Chapter 6 Weird Painting
Two hours can be said to be short, but also long. The courtyard of Zheng Mansion’s back house is already crowded with people, and a group of women are waiting anxiously. Under the instructions of Mrs. Zheng, a change of clothes, soup, and tea were delivered one after another. The maids and old women were busy and kept coming and going, but they did not dare to make a sound for fear of disturbing the old lady and getting angry. Now they just I hope that the person lying on the collapse bed will really wake up on time.
"Ah Jia, look, the sun is almost overhead, and the second hour is about to arrive. I wonder what happened to Shiro Shiro?" Li asked.
The old lady looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly today, and it was a bit dazzling. There seemed to be no movement in the room, so she immediately called the old woman to see: "What's the matter? Is Shiro Shiro awake?"
The old woman lowered her head, as if extremely frightened, and answered tremblingly: "Not yet."
"Isn't there even the slightest sign of waking up?" the old lady asked urgently.
The old woman shook her head again.
A secret smile appeared at the corner of Li's mouth, and she pretended to be shocked and frightened: "Oh, Ajia, what's wrong, have we been deceived by that boy!"
"How do you say this?" the old lady asked displeasedly.
Mrs. Li replied: "Ah Jia, think about it! That lady treated our 14th Lang, not for fame and profit, and she didn't even leave her name. What did she want? Besides, 14th Lang She had also taken away other people's things, which had already made the lady unhappy. Although the lady had taken back her own things, why would she want to treat Shiro Shiro? According to the wife's opinion, the lady might be looking for an opportunity to take revenge on Shi Shi. Shiro's,
Think again, what Jushiro looked like when he was sent out of that room. Although his mouth was not crooked, his eyes were slanted and his whole body was twitching, his face was swollen..."
Looks like a pig's head.
Li didn't say the next few words, and continued, "Also, why did the young man say that Shiro 14 would not wake up until two hours later! These two hours were enough for them to escape. ah!"
When Mrs. Li said this, Mrs. Zheng's already doubtful and restless heart suddenly became irritated and anxious. When she thought of the word "escape", she panicked and immediately called for someone to order: "Go to that peach blossom immediately." Village, capture the miracle doctor and the young man together! If you can’t find them, search the whole village!”
Several people nodded in agreement and quickly ran out of the house.
The old lady couldn't help but clasping her hands and becoming even more nervous. She frequently ordered her maids and maids to go and look in Zheng Shilang's bedroom. After a long time, there was still no movement.
An hour later, the tribesmen finally came back, but they all looked frightened and frightened. The young man and the miracle doctor were nowhere to be seen.
"Forgive me, old lady. When I arrived at the village, the miracle doctor and the young man were gone. There was nothing in the house except a screen and a painting." One of the tribesmen reported.
"We also searched in the village, but no one was found in the entire village." Another Buqu added.
The previous servant seemed to feel that he had nothing to gain, so he took out a painting from his sleeve, raised it to his head, and reported, "Old lady, I see that the painting on the screen seems to be different. Maybe I can find out the miracle doctor." Because of his identity, he brought this painting to me.”
The old lady's face turned pale, she held her forehead in shock and almost fell backwards.
"Then why are you coming back? Why don't you go find me quickly and take my token to tell the guards at the gate of Sishui Pass and tell them not to let anyone out of the city."
The old lady shouted angrily, snatched the scroll from Na Buqu's hand and smashed it to the ground.
"What do I need this painting for? Can a painting save my grandson's life?"
Several members of the tribe were also panicked, and all the servants in the yard knelt down, fearing that the fish pond would be harmed.
But at this moment, a cry of surprise came from Zheng Shilang's bedroom.
"Wake up, wake up, Mr. Shishiro is awake!" A maid screamed.
woke up?
The old lady was ecstatic, and she led a group of women into the house like a tide. She saw that Zheng Shilang had indeed sat up, but for some unknown reason he was holding on to the edge of the bed and vomiting.
The ground was a filthy mess.
"Fourteen, what's wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?" Mrs. Zheng ran over and asked in a hurry.
Zheng Shilang vomited everything in his stomach, and then he came to his senses. He looked at Mrs. Zheng for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears and said, "Grandma, it's your grandson's unfilial piety that makes you worry!"
Mrs. Zheng patted him on the shoulder: "It'll be okay if it's okay, it'll be okay if it's okay."
Zheng Shilang held the edge of the bed, raised his eyes and looked at the people around him. He suddenly looked at the old lady and cried: "Grandma, you must seek justice for your grandson. That pair of bitches really bullied me last night." ah!"
"Last night?" The old lady was slightly shocked, "How did they bully you?"
Zheng Shilang recounted everything the boy had punched, kicked and said to him last night. He was embarrassed to say that he had drunk horse urine. If the boy hadn't been disgusted and disgusted, he might have really He would get some horse manure and stuff it into his mouth.
How could a noble son of his family be subjected to such abuse? It was intolerable.
"Grandma, although my grandson is ill, his mind is still very clear. These two bastards have humiliated their grandson and our Zheng family so much. How can we just let them go?"
Mrs. Zheng was shocked and angry after hearing this. She got up and was about to find someone. At this time, a message came from outside the door: "The master of the family is back!"
The head of the Zheng family, Zheng Daozhong, is the governor of Xingyang County. He is also known as the "Northern Calligraphy Sage" in Qi. Although their branch is not a direct descendant of the Zheng family in Xingyang, they are also very popular with Gao Zhan, the leader of Qi. of reuse. As soon as they heard that the master of the house had returned, the women would naturally come forward to greet him and salute him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Zheng Daozhong entered the door, he asked: "Where is Shiro Shiro?" Then he rushed into Zheng Shiro's bedroom aggressively, raised his hand and slapped him.
Zheng Shilang was a little confused after being beaten, and said aggrievedly: "Why did grandfather hit me?"
Zheng Daozhong seemed to be full of anger and scolded: "Don't you know what you have done? A month ago, did you rob a girl's belongings? You also bullied women and seized fertile land. Did you do these things to take people as concubines?"
Zheng Shilang covered his face and wanted to defend but was speechless. Zheng Daozhong ordered people to pull Zheng Shilang down from the collapse and kneel down, making Zheng Shilang howl.
Mrs. Zheng hurriedly came to the rescue: "What are you doing? The Fourteenth Lang has just recovered from a serious illness! What's more, it remains to be found out whether the Fourteenth Lang has really done these things. The government must also pay attention to evidence when deciding a case, not to mention the In this family, how can we only listen to the gossip outside that slanders Jushiro?"
Zheng Daozhong snorted coldly and threw a piece of silk in his sleeve into Mrs. Zheng's hands: "See for yourself!"
Mrs. Zheng took a closer look and saw that what was written on the silk was exactly the confession that Zheng Shishiro had confessed, admitting that he had bullied good people, seized fertile farmland, and raped people's girls as concubines, among other evil deeds. There is a sentence written: If others are kind to others, then I will be kind; if others are kind to others, then I will be unkind. Hope it's good, take care of yourself!
The old lady couldn't help sweating in her hands, and thought to herself: It turns out that the miraculous doctor had already expected that the Zheng family would retaliate for kindness, so she had already written to the head of the Zheng family, asking Zheng Daozhong to come back to help them out at this time. It was really good. A careful calculation, this letter is a warning and demonstration to them!
“Do you know the surname of the lady whom Shiro Shiro offended?”
The old lady was still angry, and then she heard Zheng Daozhong ask again.
"What's your last name?"
"Xiao!"
"Xiao? So what if your surname is Xiao?"
Old Madam Zheng asked in reply, and immediately her heart stirred, and she looked at the head of the Zheng family in astonishment: "Is it the Xiao from the Lanling Xiao family?"
In this world, no matter whether they have read family genealogies or not, there is probably no one who does not know the Lanling Xiao family. As an overseas surnamed gentry who came across the river during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, perhaps in the Jin Dynasty it was far inferior to the Langya Wang family and the Chenjun Xie family. , the Wang family in Taiyuan was even famous among some aristocratic families in the South. However, after the establishment of the Southern Dynasty, the Xiao family rose rapidly and became prominent in the world. Not only did the family have numerous talents and high-ranking officials, but they also replaced the Liu dynasty and established the Later Xiao Qi and Xiao Liang.
The so-called "emperors of two dynasties and prime ministers of nine Xiaos", the prosperity of the family is unprecedented in ancient times, that is to say, the Xiao family of Lanling. The glory of the Xiao family in its heyday is probably not as good as that of the two powerful families of Wang and Xie!
"But so what? After the Hou Jing Rebellion, the Xiao family and the Jiankang family have been almost wiped out for a long time. As a noble family that is about to decline, do we, the Zheng family, still need to be afraid of them? , not to mention that the people from the Lanling Xiao family are now in Jiangling or Jiankang, why does this young lady come here alone? "
When Mrs. Zheng said this, the head of the Zheng family also fell silent. He took something out of his sleeve and looked at it again and again, showing some hesitation and confusion.
While he was deep in thought, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a scroll spread out on the ground. He picked it up and looked at it. He didn't think anything of it at first, but then he became more and more fascinated as he looked at it. Gradually, an incredible look filled his eyes, and he spoke He also murmured to himself: "This...how is this possible?"
"Husband, what's going on? Is there any mystery in this painting?"
Mrs. Zheng also curiously came over to take a look, but seeing that it was just an unfinished painting, she traced a few lines and outlines. There was nothing fascinating about the painting at all, but there was a poem on the right side of the painting. It's a little different.
"But the flying generals of Dragon City are here, and they don't teach Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountains. This poem is quite good, but this painting..."
Zheng Daozhong shook his head repeatedly: "No, you have never seen this painting, you have not seen the situation at that time. This painting was once painted by two people in the court hall of Nanliang. It was painted by Liang Liang at that time. Emperor Wu and the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty called it "a wonderful painting of gods and spirits, which is unprecedented in ancient times". Many famous painters have a lifelong wish to see this painting. Unfortunately, this painting has always been It was collected by Xiao Yi, the king of Xiangdong in Nanliang. Later Xiao Yi proclaimed himself emperor in Jiangling. After proclaiming himself emperor, Xiao Yi was so arrogant that he did not want to bow his head to the king of Zhou. The army of Zhou took advantage of the civil strife in Nanliang to attack. Enter Jiangling,
Seeing that there was no hope of saving the country, Xiao Yi, a madman, actually burned all the calligraphy and painting treasures, ancient paintings, Dharma stickers, letter slips, and 140,000 books in order to prevent the things he treasured from falling into the hands of others! "
Thinking of this, Zheng Daozhong even pounded his chest, as if he had seen the scene that day with his own eyes, and wished he could jump into the sea of fire and save all the famous people's stickers and ancient calligraphy and paintings from the sea of fire.
Mrs. Zheng had naturally heard of the book-burning incident of Emperor Xiao Yicheng of Liang Yuan Dynasty. Although she felt it was a pity, she was not as distressed by the burning and loss of ancient books as Zheng Daozhong.
"But what does it have to do with this painting? As you just said, all the treasures of ancient paintings have been burned by Emperor Liang Yuan, so how can they be handed down? Even if they are handed down, it cannot be like this. It’s only a half-painted remnant, right? Besides, in my opinion…”
"No -" Zheng Daozhong immediately interrupted, "Although it is only half of the painting, the lines and outlines in this painting are enough to show his painting skills. What's more, I was also present at the time. I happened to have seen this half of the painting. , it reminds me of a person.”
"who?"
"The eldest daughter of the Xie family." Zheng Daozhong replied, his voice paused, unusual admiration oozed from his eyes, and then he sighed with regret, "It's a pity..."
"What's a pity?"
The old lady asked, but Zheng Daozhong shook his head and stopped talking.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment, only Zheng Daozhong's sigh of "what a pity" echoed over and over again.
It was in this silence that one could hear the drop of a needle that a servant girl's frightened scream suddenly sounded.
"Look, this painting, this painting..." she pointed at the scroll unfolded in Zheng Daozhong's hand and shouted.
Zheng Daozhong and the old lady also came back to their senses. When they looked at the painting, they saw several black spots the size of ink appeared in the painting. Soon the black spots became bigger and bigger, and finally it seemed like there was a fire burning.
Zheng Daozhong was so frightened that he quickly let go of the painting he had loved so much. The servants and women surrounding the house were so frightened that they all screamed and ran away.
(End of chapter)