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Chapter 208 Is it a god, a ghost or a fox?

Hangzhou people avoid the moon like a hater. Except for the half of July, there are very few people who go to the West Lake at night at other times. Especially today is only the eighth day of May. The moon is not full, and there are almost no boats on the lake. During the day, the painted boats are squeaking and drumming.

At this time, nothing was seen or heard, the noise and hustle and bustle faded away, and the rare tranquility returned to the water and sky.

Zhang Dai, Zhang E, Zhang Yuan brothers and five servants including Wu Ling took a three-oar wave boat and sailed into the lake from south to north at night. Zhang Dai told the boatman not to be too hasty with the oar and to sail slowly. They wanted to

Admire the West Lake on a moonlit night.

The night breeze blew, and the cool water vapor filled the air. When the wave boat passed through the heavy lake water, fine waves rippled to both sides of the bow. The half-moon cast a silvery glow, as if there were countless whitebait swimming in the lake. Three bottle-shaped

The spire of the stone pagoda protruding from the lake looks calm and mysterious under the moonlight, as if water monsters are suppressed under the stone pagoda. Zhang Dai is very familiar with the West Lake. He introduced that eight years ago, the Qiantang County magistrate organized civilians to clean up the silt at the bottom of the lake and build a building with silt.

The dam formed the lake island Xiaoyingzhou, with an island in the lake and a lake in the island. These three lake-holding stone towers were built near the Dongpo Tower, and this became a scene of the West Lake——

Hazy, mysterious, and distant, the West Lake under the moonlight is like the West Lake wandering on the corridor of the Wu Palace, from far to near, but the gauze curtains along the corridor are heavily fluttering, making people always unable to see clearly, and only feel that it is beautiful.

Word.

Zhang E, who was about three to four times drunk, patted the side of the boat and shouted: "What's the point of traveling around the lake without drinking? Go back to Ningxiang Restaurant and buy some food and drinks -"

The boatman had already made preparations. He said he would have good wine and good fruit, but the price would be higher. Zhang E shouted: "Put it out as soon as possible. Will I save your money?"

A two-pound pot of Wuxi Songhua wine, lychees from Lingnan, cherries from Linggu Temple, and jujubes from Yao Fangmen were each served on a large plate, as well as some Hangzhou pastries, all of which were exquisite and elegant. Zhang Dai and the other two were very satisfied.

Then he drank wine and ate fruit while watching the night view of the West Lake.

It was the beginning of Xu, and the half of the bright moon in the sky had already set to the west. Brothers Zhang Dai, Zhang E, and Zhang Yuan were bathing in the night breeze on the lake, eating Lingnan lychees... They all felt very happy. Zhang Dai recited Dongpo's poem "Eating lychees three times a day."

A hundred pills, and I will continue to be a Lingnan native."

Zhang E continued to sing his "Single Sword Club", and Zhang Yuan also sang in a drunken mood. The first line was "The moon is bright when it comes out", and the second line was "The door is hidden in the deep courtyard of pear blossoms" from "The Romance of the West Chamber"...

"The pink wall is as high as the blue sky", pieced together here and there, and made myself laugh while singing.

The three-row boat went around Xiaoyingzhou, went north along the right side of Sudi, then passed by Ruan Gongdun, went straight to Baigong Causeway, and then to Broken Bridge. Zhang E was seven or eighty percent drunk and refused to get off the boat.

...lying on the bow of the ship, looking at the sky and singing: "There is a Huang Hansheng who is as fierce as a Biao, a Zhao Zilong who is as bold as a fighter, a Ma Mengqi who is a murderous leader, and a reckless Zhang Fei... We fought hard at Hulao Pass for ten

The eight princes rode a Biyuewu horse and wielded a spear of eight feet. He roared like thunder at Dangyang Ban, and drove away Prime Minister Cao's million armored men. He looked at the dusty sky and saw that the bridge was broken first, and shouted

The waves hit the shore and the water flows against the current..."

At this time, the second drum has not yet been handed in, and it is still early... Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan are shouting with Zhang Calyx... slowly peeling the lychees to eat, throwing the lychee shells and jujube cores into the lake... and then some swimming fish will come up to devour them——

Suddenly I heard a boy calling out from the broken bridge: "Will your father-in-law's boat take my girl to Xiling Bridge?"

Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan both turned around to look, and saw a slim girl standing on the shore under the pale moonlight, and a boy with disheveled hair waving to take the boat.

Zhang Dai lowered his voice and said curiously: "Whose girl is taking a boat at night!"

The boatman whispered: "She may be a prostitute. The three gentlemen should not take her on board."

Zhang E heard this and said hurriedly: "Why not, just go ahead and help others.

Zhang Yuan said to the boatman: "This place is two or three miles away from Xiling Bridge by water. Give her a ride. It won't cost you much for the boat."

The boatman laid out the pedals, and the boy with disheveled hair walked onto the boat first. When he looked into the cabin, he saw three young scholars, all wearing kerchiefs and shirts, and they were famous. He nodded to the girl on the shore, and the girl

He gently lifted the corner of his robe with one hand and a bamboo stick in the other, and slowly boarded the boat——

At this time, Zhang E also sat up and stopped howling. He, Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan all looked at the girl. The moonlight was dim, and the lights in the cabin were dim. The girl's features were not clear, but she could still tell them just by feeling.

The facial features are quite delicate, especially the eyes, which are looking forward and flowing, like cold stars and autumn water. She is about sixteen or seventeen years old. She wears a Taoist bun and a bamboo hairpin, but she does not look like a female Taoist priest.

Wearing a loincloth robe, it was simple and elegant, not as gorgeous and coquettish as the West Lake prostitutes. When they boarded the boat, they gave Zhang Yuan and the others a blessing and said, "Thank you three gentlemen."

He sat down on the bow of the boat, hugging his knees, and said to the boatman: "Excuse me, please row to Xiling Bridge."

The boatman raised his oar, and the boat sailed along the white embankment towards Gushan.

Zhang E saw that this girl, wearing a bamboo stick and cloth robe, had a very different temperament from a prostitute like Wu Lingchun. She didn't know the details and didn't dare to be teased by Meng Lang. He cupped his hands and said, "Xiaoshengshan yin Zhang E, nicknamed Yanke."

The girl tilted her head and looked over, Wanli smiled, and said, "Do you want to say I've been with you for a long time?"

Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan both laughed.

Zhang E had a great reputation in Shanyin and was the number one dude. But when he arrived in Hangzhou, no one would know him, which made him a little frustrated. However, Zhang E's interest was as soft as water and could not be suppressed. He immediately said: "There is no need to admire him for a long time.

So why not just dump the lid on it?"

The girl smiled slightly and said nothing. She looked at the lake at the bow of the boat. She stretched out her bamboo stick to the side of the boat and paddled the water like a boatman rowing a boat, breaking up the moonlight.

Zhang E had no choice but to strike up a conversation, scratched his head and scratched his head, and said, "This is my eldest brother Zhang Dai, Zhang Zongzi, a mountain prodigy who won the title of Scholar at the age of twelve——"

Zhang Dai rolled his eyes and said, "Why is he still a prodigy?"

Zhang Yuan added: "The grown-up prodigy."

The three brothers sang in harmony, and the girl smiled, straightened her robe, covered her slender lotus feet, and remained speechless. The boy with hair, who was about ten years old, stood beside the girl.

Not believing that none of the three brothers could make this girl take a look, Zhang E said: "Jiezi, you have to come on stage." He said to the girl: "This is my brother Zhang Yuan and Zhang Jiezi, Xiao Sanyuan of Shaoxing Mansion——"

The girl let out a soft "Huh", turned around, cast her bright eyes on Zhang Yuan's face, still facing him from the side, and said, "I've really looked up to him for a long time this time."

Zhang E said happily: "Ha, Jiezi is still famous, and he has been admired for a long time."

But I heard the girl say softly: "Beating Dong Zuchang will also make his reputation famous." It seemed that she meant to be sarcastic.

Zhang E, however, was not so keen and did not realize the sarcasm in the girl's words. He was so proud that he kept talking about how Zhang Yuan defeated Dong Zuchang twice, and said: "We'll see, he will beat Dong Zuchang three times, just like Sun Wukong defeated the White Bone Demon three times. Song

Zhujiazhuang in the third generation of Gongming Dynasty——"

Zhang E always talked nonsense and spoke freely. He drank too much tonight. Seeing this charming girl, he talked even more when he was excited. He told all the things that Zhang Yuan wanted to deal with Dong.

Yuan changed the topic and said: "Why are you talking about these scandalous things?" He said to the girl: "A heroic girl like Zhang Yimei, can she drink with a bearded guest?" Zhang Yimei is the red-haired girl, Zhang Yuan is testing the girl's identity.

.

The girl glanced at Zhang Yuan, struck the water with her bamboo stick, and said: "Nowadays, how much do men know? Even if you have a high official position, you are an immortal - there must be a man with a curly beard!"

Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai both raised their eyebrows. The two brothers looked at each other and felt that this girl was extraordinary. The two lines the girl just said were from Li Zhi's poems. They are very arrogant when used here.

Zhang originally wanted to say, "You have to have a keen eye to recognize a hero," but after thinking about it, he didn't say it out loud and felt it was unnecessary.

Zhang E didn't know that "Even if you have a high official position, you are an immortal" was a poem written by Li Zhi, but he felt that what the girl said was very confidant and praised: "Well said, like my eldest brother and the mediators, they read the bad stereotypes all day long and concentrate on it."

Thinking about passing the imperial examination, I don't like it. I, Zhang Yanke, regard fame as dirt." As he spoke, he stared at the girl with burning eyes.

The girl just looked at the lake outside the boat and asked: "Then where did you get this headscarf?"

Zhang E drank too much and forgot that he had already become a prisoner. He rubbed his head, uh, he had a square scarf, but he didn't hide it, and said: "I like to travel, so I will give money to stay in the prison, and there will be less restraint."

The girl said: "Oh, that's it."

While talking, the boat sailed around Gushan and arrived at the Xiling Bridge. The girl stood up, greeted Zhang Dai and the other three, and said, "Thank you very much." After the boatman laid the pedals, she and the boy went ashore, dragging their sticks.

go.

This girl came suddenly and drifted away, which aroused people's imagination. Zhang E reluctantly said: "I'll follow and see who this girl is." He walked past the steps, leading Neng Zhu and Fu'er to pursue him.

The girl has gone.

Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai were sitting on the bow of the boat. They saw Zhang E staggering and holding Fu'er's shoulders to see where the girl lived. The two shook their heads and laughed. Zhang Dai said: "This girl recited Li Zhuowu's poems casually, which shows that she is knowledgeable.

, the appearance is also extremely beautiful, really strange."

Zhang Yuan responded: "And he is very arrogant. He often makes sarcastic comments when he hits Dong Zu about me. I don't know why?"

Zhang Dai said: "Dong Qichang is famous. Although many people applaud you for beating Dong Zuchang, there are also some who are dissatisfied with you. This girl may be acquainted with Dong Qichang, and she may be a relative of the Dong family."

Zhang Yuan smiled and said to himself: "The origin of this girl is very strange. If the world I live in is not the late Ming Dynasty, but the world of martial arts, then I will definitely guess that this girl is from the beggar gang. Huang Rong, isn't there a green in her hand?"

Bamboo stick?"

Zhang Dai asked: "Jiezi, why are you laughing? Do you know the origin of this girl?"

Zhang Yuan said: "Don't bother guessing, won't the third brother know it when he comes back?"

About a quarter later, Zhang E came back, and Neng Zhu and Fu'er helped him. Zhang E got on the boat with "ouch, ouch, ouch", but it turned out that he fell down and broke his knees. He asked him if he had ever caught up with the girl.

residence?

Zhang E said: "When I saw the girl and the boy passing the tomb of King Yue, I accidentally fell. I got up and chased after him, but there was no one there, and I didn't see any people behind the tomb of King Yue."

Zhang Dai said in horror: "Human? God? Ghost? Fox?"

The boatman on one side exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that Miss Yinping is showing off!"

Zhang E hurriedly asked: "What?"

The boatman said: "Grandpa King Yue was killed, and Miss Yinping also committed suicide by throwing herself into a well. The tomb is near the tomb of King Yue. According to people, Miss Yinping would hang out by the lakeside every moonlit night. If she is an evil and lawless person,

You will get sick when you meet Miss Yin Ping——" asked: "Just now did the three gentlemen notice that the girl was holding a Yin Ping in her arms?"

Zhang E was drunk and confused. He slapped his forehead and said: "It seems to be shining silver——"

Zhang Yuan laughed and said: "Nonsense, I saw it clearly. When the girl got on the boat, she was dragging her staff with one hand and holding the corner of her robe with the other. There was no silver vase!"

The boatman asked: "Is that boy holding a silver vase?"

Zhang E shouted: "The boy seems to be holding a silver vase."

Zhang Ju said: "No, that boy is empty-handed."

Zhang Yuan was too lazy to argue. The girl was definitely not Miss Yin Ping, but he couldn't guess who she was. He originally guessed it was from a prostitute's family, but it didn't look like it. But how could a girl from a good family bring only a boy with her at night?

Traveling for a ferry?

Zhang E said: "We brothers are all very evil, and we are not afraid when we meet Miss Yin Ping - oh, my knees are broken."

Zhang Dai suddenly said: "Could that girl who appeared on Broken Bridge be White Snake?"

Zhang E forgot about the pain and shouted: "It is indeed White Snake. She is here to find the reincarnation of Xu Xian. Do you wonder if I am the reincarnation of Xu Xian?"

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "The third brother is not the reincarnation of Xu Xian, but the reincarnation of Xu Chu. Look -" he pointed towards the Leifeng Pagoda on the south bank, "If the Leifeng Pagoda does not fall, how will the White Snake get out?"

Zhang E said vaguely: "It's hard to say. Maybe he got out from the bottom of the lake. It's really a romantic encounter tonight. It's wonderful, wonderful."

The boat still returned to the broken bridge. After paying the boatman two coins, Zhang Yuan and his eight people went ashore and returned to the canal port four or five miles away. By this time, they had already passed Ergu. Along the way, Zhang Dai and Zhang E returned.

Are you guessing that the girl is a god? A ghost? Or a fox?

The next morning, the three Zhang brothers entered Hangzhou City to look for Liu Jingting. They passed through Bushi Alley, passed Chaotianmen and went around to Wangxian Bridge. There was a teahouse called Wangxian Tower beside Wangxian Bridge. Liu Jingting had been telling stories in this teahouse for many years.

Once the story was told, the cash register was eighty cents. Because of Liu Jingting, the Wangxian Restaurant was packed every day, and the income was much more than eight cents of silver——

The Zhang brothers came to Wangxian Tower, found a table in the teahouse on the second floor and sat down. The tea doctor asked the three princes what kind of tea they wanted, West Lake Longjing or Usnea tea? Zhang Dai said: "If there is any tea, just serve it."

Dr. Tea then went to cook tea and Zhang Yuan and the other three slowly tasted the tea. They waited for Liu Jingting to arrive. At the end of the morning, Liu Jingting appeared on the stage with quiet clothes and smooth eyes. Zhang E frowned and said: "This man is really ugly, not to mention his face is pockmarked."

, and his face is covered with scars.”

Zhang Dai said: "People should not be judged by their appearance. Although this person is ugly, he is not vulgar."

Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "Liu Jingting looks like he is less than thirty years old. His face looks disfigured. He must have committed a murder in his hometown, so he changed his face and changed his name."

As soon as the words stopped and the teahouse became silent, Liu Jingting started to talk about "Wu Song fighting tigers in Jingyanggang". Zhang Yuan listened for a while and was very surprised. What Liu Jingting said about Wu Song fighting tigers was very different from Shi Naian's "Water Margin"

Similarly, the section written by Shi Nai'an from "Three Bowls of Nothing" to Wu Song's Fighting Tigers only has about 4,000 words, but Liu Jingting's section about Wu Song's "Three Bowls of Nothingness" at the Gang Inn has nearly 3,000 words. It is descriptive and microscopic.

When Wu Song went to the shop to buy wine, he saw no one in the shop. Wu Song suddenly roared, and all the empty jars and jars in the shop buzzed and echoed——

Zhang Dai praised: "Wonderful, the color in leisure is not as subtle as Shi Naian's."

Zhang Dai spoke in a slightly louder voice. When Liu Jingting heard this, he glanced over and paused his story. Liu Jingting was very classy. When he was speaking, if he saw anyone whispering or yawning, he would shut up and say something.

He waited until everyone sat quietly with bated breath and listened intently before he continued -

Zhang Daiyao bowed to Liu Jingting and expressed his apology. Liu Jingting smiled slightly and began to talk about Wu Song fighting a tiger. His voice was soft and loud at times, screaming and crashing the house violently, and hesitating and whispering at times.

When the tea guest heard about it, he knew the severity and severity of the illness very well. Zhang Yuan, Zhang E and others all listened with rapt attention.

When Liu Jingting talked about Wu Song interrupting the whistle stick and the tiger leaping towards him, the description of his movements became more and more precise, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. After half an hour of "Wu Song fighting the tiger in Jingyanggang", all the tea guests present did not leave the table.

Those who heard it were all intoxicated.

When Zhang Yuan saw Liu Jingting going downstairs, he followed with Zhang Dai and Zhang E, cupped their hands and said: "Mr. Liu, you are going down the mountain to have sex with Zhang Yuan and Zhang Jiezi——"

Zhang Dai and Zhang He also reported their names, and Liu Jingting said calmly: "What advice do the three young masters Zhang have to ask Liu?"

Zhang Yuandao: "How about inviting Mr. Liu to the Jianbi Restaurant for a few drinks and then talk in detail?"

When Liu Jingting saw that Zhang Yuan and the others were all scholars at a young age, and they were polite and polite, they did not dare to neglect and said no trouble, so he followed Zhang Yuan and the others to a restaurant next to Wangxian Tower. The four of them sat at the same table.

After placing a pot of Suzhou Sanbaijiu and six plates of exquisite dishes, Zhang E took the lead and said: "Mr. Liu, this is not the first time we have dealt with each other. The year before last, someone asked Mr. Liu to talk about Yao Fu. Does Mr. Liu remember it?"

Liu Jingting patted his head, looked at Zhang Yuan and said: "It turns out that Mr. Zhang is the one who beat Dong Zuchang. He did a good job. Mr. Liu also heard about Mr. Zhang's eight-legged fight with Yao Fu the year before last. Mr. Zhang can be regarded as eliminating harm for the people. I admire him.

,admire."

Zhang E said happily: "Mr. Liu also said that the fight against Dong Zuchang was good. It's wonderful. Three of my brothers came to Mr. Liu today because of this matter." He said to Zhang Yuan: "Jiezi, you can tell me."

Zhang Yuan showed Liu Jingting the article "Record of Dong Huan's Evil Deeds". For some reason, when Liu Jingting read this article, the veins on his forehead burst out, and the scars on his face turned purple, making him look hideous. It took him a while to calm down.

As usual, he raised his head and said, "Liu understands what Mr. Zhang means. Does Mr. Zhang want Liu to compile a story about this matter to promote Dong's evil?"

Zhang Yuandao: "Thanks to Mr. Liu, I also ask Mr. Liu to go to Songjiang to tell stories. The remuneration is up to Mr. Liu." It is still very risky to publicize Dong Qichang's scandal in Songjiang, so it must be done again. Liu Jingting pondered for a while and asked: "Master Zhang wrote

Are these all true?"

Zhang Yuandao: "The person who wrote about the suppression here is Lu Yangfang, who is my brother-in-law's brother. There are actually several students from Songjiang in the thatched cottage. Mr. Liu can ask them. I will invite them this afternoon, or Mr. Liu can ask people from Songjiang Prefecture.

These things are not difficult to find out."

Liu Jingting said with emotion: "Liu is willing to help. Liu hates the evil gentry who bullies men and dominates women."

Liu Jingting agreed so readily that Zhang Yuan and the other three were overjoyed and made an appointment to meet at the canal port tomorrow morning and go to Qingpu together.

The 5,000-word update has arrived. Xiaodao has worked hard today, so he asks book friends for a monthly pass and will keep up his efforts tomorrow.!

This chapter has been completed!
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