After returning to the post station in the evening, Xue Ne sat in silence in front of the window with a solemn expression, looking at the sinking sunset in a daze.

Fan Ning changed into his undergarment, put on a long sword, and planned to invite Xue Ne to go out together. But the person in front of him seemed to have turned into a stone, and he didn't move, Fan Ning hurriedly lightened his movements, stood behind Xue Ne, and sighed silently.

This guy has always been involved in unsolved cases, and he must have felt quite bad in his heart when he watched the case happen and the craftsman died, but he was powerless to stop it. Fan Ning looked at his lonely figure, quite distressed, and knew that it was not appropriate to disturb at this time, so he left the inn alone and quietly.

Xue Ne seemed to be completely settled, and the clues of the case went over and over in his mind, and occasionally he had a little inspiration, and the screams of the craftsman would suddenly sound in his ears, endlessly, striking his heartstrings alive. Xue Ne couldn't help but close his eyes, his black eyelashes trembled, and an indescribable sense of self-blame and sadness appeared on his face.

If the road does not encounter wind and snow, can you get one step earlier? If he had arrived one step earlier, would he have been able to prevent this tragedy from happening? Xue Ne understood that it was useless to think wildly, and only by solving the case as soon as possible could he comfort those dead and injured craftsmen.

Xue Ne opened his eyes, took out the two packets of powder collected in his inner pocket, and took out the bone whistle given by the Wind Shadow with a tentative mind, and blew it.

After about half a pillar of incense, Fengying jumped onto the high platform of the inn, and appeared in front of Xue Ne's window lattice a few times: "Xue Lang, are you looking for me?" ”

Jingluo and Jingluo are separated by nearly eight hundred miles, but I didn't expect the wind shadow to be really there, Xue Ne was moved and surprised, beckoned the wind shadow into the room, and handed him a warm tea: "You won't follow all the way, right?" ”

"Where is Xue Lang, you are an official of the imperial court, and you have an important case in your body, it is normal to have a shadow guard. What's more, it is rumored in Chang'an City that the murderer in the case of the other courtyard has strong martial arts, and he is not inferior to the generals of the Dragon and Tiger Army, so how can his subordinates rest assured if they don't follow. ”

That being said, Feng Ying's move was actually entrusted by Li Yuan. A few days ago, Li Yuanyan came to Xue's Mansion to visit Mrs. Liu, and when she heard that Xue Ne was going to come to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to handle the case, she was very worried, and she specially ordered Fengying to follow, but she didn't let him say that it was her own intention, and Fengying could only make up such a high-sounding reason.

Xue Ne is not good at human feelings, so naturally he didn't have time to study the unreasonableness in Fengying's words, and entrusted the two oiled paper bags to him: "I'm sorry for you to take this, go to Luoyang Mansion, please check what it is." ”

Looking at Xue Ne's expression, he knew that this matter was serious, Fengying hugged his fists and saluted, flew up to the roof, and disappeared without a trace like a gust of wind.

Xue Ne thought that Fan Ning had gone downstairs to buy food, but after waiting for a long time and not seeing her back, she couldn't help but sit still, and planned to go out to find someone. He just put on his coat, and then he heard a knock on the door, Xue Ne thought that Fan Ning was back, and hurriedly stepped forward to open the door, who knew that there was a young man standing in front of him, slightly familiar, but Xue Ne couldn't remember when he had seen it for a while.

The man smiled helplessly, and intervened and said, "Xue Yushi is polite, we met today at the foot of Longmen Mountain." ”

This person is the one who helped Fan Ning round the field during the day, Xue Ne hurriedly replied: "I don't know if Your Excellency came to find Xue, but what is the matter?" ”

The young man smiled at Xue Ne, took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, and opened it to see that it was Fan Ning's red head rope: "Today, Xue Yushi bravely climbed Longmen Mountain, heroic and leisurely, Yang really admired." It's just that everyone paid attention to Xue Yushi's exploration of the cave, but the contemptible people saw this thing falling from the air, thinking that it should be Xue Yushi accidentally dropped, so they came to verify. ”

There is a scorched mark on the end of the head rope, which was left in the fire of the Hongbunkan annex. Fan Ning is a person wanted by the imperial court, and the private possession of women's belongings is really a gentleman, if it is someone else, I am afraid that he will be in a hurry to avoid suspicion. But Fan Ning's belongings, Xue Ne has always regarded them as treasures, and he can only be full of gratitude to this young man when he recovers them, so he hurriedly took them and said, "Thank you!" ”

I thought I should say goodbye, but the young man smiled lightly, walked into the room, picked up the book on the table, flipped through it a few times, and put it down: "I saw Xue Yushi talking and stopping during the day, but what did I gain and it was inconvenient to speak, can you tell Yang?" ”

Xue Neben didn't mean to take the clues as his own, but Fengying didn't come back, and the matter was still inconclusive, so he couldn't say it rashly, so he only said: "Xue can't tell it now, and after my subordinates find out, Xue will tell you again." ”

The young man looked incredulous, looked at Xue Ne and said, "Xue Yushi is silent, isn't he afraid that the contemptible people will solve the case before you and get a reward and an official position?" I thought that Xue Yushi was different from those who were vying for fame and fortune, but I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it......"

Xue Ne looked helpless and replied: "Xue is just worried that his guess is wrong and will mislead others to judge the case." If Brother Yang is not afraid that what he says is not true, Xue will say it to you. ”

The young man was not polite, he was the main guest, sat down in the group, made a gesture of invitation, and motioned for Xue Ne to sit down.

Xue Ne smiled helplessly, but he didn't take the false courtesy to heart, and said while recalling: "When Xue Moufang entered the cave, he saw that the cave walls were blackened everywhere, and he couldn't tell where the fire started. I also saw that the sacks of linen paint at the entrance of the cave had been burned to charred ash, and there was a little white and yellow powder under them, which should be left over from the burning of the sacks. And there are only these two colors on the Buddha's body, so Xue guessed whether someone had done anything in these two colors, so he ordered his subordinates to go to Luoyang Mansion with physical evidence, and wanted to ask him to check it. ”

"Xue Yushi suspects that someone has moved in the paint on the Buddha's body?"

"It's not certain yet, we have to wait for the test results. After all, it is a capital crime that involves several lives, and if you kill a good person by mistake, it will be irreparable. ”

The young man obviously didn't expect Xue Ne to say this, and couldn't help but sigh: "In the end, it is the son of General Xue, and the realm is really different from those Facao who are vying for fame and fortune." If my Tang Dynasty's food, clothing, parents, and officials are all talents like Xue Yushi, the people will be blessed. Don't hide Xue Yushi, contemptible people know how to look, Xue Yushi is full of heaven, long eyebrows and sideburns, full eyes, Yushan is firm, facial features and jaw are very upright, and the keel of the back of the neck is protruding, which is a sign of great wealth and wealth. It's just that the eyes are too clear, I'm afraid that there will be a suspicion of villainy, maybe ...... will be robbed of the credit by the small people, and it is unknown when he sees the thousand taels of gold in his hand flying. ”

Xue Ne grew up in Li Chunfeng's Taoist temple, the most proficient in the world, if Li Chunfeng is called second, no one dares to call him first. What's more, Fan Ning's little devil surrounded him all day and night, and muttered in his mouth, "The eyebrows are the canopy of the two eyes, which is really a majesty, the glory of the sun and the moon, and the distinction between the wise and the foolish", where would he easily listen to people's words.

The young man obviously didn't understand why the corners of Xue Ne's mouth flashed a few shallow smiles, and he arched his hand and asked, "What's the matter, doesn't Xue Yushi believe Yang's words?" ”

Xue Ne shook his head, and the smile was still on his lips: "Don't dare, Xue just thinks that Your Excellency talks like this, very much like a friend of mine." I don't know where your Excellency is, and why did you pretend to be Fa Cao and mingle at the foot of Longmen Mountain? ”

The young man didn't expect that Xue Ne had already seen that he was not a lawbreaker, so he was slightly stunned, and laughed: "Xue Yushi really knows people in detail, and Bing Xue is smart!" Now, the contemptible no longer hides it. The surname of the contemptuous person is Yang, the name is Jiong, the word Lingming, Huayin people, and now it is to be made by Hongwen Museum. ”

Unexpectedly, the person in front of him was actually from Hongwen Pavilion, Xue Ne trembled in shock, and accidentally touched the file on the table.

Yang Jiong didn't expect Xue Ne's reaction to be so intense, so he turned his head and asked with a smile, "Isn't it?" Xue Yushi was so shocked when he heard Yang's name? ”

Xue Ne was not because he heard this person's name, but because he heard "Hongwen Pavilion", he was worried that Yang Jiong would recognize Fan Ning. Hearing him say this, Xue Ne suddenly felt that the name "Yang Jiong" was a little familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere, he lowered his head and thought about it, remembering that when he was a child, he had heard that there was a prodigy in Hongwen Hall who was only nine years old and entered the Shi and the first, that is, Yang Jiong, who was nineteen years old this year, should be this person, and hurriedly said: "Ah...... Yes, Yang is a prodigy, a nine-year-old jinshi and first, famous all over the world, seeing it today, Xue is inevitably a little excited. It's just that I don't know, why did Yang Zhizhi get mixed into these methods, is it to find inspiration for writing poetry? ”

Yang Jiong sighed, turned his head, and his face was full of sadness: "'Rather be a centurion than a scholar', does Xue Yushi think that Yang is just a casual complaint?" From the age of nine to now, Yang has been working in Hongwenguan for almost ten years...... Since last year, Yang has been dispatched to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to prepare for the emperor and queen of heaven to move here. Recently, he was summoned by the emperor, and I thought that Yang would be given an official position, but who knew that Yang would come to see how you would judge the case, and then go back to the ins and outs one by one. Still, it's better than doing nothing every day. ”

It turned out that Yang Jiong had come to Luoyang a year ago, so he should not have seen Fan Ning's wanted warrant, Xue Ne secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and sighed in his heart that this noble-born prodigy was so unwilling, and then remembered that his father knew his ambitions, but refused to take him to the battlefield, and this Yang Jiong was the same frustration, and couldn't help but feel a little empathy, raised his hand and patted Yang Jiong's shoulder and said: "'Useless use, only for great use.'" What's more, 'the article is the great cause of the country', Yang waits for the system, the article will be famous for a hundred years, we want to learn from Yang to be made and it's too late, why do we have to force fame? ”

Most of the people who love dancing and writing are temperamental, and Yang Jiong is like this, after listening to Xue Ne's words, his eyes were red: "Zi said: 'Don't suffer from no position, suffer from so stand', it seems that Yang is still not enough to cultivate, and today he has been selected by Xue Yushi, which is really a blessing, please accept Yang's worship!" ”

After speaking, Yang Jiong "pounced" and fell down in front of Xue Ne, so shocked that Xue Ne hurriedly helped him up and said: "Brother Yang, don't be like this, you can't do it!" ”

Before the curfew, Fan Ning finally returned to the inn in Fengdu. I thought that Xue Ne had been waiting for her for a long time, and I didn't know if she had eaten well, Fan Ning was apologetic and worried, and walked into the room in three steps and two steps, but saw Xue Ne hanging her clothes, as if she had just come back, her body was full of alcohol, and she couldn't help frowning and said, "The case hasn't been solved yet?" Why are you still running to eat and drink? ”

"No, I didn't eat or drink", when he met Fan Ning, Xue Ne always instantly folded his arrogance, "Do you remember the young man who talked to you during the day...... His real name is Yang Jiong, he is the nine-year-old Jinshi and the first, a prodigy who is famous in China, and now the Hongwen Pavilion is to be systematized, you should have heard Master Li talk about it. Somehow, he suddenly recognized me as a confidant, and dragged me to babble and drink and sing, so I sent him back to my room......"

"What?" Fan Ning was frightened, "That kid is from Hongwen Pavilion?" ”

"He is not Helan Minzhi's person, and he has been idle since he entered the Hongwen Pavilion and has not been reused. And he was ordered to come to Luoyang a year ago, you don't have to worry", Xue Ne hurriedly comforted Fan Ning and said, "Just now he came to me, returned the items I left behind, and talked a few words by the way...... Yang is a man of temperament, and now he has fallen asleep after drinking too much. ”

"You didn't tell him the clues of the case, did you?" Fan Ning was very anxious, for fear that Xue Ne would be deceived, "Do you know that the prince recommended you to come here, only if you win, can you stabilize His Highness's reputation in the court, and the case in the other courtyard can also have greater bargaining chips." ”

"I told him my general conjecture, but I didn't elaborate", Xue Ne didn't think about it so deeply, just wanted to see if he could get the inspiration of the fire in the Hongwen Pavilion annex, listening to Fan Ning say so, he was quite remorseful, and only felt that he had failed Li Hong, but fortunately, Yang Jiong was credible, and there should be no mistake, "You don't have to worry, Yang Zhizhi is not involved in this puzzle solving, he is here to secretly supervise on the orders of the emperor." By the way, where did you go, if you hadn't been entangled by him, I would have gone out to look for you. ”

Fan Ning pursed his lips, no longer arguing with Xue Ne, shook his wide sleeves, and actually dropped a lot of food: "Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Eve, although you are in a foreign land, you always have to celebrate the New Year?" I went to the East Market and the West Market, these Luoyang snacks are fragrant and sweet, and even the taste of the Hu cake is not the same as that of Chang'an, you can try it. ”

Although Xue Ne and Fan Ning have known each other for more than ten years, when they redeemed their karma in the Taoist temple in the past, their mother would send someone to take him back to their homes every twenty-third year, so the two never celebrated the New Year together. Hearing Fan Ning's words, Xue Ne was indignant, put the case aside for the time being, picked up a bag of snacks wrapped in oil paper, and opened it to taste it.

Fan Ning sat next to Xue Ne with a smile and asked, "Is it delicious?" ”

"It's delicious", Xue Ne's expression was slightly confused, and he pushed the food in front of Fan Ning, "You eat it too, don't just look at it." ”

"I've eaten it", Fan Ning smiled mysteriously, took out a thin booklet from his pocket, twisted a page with his slender fingers, and saw a bunch of things drawn on it, "You see the sky sitting in the room and thinking about it, and you don't know how to go out and have a look." In addition to buying food, I also help you find out the motive for the crime, I heard the aunt who sold Hu cakes say, last year was almost these days, the queen drank too much, and suddenly ordered to see peonies, where are there peonies in this winter, of course you can't see it. When the queen of heaven was angry, she asked people to bring all the peony flowers to Luoyang and burned them. Who knew that in the spring of this year, the peony flowers bloomed again, and the locals in Luoyang called it 'Jiao Bone Peony', and now there is a saying that the peony flower fairy got angry and blew up the grotto. Some people also say that it is because the Queen of Heaven wants to mold herself into a god Buddha and carve it on Longmen Mountain, which angers the real Buddha, so she has a karmic fire. Of course, I have never believed in this kind of nonsense, but most of these rumors involve the queen of heaven, not like the handwriting of ordinary people. ”

Xue Ne remembered that Li Hong also said that the "Princess Anding Case" was aimed at the queen of heaven, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

At the foot of Longmen Mountain, who is the murderer who took the lives of more than ten craftsmen and retreated again and again? What is his purpose? Xue Ne couldn't figure it out for a while, so he simply didn't think about it, raised his eyes and looked at Fan Ning and said: "By the way, tomorrow is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the Luoyang Mansion has no arrangements for the time being, do you want to go to Bishan and Luoshui......"

The next day was a rare sunny day in the middle of winter, and on Chinese New Year's Eve, the city was filled with a joyful atmosphere. After Xue Ne and Fan Ning had dinner, they rode their horses out of the city from Dingding Gate and rushed all the way to Pishan. This mountain is not high, but because of its back to the water, the feng shui is excellent and is called the "dragon vein", there are 23 emperors who have built tombs here.

But for Fan Ning, it is obvious that she is not looking for this place to find the dragon and explore the pulse, but because more than a hundred years ago, Gao Changgong, the king of Lanling whom she admires, led his troops to win a big victory here. At the foot of the mountain, the two temporarily stored their horses in the post station and walked up the stone steps to the top of the mountain.

Fan Ning walked briskly and was very happy, while Xue Ne looked around, not knowing what he was looking for. Seeing that he was about to reach the top, Xue Ne sighed lightly and closed his gaze, looking at Fan Ning's lively and agile back, and suddenly became a little distracted.

In his memory, the last time he went on an outing with her like this, she was still a little Taoist with a horn, and often took him barefoot to wander in the Zhongnan Mountains. One day, they lost their way and wandered around, and they couldn't go back to the Taoist temple.

At that time, Xue Ne was only ten years old, he usually looked simple and did not like to talk, but at that time he did not hesitate to take off his small leather jacket and put it on the thinly clothed Fan Ning, and then by observing the moss remaining on the trunk, he could distinguish the north-south direction, and finally found the way back to the Taoist temple.

Ten years have passed, and now looking back, Xue Ne only feels a little warmth welling up in his heart, it turns out that he cared about her so much ten years ago, and now it is not surprising that he cares about life and death for her.

The top of the mountain is a flat hill, and the two of them look at Luoyang City side by side at the bottom of the mountain, and they are a little distracted. I don't know how long it took, Fan Ning suddenly took out the noodle in the bag and put it on, and said to Xue Ne in a thick voice: "I am Gao Changgong, the king of Lanling, and I will surrender quickly!" ”

Xue Ne smiled and looked at Fan Ning naughty, but he never said anything, which made Fan Ning anxious, and took off his noodles again: "Why don't you surrender?" ”

"You let me say everything else, only this is not good, I Xue Shenyan will never surrender......"

I didn't expect Xue Ne to look so good-tempered on weekdays, but he was so persistent in such things. It's no wonder that although he is weak, his long-cherished wish is to be in command of the country and shock China, how can he say the word "surrender". Fan Ning no longer embarrassed him, took two steps forward, and gestured his face to Xue Ne's face: "Then you put it on and let me see it, it's always okay, right?" ”

Xue Ne had no choice but to put on the noodle honestly, which made Fan Ning giggle, she took a few steps back, and said with a pretentious matter: "The leader on the other side, who is the one wearing the noodle?" Hurry up and get to the house! ”

The north wind is Xiao Xiao, Xue Ne stands silent, he wears a hideous face on his face, long hair with a jade crown, deep clothes, and a heroic posture, as bright as a jade tree in the wind, but it seems to be like the king of Lanling in Fan Ning's imagination.

According to the "Lanling King's Entrance Song" arranged in the market, the next enemy general will step forward to pick off the face of the Lanling King, revealing his peerless appearance. Fan Ning pretended to hold a spear in his hand, and several beautiful regiments turned in front of Xue Ne, raising their hands to lift off his face, but they didn't pay attention to the gravel under their feet, leaned forward, and almost fell into his arms.

Xue Ne hurriedly reached out to grab Fan Ning's body, and his face fell in response, only to see him frowning and long, star-like pure and brilliant eyes locked on her, and his jaw was slightly tense, it really seemed that the handsome demeanor of King Lanling who captured the enemy general a hundred years ago reappeared in front of him, Fan Ning couldn't help but blush, his heart jumped suddenly, but he said: "I don't do it, why did you capture me like this, start again!" ”

"Don't come again", Xue Ne helped Fan Ning to stand up, spread his hand, don't turn his head, and hide his red face, "I can't remember what words are behind this paragraph, it's not too early, let's go down the mountain." ”

It is said that it is easy to go up the mountain and difficult to go down, in the end it is good, this mountain is not high, and it is difficult to reach the bottom of the mountain without half an hour. When the two returned to the post station to lead the horses, it was late, it was Chinese New Year's Eve, every household was keeping the New Year, and even the Hu merchants closed their doors.

Fortunately, Xue Ne and Fan Ning brought dry food, and the two sat on the side of the road, shared the Hu cakes in the cloth bag, and then rushed to the Luo River in the glimmer of the sunset, and rented a canopy boat at the ferry.

The Luo River meanders, flows quietly, passes through the city, Xue Ne stands on the bow of the boat holding a penny, looking into the distance, as if looking for something; Fan Ning sat at the stern of the boat, looking at the magnificent and staggered palace city from afar. When you reach the middle of the river, the sky is completely dark, and the stars in the sky are reflected in the Luo River. Fan Ning raised his eyes to look at Xue Ne, who was close at hand, and his heart was like ripples in the river, rippling in the rolling eastward water.

Xue Ne and Fan Ning had the same thoughts, and they hid their feelings in the dark night like her. Childhood sweethearts are like this, no one dares to easily cross the thunder pool by half a step, not to mention that there are such complicated people and things between them. Xue Ne put down the penny, sat opposite Fan Ning, and let the boat drift downstream: "I don't know where Master Li is now, but I believe that he should also be looking at the stars in the sky, thinking about our ......"

"Thinking about relatives every festival", in the end, Fan Ning was really worried about Li Chunfeng, and couldn't help crying, she hurriedly turned her head to the side, raised her little hand and gently rubbed it, but said: "No, the little old man who is not doing right still doesn't know where to linger." ”

Xue Ne saw it in his eyes, only to feel distressed, wanted to raise his hand to wipe her tears, hesitated and was afraid of being abrupt, silently took out the silk handkerchief, and before he could hand it over, he heard a shallow whistle coming, he turned his head to look, only to see a bright light piercing the sky, soaring, Huo Ran exploded, and the entire canopy was gorgeous.

Fan Ning couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Look, it's fireworks!" ”

Thousands of trees bloom on the night of the east wind, and clusters of brilliant fireworks bloom above the canopy, illuminating the prosperous and prosperous Luoyang City. Every family opened the red window, helped the old and the young, and greedily looked at the beautiful scenery of the prosperous world, but Xue Ne only stared at Fan Ning's smile that was brighter and more beautiful than fireworks. Suddenly, as if something had poured into his brain, Xue Ne slapped his palm, and with a look of surprise, he seemed to understand something.

At night, when Fengying came to the inn to look for Xue Ne, it was already past the hour, and the voices of the people who kept the year could be faintly heard on the long street, saying "Fu Yan New Day, Birthday Celebration Without Borders" Yunyun.

Xue Ne waited for the wind shadow for a long time, and the answer in his heart was already about to come out, and there was only one proof left. In order not to affect Fan Ning's New Year's Eve, he hurriedly took Fengying to the open space behind the kitchen, and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter, has it been tested?" ”

"Today's subordinates have been staying in the Luoyang Mansion, urging the old man, he is burning and roasting, separated for a long time, and finally found out that the white is miscanthus salt, and the yellow one is Kunlun yellow, but it is the most ordinary pigment on weekdays, and there is nothing abnormal."

How do you know that Xue Ne's face was happy, and he arched his hand at Fengying: "I'm tired, tomorrow morning, I'm sorry for you to invite all the officials to go to Longmen, just say that I have found out the truth and can give you an explanation." ”

Feng Ying didn't expect Xue Ne to solve the unsolved case so quickly, and he was full of joy: "Really? Xue Lang has found out this? One thousand taels of gold, the five grades are all in your pocket! If the lord of the county knows...... Well, the county lord will be very happy. ”

This time, Li Yuanyan specially told Feng Ying not to mention himself in front of Xue Ne, but Feng Ying was so happy for a while that he forgot about it, he scratched his face, hung his head, and wanted to talk to make up for it, but he racked his brains but couldn't think of anything.

Fortunately, Xue Ne didn't take it to heart at all, patted him on the shoulder, and greeted: "It's the first time you're celebrating the New Year in a foreign land?" My adjutant bought a lot of delicious food and left a pack for you, come and get it with me. ”

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, early in the morning, various wine shops in Fengdu began to prepare for the New Year's "Throne Banquet", beckoning guests on the long street to come to their homes to eat and drink, in order to seek good fortune in the new year. Xue Ne and Fan Ning each ate a bowl of prison pills, said a few words of good luck and health to each other, and walked out of the inn.

Turning around the residential area of the commercial street, every household is planting bamboo poles and hanging long flags, and the whole family is going into battle together, which is very interesting. Seeing that it was still early, the two led the horses, discussing the difference between Chang'an and Luoyang New Year, and before they got out of Fengdu, they saw that Yang Jiong came in a hurry, and he was sweating profusely on a dry and cold day, and his voice was so anxious that his voice was split: "Hey, why are you still here?" Do you know that the Fa Cao of Yuanzhou Road came to Luoyang Mansion in the morning, saying that he had solved the case and had gone to Longmen to arrest people! ”

"Catch whom?" Xue Ne looked dazed, as if he didn't understand what Yang Jiong was saying at all.

"Oh, you idiot, I said you would be robbed of credit by others, but you still don't believe it! You ordered your subordinate official Fengying to go to Luoyang Mansion early in the morning, tell everyone that you have solved the case, please go to Longmen? Do you know that Yuan Zhou Facao was one step ahead of you, and he dragged the judicial and other officials to the Dragon Gate before dawn! ”

"Xue Lang took physical evidence in the cave to conclude the case, and he didn't have an on-site investigation, how can he find out?" Fan Ning didn't expect that on the first day of the new year, there would be a vertical to add to the blockage, but he also felt ridiculous, "Talking nonsense will lead to prison food." ”

"People say it well, and it doesn't look like nonsense. Where were you and your ruler yesterday? That Yuanzhou Facao also lives in our inn, so he didn't listen to it! ”

"He, who is he going to arrest?"

Xue Ne's focus always deviated from Yang Jiong's, which made Yang Jiong angry and funny: "Who do you say arrested?" Of course, it's an old craftsman in charge of Buddha lacquer pigments, didn't your subordinate official say that there was a problem with the lacquer? ”

"Caught the wrong person", Xue Ne anxiously turned on his horse and beckoned Fan Ning and Yang Jiong, "Quick, maybe it's too late now!" ”

Under the Longmen Grottoes, Yuanzhou Facao has identified the old craftsman who is over seventy years old and is responsible for the lacquer as the suspect, but when Wuhou was arrested, he was unanimously resisted by other craftsmen, and everyone cried and shouted wronged, resisted Wuhou with a carving knife and a wooden brush, and refused to let the old craftsman take away, and the scene was very chaotic for a while.

Xue Ne, Fan Ning and Yang Jiong hurriedly rode their horses to hurry, seeing such a situation, Yang Jiong turned over and dismounted, staggered forward, took out his waist card, and even took it backwards without knowing it when he was in a panic, and shouted: "Stop!" Yang Jiong, the official Hongwen Museum, came here to supervise the case on the orders of the emperor, who dared to make a mistake! ”

Hearing that Yang Jiong was the emperor's envoy, the Yuanzhou Facao hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, and said with a smile on his face: "Yang Zhizhi is fine, the next official is Yuanzhou Facao Zhao Li, this case has been solved, the murderer is stubbornly resisting, we are arresting with the judicial lords, Yang Beizhi can rest for a while......"

"You have caught the wrong person", Xue Ne was so anxious when he saw that the craftsman had been injured, he rushed into the crowd of people to stop him, and took several beatings, "Stop it first, listen to Xue's words: This old man is not the suspect in this case!" ”

That Fa Cao, surnamed Zhao, saw that he was going to add five grades to the official and a bounty of 1,000 taels, how could he allow Xue Ne to make a fool of himself here, and said angrily: "Nonsense! Do you dare to say that there is a problem with the gold paint of this Buddha robe, which is why there is a fire? It is clear that this person added fire sickle powder to the gold paint and distributed it to the craftsmen, and the fire sickle spontaneously combusted, which is the bizarre fire case! ”

"It's not the gold paint that is the problem!" Fan Ning stepped forward and swung his sword to knock away the weapons in the hands of some martial marquis and craftsmen who were still fighting, so that Xue Ne could concentrate on judging the case, Xue Ne lived up to Fan Ning's expectations, argued with reason, and pointed to the high grottoes, "The four caves that caught fire, except for the second one, have not painted the Buddha's body with gold paint, and the things you let people separate, similar to the fire sickle, are just the powder left over from the alchemy, and now it is winter, and the stock and temperature of the fire sickle are not enough to make it spontaneously combusted......"

This Zhao surnamed Fa Cao lives on the first floor of the Fengdu Inn, last night faintly heard Xue Ne talking to Fengying, so he rushed to Longmen overnight, took some gold paint on the construction site, please do the inspection, after learning that there is a substance similar to a fire sickle, he was extremely excited, thinking that he had solved the case, and came to get people early in the morning, and now when he heard Xue Ne's rebuttal, he was angry and said angrily: "Then you say, how did you say this fire burned?" Xue Yushi won't tell me to wait, it's a karmic fire from the sky, and the Buddha is angry? ”

"It's the fire that the miscanthus and the Kunlun yellow are mixed together......"

"Nonsense!" The Zhao surnamed Fa Cao laughed, only to feel that the victory was in his hands, "These two are the most common pigments, how can they catch fire!" ”

"What Zhao Facao said is good, these two are the most common pigments, but Zhao Facao is afraid that he doesn't know that when these two things are put together, the liquid is glued to the honey, which is the recipe for the palace fireworks? Yesterday, there was nothing to do, Xue took a turn in the calligraphy and painting workshop in the city, and asked the local owners in Luoyang, and they all said that the pigments that they like to use here in Luoyang are all extracted from plants such as Luanshu. However, the lack of rain this summer caused the trees and grass inside and outside the city to wither, and there were not so many plants to use to get paint, so they had to go from other cities. Xue made a special visit to Bishan and Luoshui yesterday and verified the owner's statement. The officials saw these pigments now, all of them were sent to Luoyang through the Grand Canal, from Yangzhou Mansion in Huainan Province, and some of them were purchased into major painting and calligraphy workshops, and the other part was transported to Longmen Mountain. The reason why we think that there is no problem with these two pigments is because they are commonly used in ordinary life, but Longmen Mountain is different, the pigments used by craftsmen and masters in a day are almost the amount used in the painting workshop in March and May, and in order to prepare a color close to the face of the Buddha, Kunlun yellow will be added directly to the miscanthus salt. Such a large amount of powder is mixed, causing the powder in the grotto to float, and the air is not circulating, only a slight collision between the stones and iron chisels, splashing sparks can ignite, this is the truth of the Longmen karma fire. ”

Xue Ne's words made everyone speechless, and the Luoyang judiciary came forward and saluted Xue Ne: "Xue Yushi's inference sounds very rigorous, but I have never seen these two things put together and caught fire, is it ......?"

Before Luoyang Judicial finished speaking, he heard Yang Jiong say in a loud voice: "Hey, come on, come on, it's all up to the official here!" ”

Everyone followed the prestige, only to see Yang Jiong holding two bags of pigment powder of miscanthus and Kunlun yellow, and poured them into a jar at the same time, chanting loudly: "Horse Tie Lian money, Chang'an young man." The emperor is as flat as water, and the official road is as straight as a string. Night jade axle, autumn gold cast horsewhip. Wind and frost but self-preservation, poor as the emperor ......"

As soon as the words fell, Yang Jiong threw a piece of flint into the jar, and then ran away, and before he ran out of half a zhang, he heard a "boom", and the clay jar burst open, and the flames splashed everywhere, almost burning the corners of Yang Jiong's clothes. Nearly 100 Facao and hundreds of craftsmen were also frightened and fled with their heads in their hands, and the scene was very chaotic for a while. Fan Ning went against the crowd, took a few steps forward, picked a raging black fire ball with a wooden stick, and forced it in front of everyone: "Do you see clearly?" Can you all see it clearly? ”

Everyone dodged and replied: "See clearly, see clearly......"

Xue Ne breathed a long sigh of relief, looking at the clear sky and the restored tranquility of Longmen Mountain, and felt a little more rare sense of stability in his heart: the way the fire in the annex of Hongwen Pavilion had been lingering in his heart for a long time, and now he finally had a little eyebrows.

Three days later, in the early morning, the sky was light, and Yang Jiong put down a thin wine outside the Luoyang Bridge to practice for Xue Ne and Fan Ning.

It is the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, there is no star and no moon, Luoshui under the bridge has a thin layer of frost, and the people on the Mo are sparse, and there is more sadness in saying goodbye here. Xue Ne and Fan Ning hit the bridge on the horse, saw Yang Jiong standing in the wind, hurriedly dismounted, stepped forward a few steps, and arched his hand: "Didn't you say it's okay, don't bother Brother Yang to send ......"

"Hey, I'm not sending you on my own behalf", Yang Jiong smiled and handed over a bottle of wine and Xue Ne, "The bounty is won, but the official position is not allowed, Xue Yushi still has the case of the Hongwen Pavilion on his body, and if he has merit, he will be rewarded together...... Do you understand the meaning of the Emperor? ”

Xue Ne bowed and said: "Please convey Xue's intention to the emperor: you must solve the case as soon as possible and live up to the emperor's grace." ”

"The Zhao family is connected to the city, and it has been passed down all over the world. Send the gentleman back to the old house, and the bright moon is full of Qianchuan. I don't know when I will be able to reunite with you, Yang drank this cup today and saw off Xue Lang. ”

Although his personality is very different from Yang Jiong's, Xue Ne still admires him very much and sincerely regards him as a friend. Ordinary Xue Ne almost didn't drink a drop of wine, and at this time he also drank a full cup, and said to Yang Jiong: "Whether Xue comes to Shendu again, or Brother Yang returns to Chang'an, we will come to Japan for a long ......time."

Yang Jiong smiled, glanced at Fan Ning not far away, whispered a few words to Xue Ne, and replied: "The hour is not early, go on the road early, it will be difficult to catch up with the wind and snow." ”

Xue Ne and Yang Jiong said goodbye, turned over on the horse, and took Fan Ning to the Jingluo Ancient Road, in the vast world, Yang Jiong has been standing in the same place, Xue Ne turned back and waved his hand from time to time, until he could no longer see him.

Fan Ning asked curiously, "But the one surnamed Yang just now said me?" I saw him smiling at me, it was scary. ”

Xue Ne's cheeks were hot, pretending not to hear Fan Ning's words, looking at the clouds in the distance, he whipped his horse and said, "Let's go, if it's late, I won't be able to reach Dingzhou tonight......"