Chapter 213 Extra Dream

It was cold in the middle of winter, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the bricks and tiles. The branches of the pines and cypresses in the courtyard were bent by the falling snow, and the green color was hidden among them, and no prying eyes were allowed.The maid looked at the falling snowflakes from the sky and thought that it was really cold this year, and she didn't know how many people would freeze to death on the streets.

She stamped her feet, breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to go to the kitchen to fill a bowl of hot soup to drink. Who would have thought that she saw a young man in white sitting on the porch, and hurriedly ran forward: "Master, why are you sitting here, you are suffering from the cold?"But how good it is!"

The young man was only eleven or twelve years old, but he was taller than the little maid.Gongsun Zhuoyu was sitting on the steps, his mind still a little confused. He was obviously sleeping in the bed with Du Lingchun, so why did he return to Jiangzhou when he opened his eyes.

Gongsun Zhuoyu touched his face, then looked at his immature hands, and found that this was what he looked like when he was eleven or twelve years old. He thought, could he be dreaming?

He seemed unaware of the cold, sitting alone on the steps wondering to himself, scratching his head and tugging at the sleeves of his clothes, looking as if he was seriously ill.

The maid was a little worried and timidly said: "Master? Master?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu reacted when he heard this, looked at her subconsciously, and finally pointed at her and laughed: "Xiao Tao?"

Xiao Tao said quickly: "What are the young master's orders?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu stood up from the ground and patted the snow on his body: "It's nothing, I just didn't expect you to be quite beautiful when you were a child."

After he finished speaking, he looked around: "Where is the old lady?"

Xiao Tao was stunned for a moment: "You want to ask Madam, right? She went to the county government office to deliver food to the master, and she won't be back until later."

master?

When Gongsun Zhuoyu heard this long-lost name, he was stunned for a long time. He subconsciously lowered his head and looked at his hand. The bone age was about twelve years old.I thought I was indeed dreaming.My father obviously passed away when I was nine years old, how could he still be alive now...

But even though it was a dream, it would be good if I could really see him...

So Xiao Tao saw Gongsun Zhuoyu suddenly turn around and run out of the courtyard gate, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.She caught up with her skirt and shouted anxiously: "Master! Master! It's still snowing outside!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't hear anything at all. He ran out of the house quickly and looked around, trying to identify the direction in the vast whiteness. He accidentally discovered two little beggars with gray heads and faces huddled at the door of his house, but he didn't pay attention.

"Child," Gongsun Zhuoyu brushed the snow off his body, smiling freely and looking like a young man.He pointed to his home: "If you want to hide from the snow, go inside. There is a girl in a pink shirt inside. Ask her to give you some hot buns."

After saying that, he turned around and ran towards the county government office.

One of the beggars was a little girl. She heard this and wanted to get up hesitantly, but was pulled back by another beggar: "Sister, don't believe it."

He was a thin and gloomy little boy with a pointed chin and a dirty face.Only one of his eyes was slender and raised, his eyebrows flew into his temples, his pupils were dark, and without saying a word, he took three parts of the city, and at the same time he was full of vigilance.

After hearing this, the little girl had no choice but to sit back and hold him in her arms, the two of them clinging to each other for warmth.His body was covered with falling snow, and even his eyelashes were white.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was already somewhat unfamiliar with the Jiangzhou of his childhood. He ran for a long time before finding the Yamen and walked straight in.The officer on duty recognized him and didn't stop him.

Gongsun Zhuoyu subconsciously asked them: "Where is my father?"

The officer cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency is interrogating the prisoner in the prison. Why don't you, young master, go inside and wait for a while?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't want to wait, what if he woke up from his dream.He said so, but he secretly ran to the door of the dungeon. Seeing this, the cell leader quickly stopped him: "Young master, you can't go in inside."

Gongsun Zhuoyu said: "I'm looking for my father. I'll take a quick look and leave."

The cell leader slipped him back and said, "Your Excellency is interrogating the criminals who stole a few days ago. You must not cause trouble."

A few days ago, the warehouse of a local family member's family in Jiangzhou was robbed, and tens of thousands of taels of silver were stolen.Gongsun Lianjing used a trick to capture the thief and is interrogating him in prison. He has not come out yet.

Gongsun Zhuoyu said: "I'll just hide at the door and take a look, and won't go in."

He had a stubborn temper, and the prison guard didn't dare to stop him. By mistake, he actually ran in.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was quite familiar with the dungeon. He held his nose and walked inside, only to see an elegant man in green official robe sitting behind the desk, taking notes and narrating the prisoner's confession. It was Gongsun Lianjing.

Opposite him was a cell, in which was a young man wearing a white prison uniform. He spoke in an arrogant tone: "Grandpa, I can't change my name, but I can't change my surname. Uncle Shi Qianqiu is the same. Dog Officer, if you have any tricks, feel free to do so."Use it!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu was walking down the steps. When he heard this, he lost his balance and almost fell down.He hid in the dark and took a closer look, only to see that the man in the prison was actually Shi Qianqiu!

Oh my God.Gongsun Zhuoyu was shocked. The great master was a chivalrous man, but he could also steal?

#It seems like I discovered some great secret#

Gongsun Lianjing was not angry at all, and calmly copied something in a neat handwriting: "Shi Qianqiu, you stole twelve thousand taels of silver from the Chen Mansion three days ago. According to the law of Daye, you will be sent to the army with a cane of sixty years, tattooed and sent to the army."

Shi Qianqiu snorted coldly: "Kill grandpa if you can!"

Gongsun Lianjing gently put down his pen and blew on the half-dried ink: "If you can return the silver, you can be dealt with lightly, but it's a pity that you have scattered all the money to the poor people, and I'm afraid you won't be able to get it back."

Shi Qianqiu showed no regrets at all, but laughed loudly: "That man named Chen took advantage of the famine to raise the price of food, made a lot of money, and sold us old rotten rice. Now that he has lost everything, he is very happy!"

Gongsun Lianjing walked up to him with his hands behind his back: "This government knows that and has already punished him, but it's just not worth it for you to involve yourself in this."

Shi Qianqiu didn't appreciate it: "It's not worth it, you can just punish me if you want!"

Gongsun Lianjing was silent for a moment and said: "In that case, I will first sentence you to six years in prison. I heard that your mother is seriously ill at home, and I allow you to go back to bed first and pay filial piety before you die. Wait for a hundred years before returning to your mother to be punished."

When the sixty-ridged cane came down, even a tough man couldn't stand it. Gongsun Lianjing was given a lighter sentence.

Shi Qianqiu looked stunned when he heard this: "You..."

Gongsun Lianjing did not wait any longer, folded the confession, put it in his sleeve, asked the prison chief to release Shi Qianqiu, and turned around and left the dungeon.

He didn't seem to be worried at all that Shi Qianqiu would escape, or that he meant to let the other party go, and it didn't matter if he couldn't come back.

Gongsun Zhuoyu had already run out of the cell when Gongsun Lianjing turned around. He stood at the door, pretending to meet by chance, and said in a surprised voice: "Father, why are you here!"

Gongsun Lianjing glanced at him: "This is the government office, why do you think I am here?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu sneered, wondering why his brain was not working well today, and scratched his head: "I just went to the dungeon."

Gongsun Lianjing raised his sleeves to block the flying snow for him, and asked his servants to get a cloak to tie it on. He didn't seem surprised, and they walked outside together: "What, what did you see?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu thought he had seen everything: "Father, aren't you afraid that the man will run away after he comes home?"

Gongsun Lianjing looked unconcerned: "Do you think he will come back?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu raised his eyes and looked at him, thinking yes.

Just a few years later, when Shi Qianqiu kept his promise and came back to be punished, Gongsun Lianjing could no longer bear the filth in the officialdom, resigned and went into seclusion, and died in depression.

Seeing that he was silent, Gongsun Lianjing sighed softly: "Let's go, it's cold outside, let's go home."

Gongsun Zhuoyu asked: "Where is mother?"

Gongsun Lianjing patted his head: "Your mother returned to the mansion after delivering the meal. You must have missed her by running around blindly."

Gongsun Zhuoyu said "oh" and followed him step by step, really like a child.The government office was not far away, and Gongsun Lianjing rarely rode in a sedan chair, so the two of them just walked all the way back home.

In front of the vermilion gate, there were two little beggars cowering, but they were frozen to the point of unconsciousness. White snowflakes fell on them, almost covering them up.

Only when Gongsun Zhuoyu entered the door did he realize something was wrong, and stepped back. As expected, he saw the two little beggars still staying where they were.I thought to myself that if you are so stupid, why should you be a beggar and ask you to go in and hide, but you insist on squatting at the door.

He glanced at Gongsun Lianjing who had already entered, then reached out and patted the little girl: "Hey, do you still have some energy?"

The little girl's lips were purple from the cold, and her teeth were chattering. She nodded shivering and hugged the little boy in her arms tightly.

Seeing this, Gongsun Zhuoyu simply took off his cloak and covered her: "Let's go to my house to hide from the snow."

The little girl was so cold that she tried to get up, but fell straight to the ground.The little boy in his arms had been frozen to the point of unconsciousness, and lay unresponsive on the snow.

Gongsun Zhuoyu frowned and touched his forehead, but felt that his hands were hot and shouted: "Xiao Tao!"

Xiao Tao ran out immediately: "Master, what's wrong?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu picked up the little boy from the ground and motioned for her to hug the little girl: "Take them to my room and let the kitchen boil some anti-cold medicine and prepare some meals."

Xiao Tao immediately understood what he meant and quickly responded, picking up the girl and carrying her into the room.

Probably because it was cold, the little beggar didn't smell bad.Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't mind it, so he put the little boy on his bed, wrapped him in a quilt, and drank the hot decoction to ward off the cold.

The little boy was not very old, but he was very wary. He clenched his teeth and could not open his mouth.Gongsun Zhuoyu could only push it open, but the harder he tried, the tighter the opponent bit him.

The little girl was wrapped in a quilt on the other side to keep warm. Seeing this, she quickly crawled to his side: "Brother! Brother!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu couldn't open his teeth, so he gasped: "Why doesn't your brother open his mouth?"

The little girl didn't speak, and after a moment she said: "He had dirty mud stuffed into his mouth by those bad beggars..."

He's not fierce, he's scared...

Gongsun Zhuoyu paused after hearing this, and unconsciously slowed down his tone: "What's your name?"

The little girl said in a quiet voice: "Aqiu."

This name is too common. There are three maids named Aqiu in the house.

Gongsun Zhuoyu asked: "Where is your brother?"

Little girl: "Ah Chun..."

It's really simple enough.

Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't ask any more questions. He let the little boy lean on his shoulder and patted his back gently, and the force relaxed.After the medicine had warmed up a bit, I put it into his mouth.

The little boy's vision was blurred and he couldn't see anything clearly. He just clenched his teeth instinctively.

Gongsun Zhuoyu lied to him: "Open your mouth and I will feed you rice cakes."

His embrace was warm and thick, with a faint scent of pine ink, and his voice was gentle, which unconsciously made people take off their guard.The little boy's teeth finally relaxed a little, and what he poured into his mouth was not rice cakes, but warm and bitter concoction.

It was too bitter and he didn't want to drink it.

But it was too cold, so he drank it anyway.

Gongsun Zhuoyu finished the bowl of medicine, then touched his forehead: "Child, are you feeling better?"

The embrace was so comfortable that people didn't want to open their eyes. The little boy fell into a drowsy sleep without responding.The gloomy eyebrows also looked well-behaved.

Upon seeing this, Gongsun Zhuoyu put him back on the bed and covered him tightly with a quilt, thinking that he would be fine if he got some sleep and sweated.He asked Xiao Tao to take good care of her, and went to the front yard to find Gongsun Lianjing.

He still thought it was a dream and wanted to stay with his father for a while, but he still didn't wake up until the sun went down.

Gongsun Zhuoyu returned to his room and sat on the stone steps at the door, feeling a little depressed.Could it be that he really traveled through time? Then he would have to take the imperial examination to become an official and wait ten or eight years before he could meet Du Lingchun?

No...

Gongsun Zhuoyu suddenly had a headache. He was hesitating whether he should bump into a pillar to see if he was dreaming, but he heard a movement behind him. When he turned around, he saw the little boy walking out at some point and looking at him with a gloomy look.Holding yourself——

Of course, it may not be gloomy, the other person's eyes are naturally like this.

Gongsun Zhuoyu patted his clothes, walked to him and squatted down: "Child, why don't you go in and lie down?"

The little boy stared at him, clenched the corners of his clothes with both hands, lowered his head, and didn't know why, but kept silent.

Gongsun Zhuoyu always felt that he was very familiar, in a way that he could not put his finger on. When he saw this, he asked: "Want to find your sister?"

The little boy nodded. Although he was a beggar, his eyebrows were soft and delicate like a girl's.

Gongsun Zhuoyu saw his bare feet and picked him up from the ground: "Your sister is in the next room. I will take you to find her."

He is a wealthy young man, and his clean white fox fur coat, smoked with light spices, is incompatible with the dirty little beggar.

Gongsun Zhuoyu wrapped his cloak around him and went to the next door. Who would have thought that Xiaotao was bathing Aqiu, so he had to stand outside the door and wait.He hugged the little boy without letting go. He touched the boy's sunken belly through his cloak and asked, "Are you hungry?"

The little boy had a sharp temperament and was as difficult to approach as a hedgehog, but at this moment he became inexplicably docile.He held Gongsun Zhuoyu's collar and said one word in a hoarse voice: "Hungry."

Gongsun Zhuoyu asked him: "What do you want to eat, roast chicken or roast duck?"

The little boy was silent for a while, then pursed his lips and whispered two words: "Rice cake..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Zhuoyu paused and looked at him subconsciously. The more he felt that the dirty face of the other person was familiar, he unconsciously raised his hand to pull down the little boy's clothes, only to see that there was a bright red cinnabar mole on the other person's neck..

"..."

After a long silence, Gongsun Zhuoyu finally said slowly: "Oh, then..."

He said: "Then let's eat rice cakes..."

The flying snow outside blew into the corridor, causing the corners of his white clothes to curl up.

Gongsun Zhuoyu remembered,

It turns out they have met before.

Not only in the seven years of Yongjing’s imprisonment,

There is also the old scene of heavy snowfall in Jiangzhou...