After seven or eight days of turbulence, Xue Ne and Fan Ning's carriage finally arrived at the outskirts of Chang'an. The afterglow of the setting sun shines into the carriage through the curtain, waking up Fan Ning, who is sleeping in a blanket, she lifts the curtain, looks beyond the dead branches in winter, and sees the majestic outline of Chang'an City appear at the end of the horizon, and her mood suddenly brightens.

This round trip, it is not easy to cross the mountains and mountains, and the weather is extremely cold, both of them are slightly tired, but thinking that they can go home tonight and rest on the familiar couch, Fan Ning's little face is full of excitement, and he asked Xue Ne, who was driving the car, and said: "By the way, that day at the foot of Longmen Mountain, I remember that the Luozhou judiciary wanted to arrest and convict the craftsman who was responsible for paint painting, how did you explain to them that they let them go?" ”

"If there is a case, if you don't take people, it seems that the judiciary will be a little at a loss", Xue Ne turned his head and chuckled, and his smile looked particularly good in the sunset, "I specially retrieved the list of pigments purchased that night, and saw that it was indeed written on it with miscanthus and Kunlun yellow, so it can be determined that it was not the workers who dropped their bags and did their tricks, but did it according to the instructions of the overseer." Last year, there was a great drought, the project was urgent, and I didn't know the secret recipe of the palace fireworks, so I felt that this matter could not be relied on by anyone, so I wrote a letter of acceptance, asking the judiciary to send it to the Chinese book to be saved. I heard that the two saints were embarrassed when they saw it, and they actually said that the blame was all on themselves, and it was the two saints who were urging in a hurry to cause this catastrophe, and no one was to blame. The Queen of Heaven even ordered that the Lushena Buddha be excavated again in three years, so that those overseers did not have to rush too much and put the people's livelihood first. ”

Although it was a tragedy, the ending was quite comforting, Fan Ning slapped his palm lightly: "Sure enough, it's your style, so watertight, this case is really beautiful." ”

"I don't have any credit, it's just that I am impartial, not slandering, and not arbitrary."

As he spoke, the carriage had arrived at the Chunming Gate at the east main gate of Chang'an City. After the guards inspected the waist cards of Xue Ne and Fan Ning, they were released. The atmosphere of the New Year in the city is still very strong, and the fragrance of Tusu wine is everywhere, Xue Ne and Fan Ning rushed into the city after dark, ate a bowl of Zhenzi noodles in the East Market, and after relieving a little tiredness, they led their horses to Chongrenfang.

After the fifteenth day of the first month, Xue Ne will go to Lantian County to take up his post, and logically speaking, it is reasonable to bring Fan Ning with him. But Xue Ne was "a thief with a weak heart", and he had a different kind of mind for Fan Ning, but he felt that it was very difficult to say this, so he couldn't speak for more than ten days on the way back and forth to Luoyang, and he dragged on until this time.

Xue Ne secretly made up his mind that he must say it tonight, this was just to give her a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and when he investigated the case, it was more convenient for him to ask about some details on the day of the crime, why couldn't he open his mouth?

Having said that, but how difficult and tangled his heart was, only Xue Ne himself understood, and was in a trance, Fan Ning on his side suddenly stopped, raised his hand and knocked on his arm: "Hey, I see that there is a pine mash wine selling over there, shall we buy some?" I'm so tired from the journey, I want to drink some wine and get some sleep......"

After Xue Ne returned home, Fan Ning might go back to the underground palace to rest, and with Songmash wine, he could invite her to have a drink, he hurriedly answered, took out the money bag and gave it to Fan Ning, and watched her go to the small shop with an oil lamp to buy wine.

After earning this thousand taels of gold, Xue Ne originally wanted to buy something to give to Fan Ning, but she didn't want anything, she only bought a large bag of snacks from Luoyang City, carried it behind her, and ate it before she arrived in Dingzhou. In the eyes of others, she may be less delicate than her daughter's family, but in Xue Ne's eyes, her heroic charm is simply a beauty that is hard to change.

Xue Ne secretly made up his mind that he would propose to Fan Ning to go to Lantian with him tonight no matter what, and he couldn't help but weigh how to start this conversation. After a few two people walked into Chongrenfang, the martial marquis in the workshop saw Xue Ne, and they all came up to greet warmly, Fan Ning saw that they were a little weak-hearted, and led the horse to the stable at the side gate of Xue's mansion to tie it up, raised his little finger and pointed to the sky from a distance, and signaled Xue Ne to go back from the alley over the wall.

Xue Ne hurriedly said goodbye to the Wuhous, stepped forward a few steps, grabbed Fan Ning's arm, and said in a low voice: "When you go back, you can cook wine in the house, there is a small stove in the warehouse." ”

Fan Ning nodded and smiled, saluted Xue Ne, turned around and walked into the alley, and disappeared in a moment.

Xue Ne hurriedly hurried to the Pingyang County Mansion, and before he entered the gate, he saw his familiar little servant Xue Wang hurriedly coming forward, and led Xue Ne's green horse with a happy face: "Da Langjun is back!" Our Da Lang Jun is too powerful, the people in our house are happy for Lang Jun these days! ”

It seems that the speed of this rumor is really faster than his own horses, and the news of the detection of the Longmen industry fire case is afraid that it has spread all over Chang'an, Xue Ne nodded with a smile and counted as a response, and asked: "Mother can be in the Buddha Hall, returning from afar, I should go to greet him immediately." ”

"Madame is in Shensi Garden", Xue Wang grinned, completely unpaid Xue Ne's face changed suddenly, "I heard that Da Lang Jun came back today, Madam specially made Da Lang Jun's favorite oil rice, and I am waiting for you in the room!" ”

Xue Ne was so shocked that he couldn't care about greeting everyone in the mansion anymore, and strode towards the Shensi Garden. Even if Fan Ning is wearing the skin of "Ning Chungong", it will be very troublesome to be bumped into by his mother, Xue Ne hurriedly pushed the door in, only to see Mrs. Liu sitting in front of the table and chanting, and there was no figure of Fan Ning in the room, I don't know if I haven't found a chance to come in over the wall, or I found Mrs. Liu, and chose to slip into the underground palace through the small door opened by the gopher next to the stone well in the garden.

Xue Ne breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward and arched his hand, "Mother, Shen Yan is back." ”

Mrs. Liu pointed to the fragrant food on the table, and said to Xue Ne with a smile: "It should be very hard all the way, the rice is still hot, come and eat." ”

Xue Ne answered, sat opposite Mrs. Liu, looked at the oil rice on the table, and hesitated: "Mother came to Shensi Garden at night, but what do you have to tell you......?"

Mrs. Liu put down the Buddha beads, sighed softly, and said: "Shen Yan, you solved a big case in Luoyang, found out the cause of the fire in the Buddha cave, and got the praise of the two saints, I am very pleased for my mother, and when your father hears the news in Goryeo, he will be very happy." ”

Since he was a child, Xue Ne has almost never been praised by his parents, and today he couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Mrs. Liu say this, and his expression became even more uneasy: "It's just a small skill of carving insects, it's difficult to get into the hall of elegance, but I don't want to shame the family, how can I deserve the praise of my parents......"

Although Xue Rengui was the sixth grandson of Xue Andu, the king of Hedong in the Northern Wei Dynasty, but in the early Tang Dynasty, the family had already declined. Later, Mrs. Liu followed Xue Rengui to fight in the south and the north, and Xue Ne gathered less and separated more, and when he was eight years old, he sent him to Li Chunfeng Taoist Temple to redeem his business, and at the age of twelve or thirteen, he took him back to Chang'an City to study in Chongwen Hall, Mrs. Liu owed this eldest son who was too honest and well-behaved, but she always unconsciously favored the younger son Chu Yu. Now that Xue Rengui's military exploits are great, Xue Ne has made this unnecessary limelight again, which makes her uneasy day and night, and she has no choice but to breathe, and said while turning the Buddha beads: "Be cautious, there are some words, my mother will tell you directly." I heard that you will go to Lantian to take up your post after the New Year, if the case of this Hongwenguan is not solved, do you understand what the situation of our family will be? Don't look at your father's current scenery, how many young people have stared at our family with their eyes, even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and several princes have to be cautious, but now you are the most eye-catching one in Chang'an City...... Do you know that if you go wrong, it will not only affect you, but also your parents, brothers, and even uncles and cousins will be unlucky, and they will be sent to exile at the least, and at worst they will be ...... to exile?"

"Mother's worries, Shen Yan understands that there is still about a month to go, and my son is still trying his best to hunt for the murderer, I believe that there will be results in the near future, and it will not affect the family."

Seeing that Xue Ne was still so stubborn, Mrs. Liu felt even more anxious, and pressed her temperament to follow the temptation: "If you can't solve the case within this month, and it is difficult to find the suspect, what should you do, do you understand?" ”

Xue Ne understood what Mrs. Liu meant, but she didn't answer, only said: "Shen Yan will definitely be able to catch the real murderer and return the world to stability......"

"That Fan Ning", seeing that Xue Ne didn't answer, Mrs. Liu simply stopped turning around and went straight to the road, "Do you know where she is hiding?" ”

Xue Ne didn't respond for a long time, but all kinds of emotions surged in his eyes, and finally settled into a faint sadness, he sighed slowly, and replied: "When I went to Master Li's stargazing and redemption, Shen Yan was only eight years old, and he was very lonely when he stayed alone in a different place. The day is fine, Master Li has a lot of interesting things there, armillary spheres, compasses, and a lot of books to read. Master Li is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, knows a lot of interesting things, and is willing to tell us about them, after Fan Ning and I finished class, we often play in Zhongnan Mountain, or catch fish and shrimp, or pick mulberry fruits, and we don't care about sadness at all. But every time at night, I will miss home and my mother. But my mother rarely comes to see me, and my father is even more difficult to see......"

I didn't expect Xue Ne to suddenly talk about old things, Mrs. Liu was stunned, and she couldn't help but soften her tone and said lightly: "When I sent you to the Taoist temple, my father and I also had a hard time. Mother knows that Fan Ning is your best friend, and you can't bear to associate her with the Criminal Department. But there are many compulsions in life, be cautious, you are still young, many things you don't understand, you ......"

"Shen Yan is not blaming his parents, but also asking his mother not to misunderstand, Shen Yan did not hand over Fan Ning, not because of Master Li's nurturing grace, and it has nothing to do with the relationship between me and Fan Ning. Fan Ning is not the real murderer, even if the general is cut by a thousand knives now, I still only have this one sentence. If my mother really understood Shen Yan, I wouldn't have come to talk to me about this today", Xue Ne laughed at himself, his eyes were full of unmistakable firmness, which was unfamiliar, but soon, these emotions disappeared in his eyes, and they were still as clear as a lake, without half a wave, "If it was Chu Yu who was appointed as the imperial historian to be in charge of this case today, his mother would definitely be very proud of him." I don't want anything else, I hope my mother can believe me, and within a month, I will definitely solve the case. ”

Mrs. Liu looked at the eight-foot young man in front of her, and suddenly felt a little trance, in the past twenty years, she seemed to have never seen Xue Ne insist so much, he didn't like to talk when he was young, he always stayed alone and silently aside, and never made any requests. Mrs. Liu couldn't tell whether she was a little ashamed or unbearable, she was speechless for a while, stood up slowly, and left a sentence: "You have to understand the seriousness of the situation, if something really happens, my mother can not be difficult for you, but your uncles are by no means easy to get along with, if they really use means, you can't protect that girl, so you can do it yourself." ”

After speaking, Mrs. Liu turned away, and Xue Ne also stood up and called softly: "Mother......"

Mrs. Liu half-turned around and looked at Xue Ne, not knowing what he was going to say. Xue Ne looked at the oily rice on the table, and said lightly: "My son can't eat ginger since he was a child, and once he takes it, he will have a rash all over his body and feel uncomfortable...... This ball of oily rice is Chu Yu's favorite, so let Liu Yu take it for him to eat for a while. ”

Obviously it was a very calm word, but Mrs. Liu looked shocked, her lips trembled slightly, and she snorted for a moment, but she didn't say anything, only nodded, turned around and walked out of the Shensi Garden quickly.

Xue Ne couldn't tell what it was like in his heart, and he was even more worried about whether Fan Ning would come back smoothly, and how much he heard, after handing over the oil rice to the maid, he closed the garden door tightly, returned to the bedroom and knocked on the door of the underground palace: "Are you there?" ”

After a long time, Fan Ning's response came from the underground palace: "Come back, the family on duty at your house tonight is very responsible, I waited for a while." ”

"Won't you come out to cook wine?"

"I'm a little tired", Fan Ning replied in a brisk tone as much as possible, with a few light laughs, "I won't drink with you today, I'll sleep first." ”

Fan Ning stopped making a sound, but Xue Ne sat in place and didn't move for a long time. Judging by her reaction, most likely she heard his mother's words, and for a person like her, who was lonely and helpless, and was burdened with injustice, she must have felt very uncomfortable. Xue Ne was distressed and helpless, and didn't know how to persuade her, so she could only stay at the gate of the underground palace and silently accompany her all night.

The next morning, Xue Neze rode his horse to the East Palace to find Li Hong's life. It was still early, and Li Hong was eating in the Li Zheng Palace, so he directly ordered the guards to bring Xue Ne here.

Xue Ne bowed to Li Hong and bowed: "Minister Xue Shenyan wishes peace to His Highness, may His Highness have a happy New Year and a long life." ”

Li Hong smiled and raised his hand, motioned for Xue Ne to get up, and instructed left and right: "Add a set of dishes and chopsticks, you just go out and wait." ”

Xue Ne felt that something was wrong, and hurriedly said: "Your Highness, how can the minister eat with His Highness in the same case......

Li Hong didn't care, pointed to the table full of delicacies and said: "Prepare these early in the morning, it's a waste if you don't eat them, don't shirk anymore, come and sit down." ”

Li Hong was so enthusiastic, how could Xue Ne refute his face, said "It's better to be respectful than to obey your fate", and after bowing again, he walked to the table and sat down to avoid the table.

"This palace is very relieved to hear that you have cracked the Longmen industry fire case. But your scowling appearance doesn't look like a square party who has made great achievements and has been praised by the two saints...... What's wrong with you? It can't be a quarrel with your 'lieutenant', right? ”

"Your Highness has misunderstood, your ...... It's just a little tired", Xue Ne slowly stirred the porridge with a spoon, but his smile was a little distracted, "It's not a big achievement, it can only be said that it has lived up to His Highness's trust, and has found some eyebrows for the case of Hongwenguan." ”

"Don't be too modest, do you know that Yang Jiong, who is to be controlled by the Hongwen Pavilion, is in charge of the filing of this case, and he has written thousands of words in a sprinkled manner, praising you to the sky, and it has been spread all over the three provinces and six departments. When the Helan scholar saw it, he was so angry that he tore up all the papers", Li Hong smiled lightly, and then turned solemn, "I heard that you took out part of the bounty and gave it to the craftsmen who were injured and died to supplement their families, and you did a good job." Although this case is not man-made, it is really tragic, and you take out the favor of the two saints to benefit them, which is to let these craftsmen and their relatives share the emperor's grace, hoping to comfort their little heartache. ”

"Shen Yan is not as thoughtful as His Royal Highness, but he really saw that they were pitiful, and the two saints gave them a reward, so Shen Yan took out a part of it and gave them it, or bought some land, or did a small business, and there was always a way out."

"How much do you have left in that bounty? But the dart board is back? ”

"There are more than 900 taels left, handed over to the dart bureau, and I will get it in a few days", Xue Ne has never had any concept of silver money, and these things are all handled by Fan Ning.

Thinking of Fan Ning, Xue Ne couldn't help but be a little distracted, and listened to Li Hong hesitate in a daze: "You borrow some money to ...... with the palace."

Xue Ne couldn't get back to his senses for a while, and said blankly: "What did Your Highness say?" ”

"Come on, come on", Li Hong was angry and funny, hugged Xue Ne's shoulder and said, "This palace teaches you some ways to be an official: whenever your boss asks you to borrow money or something, you should immediately say yes, and it is the right chapter." What do you mean? Want to embarrass Hongu? ”

"Ah, no, no, Your Highness, don't misunderstand", Xue Ne hurriedly scratched his head and explained, "It's just that I didn't expect Your Highness to be the prince of the prison country and ask your subordinates to borrow money." How much does Your Highness want, is more than nine hundred taels enough? After a few days, when the dart car arrives, you can let Brother Zhang Shun take the ticket directly to get it. ”

"I don't need that much, I just want to buy another house for Miss Red Lotus, preferably closer to the East Palace, and a few housekeepers. The money can't be moved to the treasury, but all of the palace's own monthly silver is used to buy charcoal for soup porridge and given to the victims of the Yongzhou disaster who settled down last year, and it is difficult to get hold for a while. ”

"Your Highness, there are so many good houses in this East Palace, which one is not carved in gold, thousands of times better than the outside, why don't you just bring the Red Lotus Girl......

Xue Ne was just joking, but Li Hong's face suddenly became gloomy, and he sighed: "You stunned boy, do you think ...... Doesn't Hongu want to? But Honglian is from such a background, don't say that the crown princess or Liangdi, it is impossible for even a concubine to do it, how can I wronged her like this. What's more, I am the crown prince of the East Palace, and you don't know how high the requirements of the emperor and queen are. Helan Min's ability is ridiculous, King Yong and King Ying can play, but I can't at all. In the past, I always thought that I could settle her down, but now it seems that putting her there is the only way to roast her on the fire, and if it continues like this, it will cause a catastrophe sooner or later. After two days, when your bounty arrives, I will ask Zhang Shun to find you to get some, and I will return it to you next month when I have a silver palace. Besides, you've packed all your bags, when will you leave for Lantian? ”

Hearing Li Hong's words, Xue Ne fell into deep thought, thinking that he should also build a house in Lantian, otherwise how could Fan Ning live in the county government. If she could really buy a garden in Lantian and have a home that only belonged to the two of them, she would not have to hide and live in peace for the time being.

Thinking of this, Xue Ne couldn't help but lower his eyes and laugh, provoking Li Hong to poke him twice with chopsticks: "What do you think?" Hongu asked when you were going to leave for Lam Tin? ”

"The minister is rude...... Two days ago, someone from Yongzhou Mansion said that the previous county order went back to his hometown for the New Year, and now he is rushing back, and he happened to encounter a snowstorm, he is already more than 70 years old, and he is tired of traveling and driving, and he can't do it too hard, so he postponed the time of taking over for three days. ”

Li Hong frowned, and his expression sharpened sharply: "I don't know if this old man is really in a hurry, or if he was coerced and lured by someone to deliberately delay time, you have to be long-sighted." In addition to the position of the county magistrate, you are still the special superintendent of the palace, remember that everything is the first thing to investigate the case. ”

"Yes", Xue Ne clenched his fists and saluted, his eyes clear and firm, and asked again, "By the way...... Does Your Highness know how much a yard in Lantian County costs? ”

"If you can solve the case within a month, you will be transferred back to Beijing; If you can't solve the case...... The criminal department will also prepare a room for you to live in, maybe along with the main palace, you will also go to be your neighbor, do you still plan to buy a house? Li Hong joked, but his expression was not relaxed, "That's it, the East and West markets have begun to hang lanterns and guess riddles in the past few days, you have worked hard in the boats and cars, take a good rest for two days and then go to work, this palace is waiting for your good news!" ”

Like Xue Ne, Fan Ning also stayed awake last night, watching him lean against the door of the underground palace with his back to him, not knowing what he was doing all night. Fan Ning wanted to talk to him out loud, but he didn't know where to start, so he could only sit silently on the couch, looking at his back in a daze.

When Fan Ning jumped into Xue's mansion last night, he saw the lights on in the Shensi Garden, so he guessed that someone was waiting for Xue Ne in the room, and quickly entered the underground palace through the entrance behind the sink in the garden, and heard the dispute between their mother and son.

Fan Ning is sophisticated and understands Mrs. Liu's hard work and helplessness in order to protect her family, but hearing her say this, Fan Ning still can't help but feel uncomfortable, but she is not for herself, but for Xue Ne.

But now is the time to care about the partiality of parents and siblings. Fan Ning knew in his heart that more than two months had passed since the arson case in the annex of Hongwen Pavilion, and if the suspect was not caught, it would not only be Xue Ne who would be implicated, but also Xue Rengui and even Li Hong.

Fan Ning secretly made up her mind that if she couldn't get the real murderer by the deadline, she would go to the criminal department to turn herself in. She has no father or mother, even if she dies, she has no relatives to worry about, and the only thing she is worried about is Li Chunfeng, I don't know if when she asks under Duliu in Xishi, this little old man will come back to see her and help her pick up her head.

Fan Ning was thinking like this, she didn't even know when it was dawn, she got up and looked, Xue Ne's figure was no longer in the room above her head, she remembered that Xue Ne had said yesterday that she was going to report to Li Hong early this morning, and it was estimated that he should go to the East Palace.

Fan Ning washed up, silently opened the baggage, took out a piece of Hu cake and ate it. When he was chewing hard, Xue Ne came back, he took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, and walked to the secret door, his face full of young man's hesitation: "Are you awake?" ”

Fan Ning thought that after a night, he had controlled his emotions very well, walked to the bronze mirror, brushed the broken hair on his face, straightened his clothes, held the pine mash wine, and pushed open the secret door.

Who knew that Xue Ne was leaning slightly to listen to the movement, Fan Ning opened the door suddenly, and the secret door hit Xue Ne's jaw with a "bang", which made him feel very painful, and he covered his chin and retreated. Fan Ning hurriedly put the pine mash wine on the table, stepped forward and said, "Why are you so careless, let me see, did you bite your tongue?" ”

Xue Ne shook his head and slowly let go of his hands, only to see that his pretty jaw was red and swollen, and it looked like it should be very painful. Fan Ning was angry and funny, and raised his hand to pinch him: "You idiot, why don't you know how to hide!" Really, if someone asks, you say that you knocked in the house, do you hear? ”

Xue Ne said yes again and again, only to relieve the pain for two minutes, Fan Ning suddenly took out a dry cloth and dipped it in medicinal wine, and there was a mess on his chin, so painful that Xue Ne repeatedly told forgiveness: "No need, no need, I don't hurt anymore...... Cook some pine mash and drink it. ”

Fan Ning sighed, turned around and went to the warehouse in the garden to take out a small clay stove, and moved into the room, her upturned nose was red: "It's so cold today, it is said that it is already spring, how can there be no warmth at all." ”

In the spring and summer of last year, there was a great drought in Guannai and Hedong, Henan, and in winter, it encountered a bitter cold that was difficult to see for more than ten years. Fortunately, the people are blessed, there are two saints sitting in the government and the opposition to deploy, and there is a prince like Li Hong, who is dedicated to the people, who took out all the money from his own pocket, gave porridge and grain to buy charcoal and firewood, which helped them survive the famine year.

Xue Ne poured the pine mash wine into the copper kettle for boiling the wine, lit the small stove, and after a while, the room was warm and melting, overflowing with the aroma of wine. On the 14th, 15th and 16th, there is no curfew, let's go see if it's good to see the lanterns, you are the best at shooting, all the lantern riddles can't stump you, we ......"

"Don't go", Fan Ning replied categorically, "With this fun kung fu, it's better to sort out the case well, aren't you going to take up your post after the year?" How's it going, do you have eyebrows? ”

Suddenly asked by Fan Ning, Xue Ne couldn't answer for a while, this Longmen Mountain Fire Case gave him a lot of inspiration, and made him understand how the murderer easily set fire to the wooden tower of the other courtyard, but there is still an extremely important point that has not been solved, that is, why the patrolling Shen Qi only saw Fan Ning jumping off the attic alone, but did not see the chief of the guard that Fan Ning said. As long as this problem is not solved, the real culprit will never be found, and Fan Ning's grievances will never be cleared.

Xue Ne thought about it, his expression couldn't help but be slightly depressed, and Fan Ning saw it in his eyes, very uncomfortable. In order to investigate this case, Xue Ne has already pressed his net worth, what position does she have to force him like this. Fan Ning recalls that when he was a child, Xue Ne was always taken home a year ago, and when he returned to stargazing, he was worthy of the Shangyuan Festival, although every year he would bring her the most interesting lantern riddles in the city, they had never seen the lanterns together. The worst outcome is death, so why not seize the joy in front of you. Fan Ning raised his head and drank all the wine in the cup, suddenly changed his mind, and looked at Xue Ne with a smile: "If you are willing to accompany me to wear noodles, I will go with you to see the lights, okay?" ”

There is a Guanyin temple in Xinchangfang in Chang'an City, just after the New Year, many dignitaries and believers carry their homes with their mouths, come to the temple to cultivate, they can not only invite the Taoist monks to chant and pray for their portals, but also can avoid the visitors who are difficult to refuse under the New Year's Festival, and can relax in this quiet and solemn environment, so from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the eve of the Shangyuan Festival, the wing room open to the laity in the temple has been full.

In addition to being located in the city and convenient to travel, there is another reason why the incense is more prosperous than other temples: in the second year of Longshuo, the emperor's sister Princess Chengyang had a serious illness, and searched for the imperial doctor of the palace medicine bureau, but could not find a cure. The emperor, who loved his sister very much, was greatly grieved and became more and more desperate, but who knew that the abbot of the Inspiration Temple, Zen Master Farang, was invited to come and set up an altar for the princess of Chengyang to chant with a secret mantra, and the princess recovered after seven days. The emperor was overjoyed, and at the request of the princess, the temple was renamed Kannonji Temple. Since then, this Guanyin Temple has become a well-known blessed place for health and safety.

At two o'clock, in several major Buddhist halls in the Buddhist temple, several rituals are carried out at the same time. On one side of the hall are masters who sit in a row and chant sutras with wooden fish, and on the other side are pilgrims wearing hoods and plain robes, kneeling and praying. Although entry and exit are not allowed during the ceremony, it is even more difficult to make these dignitaries and dignitaries honestly kneel in the Buddha hall for two or three hours without moving, which is even more difficult than ascending to the sky, so people often leave the table in a hurry, or go for a walk in the courtyard.

In the backyard of the temple is a square wooden pagoda, which was abandoned due to a fire, and at this time, while the temple was loosely guarded, a pilgrim wearing a hood sneaked into the wooden pagoda and knocked three times on an empty wall.

It was too late, but the empty wall suddenly moved, and when it was opened with a bang, there was a secret door that went straight to the ground. When the pilgrim entered, the secret door closed again, and it returned to its normal appearance.

The faint light of the candle illuminated a spiraling stone staircase, and the man held the remnant candle in his hand and took off his hood, it was none other than Xue Chuyu.

Xue Chuyu walked down the stairs with the candles, and after a while, it suddenly became clear in front of him, but he arrived at an underground dark room, and on the walls on both sides of the entrance of the dark room, a total of twenty-three candles were inserted in the hewn holes, and only one hole was empty. Xue Chuyu grabbed his hand and inserted it into the hole, took out a mask with a big "谯" character printed on it from his arms, put it on, took a few steps forward, and walked into the conference hall.

Twenty-four futons were placed on the floor in the hall, but one was empty, and on the other twenty-three futons sat men with the same hoods, plain robes, and masks on their heads, bowing rhythmically in front of them, and chanting words in their mouths.

Seeing this, Xue Chuyu immediately walked to the empty futon and knelt down, and carried out this strange prostrations with the others.

After several rounds, the ceremony finally ended. The four pilgrims standing in the front row stood up and pulled their futons to the front to form the main seat, and the rest of the pilgrims immediately consciously picked up the futons under their feet and divided them into two sides, and took their respective seats. Only then did Xue Chuyu see that the words on everyone's masks were different, and they should use this to distinguish their respective identities.

Seeing that everyone was seated, the person sitting on the left side of the main seat with the word "Lai" written on his mask said: "Today is the first gathering of my Qingyun Society, and last autumn, with the unremitting efforts of everyone, we successfully took "***", and convicted Li Chunfeng's female apprentice Fan Ning as a fierce one, realizing the first step of our long-cherished wish. However, due to the turmoil between the crown prince Li Hong and Xue Rengui's eldest son Xue Ne, Fan Ning was still not caught, and even the people we sent to Fengxiang to assassinate Xue Ne did not do so. You are so unfavorable, how can you get the word "Qingyun" right, and how can you get the great support that the Lord of the Association has given you? Two days later, it will be the Shangyuan Festival, and no matter what, you must come up with a way to eliminate Xue Ne and arrest Fan Ning, and whoever can share the worries of the leader will get the first opportunity to 'make a wish' this year. ”

Hearing this, everyone was ready to move. Xue Chuyu came here for the first time, and he didn't understand the gist of it, so he hurriedly gently tugged on the sleeve of the person wearing the mask of the word "Hu" on the side of his head, and asked quietly: "What is 'making a wish'?" ”

"It's your first time," the man said disapprovingly, "it doesn't matter, there's a first time for everything." The so-called 'wishing' is to be able to meet the owner alone, inform him of his wishes, and ask him to help fulfill them. So far, all those who have made their wishes have succeeded, without exception. ”

"Is it so godly?" Xue Chuyu was surprised, "Then if I say that I want to be the emperor, can I also achieve it?" ”

Xue Chuyu felt that his voice was extremely low, but it still attracted the sideways glances of three or two people in front of him, and the person next to him was startled, and hurriedly covered Xue Chuyu's mouth, laughing embarrassedly, and when the person in the front row turned back, the person lowered his voice and said, "Don't talk nonsense!" The so-called wish, of course, refers to things that are unsatisfactory in reality. If the wish is too unrealistic, it will only be a waste of a precious opportunity, and there may be a blame for the leader. As for the proportions of this, and when you grasp it yourself. After thinking about it, you don't have to talk to others. ”

Xue Chuyu nodded as if he didn't understand, turned his attention back to the front again, and only heard a person wearing a mask with the word "Shen" raise his voice and said: "It's not impossible, but if the movement is too big, it will not be conducive to our plan, especially the little girl of Li Tao's family, who has been sending the people of the Dragon and Tiger Army to secretly protect that Xue Ne, and it is difficult for us to start." ”

Everyone echoed and agreed with this man's opinion. A person wearing the word "Liang" next to him also said: "Now it is easy to make the Criminal Department convict, saying that Fan Ning is stubborn, if there is any evidence left on the side, it will implicate us, but the gains outweigh the losses." ”

The man wearing the mask of the word "river" on his head sitting on the main seat slapped the case and said, "A group of rice buckets! Qingyun will raise you people, not to grow the morale of others and destroy your own prestige! ”

When the people on the throne were angry, they fell silent. After a while, the man wearing the mask of the word "Liang" sighed: "As the saying goes, 'if you want to take it first, you must give it first', and now the only way to break through is to penetrate his side." It's just empty talk, and it needs an opportunity. ”

"Where do you need that complicated", the man wearing the mask of the word "Zheng" interjected, "That kid of the Xue family harbored the imperial court criminals, although there is no evidence, it is not far from ten. We just need to make up the surname Xue, that kid and that girl have a private relationship, and pretend to use the power of the imperial history to cover up, and refer to the emperor and queen of heaven, isn't it? ”

The man wearing the helmet with the word "E" on the side shook his head and said: "Although this plan is good, it is not a good opportunity at the moment." The little boy surnamed Xue Fang solved the case of Longmen Mountain, and the emperor and queen praised it, and it was difficult to succeed. ”

"It's better for us to take advantage of the Shangyuan Festival to make another big vote", the person wearing the helmet with the word "Wei" said, "As long as there is another big case in the capital, it will definitely be possible to participate in the Hongwen Pavilion together!" ”

Everyone talked about each other, and the discussion was very enthusiastic. Xue Chuyu had never imagined that there were so many people here, talking about putting his own brother to death. At this moment, he couldn't tell whether he was surprised or more happy, so he slowly raised his hand in the back row, and said in a small voice: "That, the contemptible person has some ideas, I don't know if I should talk about it or not......