In the fifth year of Taihe, October Xinsi, Sizheng.

Chang'an, Wannian County, Pingkangfang, Qingfeng Pavilion.

Zhang Yijun and Li Shangyin followed the bustard, slowly walked into the hall of Qingfeng Pavilion, here the pavilion vermilion lacquer mahogany, very elegant, Qingfeng Pavilion in the hall is wide and quiet, each has three halls, before and after planting flowers, or there are strange stone basins left and right.

Walking to the second floor, turning around and looking back, a deep corridor comes into view, and every few steps there is a private door, each with a tie-dye hanging on the door, on which the painting is different.

Li Shangyin curiously peeked into one of the open private rooms, the inner hall was draped with curtains, the window lattices went straight to the market, and there were mattresses and curtains on the couch. There are calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, as well as a few cases, a few and other things, the decoration is exquisite, and the Qinglou in Li Shangyin's mind is very different, and it is completely impossible to see that this place is actually a place of wind and snow, but it seems to be a place where some literati drink and write poems and feast.

Li Shangyin thought that the Xuanji girl they were looking for would be waiting for them in a private room on the second floor, but the bustard did not mean to stay on this floor, but led the two of them to the end of the corridor, and climbed the stairs, where the stairs looked like freshly varnished, and they were even more decorated than the one who had just reached the second floor, and even the handrails were carved with peony carvings.

When I reached the end of the stairs, my vision suddenly opened up.

Bustard pointed to the pavilion with a smile, "Childe, the second mother will retreat first." ”

Li Shangyin looked inward, and the design of the cloister on the second floor was completely different, the three-story shape was like a pavilion, and there was no window lattice wall to separate it from the outside world, but it was surrounded by a curtain and light veil, on which it was woven with flowers, birds, and cordyceps, and the breeze blew it, which was lifelike.

However, Li Shangyin looked left and right, but did not see anyone on the spacious third floor, he was about to turn around and ask Bustard again, but he heard a slightly delicate woman's voice: "Brother Yijun?" ”

Zhang Yijun hesitated for a moment, but he also responded: "Well......"

Li Shangyin followed the prestige, only to see that behind a peony screen, he could vaguely see the silhouette of a woman with a graceful waist through the faint light, as if she was changing clothes.

After a short time, a snow-skinned woman wore a silk veil and light makeup, like silk and green silk coiled into a round bun at the back of her head, and took small steps from behind the screen, but it seemed that due to haste, the plum blossom between her eyebrows was a little lighter.

The woman's gentle gaze stayed on Zhang Yijun for a moment, and then turned to look at Li Shangyin, smiling very skillfully, and bowing to the two of them.

"The two sons, please take a seat," Xuanji said, and pointed to a red sandalwood table in front of him with his palm, with a futon around each of them, and then leaned over to the enamel teapot on the side, and Zhang Yi looked at each other and asked, "Do you drink tea?" ”

Due to the effort it took to come to Pingkangfang, Li Shangyin was already a little dry, Li Shangyin just wanted to say, "That's the best...... but these unthinking words came to his mouth, Zhang Yijun preemptively said: "No, ......"

"Xuanji ......" Zhang Yijun was expressionless, like an adult cat, he slowly walked to the front of the red sandalwood case, stood with his hands down, and said stiffly: "I heard that you are slightly ill?" ”

"That's just for outsiders," Xuanji Yanran said, "I don't know how Brother Yijun is doing recently?" ”

"Unharmed." Zhang Yijun put the conversation aside: "Long story short, we are in a hurry, we are on business, and we want to ask a few questions......"

Xuanji didn't respond immediately, and when she looked back, she noticed that Li Shangyin glanced at the teapot, but instead smiled, and said charmingly: "What about this son?" Xuanji here, there is this year's newly picked Shannan autumn tea, the taste is light, it just so happens that the qushui will open, why not taste it a little? ”

Li Shang glanced at Zhang Yijun's serious expression, remembering that they were here to investigate the case, so he quickly shook his head and politely declined.

Hearing this, the dimples on Xuanji's cheeks shallow down, and then she picked up a hosta from the display cabinet behind the teapot and green stove, and approached Li Shangyin in broken steps.

Xuanji gathered the xiawei together, handed the hosta to Li Shangyin, and said calmly: "Since the two sons want to Mu Xiang, then please give this thing to the second mother......

Although Li Shangyin has never been to the Qinglou of Pingkangfang in Chang'an, he has also heard the rules and jargon of Pingkangli, where if the consumption is timed, and often a hairpin or the rest of the belongings of the Qingqi means that the two sides have negotiated and begun to calculate. Mu Xiang said that he chose a prostitute to accompany him in the store, and the rest of the sayings also included walking horses and staying in Mu, which were respectively said to travel with prostitutes and stay overnight with prostitutes, and the charges were different.

Li Shangyin took the hosta, he glanced at Xuanji's pair of sheared autumn pupils, he thought that they were just here to find out the news, and Xuanji seemed to be familiar with Brother Yijun, so he should be very handy. But looking at this business-like posture, it doesn't seem to be very good? Li Shangyin thought to himself, and went down the stairs.

Listening to Li Shangyin's footsteps gradually moving away and heading straight to the corridor, Xuanji unconsciously lowered her eyes, sat down in front of the red sandalwood case, and said in a tone that seemed to be deliberately mixed with a little disappointment: "Xuanji still thought that Brother Yijun came alone...... After speaking, he peeked at Zhang Yijun with some reproach.

"Xuanji ......" was slightly melancholy at Xuanji's feelings, but Zhang Yijun seemed to have a subtle embarrassment in his expression, and he did not move a little from the front of the steps, but cut straight to the point and said: "Yijun is here, there is something important to ask." I want to ask you, in the past half a month, there can be Jin Zi (from the third grade or above) to Qingfeng Pavilion for a banquet? ”

Zhang Yijun deliberately added an accent in the second half of the sentence, wanting Xuanji to know that he was not here to recount the old feelings.

Hearing this, Xuanji glanced at her face and said in a deep voice, "I have never had an impression......

"Really?"

Zhang Yijun asked, and couldn't help but move a few steps towards the red sandalwood case. He didn't believe it, the guests received by Qingfeng Pavilion, one of the four majors, were all wealthy businessmen and nobles, how could it be that Jin Zi didn't come here for half a month, and if this was the case, then King Ying's speculation "I'm afraid it is definitely not something that can be done below the third rank in the court, and it must be a high position" There is still no way to find out.

Xuanji didn't answer, sat in front of the sea of tea, glanced at Zhang Yijun, washed tea and made tea with a pair of slender hands, "His Royal Highness King Yingwang asked you to come?" ”

Zhang Yijun hesitated slightly, his eyes narrowed, "How do you know?" ”

Xuanji got up from the sea of tea, put her hands on her belly, "Since Brother Yijun suddenly said goodbye three years ago, there has been no news, if it weren't for the chance meeting of His Royal Highness the month before yesterday, I learned that Jun was in Xichuan ......" raised his eyes to look at Zhang Yijun's bright eyebrows, but he wanted to speak and stopped, just muttered in a whisper: "Xuanji thought I would never see you again......"

After Xuanji heard Li Shangyin's footsteps going up the stairs, he knelt on the futon in front of the desk again, and his tone seemed to have regained his initial elegance and calmness: "Although I haven't seen Jin Zi, but ...... Some time ago, 'Sanyang' came here for a banquet, and Xuanji was the one who accompanied the waiter at that time......"

"'Sanyang'?" Zhang Yijun knew that Chang'an officialdom often gave high-ranking people unique nicknames in order to avoid secrecy, so he pondered for a while, but he had been away from Chang'an for three years and was not familiar with this title.

Xuanji saw that Zhang Yijun's face was gloomy, so he opened his mouth to explain: "'Sanyang' refers to ......"

"Yang Yuqing, Yang Rushi, Yang Sifu?" It was Li Shangyin who took the words, and Xuanji was stunned for a moment and then nodded as confirmation.

Zhang Yijun found out that Li Shangyin had just come up from the second floor, but he was also a little surprised that he, a newcomer to Beijing, would actually know the unique officialdom title of Chang'an City.

"Yang Yuqing is the current court's counselor, and the chief examiner of this year's scientific examination!" Li Shangyin saw that he rarely knew more than Zhang Yijun, and he actually had some self-satisfaction in his words, so he sat down on the futon on the side of the red sandalwood case unceremoniously, and talked eloquently: "Shang Yin Ruo is the first, then he is the next teacher, he is the younger brother of Yang Rushi, the squire of the Ministry of Works, and Yang Sifu is of the same clan as these two people, so Shang Yin guesses that 'San Yang' refers to these three people." ”

"That'...... The three of them were drinking and feasting at that time, did they talk about any strange things? ”

"What's weird?" Xuanji smiled faintly at Zhang Yijun, "This is Chang'an, and strange things are only afraid of less and not more ......."

"What does Xuanji think is strange?" Zhang Yijun also took a futon, facing Xuanji, sitting upright, his eyes burning.

"Hmm......" Xuanji clenched her slender hand into a fist, pressed it against her chin and thought for a moment, and then said softly: "Yang Ji seems to be ...... Mention that he is going to be named Zaisuke. ”

Yang Yuqing? is only a four-grade counselor doctor who is ranked as a Zaifu, isn't it a promotion beyond the ranks? However, Yang Yuqing, as the leader of the Niu Party and a close confidant of Niu Sidian and Li Zongmin, may not be surprising that he can have this.

"That's all?"

"That'...... I'm afraid the strange part is not the three of them," Xuanji suddenly remembered and said: "At that time, there was still one person who drank the banquet, Xuanji thought at first that it was just a servant, and his appearance was dignified, but Xuanji had seen too many faces, but he couldn't remember it for a while, but...... There was something about that person that Xuanji couldn't forget......"

"How's that guy?" Zhang Yijun leaned out a little eagerly, and even almost touched the tea cup on the desk.

"The man seems to have some disability in his right ear...... It seems to have lost an earlobe or something. ”

Zhang Yijun looked at Xuanji worriedly, his face was stunned.

The person in Xuanji's mouth...... They seem to have just met yesterday...... Thinking of this, Zhang Yijun secretly gave Li Shangyin a look.

However, Li Shangyin didn't seem to realize what Zhang Yijun meant, and when Zhang Yijun looked at him like this, Li Shangyin was so frightened that he hurriedly reached out and touched his right ear as if he was confirmed, and then asked with some doubts: "Uh...... Yishan's ears are good! ”

Zhang Yijun slapped him helplessly and reminded: "Xuandu Guan's Xuanjiao!" ”

Li Shang was stunned for a moment, and then these words seemed to finally wake him up and make his face change sharply.

"The one who then disappeared into thin air?"

"It's not ......like it disappeared out of thin air," Zhang Yijun said with a straight face, word by word, "There is a culvert in the Xuandu Temple!" ”

Person...... Why do you know Sanyang well? Zhang Yijun secretly wondered if the existence of this person was combined with Yang Yuqing's statement that he was going to be "ranked as prime minister", would it be ......

Zhang Yijun hurriedly got up, crossed his hands and saluted and thanked: "Thank you Xuanji!" Then he called Li Shangyin and was about to leave, but Li Shangyin froze.

"Uh...... Can I ask Miss Xuanji a question? ”

Xuanji bowed slightly, "Childe, please speak." ”

Li Shangyin raised his finger and pointed to the peony screen in front of the pavilion railing, "Shang Yin just observed, this Qingfeng Pavilion seems to have its own decorations in each private room, mostly birds and beasts, why is it that on the handrail on the third floor, and the carved paintings on the screen of this pavilion are all peonies, isn't Miss Xuanji fond of peonies?" ”

Xuanji said, "Exactly." ”

"Dare to ask why?" Li Shangyin's eyes deepened a little, and his expression seemed to be searching for materials for poetry.

Xuanji was silent, but Zhang Yijun opened his mouth to answer: "The flower of peony is difficult to grow and blooms slowly. However, once it blooms, it will be beautiful and overwhelming, and the fragrance will be left in the world......" Zhang Yijun paused when he said this, glanced at Xuanji, but he didn't realize that he was looking at Xuanji, so he moved his gaze elsewhere, and then said: "...... This is the peony. ”

Xuanji was silent for a long time after listening, as if she was thoughtful, and finally looked at Zhang Yijun with a smile on her face, her eyes were shining. Li Shangyin could see that this smile was completely different from the smile when facing the guests at the banquet.

Zhang Yijun said lightly to Li Shangyin: "Let's go." ”