One Hundred and One   The Great Dealer

During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there were two rich families in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, one surnamed Chen and the other surnamed Tao. The two members were close friends, and they were inseparable from eating, drinking and having fun together. They had deep friendships. The two families were equal and wanted to get along with each other forever. They were just as married to each other. They were both pregnant and married. If the two families had a man and a woman, they would become a marriage. If both families had a man and a woman, they would become brothers. If both had a daughter, they would become Jinlan. The two were swearing to the high fives and never regret the marriage. If one party broke the contract, the world would not tolerate it.

After ten months of pregnancy, he gave birth. The Shen family gave birth to one thousand gold medals, named Lan, and the Tao family gave birth to a son, named Sheng. The two families were so happy that they were so happy that they celebrated their friends. They prepared for the future and called each other relatives first. When Tao Sheng was in the first place, Tao family often brought him to the Shen family, and he played with Chen Lan, which was really a childhood sweetheart.

When Chen Lan was approaching the age of her birth, she entered the boudoir and her parents forbidden her to go out, and Tao Sheng could not entertain her. At this time, the Tao family was in trouble and suddenly suffered a fire. The houses were burned and burned. Tao Sheng's parents were heartbroken and died of sudden illness. Tao Sheng had no brothers and sisters and only son. Tao Sheng was in decline. Tao Sheng lived on a tenant rent of more than ten acres outside the city. He was unable to support his family business at a young age, so he had to rely on Taishan to support him. Shen took over his family property and took over it.

Over time, the relationship changes, and the feelings of the family are like bubbles collapse. Chen Yuanwai's care for Tao Sheng gradually became colder, and the feelings of the father-in-law and son-in-law gradually became weaker. Chen Yuanwai saw that Tao Sheng was not motivated and it was difficult for him to become a talented person. He felt that this son-in-law was not satisfied with his son-in-law. He thought to himself: I have both sons and daughters, so I cannot recruit Tao Sheng. It is better to dominate the Tao family's property first, then find an opportunity to break off the engagement, and marry his daughter to an official family. I will benefit.

After the plan was decided, Chen Yuanwai built three thatched cottages outside the village. He first placed Tao Sheng in the thatched cottage to study, and hired a child to accompany him, saying that this place was pure and elegant, which was convenient for reading. Tao Sheng did not know this, so he temporarily suspended the plan and lived with his children. Chen Yuanwai saw that he was in a trap, and then looked for an opportunity to retire the marriage. Three years passed in a blink of an eye, and Chen Lan was at the age of her hair, and she had a beautiful appearance, like a flower and a jade. Chen Yuanwai became more anxious. To talk about the matter of retiring her marriage, sooner or later, her daughter was in her youth. If she did not resign from Tao Sheng, she would regret it too late.

One day, Chen Yuanwai went to the thatched cottage and said to Tao Sheng, "I have now married and Lan'er. I originally wanted to complete the house for you and the two of you to achieve the beauty. However, I recently asked a fortune teller to test the eight characters for you. Unexpectedly, your two of you are not in line with the eight characters. If you get married, you are afraid that disaster will come in the future, so this person should retreat. I want to find another partner for you, so you must respond." In fact, the eight characters of the two have been tested long ago, and it is not hindered. Now Chen Yuanwai's words are not in line with the eight characters. It is nothing more than an excuse. When Tao Sheng heard it, he was like five thunders thunders slamming the top of the head. He immediately knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, asking hard, "Everyone knows, I and Chen Lan were married, and my father and father-in-law had swear to each other, and I would never regret the marriage! I and Lan'er had already made a vow, and my heart would not change. I would never leave him forever. I would never leave him until the end of the world!" Chen Yuanwai scolded and said, "Don't talk too much, and you will retreat if you don't retreat! I was thinking of you and the two of you. You don't know how bad things are. You will not mention this matter again in the future. It will be aborted, and you will be discontinued!" Tao Sheng was furious and fainted on the ground. The book boy Huan'er quickly patted his chest and beat his back, and shouted for a while. After Tao Sheng woke up, he cried loudly, and even robbed the ground with his head, trying to fight him with his death.

When Chen Yuanwai saw Tao Sheng's attitude of wanting to die, he felt guilty, so he said perfunctory words and left. Later, he thought: The world's treacherous affairs are broad, how can my daughter marry this poor man? If she does not make a decision, she will suffer in the future, so she simply cut it off with one knife! He ordered his family to forbid Tao Sheng from visiting the door, strictly prohibited from interacting with Chen Lan, and ordered the maid to monitor the lady, so that Chen Lan would not be allowed to go out.

Chen Yuanwai wanted to remarry Chen Lan's family. Chen Lan refused to follow the matter when she learned about her resignation, so she went on a hunger strike to resist him. However, Chen Yuanwai did not change his plan and insisted on doing it alone. Chen Lan saw that her father was stubborn and had no hope, so she took advantage of the situation and hanged herself on the beam. The old couple of the Shen family saw that their daughter died and died, and cried in grief. The old wife angrily annoyed the old husband's reproach and made a big fuss. She came to die and regretted it too late!

Chen Yuan felt ashamed of his daughter, so he chose the best coffin to be buried. When Tao Sheng heard the bad news, he rushed to the Shen family and cried in front of the coffin. He wanted to hit the coffin and died. He was about to commit suicide. When he was about to commit suicide, he suddenly saw a red light falling from the sky and flashing in front of the coffin. The coffin lid trembled and there was a sound inside the coffin. Tao Sheng was stunned and stopped crying and listened carefully. He heard the sound of Chen Lan in the coffin. Tao Sheng was surprised and wiped away the tears. He asked the servant to pry open the coffin lid. However, everyone thought that Chen Lan wanted to cheat the corpse and did not dare to approach the former. Tao Sheng personally pried open the coffin lid. Chen Lan took a long breath and sat up. Seeing Tao Sheng in front of him, he immediately explained the reason and threw himself into his arms. The two hugged their heads and cried bitterly, and the crying was sad. Everyone could not move them when they saw this feeling.

Everyone was surprised to see Chen Lan resurrected from the death of death. The old couple of the Shen family turned sadness into joy. Everyone thought it was difficult to do so. Chen Yuanwai decided to repent, change his course, and fulfilled the two of them. However, his stubbornness did not change, and even said to Tao Sheng: "If you want to marry Lan'er as your wife, you must follow my conditions and pass the provincial examination within two years. I can agree to it. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Tao Sheng was born in a child. He became a scholar without the examination in the college. How could he be a provincial examination? The two-year period is short, and the conditions for the Shen Yuanwai are nothing more than making things difficult for him!

Although the conditions were harsh, Tao Sheng finally got a glimmer of hope. The power of love was extremely powerful. Tao Sheng studied hard day and night in the house outside the village, hanging his beam and stabbing his thighs to make a stride. He passed the imperial examination and was happy to be a scholar. Next year, he made a concerted effort and passed the provincial examination and became a juren. The Shen family was very happy. Tao Sheng could finally marry Chen Lan as his wife. However, in the year of the Great Competition, Tao Sheng was not satisfied with the status quo. He wanted to go to the spring examination in Beijing to go to the next level. He vowed to succeed and marry Chen Lan as his wife.

The Shen family strongly supported him and prepared enough money for Tao Sheng. Tao Sheng packed up and bid farewell to his parents-in-law, embarked on the road to the exam in Beijing. Chen Lan sent him ten miles away. Before leaving, Tao Sheng vowed: "I will not be awarded the gold list if I am not awarded the gold list in this exam in Beijing, and I will never return!" Chen Lan told him: "I hope you will succeed. I will wait for the good news. I wish you a smooth sailing and take good care of me!" The couple parted with each other.

Tao Sheng and Shu Tong Huan'er rode their horses, and drank hungry all the way, and thirsty all the way, and stayed at night. It was late autumn, and the night was long and the day was short. One afternoon, the two walked across Gaoyi County, Hebei Province. It was dusk, and they were afraid that they would miss the night. They whistled quickly and whipped the horse. They suddenly heard a whistle, and more than ten burly men rushed out of the forest. They each held swords and blocked the way, shouting loudly, leaving money to buy the way, the master and servant knew they had encountered a robber, and Huan'er glanced at the master and signaled to escape. Tao Sheng wanted to turn the horse and slapped the horse to escape. The bandits were not willing to let it go, and they chased each other. Huan'er's horse was fast and fled in an instant. He heard that he screamed and looked back. When he saw Tao Sheng's horse stumbled his front hooves and fell under the horse, he was unable to turn back to save his master, so he had to escape.

Huan'er escaped for more than ten miles, but no robbers were chasing him. He rode his horse slowly. He knew that Tao Shengding had lost his bandits, and there was no chance of good fortune. He covered his face and cried, and had no choice but to return to Kaifeng. Huan'er returned to the Shen family and complained about the misfortune of the journey. After hearing this, the Shen family was like a bolt from the blue. Chen Lan fainted immediately. The servant called out and swallowed his eyes. When he woke up, he burst into tears and cried bitterly. However, although Chen Yuanwai sighed and sighed, he had other plans and wanted to persuade his daughter to marry another family.

Chen Yuanwai thought that Tao Sheng was definitely dead by the robbers, so he advised his daughter to remarry a wealthy family. However, Chen Lan resolutely refused it, saying that there was no bad news about Tao Sheng's death, and wanted to wait for his whole life to not marry. Chen Yuanwai had no choice but to force him, for fear that his daughter would hang herself and repeat the same mistakes, so he had to rely on it for a while. Chen Lan cried and burned incense and knelt on Guanyin all day long, begging the Bodhisattva to bless his husband with peace, hoping to see through his eyes to wait for his husband to return.

When Tao Sheng was fleeing again, he accidentally fell off his horse. When the bandits were about to come forward to capture him, he suddenly saw a red light shining in the forest. A horse flew from the slanting road. One horse was on the horse, with a heroic figure, a red horse in red, and a sword on his waist. He rushed forward and shouted, "Don't be crazy! In the blue sky and the sun, how dare you rob?" The bandit sneered: "Where are madmen? Come and die!" The man in red drew his sword, looked at the sword, and waved his sword into the bandits. Seeing the sword waving like flying, the sword was like a silver snake, as fast as lightning, only the sword light was seen, but no one could see the figure. The bandits were shocked and lost their souls. No one dared to approach the former. With a whistle, they fled in the desert.

Tao Sheng was saved and thanked his benefactor. The man in red got off his horse and helped him and said, "I saw you being a robbed on the road. It is natural to rescue him. I saw you as a scholar. Where did I go?" Tao Sheng replied, "I am a son who went to Beijing to take the exam. I rushed to the place with the scholar..." He looked around and could not see Huan'er's trace. He called several times, but failed. The man in red said, "Don't worry if the scholar is lost. If you go home to look for him, you may miss the test period. I am about to enter Beijing. I will go all the way together, so I can accompany you."

The two walked together, chatting and laughing, Tao Shengzhi, a man in red, named Hong and Xian, went to Beijing to visit friends. The two walked to Zhengding Mansion and stayed in a hotel overnight. Tao Sheng said worriedly, "I predict that the letter boy will escape home. If his wife hears that I encounter a robber on the road, she will be in chaos at home. I will be uneasy." Hong Xian comforted, "It's okay, there is a post office here. My brother can write a letter and send it to his home, saying that he has escaped from danger and his family can be at peace."

Tao Sheng wrote a quick letter and told Chen Lan that although he had encountered a robber, he was rescued by a hero. He was now safe and sound. He was walking with his benefactor and rushed to the capital for the exam. He hoped that his family would not worry. The envelope indicated the mailing address, paid the postage, and handed it to the postage man. The next day, Tao Shengxin felt relieved and continued with Hong Xian.

A few days later, the postman sent the letter to the Shen family. When the Shen family heard this news, they turned sadness into joy, and they were all happy. Chen Lan saw Tao Sheng's letter written by him, and was extremely happy. She kowtowed to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and kept knocking her head and bleeding without hesitation.

Little did they know that disaster was coming. The Kaifeng area was raining heavily, and it kept going on for several days. The water of the Yellow River surged, crushing the breakwater, and the flood roared down, flooding dozens of counties in Henan, inside and outside Kaifeng, and the ocean was vast. Millions of people suffered, Chen Lan's parents were swept by the flood, and they died. He and his brother Shen Kun escaped by luck, crossed the river with the victims and went north to avoid it.

Tao Sheng heard that his hometown was flooded and flooded Kaifeng, and his family members were in danger of death. He thought that Chen Lan and his parents were in danger. He was worried all day long. He looked at the South Heaven and begged God to bless his wife with peace. Tao Sheng knew that he was homeless, so he could only try hard and see Chen Lan again on the list. He had no other way to find him.

Chen Lan and his brother Shen Kun went north with the victims of the escape. The former young master and lady, who was once a beggar, have become a tragic situation. How can they be pity! The brother and sister discussed that they were homeless and had no relatives to join. Going to Beijing to find Tao Sheng was the only way out. It was already winter and the weather was cold. Chen Lan sold the golden hairpin on her bun and the jade bracelet on her wrist as a trap. The brother and sister were facing the wind and snow, wandering day and night, hungry and fleeing to the capital.

The spring exam is approaching, and the test begins. The hero Hong Xianke is accompanied Tao Sheng in the hotel. He also knows that Kaifeng is flooded and Tao Sheng is homeless. He expresses deep pity for him. He knows that Zhongdi is Tao Sheng's only way out, so he encourages him and said, "I hope Brother Tao will win the Lu Lu and will be on the gold list!" Tao Sheng said, "In this test, I want to fight to the death and swear to take it away. Brother Hong's great kindness will never be forgotten. If I pass the test, I will thank him again."

When he entered the examination room, Tao Sheng calmly took the exam, wrote the answer sheet, walked like flowing water, and showed his literary talent. The heavens lived up to the hard work, and he was the tribute scholar on the list. He met Jiajing again, and passed the palace examination and won the first-class Tanhua!

After Tao Sheng looked at the gold list, he returned to the hotel with joy and ecstasy, but no trace of Hong Xian was seen. He saw a letter left on the table, and he hurriedly opened it and read it. He saw the letter and said: Brother Tao Sheng, congratulations on being on the gold list. I have important things. I forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. I wish my brother good health! Tao Sheng held the letter in his hand, at a loss.

Tao Sheng finally jumped over the dragon gate and became famous! Three people in one class, wearing red flowers and riding horses on Rong Street. Tens of thousands of people in the capital greeted him. Cheers came one after another. When they were happily bowing to the people, they suddenly heard a cry: "Tao Sheng!" Who is so bold? He dared to call out the name of Tanhua. Tao Sheng looked over the voice and found a familiar face in the crowd. Although his face was pale and thin, his bun was not flat, he was still surprised to find out. He was Shen Lan who was thinking about day and night!

Tao Sheng jumped under the horse, and the couple hugged each other, tears falling like rain, and they burst into tears! Originally, Shen Lan and her brother arrived in the capital and met three horses riding on Rong Street. The crowd was surging and the brother and sister were missing. When Shen Lan was anxious, she realized that Tanhua was Tao Sheng at first sight! She couldn't suppress her inner surprise and blurted out her husband's name.

Tao Sheng was appointed as the prefect of Taizhou by the court, and he took office with Shen Lan and his brother and sister. The lover finally got married. During the wedding, the servant came to report that a man named Hong and Xian came to congratulate him outside the mansion. Tao Sheng heard about it and was overjoyed and welcomed him into the mansion.

Hong Xian held the wine jar and said, "My dear brother and Miss Shen Lan are a marriage made by heaven. Although they have gone through many twists and turns, they finally become partners. I came to congratulate me on the order of Yue Lao, and I especially like to drink it with a jar of wine." He slapped the wine jar and drank it. After drinking it, he shook his body and turned into a boy. The boy had clear eyebrows, white face, three girdles on his head, and he wore red clothes and red pants. He said a word, and the boy turned into a red light, and the red light flashed and passed away. Everyone was surprised and knew that the immortals had come to this point. Tao Sheng and Shen Lan and the others knelt down and kowtowed to the sky.
Chapter completed!