Chapter 038: The Odd One Among Scholars
Three days later, the case of the strange corpse in the brothel led to a major incident.
A stall of the Semu people in a miscellaneous market in the northwest was surrounded and suppressed by Zhan Zhao and more than a hundred detectives. Seventeen villains were killed and a large number of weapons and five full body armors were found in a secret cellar.
The court was furious and said that the Semites had the intention of rebellion, so they conducted a strict investigation of the miscellaneous markets in the northwest.
Even the emperor, who was on guard against the generals, ordered the Cao and Yang families to each bring a thousand elite soldiers to surround the market and not allow the Semites to enter or leave at will.
Under harsh interrogation, many dirty things were uncovered, and in just six days, nearly seventy Semites were beheaded.
There were countless heads being killed on the execution ground.
During this period of time, Lu Sen stayed on the low mountain. Time soon came to early November. The weather became colder and there was occasional snow.
The school at the foot of the mountain was temporarily closed. After all, it was not safe to let the little kids go out on a snowy day.
Lu Sen and the other two stayed in the yard, enjoying the warmth of spring.
Five fruit trees grew on their own in the two acres of grassland.
Two peach trees, a pear tree, and two loquat trees.
All of them have bloomed and will probably bear fruit in a few days.
So Lu Sen built a pavilion with wooden blocks next to a peach tree, and placed a round table and stools in the middle.
Snowflakes were falling outside, and Lu Sen was on the grassy lawn in the middle of the woods, wearing only one layer of clothing, drinking honey water, admiring the flowers, the grass, the autumn... and the bees and butterflies.
So uncomfortable.
Two days later, the snow stopped and the sky cleared, but the air was still cold. The Cao brothers took advantage of this rare good weather and came to express their gratitude with a team of servants and a large number of gifts.
Lu Sen entertained them in the pavilion, and the three of them had a very pleasant conversation.
At dusk, the Cao brothers left reluctantly.
They didn't want to leave this land of spring, but they had no choice because Lu Sen had no intention of keeping them.
Generally speaking, people in the Song Dynasty did not like to travel far away to visit others when the weather was cold.
So Lu Sen estimated that this winter, only the Cao brothers would come here to express their gratitude.
But unexpectedly, at noon the next day, Bao Zheng came to visit with Zhan Zhao and Gongsun Ce.
Moreover, Bao Zheng came in official uniform, and there were more than a dozen constables standing in a line outside the yard.
Lu Sen thought about it and gave temporary authority to Bao Zheng, Zhan Zhao, and Gongsun Ce, and invited them to the pavilion in the courtyard.
Bao Zheng took off his black cloak, sat on a stool, looked at the flowers blooming around him, felt the warm air, and sighed: "What a paradise on earth, a paradise on earth."
"It's just a small magic trick." Lu Sen asked Xiao Lingqin to bring some warm water with honey, and then made a gesture of invitation: "Please drink, all three of you."
Bao Zheng took a sip, and a somewhat comfortable expression appeared on his serious face: "After drinking it in one gulp, the fatigue from official duties has been half gone. Lu Xiaolang, you are indeed not an ordinary person."
Lu Sen smiled slightly and said, "Prefect Bao, thank you for your praise."
After Zhan Zhao and Bao Zheng drank it, they tasted it and their handsome and heroic faces were full of admiration.
Gongsun Ce also took a sip, nodded first, then shook his head and sighed, "It is indeed a rare divine object in the world. I heard that it was this object that saved the second son of the Cao family. I drank a sip, and my heart was moved, but I also felt deeply guilty."
Lu Sen frowned. He had a feeling that this pale-faced, beardless scholar might not say anything nice.
As expected... Gongsun Ce continued, "I am thinking that such a magical item can save people from death. This bite may save a life. If I had this item, I would definitely give it to the world to save all living beings."
Zhan Zhao frowned.
Bao Zheng stroked his beard, not knowing what he was thinking.
After listening to this, Lu Sen put down the glass in his hand and chuckled.
"What is Lu Xiaolang laughing at?" Gongsun Ce looked puzzled.
"What is your name, brother?" Lu Sen asked.
"I am Gongsun Ce, the chief clerk of Kaifeng Prefecture."
Lu Sen shook his head with a hint of sarcasm, then looked at Bao Zheng: "I heard that Bao Fuyin is deeply loved by the emperor, and the palace has rewarded him with an official position and an annual salary, which is almost the agricultural tax of Hangzhou for one month."
Bao Zheng said nothing, neither admitting nor denying.
Lu Sen looked at Gongsun Ce again and said with a smile, "That is to say, as long as Bao Fuyin is willing to spend all his wealth, he can at least feed the people of Hangzhou for half a month. If it were the beggars in Bianjing City, it would be no problem to feed them all and let them have enough food and drink to live for a year. Since Gongsun Zhubu has the sentiment of caring about the world, he should first persuade his superiors to save the people from the water and fire, and then persuade the ministers in the capital to open the warehouse to subsidize the poor. Once this is accomplished, Gongsun Zhubu will become a saint, and from then on, he will be worshipped by the people for thousands of years. Isn't it a great thing. Why do you care about my little honey?"
Gongsun Ce’s face turned pale when he heard this.
He had never imagined that the young man in front of him could be so sharp-tongued.
What he said was indeed true and could not be refuted.
Zhan Zhao was greatly shocked.
He and Gongsun Ce were good friends. Whenever they had disagreements, Gongsun Ce would often refute him and leave him speechless.
But now, the Lu Xiaolang in front of him made Gongsun Ce's face turn green with just one sentence.
It's really rare.
"Alas!" Bao Zheng shook his head first, then stood up, clasped his fists and said, "Lu Xiaolang, I'm sorry to bother you this time."
Then he turned around and left with Zhan Zhao and Gongsun Ce.
There was no dragging of feet.
Lu Sen did not try to keep them, but instead pushed them out of the yard.
At the foot of the mountain, Bao Zheng sat back in the sedan chair, and several constables carried the sedan chair slowly forward.
Gongsun Ce asked beside the sedan chair, "Is the prefect not going to persuade Lu Xiaolang to leave Bianjing City?"
"We were wrong in the first place." Bao Zheng said calmly while sitting in the sedan chair, "This Lu Xiaolang has done nothing illegal, so Kaifeng Prefecture has no reason to expel him from Bianjing. Moreover, this man is very smart and has his own ideas about right and wrong. It is impossible to use debate skills to make him submit."
Gongsun Ce bowed his head slightly and said, "I am ashamed that my expedition was not going well."
"Your plan of taking advantage of the situation is indeed a good one." Bao Zheng slightly closed his eyes, "But this Lu Xiaolang is not an easy person to deal with. What I can do is to suppress the news about him and try not to let his reputation spread to the palace."
Bao Zheng was really worried because the Zhao family had a history of favoring Taoist priests.
Especially the late emperor, what he did was simply unbearable to watch.
He was now afraid that once the emperor knew about Lu Sen, he would follow in the footsteps of the previous emperor.
After Bao Zheng left, no one came to visit Lu Sen for more than a month.
It was not until New Year's Eve that Yang Jinhua and Uncle Qi came, carrying some homemade dumplings and rice cakes.
Lu Sen still received them in the pavilion.
Yang Jinhua was once again stunned by the scenery of the grassland. After a while, she ran into the grassland, chased butterflies everywhere, and sat on the grass to make a flower crown for herself to wear.
Uncle Qi swallowed his saliva, then pulled Lu Sen's sleeve and said pitifully: "Lu Xiaolang, my family has given birth to four daughters in a row, and the wife in the family has not given birth to a boy. You have powerful magic, is there any way..."
Lu Sen waved his hand: "You have to ask Guanyin for help. I can't help you."
"I've begged, but it's no use." Uncle Qi wailed, and then he suddenly said, "How about you, Lu Xiaolang, go talk to the Great Goddess of Mercy, okay?"
In his opinion, Lu Xiaolang was a supernatural person and should be able to talk to the immortal Guanyin.
Lu Sen smiled and said, "There's no way to tell. We can't find her."
Uncle Qi felt disappointed when he realized that Lu Sen was lying and was not seen.
Yang Jinhua played with Ringo on the grass for a long time and did not leave until it was almost dark.
Lu Sen picked a few ripe peaches and took them back as a return gift.
After eating peaches, the increased health value is much greater than that of raw vegetables, but far less than that of honey.
Yang Jinhua accepted it happily.
Before she left the yard, she blushed and said, "I really like the red plum cake you gave me before, and I like that longbow even more."
Then he lowered his head and walked away quickly.
After sending the people away, Lu Sen sat in the yard in a daze.
As night fell, the city of Bianjing was decorated with lights and firecrackers were set off.
Coming from a distance, it sounded like layers of overlapping thunder.
The low mountain is quiet and peaceful, and the sound of firecrackers in the distance makes it even quieter.
However, Lu Sen felt that the yard was becoming more and more deserted.
He couldn't help but think of his life before he traveled through time.
It's inevitable that I feel a little melancholy.
Fortunately, Heizhu and Ringo loved to playful. They first set off firecrackers in the yard, then ran around to set off fireworks and shouted non-stop, which diluted Lu Sen's sorrow.
Lu Sen sat in the yard until after midnight, then he took out two red envelopes, gave one each to Heizhu and Ringo, and then went back to his room to sleep.
In this way, Lu Sen's first Spring Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty passed in an ordinary and simple .
The Spring Festival means different things to different people.
Unlike Lu Sen who felt the Spring Festival was deserted, Heizhu and Ringo both felt that this Spring Festival was the happiest one they had ever had and it was their first Spring Festival in the true sense.
There are delicious food, new clothes to wear, and red envelopes to receive.
Set off firecrackers and fireworks.
When you are tired of playing, there is a warm and safe bed to sleep in.
This is the taste of home.
After the Spring Festival, when spring came and the ice and snow melted, Lu Sen took Heizhu and Ringo to the city to purchase supplies.
After a winter, their stored meat was almost gone.
And those vendors who regularly bartered goods were very happy to see Lu Sen.
Although spring has arrived, it takes time to grow vegetables and it is not yet time to harvest them.
They spend the whole winter either eating bacon or pickles, and in the morning they feel hot and their mouths are full of blisters.
So Lu Sen's green vegetables fetched a very high price.
This is two to three times the replacement volume in the past.
On the street, Lu Sen found that there were a lot of scholars carrying luggage.
I'm asking around for cheap places to stay.
Then it suddenly dawned on him: the provincial examination for the imperial examination had begun.
After the provincial examination, the palace examination will begin.
In other words, the city of Bianjing will be extremely lively this year.
After Lu Sen exchanged the things, he took Heizhu and Korinko for a stroll on the street.
Since Kobayashi went to school, he has become much more confident and now dares to go shopping with me.
She was very curious about everything on the street, but she didn't dare to stay too far away from her husband.
After all, this was her first time seeing this colorful city world.
After walking for a while, the three of them finally found a stall on the roadside and sat down.
Lu Sen ordered a portion of wontons, and Heizhu and Xiao Lingqin both had a portion of sweet tofu pudding.
Sweets were more expensive in this era, but the two of them received a monthly allowance from Lu Sen, and there was hardly anywhere to spend it, so they saved up a lot.
Richer than ordinary civilians.
Both of them planned to pay for it themselves later.
When the snacks came, Lu Sen drank the soup first. The soup base made with duck meat was quite good.
When Kurozuya and Ringo drank the sweet tofu pudding, their expressions were a little subtle.
There was no way around it; their tastes had been spoiled by the honey water in the yard, and the sweet tofu pudding made with malt sugar was no longer delicious in their mouths.
Heizhu was fine, he was older and had a calmer personality, he continued eating calmly.
Ringo complained a little: "It's not as good as the sweet juice at home."
Unexpectedly, the sound was heard by the diners across the street.
At that moment someone burst into laughter.
Lu Sen looked up and saw two young men opposite him. They seemed to be in their early twenties and were both quite handsome.
They also wore scholar's scarves on their heads, probably because they were candidates preparing to participate in the provincial ceremony.
Being laughed at, Kobayashi's face turned red, and he lowered his head and dared not say anything.
Lu Sen said calmly: "You eavesdrop on others and feel no shame in it, and you even laugh at a little girl. How can you be a gentleman?"
The expressions of the two people suddenly became strange.
After a while, one of the young men stood up, clasped his fists and said, "Young man, we brothers were wrong in this matter. But your girl's words were also wrong. The tofu pudding of this stall is the best in Bianjing, and it has been here for more than 50 years. Their syrup is slowly boiled over a low fire, and it takes ten hours each time, so her words are biased. Of course, we laughed out loud, which is also our brother's fault!"
Lu Sen looked up at the young man.
Although the other party clasped his fists in greeting while speaking, his chin was slightly raised and there was a hint of arrogance in his expression.
What's more, the other party spoke very skillfully. Although he apologized on the surface, what he was actually saying was: If your little girl hadn't talked nonsense, we wouldn't have laughed.
That's roughly what it means, it seems a bit infuriating.
Lu Sen smiled and said, "That's because you don't have much experience. If my daughter says it's not tasty, then it must be not tasty."
"I'm ignorant?" The young man snorted. "Although I'm just a scholar, when it comes to cooking skills, I'm not much worse than the world's great chefs."
Lu Sen smiled even more happily: "How old are you? How dare you compare yourself with the world's top chefs?"
"You can go to Meishan in Shu and ask. There, I, Su Shi, say that my cooking skills are second to none and no one dares to claim to be the best." The young man patted his chest proudly.
Lu Sen was stunned for a moment, his eyelids slightly opened: "What did you say? Your name is Su Shi?"
"Yes, I won't change my name, and I won't change my surname." Su Shi chuckled and said, "My dear boy, I'm a serious person. How about I go to your house to taste the so-called sweet juice from the girl's mouth? If it's really delicious from this dessert stand, I will immediately bow to you and your girl to apologize, and give you a small gift to make amends, okay?"
After Lu Sen was stunned for a while, he chuckled: "Actually, you just want to provoke me to take you home so that you can taste the so-called more delicious sweet juice."
Su Shi's face twitched, and he said with all his strength: "How could I, Su Shi, be such a dirty person?"
"You are." Lu Sen pointed at Su Shi's eyes and said, "I saw through it at a glance. You are shameless when you encounter delicious food."
Su Shi suddenly felt embarrassed!
