Volume 1 - Chapter 1: Master Hong

"This place has beautiful mountains and beautiful waters, beautiful winds and beautiful moons, as well as beautiful people and beautiful things, which will add to the beautiful stories for thousands of years.

There are so many fools in this world, with foolish hearts and foolish dreams, not to mention so many foolish feelings and foolish intentions, they are all fools for generations. "

The beautiful couplet is still hanging at the entrance of Fuleyuan; but Zhu Yuanzhang, who wrote this couplet, has been dead for almost a year. The wise and powerful Taizu also had a romantic side. Looking at it, it really feels that things have changed and people have changed, which makes people feel a lot of gratitude.

The window seats, with Qinhuai River outside, are always the most expensive. Sitting next to the tea table is a young man of about sixteen or seventeen, wearing a gray cloth coat, but those who can afford this seat must be rich and wealthy.

Outside the window, red flowers fluttered over the green water, willows swayed in the wind, and painted boats were sailing on the river, creating a charming spring scene. The young man looked out the window with a calm face, as if he was concentrating on thinking about something, or brewing a poem... But his skin was copper-colored and he was tall, so he didn't look like an elegant scholar.

If one's behavior does not match his appearance, it will look weird.

He sat here for a long time, not drinking tea, and not impatient. At this time, the breeze brought a scent of flowers, and a flash of green flashed in the afterglow. The young man immediately turned around and saw a young lady walking around the screen and coming over.

The young lady had a full chest and a beautifully twisted waist, which gave her a graceful and delicate posture; she was not tall, but had narrow shoulders and a straight back, and her appearance was exquisitely trimmed. Moreover, she had bright eyes and red lips, and her appearance was quite good.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, Master Hong. I'd like to apologize." The young lady held her hands in front of her belly and bowed on her knees.

The young man called Master Hong waved his hand and said, "It's okay, Miss Du, please stand up."

At this time, a maid with a double-ring hairstyle came over the screen with tea. Miss Du turned around, picked up the teacup with one hand, and gently held the bottom of the cup with the other hand. She walked forward and said, "I'm afraid the tea is cold. I'll change another cup for Master Hong."

"well."

As Miss Du moved gracefully and carefully, she whispered, "Mr. Hong's good friend didn't come today."

Master Hong nodded and said, "Oh, I understand."

He turned his upper body in a different direction, looked at Miss Du with interest, and said, "Miss Du is good at playing the pipa, so why don't you sing a pipa song today?"

Miss Du was silent for a while before she said, "I don't want to spoil your fun, but my finger is a little injured, I'm afraid..."

After hearing this, Master Hong reached out and grabbed her soft fingers. He saw bruises on her five white fingers, and her fingertips were all swollen! His face changed, "Who tortured you?"

Miss Du shook her head, her face sad, "It was all my own carelessness."

Master Hong was secretly furious, "What carelessness led to this?"

Miss Du hesitated to speak, and finally whispered, "They are officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Music Bureau, and they are in charge of us. It's all my own fault."

Master Hong sneered, "What's your name?"

Miss Du shook her head and sighed again, "Forget it."

At this moment, there was a fierce shouting outside, and a woman accompanied by careful persuasion, which immediately disturbed the beautiful scenery of Qinhuai and the warm spring mood. During this time, a shout was particularly loud, "Where is Du Qianrui?"

Soon, someone came over here. The most imposing one was an official wearing a green robe and a horn belt, followed by an old and ugly brothel owner, a pimp, and his lackeys.

The official pointed at Master Hong and said , "Stray people, please get out of the way!"

Mr. Hong picked up the teacup at this time, looking unhurried, as if he had heard nothing.

"Oh!" The official sneered and jumped up in two steps, "I think you are not going to accept my toast, so I'll have to drink a penalty drink!"

Master Hong was very calm. He didn't move his butt at all. He continued to sit there and didn't even look at the official.

The official did not dare to make a move. He walked around Master Hong for a few steps, stretched his neck to look at him from head to toe, and pulled his moustache with his fingers. He clasped his fists in the air and said, "There is a noble in the capital, and a banquet is being held to entertain the guests. I will select actors and actresses from all over the place to entertain them."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Du Qianrui who was hiding in the corner and said, "Play a song now and let me hear your talent."

Du Qianrui pleaded, "Master Xu, you know that my finger is injured."

"Fire!" the official shouted sternly.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and everyone held their breath, waiting to see how this would go on. Master Hong asked, "Did you do this to Miss Du?"

Several pairs of eyes looked over immediately. Mr. Hong's voice was not loud and his tone was not harsh, but he had been silent just now, and when he suddenly spoke, people looked at him sideways.

"So what?" Guan Er sneered contemptuously, and then said, "Do you know why I come..."

It happened so quickly that Master Hong suddenly grabbed the brush on the table and poked it on the chopping board. The brush tube "snap" and broke into two pieces with sharp ends. Then he jumped up, grabbed the official's right hand and pressed it on the table, and slammed the brush tube down!

The action was so swift that before the official could even utter the word "head", he let out a scream of "ah".

Everyone was horrified. A moment later, a woman screamed, louder than a pig being slaughtered, and the sound even overwhelmed Mr. Xu's screams! The turtle man, the brothel owner, and others retreated one after another.

The official's hand was released, and his left hand tightly grasped his trembling right hand. His face was pale, and he was frightened and angry. The two followers in black clothes behind him finally came to their senses, looked at each other, and rushed forward.

There were two followers, one fat and one thin. The fat one was determined to charge forward, while the thin one just pretended to rush forward, but hesitated as if he was looking for a target, and thus missed the first shot.

The fat henchman rushed forward and grabbed Master Hong with both hands, his center of gravity already leaning forward. Master Hong saw this and showed a sneer on his face. Taking advantage of the instability of his lower body, he gently kicked him and leaned his body to the side. The fat man immediately fell on the table with his mouth biting the mud, and Master Hong took the opportunity to slap him on the back. "Bang!" The fat man also collapsed the table, and his body fell heavily to the ground, screaming in pain.

The scene was in a mess, but Master Hong stood there, seemingly making light of it. The thin man had already found a waist-round stool in his hand, but seeing such a scene, he was also timid and didn't go up.

"Bang!" Master Hong kicked sideways, and a shoe print was immediately printed on the thin man's dark chest. His thin body almost flew up! The whole person crashed directly into the screen, and a big hole was torn in the thick paper mounted in the middle. On the embroidered picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water, the two ducks were separated.

"Oh my god!" the thin man cried out in pain.

At this time, the fat follower rolled and crawled, running away along the floor, how could he dare to come up? The green-robed official, Lord Xu, stood more than ten steps away, cursing and staring at Master Hong, as if he was ready to turn around and run at any time.

"Look at how cowardly you are!" Master Hong pointed at the green-robed official and cursed back. Just as he was about to give chase, Lord Xu immediately turned around and ran away.

"Wait for me! Wait!" Lord Xu turned around and shouted loudly.

After all the hassle, upstairs was in a mess. The brothel owner stood there stamping her feet, wiping her tears and waving her handkerchief anxiously. Looking at Miss Du standing by the wall without saying a word, the weak girl did not show any fear, but instead had a faint sense of satisfaction on her face, and it was obvious that she had a deep hatred for Mr. Xu.

Master Hong took out a silver coin and threw it on the desk. "I will pay for the damaged items."

"It's not about money!" The brothel owner looked anxious, "Master Hong is in big trouble! I don't know how to get out of this..."

"Oh?" Master Hong looked at her.

The brothel owner said, "Although Lord Xu is only an ambassador of the Imperial Music Bureau, his position is not high, but he is able to become an official because he is following the path of Lord Huang, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites! Isn't Lord Huang's wife surnamed Xu? The young master is young and really doesn't know how to think about anything."

"Huang Zicheng?" asked Master Hong.

The procuress said, "Anyone who knows a little about officialdom knows that Mr. Huang is a favorite of the emperor. Who can afford to offend ordinary people?" She continued to stamp her feet, "What should I do..."

Unexpectedly, Master Hong only uttered two words, "Haha."

The brothel owner was startled, then suddenly lowered her voice and said, "I advise Master Hong not to delay any longer and leave immediately!"

Master Hong had no intention of leaving immediately. He turned to look at Du Qianrui and said, "Before, that bastard official bullied Miss Du. He got mad today. If I leave, I'm afraid he will vent his anger on Miss Du. Come with me."

Du Qianrui looked complicated, and said, "I have a name on the list of the Music Bureau, how can I just leave like this?" She paused, and then said, "Mother (the brothel owner) is right, right now, it is best for Master Hong to leave this place of trouble first. I see that Master Hong is so young, generous, and not a coward, he must have some family background, and if he goes back to his parents and elders, maybe there will be a way. If we delay any longer, when Mr. Xu has time to make arrangements, Master Hong will miss the opportunity, how can he deal with it in a hurry?"

"What are you afraid of? Just follow me!" Master Hong couldn't help but let go and took Du Qianrui's hand and left.

Du Qianrui struggled for a few times, frowned and said, "Master Hong, don't worry about me, just go by yourself! Go!"

The Madam also blocked the way with her body and said hurriedly, "Master Hong, what's the use of taking her away? Go back and tell your father that you brought a prostitute to your home? You should take care of your own business first."

Mr. Hong stared at the bustard, "You dare to stop me?"

He pushed the bustard away, grabbed the road and left. The Madam didn't force her to stay, and shouted to Du Qianrui from behind, "If you can't, come back early!"

When the two came out of Fule Yuan, a man sitting at a roadside tea stall immediately stood up and followed them silently. Du Qianrui looked back and saw that the man looked middle-aged, tall and burly, with an angular face and a neat beard on his mouth.

At this time, Mr. Hong's voice said, "It's inconvenient for me to hold you in the busy city. Now let go of your hand and you follow me. Miss Du, don't worry, I have a way to do this. How about it?"

Du Qianrui looked back at Fule Yuan again. Although he had doubts on his face, he nodded. Mr. Hong let go of her hand.

Walking silently down the long street, Du Qianrui suddenly couldn't help but whisper, "Hong... Hong, Hong means red. Could it be that Master..."

...

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(The new book has been delayed for a long time, and Xifeng is extremely sorry for breaking the promise. I really can't find enough excuses, only the guilt in my heart. I stopped writing for nearly a year due to some reasons. I'm sorry everyone! Now the book is finally published. I hope that the book friends who have been with me for many years can feel each other's heartbeat and spiritual world again.)