On the tenth day of the eleventh month of the eighth year of the Xuanli reign, it rained in Nanjing.
Half a month had passed since Fu Xiaoguan was kidnapped. Fu Xiaoguan had stayed at Yu Wendao's residence for ten days. Under the careful care of the imperial physician, his injuries had improved significantly, and his overall complexion had also improved a lot.
He left the palace five days ago because the mansion by Xuanwu Lake had been renovated.
Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan were sitting in the Taoranting Pavilion in the back garden that extended to Xuanwu Lake. He was holding a fishing rod with a worm on it and putting it into the water, fishing quietly.
Dong Shulan sat at the table with an account book in her hand, looking at it quietly.
The early winter rain dripped into the lake, splashing dense water droplets, and a thin layer of mist covered the surface of the lake. If you look into the distance, it will appear even more ethereal, with the water and the sky connected into one.
"In five days, Tingmei will be open for business. I think the timing is not very good. It should be launched at the turn of spring and summer." Dong Shulan said.
"Well, that doesn't matter. The important thing during this period is to spread our fame. After all, it takes some time for those ladies to accept us."
Fu Xiaoguan grabbed a handful of rice wine from the small jar behind him and sprinkled it into the fishing spot. This was rice wine soaked with Tianchun, so why wasn't the fish taking the bait?
"You'd better go back. It's too cold outside and your injuries haven't healed yet."
"It's okay. I just can't use too much force on my left hand yet. It's just that the injury on my butt is a bit troublesome. It hurts when I sit for a long time."
Dong Shulan rolled her eyes at him, then carefully counted the account book in her hand again and said, "This house cost a total of 167,800 taels of silver. The total income from A Dream of Red Mansions so far is..."
Fu Xiaoguan waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't report this kind of thing to me. I get a headache just hearing about numbers. Just spend the money as you see fit. Don't worry about my father having no money, unless the amount in your account falls below 50,000 taels."
Dong Shulan glanced at Fu Xiaoguan sideways, feeling very happy, so she really didn't talk about the income and expenditure anymore.
But there was one thing she had to tell Fu Xiaoguan: "Since you moved here, His Majesty gave you two personally inscribed plaques for the Fu Mansion, one of which is already hanging here. The others were five pairs of bear gallbladders, a hundred stalks of century-old ginseng, a white jade Pixiu beast to protect the house, and a set of the Four Treasures of the Study. Then there were the six major families in Shangjing; they all sent representatives to visit. Among them, Yan Shidao came from the Yan Mansion, Shi Yiming from the Shi family, Qin Mowen from the Qin family, Fei Bang from the Fei family, and Xi Xunmei from the Xi family... These people came to see you with such valuable gifts, why did you pretend to sleep and not meet them?"
Dong Shulan didn't understand. If Fu Xiaoguan wanted to gain a foothold in Shangjing, wouldn't it be a good idea to take this opportunity to establish good relations with the six major families?
But as soon as Fu Xiaoguan heard that someone was coming to visit, he would run back and lie on the bed, and had no intention of meeting these people at all.
Although Dong Shulan also estimated that the assassination of Fu Xiaoguan was related to one of the six major families, there was no harm in putting on a show of it.
Fu Xiaoguan smiled and said, "It's not the right time yet. Don't tell me that I'm already full of life. Even if my father-in-law asks, he will tell me that I can't get out of bed yet."
Dong Shulan blushed and spat softly, "Then how long are you going to hide?"
"Hide for three more days."
"What's the point of this?"
"These things they sent...are not enough!"
…
As night fell, perhaps because the early winter rain was too cold, people who had nothing to do were reluctant to go out. The only people who could go out at this time were generally two types of people: those who went to brothels, and those who went to gambling houses.
It is very warm in the brothel. No matter how cold it is outside, there will always be one or several caring women inside to warm a pot of wine for you, sing a song for you, relieve your physical and mental fatigue, or fill the emptiness in your heart.
The gambling house is very exciting, with people spending money lavishly and many stories of people getting rich overnight.
To the north of Qingluan Lane is the largest brothel in Shangjing City, called Yanzhilou.
To the south of Qingluan Lane is the largest gambling house in Shangjing City, called Yonglefang.
At this moment, these two places have become bustling, and the brilliant lights are filled with the smell of luxury.
In the side room in the front yard of Yanzhi Building, a round-faced monk sat in the middle, surrounded by dozens of burly men with swords on their waists.
The round-faced monk glanced at the men with a smile, his gaze fixed on the face of a man on the left. "Are you responsible for that girl Lin Hong?"
The man quickly bowed and replied, "Master, Lin Hong is just Feng Ling'er's maid."
"Then tell me where that girl Lin Hong is now?"
"This... is my dereliction of duty. Please punish me, Master."
"Of course I will punish you."
Before he finished speaking, a rosary bead in the monk's hand suddenly flew out. The man's eyes widened suddenly - he had only one eye, and the bead was embedded in his other eye. He fell to the ground with a bang. The round-faced monk still walked over with a smile, picked out the bead, and strung it on the rosary.
"Remember, if you fail in your duty as a servant of the Lord, you will die."
As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared. He listened carefully and his expression changed drastically: "Grab your weapons and kill them!"
A group of people came to Qingluan Lane!
We have arrived at Yanzhi Tower now!
They were dressed in black, with black masks on their faces and cold swords in their hands.
No one spoke. The man in the front swung his sword, and a black crowd surged into Yanzhi Tower. Swords and knives flew, blood and flesh flowed everywhere. The round-faced monk's rosary beads flew one by one towards the black-clad man in the front. The black-clad man's sword flew, shattering all of his beads.
"Green clothes!"
"You are the gentle breeze and drizzle..."
With one strike of the sword, the round-faced monk was beheaded.
After an incense stick of time, the group of men in black rushed to Yonglefang with bloody swords. After another incense stick of time, the group of men in black lit two fires and disappeared into the rainy night.
At the Jinling government office, Qin Mowen looked out the window at the rain and said to Ning Yuchun, who had taken over his position as prefect, "It's almost time. Send someone to collect the bodies."
At the Fu Mansion by Xuanwu Lake, Fifth Prince Yu Wendao drank his last glass of wine with Fu Xiaoguan. He asked, "Where on earth did you hide that woman named Lin Hong?"
Fu Xiaoguan shook his head blankly. "I haven't even left this door. Did Qin Mowen arrest that woman? I remember telling him that there's a woman named Lin Hong in Yanzhilou. She might know something."
"If you hand her over to me, this matter can be made into a beautiful article."
Fu Xiaoguan looked at the rain outside the door, and after a moment, he smiled and said, "When it comes to writing articles, you are not as good as me."
Yu Wendao looked at Fu Xiaoguan for ten breaths, then stood up and left. "Autumn is over, the weather is cold, I hope you feel the cold!"
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