Huairou appointment

In the plum garden and plum forest, the branches of the plum trees are intertwined, and the green leaves dotted with stars show rare vitality. Every bit of green on the plum tree is extremely precious, but it was broken by a pair of bloody hands.

A gray face towel soaked in blood was thrown on the ground, revealing a pale face of more than 40 years old, with cheek contours as sharp as a knife and an axe, and smooth lines. It is a square face with a beard and deep eyes, but at this moment it reveals indescribable weakness.

"Cough... cough..."

After two coughs, the middle-aged man couldn't stop spitting out another mouthful of blood. Afterwards, it seemed to be much better, and his face finally had a flush.

At this moment, a woman hurriedly pushed aside the layers of branches and came not far from the middle-aged man.

The woman was none other than the princess Nangong Chuxin.

Nangong was so shocked by the middle-aged man's appearance that she covered her mouth with both hands, as if she couldn't believe the scene in front of her.

"You...you...how are you so badly injured?"

The middle-aged man stood up with difficulty, leaning against a plum tree, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking up at the sky and sighing weakly: "There are always people who are better than you. If you hadn't escaped quickly, I'm afraid you wouldn't have survived to see the lady."

"What...what's going on? Who in the world can hurt you so badly?"

"I have been monitoring Xia Shang in the name of the lady. I have been doing my duty for the past few months and have reported many things to the lady. But I don't know when there was a person beside him. A child with amazing Kung Fu skills."

"Child?"

"Today I noticed that several people have been secretly following Xia Shang, so I followed them all the way. I wanted to take action when they were at a disadvantage to Xia Shang, but I didn't expect that a child who was only thirteen years old suddenly appeared at this moment. This person carried a black giant sword, and the three thieves were killed in one round in the hands of this child. I exposed my whereabouts because of my reckless advance, and I fought with the child for three rounds, and then... I became like this."

It would have been better if he didn't say it. When the middle-aged man said it, Nangong was even more surprised, staring with a pair of phoenix eyes: "That's it... after three rounds?"

"That man was born with supernatural power, and his huge black sword was powerful enough to destroy my Qinglan Sword and I was seriously injured. Fortunately, even if I retreat, I can still withstand this injury."

"Is there such a monster in the world? Do you know who he is? Can I use him?"

"I don't know. If Xia Shang is protected by such a master, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get useful information from him. Madam, do you have any other plans?"

Nangong frowned: "This Xia Shang must be included in my team If we can get his support, the mysterious master around him may also join the Yongwang camp. You should recover first, and then find out who the mysterious child is. Recently, another group of people tried to control the wealthy businessmen in Yangzhou City. Xia Shang produced the mysterious Wuliangye, which had a great influence. Those people will definitely take action against Xia Shang. If there is a problem with the Xia family, we will help them and win their favor, so that we can further develop the relationship. "

...

What happened under the jujube tree in Changxiang did not affect Xia Shang too much, and he pretended to be nothing and returned home.

The family was still the same, with a small worker resting in the yard, and Zhongbo was busy directing on the side.

In the yard, Xiaoyue put her small waist in front of two strange men, raised her little head, and said something arrogantly.

The two men looked handsome, probably about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing gray shirts and small hats, and they bowed their heads in front of Xiaoyue, looking like they were accepting instruction.

It turned out that the two men were two servants that Zhongbo had found. Because of their poor family background, they didn't even have a formal name. Xiaoyue only called them Ada and Aer. Later, Zhongbo also said that these two were street kids. Their family really couldn't make ends meet, so they sold the two children to the Xia family to make a living. They were honest people who knew the rules.

Xia Shang didn't think it was a big deal. After all, there were many things to do at home now, and more people were really needed. He casually said a few words and asked Xiaoyue to fetch water.

Xiaoyue fetched hot water and rubbed the young master's feet.

Xia Shang sat on the bed and enjoyed it for a while, and suddenly found that there was no one at home.

"Where's Huairou? Why don't you see Huairou?"

Xiaoyue rubbed her feet attentively and answered hurriedly: "As soon as the young master left in the morning, Madam Liu from Liuzhuang came to the house and talked to Madam for a long time. Later, she invited Madam to Liuzhuang and said that she would not be back in the next two days, so Xiaoyue told the young master."

Xia Shang was very curious. What did Madam Liu mean by coming to Madam? And Madam was willing to go to Liuzhuang with him, and said that she would not be back in the next two days. Could it be that she wanted to wait until after the poetry meeting?

And Madam Liu's purpose was to persuade Huairou to let her join the Red Flower Society?

Speaking of the Red Flower Society.

Why did Xia Shang always refuse to join? In fact, he was still a little worried. He said that he robbed the rich to help the poor, but he became the target of the court's encirclement and suppression. Since ancient times, even if there were many injustices and unclear things in the ruling party, they ultimately represented the majority of justice. Encirclement and suppression of an organization would not be as simple as the Red Flower Society disturbing public order.

Therefore, Xia Shang always felt that the Red Flower Society and the White Clothes Cult were both forces that were not fully understood, and he must definitely draw a clear line with them.

If Madam Liu wanted to change her mind through Madam, it would prove that the Red Flower Society had impure intentions, and she could not agree to it.

Since Madam had already gone to Liuzhuang, let her stay there. If we meet by chance in Liuzhuang two days later, maybe we can write another spark.

…

Between the large and small courtyards of Liuzhuang, a window with two circles intersecting was opened on the wall of a white carved corridor. Several bunches of flowers and branches were horizontal in the middle, cutting the view into small squares.

This is the back wall of a small building in a separate residence. Few people come and go, and the bluestone surface on the ground has been piled with dead leaves.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound, and someone was coming.

"Madam, my daughter Ruyan is in this small house. Let's keep our voices down. I haven't discussed this with her yet. My daughter is gentle and taciturn. I'm afraid she will be panicked if she sees strangers talking about marriage leave."

"Don't worry, Madam Liu, Xia knows."

"My daughter has been well-read since she was young. Her manners are absolutely perfect. She speaks less and doesn't know how to flatter. I guess she won't please men. But my daughter is very smart. She is not only knowledgeable, but also skilled in mathematics. As long as she goes through the accounts of my Liuzhuang, she can give the results in a moment, and they are accurate. If Madam agrees to let my daughter and Master Xia get along, it will be a good housekeeper for the Xia family."

The two had communicated a lot before. If the daughter of the Liu family really has the ability of arithmetic, it can really reduce a lot of burdens for the husband.

Thinking of this, Qin Huairou quietly reached the thick wall, poked out a pair of eyes from the empty space hidden by the branches and looked into the yard.