Tang riddles

When Shen Sui went out that day, he was alone.Accompanied by Qin Zhen and returning home, the two chatted about the daily life on the road, but did not discuss much about the case.After arriving at Daozhengfang, Shen Sui bid farewell to Qin Zhen and returned to the small house where he was currently living.After entering Wutou Gate, Shen Sui fastened his horse, and as soon as he lifted his foot to enter the main gate, he saw Hutuo standing in the front yard, with his right arm resting on his arm, and a black eagle with bald feathers standing on it, extremely handsome.And he had just removed the bamboo letter post from the carving.

Shen Sui smiled, raised his right index finger, half-filled it in his mouth, blew a loud whistle, and then stretched out his left arm.Hearing this sound, the bald-headed black eagle fixed its eagle eyes on Shen Sui for an instant, and immediately spread its wings and flew up to Shen Sui's left arm in an instant.Shen Sui stroked its feathers lovingly, and said with a smile:

"I came back just in time for Bai Hao's return. Bai Hao and I really have a good understanding." After speaking, he raised his head and smiled at Bai Hao, with a bright and clear smile.Bai Hao opened his eagle's beak, as if echoing his master.

Hearing what she said, Hu Tuo showed a faint smile on his expressionless face.Then he presented the bamboo tube, took Bai Hao over, and stood beside Shen Sui.Shen Sui opened the bamboo tube, poured out the paper roll, and unfolded it to see that there was a series of words written on it in elegant small script:

[Chunming can be entered before noon tomorrow]

The smile on Shen Sui's face added a bit of warmth, and said:

"Hutuo, get ready, we're going to meet Erlang at Chunming Gate tomorrow."

"Here." Hutuo bowed and agreed.

While the two were talking, the bride from the house came out with a bamboo dustpan full of herbs, ready to put it under the pergola to dry.Hearing Shen Sui's last sentence, he immediately said happily:

"Erlang is coming."

"Yes, I can enter the city before noon tomorrow. Hutuo and I are going to pick him up at that time."

"That's good, I'll go too. I'm just worried about her body, she really can't stand it."

Shen Sui sighed when he heard the words, and said: "The weather in the past two days has been cold and wet, I hope she doesn't get sick again."

Tiao Niang thought for a while, then suddenly stretched out her hand to grab Shen Sui's wrist, pinched her pulse with two fingers, and forcibly sounded her pulse.Shen Sui smiled wryly, but did not break free, and let her scream.After a while, the frown girl murmured:

"Akashi, how long has it been since you had Kuisui?"

Shen Sui's face turned red immediately, and he was speechless for a while.Hutuo stepped aside hastily, pretending that he did not exist.

"About a month and a half." Shen Sui grumbled through his teeth.

"The inner emptiness is exhausted, and the yang fire is too strong. You can't do it. I have to prescribe a medicine for you to recuperate."

"How's your throat doing recently? Is there any discomfort or dry cough?" Tiao Niang asked again.

"It's okay, never dry or itchy. But after shouting loudly, there are occasional cracking pains." Shen Sui replied honestly.

"Add another dose of throat-moisturizing medicine." There is no doubt that Yingniang's use of medicine is vigorous and resolute, Shen Sui can only smile bitterly, she is most afraid of taking medicine.

After adding two doses of medicine to Shen Sui, Ying Niang reached out to touch Shen Sui's face again.Shen Sui was much taller than her, so he was forced to lower his head.Tiao Niang's calloused hands touched the bones and skin of her face, and lifted up the sleeve of her right arm, only to see a large area of ​​painted tattoos appearing on the outside of her upper arm above the elbow.This large area of ​​painted tattoos, if you don't look closely, you can't find that there are all scars under the cover.These scars can be seen to be caused by burns at first glance, but the colored paintings follow the lines of the scars, which is natural and conceals the hideous feeling of the scars. It is very three-dimensional and moving, which is shocking.The scar extends all the way to the back, but it is covered by the clothes. Since only half of the arm is exposed, it is difficult to see what kind of pattern it is.

"Is there any discomfort on the face?" asked the bride.

"No, everything is fine."

"That's good, everything else is easy to talk about, I'm afraid that something will happen to your face." The bride said.

"What about the scars on your body?" She asked again.

"As usual, I don't feel much on weekdays. Once I sweat a lot, I feel a little itchy, but it's not a serious problem."

"You!" Twinkle Niang said very annoyed, "How many times have I told you, do what you can. I heard that you went to climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda today, didn't you?"

"Why do you know everything..." Shen Sui was speechless.But she knew in her heart that it was all an intelligence network set up by herself, and it was her own fault.

"Hmph, I don't care about you, who cares about you! You will be lawless." Twinkle pointed at Shen Sui's forehead.

This seemed to wake Shen Sui suddenly, she quickly took off the white folded cloth gloves around her waist, turned them to the palm side, and handed them to the girl:

"Xiao Niang, look at this golden powder, can you recognize what it is?"

Tiao Niang took the gloves, looked at them carefully, let out a little surprise, and said:

"Isn't this... Jinzuifang?"

"What is Jinzuifang?" Shen Sui asked hastily.

Tiao Niang glanced at her with a strange expression and said, "It's a kind of aphrodisiac powder from the Western Regions."

Aphrodisiac? !Shen Sui was dumbfounded and was speechless for a while.

"This golden drunken workshop was first used by orchids in Pingkangfang. Later, it spread and became popular in the whole Pingkangfang for a while. But it has disappeared for a long time now. Because it is in the form of gold powder, the medicinal properties are long-lasting and powerful. , After using it, it seems to be drunk, so it was named Jinzuifang. I have studied this medicine, and I can see most of the medicines used in it, but some of them are really mysterious and have not been cracked yet."

Shen Sui looked at Yingniang with strange eyes, and said quietly: "Why are you so clear?"

Tiao Niang slapped Shen Sui's forehead, and said angrily:

"You ghost girl, what are you thinking about! This is what I heard from many businessmen who went to me for medical treatment when I wandered around and practiced medicine these years. Do you think I really know how to visit Pingkangfang?"

Shen Sui rubbed his forehead with a smile, stuck out his tongue and said:

"I am teasing you."

Tiaoniang gave her a big roll of eyes.

But having said that, if this golden medicine powder is really the Golden Zuifang mentioned by Xie Niang, then this case is... too strange.Shen Sui already had some clues, but now he felt that he was suddenly shrouded in thick fog, and he couldn't see clearly.Shen Sui can identify hundreds of kinds of poisonous prescriptions, and he is familiar with "Huangdi Neijing", "Shen Nong's Materia Medica", "Materia Medica Annotations", knows thousands of medicinal materials, and can distinguish the properties of various medicines.But in terms of familiarity with medicines, she is still not as good as Yanniang, and she is even less familiar with medicines from the Western Regions.She didn't dare to say that Yingniang was wrong, but she couldn't prove that Yingniang was absolutely right, so she could only temporarily use her opinion as a reference and include it in her case analysis.

I don't talk too much at the moment, since I went back to my room, I thought hard about it.

Turning the sun over, on December [-]th, the weather was beautiful and gave Chang'an City a sunny day that had not been seen for a long time.On this day, the team of Chunmingmen entering the city grew again. Early in the morning, there was an endless stream of pedestrians, making the gatekeepers guarding the gate so busy that they were almost dazzled.Taking advantage of the last few days before the year, many dignitaries who came to Chang'an to participate in the Great Court Meeting, as well as merchants who gathered in Chang'an for the New Year, poured in one after another.With less going out and more coming in, the entire Chang'an City was extremely lively.

When it was nearly noon, the entrance to the right side of Chunming Gate was directly blocked, and the queue behind was dragged for a long time, but they couldn't enter the gate.Many people stretched their heads to look ahead, anxious and unbearable, but they didn't know what happened.The people coming from the rear saw that the right lane was blocked, so they all moved to the left lane, but those who were in the front of the right lane were not reconciled, thinking that they were so far ahead in the right lane, and now they moved to the left lane. It would be a waste of time to go to the rear to line up, maybe the front will be released immediately.

On the right side of the road near the door, a team of carriages and horses was blocked, unable to advance or retreat, and could not change the team.Because the road of the team of carriages and horses has been blocked by the city feet protruding from both sides of the door.However, this team of horses and horses was not in a panic. Everyone was calm and calm, showing good qualities.

There are a total of six horses and two carriages in this team.Before the first carriage, a man and a woman on horseback lead the way.The two dressed up and looked almost exactly the same. At first glance, they looked like a pair of dragon and phoenix twins.They are all about 20 years old, handsome and handsome, with shining eyebrows, swords behind their backs, and spiritual energy all over their bodies.

The first carriage behind them looked quite strange, it was actually a four-wheeled carriage.That's all, the shape of the carriage wheels is different from that of ordinary carriages. The wheel axle is curved and concave, slightly trumpet-shaped, the skeleton is covered with iron sheets, and the wheels are covered with a layer of unknown black solid, which looks very elastic.I don't know what kind of material is used for the outer wall of the carriage, it is extremely strong, and the knocking sounds like gold and iron.The windows are three layers, the outermost layer is fully enclosed iron window, the second layer is glazed window, and the third layer is screen window.At this moment, only the screen window is closed, and the iron and glazed windows are open, but the people inside the car cannot be seen clearly.There seems to be a mechanism on the back of the carriage, which may be able to open.

The carriage was so heavy that it couldn't be pulled by one horse, so it took two horses.If it weren't for the constraints of status, maybe the three horses would pull it more easily.

The same is true for the second carriage behind.

On both sides of the first carriage, there is a man on horseback.The man on the left looked to be a steady and sturdy middle-aged man with a beard, a beard with collar and arrow sleeves, and a footless headdress. His beard and eyebrows were white and his face was full of vicissitudes. A long bow and arrow hung behind his saddle. pot.The other is a young Taoist priest, wearing a black gossip robe, catalpa hairpin in a bun, wide sleeves, two green mustaches on his upper lip, and an iron handle around his waist, looking at the immortal , Dust free and unrestrained.

On both sides of the second carriage in the rear, there are also two servants in men's clothing accompanying them on horseback.Their faces are covered with green veils, they can't see their faces clearly, they only look at their eyes, they are extremely clear and beautiful.They were dressed in black round-neck crotchless gowns, with a group of unique silver silk patterns pressed on their chests, which looked like Qingluan patterns.The two girls both had horizontal knives on their waists, very heroic.

Even the coachmen who drove the carriage looked very strong and capable.One look at this group of people, they are by no means ordinary people.

However, what is more eye-catching is the front of the team of horses and horses.The gate guard stopped a lone traveler with a horse, and three gate guards blocked the door, just to prevent the lone traveler from entering the city.The gatekeeper spoke sharp words and kept insulting the lone traveler, but the lone traveler seemed to have no temper, his face was expressionless, and he didn't speak, but his attitude was straight and he wouldn't budge.

The lone traveler was dressed in ordinary men's clothes, wearing a footless hard hat, a smoke-colored hip-length gown, and a large horizontal knife with a very strange shape on his waist. It didn't look like a Tang knife, but more like a Dongying knife. Slightly curved, unlike Tang Dao's straight body.What's more eye-catching is that this man's eyes are covered with a circle of black cloth, which is knotted behind his head, and two long strands of ribbon hang down to his waist and back.It turned out to be a blind person, what a pity, the face under the blindfolded black cloth is very handsome and beautiful, but the demeanor of the eyes has been lost.

"You blind man, why don't you speak?! You should be from Dongying, why don't you have a certificate of customs clearance! I'm afraid you didn't come here illegally!"

"You don't speak, but you don't know how to speak Tang official dialect for fear of being exposed?"

"If you don't speak again, we will take you to justice."

The aggressive attitude of the three guards could not shake the lone traveler at all, they just stood there, calm and unmoved like a mountain, showing no signs of fear.The three guards were actually overwhelmed by this man's aura, and they didn't dare to take him for a while.It's just showing off, hoping to intimidate with words.For a while, there was really no result.But this stalemate is really wasting time.

At this moment, a light and crisp bell sounded suddenly in the first carriage behind.The Taoist priest beside the carriage immediately looked at the window, only to see that the innermost screen window was opened, and a plain hand was holding out a strange black lacquered board, which seemed to have something written on it.The Taoist saw the writing on the board and said:

"Erlang, don't worry, I will come as soon as I go."

After finishing speaking, he jumped off the horse, flicked his Taoist robe, took off the iron dust whisk around his waist and hung it on the crook of his arm, walked towards the three gate guards and the lone traveler in front, raised his hand and said with a smile:

"Three officials, let's take a rest and listen to what the poor have to say?"

The three guards were in a fit of anger, when suddenly a Taoist stepped in, one of them said angrily:

"Go, go, where is the stinky Taoist priest, stay behind."

The Taoist priest was offended, but he didn't get angry. He was still smiling, with a cold light in his eyes.

Three strokes, a leader looked at the extraordinary morale of this Taoist, it seemed that he was not an ordinary person, he was afraid of offending an expert who could not offend.Immediately, he calmed down, pulled the angry doorman behind him, cupped his hands, and confessed:

"This Taoist priest, don't be as knowledgeable as this vulgar person. What's your opinion, but it doesn't matter."

The Taoist raised his hand and touched the mustache on his lips, and said with a smile:

"The three officials are suspicious of the identity of this gentleman?"

"Isn't it? This man is holding a Dongying knife, and he won't answer when he stops him from asking questions. Isn't that suspicious?"

The Taoist replied: "The three officials don't know something. This gentleman is a servant of Chao Heng Chao's school secretary. This time he is out of the city to do errands. He has been sick since he was a child. He can't speak, and he can only hear a little sound in his ears. Clear. Now he suffers from eye disease and cannot see the outside world. He can't respond to the three of you talking to him like this."

When the three guards heard Chao Heng's name, it resounded like thunder, and they were startled immediately.But then I thought again, how could Chao Heng send such a deaf, dumb and blind cripple out on errands?And there is no customs clearance certificate.This is not right.

"Could you be a Taoist priest making up lies to tease us? How do you know these things about him? I don't think you are all the same." The guard who was the first to scold "stinky Taoist priest" said angrily. .

The Taoist didn't panic at all, and continued: "This official man doesn't know something again. We met this gentleman at the inn and had a pen and ink conversation, so we know where he is going."

The Taoist rolled his eyes and added:

"Do you know what is the treasured sword on his waist? This is a first-class treasure given to Chao Heng by the Dongying envoy who just arrived. This confidant servant took the treasured sword and went out to consecrate the Xiangji Temple to wash away the bloody and murderous aura. Because the treasure is too precious, and this servant can't see or speak, and can keep it secret, he was sent as an envoy. He didn't want to People knew his identity, so they didn't bring him a certificate of customs clearance, and let him sneak out of the city gate. Now when he returns, he is stopped by three fiery eyes, which led to the current situation."

"Then how did you know?" The three guards were stupefied by the Taoist priest, but the leader was still more clear-headed, so he couldn't help asking.

The Taoist pretended to be profound, and hit another Jishou, saying: "I have learned the mysterious method of destiny and gossip, and it can be regarded as a matter of the world. Is there anything in this world that can be hidden from me? I have already informed you of these important confidential matters today. You have to keep your mouth shut, if there is any leak, I am afraid that this consecration will not be counted, and then the demon sword will disrupt the law and cause an army disaster, and the saint will be punished by Naer!"

The three of them turned pale with fright, and hurriedly compromised:

"Master Dao, we will let him go now, you have to keep us safe."

"What's so difficult about this?" The Taoist took out three talismans from his pocket, handed them to them and said:

"Wear it next to your body to keep you safe."

The three of them hurriedly expressed their thanks, but saw the Taoist suddenly spread his hands.The three of them were stunned, and the Taoist smiled and said:

"A talisman and ten Wen coins."

The author has something to say: In the Tang Dynasty, Japan was officially called "Japanese Country", but the folks generally called it Dongying, and this article also uses this name.

Chao Heng is the well-known Japanese envoy sent to Tang Dynasty——Abe Nakamaro.In the fifth year of Kaiyuan, he came to Chang'an of Tang Dynasty and never went back.He loved Tang culture very much. He studied hard in the Imperial Academy of the Imperial Academy, passed the Jinshi examination, and was promoted many times. He became a very important official in the Tang Xuanzong period.Chao Heng is his Chinese name.Later, when Chao Heng returned home, he almost died in a shipwreck, and finally died of old age in Datang.

Li Bai once wrote a poem "Crying for Chao Qingheng"

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