"I heard it! I heard it!" Before Li Shuci could make a sound, Yu Baochan replied excitedly: "I heard my father say that in the New Year's gift of Daxia tribute, there is a peerless jewel, but after the envoy entered Beijing, it was lost in the post house!

Helian Tao's face was a little serious: "The loss of the tribute, and it was lost at the feet of the Son of Heaven, this is not just as simple as losing something, it is a matter of the face of the Heavenly Family, so it makes things complicated." Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”

Hearing this, Li Shuci put down the chopsticks in his hand and asked, "I don't know what kind of jewel it is?"

"This peerless jewel that Great Xia paid tribute this time is said to be very rare. The pearl is five colors, a dragon and a phoenix are engraved on it, and the ambilight is extremely gorgeous. It is rumored that this jewel is a five-color stone left over from Nuwa Niangniang's smelting of the Heavenly God Stone, absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon, and finally condensing it into a strange orb, which can ensure the immortality of a country. ”

"For such an important thing, why did Great Xia pay tribute to Chongnan? Moreover, it is not yet time to pay tribute...... Why did you send it in advance?"

Xiyi, Beiye, Daxia, and the coastal countries send tribute to Chongnan at the beginning of each year, and the tributes are usually some rare and cherished treasures in addition to the special materials of various places. However, this year, Great Xia actually sent tribute to Shangjing at the end of the year.

The envoy of Daxia said that originally this bead was related to the luck of a country, and it was never dared to move a single bit, and it has been guarded by the royal family in the palace. Unexpectedly, the secret room where the orb was stored that day suddenly emitted a strange red light, and a ray of red light flew into the sky above the palace, and then disappeared. When the King of Great Xia opened the secret room, he saw that the original brilliant orb had lost its luster, and the dragon and phoenix engraved on it had also disappeared. ”

Hearing this, Fang Jin had forgotten his previous embarrassment, and was puzzled: "Since this jewel represents a country's luck, does it mean that the jewel is like this, indicating that Great Xia's luck has been lost?

Yu Baochan glared and said, "Could it be that we Chongnan are cursed to lose the fortune of the country like them?"

Li Shuci shook his head and said, "How could it be?" The Great Xia leyline is special, except for the swamp poisonous insect herbs, other resources are scarce and scarce. This is also the reason why Daxia has always been attached to Chongnan, as a friend of Chongnan, how could he ask for hardship and deliberately damage the majesty of Chongnan. ”

Helian Tao nodded and said, "Naturally, it's not for this reason. When the king heard this, he was also furious. Tell the envoys to come to the temple and ask questions. ”

"What did the envoy say?"

The envoy said that after this incident, many people speculated that the luck of Great Xia was about to run out, and the people were panicked, and the king of Great Xia also committed an old illness because of this. At this time, the national teacher met with the king of Great Xia and said: This pearl has a spirit, but it was attracted by a person with a very noble life. If you place the orb next to that person, it will soon be restored to its original appearance. When the King of Great Xia heard this, he thought that the red light was disappearing in the direction of Chongnan, and he was convinced that he decided to present this jewel to our court. ”

Yu Baochan asked curiously: "Does the jewel have a spirit?"

Helian Tao smiled: "That's what I said. ”

"But Daxia sent this pearl to Chongnan, what about Daxia's luck, can you really give it to me if you are willing to give it to me?"

Li Shuci groaned: "No matter how strange things are, they all come out of the mouth, and who has seen them with their own eyes? ”

"That'...... Where did this orb come from? Who said he had a spirit?" Yu Baochan was very interested in these rare treasures.

"I heard that the orb was found by the King of Great Xia and the national teacher he relied on and presented to the royal family. ”

"So, maybe this national teacher is talking to himself?"

At this time, Mu Yun looked at them and said, "Not really. Oh...... I also happened to hear about it from the people of Daxia when I was collecting medicine...... I don't know if it's true or not...... Legend has it that the king of Great Xia had a chronic illness, and this national teacher was recommended by a prince, and then presented a five-colored orb, indicating that this orb can protect the luck of Great Xia. After that, the Great Xia King's illness not only recovered, but his body became more and more healthy, and the national teacher became a national teacher and was relied on by the Great Xia King. ”

Fang Jin said: "But if it is really a jewel with a spirit, it is looking for someone." Why don't you come early or late, but choose this time? Who is this person with a very noble life?"

The corner of Li Shuci's mouth provoked a hint of a smile, and his index finger lightly buckled twice on the yellow wood square table, and said, "Choose this time...... Naturally, this is because this person has just appeared, or is about to appear. ”

I don't know the taste of the food at this meal, except for Yu Baochan, who is still excited about the treasure theft case, everyone is in a trance, this Helian Tao's noisy kung fu has really reached the realm of returning to the basics. Helian Tao looked at the remaining food on the table, and beckoned Lao Hong: "What, is there any oil paper, wrap all these few without soup." ”

Everyone looked at Heliantao blankly, this highness of the prince who had extravagant food and clothing, he still had to pack leftover food? Heliantao didn't mind the eyes of others and said: "These meals are so delicious, isn't it a waste to throw them away in vain?"

He Liantao tied a few oiled paper bags neatly with twine, carried them in his hands, and left with a dashing hand. Before leaving, he didn't forget to smile deeply at Li Shuci, as if there was some tacit understanding and agreement between the two.

The hour was not early, Fang Jin and Yu Baochan each took their own carriage to take the first step, and when they left, Yu Baochan also told her that if the case had an eyebrow, they would tell her. Coming out of the drunkard's shop, Li Shuci asked Mu Yun, "How is it?

Mu Yun nodded, took out a piece of thin paper from his sleeve, Li Shuci took it, looked at the content on it and said, "Let Mu Shan continue to stare at it, if it really has something to do with you, it's better to make plans early." ”

Lao Mu drove the carriage out of the narrow alley, the sun was about to set, the afterglow was sprinkled on the snow-covered streets of the southern city, shining brightly, Li Shuci lifted the window and looked, and happened to see Helian Tao walking slowly in front of the market alone, next to the Jiuli Bridge, there were a few beggars in tattered clothes, carrying a pile of firewood. The old and the young, sitting or lying, sheltered from the winter wind under the bridge. Helian Tao stopped nearby, opened the oiled paper bag in his hand and put it on the ground, and then turned to leave.

Mu Yun said in surprise: "I can't see that His Royal Highness the Prince of Brocade and Food would still do such a thing?"

Li Shuci didn't expect it either. I was stunned to see Helian Tao walking slowly in the slanting afterglow of the sky, and the whole person seemed to melt in.

The carriage roared through the streets, the noise outside the car gradually became louder, and it had returned to the already prosperous street market, Mu Yunji loved the bustling and lively of Shangjing, and lifted the curtain of the car a thin slit and looked out. Many of the vendor stalls have sold out and are packing up for home.

"Huh?" Mu Yun snorted softly, motioning for Li Shuci to look out.

On the opposite street, a well-dressed woman wore a black gauze hat and hurried forward with her head down.

"Why does it look a little familiar?" Mu Yun looked at the window frame and wondered, "It's Lian's! she's dressed like this, where is she going?"

Li Shuci glanced at it, and also saw that it was Lian's, and ordered the old paste to follow, and asked Mu Yun again: "Follow and see, I will know soon." Did you bring the yellow powder on your face?"

"I'll take it with me!"

It just so happened that the men's clothes on the two of them hadn't been changed off, so they carefully smeared yellow powder on their faces, drew their eyebrows thickly, and said, "Old paste, you wait for us in the Majiadian in front, and we'll be back in a while." ”

Lian's seven turns and eight turns passed through four or five alleys one after another, Li Shuci and Mu Yun followed closely behind, and they had already left the most prosperous area in Nancheng. Mu Yun said strangely: "What is this Lian clan doing here?"

The imperial palace is located in the south of the city, and the south city is naturally home to many eunuchs, and most of the north and west cities are solid families with slight assets, while the east city is mostly farmers. This is almost to the edge of the southern city, and then there is the east city, Li Shuci rarely comes, and Mu Yun is not a person from Beijing, let alone a person.

The two of them were already sweating lightly, and were hesitating whether to follow them again, when they saw Lian stop in front of an old house, look around under a dry old tree, detour to the back door, and plunge into it.

Mu Yun whispered: "What to do, she went in." ”

Li Shuci looked at the old mansion, and the vermilion paint on the door was still there, but it was dilapidated and mottled, and the door was closed. It seems that it has been uninhabited for a long time. "Let's go around the back and see what's going on inside. ”

Fortunately, the clothes they wore today were very inconspicuous, and the two looked at the back door where Lian entered, and climbed up a thick old plum tree on the outer wall one after the other, and looked into the courtyard.

As far as the eye can see, it is an empty and decaying small courtyard, a main house and two wings. There was snow on the ground that no one had cleared, and there were two rows of footprints clearly printed, and the footprints stretched all the way to the door of the wing room inside. The doors and windows were closed, and the two of them were far away and couldn't hear any movement inside.

After two teas, Lian has not yet come out. The two of them were already sweating when they squatted on the tree, and by this time the sun had set, and there was a chill. Both of them couldn't stand it anymore. At this time, the door of the wing room opened suddenly, and Lian stepped out of the room, dusted off the dust on his body, still wearing the hat on his head, and walked to the door and paused. Turning back to the inside, he said, "The matter must be done before the twenty-five!"

It seemed that seeing the people inside agree, Lian Shi hurriedly left.

Li Shuci and Mu Yun glanced at each other, and then looked towards the room, and after a while, a yellow-faced woman who was not tall and about thirty years old came out of the room with a cautious face, put a bag in her hand into her arms, turned around and carefully closed the door, looked left and right with a happy face, and left in the opposite direction.