strange and bleak.

The lady shopkeeper in the pastry shop next door was sitting on a stool at the door peeling walnuts. She glanced at the two of them and asked, "Girl, are you looking for someone?"

Yin Zheng pointed to the empty shop in front of him and said, "Isn't this a noodle shop originally? The eel noodles are delicious, why is there no one here?"

"Liu Kun's house?" The shopkeeper's wife curled her lips, "It's closed."

Yin Zheng asked: "When will you come back again?"

"I can't come back," the shopkeeper's wife patted the walnut peel on her hands, "If something happens to someone, why come back?"

Lu Chen didn't say anything. He walked into the pastry shop and selected a few pieces of jujube cake from the wooden grid. Seeing this, the shopkeeper's wife got up and went into the shop to get the scale. Yin Zheng took the opportunity and asked with a smile: "What happened to the Liu family? Our girl really likes to eat his eel noodles."

The shopkeeper's wife weighed the jujube cakes, stood in front of the counter and wrapped them in oil paper. After hearing this, she said: "Liu Ji's man died on the mountain last month. The murderer has not been found yet, and his two sons are also in prison."

Lu Yan handed over the money, "How come something happened to my father, but my son was arrested instead?"

"It's not the same thing." The woman wiped her hands on her clothes, took the money and put it away, then lowered her voice, "Did you hear about the tribute case earlier?"

"I've heard of it."

"The second eldest son of the Liu family also failed this year, so he was on the list of people looking for someone to take the exam. Not to mention, the government investigated and found out that the eldest son of the Liu family also took the exam in the early years by taking a secret route. This discovery is not a big deal. Are we going to jail together?"

When the shopkeeper's wife talked about this, her tone was very disdainful, "When Mr. Liu got into the lottery, Liu Kun and Wang Chunzhi were showing off in front of us neighbors. They said they would move to the south of the city after Mr. Liu became an official. Doing business, hey, who are you looking down on? I just said that I was boasting before I even took the exam. It turned out that I had already found someone to take the exam for me, so shameless!"

It seems that Liu Kun's family is not very popular in the neighborhood. If something goes wrong, they are all just watching. Lu Yan lowered his eyes, "So this shop..."

"Sell it! Both sons are in jail, so they can't spend money on it. I heard that the buyer knew that she was short of money and deliberately offered a very low price... Hey," the shopkeeper's wife suddenly stretched her head towards the door and said to Lu Zhuo Yang raised his chin: "Look, isn't this coming?"

Lu Zhuo looked sideways.

Que'er Street is spacious. In the drizzle, a group of officers and soldiers came in escorting a prison car. The people in the prison car were shackled and unkempt. That was the cheater in the tribute fraud case.

The shackles of those who cheated are displayed in public for three months. Not long ago, these people were scholars in the examination hall. Now, they are really polite and disgraceful.

Crowds gradually gathered on both sides of the street, pointing at these sinners from a distance.

At the back of the prison cart, two ragged criminals were wearing shackles. One of them wanted to wipe the rain off his face with his hands, but it was difficult to do so because of the shackles. He could only rub his head against the wooden cart with his eyes.

Those are Liu Zixian and Liu Zide.

The Gongju case was investigated, and as soon as Liu Zide was imprisoned, Liu Zixian was soon implicated. Ironically, it is much easier for the poor to be punished than for the rich. The Liu brothers were arrested almost immediately.

The woman's laughter sounded faintly.

Lu Zhuo's eyes narrowed.

Liu Zixian and Liu Zide were accompanied by a woman who described herself as embarrassed. This woman's short brown dress was covered with stains. One of her shoes was missing. She looked crazy and a little crazy. She was laughing and following beside the prison car. She clapped her hands and said with a smile: "My son is hit, my son is hit." Yes! I will be the wife of an official from now on, and I will be the wife of a royal family in the future!"

Yin Zheng was surprised: "That's not..."

The voice of the shopkeeper's wife came to his ears: "The Liu brothers were going to be sent to the army. Wang Chunzhi went crazy when he found out. He followed the prison car around every day and told everyone he met that his son had been hit." He sighed again, his eyes showing. Feeling some sympathy: "What a sin."

Lu Zhuo looked at Wang Chunzhi. The wheels of the prison cart slowly rolled closer, and the shackled prisoners had their heads lowered, or their eyes were dull, like puppets. Brother Liu Zide stood blankly, his eyes as dry as a pool of stagnant water.

"It's been agreed, it's been agreed, the eldest master said he would give us an official position... The eldest master kept his word, and my son will win immediately, hee hee..."

Wang Chunzhi smiled and walked past Lu Zhuo without even looking at her.

Lu Yan lowered his eyes.

The Tian family was furious at Shengjing's tribute, so the punishment was very heavy. The candidates involved in the case were yoke-numbered for three months, and then were sent to the army in a smoke-barred area, and were sent to the service station with a hundred sticks.

Although the Liu family was poor, their cousin Wang Chunzhi always doted on their son. Liu Zide and Liu Zixian were so spoiled that they could not lift their shoulders or carry them, so they might not be able to survive in the exile.

Wang Chunzhi is afraid that it is precisely because of this that he becomes so angry that he becomes insane.

Dementia and madness...

Lu Tong clenched the oil paper bag in his hand.

People in Changwu County said that before her death, her mother was completely unconscious and went crazy every day. She sat by the river and muttered to herself holding the rattle that the three brothers and sisters played when they were young. She had no way of knowing how painful her mother was at that time. She only remembered that when she was a child, she had rarely seen her mother really anxious and angry. Her mother was always open-minded and cheerful, as peaceful and broad as a long river, slowly wrapping up all the unsatisfactory things in the world.

But the long river later broke apart.

The family was broken up and people were separated. This was what my mother suffered at that time.

People and money are lost, and misfortune never comes alone. This is what Wang Chunzhi is suffering now.

She could no longer see her mother. But there are people in this world who are pained by their mothers and mad by their crazy mothers. It can be seen that there is a cause and effect.

Lu Zhen looked at the gradually receding shadows of the prison van, his eyes filled with indifference.

Yin Zheng took the oil paper bag from her hand and carried it. She thrust the umbrella into Lu Zhuo's hand and held her arm to walk back.

At this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming from ahead, accompanied by the coachman shouting and cursing. Lu Zhu raised his eyes and saw a carriage coming from the end of the long street. The wind came straight. Yin Zheng was startled and hurriedly ran to the street to avoid the situation with Lu Zhu.

The carriage passed by the two of them, and the wheels splashed mud on the pedestrians on both sides. Yin Zheng said angrily: "This..."

Lu Zhen suddenly looked at the horse-drawn carriage.

The carriage's canopy was exquisite, spacious and gorgeous. She had seen it once in Baoxiang Tower a long time ago.

That's the carriage of Taishi Mansion.

The sky was gloomy, the autumn rain was miserable, and people were rushing in the streets. She stared at the carriage that was driving away, as if she wanted to see clearly through the heavy rain curtain, through the heavy felt curtain of the carriage, through the flow of people coming and going. The scene inside the carriage clearly showed the faces of the people sitting in it.

Until a strange man's voice came from beside him: "Girl?"

Lu Tong paused and then turned back.

Two steps away from her, stood a young man in a white robe. The front of his clothes was soaked by the rain. The edge of the umbrella in her hand was propped on his chest. The beautiful flowers on the umbrella were On the hibiscus flower, the cold rainwater fell along the branches and touched the other party's lapel.

She probably didn't pay attention when she was dodging the carriage, and the umbrella in her hand poked a pedestrian on the side.

Lu Yan said: "I'm sorry."

I thought the other party would scold him a few words, but instead he just said "nothing".

Lu Zhen raised his head and was stunned when he saw the other person's face clearly.

The man's figure is like jade, his black hair is crowned with a jade hairpin, and his white robe makes him look like a layman in the woods or a white crane in the clouds, especially elegant and slender. When he saw Lu Zhuo retracting his umbrella, he held up his own umbrella, nodded to her lightly, and passed her by.

Not another word was said.

Lu Yan stood there, staring blankly at the other person's back. The umbrella in his hand was tilted, and the rainwater flowed down from the umbrella, forming a small puddle on the ground.

Yin Zheng looked at the man and the boy who were gradually walking away, then looked back at Lu Huan, a little strange: "Girl, do you know this person?"

Even though this man is handsome and handsome, he is not so dazzled by just looking at him. That little Mr. Pei is very attractive, but to his own girl, he still looks like a piece of wood.

Lu Zhuo looked away, shook his head, held up his umbrella and said, "Let's go."

At the same time, the boy walking in the crowd took a look at the wet marks on the man's clothes, and couldn't help but said: "It's so stained on such a piece of clothing, it's really..." He looked back and said angrily: "The Grand Master's carriage is getting more and more arrogant, and it is not afraid of hitting pedestrians."

The man said: "Okay."

The boy didn't know what to say, so he just asked: "Young Master will go back to the Imperial Medical College later. These clothes..."

"It doesn't matter, just change it to another one."

…

When Lu Chen returned to the hospital, the rain had almost stopped.

The plum tree at the door has fallen leaves and is no longer as shady as in summer. It is bare, showing a bit of loneliness in the coming winter.

Yin Zheng carried the hawthorn and jujube cakes she bought into the small courtyard. Du Changqing was lying in the shop in a daze. When he saw Lu Zhuo coming back, he glanced at her gloomily and hesitated to speak. But Acheng happily called out: "Doctor Lu!"

Lu Yan asked: "What's wrong?"

The boy came out and held a piece of paper in front of Lu Yan, his eyes shining: "This is a post from the Prince's Palace!"

County Prince's Mansion?

Lu Chen lowered his head, opened the post and read it. It turned out to be an invitation.

Princess Wenjun Pei Yunshu planned to hold a full-month "baby shower" for the little girl who was born on the 15th of this month. Because Lu Huan had delivered Pei Yunshu's baby before, the county prince's palace specially sent a post to invite Lu Huan to attend this grand event. .

Du Changqing glanced at Lu Huan and poured cold water on her: "Don't be too happy too early. I would say it's better not to have a baby shower. Last time you went to deliver a baby, it detoxified and induced labor. It saved her." The princess, mother and daughter may have offended someone else. We are powerless, and you, a sitting doctor, rush to serve as a target for others, do you think your life is too hard?"

He coughed twice more and said, "Besides, the gifts given to relatives and friends are expensive, and you don't have the money to give them. Anyway, I won't lend you money to show off, so give up as soon as possible."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, put the post away, opened the felt curtain and walked into the small courtyard.

Du Changqing stretched his head behind him: "Hey, are you still going?"

"go."

"..."

He was angry: "Where are you going? Why are you going to join in the fun?"

Lu Yan's voice was calm: "I'm not joining in the fun, I'm going to give gifts."

Six Barrels: The main focus is a counter-bone ()