Chapter 124 – Flags Cannot Be Placed Indiscriminately

The horse race at Camp Clearwater began in the midst of all the attention, and after a full house of dismay, uproar and resentment, ended in a gray silence.

Participating officials did not arrive at the finish line, everyone received a participation award prizes – the outer wall of a circle painted with “to serve the country and the people as an honor, in order to mothball the country and harm the people as a shame,” the words of the white porcelain pressure cup, and asked them to put in the use of the government office, shall not be changed hands or damaged. If accidentally broken, must pay out of pocket to buy another one.

But all the officials who have ghosts in their hearts, fearing that they will be liquidated, look at the teacups in their hands and their faces are green.

Wei governor had no share, took the initiative to ask Su Yan for one, and said with a straight face, “This official should also take warning.”

–Half a year later, this kind of cup began to popularize in the daiming dynasty’s court hall and various departments and offices, the style is almost the same, the words on it are slightly changed, such as “to be proud of two sleeves of cleanliness, to be ashamed of corruption and perversion of the law” “to be proud of dedication to their duties, to be ashamed of neglect of duty” and so on. To fulfill their duties as an honor, to neglect their duties as a shame” and so on and so forth, collectively known as the “honor and shame cup”, popular for a while.

So much so that the later generations of the cultural relics market, a perfect condition of sweet white glaze lotus petal shin dark engraved phoenix pattern “honor and shame cup”, was speculated to 88 million yuan high price.

That’s an afterthought, of course.

The officials who have been straightened out do not want to stay for a moment more, while there is still some light at sunset, they have departed back to the place of office.

Su Yan retained Wei governor in the Qingshui camp to live a few days, said there are follow-up matters to discuss with him, to be completed before returning to the capital together. Wei Quan answered, and left the racecourse first, and the two of them said goodbye for the time being.

Soldiers are cleaning up a messy racecourse, Su Yan looked at the sky, suddenly slapped his head and took out his pocket watch, “4:50 …… will soon arrive at the time of You!”

He hurriedly called Huo over and asked, “Do you have 1,500 taels of treasure in your hand? Advance it to me first, and I’ll pay you back what I earn in the handicap later.”

The news of the Jockey Club, the folk opened a handicap, betting on the ultimate winners and losers, of course, which can not help but Su Yan secretly pushed, he let Huo put the six team information leaked out, but also will be firmly in the hands of the bookmaker, so that the bookmakers to do the official dark line agent. Provides that if it is a draw, the banker to pay half, the flow of the banker to eat half.

Of the six teams, the most popularly bought team was the Border Guard, and the least favored was the Yuanma Temple team with the Hsing Taisu Temple.

The end result was a total loss for all six teams and a profit for the bookmakers.

Huo said: “Yes. Participate in gambling is mostly local merchants, there are exotic merchants, estimates that this time the banker can earn more than 10,000 taels of silver, I have given the Lord into the treasure bill?”

Su Yan waved his hand, ”I only need fifteen hundred taels. The rest, together with the review fees paid by the officials, you make an account. In the future, buying stallions, repairing camps and forts, and recruiting herdsmen …… have to spend money in many places, and can’t all count on the imperial court to allocate silver.”

Huo ordered people to go get the treasure banknote, a few moments later the soldiers brought a flat box, Su Yan opened and counted correctly, put the box into his arms and said, “I’ll go first.”

He leaned towards his horse’s back and galloped towards the horse market. Jing Hong chased after him with his horse, calling out, “Slow down, my lord, it’s not too late!”

Su Yan ran to the side of the marketplace and dismounted his horse to look around.

Horse market trading has nearly come to an end, buyers have become sparse, many vendors also close the stalls home, Su Yan walked through the stalls, did not find the target, the face can not help but reveal a strong color of regret, frustrated: “or to late step, that the boss must have closed the stalls away …… “

He sighed and was about to turn back to talk to Jing Hongchou when he suddenly saw a middle-aged cargo man loading a cart around the corner, not the boss who sold weapons?

Busy jogging over, he said, “Boss! Have you sold that sword yet?”

The boss turned back to look at him, patting his thighs: “I told you, the son does not seem to be a man of faith, said waiting for you to the horse market last day of the YouTime, this is not YouTime half of it, only began to pack. Did not sell did not sell, other people open price two hundred and eighty gold, cash, I did not move, just stay to the gentleman! Three hundred gold, or fifteen hundred taels of silver, right?”

Su Yan suspected that the other party was simply unable to sell, after all, the entire Qing Shui Camp, in addition to him, probably there is no second fool, will spend sky-high prices to buy a Xiyi sword, but his mouth still politely said, “Thank you boss. This will be paid for with one hand and delivered with the other.”

The two completed the transaction quickly.

Su Yan held the Damascus steel sword with a black scabbard, a silver spiral hilt, and a nebulous texture on the blade, and looked at it over and over again, more and more feeling that the money was well spent, and asked the boss, “Does this sword have a name?”

The boss said, “The Xiyi who sells swords said that every weapon their masters cast has a name based on texture, style and spirituality, and this sword is called ……” He said a string of fen language, Su Yan had heard but not understood, but vaguely felt like ancient Middle Eastern language. The boss added: “Translated, it’s ‘Knight’s Vow’, weird as hell.”

Su Yan smiled, “Not odd, very appropriate.”

Carrying his sword, he arched his hand in farewell and turned around to find that Jing Hongchou had disappeared at some point.

Where did he go without saying a word? Su Yan scrutinized the figure of his own guards in the crowd, and after walking for ten or so feet to a large tree with no one around, he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him say, “My lord.”

Suyan turned back.

Under the shade of the tree, Jing Hongchou stood straight, wearing a plain long sword at his waist, cupping an object in his hand, with a long silver chain dangling down, and was now gazing at him, his face cold and resolute, his expression slightly rushed and blushing, but his gaze was firm.

“Where did you run off to, you didn’t know to let me know, causing me to look for you.” Su Yan’s tone had a bit of complaint in it as he greeted him and handed him the sword in his hand, “Here, the new weapon I said I would buy for you. This secondary replacement for the big roadkill on your waist can be thrown away.”

Jing Hongchou did not take the sword, but slowly opened his five fingers and sent the object on his palm to him.

It was a fire sickle, gilt and silver owl wave pattern, steel bar attached to a white silver hooped leather pouch, the surface inlaid with onyx, red coral and turquoise, beautifully carved, the lacing is also a silver chain, ornate and exquisite.

Su Yan stared at the fire sickle, immediately recognized – this is before leaving the capital Shen Qi gave him, has been wearing as a trinket around his waist. Later, when he and Ah Chui fell into the valley and spent two nights in a cave, the fire scythe came in handy. Later on, in order to get out of the predicament, he painfully used this fire sickle to trade with the salt dealer he met for an old horse and a bag of fresh water.

“How did you ……” Su Yan opened his lips, and there was an indescribable feeling in his heart, unexpected and excited.

Jing red chase low head close, personally will fire sickle hang back to his waist, said: “At that time, subordinate see adults show unwilling to give up the color, guess this thing is quite meaningful to adults, this would like to exchange after quietly take back, and afraid of adults think I act despicable and not into the class, only have to give up. Just now in the bazaar, I accidentally saw that salt peddler, is hanging this fire sickle on himself, I will spend money to buy back, want to return to the original owner.”

Su Yan was slightly stunned, his heart mingled with emotion and emotion, and he said sincerely, “Thank you, Ah Zhui. This thing is indeed more than a fire sickle to me, and to be able to retrieve it with such luck is more than good.”

He rubbed his fingers over the fire scythe and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Jing Hong chased hesitantly asked, “Your honor so valued a thing outside the body, but what kind of person sent the gift? Is it a close friend or colleague, or …… a confidante?”

Su Yan lost his smile, “Where is the confidante!”

Jing Hong muttered after him, “The one in Rouge Alley?”

He said this in a very low voice, but refused to really take it in, rather like he was deliberately trying to give Su Yan the chance to hear it.

Su Yan froze for a moment, and after trying to recall it dawned on him, “You mean Ruan Hong Banana? It’s not much of a confidante, it’s just that it’s still talkative, and I like to listen to her sing songs …… By the way, how do you know about her!”

Jing Hong chased his face sideways and didn’t squeak.

Su Yan sneered in a prompt manner, “Been a benefactor of others?”

“What my subordinate had said, ‘until four days ago’, does your lordship think I lied?” Jing Hongchu’s face sank slightly.

Su Yan laughed: “Just kidding, don’t take it seriously.” After laughing, he felt a bit annoyed – you are the end of the virginity, but it is not the end of my swelling pain! As a victim, what the hell am I laughing at!

“When I was in the capital, I was trying to escape the search by the soldiers under the guards and thieves, I hid in the carriage and wanted to leave the city, but your honor covered for me and brought me back home to settle down. Those days I was your coachman, do you still remember?”

Su Yan nodded with a stern face.

“At that time, Ruan Hong Banana sent his maid to come several times, wanting to invite you to go to Rouge Hutong, but you were in the way of the Feng party not yet cleared, for fear of being seized by someone or taking advantage of the opportunity to do harm, so you did not respond to the invitation, you also remember it?”

Suyan recalled and nodded.

Jing Hong chased and said: “subordinate from the adult once lived in the inn shopkeeper mouth heard that the adult will be more than half a year before the examination came to the capital to prepare for the examination, the result of three days and two nights stayed rouge hutongs, and that the flower girl to hang out with, can there be this matter?”

Su Yan nodded again, “There is such a thing, but the word ‘hang out’ is unseemly, she and I are actually-“

Jing Hongchou did not dare to listen to the answer and interrupted, “The fire sickle was sent by her? Your honor’s future intention …… to marry over the door is impossible, after all, the pariah nationality can not be married as the official’s main wife …… Your honor is trying to take her as a concubine?”

Su Yan listened to the acidity in these words is very thick, face did not taut, sardonic smile: “If so, how do you want to, recognize her as the main mother?”

Jing Hongchu’s eyes were churning with fury, but he forced himself to suppress it and replied with a paralyzed face, “I can endure not to kill her, but I have already taken into account your honor. She’d better be more sensible, don’t always dawdle by the side of the lord, or I’ll have to have a seizure sooner or later.”

Su Yan laughed: “I thought A chase cold, heart only practice and revenge, but it also turned out to be a vinegar tank!” He is accustomed to Jing Hong chasing casually, to show off a moment of tongue, continue to tease: “Do not worry, this official’s concubine is not a long time ago to welcome into the door, Xiao Jing even the mother of the master have called face to face. Only this one, no other concubine!”

Jing Hongchu looked at him fixedly, suddenly revealing an extremely thin smile, “Please also remember today’s promise, my lord.”

Su Yan’s heart was suddenly struck by a chill, like an omen of something bad to come. He subconsciously touched the fire scythe on his waist, hesitating whether to tell Ah Chui that this is not a gift from the red face, but a parting souvenir from his brother?

However, Ah Chui and Shen Qi have never been on the same page, and the hatred of the three knives has not yet subsided, so it is better not to mention it first, so as not to add to the trouble.

After making up his mind, Su Yan slapped the newly purchased sword towards Jing Hongchou’s chest and said, “How much longer do you want me to lift it, it’s heavy as hell, hurry up and replace it.”

Only then did Jing Hongchou take it, drawing the blade head and tail to examine it, and finally hanging it solemnly at his waist, and then unhooking the hilt of the big roadkill and casually throwing it at the root of the tree.

Su Yan could see that he was extremely satisfied and fond of this new sword, so he felt happy himself.

Jing Hong pursued, “Does this sword have a sword name? If not, please give it a name, my lord.”

Su Yan said, “The boss said that the sword maker has already given the sword a name, which is translated into Da Ming language as ‘Knight’s Pledge’. If you find it odd, you can choose another name on your own.”

Jing Hongchu was silent for a moment, “I don’t know how to pick a name, so the sword I used to use from before was called ‘Nameless’. Let’s call this sword ‘Oath’, it’s very appropriate.” He gripped the hilt of the sword in his hand, raised his eyes to look at Su Yan, and said solemnly like an oath, “The name of the sword is like the heart of the sword. If I violate this heart, the sword path will not work, and I will never use the sword again for the rest of my life.”

Su Yan knew how much weight these words carried for a sincere swordsman of the Way of the Sword, and immediately grabbed his arm, “Don’t set up fg! Flags can’t be planted indiscriminately, you know?”

Jing Hongchou released the hilt of his sword and placed his palm over the back of his hand.

Su Yan felt the hard calluses on his knuckles and finger roots rubbing on the back of his hand, bringing a slight pain and inexplicable itch, and the depths of his body couldn’t help but be slightly itchy as well ……

He spat at this bit of swashbuckling of unknown origin, thinking that he wanted to get into even normal contact, somewhat ashamed of the sword-smart martial arts master in front of him.

As a result, the master asked back with a look of shyness and austerity, “Is it okay for that diao to thrust around?”