Sword of Coming

The old Confucian scholar returned the customs clearance document to the young man named Chen Pingan.

The academy master had a very good impression of this person.

The old master looked at Chen Pingan again, carrying a long sword and a book box, which looked very pleasing to the eye.

Studying with a sword in hand and traveling thousands of miles to study are the things that we scholars can do and do best.

Chen Pingan asked: "Sir, do you know a little girl named Li Baoping? She likes to wear red cotton jackets and red skirts."

The old master laughed and said: "Who in our academy doesn't know this girl? Not to mention all the places in the academy, I guess even the capital city of Sui Dynasty was visited by the little girl. She was so full of energy every day that we could hardly walk. The old guy on the road is so envious that he skipped class and sneaked out of the academy again today. If you had come half an hour earlier, you might have just met the little treasure vase."

Chen Pingan asked: "She was the only one who left the academy?"

The old master nodded and said: "It happens every time."

Seeing Chen Ping'an's worried look, the old master smiled and said: "Don't worry, the little girl has gone out so many times and has never made any mistakes. After all, she is a disciple of the academy. What's more, our Sui capital city has always been stable and the people are simple. In addition, the Minister of Rites is also an academy student." Mountain Master, you often come to this Xiaodong Mountain to drink tea with the deputy mountain masters, and everything will be fine."

Chen Pingan felt slightly relieved.

The old master asked: "Why, are you here to find the little treasure vase when you visit the Cliff Academy this time? The household registration on your customs clearance document is also from Longquan County, Dali. Not only is the little girl's fellow villager, but he is also a relative?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "I'm just a fellow villager, not a relative. I came to the Sui capital with Xiaobaoping and the others a few years ago, but I didn't climb the mountain to enter the academy that time."

The old master felt a little strange. When these children from Longquan County entered the Xinshanya Academy to study, they first sent elite cavalry troops to pick them up at the border, and then His Majesty the Emperor personally visited the academy. It was very grand, and Long Yan was very happy, and he gave gifts to all the students. The child, this young man from Dali named Chen Pingan, logically said that even if he did not enter the academy, he should have seen it once or twice.

The old master asked: "Are you going to wait here for Li Baoping to return to the academy?"

Chen Pingan nodded.

Of course he hopes that the first person he sees at Cliff Academy is Little Treasure Vase.

Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu thank you. Of course Chen Ping'an also wants to see it, especially the youngest Li Huai.

It's just that they are not as good as the little girl who wears red cotton-padded jackets in autumn, winter and spring, and only wears red skirts in summer. Chen Pingan never denied his selfishness. He was the closest to Xiao Baoping. This was true during his study tour in the Sui Dynasty. Later, he went to Daoxuan Mountain alone. He also only sent a letter to Li Baoping, and then asked the recipient of the letter to Xiao Baoping. The girl helped his junior uncle and brought the rest of the letters to them. On the scroll painted by Fan's painter on the top of Osmanthus Island, only one was given to Li Baoping, but none to Li Huai.

This difference between closeness and distance, Lin Shouyi and Yu Lu Xie must be very clear about it, but they may not care about it. Lin Shouyi is a beautiful jade cultivator, and Yu Lu and Xie Xie are important figures in the Lu dynasty.

As for Li Huai, who is always a good player in the family, he probably still feels that Chen Ping'an and A Liang are the closest to him.

The old master waved his hand and said with a smile: "I advise you to go ahead and put your things in the college guest house. Every time Li Baoping sneaks out, even if he leaves early in the morning, he still has to come back at dusk at the earliest. There is no exception. If you wait for her at this door, you will have to wait at least three hours, there is no need."

Chen Pingan thought for a while, then turned to look at Pei Qian and the others. If it was just him, he wouldn't mind waiting here.

He turned and looked at the end of the street.

Zhu Lian has been looking at the academy building behind the mountain gate. It was built against the mountain. Although it was newly built by the Ministry of Industry in the Sui Dynasty, it was extremely careful and created a simple, elegant and ancient atmosphere.

This cliff academy, which was moved from Da Li to the capital of Sui Dynasty, was one of the seventy-two Confucian academies that dominated the world in the past.

This is the first Confucian academy Zhu Lian saw after leaving Ouhua Blessed Land.

The place where the saint gave lectures was famous all over the world.

When Shanya Academy was first built in Dali, the first mountain master put forward a preface to the study of enlightened principles, advocating that the four elements of learning and speculation should be combined into one word of practice.

When Zhu Lian raised his eyes to look at the academy, Shi Rou didn't dare to breathe.

Although Shi Rou resides in the remains of an immortal, she can resist the invisible aura of righteousness, but the instinct of ghosts and ghosts still frightens her heart.

Pei Qian remained silent and seemed more nervous than Shi Rou.

When she disembarked in Laolongcheng, she still promised to meet Li Baoping's Pei Qian, but when she arrived at the gate of the Sui capital, she began to feel weak.

When we arrived at the gate of Shanya Academy, we were even more frightened.

Chen Pingan asked with a smile: "Sir, if we want to visit Lord Maoshan after entering the academy and staying in the guest house, do we need to inform someone in advance and wait for a reply?"

The old man smiled and said: "Actually, the report is of little significance. The main reason is that our Master Maoshan doesn't like to entertain guests. In recent years, he has refused almost all visits and entertainment. Even if Lord Shangshu comes to the academy, he may not be able to see Master Maoshan. But Chen The young master has come all the way and is from Longquan County, so I guess just saying hello will be enough. Although our Lord Mao Shan is rigorous in his studies, he is actually easy to talk to. It’s just that the celebrities of the Sui Dynasty always focused on mystical talks, so we can’t chat with Lord Mao Shan.”

Chen Ping'an still did not walk into the academy immediately and asked: "If I remember correctly, the person responsible for the public security and order in the capital of the Sui Dynasty is the Infantry Commander Yamen?"

The old gentleman understood clearly, and seemed to still be worried about Li Baoping. He smiled and said, "That's exactly what happened. Moreover, the youngest son of the chief official of the yamen is now studying in the academy."

Chen Pingan breathed a sigh of relief again.

Chen Pingan asked some more trivial matters about Li Baoping before saying goodbye to the old gentleman and walking into the academy.

Pei Qian walked with heavy steps, especially after passing the gate, walking on a gently sloping mountain road, it felt like he was wading down the river and trudging through the snow.

The academy has a guest house specially designed to entertain students, relatives and elders. At that time, Mr. and Mrs. Li Er and their daughter Li Liu lived in the guest house.

The academy only charged some token coins, ten cents a day for each guest house. After learning that there were not many guest houses now, Chen Pingan asked for four adjacent guest houses in one breath.

After everyone bowed and saluted, Pei Qian came to Chen Ping'an's house to copy the book.

Chen Pingan took off the bamboo box, and even took off the sword gourd and the semi-immortal weapon "Sword Immortal" from his waist.

Zhu Lian came and asked if he wanted to visit the academy together. Chen Pingan said that he would not go for the time being. Pei Qian was copying books and would not pay attention to Zhu Lian.

Zhu Lian went to knock on Shi Rou's door. Shi Rou, who was feeling uncomfortable all over, was in a bad mood. Zhu Lian continued to speak weird words with a meaty flavor outside, so Shi Rou rewarded Zhu Lian with the word "Go".

Zhu Lian had to go to the academy alone.

————

Li Baoping may already know this capital better than the people who were born and raised in this capital.

She has been to Tianchangmen in the south, nicknamed the Grain Gate by the common people. The grain coming through the canal is stored in the granary after being inspected by officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs. It is where grain and rice from all directions gather. She once squatted at the ferry there for a long time, looking at the busy officials and subordinates, as well as the sweaty porters. I also know that there is a temple of the Fox Fairy that is very popular there. It is neither an orthodox temple recognized by the Ministry of Etiquette of the Imperial Court, nor a temple of obscenity. It has a strange origin. It enshrines a fox tail that is as shiny as new. There are crazy people, gods and goddesses selling them. The old woman in Fu Shui and the bone-touching master from Guanxi in the Sui Dynasty often quarreled with each other.

She had been to the Changfu Temple Fair, which was crowded with people, and she was very coveted for a kind of tube snake made of horns. There were many rich people here, even those Changshou who were more arrogant than the powerful children. Servants all like to wear clothes dyed with black Sichuan rat fur, passing it off as mink fur.

Li Baoping also went to the edge of the imperial city and squatted there for many afternoons. Only then did he realize that there were many courtesans and embroiderers. These people who were not from the palace could still enter and exit the imperial city, but they just needed to carry them with them. Carrying a waist badge, there is a Wenhua Museum that compiles the history of previous dynasties and compiles history books. It employs many external calligraphers and papermakers.

Then go around to the back gate of the imperial city in the north, which is called Dijiu Gate. Li Baoping goes there more often because it is more lively. He once saw a noisy storm in a silver shop. The soldiers captured the thieves with great momentum. Later, she asked the shopkeeper of a nearby shop and found out that the shop that did not do clean business but was able to make a fortune every day was a den for selling stolen goods. Most of the items for sale were royal objects stolen from the Sui Palace. Some of the hidden sachets and even tin sheets for repairing ditches in a palace were stolen. The leftover scraps from the palace's annual repairs were also coveted by vendors outside the palace. Many construction offices reported losses, and even more. The profits are huge, especially those made of gold, jade and box mounting, which can easily be taken out of the palace and turned into real gold and silver.

Li Baoping didn't quite understand at the time, how could anyone dare to steal the Emperor's property right under his Majesty's nose. The old shopkeeper who got to know her well said with a smile that there are people who do the business of beheading, but no one does the business of losing money.

Li Baoping also went to Xiuyi Bridge not far from Dijiu Gate. There was a large lake there, but it was blocked by the walls of the palaces of princes and high officials. The Infantry Commander's Yamen is located in a place called Diao Mao Alley over there. Li Baoping walked back and forth several times while eating cakes because there was a classmate she didn't like very much who always liked to brag that his father was the top official in that Yamen. The biggest one, even if he peed on the stone lion over there, no one would dare to care.

Li Baoping also visited Zhongguan Lane in the south of the city, which is where many old eunuchs and bald-headed maids spent their old age after leaving the palace. There were many temples and Taoist temples there, but they were not big. Most of the eunuchs and maids spared no effort in supporting them. , and extremely pious.

Therefore, Li Baoping can often see an old man with a hunchback, supported by servants, or walking alone on crutches to burn incense.

After wandering around a lot, Li Baoping came to know that the most senior palace maid was known as the inner court grandma, an older female official who served the emperor and empress. Among them, the old palace maid who combed the emperor's hair every morning had the most honorable status, and some of them knew how to do it. Was given the title of "Mrs."

To the east of the capital, there was the largest market in the Sui Dynasty, with many shops, carriages and horses, and the flow of people was the flow of money. Among them was the bookstore where Li Baoping loved to hang out. Some bold bookstore owners would secretly sell some books that according to imperial laws could not be released out of the country. Envoys from various vassal states often send servants to buy privately. However, if you are unlucky, once you encounter an inspection by a shopkeeper, you will be taken to the Yamen and fined.

In these three years.

Regardless of whether she is wearing a cotton-padded jacket or clothes, the little girl always wears a bright red color. She helps many hobbling old people who go to burn incense, helps the crying children standing under the tree, goes up the tree to take down the paper kite,

I pushed the cart carrying charcoal stuck in the snow and mud with a ragged old man. I watched the old man playing chess on the corner of the street. I stood on tiptoe in each antique shop and asked the shopkeeper about the price of the paperwork. Sitting on the steps under the overpass, listening to the stories of the storytellers, passing by the vendors carrying burdens and shouting in the streets countless times, I even tried to persuade the children who were twisting into a ball on the ground to pull away...

The little girl heard the melodious whistle of pigeons over the capital. The little girl saw the beautiful swaying paper kites. The little girl ate the most delicious wontons in the world. The little girl escaped the rain under the eaves and hid under the trees. The bright sun is blowing in the wind and snow to keep warm...

Today Li Baoping went to visit the bookstore again. On the way there, she had lunch at a cheap and good-quality small restaurant. On the way back, she changed to a small alley noodle restaurant with ancestral craftsmanship. The old shopkeeper and the proprietress were very close to her. When I got used to it, I often said that it would be cheaper or not charge at all, but Li Baoping didn’t agree and said that maybe it would be cheaper next time. It just happened again and again, and the two restaurants didn’t agree. Such an opportunity, over time, they just regarded it as a little girl saying polite words, and were not willing to let their small business earn a few pennies less, but they actually wanted to laugh. When they met such a cute and sensible customer, they No matter how hard it is to make money, you won't care about the little money.

In the twilight.

Li Baoping's running figure appeared on the street outside the gate of Shanya Academy.

The little girl felt that the book said that time flies by and the time flies by, which seems wrong. Why did she walk so slowly and anxiously when she got here?

A little girl in a red skirt who seemed to only have eyes for the distance quickly said hello to the old master at the door and rushed past.

The old gentleman who was taking a nap remembered something and shouted to the back: "Little Treasure Vase, come back!"

Li Baoping did not stop, waving his hands, staying on the spot, turning his head to look at the old master who was waving to him, then ran backwards, and he actually ran not too slowly...

Li Baoping ran backwards to the door, stood still, and asked: "Mr. Liang, is something wrong?"

The old man named Liang asked curiously: "Didn't you meet anyone you knew on the road?"

Li Baoping's eyes widened and he shook his head: "No."

The old gentleman smiled and asked, "Did you not turn in from Baimao Street today?"

Li Baoping nodded and said, "Yes, what's wrong?"

The old gentleman smiled and asked: "Aquarius, before I answer your question, you first answer my question. Do you think I am very knowledgeable?"

Li Baoping thought for a moment and said, "Smaller than Master Mao Shan."

The old gentleman was immediately shocked by the honest little girl and was choked to the point of being speechless.

But thinking about it from another angle, the little girl comparing herself to a Confucian academy saint is a good thing, right?

So the old gentleman was in a good mood and told Li Baoping that a young man had come to the academy to look for her. He first stood at the door for a long time, then went to the guest house to put down his luggage, and came here twice more. The last time he went there was half a day. An hour ago, he came and never left.

The old gentleman smiled and said: "I advised him not to worry. Our little treasure bottle is as familiar with the capital as if he were wandering around his own house. He definitely couldn't throw it away. But the man was still walking back and forth on this street. Later, I took care of him. If you are anxious, tell him that you usually turn from Baimao Street. He is probably waiting for you on Baimao Street. Seeing that you are not there, he walks a little further, hoping to see you earlier. His figure, that's why you two missed it. It doesn't matter, just wait here, he will be back soon."

Li Baoping turned around suddenly and was about to fly away.

The old gentleman said anxiously: "Xiao Baoping, are you going to Baimao Street to find him? Be careful that he has gone far away from Baimao Street to find you. If he doesn't return the same way, won't you miss him again?" What, are you going to play hide and seek?"

Li Baoping was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, running around in circles.

This is a scene that the academy masters have never seen before.

Li Baoping was about to cry, and suddenly shouted: "Uncle Junior!"

The old master was shocked, squinted his eyes, his aura changed completely, and looked towards the end of the street.

There was a figure in white clothes, like a white rainbow, turning into the field of vision from Baimao Street, and then swooping over at a faster speed, arriving in an instant.

When the young man stood calmly, his two snow-white sleeves were still floating, like a romantic immortal.

He stood in front of the little girl in red, smiling brightly, and said softly: "Uncle Junior is here."