Cheng Sanwu sat there dumbly, and Yang Chongyi ordered someone to invite the guests in.
After a while, several women came to the courtyard. They were seen wearing white clothes and scarlet hakama, wearing high-topped wide-brimmed curtain hats, hanging down a thin white gauze, and stepping on wooden clogs. They all moved slowly with lotus steps.
As she walked, she made a crisp knocking sound on the slate tiles, as if she were a shrine maiden walking out of a quiet shrine, without the gorgeous temperament of a brothel.
Although Afu's face was blurry behind the white gauze curtain, this outfit alone made Du Jianzhang's eyes widen and he was fascinated, and all the words of comfort he had prepared were forgotten.
"What the hell?" Cheng Sanwu stood up. He could clearly see that the people coming were Afu, Qin Wangshu and Jiangzhen. They arrived late, probably just to dress up like this.
Be the first to win.
Lu Yingxuan on the side whispered: "White gauze clothes and scarlet hakama pleats, is this the costume of the Southern Dynasties?"
"More than that, this is the uniform worn by wizards and shamans worshiping secular gods since the Wei and Jin Dynasties." Changqing also lowered his voice.
Lu Yingxuan was amazed at the other party's knowledge and asked: "Could it be the customary prayer of the king of silk with drums, music and dancing?"
"Exactly!" Chang Qing nodded and said: "This lineage is mostly passed down from mother to daughter. At that time, there were many women as shamans in the Wuyue area in the south of the Yangtze River. The powerful and powerful families in the Southern Dynasties often worshiped witches in order to predict good and bad luck and get rid of evil spirits.
"
Lu Yingxuan frowned slightly: "These witches must be involved in witchcraft and poison when they come in and out of the royal family. Later, they evolved into costumes, which shows that their style is improper."
Changqing's face turned gloomy and he was unable to answer. The Silk God Prayer of Silk Lord is not a sect with a clear pedigree, but a general term for a group of people who worship secular gods, and most of them were later classified as Taoist sects.
At that time, most of these witches claimed to be offering wine at the Taoist altar, and worshiping secular gods was considered a minor matter. It was rumored that some of them practiced the magic of collecting tonics in the house, and served high-ranking families with their beauty, and their behavior was almost the same as that of prostitutes.
Even though Chang Qing was born in a Taoist sect, he could not accept such turmoil. Fortunately, the Taoist sect in the Southern Dynasties experienced several changes and turmoil, and Lu Tianshi rectified the scriptures, so he was able to eliminate the scum.
I just didn't expect to see the costumes of witches used to pray to gods and goddesses here again. Considering that Tianxiang Pavilion was originally a Nanqu brothel, it seems to be common sense.
Yang Chongyi vaguely heard the conversation between the two of them. Considering that the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent people to ask for Tianxiang Pavilion, he thought about it secretly and planned to wait and see what would happen.
"Miss Afu! Is it really you?"
Du Jianzhang saw that the beauty he had admired for many days had changed into a white dress and scarlet hakama. Although it was not showy or charming, it had a unique charm. The elegant fragrance coming from the other person's body made Du Jianzhang feel as if he was in an ethereal and lonely place.
The mountain shrine.
How could such a wonderful person be allowed to live in a lonely mountain forest? Du Jianzhang could almost hear the sound of Miss Afu weeping and sobbing when she was alone in front of the green lantern. He wished he could hold her in his arms immediately and comfort her.
"Hey Hey hey!"
At this time, a rough voice severely shattered Du Jianzhang's confused fantasy. He looked back with anger, just in time to see Cheng Sanwu stepping on the luxurious table, pointing at Afu and saying: "You three
What are you pretending to do? One time is not enough, you have to do it a second time, right?"
Except for Chang Qing, everyone present did not know why. A Fu, who was standing behind Jiang Zhen like a humble concubine, took half a step forward and called out to Du Jianzhang softly:
"Master Du, please rescue me!"
Afu's voice was soft and delicate, which made Du Jianzhang's heart skip a beat and boundless courage surged in his chest. He stepped forward and was about to speak when Jiang Zhen raised his hand to stop him and shouted:
"Where did this rude person come from? This is a member of our Tianxiang Pavilion. In the future, he will be trained as an oiran to serve the nobles. If you continue to look around, be careful with your eyes!"
Jiang Zhen didn't know what method she used, but her voice became high-pitched and sharp, just like a brothel madam, which made people feel mean.
"You -" Du Jianzhang raised his finger and shouted, and then refuted loudly: "My father was the imperial censor Zhongcheng, and I was born in the Du family in Jingzhao. How can I be a rude person? I came here today to save Miss Afu.
Bitter sea! You quickly let her go free, and I won’t pursue Tianxiang Pavilion!"
"Hmph!" Jiangzhen put her hands on her hips and acted arrogantly: "Censor Zhongcheng? I thought how big an official he was. You don't want to ask, our Tianxiang Pavilion is backed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you are not convinced, ask your family to
Du Xiantai writes a petition to impeach, to see who can defeat whom?"
Du Jianzhang was dumbfounded when he heard this. There is no permanent censorship in this dynasty, and the censor Zhongcheng is the highest official of the censorship. However, due to the emperor's emphasis on the inner dynasty in recent years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has gradually usurped the power of supervision. Even though Du Xiantai was born in the Du family in Jingzhao
, and cannot change this situation.
At this time, Cheng Sanwu seemed to have come to his senses, laughing and shouting: "That's right! Mr. Du, please tell your father to write a letter quickly, I support you!"
Du Jianzhang was so angry that his shoulders were trembling, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Cheng Sanwu betrayed his beloved, even if he sued the emperor, he would not accept it! Is it possible that the chamberlain, relying on your majesty's favor, can ignore the law?"
"I said, if you're not convinced, just go ahead and sue!" Jiang Zhen turned to look at Cheng Sanwu: "Uncle Cheng, I'm here today to beg you for the five hundred silver coins."
"Ah?!" This time it was Cheng Sanwu's turn to stiffen his face, and he quickly turned to look at Changqing. The other person looked like he was watching a good show, but he just put his hands behind his hands and smiled lightly without making a sound.
"What, what five hundred silver coins?" Cheng Sanwu asked.
Jiangzhen took out a deed from his sleeve and shook it back and forth: "Earlier, you kept saying that this girl was perfect. If it was false, you would pay double the compensation. But after we checked, we found out that this girl had been raped by you a long time ago.
Broken body!"
"Ah?!" It was not just Cheng Sanwu who shouted this time, but also Du Jianzhang. When he heard this, he felt as if someone had cut out a piece of flesh from his heart, and he almost fainted from the pain.
"Stop, stop!" Cheng Sanwu waved his hands repeatedly. He knew that Afu deliberately started this fight, just to play a trick on Du Jianzhang, but he didn't expect that she would also play a trick on herself. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately said:
"Stop making trouble, what's the point of playing like this?"
"What joke are you talking about? Who is playing with you?" Jiang Zhen suppressed her laughter and pretended to be pretentious. She was very happy at the moment. No wonder Sister Fu said that playing with men is a great pleasure.
"Hurry up and pay for it." Jiang Zhen reprimanded sternly: "If you can't come up with the money, I'll sue you immediately as a private sell-out, give me a hundred canes, and send him to Lingnan!"
Cheng Sanwu was still stunned, but Du Jianzhang was the first to react and said, "I have five hundred silver coins!"
Jiang Zhen glanced at him: "What does it have to do with you?"
"Although Miss Afu is not perfect, she is like a fairy in the sky in my heart." Du Jianzhang said urgently: "If you are unwilling to take her in, I can pay to redeem her. I will definitely not cause Tianxiang Pavilion to suffer any loss."
Seeing Du Jianzhang's face full of excitement and enthusiasm, Jiang Zhen lowered his head slightly and covered his mouth to suppress his smile, as if he was thinking. Cheng Sanwu came to Du Jianzhang, patted him on the shoulder, raised his thumb and praised:
"Brother, you are really not afraid of death."
"Who is your brother? Get out of the way!" Du Jianzhang shook the other person away violently. Although he knew that the other party was highly skilled in martial arts, he had no fear in front of the beauty at this moment. He said righteously: "If I can save people from the sea of suffering, I will even Even if your body is broken into pieces, you won’t have any complaints!”
Cheng Sanwu nodded repeatedly, and when he was about to speak, another servant came to report to Yang Chongyi: "Master, there is a person outside the door who claims to be the head of Baochang Society. He says he is here to discuss the treasure fight in Weinan on behalf of the Wang family."
"Oh?" Yang Chongyi's expression changed: "Please come soon."
Hearing that Su Wangting was coming, Cheng Sanwu and Affu were slightly surprised. They seemed to have thought of something and looked at Changqing together.
I saw Changqing twisting a few yellow ginkgo leaves in his hand at some point, and flicking his fingers, the leaves flew away with the wind, and listened to him reciting the rhyme of the poem: "How can the swans send the book if there is no book? The autumn wind blows yellow to send my wishes."
Next to him, Lu Yingxuan had long seen Changqing picking up leaves and casting spells. He thought he was using this to convey the news. The chief of Baochang Society should be the reinforcement he invited.
Du Jianzhang didn't notice. He called an attendant and ordered him to go to his private house to get money. Qi County Lieutenant quickly pulled him aside and dissuaded him: "Master Du, the situation is not right. You'd better not rush to redeem the person." ."
"How can I not be anxious?" Du Jianzhang refused to listen and said: "Miss Afu is right in front of me. What if the other party changes her mind? Can you, Wannian County, help me snatch her out?"
Qixian Lieutenant already noticed something strange from the conversation between a few people just now: "I'm afraid Cheng Sanwu has colluded with Tianxiang Pavilion for a long time and designed to steal money. Don't let me, sir, be fooled!"
"What a joke! Tianxiang Pavilion is backed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so what is a mere five hundred guan of silver? Is it worth their deception?" Du Jianzhang had already lost his mind, and Qi County Lieutenant could not explain it.
In a blink of an eye, Su Wangting came to the courtyard. He glanced at everyone with an expressionless face, looked at each other with Changqing, nodded, and then said hello to Yang Chongyi with all the courtesy.
Not long after Su Wangting left Prime Minister Lu's residence, when he returned to Kunggang Courtyard, he did not see Cheng Sanwu and Changqing. He knew that they were going to Dongshi. But before Su Wangting could rest for a moment, a gust of breeze suddenly blew into the house and stirred the wind. A few yellow leaves, followed by Evergreen's voice, briefly mentioned the matter of the Ginkgo Garden, asking him to come and help as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Chongrenfang and Xuanyangfang were not far away. Su Wangting hurried over and happened to pay a visit in the name of hosting a treasure fighting party.
After introducing each other and exchanging pleasantries, Su Wangting took the initiative and said, "It made Yang Weng laugh. These two are also my good friends. I never thought that they would arrive at Ginkgo Garden first."
"I guess it's because I don't have enough information. I didn't expect that the famous Director Su of Baochang Society in Quzhi City had already arrived in Chang'an." Yang Chongyi smiled on his face, but was secretly surprised in his heart. He didn't expect that Wang Yuanbao had recently recruited these few people. A powerful person.
"Lao Su, why did you come here?" Cheng Sanwu complained incessantly: "I was counting on you to save my life!"
"Old Cheng, you are causing trouble for me!" Su Wangting feigned anger and yelled, as if an elder brother was lecturing his younger brother. He poked his forehead with his finger, causing Cheng Sanwu's head to shake.
"Okay, okay!" Cheng Sanwu pointed to the three people in Tianxiang Pavilion: "These women have cheated on me. If I break the body of the hag, I will pay five hundred guan of silver."
With Su Wangting's knowledge, he knew clearly that this was Afu's scheme again. He chuckled secretly, and then took the initiative to hand over his hands and said: "Girls, the rule in the business world is that money and goods will not be refunded after payment is made. Even if it is buying and selling people,
Whether the body is perfect or not should be verified on the spot. If the woman we are selling is originally a perfect body, but it is damaged by you later, then we will have no way to defend ourselves even if we have thousands of mouths. We will not pay for the money, even if we sue the government.
, and this is also true.”
In terms of business skills, I'm afraid that the three of them together can't compete with Su Wangting. What's more, after Afu and the others learned the news, they just made some preparations and rushed to Ginkgo Garden. Their intention was just to have fun.
, in order to grasp Cheng Sanwu.
Unexpectedly, Chang Qing used a clever trick to recruit Su Wangting, an off-site helper, which made the three of them at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Jiangzhen stood there brooding and calculating, Qin Wangshu sighed helplessly, and Afu covered her face with her sleeves while she raised her hands to wipe her tears, thinking secretly.
"Actually, we can't afford five hundred silver coins." Su Wangting continued with a smile: "But this should not be a loss, but a new redemption. If Tianxiang Pavilion is willing, I will immediately invite Wannian County Magistrate as a notarizer.
Isn't it wonderful to renew the contract on the spot and make Miss Afu my brother Cheng's maid and concubine, so that everyone is happy?"
Hearing this, the three people across from them trembled. Jiang Zhen and Qin Wangshu looked in disbelief. Even Cheng Sanwu and Chang Qing were so shocked that their mouths opened wide. Afu secretly bit her silver teeth and cursed in her heart.
"Well, Su Wangting, you are truly worthy of being Lu Yan's disciple. I almost fell into your hands!"
It is true that Ah Fu can't be restrained by this paper deed. This is just a joke. But just thinking about Cheng Sanwu's proud look waving a piece of paper in the future makes Ah Fu feel ashamed.
"No! You can't redeem Miss Afu!"
It was Du Jianzhang who spoke out to break the situation. He was confused and obsessed, and he only wanted to save Miss Afu from the sea of misery. He couldn't imagine what a delicate woman like Miss Afu would suffer if she fell into the clutches of Cheng Sanwu.
torture.
"It's just five hundred silver coins. You can get it in a moment!" Du Jianzhang blushed. He looked at Afu and said sincerely: "Miss Afu, don't be afraid. I will definitely not let you be raped.
Harmed by people.”
Cheng Sanwu nudged Su Wangting with his elbow, secretly smiled and whispered: "Look, Old Su, such infatuation is rare, right? You said these dandies usually play with women, so why are they so easily seduced by dominatrixes?
live?"
"How can ordinary people withstand her temptation?" Su Wangting asked in a low voice: "To be honest, when you went to Tianxiang Pavilion that night, did you have anything to do with the dominatrix..."
Cheng Sanwu's facial features were squeezed together, and he said with a sad expression: "I drank too much, how can I still remember it?"
Su Wangting almost burst into laughter, shook his head repeatedly, and then crossed his hands in salute to Du Jianzhang: "Master Du knows that I admire Shaoyi for his ancient style, and I admire him very much. We are rude now and dare not take away people's love.
Miss Afu deserves a good mate, and none other than Mr. Du."
When Du Jianzhang heard these words, his thoughts did not change at once. On the contrary, Chang Qing and Lu Yingxuan, two well-read people, heard Su Wangting quoting anecdotes from historical books to ridicule Du Jianzhang's stupidity, and they both smiled.
Ah Fu couldn't bear it anymore and gently tugged on Jiang Zhen's sleeve. The Tianxiang Pavilion oiran immediately scolded: "How presumptuous! Can you treat our Tianxiang Pavilion as the mouthpiece of the West Market? Don't say anything more today!"
After saying this, Afu and the other three turned around and left. Du Jianzhang called out repeatedly and hurriedly chased them out, leaving everyone in the garden looking at each other.