Volume 2: Miaomiao Scholar, indignant as a mountain, smashes the throne room Chapter 50: Weird Things in Zhou Mansion
Hegu County is located in the southeast of Southern Chen, with the Ji Yu Mountains to the east and the Qixia Mountains to the southwest. It has five county towns under its jurisdiction. As a whole, it is not rich, only a few sizes larger than Fushui County. It has wide streets paved with stone bricks, low-roofed alleys, and slate-stone dirt roads. The summer rain soaks the accumulated silt, and footprints of people, chickens, and dogs are everywhere.
Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey into the city gate and did not encounter any accidents on the way.
The streets are bustling with people, in an orderly and noisy manner.
The first thing he did after entering the city was to take out the letter given by his mentor Wang Shuhua. In a sense, after passing the examination to become a student, Lu Liangsheng had already stepped half a foot into the official career and the circle of scholars, so the first thing he wanted to do was to pay a visit.
"Zhou Zhen..."
Sun Yingxian came over to take a look, shrugged his shoulders and turned away: "I won't interfere with your affairs as scholars. I'll go take a look around."
"Well, you can go for a walk around, but you should stay in an inn first." Lu Liangsheng put away the letter, walked through the long street with the Taoist, and found a street where inns were relatively concentrated.
I looked for several hotels and found that they were all fully booked. After asking around, I learned that for this year's autumn examination, students who lived far away had come to the city in advance and booked rooms.
After that, he walked past two more inns before finding an inn called Fu Rui. He deposited the old donkey in the backyard of the inn and booked two guest rooms. Lu Liangsheng took a bath and changed into the new clothes he had bought when he left home. While tying his silk scarf, he spoke to the coiled toad.
"Master, when I left Fushui County, my teacher asked me to visit an old friend of his when I got here. I will go to see him later. Whether he is here or not, I still have to be polite."
The Toad Taoist was sprawled on the bedding. He had been locked up in a small compartment on the bookshelf all the way, and his limbs were bent in annoyance. Upon hearing his disciple's words, he raised his flippers and waved them weakly.
"You can go by yourself. I have a female ghost with me. When you leave, remember to ask the store to send some food up and leave it at the door."
"Okay, but don't scare others." Lu Liangsheng smiled, "I might stay there for dinner tonight. If there's anything delicious, I'll quietly bring some back for Master to try."
After saying this, he quietly left the room without disturbing Toad Taoist's rest. Sun Yingxian had been waiting outside for a long time. When she saw Lu Liangsheng coming out, she snapped her fingers and then extended her hand over.
"Give me some silver."
"You don't have any money?"
The Taoist priest opened the only yellow silk bag on his waist and said, "Apart from the yellow talisman and the demon-subduing mirror, where else can I put money on my body?"
"Then you should be frugal. I don't bring much with me when I go out." Lu Liangsheng counted out a few coins and gave them to him. The two of them left the inn and parted ways.
The Autumn Examination will begin in three months. At this time, the streets of Hegu County are quite lively and crowded. Lu Liangsheng is also somewhat curious about this big city. There are tall and low buildings, and noisy wine shops and tea houses with door banners hanging on their doors. Literati and elegant guests are talking about the questions of the Autumn Examination. Occasionally, one or two warriors can be seen carrying weapons through the streets and walking into a brothel not far away. Under the lanterns without candles, prostitutes in flowery silk clothes lean against the wooden railings, smiling at the passers-by, and some are humming songs, looking forward to the future.
Lu Liangsheng walked along the bustling long street, the noise gradually faded away, and he found the Zhou family's location according to the address. The long blue brick courtyard wall exuded a sense of simplicity, and a few pine branches stretched out from it to the street. In front of him was the tall gate of the mansion, with two red lanterns hanging on it, and two stone lions at the door were covered with moss.
The old trees in the compound appear quiet and warm.
Lu Liangsheng glanced at the words "Zhou Mansion" written on the door plaque. Compared with the gate of Chen Yuanwai's house that he had seen in Fushui County before, it was more simple and grand.
After knocking on the gate, the old doorman came out, took the letter, and looked at the scholar in front of him twice, as if he was sizing him up. He led him to the doorman to wait for a while, and then went in to report. Soon, a steward received Lu Liangsheng and welcomed him into the living room.
Along the way, Lu Liangsheng couldn't help looking around. There were many flower beds and potted plants around, and there were pavilions and attics in the distance. They were not luxurious, but relatively elegant. However, they always gave people a somewhat eerie feeling.
There seemed to be too few maids and servants in the mansion. When we occasionally met them, most of them were silent, had strange expressions, and seemed to be in a hurry.
Lu Liangsheng watched a maid put down the teacup and leave in a hurry, but as he had just arrived, he didn't ask too many questions. Not long after, the steward who had left came back, and there was an old man half a step in front of him. He had white hair and beard that was neatly combed, and he was wearing a simple robe.
Here, the scholar put down his teacup, stood up, saluted, and announced his name. The old man who came over was Zhou Zhen. He spoke in a kind tone and asked Lu Liangsheng to sit down.
"I have known Uncle Huagong for more than ten years. I never thought I would find him in Fushui County without knowing it. Has he been doing well these years? Is he in good health?"
As the old man said this, he was also looking at the scholar opposite him.
Lu Liangsheng sat down and bowed: "Master, your health and spirit are very good. When you leave, you even walked to the city gate to see you off."
"I can rest assured that."
Zhou Zhen nodded. He had probably read the contents of the letter before and knew that Wang Shuhua's instructions were to talk to Lu Liangsheng about the Autumn Examination and test his academic performance at the same time.
"Hmm...your teacher wrote to me that you have great talent, but unfortunately your studies are short and your foundation is not solid. Come with me."
The old man spoke sincerely, waved to Liangsheng, and asked him to follow him to the study in the backyard. There were only three bookshelves and a rosewood desk. There were brushes of different sizes hanging on the pen holder, and there was still some ink left. It seemed that he had used a brush before.
"From now on, when you come here, you can browse the books here at will. By the way, Liangsheng, what kind of books do you like?"
Lu Liangsheng stretched out his hand and brushed across the neatly arranged books on the bookshelf, then replied with a smile.
"I'm not particular about that. Besides what I need for my studies, I also read some short stories about strange things and unofficial history to kill time."
The old man didn't say anything afterwards, such as accusing me of not doing my job properly or straying from the right path. Instead, he smiled and took a few books from the shelf.
"Being able to read books is a good thing. Articles like strange stories and unofficial histories often contain easy-to-understand truths in life." He took out one of the books and handed it over.
"This illustrated book of mountains and seas not only tells about the local customs, but also contains absurd beasts. It is very interesting."
Lu Liangsheng took the book and flipped through a few pages. He found only a few simple sentences outlining the absurd terrain and strange or ferocious beasts. There were also illustrations next to them, all of which were images he had never seen before.
...How could those people who wrote the books think of these strange-looking monsters?
If I use illusion to redraw it and show it to Hong Lian and the others ... it should be quite interesting, maybe even scare a lot of people.
Lu Liangsheng couldn't help laughing when he thought about how outsiders would see the monsters in these pictures come to life. He then asked the old man about his studies. After all, the road of learning has no end.
Before I knew it, it was already dusk. Suddenly, there was a knock on the study door, and someone whispered .
"Master, the young lady is ill again."
Lu Liangsheng put down the book, frowned slightly, and looked at the old man opposite. Zhou Zhen's face was not very good, and he said: "Liangsheng, wait a moment."
He opened the door and walked out.
In the room, Lu Liangsheng didn't want to eavesdrop, but since he started practicing, his ears and eyes have become more sensitive than ordinary people, so it was difficult not to eavesdrop.
“…When did the illness start?”
"Just now, the medicine didn't help."
"Did you go to see the doctor?"
"I have already sent someone... But sir, I suspect the young lady is possessed by evil spirits."
"Don't talk nonsense... You're not possessed by evil spirits, it's just a headache."
"But... Master, the old woman who appears in the mansion every night..."
sick?
Old woman?
Lu Liangsheng frowned even more. Judging from the voice, it should be the manager from before.
