My enemies became my companions

Chapter 409 Farewell to my ex-wife Donggong

Yuanfeng Tower is an old theater in Shantong City. It was built in the previous dynasty and has a history of hundreds of years. It used to sing Qinqiang and now sings Kunqu Opera. There are many theater troupes coming and going here, both local and foreign. But Shantong City has declined and the local troupes cannot support it, so they have to invite them from outside. It was taken over by a new owner a few years ago. The owner's surname is Huang. He is usually hard to find. People only know that he is a rich man, but no one knows what his business is or how much wealth he has. Who cares about all these? It's enough to be able to listen to opera.

As soon as Manager Huang took over, he renovated Yuanfeng Tower, raised the theater by one floor, added several opera-listening rooms hanging above the lobby, and added new things inside and outside. The caisson ceiling was carved with dragons and was gorgeously decorated. The three-story eaves were covered with green glazed tiles. It was a drastic change that people in the same city could hardly recognize it, as it looked like a new theater. As for how many years Yuanfeng Tower had been there, the only thing that knew, apart from the real people on the mountain, was the reliefs that were too high to be repainted.

A theater is often more than just a theater, it is also a teahouse and a restaurant. When there are no operas being performed, a slight fishy smell will waft out of the theater. The terrain of the mountain city is high, and the weather is more likely to be cold. This is the best time to eat mutton. A bowl of slightly astringent tea is served on the table, followed by a dish of stewed mutton. If there is a play to go with it, it will be a heavenly enjoyment.

Today, there happens to be a play to go with it.

The first play to be performed was "Longing for the Ordinary Life", which was an appetizer, followed by "Thousands of Loyal Killings", which was the main course.

All of this was clearly stated on Master Jiang Xin’s invitation.

In order to prevent people from not understanding the opera, the invitation not only wrote what was to be sung, but also added a lot of introductions about the opera. For example, "Si Fan" is about a young nun who is aroused by love and cannot bear the loneliness of worshiping Buddha and chanting sutras, so she secretly escapes to a nunnery; "Qian Zhong Zhu" is about the story of Emperor Jianwen's escape from the capital escorted by a group of loyal ministers and generals during the Jingnan Rebellion in the early Ming Dynasty.

After Chen Yi and the two girls strolled around, it was already afternoon and it was time to go to Yuanfeng Tower.

Shantong City is large, with many streets and alleys. Even if you spend half a day strolling around, you can only visit a few markets, and you can't see many of the sights. In terms of gains, Chen Yi didn't gain much, as he has never been interested in sightseeing. But Yin Weiying was the opposite. After beating Lu Ying, she was in a good mood and gained a lot.

Yin Weiying picked out many items for Chen Yi, including jade pendants, sachets, bracelets, gourds, etc. He also picked out a few hairpins for Lu Ying because she was in a good mood and it was considered a gift between fellow Taoists.

There is occasional sandstorm in Shantong City.

"The sandstorm is coming!"

There was a loud shout, and then the roadside vendors rolled up white cloth to cover the rice. The cart selling mutton soup also fled in a hurry, and pedestrians in the streets and alleys avoided it.

There were flying clouds in the sky and strong winds blew sand towards them, carrying with them the aroma of mutton soup with steamed buns. The sun was shining brightly and the facade of Yuanfeng Tower was looming in the rolling dust. The nun and Lu Ying retreated to a teahouse, and the sand and dust hit the walls, making a buzzing sound like a flute.

Chen Yi was walking at the end. When he heard the sandstorm coming, he was about to retreat to the right, but suddenly stopped. It seemed that something was approaching in the sand. When he turned his head, he saw Yin Weiying and Lu Ying calling him. He didn't know why he didn't move.

Dust was flying all over the sky, and the streets were empty. Apart from Chen Yi, there was only yellow sand. Chen Yi stood still, looking straight ahead. A large ball of rolling sand passed by from the right, and the scabbard on his back seemed to be tapped lightly.

thump.

Chen Yi looked back.

A ray of gray satin emerged from the yellow sand. A tall but skinny figure seemed to be walking sideways with his head raised up. The whole street was cold. Chen Yi had his hand on the knife. The yellow sand covered the area and the bright fire was extinguished. In the dim sky, it seemed as if a ferocious wolf drilled into his eyes. Chen Yi narrowed his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, the wolf turned into a disheveled man standing with a sword in his arms.

"Who?"

The man did not stop. Instead, he moved forward, twisted his head in an incredible arc, and looked back like a wolf.

Chen Yi's sword was already three-quarters unsheathed.

The man raised a finger and pointed at the sword on his back.

There are no words.

Chen Yi seemed to understand, but still held the knife. The man turned his head and his figure gradually walked away until he was buried in the yellow sand. The sand hit Chen Yi's face, and the greedy wolf-like figure was no longer visible. It was like a wisp of smoke merging into the desert, with no difference.

The blade slowly returned to the sheath, Chen Yi brushed off the sand on his body, and jumped into the teahouse in a few steps.

"Why have you been standing there for so long?" Yin Weiying walked over and asked.

Lu Ying also cast a puzzled and concerned look.

Chen Yi shook his head and said, "It's okay."

He recalled the man's face and said to himself,
Lone Smoke Sword?
He had never seen the Guyan Sword, and no one told him who the Guyan Sword was. But at that moment, when the yellow sand flew in his face, Chen Yi's qi suddenly became alert. He clearly sensed someone approaching, but he was almost unaware that the scabbard was tapped lightly. It couldn't be anyone else except the Guyan Sword.

Where did he go?

Chen Yi frowned for a long time, and after the wind and sand passed, he shook his head.

…………

"Guys, please."

When they arrived at Yuanfeng Tower, after greeting each other, Master Jiang Xin invited the three of them to the side room.

Chen Yi moved his chair as close to Lu Ying as possible. After all, his current identity was Lu Ying's protector. If he leaned towards Yin Weiying, he would reveal that he was Chen Yi.

Master Jiang Xin was the host. He was tapping water and making tea. The teapot was swirling continuously. After a long while, he said:
"Originally, I only invited the Taihua Goddess to come, but I never thought that today even the first disciple of Jianjia would come. This really makes my old bones surprised and happy."

Lu Ying bowed and replied, "Master, you are too kind. I am the junior who is here to see you, senior. How can I say that you are here to visit me?"

Master Jiang Xin responded with a smile, and soon three bowls of tea were served without stopping. The color of the tea was deep green and foamy, and it was really top-quality tea.

After Yin Weiying took it, he tilted his ear to look at the viewing window facing the stage and said, "It seems that we are a step late and missed a show."

Master Jiang Xin stroked his beard and revealed a look of nostalgia, sighing, "That's true. The female lead's singing of "Longing for the Mortal World" just now... really touched my soul, and it made my heart flutter. I wanted to elope with her. Men are afraid of running away at night, and women are afraid of longing for the Mortal World. This female lead's singing... is absolutely superb!"

Master Jiang Xin sighed for a long time and felt sorry for the three people. Thinking that the next play would be "Thousands of Loyal Executions", a play about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, national hatred and family feuds, which might not suit the guests' taste, he sighed even more regretfully.

After sighing to the end, Master Jiang Xin suddenly stood up and said, "I will ask the steward to call the people here, and I will sing a song for you alone."

This is because he is so into acting that he is afraid that others may not be able to perform well.

Yin Weiying and Lu Ying would naturally not refuse Master Jiang Xin's warm kindness, but Chen Yi didn't care as he didn't understand anyway.

Who could have expected that after Master Jiang Xin invited the manager, the manager looked embarrassed and refused politely, risking upsetting the old customer.

Master Jiang Xin was really angry, and slammed the table and said, "What do you mean, Manager Li? I have been coming to Yuanfeng Tower for sixty years, rain or shine. It is reasonable for me to invite someone to see me once I have finished "Thinking of the Mortal World". Is it because I, the master of Chongyang Temple, am not dignified enough to invite him, or have I failed you, Manager Li, in some way in the past sixty years?"

The steward hurriedly said, "I, I... I am in a difficult position. I also wanted to call someone to you, but, but just now, an official wanted to call the female role. It seemed that he wanted to play with her. There is nothing we can do. We can't afford to offend this big Buddha!"

Chen Yi saw that he was sweating and seemed to have some secret, so he asked, "Which official?"

Master Jiang Xin also said in a cold voice: "If you explain clearly, I won't embarrass you."

The steward turned his head and saw that Master Jiang Xin was pressing on step by step, so he lowered his voice and said ruthlessly:
"Captain of the Western Factory, Chen Yi!"

The three people present were stunned at the same time.

………………

Let’s go back to the nights before Chen Yi and others set out.

Shantong City belongs to the northwest area. Even the terrain inside the city is complex and dangerous, with crisscrossing alleys. But outside a courtyard hidden by a tall building, there are dark shadows on the eaves.

boom!
With a sudden bang, the door was broken open by Luo Shuo, the deputy master of Magpie Pavilion.

"Search!"

Luo Shuo's voice stopped instantly as soon as he finished speaking.

A chilly autumn breeze blew through the courtyard, which was completely empty, without a single human figure.

.........

After listening to Luo Shuo's report, Wei Wuque said:
"There's really no one inside."

"I am incompetent and I am still a step late."

Luo Shuo lowered his head, and his voice was filled with guilt.

They collected Zhao Yan's body and searched his soul in order to find the Solitary Smoke Sword. They also searched all the files in Qingfeng Pavilion and finally determined the whereabouts of the group of people from the Western Jin Dynasty. However, they did not expect that the place was empty.

Compared to Luo Shuo's guilt, Wei Wuque didn't care:
"If it was really that easy to find, I'm afraid the enemies of Lone Smoke Sword would have found it first. I think they have been secretly keeping an eye on Qingfeng Pavilion for a long time, and once they found out that Zhao Yan was dead, they immediately changed their base."

Xi Que Ge has been in Shantong City for some time, and after many searches, he has not found any trace of the Western Jin Dynasty spy and the Guyan Sword.

Divination was tried. There were Taoists among the people of the Western Jin Dynasty, so the divination at the Magpie Pavilion was severely interfered with. A feint to the east and attack in the west was also tried, but these people of the Western Jin Dynasty were too cunning and cautious. They almost never showed up. All that was left was repeated investigations.

The death of the county magistrate Jiang Shangli caused a lot of trouble to the search and arrest, and the situation was more serious than before.

"If you want to leave Shantong City, you can either go east through the main city gate or through Jinmen Mountain Road," Wei Wuque touched the map brought from the county, drew a cross between the courtyards, and said, "Both places are heavily guarded, and there is no movement. They are still somewhere in the city."

Luo Shuo glanced at the map full of crosses and said, "There are more than 20 of them. The place where they can hide must be large and concealed, but... we have searched all the places that meet these two requirements.

Wei Wuque said: "That means it only meets one of the requirements, but not the other."

After saying that, he circled several places in a row.

Gaohai Martial Arts School, Yuanfeng Tower, Chongyang Temple, Miaoshang Temple...

"They are definitely among them."

Luo Shuo had just finished speaking.
Suddenly, a female spy came running over in a hurry.

"Donggong, Miss Donggong... she's gone!" Luo Shuo's eyes widened, his face suddenly changed color, and he said:
"Where did she go? Hurry up and find her!"

"Yes!"

The female spy responded and quickly retreated.

Luo Shuo's breathing became rapid. Dong Gong Ruoshu's identity was not ordinary, and to the person in the palace, he had to be strictly monitored.

He was sent by the palace this time to cooperate with the Magpie Pavilion in searching for the Lonely Smoke Sword. If they lose the person instead, even if they find the Lonely Smoke Sword, it would be like picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons.

There was no one around, so Wei Wuque suddenly said, "Don't worry."

Luo Shuo was startled and turned his head away.

"This is what I discussed with her privately. We will use this daughter of the Chen family as bait to lure out those people from the Western Jin Dynasty."

Luo Shuo didn't come back to his senses for a moment, and asked subconsciously:
"So...are you still looking?"

"Look for it, look for it vigorously, but don't deliberately let the news leak out."

Wei Wuque said slowly:

"She will act under a false identity. If those people from the Western Jin Dynasty notice her, they will know it is her after a little thought."

.........

The first piece sung at Yuanfeng Tower today is "Sifan".

Men are afraid of "running away at night" and women are afraid of "longing for the worldly life", but when they saw that it was a female actor on the stage, some people were slightly surprised, but that was just a surprise. Not many people really cared whether the troupe singing the songs was a male or female troupe, or a rare mixed troupe of both sexes. In this declining county town, it was good enough to have music to listen to.

Just as the show was about to begin, the door curtain was slightly lifted.

I saw a heroic man walking into Yuanfeng Tower, wearing a loose, long black satin robe, carrying a goose-feather knife on his waist, and walking steadily. The show was about to begin, and outsiders were not allowed to come in. A servant stepped forward to stop him, but when he saw the man showing his badge, the servant's eyelids twitched.

Thousand Household Members of Xichang.

The servant hurried to find the manager. After seeing this, the manager didn't care about the rules of refusing outsiders, and bent down like a shrimp to be attentive. He immediately made an exception and found a good room for the man to watch the opera.

After the man was escorted to the wing room and settled properly, the steward asked his name: "Excuse me, sir, what is your name?"

"No need to be surnamed Chen."

The manager's eyelids twitched and his pupils shrank sharply.

He is the commander of the Western Factory, and his last name is Chen... Isn't that Chen Yi who committed the crime of disrespect in the capital? !

This person's name is still on the wanted list.

The steward grumbled to himself for a while, but had no intention of reporting to the authorities. To be able to become a steward, he still had some vision. Putting aside the fact that he had only committed the crime of disrespect, whether one was respectful or not was a matter of a word in the court, and there was a great possibility that he would be reinstated. Just look at this man's martial arts, which started from the fifth rank, he was a dragon crossing the river!
"Sir, what kind of tea would you like?" the steward asked, rubbing his hands.

"I don't want tea, I want wine." The man paused and said, "I want good wine."

"Okay." The manager turned around and was about to leave.

"Three more plates of stewed mutton, two sesame cakes, one white flour cake, and do you have braised beef in soy sauce? If you have, bring that as well."

The steward naturally responded to the words one by one and slowly retreated.

After a while, the food was served.

The man wiped his mouth, put down a tael of silver, and started to eat. He first ate a piece of stewed mutton to clear his mouth. As soon as his lips and teeth closed, the hot and tender mutton fat with a salty and fresh taste melted around his mouth, and the aroma of mutton filled his nose. After tasting it, he drank a sip of tea to rinse his mouth, then tore off a roll of the sesame cake, put the mutton and beef in it, and took another bite. Under the crispy and soft sesame cake was the fat of the mutton and beef, and the slightly spicy sauce was faintly hidden. The taste... was amazing.

The one who was eating and drinking so lavishly at public expense in this familiar Northwestern style was naturally Miss Donggong.

She has been in Shantong City with the people from Xi Que Pavilion for quite some time.

I still remember that after Chen Yi escaped from the marriage, Dong Gong Ruoshu, who had been married but not had a bridal chamber, stayed in the capital.

The person in the palace seemed to suspect that Chen Yi would return to the capital, so he secretly took away Donggong Ruoshu, Lin Wanhang, and Dong Guifei. Therefore, Donggong Ruoshu was locked up in the deep palace for quite a long time. As there was no news from Chen Yi for a long time, the queen immediately relaxed the detention and instead persuaded her to work for the palace.

How could Dong Gong Ruoshu, who had been locked up for a long time, not agree?
What's more, she also wanted to leave the capital of Dayu and look for her cheap husband who had disappeared.

When mentioning him, Donggong Ruoshu felt inexplicably angry.

One reason was because of the ninety taels of silver given by Yin Weiying, and the other was because Chen Yi escaped from her marriage.

The former needs no further explanation, but the latter is worth talking about. Obviously, for her, his running away from the marriage was a good thing and there was no need for a bridal chamber. But even though Dong Gong Ruoshu knew this, she became angry when she recalled the experience of being stuffed under the bed and having her nest taken over by someone else.

But never mind now, just drink and eat meat!

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The soft music of opera came to her ears. Donggong Ruoshu was already drunk, her face flushed. She threw her face on the table, leaving marks.

However, she did not forget the main business - to spread the news of "Chen Yi" in the city so as to lure the spies of the Western Jin Dynasty into the trap.

Good deeds never leave a name, but bad deeds spread far and wide. If that's the case, then she will bully men and women and do evil. She doesn't want to leave Chen Yi with any good reputation.

Dong Gong Ruo Shu called the steward and said, "Bring that female dan over here, and ask her to accompany me for drinks... accompany me for drinks!"

The steward hesitated and said, "This... Sir, this is not good..."

"What's wrong with that? The lower class is to serve others, so what's wrong with serving me? Or is it that I, Chen Zunming, am not a hero and cannot be served by others?"

Donggong Ruoshu said with her eyes wide open, her face flushed. She was seven parts drunk and three parts sober, but she was still pinching her throat to speak in a neutral voice.

The steward stood with his hands in his pockets, and when he was in high spirits, he invited not too many guests to see the female role, but very few of them wanted to leave right after a performance. This was not because he was craving for someone's opera voice, but because he was craving for someone's beauty. He cupped his hands and was about to fool her, but he saw Donggong Ruoshu put down his scabbard, raised it with his index finger, and the cool white blade shook, chilling the entire room.

Donggong Ruoshu said word by word: "Why, words don't work, you want me to speak with a knife?"

The steward was so frightened that he immediately responded, "Go, go, I'll go get it for you right away!"

Having said that, the steward stepped out.

Donggong Ruoshu exhaled the alcohol and exclaimed that he felt refreshed.

Chen Yi's reputation is really extraordinary. People respect him wherever he goes. Moreover, in the territory of Dayu, he is far more effective than the Chen family of the Western Jin Dynasty. The more Miss Donggong thinks about it, the more satisfied she feels. All the bad reputation belongs to Chen Yi, and all the benefits go to herself.

Who told him to escape her marriage? !

When Donggong Ruoshu thought of this, he felt secretly resentful and drank several bowls of wine, becoming even more drunk.

It didn't take long before a series of footsteps were heard.

crunch.

The door was pushed open, and a person walked in alone. His face was difficult to discern in the dim light.

From afar, the steward shouted: "Here are the people for you..."

As soon as the man entered the door, the drunk Donggong Ruoshu couldn't wait to rush over. She hugged him with wide arms and laughed foolishly:
"Beautiful lady, hehe, beautiful lady..."

Will I scare others by looking like this?

Forget it. I am Chen Yi now anyway, so it’s not my face that I’m losing.

"Why don't you speak? Are you scared? It's okay. I'll pity you."

The expected scene of the beautiful lady being frightened and shouting to the guest to stop did not appear. The man let her touch him all over and stood still like a cypress.

Donggong Ruoshu hugged him close, puzzled for a moment, and then slowly raised his head.

What came into view was a familiar face.

"Ah... beautiful lady, you look like..."

Donggong Ruoshu was stunned for a long time.
"It seems like I am Chen Zunming, the captain of the Western Factory."

Chen Yi touched his face and said slowly, "Are they really that similar?"

After hearing these words, the drunk Donggong Ruoshu squinted his eyes in confusion, then looked up and glanced twice to compare his memory, and then his whole body suddenly froze in place.

She turned her head away stiffly, her eyes wide open.

The man smiled and said, "Long time no see, Miss Donggong."

(End of this chapter)