"He'er, what time is it?" Zangjiao sat on the beauty couch with one hand obliquely supporting her forehead, and with half a volume of "Qin Song Hook Shen" in the other hand, she watched it with great interest, and suddenly raised her voice and asked the lotus who was sitting in the window of the outhouse with an orchid handkerchief embroidered.

He'er rubbed her eyes, raised her slightly sour neck and looked at the copper leak: "Lady, it's already two o'clock." ”

Zang Jiao put down the book and sat up and said with a smile: "The long night is boring, but it is very interesting to read this sheet music." I haven't performed for a long time, but I'm afraid that my hands will grow a lot. I remember that there was a silk tong among the objects that my mother gave me, and you went to find me to play a song. ”

"The lady wants to play the piano? It's just wonderful. The slave remembered that the lady often played at home, and since she entered the palace, she had not heard of it for a long time, and she wanted to feast her ears today. ”

He'er jumped up happily and went out to find the piano and came in to set it up, Zangjiao stood up and washed her hands, and personally added some agarwood incense to the green glaze three-legged incense. I sat down in front of the piano with a little dress, plucked the tuning and raised my hand to play for a while.

The sound of the piano is melodious and melodious, drifting away in the night. Everyone in the Zhiting Palace was comfortable listening to it, and Qiulan smiled and pulled a handful of lotus: "I don't think that we can play the piano well, and the ancients will listen to it, and the aftermath will be endless." ”

"My lady's talent is naturally first-class, don't you know, when a talented person is in the boudoir, not only is the piano played well, but the singing and dancing are also very exquisite. Piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, all four kinds of ladies are accounted for. He'er's mouth was raised, and her face was full of pride.

"Why didn't the talent show when the official came, but played chess and cooked tea. Look at that talented person, he often dresses up and dances in the palace, in order to attract the attention of the officials. Wouldn't it be a good thing if our talented people also showed their hands?"

Qiu Zhi frowned and sighed pity, and He'er smiled: "The lady said that learning art is to be happy when you are happy, or to talk about it when you are bored to relieve your worries. If it is used to cast people's favor, it will fall behind, so it is rarely shown in front of people. ”

Qiulan nodded: "We are still elegant and noble, if it is those shallow, I am afraid that it is too late to show off, how can there be hidden quietly." ”

The three of them listened to the sound of the piano, and you whispered and chatted with me. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise in the distance, and then someone knocked loudly outside the palace.

Xiao Quan'er is on duty at the outer door tonight, and Ji Xiang'er, the blue-clothed young eunuch on duty at night, went out in a panic with a candle, and Xiao Quanzheng asked loudly, "Who is knocking on the door outside late at night?" Do you know that this is the residence of the talented people, aren't you afraid of alarming the nobles when you shout?! ”

A loud voice outside announced loudly: "I am Du Jianheng, the left commander of the Yulin Weizuo in the palace, and I am tired of the officials to report to the talented people, because the assassins infiltrated the palace tonight, and killed the Lin talents of the Qiulu Palace outside the abandoned palace in the northwest corner,

We led Yu Linwei and others to chase along the road, and the assassin should have come in the direction of Yunshu Palace, so I knocked on the door and asked if the talented person was okay. Please also open the door and let me wait inside to investigate, lest the assassins hide and prevent people from falling into danger. ”

Ji Xiang'er was taken aback when she heard this, and hurriedly ordered Xiao Quan to open the palace door, and hurriedly ran to report to the central supervisor Chang'an. Zangjiao and the others in the dormitory didn't know what was going on, so they sent Qin Ge all the way out to ask, and they were surprised when they met, and they hurriedly came to the outside of the dormitory to tell them that they understood.

"What?! Yuzhen was killed by an assassin? Zangjiao's heart beat wildly, and her face was discolored. Shocked and angry, he stood up and hurriedly walked out, and He'er, Qiulan and others hurriedly followed out.

Everyone gathered around Zangjiao and came to the outer hall, and saw many Yu Linwei with lanterns and torches searching outside the hall, and the leader Du Shaoheng stood in the middle with a silver helmet and a soft armor cross-sword.

Seeing Zangjiao coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked in a respectful voice: "Chen Yu Lin Weizuo commander Du Shaoheng sees the talent people, and the talent people are jade and safe?" The ministers can't pay full salutes in their bodies, and they still hope that talented people will forgive their sins. ”

Zangjiao waved her hand and asked anxiously: "The commander doesn't need to be polite, I heard that Lin Cairen was killed by assassins, but is it true?" Du Shaoheng's sword eyebrows were tightly locked, and he replied with a solemn expression on his handsome face:

"Exactly, Lin Cairen was killed outside the ruined palace, and the night guards in the palace heard Lin Cairen's cry for help and rushed away, and the assassin killed two guards one after another and fled. It should be in the direction of Yunshu Palace, can anything happen in the palace tonight? ”

Zangjiao frowned and shook her head blankly: "I was playing the piano in the palace tonight, and the palace attendants didn't hear any changes, if it wasn't for the commander knocking on the door, we wouldn't know." ”

"In that case, I think the assassin may not have entered the Yunshu Palace. But for the sake of the safety of the talents, please allow us to enter the inner sanctum and search it. ”

Du Shaoheng saw that the woman in front of him was as pale as jade, although she was a little flustered, she was beautiful, she couldn't help lowering her head and didn't dare to look directly, but only asked loudly.

"Where is the responsibility of Commander Du, how can there be any reason not to allow it, and the safety of so many people in Yunshu Palace will trouble Commander Du and all the sergeants." Zangjiao nodded.

Du Shaoheng shouted to everyone to search carefully in all other places, except for the lack of search in the dormitory of the talented people, so as not to hide the assassins. Yu Linwei searched the inner and outer courtyards of Yunshu Palace, the palace people's residences and all the flowers and trees one by one with lanterns and torches.

The sergeant came back to report that there was no trace of the assassin, and Du Shaoheng bowed his hand to Zangjiao with a sigh of relief on his face: "I want to come to the assassin to escape to other places across the Yunshu Palace, so that people can rest assured, and the ministers have to look elsewhere." Then he turned around and gathered the crowd to leave.

Zang Jiaoyan frowned slightly, and called Du Shaoheng softly: "Dare to ask where Lin Cairen's body is now?" If possible, if you want to bother Commander Du to make it convenient, take me to have a look. ”

"This ...... According to the palace rules, the body of the talented person has been carried to the funeral palace to stop the spirit, which is gloomy and deserted, and the delicate body of the talented person goes to that kind of place, but I am afraid that it is not very convenient. Du Shaoheng frowned in response.

Zangjiao's eyes were slightly red, and two lines of tears fell in front of Du Shaoheng as she approached: "Lin Cairen entered the palace with me, and they are like sisters." Now that I have encountered an accident, how can I bear to sit in the palace peacefully, and I hope that Commander Du will be convenient. ”

Du Shaoheng only felt a faint fragrance of lotus flowers hitting his nose, and he couldn't help but be in a trance. Embarrassment, he took a slight step back, sighed in a deep voice: "Since the talented people insist on going, the ministers will send a few Yulin guards to accompany them, and the talented people will return to the palace after seeing them." ”

Zangjiao bent down slightly with tears: "Then it will trouble Commander Du." Du Shaoheng hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't dare to be, don't dare to be, just bring someone to go with my sergeant." ”

After speaking, he summoned a few powerful subordinates to play lanterns, led Zangjiao and Qin Ge, Changfu and others went to the funeral palace, and he took people to Yunshu Palace to check repeatedly to confirm that there was nothing to do and left in a hurry.

The funeral palace is in the last row of extremely remote palace rooms in the corner of the inner palace, and behind it is the palace wall. Whenever a low-ranking concubine dies, they are all groomed in their own palace and then carried to stop the spirit.

Lin Yuzhen was killed, because the gate of the palace was closed, so she had to be carried to the temple in the funeral palace to guard it, but it was not until the palace door was opened after dawn that the criminal department came to inspect it.

Zangjiao's feet were treading on the dusty path, the wind was bleak in her ears, and occasionally a night owl flew over and screamed a few times. Qin Ge and Chang'an looked as usual. Where did He'er pass through such a gloomy and terrifying, trembling and dragging her footsteps, saying that she was holding Zangjiao's arm, it was better to say that she was holding Zangjiao's arm.

Zangjiao suppressed the horror in her heart, patted her hand and said helplessly: "You girl, what do you want to do with you alive or dead, it is enough to have Qin Ge Chang'an." If you don't let go, my arm will be pinched and bruised by you. ”

He'er hurriedly spread her hand, staring at her frightened eyes and couldn't speak, Qin Ge sighed, pulled her to her side, and stretched out her hand to help Zangjiao slowly walk forward.

At this time, the funeral palace was gloomy and deserted, only two white lanterns hung at the door, a lone lamp in the mortuary was like a bean, faintly beating with blue flames, and Lin Yuzhen's body was quietly placed in the room with a large white cloth.