Tang riddles

The night is solemn, the stars and the moon are dim, and the sky is filled with thick dark clouds.Above ten thousand zhang high in the sky, there is a faint echo of thunder.Shen Jin sat quietly in the carriage, surrounded by the silent Zhang Shuo. The carriage was galloping on the street, and the footsteps of the officers and soldiers running past could be heard in their ears. Floating up and down, shouts and harmony one after another.And the team formed by the train cavalry is like a huge pass token, no one came to block the way, they drove unimpeded to the palace city.

Zhang said that since these days, there are not many days when he can really relax.When he first returned to Luoyang, he was still able to study in his Jixian Academy.Occasionally a sage would call him into the palace to hear his opinion on certain matters.This is the duty of his "consultant" position, and he has been doing his best.Although he is no longer the wise king and virtuous minister of the past, the sage is still very willing to listen to his views on political affairs. There is no Zhang Shuo in the political affairs hall, and now it is another era.

But since Zhang Ruohan's big wedding, in recent days, Zhang Shuo has been unexpectedly summoned into the palace every day. The saint needs to listen to a lot of opinions from him every day, about foreign wars, food and grass, internal policies, and even The most sensitive crown prince issue.But what the saint is most concerned about is the secret activities of espionage.Especially regarding the Shuofang area, the sage must know his thoughts.

Zhang said that he served as the Shuofang Jiedu ambassador in his early years, inspecting the five border cities, and was very familiar with the geographical environment of Heshuo.The matter of the Holy Grail involves the issue of Heshuo. Zhang said that he is an expert, but he can't stay out of it.

He raised his head, looked at Shen Jin, and couldn't help sighing.I don't know whether it is joy or worry to catch the spy hiding in the imperial city tonight.The saint wanted to interrogate himself, but in Zhang Shuo's view, it would be a disaster no matter whether he could ask the saint what he wanted to know.The war with Heshuo is probably unavoidable.

At this time, Shen Jin spoke. While gesticulating, she tried to slow down her speech and asked:

[Zhang Gong, may I ask where the spy caught tonight was caught, but in Hanjia warehouse? 】

Zhang Shuo shook his head: "No, the man was caught at the gate of the city, and he was trying to sneak out of the imperial city, but at this time, the entry and exit of the imperial city are strictly controlled, so it is so easy to fool him."

Shen Jin frowned when he heard this.In her heart, she always felt that something was wrong.The secret spy was not caught in Hanjiacang, which means that this person should not be an insider of Hanjiacang. Then, the possibility that this person is the murderer of Shi Team's death case is greatly increased.However, the murderer of Team Shi's death case, the internal snake witch, was so cunning and wise that he had been hiding in the imperial city and refused to go out. Why did he go to the gate of the city and reveal his identity at this moment?This is really unreasonable.

Han Jiacang's secret spy neiying has not been caught so far, and this incident also makes her feel very strange.Although the Hanjia warehouse is large, its area is limited after all. The granary occupies most of the space, and there are not many guards that can accommodate it.Most of these guards have been guarding here many years ago, and they are all familiar faces. If they can't be found out so far, it shows a problem.Some of these old faces have been infiltrated.

There was also the heavy fog that filled the Xiyuan, which always made Shen Jin hard to let go.How could there be such a heavy fog on a night in May?Moreover, it is limited to a small area.She always felt that this was not a natural phenomenon, but man-made.If it is really caused by human beings, then the group of people lurking in Luoyang City who are making troubles must have someone who understands the art of astronomical phenomena, like Zhuge Kongming, who can calculate the changes in the situation, and even cause small-scale climate changes.

Silence permeated the compartment, stagnating into a suffocating tense atmosphere.Shen Jin lowered his eyebrows, his thoughts turned, and his fists resting on the armrests were clenched tightly.Zhang said that he closed his eyes and rested his mind, but the lips under the pale beard unconsciously pursed into a straight line.

The carriage stopped, the imperial city arrived, and the voice of the leader of the imperial guards talking with the gate guards came from outside.Not long after, the carriage started again, and one could already feel the difference between the white stone brick floor inside the imperial city and the blue brick road outside the imperial city.

This is Xuanren Gate in Dongcheng City. After the carriage entered the city, it went all the way north.Shen Jin asked:

【Where is this going? 】

"Hanjiacang." Zhang said, "The sage, the crown prince, and the princess of Jin are all in Hanjiacang right now."

Shen Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said:

【Why? 】

"The sage and the crown prince want to personally catch the spies hiding in Hanjiacang. Right now, they should interrogate the guards of Hanjiacang one by one."

[Who came up with the bad idea? !] Shen Jin became anxious, opened his eyes wide, looked at Zhang and said.

"Why did Shen Erlang say that? It wasn't anyone's idea, it was the prince's idea." Zhang said with a change of expression.

【This time, the black hand behind the scenes has two very obvious targets, one is Han Jiacang, and the other is the crown prince. Right now, these two targets have been put together, and the hidden spy has not been found. Push the situation in the worst direction? 】

"Shen Erlang worried too much. The forbidden army has turned Hanjiacang upside down, and there is no threat. Right now, Hanjiacang is well protected. Surrounded by tens of thousands of forbidden troops, what can those spies do?" What happened? In addition, the sage and the prince are protected by experts, so nothing will happen."

[Masters, do you mean General Pei Minpei, and the sword-drawing master from Dongpu? 】Shen Jin said.

"Since Shen Erlang knows it, why worry about it? General Pei's swordsmanship is invincible in the world, and the master of sword drawing in Japan is also very skilled. Who can get close to him? The crown prince chose to interrogate in Hanjiacang, so he already has the intention of attracting criminals." The sage also agreed to the intention. As the saying goes, if you don’t enter the tiger’s lair, you won’t catch a tiger’s cub, and you still have to take risks. As long as you are safe.”

【Is there anything infallible in this world? ! 】

"Shen Erlang, there is nothing you can do to argue with me here. The prince has already made up his mind to personally find out the spies who tried to murder him and endanger the safety of the Tang Dynasty. This time, he wants to make some achievements to show the saint You and I have no way to stop this kind of thing. This is a matter between their father and son. The saint also agreed after many considerations. They will all be responsible for their own daughters, so we don't have to worry about it! We have to do Yes, it's just the duty of a courtier, just do our duty well." Zhang said with a heavier tone, hiding his anger.

[What is the duty of a courtier...] Shen Jin was in a hurry, and he had already said nothing, regardless of Zhang's status as an elder and face, gritted his teeth, and said, [Mr. Zhang, you have really fulfilled your duty as a courtier.] Yet?Are you a minister for the sake of the world, for the royal family of Li and Tang, or for yourself? 30 years of official career, I am afraid that your aspirations for success have already been smoothed out. 】

Zhang said that he was poked in a sore spot, and his face turned pale.He opened his mouth to refute, but he couldn't utter the words to refute.This world belongs to Li Tang's royal family, and his allegiance is to Li Tang's royal family, and his allegiance is to this world. His achievements and fame, his reputation in history, his wealth and access are all for himself.These three should be one.For decades, he has believed so.Until four years ago, when he was dismissed from office, he suddenly felt that the three did not seem to be consistent.Now he is hesitant and confused, he only knows how to be wise and protect himself, and he dare not say a word of no more, just be a obedient minister, loyal words are harsh, no longer necessary.

[Right now, the sage and the prince must be evacuated from Hanjiacang, it is too dangerous here. ] Shen Jin pursed his lips and said.As soon as she finished speaking, the carriage pair had already passed through the avenue in the middle of the East City and entered Hanjiacang.

Shen Jin finally realized deeply what it means to be involuntary.In the face of absolute power, all efforts may be in vain.Although she reprimanded Zhang Shuo like that, she also felt his helplessness firsthand.After entering Hanjiacang City, everything can no longer be controlled by them.Surrounded by densely packed forbidden troops, they were forced to get out of the car, and under the "escort" of the brigade of forbidden troops, they went to Dongdacang where the saint was.A new big tent was set up there, and the saint, prince, and Li Jinyue were all in it.

At the gate of Dongcang, they saw Hanjiacang garrison soldiers waiting in line to enter.They looked panicked, and some were even trembling, unable to stand steadily.If you enter the big tent, if you can come out, you will be considered an escape; if you cannot get out, you will be imprisoned, and your life will probably be accounted for here.The saint has issued a death order, and all suspects who cannot prove their innocence after investigation will be hanged.Shen Jin once heard from his elder sister that the state's punishment should be presumed innocent.In other words, a person should be considered innocent when there is no conclusive evidence to prove his guilt.The criminal law of the Tang Dynasty has always been like this.But now, the presumption of innocence has turned into a presumption of guilt.When the ruler's own life is threatened, he will never be soft-hearted. He would rather kill ten thousand people by mistake than let one person go.

Shen Jin tensed up and entered the big tent.The scene in front of her was startling, and she subconsciously gasped.

In the big tent, more than a dozen people were tied up, all blindfolded, hands behind their backs, kneeling on the ground.In the first place, the saint sat in front of the door with a blank face, silent.On his left side is Gao Lishi standing beside him, and on his right side, Pei Min is wearing armor and a helmet, holding his blue long sword in his hand, like a god of war, Yuan Ting Yue Zhi.In addition, Yang Shuo, the general of the Right Jinwu Guard, led the troops here.

The prince next to him was the crown prince. His expression was very serious, and his eyes were staring coldly at a soldier of the Imperial Army who was kneeling below.The soldier fell on the ground, shaking like chaff, unable to utter a word.Right next to the prince, the familiar black cloth blindfolded man with a Japanese samurai broadsword stood there quietly, as if everything that happened around him had nothing to do with her.It's just that no one noticed that when Shen Jin came in, her hand holding the knife became tighter.

As for Li Jinyue, she sat down on the lower west seat with a gloomy expression, Cheng Yan and Wang Zhongsi stood beside her.When they saw Shen Jin entering the account, they all looked at him with concern.Li Jinyue was very worried. She knew Shen Jin well, how soft-hearted and kind-hearted she was. She shouldn't be allowed to face such a cruel scene.

"Shangshu Youcheng, a scholar of Jixian Academy, Zhang Shuo, Duke of Yan, and Shen Jin, the imperial envoy of Dali Temple, are here!" A soldier outside the tent reported with a loud voice.

Zhang said that he had entered the account, and after saluting, he stood aside, lowered his hands and lowered his eyebrows, and remained silent.The sage glanced at him and said, "Thank you for your hard work." Zhang said that he bowed his hands in reply.

Immediately, the sage looked at Shen Jin. Shen Jin was sitting in a wheelchair, and it was inconvenient to salute, so he just bowed. The sage had already allowed her not to kneel.Seeing her, the sage said:

"Mr. Zhongqin, let's take a look. This one is the murderer in Xiyuan that you found out?"

As soon as he finished speaking, two burly and strong soldiers came to Shen Jin with a soldier who was tied up heavily, and forced him to kneel down.

Shen Jin cast his eyes on this person. His bun was messed up, and the hair was hanging in front of his eyes in a mess, covering his face, expressionless, and silent.Neither fear nor panic, just like a wooden man without any feeling.

Shen Jin looked at Li Jinyue, then pointed to his neck.Li Jinyue immediately understood and said:

"I've checked it, and it's indeed wearing a moon snake hook."

Shen Jin nodded, took out the clipboard next to his wheelchair, and wrote a line.

【I'm asking you some questions, if you don't want to ask, you don't have to.Just nod or shake your head.Can you read Chinese characters? 】

The bound soldier paused and nodded.

Shen Jin wrote:

[Did you kill your companion in order to better complete the task assigned to you by your superior? 】

The soldier didn't answer.

Shen Jin wrote:

[Now that the situation is over, you should think about it for yourself.If you can tell who the accomplices are hiding in Hanjiacang, your plan, and where the rest of the black fire/powder is hidden, I may not be able to save your life, but I can find your family , protect them.Please believe that I have this ability. 】

The soldier still didn't answer.

The expressions of the sage and the crown prince were already a little impatient. The murderer, since he was caught, has always been this deadly, and he would not open his mouth no matter how much he asked.It's the same for Shen Jin to ask now.They brought the murderer to Hanjiacang and interrogated all the guarding soldiers in front of him one by one. They wanted to identify the changes in the murderer's face and use this as a basis to find out the spies lurking in Hanjiacang.They believed that the murderer, no matter how well he concealed it, would be shaken when he saw his accomplice.

However, the murderer's expression has never changed, although there are occasional small movements, but there is no basis for it.Of the dozen or so suspects picked out right now, no one knows if any of them are really his accomplices.

Shen Jin stopped asking, she leaned forward, picked up the skirt of the murderer, and sniffed it.Although it was very faint, she smelled a smell of black fire/powder. This person should not have been wronged.During this period of time, he was hiding everywhere, so he definitely had no chance to take a bath.Even after changing clothes, the black fire/powder still stubbornly remained on his body.

[Reporting to the sage, do you have good hounds, bring some of them, and let the hounds smell the smell of black fire/powder on these soldiers, and you should be able to identify them. 】

As soon as Shen Jin's words came out, before everyone understood what she said, the murderer who had been silent all this time suddenly said:

"I recruited, and my accomplices hid the black fire/powder in the south of Hanjiacang City, deep in the grain cellar of Nandacang, and bundled them all in haystacks."

"Who is your partner?"

"He is a laborer in Nan Dacang, responsible for lifting and lowering the trays in the grain warehouse. His name is Guo Si."

Shen Jin looked at this person in surprise, she never expected that he would speak at this moment.

"Go and investigate!" The saint immediately said to Li Jinyue.

"Here!" Li Jinyue hurriedly got up, and hurried out of the big tent with Cheng Yan and Wang Zhongsi.

"Also, I have another accomplice who is lurking in the East Palace. He is the servant of the East Palace, named Tong Liu'er. There is also a batch of black fire/powder hidden in the ground of the East Palace, just under the opening of the pond. Although the pond is buried , but the black fire/powder is inside, if the sky is dry, it will also be ignited."

The sage looked at the prince angrily. The prince was startled, and he heard Gao Lishi say:

"The East Palace does have a servant named Tong Liu'er who is in charge of pruning the flowers and plants in the South Garden of the East Palace."

"Investigate immediately and arrest him!" The saint said to Yang Shuo, who was on the sidelines.

Yang Shuo nodded and led the troops out.

In the big tent, more than half of the space was immediately empty.

The sage snorted coldly, and was just about to reprimand the prince when the accident broke out.

Shen Jin saw the murderer kneeling in front of him, suddenly raised his face, on the ordinary to featureless face, there was a sneer, and he shouted:

"Go!"

The situation in the tent suddenly changed, and all the soldiers who were tied to the ground jumped up from the ground, and the ropes on each person's body had been cut more than once, rolling down.Two soldiers approaching the entrance of the big tent immediately seized the only entrance and exit. For some reason, a box-like thing appeared in their hands. The bullets inside were shot out continuously, hitting the air, and the smoke erupted immediately, poisoning the outside of the tent immediately. The smoke filled the air, and Shen Jin could only hear the painful voices of countless soldiers, but no one could rush in to rescue him.

At the same time, the situation in the tent was also extremely grim. After the call to action was sounded, all the soldiers who were bound rose violently. According to a rough count, except for the two guarding the door, there were eleven or two others.Four of them immediately rushed towards Pei Min, six towards the saint and Gao Lishi, and two towards the crown prince.Who knows who also sparked the smoke/bomb in the tent, and the big tent was filled with choking smoke.The remaining one or two snatched the swords of the guards beside them, and there was a lot of killing.

"Escort!!!" Gao Lishi shouted.

Shen Jin looked around anxiously, but couldn't see anything, only the screams, one after another, seemed to be the screams of the murderer.In the smog, the blue sword light could be faintly seen flickering, and where the sword light touched, five or six figures fell down instantly.It was Pei Min who made the move, the saint should be fine.

"Be careful, Your Majesty! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"Daoji!" The saint's horrified cry sounded immediately.

Something happened to Mr. Zhang?what to do!She panicked and couldn't think of any countermeasures for a while.

She wanted to open her mouth to shout, but she couldn't make a sound.

At that time, there was a piercing sound, and the tent behind the sage's back was actually torn apart, the smoke dissipated outwards, and the sight suddenly became a little clearer.

"The prince has been robbed!" Gao Lishi shouted.

"Where's that Japanese warrior? Where is he?!" The saint's angry voice sounded.

"Not here, probably chased him out!" Gao Lishi said.

"Pei Min! Go after him!" the saint said.

"Everyone!" Gao Lishi was anxious, how could Pei Min leave here?

"Go and chase the prince back!" the saint said angrily.

"Observe the order!" Pei Min immediately ran out of the tent opening with his sword, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Qianhe...Qianhe...Shen Jin's hands and feet were cold, and she rolled the wheelchair and chased after her.But her speed is limited, she only knows to go north.

They were arrested on purpose, with the purpose of kidnapping the saint and the prince!They sent Li Jinyue away to the south, so it must be north!

The wheelchair was rushing on the uneven gravel road, Shen Jin's hands were already bleeding, and his arms were sore.She gritted her teeth and walked quickly in the dark Hanjia warehouse. The Hanjia warehouse was already in chaos. This group of people fled and set fires at the same time. Along the way, many granaries were already on fire, and the flames behind them were also full of flames. There were probably accomplices Set fire to the rear at the same time.After hearing the news, the imperial guards who rushed over were busy protecting the saint and fighting the fire, but they hadn't had time to catch up.

To the north, there was a sudden explosion.Shen Jin was so startled that her wheelchair almost fell over. Amidst the crackling flames, choking smoke filled the air, reminding her of that nightmarish night 17 years ago.

Her pale complexion became more and more miserable in the firelight, biting her lower lip tightly, she continued to roll the wheelchair and run forward.

Chizuru...don't do anything stupid!

After bypassing the last granary, further north is the wall of Hanjiacang City.The explosion sounded right here, and when Shen Jin arrived, a terrifying gap had already been blasted into the city wall.Pei Min was lying in the ruins after the explosion, his whole body was bloody and bloody, and he didn't know whether he was alive or dead.The azure blue long sword in his hand was dimly lit.

With trembling lips, she anxiously looked for the figure of the prince and Qianhe, but through the smoke and dust, she saw a scene that made her feel extremely chilling.Chizuru just stood there, still holding her samurai sword in her hand.On her shoulders was the fainted prince, and there was another person who gave her a hand, and it was the murderer who gave orders.She was sending the fainted prince out, and her figure seemed to be blurred in the smoke.

Shen Jin didn't know if it was because the smoke was too thick, or if his eyes were blurred by tears.All she knew was that she was so heartbroken and shocked that her breathing stopped.

"Qian...he..." She tried to make a sound to call Qianhe.However, that hoarse voice, which was almost silent, could not be heard around her.

"Hey! There's still someone here!" Amidst the smoke screen, a murderer suddenly appeared in front of Shen Jin.He spotted Shen Jin and rushed forward immediately.

"It's the cripple!" he cried.

"Kill him, we're leaving!" the leading internal snake witch said impatiently.

Qianhe, who was in the smoke and dust, took a short breath, discerning the direction of the voice, she immediately rushed up with a knife.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the Snake Witch shouted.

Qianhe didn't pay any attention, just rushed forward.The snake witch said loudly:

"Original Chizuru! Stop for me, think about your sub-father, choose yourself."

Qianhe kept on stepping, and replied: "You let her go, she is innocent."

"Innocent? If it weren't for him, our plan would have been smoother. Neither this person nor his elder brother can be kept." The Snake Witch said coldly.

"Take another step forward, and I promise you will never see your Yafu again!"

Chizuru's footsteps froze, the lips under the mask were trembling, and the mask was already soaked.

At that time, the murderer had already slashed at Shen Jin with a knife.

"help me……"

Qianhe heard a hoarse scream, and her heart was instantly broken.

"Stop!!!" Qianhe yelled, pulled out the samurai sword, threw it, and the sword just pierced into the murderer's heart.The murderer fell down.

However, when the murderer fell down, Shen Jin saw Qianhe in the distance also fell down, and behind her was the hideous face of the snake witch slashing with a knife.

"what!!!!!!!!"

A silent cry came from Shen Jin's mouth, and in an instant, countless birds started up around Luoyang City, flapping their wings and flying into the sky.Overwhelming birds form an incomparably terrifying scene in the night, covering the faint light of the pale stars and moon in the sky, the sky is pitch black, without a single ray of light.

Qianhe, who was cut down to the ground, only felt an extremely piercing sound in her ears, which stimulated her to faint instantly.

This silent cry seemed to be heard only by Qianhe and Asuka, and the rest just raised their heads indifferently, looking at the strange scene in the sky with a little horror.However, Shen Jin exhausted her last ounce of strength, and she fainted when her voice fell.

Outside the hole in the wall, a tall black figure on a horse appeared, and said coldly to the people in the hole:

"Don't be dazed, take the person in the wheelchair, and Yuan Qianzuru, and retreat immediately."

"Here!"

……

In the dormitory of the east courtyard of Shen's mansion, on the couch, a pair of black eyes suddenly opened, and a golden red light flashed across the eyes.

The author has something to say: the content of the two chapters and one chapter, a very long chapter.

The third volume [Longxi Ghost Road (Luoyang Chapter)], this chapter is the last chapter, the next chapter will open the fourth volume, [Longxi Ghost Road (Great Desert Chapter)]

PS: The bug has been caught.