From Pingkangfang to Shengpingfang, you have to go south to four squares; From Jing'an Fang to Shengping Fang, only two squares to the east.

Li Mi took the lead, but Zhang Xiaojing was closer.

If there were an immortal overlooking the whole of Chang'an City, he would see that on the empty street, there were two small black dots running desperately, one to the south and the other to the east, and the two were getting closer and closer, and then they would meet together on the road of Yongchong Xuanping*.

Two long neighing voices rang out, and the two knights grabbed the reins at the same time, looking at each other level.

"Zhang Xiaojing?"

"Li Sicheng."

The expressions of the two people were different, but there seemed to be countless words to say in their eyes.

God is like a witty haiyu. The weather was as clear and clear as it had been twelve hours ago when the two of them had first met. But some things have changed forever.

Since Zhang Xiaojing left Jing'an Division in Youshi, the two of them have only met once, and they have not had the opportunity to talk in detail at all. Although they didn't know what the other had gone through, they believed that without each other's efforts, Chang'an City would be a different place.

The two have never been friends, but they are the most tacit partners. They saw each other again, and they didn't shush and ask for warmth—it wasn't time to catch up.

"I'm going to the East Palace Medicine Garden, and the prince is the mastermind behind everything." Li Mi said succinctly. His tone was very calm, but Zhang Xiaojing could see that his whole person was like the Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower, and he was about to burn from the inside.

As soon as he heard the name of this place, Zhang Xiaojing's eyes widened suddenly, and he almost fell off his horse. Li Mi shook the reins and was about to drive the horse forward, but was stopped by Zhang Xiaojing.

"Don't go, it's not him." Zhang Xiaojing's voice was dry and weak.

Li Mi raised his eyebrows slightly, he knew that Zhang Xiaojing would not say this for no reason.

"Xiao Gui left a sentence before he died, a sentence that would make Chang'an City chaotic."

"What is it?"

Zhang Xiaojing did not answer immediately, but raised his head and looked towards the east. At this time, the sun hung high in the blue sky, and the entire one hundred and eight squares of Chang'an City were bathed in the warm early spring sunshine. Compared to it, last night's lantern, no matter how ornate, became as humble and ridiculous as fireflies.

Li Mi followed Zhang Xiaojing's line of sight to see that on the east side of the Yongchong Xuanping intersection where they were standing, there was the Leyouyuan that arched to the east of Chang'an. It is broad and broad, covering Xuanping, Xinchang, Shengping, Shengdao four squares - Donggong Medicine Garden, is located in the Shengping Fang at the southern foot of Leyouyuan. Spring has arrived, and the plains are lush and green, especially the rows of willow trees, which are bright green in the sun.

"Just need another spring breeze, and by February at the latest, Leyouyuan will be green and willowy." Zhang Xiaojing sighed.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Li Mi asked impatiently.

Zhang Xiaojing sighed and slowly chanted two lines of poetry: "I don't know who cut out the thin leaves, the spring breeze in February is like scissors." ”

As soon as he heard this, Li Mi's whole body froze on his horse for a moment.

The jasper is made into a tree high, and ten thousand green silk ribbons hang down. I don't know who cut out the thin leaves, and the spring breeze in February is like scissors. Chang'an from the old man to the child, who doesn't know that this is He Zhizhang's "Willow Branch Words". As a bad handsome man in Chang'an, handling cases in this literary capital where poets gather, it is difficult to carry out work if he does not know how to write poetry. So when Xiao Gui chanted those two lines of poetry, Zhang Xiaojing immediately judged who he was talking about.

But the truth revealed by this is too amazing.

Jing'an Ling, who is responsible for Chang'an's policy and defense, is actually the mastermind behind all this? How is this possible?

Zhang Xiaojing has always been suspicious of this, thinking that this is just Xiao Gui's poisonous plan to hope for chaos in Chang'an before he died. But as soon as he heard Li Mi say that he was going to the East Palace Medicine Garden, he immediately knew that this matter was very likely to be true. Xiao Gui did not deceive his brother before he died.

"Donggong Medicine Garden...... Donggong Pharmacy ...... Why didn't I think that this had nothing to do with the East Palace at all, obviously it was for the convenience of Eunuch He. Li Mi grabbed the reins and muttered to himself on the horse.

The Donggong Medicinal Garden is located in Shengpingfang, and the medicinal herbs grown in it are given priority to the elders of the Donggong family. He Zhizhang's house is located in Xuanpingfang, and the original intention is to facilitate the medicine to go to the medicine garden to get the medicine - naturally it is also convenient to connect with the backyard. He was misled by the word East Palace, but he didn't expect that the one who had the closest relationship with this place was actually Jing'an Ling.

"I didn't expect it...... Behind all this, there is actually Supervisor He. What is he trying to do? Why is he? Zhang Xiaojing really couldn't figure it out.

Looking back now, He Zhizhang did have a lot of obstructions to Li Yu's actions in the Jing'an Division. Although every obstruction has a high-sounding reason, judging from the effect, it does greatly delay the pursuit of the Turkic wolf guard.

But here, there is an indefinite doubt.

"I remember that Supervisor He has obviously ...... Well, I'm seriously ill and in a coma. ”

Zhang Xiaojing looked at Li Yu meaningfully.

At noon on the 14th, in order to gain control of Jing'an Division, Li Mi used Jiao Sui's death to return He Zhizhang to his house to recuperate. Then, at the time of Shen Zheng—that is, after Zhang Xiaojing was captured by Right Xiaowei—Li Mi went to Leyouyuan to visit He Zhizhang, hoping to ask him to come forward to negotiate with Right Xiaowei, but was refused.

What happened next in that bedroom was confusing.

The external version is that He Zhizhang heard that Jing'an's work was obstructed by the right Xiaowei, and he was so angry that he fell unconscious. Li Mi took this opportunity to blackmail Gan Shoucheng and save Zhang Xiaojing. But Zhang Xiaojing knew that there were many doubts in Li Yu's narrative, He Zhizhang would never be so concerned about his safety, and there was only one reason why he suddenly fell unconscious - Li Yu.

There is only one road in Huashan, and the boulders are the road, and if you want to go up, you have to remove all obstacles.

"Are you sure he's really unconscious?" Zhang Xiaojing asked.

Li Mi noticed Zhang Xiaojing's eyes and said coldly: "Although the Medicine King's Yin taro wine is a strange recipe, it is not advisable to drink too much at one time, otherwise it will induce a strong wind." ”

This can be regarded as an indirect affirmation of Zhang Xiaojing's question.

In Zhang Xiaojing's mind, an astonishing picture emerged. He Zhizhang lay down on the bed panting, while Li Mi held the medicine cup in his hand, poured the yellow-brown medicinal soup into it little by little with an expressionless face, and then covered his mouth with a pillow, waiting for the disease to attack. He Zhizhang's hands were still dancing desperately at first, but then he slowly lost his strength......

"Are you sure he's not pretending to lie to you?" Zhang Xiaojing asked.

Li Mi nodded with great certainty. He was now like a stone statue of Weng Zhong with a gray face, and he had no vitality at all. After a while, Li Mifang slowly spoke: "I remember you asked Yao Runeng a question: if the boat is in the middle of the river and suddenly encounters a storm, you have to kill an innocent person to sacrifice to the river god, and the rest can survive, how to choose?" Your answer is to kill - and so will I. ”

Li Mi's words, Zhang Xiaojing understood almost instantly.

In order to save Chang'an, Zhang Xiaojing betrayed Xiao Yi and almost killed Li Yu in the Denglou, and Li Yu also attacked He Zhizhang for the same reason. In order to achieve a more important goal, both of them chose the path of immorality without hesitation. But seeing Li Yu's painful expression at this time, Zhang Xiaojing knew that the guilt in his heart was not much lighter than himself.

Both of them knew very well that this was a wrong thing that should be done, but a mistake was a mistake after all. Every forced choice will darken their souls.

"But......" Zhang Xiaojing frowned, "If Eunuch He is indeed seriously ill, how can everything after this be explained?"

A thick self-deprecation appeared on Li Mi's face: "Maybe Supervisor He's plan is too proper, compromised to the point that even if he falls unconscious halfway, the plan will be launched." He counted everything, but he didn't expect that I would suddenly be so ruthless. ”

When he said this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Jiao Sui's death, on the surface, it seems that Li Mi deliberately ran away from He Zhizhang in anger, but in fact, He Zhizhang took the opportunity to act and find a reason to return to Leyou's original mansion. He originally planned to sit in command of the next plan, but he didn't expect Li Mi to come to visit suddenly, let alone that he would be bold enough to attack him.

The repeated misunderstandings between the two people have evolved into an extremely strange situation. The mastermind behind the plan was killed before it was launched, and the plan was still being carried out according to plan.

It's an irony.

Li Mi and Zhang Xiaojing stood on their horses and exchanged briefly. Previously, the two of them had their own circumstances, and they only touched the corner of the shady scene. Now that the two meet again, the broken tiles can finally be put together to create the shape of the entire relief.

He Zhizhang should have laid three chess pieces in Chang'an City, one was a Turkic wolf guard and one was a mayfly. The former is used to divert attention, and the latter is used to carry out the real plan. There is also one, which is the inner ghost of the Jing'an Palace, and it is necessary to cooperate with the grasshopper to take a key step.

With He Zhizhang's status and means, it is not difficult to make this series of arrangements quietly.

"Eunuch He sold all the real estate in the capital a while ago, and we all thought that he was returning to his hometown and supporting his old age, but who would have thought that he would put the money through the guard and put it into the grasshopper." Li Mi said. This is the only way to explain why the energy of the grasshopper is so great.

"But......" Zhang Xiaojing still couldn't understand, "why did he do such a thing?" ”

He Zhizhang has enjoyed the literary name for more than 20 years, and he has been perfect in terms of sainthood, prestige, and position, and he has been honored in an extremely grand way. Why would an old man in his last years take such a risky thing to do such a rebellious thing?

"Just ask him!"

Li Mi suddenly raised his whip and slapped the horse's ass fiercely. The mount jumped to its feet in surprise and sped away towards Leyuyuan. Zhang Xiaojing had expected him to react like this, and he shook the reins and followed.

He Zhizhang has stayed in Leyouyuan's mansion and has never left. There was so much going on that day that both of them needed to end up with him in person, whether he was really unconscious or not.

Last night, many dignitaries and dignitaries boarded the lanterns to enjoy the lanterns, and both sides of the original road were full of food debris and scattered colored silk that had been discarded casually. Eight horses' hooves staggered on the garbage, kicking up clouds of dust. The two horsemen did not stop and went straight to Xuanpingfang in the northeast corner. Along the way, Zhang Xiaojing told him about the Xiangxiang Pavilion by the way, but Li Yu did not make any comments.

Xuanpingfang is easy to find, as long as you look at the densest place of the willow tree. It is the place with the most willow trees in the city, and it has a nickname called Liujing. The two of them ran for a while, and saw a lush willow forest in the distance. In the shade of green willows, you can see an exquisite mansion with black tiles and white walls.

The terrain around here is not very rough, and it is said that the horses should slow down when they get here. But Li Mi seemed to be crazy, and kept whipping the horses, increasing his speed, and rushed straight to the mansion.

At that moment, the door of the mansion slowly opened, and a man walked out of it. He seemed to have anticipated the arrival of the two horsemen, and stood respectfully under the lintel, his hands crossed to greet him.

The two riders were getting closer and closer to the mansion, but at this time, Zhang Xiaojing suddenly felt that something was wrong, he raised his head and smelled a trace of unsettling smell.

"Li Sicheng, slow down!"

Zhang Xiaojing shouted loudly, but Li Mi turned a deaf ear, raised his whip and galloped wildly, and in an instant, he had passed through the willow forest and went straight to the mansion. Zhang Xiaojing saw that he couldn't catch up, and his palm swung down anxiously, and he inadvertently touched a hard weapon. He looked down and saw that it was a short crossbow hanging from the side of the horse's belly.

Tan Qi was a mount that Zhang Xiaojing got from the horse team accompanying Long Wujun, and the bridle armament on the horse had not yet been unloaded. Zhang Xiaojing did not hesitate, took off the short crossbow, clicked the crossbow arrow to wind, and pulled the hanging knife in front of him.

With a thud, the crossbow bolt flew out, spanning a dozen steps within a snap of a finger, and nailed to the right side of Li Yu's mount. The mount let out a whining and its front hooves collapsed. Li Mi was thrown off the horse at once, and rolled on the ground in embarrassment.

Before Li Mi understood what was happening, Zhang Xiaojing had already galloped over, jumped off the horse directly, hugged Li Mi and rolled towards a dirt pit next to him. His mount continued forward due to strong inertia, crashing into a willow tree, breaking tendons and bones.

In the next moment, the quiet mansion in the willow forest burst open, and the crimson fierce fire bloomed from the inside, spraying bright fire and rubble in all directions, and for a while the sand and rocks flew away, and the walls fell and the willows were destroyed, setting off a violent flame storm on the top of the Leyou Original.

Unexpectedly, in this mansion, there is actually a powerful fire thunder hidden.

Zhang Xiaojing desperately pressed Li Yu's head down, trying to cling to the pit as closely as possible to avoid the sweeping shock wave. There was a cloud of sand flying overhead, and soon both of them were covered in a thick layer of dirt.

When everything returned to calm, Zhang Xiaojing raised his head and shook off the soil on the top of his head. The scenery in front of me has changed dramatically: the willow forest has fallen, the stone mountains are in disarray, and the original elegant and quiet mansion has become a ruined wall, and black smoke rises to the sky. As for the people waiting in front of the door, they were naturally completely devoured by the fire beast and shattered to pieces.

"Hahahaha......"

Zhang Xiaojing heard a strange laugh. The laughter came from underneath, starting quietly, then getting louder and louder, and finally bordering madness. Li Mi lay at the bottom of the pit, his face covered with dirt, his muscles trembling uncontrollably in the laughter, causing the dust to change into various shapes, and his expression was strange.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Xiaojing roared viciously, lowered his body, and looked around cautiously. He never expected that He Zhizhang would even arrange a fierce fire and thunder in his mansion, if the enemy had arranged something to follow, it would be time to come out now. Li Mi shook his head: "There will be no ambush, there will be no more." I've figured it out, figured it out......"

"Why? Did you find anything again? He asked.

Li Mi's laughter gradually decreased, but he said something inexplicable: "Zhang Xiaojing, do you know why I, a cultivator, returned to the world and took over the Jing'an Division?" ”

"For the Prince?"

Li Mi nodded slightly: "Yes, for the sake of the prince, I can sacrifice everything." Then he paused, and his tone became strange: "So is the Eunuch." ”

"Huh?" Zhang Xiaojing was shocked when he heard this, what does this mean? Could it be that He Zhizhang is still a loyal minister?

"When I saw Li Linfu before, he said something to me, which is called 'The one who is more profitable is suspicious', which means that the one who gains the most will always be the most suspicious. Following this principle, I suspect that all this was instigated by the prince. But now it seems, I think it's worse...... This benefit may not be a real benefit, but it can also be loyalty. ”

Zhang Xiaojing frowned, not understanding what he meant. Li Yu simply lay flat in the pit, looked at the sky with his eyes, and muttered:

"The emissary behind the scenes did two things before launching Quelehodo. One is to let me show up in the Lantern Tower and lure the prince to the East Palace Medicine Garden, you know this; The second is to use another letter to transfer Li Linfu to the Anyefang mansion. The two of them left the Spring Banquet at the same time, what do you think his intentions are? ”

Zhang Xiaojing frowned and thought about it, and couldn't help but feel a shock to his body.

He Zhizhang's intention to make such an arrangement could not be more obvious. Once the Son of Heaven died, the crown prince could ascend the throne in a grand manner. And Li Linfu, who left halfway, will naturally be beaten as the initiator of the disaster and bear all the charges.

He Zhizhang has never been for his own interests, nor for the interests of his own family. Everything he worked hard to manage was for the prince.

"I didn't expect that Eunuch He, the prince's guest, would be even more fanatical than you, the Hanlin who worships the East Palace......" Zhang Xiaojing said at this time, his tone was not resentful, but full of frustration. But in the next moment, Li Mi's words made him stunned.

"No, it's not Eunuch." Li Mi shook his head slowly.

"What? No? But all the details are right......"

"Those who are high in profit suspect that this interest may not be a real benefit, nor may it be loyalty, or it may be filial piety." Li Mi replied with a wry smile, stretched out his hand and pointed forward, "The real mastermind behind the scenes is He Eunuch's son, He Dong." ”

"The adopted son?"

"He Jian is willing to be loyal to the crown prince, while his son, in order to fulfill his father's wish to be loyal, uses his own way to fulfill his filial piety." Li Mi's tone was full of emotion, but he didn't continue to say it thoroughly.

Zhang Xiaojing didn't know what to say at all. This speculation is simply incredible, it is completely beyond the thinking of normal people, and only the craziest madman would think so.

"Isn't it crazy enough for someone to come up with such a plan as Quelehodo?" Li Mi asked rhetorically.

"What evidence do you have for this?"

Li Mi lay in the dirt pit and slowly raised a finger: "You just said: When Yuan Zai framed Feng Dalun, he put forward a piece of evidence, saying that the bamboo books of the Denglou were all endorsed by him, the head of the Yu Department, so he let the mayfly pass the test in confusion. This accusation is not wrong, but the one who really has the ability to do this is not Feng Dalun, but He Dong - his identity is Feng Dalun's boss, a member of the Yu Department! ”

This detail suddenly exploded in Zhang Xiaojing's mind, and his breathing became heavy. In this way, it can indeed explain why the craftsmen of the grasshopper can swagger in the lantern tower, and it is too easy to have He Dong, a member of the Yu department, to do the internal response.

"There is also the mansion in Anye Fang, which has been from the rain pavilion, and the identity of the hidden buyer has always been suspicious. And He Dong, as the adopted son of He Prison, is not naturalized, but the nobility is still there, and it is only appropriate for him to go through the hidden formalities.

"Supervisor He is seriously ill, the eldest son He Zengyuan is in the army, the youngest son is still in infancy, and the only one who can attend the Spring Banquet on his behalf is He Dong. If you go to check the guest list of the government affairs building now, there must be his name. He was the only one who could quietly put down two letters at the banquet and fish out the crown prince Li Heng and the right minister Li Linfu.

"Maybe He Dong knew that I was going to do something to his father, so he couldn't bear it, and accompanied me to Gan Shoucheng to act in a drama that forced the palace. At that time, I am afraid that he already knew that the grasshopper would do something to Jing'ansi, and secretly sneered many times. And I was still like a fool, thinking that I had deceived everyone - the order to kill me was probably issued directly from He Dong. ”

One clue after another, all of them were continued by Li Mi. That explosion seemed to clear all the fog, and a filial conspirator who worked hard slowly surfaced. But Zhang Xiaojing really couldn't imagine that this chaos that almost turned Chang'an City over was actually planned by a wooden dutiful son.

"I don't believe that without Supervisor He's acquiescence and cooperation, He Dong would not have had such strong control."

Zhang Xiaojing still wanted to argue, but Li Mi stared at him and shook his head bitterly: "We will probably never know this answer." ”

"Why? Although He Jian was unconscious, he only needed to catch He Dong...... Belch! As soon as Zhang Xiaojing spoke, he realized the answer, because Li Mi kept looking at the ruins that had just formed, and the smoke was curling.

"The one standing at the door just now is He Dong himself. He was a filial man until he died. ”

The explosion just now was so violent that He Dong was standing in the core, and his bones must have been gone. With his filial piety, he knew that after the conspiracy was revealed, he must not drag down the entire family, and death was the only option.

The two slowly got up from the pit, supported each other, and walked towards the ruined He Mansion. The road was full of messes, broken gravel and broken trees, and the beautiful scenery just now suddenly turned into a hellish appearance. He Dong's bones have been turned into powder with that bizarre ambition and filial piety. The chaos that shocked the whole city actually started from here.

Twelve hours ago, they didn't expect that such an ending would end here.

The two men stood in the ruins, but they didn't know what to look for, so they had to stand still. Before He Dong committed suicide, He Zhizhang must have been removed, and he was a filial son who could not tolerate the crime of killing his father. But even if he finds He Zhizhang now, it is meaningless. The old man was terminally ill and couldn't speak, whether he had no idea of the plan for his adopted son, or whether he secretly acquiesced, for fear that it would become a permanent mystery.

Li Mi held on to the half-left door of the mansion, and suddenly turned his head and sneered at the light smoke in the air, as if speaking to a newly dead soul: "He Dong, He Dong, you can go with peace of mind." Your conspiracy will not be made public, the innocent He family will not be dragged down by you, and will continue to enjoy the glory and shadow of the He Eunuch, and nothing will change. ”

Zhang Xiaojing's single eye suddenly shot out: "Why?!" How can such a big deal be handled like this? ”

"It's because it's such a big deal that it's handled like this." Li Mi said indifferently, his eyes still staring at the light smoke in the air, "The relatives of the important ministers that the Son of Heaven trusts so much are involved in the Chang'an Rebellion?" Do you want the face of the imperial court? Could it be that the Son of Heaven does not have the wisdom to read people? ”

"But ......"

"On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Son of Heaven has solemnly sent He Jian out of Chang'an City, and he is already on the way home, not in Chang'an. No one dares to deny this fact. So the scapegoat that was pushed out in the end should be the innocuous Feng Dalun you said. As for He Dong, he will be regarded as one of the victims of this chaos, and he will be killed by the fierce fire and thunder of the grasshopper...... Hehe. ”

Zhang Xiaojing was dumbfounded.

Li Mi took a few more steps into the ruins, leaned over and picked up the half-blackened pane, fiddled with it a few times, and then casually threw it away: "It's a pity that after this incident, Jing'an Si will definitely not be able to save it, and I will probably be driven out of Chang'an." But don't worry, I promise you a pardon of capital sins, and I will do it; Tan Qi wants to follow you, and let her go, I will let her go - it's a pity that the prince, his future situation will be more and more difficult......"

Zhang Xiaojing straightened up and walked to Li Yu's side. His shoulders were shaking, his lips were shaking, and the irrepressible anger in his eyes was almost bursting out. Li Mi thought that he was going to do something to himself, and calmly straightened his chest. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaojing gritted his teeth, kicked half of the pane away, and almost roared out:

"The Son of Heaven, the Crown Prince, the Imperial Throne, the Jing'an Division, the Court, Interests, Loyalty...... Is this all you think about? ”

"Or else?" Li Mi tilted his head.

"There are millions of residents in this Chang'an City. Just to show loyalty to the crown prince and filial piety to his father, can he gamble with their lives? Do you know how many innocent people have been affected from last night to now? What is human life treated as? Why aren't you concerned about these people in the first place? Why are you so calm about such things? ”

Faced with this sudden and violent questioning, Li Mi sighed helplessly. He clapped his hands and staggered to the edge of the mansion. This is almost the highest point of Rakuyubara, and you can see the entire city in the distance, and the view is excellent.

Li Mi stood still, pointed to the vast urban area in the distance, and his expression was meaningful: "You have been a bad handsome for nine years, don't you understand?" This is the temperament of Chang'an City. ”

Zhang Xiaojing suddenly clenched his five fingers and smashed Li Mi to the ground with a heavy punch. The latter fell between the ruins of the He Mansion, blood flowing from the corners of his mouth, and his expression was tinged with bitterness and self-deprecation.

Zhang Xiaojing has never been so angry, and he has never been so powerless. He had known the temperament of the monster in Chang'an City, but he had never really liked it. He was constantly trying to struggle, trying not to be devoured, but he was always torn and bruised.

Suddenly, there were several squeaks overhead. Zhang Xiaojing raised his head and looked, it turned out that Li Mi caused a small shock when he fell to the ground, and the four door hairpins representing the door on the door frame of the He Mansion were crumbling, and then fell to the ground one after another, smashing four deep pits on the ground.

Li Mi struggled to get up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. The punch just now didn't take him lightly. However, Li Mi was not angry, his voice was full of deep exhaustion and discouragement:

"This time, I was in the red dust, absorbing mundane affairs, but I ended up with a broken Taoist heart. If you don't go back to the mountains and practice again, I'm afraid that enlightenment will take a long time – what about you? ”

Zhang Xiaojing shook his head and ignored the question. He limped through the ruins of Hefu and stood on the edge of the high Leyou Plain, overlooking the entire Chang'an City.

In his single eye, one hundred and eight squares are arranged neatly on both sides of Suzaku Street, shining in the sun's rays, and the momentum is magnificent. He once heard the Hu people from other lands say that in the whole world, there is no greater and more spectacular city than Chang'an. The hustle and bustle of last night had not left any scars on the body of the city, it was still so noble and magnificent, as if it would continue like this forever.

A drop of crystal tears flowed out of Zhang Xiaojing's long-dried eye sockets, which was the first time since he came to Chang'an for nine years.

(End of full text)