In the third year of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Emperor Zhao Xu of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne at the age of nine, and had reigned for fifteen years. It was the fifth day of the first lunar month, and the Maming River ferry on the west bank of the Bianhe River was already bustling with people, donkeys honking, horses neighing, and the sound of people and cars.

, bustling and extremely lively.

Just after the first day, more and more merchants and travelers passed by, and at the same time, there were also some candidates from all walks of life who came to Beijing to take the exam. Most of the candidates had already entered Kaifeng Prefecture to prepare to take the Song and Yuan Fu exams for three years.

During the Rites Examination, some candidates gathered at the Zhifu Inn at the ferry of Maming River. The Zhifu Inn is only more than twenty miles away from Kaifeng Prefecture.

The provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites in the Song Dynasty was scheduled for the ninth day of the first lunar month, and there were only four days left before the examination.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, it was still snowing heavily in Kaifeng Mansion, and the north wind was raging, dyeing the entire Kaifeng Mansion in white. It was especially enchanting when it was covered in silver.

The snow scene is so beautiful, but it also brings about a serious problem, that is, the Bianhe River is frozen. At this time, it is neither possible to sail on the Bianhe River, nor to drive on the ice. Many businessmen and travelers entering Beijing are blocked.

After arriving at the Maming River Ferry, the merchants and travelers were doing better, but the officials were extremely anxious, hoping that the Bianhe River would thaw soon, otherwise they would miss the imperial tribute held every three years.

According to the system of the Song Dynasty, candidates rushing to take the exam must submit documents proving their identity to the Ministry of Rites through the bookstore at least three days in advance. Otherwise, they will lose their qualifications for the exam.

The business of Zhifu Inn, located on the west bank of the Bian River, was extremely good at this time. Within half a day, it was overcrowded, and all the guest rooms were occupied. Later guests had no place to stay, so they had to squeeze in the lobby, light a fire to keep warm, warm wine, chat, and wait for the Bian River.

The river has thawed, so we can continue our journey.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves sounded outside the door of Zhifu Inn, and a strong horse galloped over. A guest wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and raincoat got off his horse, tied the horse to the hitch post outside the door, and pushed

He opened the wooden door of the inn and walked in.

It was freezing in the north. After the door was opened, a cold wind blew into the inn. The guests in the inn frowned and scolded each other intentionally. From the appearance of this person, they all held back the words they just wanted to say.

Went back.

The man who entered the inn wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and a raincoat. He was tightly wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket, tied around his waist and wrists. At his feet was a pair of hemp shoes with his toes exposed. His attire was normal, but his figure was just that.

He is tall, has a heroic face, and has an unkempt beard. The beard is covered with white snow. The most surprising thing is that this man has a long sword wrapped in rags hanging on his waist. His tall figure matches the

A long sword shows that this person is extremely powerful.

You must know that the imperial court's management of weapons is extremely strict. Private possession and private manufacture of weapons are prohibited. However, the weapons prohibited by the imperial court do not include ordinary weapons such as "bows, swords, knives, spears, and short spears". They are only for

The manufacturing and trading processes of this type of weapons are strictly controlled.

The imperial court mainly prohibited weapons of mass destruction such as spears, sharp blades, armor, crossbows, etc.

But even so, the person who entered the inn was different. Who else would be running around with a sword hanging on his back when he had enough to eat and nothing to do?

Maybe this person is some kind of hero...? All the guests speculated in their minds.

However, after this person entered the inn lobby, he was quite gentle. He found an unoccupied wooden table in a remote part of the lobby and sat down. The long sword was too long, so he took off the long sword and placed it on the table, and then faced the inn.

The shopkeeper said: "Shopkeeper, please prepare a guest room.

Any size is available.”

"Sir, I'm really sorry. We are full and there are no guest rooms. How about you spend the night here? There is a small cabin next to the stables. How about you stay there temporarily?" The innkeeper heard this and quickly said

He said with his hands raised.

"Hero" frowned when he heard this and said: "In that case, I'll trouble the shopkeeper to arrange it. Thank you very much."

The hut next to the stable must be extremely simple. When you rest at night, you can still smell the smell of the stable and hear the movement of the horses. But what has the "hero" not seen or experienced during this trip to Lingnan?

No matter how difficult things are, we have experienced them and have become accustomed to them. We are not surprised and have become accustomed to them.

"Hurry up and move the guest's luggage over here." The "hero" was more polite, and the innkeeper immediately had a good impression of the "hero" and repeatedly ordered the waiter in the shop.

"No, I'll come by myself later and bring some food and wine. I've been on the road for so long and I'm really hungry. I still have to bother feeding the horses some fodder." "Hero" saw this and said to the innkeeper.

"Don't worry, sir. Please wait a moment. The food and wine will be served soon," the shopkeeper responded.

"Hero" nodded, took a few sips of the hot water handed over by the waiter in the shop, then took out a book from the bag, laid it flat on the wooden table, and read it under the dim light as if no one else was watching.

When all the customers in the store saw this, they were all secretly surprised. When did the hero like to chew books? And he was so focused?

However, there are all kinds of strange people in the world. If they are willing to hold a sword in one hand and a book in the other, just like Guan Yunchang, what does it have to do with them? So everyone started chatting again.

The sky is getting darker, and the north wind is getting stronger and stronger, making the closed wooden windows crackle and make a chaotic sound. Everyone is secretly worried. With such bad weather, it seems that it will be impossible to travel tomorrow.

A moment later, there was another rapid sound of horse hooves outside the store door. The sound got closer and closer, and soon they arrived in front of the door.

"Another customer is here." An old man in the store said.

Sure enough, after a while, the store door opened, and two women and one man rushed in. The north wind mixed with rain and snow suddenly blew in, blowing the fire in the store to flicker, and the indoor temperature suddenly became as if

It was a few degrees lower, making people feel extremely cold.

There was a burst of anger in everyone's heart. The heat that had finally gathered was gone when the door was opened. How could they keep warm after coming here so many times? Just go back to bed and sleep. Of course, the premise is that there is a place to sleep.

Everyone in the store wanted to yell at them, but after seeing these three people, they suppressed what they were about to say.

Among the three, the man is thinner and not tall. He is dark and thin, with a hooked nose. He does not look like a Central Plains person and has a gloomy look.

When everyone saw the two women, their eyes lit up in vain. One woman was about twenty years old, with almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks. She was extremely charming. After taking one look, everyone lowered their heads and did not dare to look directly.

She looked at her and her heart was beating wildly. This woman's eyes seemed to be able to discharge electricity. Wherever her eyes glanced, there would be a commotion, except for the "hero" who was concentrating on reading...

The woman wears an apricot brocade leather jacket, a pair of black cotton trousers, and a pair of black short boots. Generally speaking, cotton trousers are relatively loose and can be worn on a person.

The body looks extremely bloated, but the cotton pants on the legs of the woman in yellow fit perfectly, highlighting the tall figure of the woman in yellow. People have to wonder whether these cotton pants can keep warm?

Another woman, fifteen or sixteen years old, also has picturesque features, but is very different from the charming appearance of the woman in yellow. Her childlike face is covered with clear and bright pupils, curved eyebrows, and long eyebrows.

The long eyelashes trembled slightly, the fair and flawless skin showed a faint red color, and the thin lips looked a little pale, probably because of the cold weather...

The innocent girl wears a dark blue short-collared top with a half-breasted collar, the neck, cuffs, and bottom of the placket are embroidered with colorful and exquisite patterns. Around her waist is an apron embroidered with several peacocks with five-color silk thread, and blue long trousers.

The innocent girl didn't seem to be from the Central Plains. She looked a bit like the Yi people from the southwest in her dress, so everyone secretly guessed.

Sure enough, the innocent girl walked by. In addition to bringing a burst of girl's fragrance, everyone also heard a jingling sound. It turned out that the girl had a pair of anklets on each ankle, which made a pleasant sound when she walked.

Everyone looked at the two women in confusion. No one spoke for a long time, but the thin, dark man spoke first: "Shopkeeper, please prepare two upper rooms."

"I'm really sorry. Not to mention the room, even the stables are gone... Why don't you spend the night here? The shop must have delicious food and good food. The ice may be frozen tomorrow. Guest

It's easy for officials to cross the river." The innkeeper nodded and bowed.

"Old shopkeeper, you can't say that, can you?" The thin black man said with a gloomy face when he heard this: "I can deal with it, but you have also seen that our two masters are beautiful little ladies, how should they deal with them? Let them

Stay here with these rude men?"

"You are right, but... the inn has been full for a long time. Where are the spare rooms? I really can't help it." The innkeeper replied awkwardly.

"Nonsense, if you don't have rooms, how can you open a store? Go and ask if anyone is willing to give up two guest rooms?" the thin black man said after taking a look at everyone in the room.

"This..." The innkeeper looked around with a confused look on his face.

In such a cold weather, who is willing to give up the guest room? Is it possible that I will get cold in the lobby if I don’t sleep in the bed?

"What about this and that? Why don't you go quickly?" the thin black man said impatiently.

The innkeeper was in an extremely difficult situation. At this time, the voice of the thin black man was getting louder and fiercer. It had already been heard by the people in the room. If anyone wanted to do it, someone would have spoken.

Seeing this, the thin black man became more and more impatient. He stepped forward and grabbed the innkeeper by the collar, lifted him up, and tried to hit the innkeeper in the face with his fist.

Although the innkeeper was old, he was half a head taller than the thin black man. Carrying the innkeeper was like carrying a baby, without any effort.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this thin, dark man has some skills.

People around him suddenly screamed in surprise. The waiter in the shop wanted to be rescued, but was frightened by the thin black man and did not dare to step forward.

"Brother Huang, stop!" At this moment, the woman in yellow said.
Chapter completed!