Wei Liang lifted the exquisite pocket watch bought from a Persian businessman for the third time, and looked at the time. The scenery on the street outside was changing. The city is filled with countless tenderness and prosperity.

But he had no intention of admiring it, instead he felt a bit of uncontrollable anxiety.

We are about to meet that person.

But he began to worry that if he did too much this time, would he bring any disaster to himself?

Things have to start from last summer.

At that time, Wei Liang was still studying in Yangzhou Shuangzhong Academy. Although he was not the number one talented scholar in the world, he was well-known in the Jiangnan area, and he was the hot spot for Jie Yuan this autumn.

Unexpectedly, when I was about to abandon the boat and go ashore on a day trip to the lake, I met a strange girl.

She is slim and exquisite, wearing gold and silver, and the pearl hanging on the earlobe alone is worth thousands of taels of silver, but the goose yellow silk clothes are full of mud and water, as if they were just fished out of a mud pit. Neither the head nor the face was spared. Especially that face, which seemed to be a hasty attempt to wipe off the muddy water, but failed, and instead wiped off a face even more.

When she saw their group of students landed, she immediately greeted them.

The group of people who have made friends with Wei Liang are all young talents who are knowledgeable and knowledgeable. On weekdays, many bold girls would throw sachets and sweat towels when they take a cruise on the lake. When they see a girl, they will come forward Subconsciously, I thought it was the initiative to show hospitality, but it was the first time I saw someone in such a mess, and stopped for a while.

Although Wei Liang is talented and famous, his appearance is only mediocre, not amazing.

Scholars who used to be colleagues were very popular.

So at that time, he just stood among the crowd, completely staying out of the matter, waiting to see the follow-up.

But no one expected that when a friend in the same company asked frivolously, "Which one is the girl looking for", the girl blinked, and even glanced at the place where he was standing, and said without any shyness: " I'm looking for Mr. Wei Liang Wei."

There was a sudden silence by the lake.

Wei Liang himself was also taken aback, really surprised.

Everyone else looked at him.

The girl was still generous, with such a dirty and difficult to distinguish face, when she smiled, she gave people the illusion of brilliance, and said to him: "Young Master Wei, can you take a step to speak?"

Those friends in the same industry have always watched the excitement and didn't think it was a big deal, so they deliberately booed and booed beside them.

He immediately felt his face burn.

His feet remained motionless as if they were nailed to the ground, and he said to the girl sternly: "Young lady, what's the matter, you might as well talk about it on the spot, so you don't need to take a step to talk."

The girl looked at him strangely, her eyeballs wandered around, she didn't know what she was thinking about, and raised her eyebrows after a while: "You really want me to say it here?"

Wei Liang's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously said, "There's nothing you can't tell others."

But she looked at him seriously, and repeated mysteriously: "Young Master Wei, you have thought about it, do you really want to say it here?"

At that moment, all kinds of images flashed through Wei Liang's mind, and all kinds of self-doubts popped up all at once: After studying in Yangzhou, which girl should I be ashamed of? Have you ever made a promise with a prostitute in a brothel but haven't fulfilled it? Have you ever picked up something inappropriate while walking on the road in the middle of the night and have not returned it to the owner? Is it not enough to be discreet enough in the academy to annoy someone without knowing it?

But the answer is all no.

Although his family is not rich, he is not poor either, and he still has basic vision and insight. One is not to do anything too much that would come to him, and the other is that even if he does it, he will not leave obvious clues to others.

But this girl's posture...

Could it be that I have missed something?

The eyes of others fell on him, like a needle prick.

Wei Liang was inexplicably nervous.

After all, he still couldn't bear the battle between heaven and man in his mind, coughed, and said uncertainly: "Then, let's take a step to talk?"

Later, he thought of this momentary muddled bad decision several times, it could be said that he lost his reputation under the feet of others—

What is there to avoid if you are not guilty?

Since then, it has been rumored all over the academy that he has an unusual relationship with a mysterious girl, and they are often teased out, and when they ask him about it, he can't tell the reason, and he is extremely aggrieved.

It's just that at the time, I didn't turn my mind around, so I didn't realize the consequences of this move.

It was the girl who bent over with a smile.

At the end, he waved his hands with his other friends very naturally and said: "Little girl and Mr. Wei go talk first, and if you can't finish talking for a while, you don't have to wait for him. I will naturally send him back to the academy afterwards."

The friends thought they were smart, and all smiled narrowly and dispersed.

The setting sun paved the water, and half the lake was rustling.

The willow branches on the bank had withered, so he and the girl who couldn't see her face were left standing face to face, looking at each other.

Wei Liang frowned and said, "I don't seem to know the girl well."

The girl put her hands behind her back and said, "Mr. Wei doesn't know me, but I have heard of Mr. Wei's name for a long time."

Wei Liang was puzzled: "Girls also like to read?"

The girl shook her head: "The thing I hate most is reading, but recently I have some other hobbies."

Wei Liang didn't know how to respond.

The girl smiled at him: "I heard that Mr. Wei has a lot of research on this, so I came here today to ask for advice."

Wei Liang finally couldn't hold back the curiosity in his heart: "This one?"

The corner of the girl's lips parted: "Planting the land."

Wei Liang: "..."

The moment Wei Liang heard these two words, Wei Liang's eyelids almost jumped up, and his scalp was numb, feeling as if someone had discovered the deepest secret in his heart.

He was shocked: "How would you know?!"

Looking back on the scene at that time now, it is actually a bit indescribably funny, but it is undeniable: at least at that time, he still had some fear in his heart. It's not because he's afraid of being known, but because he's afraid that his family will make trouble for him.

Scholars, farmers, businessmen.

Scholars are the highest, and the purpose of scholars after ten years of hard work is just to jump over the dragon gate to become a master, and then to be a farmer and a businessman.

Families with generations of poets and books naturally look down on the lower three.

However, Wei Liang was different from others since he was a child. When he saw rain in the sky and water dripping on the ground, he wanted to find out what was going on. He would always look up some astronomical almanacs; When he walked into the bookstore, he secretly bought a copy of "Qimin Yaoshu"; later, others raised orchids in flower pots, but he had a deep relationship with Persia and Semu, and he planted an ugly one in a blue and white porcelain pot. Excessive things, what are they called potatoes...

When he was young, others still regarded him as a joke.

After staying a little older, the elders of the family finally discovered the nature of his deviant, searched out all the calendars and agricultural books, burned them all, and ordered him a family law, saying that if he failed the exam, he would look good on him later. .

It was only then that Wei Liang "returned when he lost his way", and put his flexible brain back on the "right way" of reading, writing policy theories, and reading scriptures. .

After leaving home, he went to Yangzhou to study.

There was no one in the Frost Bell Academy, and whenever they had time, they would use a knife to gesticulate on the dug out potatoes, and even baked a few of them like sweet potatoes for friends to eat. Of course, after one of them had diarrhea, no one dared to try his food again.

It can be said that Wei Liang never expected that in this Yangzhou territory, someone would know that he actually doesn't like reading and prefers farming!

The girl seemed to have expected him to be so surprised, so she didn't answer his question, but just looked at him with a smile and said, "If I say that there are thousands of acres of land empty right now, I'll wait for someone to plant something, Young Master Wei." Would you be interested?"

Wei Liang thought she was talking nonsense.

Where can a yellow-haired girl dare to say that there are thousands of acres of open land waiting to be planted? At that time, she almost refused without thinking about it, but the girl was noncommittal, and just handed him a name card with the address of a different courtyard written on it, saying that if he changed his mind, he could find him, and he was here at any time.

Therefore, Wei Liang could not resist such temptation after all.

After returning to the academy, after only staying up for six days, I couldn't help but follow the path and went to the other courtyard.

It's just that I didn't see the girl again.

The one who stayed in the other courtyard to entertain her was another handsome man, who personally handed over a letter, several land title deeds, and account booklets to him, and took him to the so-called "open space" to check in person.

From then on, Wei Liang got on the thief's boat and entered the thief's den.

only…

He has done a lot of things, got a lot of money, and this year's rice harvest is really gratifying, but he doesn't know who he is working for, which really makes him feel uneasy.

Especially recently…

The carriage has reached the boundary of Jinling.

Pedestrians flocked outside, bustling and noisy, even when the sun was about to set, there were voices of soliciting business everywhere. Some people even didn't come out to set up stalls until this time.

Linhe is full of lanterns.

"Call—"

Outside the carriage, the coachman reined in his horse and stopped to ask for directions.

"Brother, may I ask how to get to Bird Clothes Lane?"

Passers-by show the way to the coachman.

The stop is probably near the tea house, and the voice of someone gossiping can be vaguely heard coming from the second floor.

Wei Liang listened intently for a moment and then frowned.

"If you want me to tell you, there must be a battle between Master Wanxiu and Master Yuanji. Tianjiao promotes Taoism, and White Horse Temple must uphold Buddhism. The quarrel has lasted for several months. This is a proper fight. Get up! I think it's better to pack your bags and stay far away from Jiangnan these days, God knows when war will happen again?"

"Master Yuanji must be stronger!"

"Yes, the Holy Majesty trusts him so much. I heard that even Young Master Xie has been alienated in the past two years. After all, Young Master Xie is the real master of the emperor. He is a monk who got in the middle halfway. Common people, how can you still be named a national teacher?"

"Oh, don't dare to talk nonsense..."

"Oh, it's a mess, it's a mess!"

"Fortunately, the Tatars have survived a lot in the past two years, and they haven't caused any trouble for Dagan. Otherwise, internal and external troubles will explode at any moment, and they will simply kill us ordinary people!"

"If you want me to say it, the Heavenly Sect is powerful! What is Datong? The Human Heavenly Sect is for Datong! After several families in our village had no land to plant, they could not be bandits. They all joined the Heavenly Sect. Was it forced by dog ​​officials and profiteers?"

"Fortunately, Jiangnan is a rich and prosperous place, so it doesn't have much influence..."

"Don't you say that the emperor will tour the south next year?"

"No, do you think there are so many wealthy businessmen and BMW cars everywhere in Jinling in the past half month? Just for this! A trip to the south is a waste of money, and the dog officials don't want to pay, but Don’t you want to catch these wealthy businessmen and tycoons? I heard that they are the ones who pay, and whoever pays more will be given more official salt next year.”

"The world is getting more and more difficult..."

"Who said no?"

…

The coachman asked where Bird Clothes Lane was, and drove to it, gradually getting far away, and those voices gradually became blurred in the rear, mixed into the rumble of carriages and horses, and became indistinct.

Wei Liang lowered his eyes and touched his sleeve.

This season's account book is quietly hidden inside, tied to the arm, firmly.

The coachman said: "Young Master Wei, we're here."

Only then did Wei Liang lift the curtain and get out of the car.

In the long Jiangnan old alley, moss grows in the gaps between the bluestone slabs, and a few golden autumn leaves from nowhere are scattered on the ground. The courtyard in front of him was deserted, without any extravagance, not even a specific name, there was only a black plaque on the top, with the words "Xiebaiju" written on it.

He stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.

After a while someone came to answer the door.

She was a pretty girl, she was not surprised when she saw him, but her eyes showed some scrutiny, and she said calmly: "Young Master Wei is here, my master has been waiting for you here for half a day after getting your summons, Please come in."

It doesn't look very obvious from the outside, but inside Xiebaiju, it is quiet and quiet.

There are several parrots hanging in the corridor.

When they saw someone, they called out: "Who is coming, who is coming!"

Wei Liang was speechless.

Walking all the way to the depths of the courtyard, passing through two double hanging flower gates, you can enter a water pavilion facing the lake. The beauties of the waterside pavilion set up a reclined armchair on the edge, and another square table beside it, with a melon and fruit plate on it, and an open account book.

Sitting in the chair is a girl.

And not sitting upright normally, but sitting cross-legged, looking lazy. There is only a red agate hairpin pinned to her shiny black hair. She faces Pinghu Lake and her back to the water pavilion. She rests her chin on her hand and looks at the fishing rod on the railing. She seems to be bored, waiting for the fish. Take the bait.

Wei Liang could only see half of her back from behind.

For a moment, I wasn't sure if it was the girl I met last year.

The maid who led the way said: "Girl, Mr. Wei is here."

The girl didn't turn her head back: "Take my girl's money, plant my land, withhold my account book, hold down my harvest, and dare to use it as a threat to see me, ask me What happened. Mr. Wei, bandits and bandits are rampant in the world today, and you are not worried about some accidents on the road, and you will die if you are not careful?"

Wei Liang recognized the voice immediately.

Light and light, like the wind passing through the ears, like the undercurrent of a spring, it is extremely pleasing to the eye and makes people daydream.

Standing behind him, he naturally heard the dissatisfaction and threats hidden in these words, but he thought he had never done anything wrong, and he was not afraid of jackals, so he replied calmly, "Go At the age of the girl, at the request of the girl, she managed thousands of acres of fertile land, and the harvest was quite good. Although the girl promised to make a lot of money, she didn't think much about it at the time. When the farmers reported the harvest, I thought about Yanmenguan The outer Tatars are staring at each other, and the heavenly religion is rampant in the hinterland of the Central Plains, so they have to be a little confused about the whereabouts of these grains. If it is said that it is convenient for the people to throw it into the market, it is no problem. If you use it, that is Wei's crime."

The figure of the woman in front suddenly stopped moving.

Wei Liang got straight to the point: "So Wei came here today just to ask a question, is this girl serving the Heavenly Sect with her abilities?"

"..."

Serve God...

Does she look like someone who is not afraid of death and dares to mess with Tianjiao?

The corner of the woman's mouth in front couldn't help but twitched, and finally turned her head and looked at Wei Liang: "Mr. Wei is really serious. He is devoted to farming and doesn't know anything about the world. How can he even put such absurd thoughts in his head? ?”

Just like in the previous life, he only deserves to grow land!

In the future, Tanhualang's mind can do well in articles and plant land, but he can't enter the officialdom and fight with others to the death. She should have known earlier that she shouldn't have too much hope for this man's brain!

When she turned her face, there was a bit of impatience on her face.

On the goose-egg-like cheeks, the snow-skin is delicate and tender, and under the shadow of the sunset, it is even coated with a layer of golden red. The eyes and eyes are full of the world's experience in the past two years, adding a bit of stability to the agility.

It's just that the corners of his lips were tugging with a smile that wasn't a smile, adding a bit of mockery to the boundless beauty.

Wei Liang only saw her once last year.

At that time, her face was covered with mud, how could she have such a radiant face?

He seldom dealt with women before, let alone such a beautiful one. Wei Liang was inexplicably embarrassed by her eyes. .

Jiang Xuening threw the fishing rod and raised her eyebrows: "Who told you that I work for Tianjiao?"