Southerners

Chapter 124 Gentlemen grow old together 6

Hearing the words Song Zilan, Meng Huan reflexively became vigilant, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked softly, "Why is Mr. Zhao interested in a mere commoner?"

Zhao Mengfu looked a little embarrassed, looked around, and said: "Master Meng, there are many people here with mixed eyes, let me take a step to speak."

It was about Song Zhi, so Meng Huan had no reason not to go, so the two of them walked out of the palace one after the other, found a secluded and private tea house, asked for a private room, and sat by the window.

Zhao Meng leaned forward as a newly promoted celebrity in front of the emperor, and poured tea for Meng Huan himself.But Meng Huan didn't want to argue with him, so he sat down straight and straight to the point: "Lord Zhao, Meng Huan is a rough man, if you have something to say, you might as well say it directly."

Zhao Mengfu is not a mother-in-law either. Seeing Meng Huan's straightforwardness, he didn't make any rounds, and asked: "Master Meng, Mr. Zhao would like to ask, is Song Zilan from your mansion named Zhi?"

Meng Huan's impatient expression suddenly changed. He remembered that Song Zhi's father was also a member of the Song court. He was demoted because of the main battle, so he became a small magistrate of Tongling. Everyone knew about Zhao Mengfu's background. The direct descendants of the royal family of Zhao and Song had such a noble status, so it is impossible to say that they really had an intersection with Song Zhi.

It was an irrelevant matter, but Meng Huan suddenly thought of a way to save Song Zhi. Let the literati deal with their literati affairs, and take Song Zhi out of Mailiji Terrace.

So Meng Huan raised his eyebrows and asked, "How does Master Zhao know?"

"Really?" Hearing Meng Huan's words, Zhao Mengfu's uneasy heart was suddenly filled with surprise, he did not expect that he would actually meet Song Zhi again.

Meng Huan pursed his lips and nodded.

Zhao Mengfu asked again: "I don't know who else is in his family now? His father's name is Song Xiuwen?" Zhao Mengfu asked many questions like a cannonball, all to prove Song Zhi's identity.

Meng Huan listened, and he knew something in his heart. After answering each one, Meng Huan asked: "May I ask when Master Zhao met Zi Lan?"

Discovering that Zhao Mengfu was an enemy rather than a friend, Meng Huan's attitude also changed.

However, Zhao Mengfu noticed that Meng Huan called Song Zhi "Zi Lan", which was intimate and natural.

"That's a long story." Zhao Mengfu said, "Zi Lan was only this big when he was born." Zhao Mengfu gestured, "I even hugged him."

It turned out that Song Xiuwen was originally the servant of the household department. He was conscientious and devoted himself to the country and the people. Zhao Mengfu's father, Zhao Yugao, had a close relationship with him.

When Song Zhi was born, Song Xiuwen's family was still living in Lin'an. At that time, Zhao Mengfu was ten years old. Song Zhi hadn't written his name yet, so Zhao Mengfu called him "A Zhi, A Zhi".

When Song Zhi was young, she and Zhao Mengfu met often and had a close relationship. Although due to their age, they couldn't get along well, Zhao Mengfu was willing to coax this younger brother occasionally and teach him how to write.When Song Zhi first started to learn calligraphy, Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy was still immature, but he looked good as a young master.

Later, when Song Zhi's family was forced to leave Lin'an, Song Xiuwen first gave Song Zhi a name in advance, calling it Zilan.

Zhao Yugao was deeply saddened by Song Xiuwen's demotion, but there was nothing he could do.And Zhao Mengfu also lost a follower named Zhao Qige who chased him all day since he was a child.

Later, the Mongolian army broke through Xiangfan, and the army went straight to Lin'an. The whole Song Dynasty was in chaos, and the communication was greatly hindered. Occasionally, Zhao and Gao could still receive a few letters from Tongling. As time passed, the war was tense. , the letter will be hard to come by.

Therefore, Zhao Mengfu cut off the connection with the Song family.

Later, when he heard that Song Xiuwen died in battle, he sent his wife and children out before his death, and they disappeared all these years.Zhao Mengfu once thought that all the orphans and widows died in the flames of war, but he didn't expect to hear Song Zilan's name suddenly today.

After hearing Zhao Mengfu's words, Meng Huan remained silent for a long time. Zhao Mengfu thought he didn't believe him, so he said, "Now I'm not a prince and grandson, but a commoner. Grant me one wish."

In fact, what Meng Huan thought was that his Zilan was once a famous nobleman, well-clothed and well-fed, who could be called a brother and brother with the royal family's descendants.

But now he is in such a state of desperation, he has been imprisoned for being implicated by him, and has no food or clothing.

"Lord Meng?" Seeing that Meng Huan didn't respond, Zhao Mengfu called him.

Meng Huan suddenly came back to his senses: "What?"

Zhao Mengfu: "Zhao wants to ask, what is Zilan's situation now, what did His Majesty just say?"

Meng Huan then picked up the important ones and briefly talked about them.

Zhao Mengfu heard this, sighed, and said with a wry smile: "Zi Lan is really exactly like his father, with a stubborn and stubborn temper, he must hit his head and bleed."

"Oh!" he sighed.

There was a bitter smile on the corner of Meng Huan's lips: "I have reminded him several times, but he never listened, and insisted on going his own way."

"I was implicated this time, and the Dongchuang incident happened..."

This was a delicate statement, Zhao Mengfu was new to the officialdom, and he didn't know much about the current situation in Dadu, so he asked in puzzlement, "How do you say this?"

But Meng Huan was inconvenient to tell Zhao Mengfu, Zhao Mengfu didn't pursue it, but the two of them talked for a while, but Zhao Mengfu gradually felt something unusual.

Meng Huan knew so much about Song Zhi's affairs, every detail, that he was able to hide such a big matter for Song Zhi, not to mention reporting it, and now that the incident happened, he didn't mean to blame him at all. He really had to ask Zhao Mengfu to think about it. .

But this kind of thing is too abrupt to ask, Zhao Mengfu asked sideways: "I don't know where Zilan lives now, does she have a wife? I want to visit."

After all, Song Zhi was twenty-three years old this year, and she should have had a wife and children long ago.

It was a very ordinary question, but Meng Huan picked up a delicate fine porcelain cup, took a sip of tea, and then replied: "Zi Lan has never married a wife, and has always lived in Meng's residence."

Oh, Zhao Mengfu knew it in his heart.

Masculinity is not a rare thing, Zhao Mengfu did not make a fuss, after learning about Song Zhi's incident, Zhao Mengfu understood that this matter cannot be resolved by Meng Huan, Meng Huan is not easy to come forward.

In addition, he is now suspected of having an affair with the rebel Ye Subuhua, and his status is embarrassing.

"For Zilan's matter, Zhao will do his best," Zhao Mengfu put his words here, "but Zhao can't guarantee that he can rescue Zilan."

This is exactly why Meng Huan wanted to beg him but couldn't open it. It wasn't because he didn't want to lose face, but because he didn't know Zhao Mengfu well, so he couldn't rush to ask him.

After thanking Zhao Mengfu, Meng Huan was going to get up and go back to the mansion, he still remembered that His Majesty the Emperor had restrained his feet.

Before parting, Zhao Mengfu said that he wanted to see Song Zhi, but Meng Huan smiled wryly, he couldn't make up his mind about this matter, he either let people in at the Dadu Road Chief Mansion, or His Majesty spoke, ordinary people can't easily go in to visit.

Zhao Mengfu had no choice but to give up for the time being, and proposed to read the poems and essays written by Song Zhi in the past.

no problem.

The next day, Zhao Mengfu went to the Meng Mansion in person to ask for a poem manuscript.After a while, Zhao Mengfu saw the trick.

Those few poems in the so-called criminal evidence were not written by Song Zhi at all.Those few poems are very different from Song Zhi's other poems, and it can be seen at a glance that they were not written by one person.

Now Zhao Mengfu didn't understand, since Song Zhi didn't do it, why did Song Zhi plead guilty?

After a few days, Zhao Mengfu took a large sum of money to the general manager's mansion, and was able to enter the prison smoothly, and met Song Zhi.

Zhao Mengfu didn't recognize Song Zhilai at all.

One is that the two haven't seen each other for more than ten years, and Song Zhi was too young when they parted, and now she is not what she was when she was a child.

The second is that Song Zhi didn't have enough food or clothing to stay warm in the prison, she was thin and unkempt, it was really hard to see the appearance of the noble young master back then.

Asking the jailer leading the way to open the door, Zhao Mengfu took a few liang of silver and told him to go away, and then walked into the cell.

Song Zhi didn't know if she had fallen asleep, but she was half lying in the straw pile, the prison uniform looked loose on his thin body, and the exposed wrist was thin and bony.

The loose hair covered his eyes, and there was a blue stubble on his chin.

The breath of the person in front of him was steady but weak, as if he was not far from death.

Song Zhi's appearance reminded Zhao Mengfu of his father's appearance when he passed away.

Zhao Mengfu had heard the news of Wen Tianxiang's execution a few years ago, and now seeing Song Zhi who was ashamed, he couldn't help feeling sad, his nose sore, and he called out in a low voice: "Zi Lan!"

Song Zhi seemed to have heard it, and moved her head, but did not sit up.

"Zi Lan, look, who am I?"

The unfamiliar voice made Song Zhi uninterested, but the sincerity in the tone moved Song Zhi. He finally turned his head and looked at Zhao Mengfu's face through the dim light from the skylight.

Zhao Mengfu had been living in seclusion in the south of the Yangtze River for the past few years. He lived a poor but comfortable life.His brows are clear and clear, like the breeze and the moon, shining brightly.

"Are you...?" His voice was dry due to lack of water, and his lips were peeled.

Song Zhi obviously couldn't remember Zhao Mengfu anymore, after all, he was only eight years old when he left Lin'an.

Looking at his tired and haggard face, Zhao Mengfu felt sad again, and said in a low voice, "Zi Lan, I'm Zhao Qige, the one who teaches you to write and always hugs you!"

Zhao Qige...?

The memories that have been too long have become blurred in the years of rain, snow and wind and frost. Song Zhi muttered this title, only feeling a little familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was at all.

Zhao Mengfu was emotional and couldn't help taking a step forward, but Song Zhi retreated inexplicably and looked at Zhao Mengfu warily.

Zhao Mengfu had no choice but to back away, saying: "I won't approach."

He talked about the lotus from the crabapple tree in the Song Mansion, from Song Xiuwen to Wen Tianxiang, from fighting crickets to calligraphy, and finally made Song Zhi, who was slow in thinking, respond a little.

Song Zhi's dark eyes remained the same, but her expression was gone, she just looked at Zhao Mengfu quietly, and finally called softly: "...Zhao Qige?"

Zhao Mengfu almost cried with joy.

Who knew that Song Zhi was not happy, he had too little memory of Zhao Mengfu, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a stranger, so he asked lightly, "Why are you here?"

Since he is a dignified descendant of the royal family of Zhao and Song, how could he easily enter and leave the prison of the Yuan court?

There is only one answer, Zhao Mengfu is working hard for Yuan Ting.

Although Song Zhi has been giving up on herself all the time, she feels that staying in the Meng Mansion is against her father's behest, but she never thought about becoming an official and obeying the orders of Emperor Meng Yuan.

Zhao Mengfu was stunned, Song Zhi's attitude...was a bit difficult, she forced a smile and said, "I...I have been imprinting in the south of the Yangtze River for the past few years. Let's take a look."

Song Zhi closed her eyes wearily, and said, "Now that you've finished watching, please go back."

The author has something to say:

Note: (1287) To explain, Zhao Mengfu was awarded the title of Doctor of the Ministry of War in June of the 26th year of the Yuan Dynasty in [-]. I misread the time before, and now I am correcting it.

([-]) Zhao Mengfu's father is called Zhao Yuxi, also named Zhao Yugao, the former is difficult to recognize, so he wrote the latter.Zhao Yugao had ten sons, and Zhao Mengfu was the seventh.

Zhao Mengfu's fans don't hit me! ! !

Volume [-]: Frightening Years of Clouds and Twilight