The Grandmaster Strategist

This young man is about twenty-eight or nine years old. He is a young Confucian scholar. He is wearing a white washed green shirt and a bamboo flute tied around his waist. He seems to be quite down-and-out, but he has a delicate and elegant appearance and a noble bearing. It seems that he doesn't care about the poor life. The young man was always playing with a folding fan in his hand. The folding fan swayed, opened and closed, and the image of the beautiful woman on the fan was faintly revealed. This folding fan is gorgeous and expensive, which is in sharp contrast to his cold clothes, and the frivolous beauty fan is not in line with his cold expression. But the strange thing is that all these incongruities reveal an inexplicable harmony, making this young man even more handsome.

The young man drank a few more glasses of wine and sang in a low voice: "A melancholy dream. The moon is setting over the mountains. A lone lamp shines on the screen behind the wall. I thank my mother-in-law in the small building and high pavilion. I secretly think about how the jade face looks like. A branch of spring snow-frozen plum blossoms, full of fragrant mist. Clusters of morning glow. (Note 1)"

His voice was a bit low and hoarse, but this song was sung in a low and low tone, conveying affection. The restaurant was originally full of guests, but when he sang, the whole house was silent. His voice was not high, but it was full of people. People could hear it clearly, they all listened attentively, and there were even people who were tapping gently to the tune. As soon as the second sentence was sung, the clear and moving sound of the flute sounded in the building. The sound of the flute accompanied the singing, which made people more and more enchanted.

After singing the song, the flute sound did not stop, and then the clear and transparent singing voice of a woman sounded in the building again. The woman sang the song sung by the young man again. Although it was the same melody and phrases, the details were different. There were many changes, and the woman's singing voice was endlessly resonant, interpreting the deep meaning of the words so vividly that everyone in the building forgot what night it was.

The young man closed his eyes slightly, savoring the wonderful singing. After a long time, the singing disappeared, and light footsteps stopped at the door of the wing. He opened his eyes and sighed: "It must be Miss Ru Meng who is here in person. Alas, Miss His singing and dancing skills are hard to buy, but now he is showing off his singing voice in this small restaurant. If the young people from Jianye know about it, they will definitely beat their chests and sigh."

The bamboo curtain was raised, and a girl wearing a red Zhaojun suit floated in. Behind her were a maid in blue and a tough and majestic man. The girl entered the side room, and the maid in blue helped her take off the Zhaojun suit. The girl was tall and tall, wearing a simple white satin floor-length skirt, like a white lotus blooming silently. The girl was about in her early twenties, with a beautiful and elegant appearance. Regardless of her skin like cream and eyebrows like leaves, it was just her clear and clear autumn eyes that conveyed all kinds of charm. She stepped forward and bowed gracefully: "I am Liu Rumeng, and I have met Mr. Song Yusong."

The young man smiled slightly, stood up and said: "Miss Rumenghuafangliu, she is famous in the south of the Yangtze River for her singing and dancing. Song is just a prodigal from a poor family, how can he deserve the gift of a girl?" However, there was no trace of arrogance between his eyebrows. The meaning of inferiority.

The girl sighed softly, with a faint sadness between her brows, her bright eyes moved, and she felt even more worried. She whispered: "I am in Qinhuai, entertaining people with my voice and sex, but I am always ostracized and bullied. This time in Nanchu The army defeated Yong's army, and all the brothel painters in Qinhuai agreed to hold an oiran competition at Xuanwu Lake on the first day of the Yuan Dynasty, and select three people to be named the number one, number two and third flower. From now on, only these three people can be called oiran ladies. In the past, everyone worked in their own way. As long as there were more people to support them, they could be respected as oiran by their peers. But this time it is different from the past. The sisters need to perform on the spot, and then be tasted by distinguished guests from all over the lake. The winner will be famous in the south of the Yangtze River. The loser will be shameless from now on.”

The young man said calmly: "Miss Rumeng is both beautiful and talented. Who doesn't know about Qin Huai, so why worry about this matter."

Tears seemed to flash in Liu Rumeng's eyes, and she said: "I have always been alone and unfettered. Qinhuai Qinglou is now a confrontation between two heroes. Wanhualou and Yueyingxuan refuse to give in to each other. This time they are competing for the oiran. , both sides have tried their best, Wanhualou just paid it off, the Qiuyan girl they launched is not inferior to me in sex skills, but Xiao Erniang from Yue Yingxuan tried every means to force me to join, but I am not inferior to her. allow,

They used a trick to steal the new words that I had asked for for this event. If I were at the Xuanwu Lake event, I would only be able to sing some clichés. Not to mention that I would not be able to get the position of oiran, I am afraid that I would be Laughing. After much deliberation, I have concluded that only Mr. Song can help me. I ask for your mercy, Mr. Song. "

The young man frowned when he heard this and said: "You should know that although I often write poems for others, I mostly work for the girls under the Wanhua Tower. I have a good relationship with the owner of Wanhua Tower. This time it is of great importance. , if I help you, wouldn’t I offend Lord Wan, and who in Qinhuai doesn’t know that Qin Erniang of Yueyingxuan is ruthless. If I ruin her big things, I’m afraid I will never be able to live in Qinhuai again. Miss Rumeng, you should know that Song A certain difficulty."

Liu Rumeng covered her face and said: "If I don't have four or five new words, I'm afraid it will be difficult to support me. In such a hurry, where can I buy these many gorgeous new words? Oh, am I really going to fail this time?" , after all, I, Liu Rumeng, am not as good as Liu Piaoxiang. I think back to the time when Piaoxiang girl danced beautifully and became unique on the Qinhuai River. I think of the legend of her smiling proudly at the prince and scolding the King of Han. Rumeng always feels irritated and always wants to imitate Piaoxiang. My sister’s heroic appearance, it seems now, is nothing more than an idiot’s dream.”

The deepest sorrow flashed in the young man's eyes when he heard this, and it disappeared instantly, and then he sighed: "Song admires Miss Rumeng for having such ambition. If the girl doesn't dislike it, Song would be willing to accompany her on the dressing table to write lyrics and music for her, but I don’t know if the girl needs a piano player, but Song’s piano skills are quite impressive.”

Seeing that her last hope had been cut off, Liu Rumeng couldn't help but speak her inner words. Unexpectedly, Song Yu suddenly agreed to write lyrics for her, and was even more willing to become her subordinate. She couldn't help but be overjoyed, put down her sleeves, and smiled on her beautiful face. Tears filled her eyes, and now she was smiling through tears, making her look even more beautiful and incomparable. She stepped forward and tugged on Song Yu's sleeves and said, "Oh, Mr. Song, if he is willing to condescend, Rumeng would be willing to become his teacher and respectfully listen to his teachings."

Seeing her expression of surprise and surprise, Song Yu felt his mind wandering and he couldn't control himself. He mingled among the fireworks in the brothel to numb himself. To those Ying Ying Yan Yan, it was just a show for the occasion. At his most indulgent, he was just His hands and eyes are gentle, and although he is among the flowers, his heart is as calm as an ancient well. Although Liu Rumeng has always been famous, he had a knot in his heart. As soon as he heard that this woman's surname was Liu, he deliberately avoided it. He had never met her before, and he never expected that when he met her today, she looked exactly like Liu Rumeng in both appearance and talent. How could he not be enchanted by the beauty he had admired for so long?

Song Yu was the son of a poor family in Southern Chu. His real name was Song Min. He was selected as a scholar at the age of twelve and was hailed as a genius by the villagers. Unexpectedly, his family was repatriated and he had no choice but to live in Jianye. He became famous when he was poor, sick and on the verge of death. He was rescued by Liu Piaoxiang, a famous prostitute from Jiangnan, and left him as a servant on the Piaoxiang Painted Boat. Although he was young at the time, he had an admiration for Liu Piaoxiang. In order to be infatuated with him, he was willing to stay on the boat and work as a lowly servant. Although he had no chance to get close to the beauty, Liu Piaoxiang's every frown and smile were... The most precious memory in his heart. Because he was always paying attention, he even knew a little bit about the affair between Liu Piaoxiang and Jiang Zhe. Although he was happy that Liu Piaoxiang was able to marry her husband, the pain in his heart could not be reduced. After Liu Piaoxiang left the painting boat, he left sadly, thus avoiding the massacre that followed. Later, he joined the secret camp by chance, but was shocked to learn that Liu Piaoxiang had disappeared. In order to avenge his sweetheart, he concentrated on training hard. Although his martial arts qualifications were only above average, with his unremitting efforts, he was finally promoted to the Eighth Horse and was named Yulun by Jiang Zhe.

The eight horses of the secret camp, dragon group, Chi Ji is the most valued by Jiang Zhe. He has general talents and values ​​friendship. Pirate Li has a resolute temperament and is calm in dealing with things, but he is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. Bai Yi, who is simple in appearance but has the talent of a leader, is in the tiger group. , commanding the main combat force of the secret camp; the dark group, Shanzi is good at concealed weapons, and even later gave up martial arts for it, but the assassination plans of the secret camp and the dark group often rely on his support, Qu Huang, plain-looking, It is easy to forget, and the enemy is often not aware of his existence until he is on the verge of death; Hidden Group, Hualiu, has a peaceful appearance and is easy to get close to, but he is thoughtful and careful. Although he is often soft-hearted because of friendship, when he is really needed, he They can be ruthless to the extreme, green-eared, cheerful and friendly on the outside, but in reality they are smart, capable, and good at management.

Yu Lun is the most special person among the Eight Horses. He was originally the leader of the Tiger Group and was under Bai Yi. It can be said that his martial arts is outstanding in the secret camp and he should have been the same as Huo Yi. He kills people with open fire, but he prefers to be an assassin. Originally, Jiang Zhe thought that he was not suitable to join the secret team because of his outstanding appearance. But later, everyone had to admit that he was the best assassin. The folding fan in his hand is his weapon. The fan bones of the folding fan are made of fine steel. There is a hidden steel needle hidden in the fan. It can directly hit the enemy's vital points when facing the enemy. Countless masters have died under this folding fan. However, Yu Lun mostly uses secret calculations and sneak attacks to defeat the enemy. He has strict planning and meticulous layout, and his attacks never fail. He is good at using strategies, understands people's hearts, and sometimes has a flash of inspiration. He often takes the enemy's life under impossible circumstances, but No one knew it was his hand. And from the moment he debuted, he used bohemian behavior to hide his true face. In addition, he was extremely talented. He could write poems and lyrics in one go, and he would hang out in the fireworks and willow alleys when he had some spare time. All these indulgent behaviors , became his best cover. On the surface, he was a noble scholar and a prodigal son, but no one expected that he would be a hard-hearted assassin.

The disciples of the secret camp officially started training in the first month of the 22nd year of Xiande in Nanchu. In the first month of the sixth year of Emperor Yonglong's reign, that is, two years ago, according to the original ten-year agreement, all the disciples of the secret camp could be free and go their own way. The life they wanted, even before that, Chi Ji and Hua Liu had officially left the secret camp, and Pirate Li had devoted more of his energy to Haishi Shipbuilding. Although they were freed, almost everyone in the secret camp chose to continue to be loyal to Jiang Zhe. After all, whether they wanted wealth or wealth, it was not difficult to get it by following Jiang Zhe, not to mention that their loyalty to Jiang Zhe was deeply rooted. Yu Lun is almost the only exception. He is one of the Eight Horsemen. He is already one of Jiang Zhe's registered disciples. Dayong is in great power and Jiang Zhe is at the top of his game. With this status, he can get almost everything he dreams of. But he chose to leave the secret camp and return to Jianye, the capital of Southern Chu, to spend the rest of his life. Yu Lun didn't know if Jiang Zhe had any intention to silence him, but in the end he returned to Jianye safely and lived the life he wanted. Comparatively speaking, among the eight horses, his loyalty to Jiang Zhe is the weakest. He left the secret camp and Jiang Zhe not for Nanchu or other reasons. In fact, if Jiang Zhe forced him to stay, he would not He won't resist, he just wants to go back to the beginning.

After leaving the secret camp, Yu Lun's life soon fell into trouble. All he learned in the secret camp were killing plots, but he never learned how to make a living. After all, he was not a member of the secret group or the hidden group. Even though he was so superior, he was no longer used to being humble, let alone relying on his strength to make a living. His only talent is killing, but he doesn't even know how to contact the assassination business. Apart from that, the only thing he can do is write poems and lyrics, but he doesn't bother to exchange poems for money, not to mention that he didn't do it when he was in the secret camp. He has a lot of money, and even if he has gold and silver, he will often squander it all quickly. If he hadn't received a sum of money when he left, I'm afraid he would have left empty-handed.

After getting rid of the fetters, Yu Lun arrived at the Qinhuai River almost directly. With his extraordinary bearing and handsome appearance, coupled with his literary talent and rich wealth, he soon became a welcome guest on the Qinhuai River. He lingers in the wind and moon every day, leaning on the red and green trees, drinking, singing and dancing. In his free time, he recites poems and composes poems. His poems are elegant, touching, and pathos. A common singer can sing a song well enough to be famous for half a month. Later, he had all the money in his pocket. If it weren't for the red card from the brothel who often asked him for poems and then gave him gold and silver, he would have been completely empty.

Even so, it didn't take long for him to be impoverished. From a position of well-clothed and well-fed, with everything he could respond to, to this predicament, ordinary people would inevitably feel distressed and regretful, but Yuolun was happy with it. He lived in such poverty for a full year and a half. Until one day when Qu Huang went to Jianye for business, he knew that he was living in seclusion here, so he came to visit him. Seeing how poor he was, Qu Huang was almost shocked. As a result, Qu Huang, who had always been taciturn, couldn't help but drag him to a restaurant for a night of drinking, leaving almost all the gold and silver on his body and disappearing without a trace. One month later, Qu Huang appeared again, but he brought an assassination mission. Since then, Yuolun's life has changed. Every once in a while, he will get various tasks from Tianji Pavilion or Secret Camp. These tasks are concentrated near Jianye, and most of them are quite difficult. In fact, Tianji Pavilion has quite a few properties in Jianye, and the secret camp also has frequent activities in Jianye. It’s just that after Yuanlun left the secret camp, he didn’t know the details. Every time he completed a task, the reward he received was enough to make his life A period of luxurious life saved him from poverty.

Yualun accepted such a change without hesitation. Although he had changed from the former leader of the secret camp to a driven tool today, he did not complain at all or regret at all. The flame of his life seemed to have been burned more than ten years ago. After burning out, only in the wind and moon of Qinhuai can Yulun feel peace and joy. In fact, sometimes Yu Lun himself didn't understand why he had no regrets like a moth flying into a flame. Whenever he wanted to find out, that bright face that he could never forget always appeared in front of his eyes.

It wasn't until today, when he met Liu Rumeng in this ordinary restaurant, that he felt that his life seemed to be changing again. This woman's appearance had no resemblance to Liu Piaoxiang, but when she expressed her true feelings, Later, Yualun discovered that this woman's temperament and charm were very similar to the person he had been dreaming about. Only for this reason could he agree to stay with this woman, completely forgetting the mission he took on three months ago. How dangerous and unpredictable it is. Thinking of this, the look he looked at Liu Rumeng became more and more sad.

Liu Rumeng was as attentive as a hair, so she could naturally detect the changes in his emotions. She had heard about this young man Song Yu for a long time. Many sisters on the Qinhuai River had mentioned this person to her, but for some reason, the two had never met each other. She also thought about whether Song Yu wanted to avoid it, but she thought it was impossible. The sisters all said that Song Yu was an eccentric person. Although he would sing and cry every day, get Qin Huai drunk, hug each other in the romantic court, spend money like water, be willful and indulgent, and often look at high-ranking officials and scholars, but There is no arrogance towards women like me who make a living by selling jokes, but they treat each other as friends. They are completely different from those men who are looking for fun in Qinhuai. Even though they are full of smiles, they are also contemptuous in their hearts. An attentive sister once said that although Mr. Song was surrounded by flowers, he was never really happy. Even the fragrance and powder could not hide his desolate elegance. Even the laughter and laughter could not hide the pain in his eyes. . Liu Rumeng was dubious at first, but when he saw it today, he realized that it was indeed the case. I just don’t know why he was so sad when he was not even 30 years old, so that his pearls were covered with dust.

However, the secrets of Song Yu can be discovered slowly. Liu Rumeng saluted and said: "Since Sir agreed to Rumeng, why not go back with Rumeng now? Alas, Yueyingxuan has always been arrogant and unreasonable. If they know that Sir is helping my concubine, I’m afraid there’s something I can’t bear to say about my body.”

Yu Lun withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "I don't care about the people in Yueyingxuan yet. Miss, please go back first. I will meet you at the painting boat tomorrow."

Liu Rumeng was about to persuade him again, but when he saw Song Yu's cold expression and an irresistible aura of solemnity between his brows, his thoughts turned over and over again, and he bowed gracefully and said: "In that case, I will wait for you on the boat. "

Yu Lun turned his back and raised his glass to the moon. There was a sadness in his heart, and he couldn't help but whisper: "I am afraid that the passionate young master in the past only has the beauty of the newcomer in his eyes. He still remembers the desolation of the ancient tombs in Jianye City. Miss Liu, the original I thought no one in the world would remember you except me, but I didn’t expect that you actually have a close friend in this world today.”

Just as the reincarnation was turning nine times, someone came in through the curtain with a big smile and said: "Brother Song, this time I have shown my face. Thank you for your idea. Why are you in this small place on such a good day?" Sorry, how about going to Yueyingxuan with me and having a few drinks?"

A hint of coldness flashed in Yu Lun's eyes, and he said with a smile: "Brother Shang is serious. I am just saying casually. Those important national affairs have to be taken care of by others. Why should we commoners be troublesome? Drinking is fine, but Brother Shang doesn't want it." Let’s talk about those things that bring bad luck.”

That man was none other than Shang Chengye. Although he was Shang Weijun’s only son, he was of high status, but he was mediocre and dull. The people he met on daily basis were either flattering or flattering, or respected on the surface but actually looked down upon. Although Shang Chengye was stupid, over time, he also became He knew that most of the people around him were hypocritical, but the friends he met in this romantic field, although they often made sarcastic remarks, they only treated him as an ordinary person, and they were comfortable getting along with him. So after hearing this, not only was he not angry, but he stepped forward with a smile, picked up the wheel and walked out. As he walked, he said: "What's the problem? My father and the others will take care of military affairs. Come on, we must do it this time." Only when you are drunk can you rest.”

Yuolun smiled slightly and let him pull him out.

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Note 1: Wei Zhuang's "Huanxi Sand"