Approaching the beginning of summer, the weather in Chang'an City became more and more sultry, and the scorching sun made many people wear brimmed hats in advance to shield from the sun. Two people squatted under an apricot tree in front of an alley in the third street and nine lanes, these two people wore brimmed hats on their heads, and watched the people who were scattered in and out of the alley talking.

"It looks good to make a hat out of lotus leaves." Zhang Xie pointed to a few children who were playing over there, and the children were playing with a lotus leaf hat wrapped around their heads. Most of the people who live here are not wealthy, and it is not bad to take lotus leaves that do not cost money to cover the sun, so they simply save money to buy hats.

Pei Zongzhi looked at the green leaves above their heads for a moment and said, "I don't like that color on my head." ”

Zhang Jie: "......" thought of some kind of metaphor, he couldn't help but tighten his brimmed hat, he didn't want it anymore.

The two squatted and rested for a while and got up, Pei Zongzhi asked him, "Do you really want to go by yourself?" ”

"yes!" Zhang Xie nodded.

Although Song Er felt that Mr. Pei was not easy to get close to and sometimes said something difficult to understand, it was the opposite for him, and after getting acquainted with him, he preferred to deal with him. One big and one small have also formed a good friendship these days, he took himself to walk all over the streets and alleys of Chang'an City, taste all the delicacies, and look at this Chang'an City with a completely different attitude, and feel naturally different. He liked this eccentric-looking young man.

"I want to see who saved me." Zhang Xie walked forward as he spoke, "You wait for me here." ”

"Okay." Pei Zongzhi's response came from behind him, and then added, "Hurry up, it's hot, I want to eat ice bowls." ”

The boy didn't look back, knowing that he could see it, so he just nodded slightly, walked through the alley, and walked into the alley.

It was hot outside, and the neighbors on both sides no longer stood outside, but sat in the house with a small stool, and chatted with the door open. At this time, most of the women and children who stayed at home were women.

Zhang Xie didn't go far, only walked to the end, paid attention to the environment of the alley, and then turned back, and then walked to the door of a family with more people who were weaving straw shoes, stopped, and knocked on the door outside.

A few women and old men who were chatting stopped what they were talking about, looked back, and saw that it was a beautiful young man, and couldn't help but smile and ask him, "Where are you and who are you looking for?" "There's no such beautiful kid in this alley! Is it a new move or a family that can't be a relative?

Zhang Xie smiled and said, "I'm looking for Tang Qing, is his family here?" The young man tugged at the hem of his clothes as he spoke, as if he was a little cramped, "I heard from the government that others live here. ”

The women did not answer him immediately, but put down the straw sandals in their hands, looked at him seriously and curiously, and asked, "Who are you?" What did you come to him for? ”

Zhang Xie noticed that when the name "Tang Qing" was mentioned, the women all looked at each other, and two women even got up and walked out past him silently.

There are quirks! The thought came to me all at once.

Zhang Xie tightened his hand holding the hem of his clothes, but he didn't see the reaction between them, wiped the sweat on his face with a smile and said: "My grandfather is his former friend, and his grandfather's surname is Yang, as soon as he says this surname, he should know who I am." ”

The women seemed to be relieved to hear this, and even beckoned to him to come in and speak. Someone got up and went to the stove and poured him a bowl of water.

Although they were not so vigilant, these women still did not tell Tang Qing's whereabouts, but just looked at him while playing the straw sandals in their hands.

Such vigilance must have happened before! Zhang Xie drank the water quietly, quietly waiting for the two women who had passed him and left silently to come back.

But he waited for half an hour until there was a noise outside.

"What's going on?" Zhang Xie threw down the peanuts that the women beckoned him to eat, stood up, several women were also confused, everyone got up and walked outside the door, but what they saw was six or seven officials pouring in at the entrance of the alley, and walking behind the officials was He Taiping's familiar face.

Will He Taiping appear here? Zhang Jiemei's heart jumped: "It shouldn't be a murder!" ”

Unfortunately, the women here were all dazed, and no one paid any attention to what he was saying, nor did they care about him.

The room, surrounded by many people, was a little dilapidated, and the two women who had gone out before stood tremblingly to the side, looking frightened and dazed.

He Taiping pushed aside the crowd and walked in, and the entourage on the side had already handed over the list: "The deceased Tang Qing ......"

Tang Qing? Zhang Xie only felt that the blood was surging for a moment, and there was an uproar in his ears, and he couldn't hear anything.

Is it dead? How can it be? Isn't this matter only known to Yang Gong? Why did he die? So what now? How do you check things?

A huge panic surged in, he opened his eyes wide to see the people coming and going in front of him, panicked whispering and He Taiping's questioning, a corpse wrapped in a cloth was lifted out of it, although he didn't see his face, but just looking at his figure could already see a little thin and withered. With a sinking of his shoulders, Pei Zongzhi's voice came from behind him: "He is Tang Qing." ”

"How could it be ......" Zhang Xie only felt that all this was a little absurd, and his heart was filled with an indescribable sourness, "Why did you die?" Did anyone kill him? ”

"This depends on the post-mortem examination, I heard that this person has been sick for a long time and has been lying down for several months." Pei Zongzhi said, "It was the neighbors here who reported to the official, saying that some time ago, Tang Qing told them that someone wanted to harm him, and the neighbors here helped hide his news. I didn't expect to see him today, and the person was already dead in bed. ”

Pei Zongzhi said and took him out of the crowd and returned to the apricot tree at the entrance of the alley, the people in the alley and even the children who used to be playing went to the door of Tang Qing's house to look, because there was no one here for a while.

"We just don't look for it, and when these neighbors find out that Tang Qing is dead, they will definitely report to the official." Pei Zongzhi looked at the chaotic crowd in the alley, "I have just seen Tang Qing's corpse on the side, there are no pinch marks on the neck, no sword wounds on the body, and no signs of poisoning. ”

Zhang Xie rubbed his somewhat reddened eyes and asked him, "You mean Tang Qing died of illness?" ”

"It's possible." Pei Zongzhi took a lotus leaf from nowhere in his hand and fanned it, and said, "Those neighbors have just been called by He Taiping for questioning, Tang Qing did say that someone wanted to harm him, but these days, except for you, I didn't come to Tang Qing." ”

Zhang Xie fell silent: If Tang Qing is telling the truth, then it is very likely that he will die strangely, which is not surprising to attract He Taiping's attention; But if, as Mr. Pei said, no one has ever come to Tang Qing, what is he saying this for?

"Maybe he was called after death." Pei Zongzhi said, "If this is the case, Tang Qing should have hidden something or wanted to tell He Taiping something." "I just don't know what's going on, and I have to wait until after I die.