Tang riddles

On the twelfth night of August, in the study room of the main courtyard of the Shen residence.

The room was silent, almost everyone gathered here, even Zhang Ruohan, who had just fallen asleep, got up with his clothes on, and came down here with Wu Ya's support.

Shen Sui sat on the top seat with a pale face, holding a long scroll of letters in his hand, and looked at it with frowning.Everyone was waiting for her to speak, but half an hour passed, but she still didn't say a word.She had read the letter a long time ago, but she was still looking at it repeatedly, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

Zhang Ruohan beside her finally stretched out his hand to hold her arm, and called softly:

"Bo Zhao..."

Shen Sui finally raised his eyes from the letter, and looked at Shen Jin who was sitting opposite him.The younger sister's bloodless cheeks were like fragile glass, and the tears filling her eyes made her pupils seem to be covered with a layer of mist.Her whole body was trembling slightly, as if she was about to faint at any moment.

Shen Sui swallowed with difficulty, opened his mouth for a while, and finally let out a deep breath, saying:

"That... female corpse is confirmed to be a bluebird. Liu Li... attached the detailed autopsy results. It is very likely that the person has been dead for three months, but the appearance and clothing are almost intact, and there is only one fatal wound on the body. the blade pierces the throat."

"No corruption for three months?" Huyan Zhuoma asked softly.

"She had a dead body bead in her mouth, and she was pushed down into the moat. The dead body bead can guarantee that the corpse will not rot, and if it does not rot, there will be no flatulence, and the corpse will always sink at the bottom of the river and will not float up. This The beads are actually very poisonous, and the venom seeps out along the deadly wound of the bluebird's throat, and the fish and shrimp in the river are poisoned to death when they get close to it, and they will not eat the corpse. Therefore, no one has found that the bluebird died in the moat for such a long time. Until The weather is hot these days, and the moat emits an unpleasant rotten smell, so people were sent to clean it up and salvage it, but it was found that the fish and shrimps in Hanoi had died in pieces, and finally, the carcass of the bluebird was fished out." Shen Sui said slowly, saying During these times, she only felt pain in her heart, as if she was being grabbed by a big hand, and it was getting tighter and tighter.And the letter in her hand was also deformed by her.

"In this way, the bluebird... was killed when an accident happened in Hanjiacang three months ago." Xuanweizi trembled.

[It was me...it was me who killed her...] Shen Jin suddenly spoke, and burst into tears, [I took her in and out of Hanjiacang to investigate, otherwise how could she die...]

She sobbed in pain, tears wet her face, slipped down her face, and wet her front again.Everyone present had never seen Shen Jin cry so sadly, even when she and Qianhe were separated on Songshan Mountain, she did not lose control like this.

"No...no, Qin Nu, don't say that..." Shen Sui felt the pain in her heart turn into colic, she walked forward and hugged her sister into her arms, "You are not wrong, it's just..." She couldn't speak.Zhang Ruohan watched the sisters cry in pain, and she couldn't control the tears.Tiao Niang didn't shed tears, but just stared blankly ahead, almost fainting.If Wu Ya hadn't supported her all the time, she would have fallen down.

Blue Robin, a little girl who has been by Shen Jin's side since she was eight years old.That year Shen Jin was nine years old and she was eight years old. Shen Jin was lying on the couch unable to move, so the little girl began to shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking care of Shen Jin's daily life.Although at that time, the little girl couldn't do many things and needed an adult to take care of her, but she tried her best to stay by Shen Jin's side every day.Helping her recover step by step, Shen Jin went from being paralyzed in bed to being able to sit up, and finally being able to move into a wheelchair by himself.She accompanied Shen Jin through the most difficult moments, encouraged her to be brave and strong, and made Shen Jin smile like a pistachio.After more than ten years, the relationship between her and Shen Jin has been compared to that of Shen Sui. She is Shen Jin's closest friend, no, a relative.

【I killed her...】 She said out of breath, 【Sister, I'm a jerk... For such a long time, I didn't realize... that person pretending to be a bluebird... I... ...Damn me...] She beat the armrest of the wheelchair with great remorse.

"Shh...don't say it, don't say it again..." Shen Sui desperately wiped away her tears, grabbed her hand to stop her from harming herself.

"I'm going to kill that pretender." Cong Yun Tieqing turned around and was about to go out with a pale face.For the first time, Congyu, whose face was wet with tears, did not confront his brother, and was about to follow his brother out with a sword in hand.

"Stop! Come back to me!" Huyan Zhuoma yelled angrily, "Don't you think the situation is not chaotic enough? Just now, Hutuo has searched in a big circle and can't find the shadow of that person at all. Where are you going now? Looking for someone?"

"Even if I chase him to the ends of the earth, I will pay that person's blood!" Cong Yun was on the verge of collapse, extremely furious, his eyes were red and bloodshot.

"Congyun, don't tell me you kid..." Huyan Zhuoma was surprised, Congyun's reaction was so strong, probably because he had feelings for the blue robin.

Xuan Weizi said in a deep voice at this moment:

"Anyway, don't act rashly right now. The other party has been lurking by our side for three months and knows too much. We don't know what the other party is going to do. Any rash behavior may bring irreparable damage. Bo Zhao, if Qian Yumen’s actions are too difficult this time, I can contact the senior brother, and the Daomen will not sit idly by.”

"No, Master (Sima Chengzhen) has not been involved in the secular world for many years. Taoism has its own rules, so don't break it for me. I can still handle the current situation, so don't worry too much."

Shen Sui adjusted his mood and stood up.She signaled Zhang Ruohan and Wu Ya to take care of Shen Jin and Xiongniang who were overly sad, and led the rest out of the study and walked to the meeting hall ahead.

"From now on, Qianyumen will be on full alert. Pay close attention to anyone who has contacts with Qianyumen, and be alert to traps. There will be an investigation inside the gate, and everyone will be re-screened to eliminate suspicious persons. Looking for a lone woman, medium build, relatively slender, who likes black clothes, should be not young. She should have kung fu, calm demeanor, and deep mind. She is very good at disguise, ever-changing and cunning."

"Master... You are talking about the person pretending to be a bluebird, but are there any mistakes in the information? After all, none of us can see that the bluerobin is a fake, and the appearance is even more indescribable." Hu Yan Zhuoma asked.

"No one could see that the person was pretending. This is the most important point. Although Qin Nu didn't recognize that person was pretending, but Qin Nu is too familiar with bluebirds. If the person has the slightest Even if Qin Nu didn’t care about what was wrong at the time, she didn’t feel nothing at all. This shows that this person is very similar to the bluebird. First of all, she will not be a male. It is too difficult for a male to pretend to be a female Secondly, the figure of this woman is almost the same as that of a bluebird. Too fat or too thin will increase the difficulty of camouflage. Thirdly, the appearance of this person should also be similar to that of a bluebird. Contact, and we are all people who are familiar with the disguise technique, if she wears a fake mask, I should be able to see the clues, and the bride knows the disguise technique better than me, and it is easier to deceive the eyes of the bride. It's not easy. Therefore, first of all, her appearance must be similar to that of a bluebird, so that she can use the least amount of measures to camouflage to reduce the possibility of flaws. And her disguise skills must be several times higher than mine and me. Level, so that we can't see that she has a disguise."

"But, even if such a person exists, why do you say that this person is not young and has kung fu?"

"Her mind is extremely sophisticated, and she behaves very naturally around us. This old-fashioned city is not a city for young people. Her age is at least above Erli, or even older. Her own temperament is like a shadow, and her breath is long. There is no confusion at all, so it is silent and without trace when pretending to be a person. It is common for this kind of person to have kung fu, and according to her personality, way of doing things, and the usual attire of the cult, she should like black clothes These are my profile of her, based on her performance in the past three months, and the feelings I got in the process of contacting her, and I made a character description from the side. It cannot be said to be completely accurate , but at least it can give the scope of the search.”

Then she sighed and said, "It's just that the profile is still blurry, looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Indeed, there are countless women like this in this world, and it's too difficult to find them."

"So, Fan Yang is the most critical area right now. No matter how she runs, there should be no Fan Yang in such a short period of time. We have to block Fan Yang first, so that the search is meaningful. I don't know any sources for this person, maybe Fan Yang There is her foreign aid in the city, and she is always sending news to her, so that her news is one step ahead of us, and we can escape in advance. After such a thing happened, we can no longer delay. It is urgent to investigate Fan Yangya's business. I suspect that woman has The great possibility lies in Fan Yang Yaxing." Shen Sui said as he asked Hutuo to study ink and started writing some letters.

"Master, this woman sneaked into our side three months in advance, she must have a purpose, why...why did she come? And why, didn't she harm anyone's life?" Cong Yu asked.

"From my experience with the cult during this period of time, their purpose has never been to kill me or the people around me. On the contrary, they have been deliberately guiding me to investigate the case of Princess Taiping's mansion back then. Even though this case is related to the cult It’s inseparable, and they don’t seem to care about it. This is what I still don’t understand. There are contradictions within the cult. There are people who deliberately cover up the past, and there are people who try to guide me to uncover the past. It seems that they are not internal. uniform.

As for the purpose of this woman sneaking into my side, I currently speculate that there are two.One, she was doing it to... bring about a child between me and the lotus maid; two, she was trying to drive a wedge between me and Qin Nu. "

Since Yu just wanted to ask Shen Sui how he came up with these two conjectures, Shen Sui said:

"Subjective assumptions, without any evidence." Then, she stopped expressing any opinions on this topic, and changed the subject:

"Tomorrow is the Eid al-Adha, and the city will be very lively. This may be an opportunity. Although it is a bit hasty, we will continue the operation that has been delayed for a few days. Get ready, I will enter Fanyang Yahang tomorrow night. In addition, the bluebird Don’t let outsiders see it, we will continue to do what we should do, and let the other party think that we haven’t received the news.”

"Master, do you have to go in person?" Xuan Weizi asked, "Maybe, we can do it for you."

"No, now is not the time to care about my personal safety. Besides, if the cult is not eradicated, I will never have peace in the future, and the short-term safety now is meaningless. Don't worry, I will protect my life myself. You just need to do your best Cooperate with me." Shen Sui said.

"But..." Xuan Weizi wanted to persuade him again.Suddenly, a person circled behind the screen, it turned out to be Shen Jin.She pushed her wheelchair to the meeting hall alone.

"Qin slave?" Shen Sui rushed up to meet him.

Shen Jin's eyes were as red and swollen as walnuts from crying, but his emotions had settled down.She grabbed Shen Sui's hand and said:

【Sister, I know you are going to investigate Fan Yangya.I have a different idea, maybe you don't have to venture into Fanyang Yahang. 】

"Oh?" Shen Suiqi asked.

Shen Jin slowly expressed his thoughts, Shen Sui thought for a while, and said:

"Okay, it's worth a try. Since that's the case, the plan will change tomorrow."

***

August [-]th, the tenth day of the twelfth month of the Dashi calendar, is the Eid al-Adha.This festival, also known as Eid al-Adha, comes from a story in the Koran.

According to legend, the Prophet Ibrahim was a very devout follower of the Dashi religion and respected Allah very much.He was old and childless, so he prayed to Allah to give him a son.Unexpectedly, his wife really gave birth to a son for him.The old couple were very happy and named the child Ismail.

It wasn't until Ismail came of age that Allah's test came.One night, Ibrahim had a dream in which Allah ordered him to sacrifice his beloved son to test his sincerity.Ibrahim obeyed without hesitation, and his sensible son was also fearless and encouraged his father to sacrifice himself.So, Ibrahim prepared to slaughter his son.Ibrahim sharpened the knife to a gleaming sharpness.When Ismail was lying on his side, he put the knife on his son's throat.At this time, he cried bitterly, tears like a stream.The first cut only left a white mark on the son's neck, and the second cut scratched the skin a little.Ismail said: "My father, turn me over and let me lie down, so you can make up your mind and obey the command of Allah." Ibrahim listened to his son's advice and put him Turning over, and then untied the knife and slaughtered vigorously, Allah told Ibrahim to stay under the knife, and sent the angel Jib Reil to carry a black-headed goat as a sacrifice instead of Ismail.At this time, Ibrahim picked up the knife, pressed the throat of the sheep and slaughtered it, and the sheep fell down.When the Great Food Cult was founded, the followers of the Great Food Cult recognized Ibrahim and respected him as the holy ancestor. On this day every year, the custom of sacrificing animals and offering sacrifices was formed, and it has become one of the traditional festivals of all people who believe in Allah. .

Although this story made the Han people find it incredible, it did not affect the enthusiasm of the devout Dashi believers to cook sheep and slaughter cattle.It is against the law for the Han people to slaughter cattle, but the laws of the Tang Dynasty are very tolerant towards people other than the Han people.Wealthy Huihe people brought the best beef cattle, and after slaughtering, they divided the meat into three parts, one for themselves, one for relatives and friends, and one for the poor.At this time, the beggars on the street became happy, running from house to house, almost getting meat to eat, and it was beef and mutton that was not available on weekdays.

When Li Jinyue entered the city from the northern military camp, the streets and alleys were already full of Huihe people wearing turbans, and the sound of singing and praying enthusiastically echoed in the city.The relatively spacious area outside Nanshi was occupied by Huihe people.Crowded, shoulder to shoulder.People kneel on the carpet and carry out a grand celebration ceremony, which is called "meeting ceremony".Bathing and fasting, reciting the Qur'an to praise Allah and the Prophet.After the ceremony, you can eat.

When Li Jinyue finally arrived at the gate of Shen's residence, she was almost annoyed to death by Cui Pan and Xue Song beside her.The two quarreled all the way on the horse, and it was even more lively than the big eaters who chanted scriptures.Li Jinyue's face was tense, and she was in a bad mood.Fortunately, Yang Yuhuan was always by her side, occasionally asking her some questions curiously, diverting her attention.Yang Yuhuan's beautiful eyes hidden under the mask looked at her brightly, full of anticipation and admiration, Li Jinyue's mood gradually brightened.

When she arrived at the entrance of Shen's residence, she found that Shen Sui had already brought Zhang Ruohan waiting at the door, and Zhang Ruohan was still dressed in men's clothing, with a mask covering his face like Yang Yuhuan.Shen Sui's face was calm, but Li Jinyue always felt that something was wrong with her.

When they dismounted, Li Jinyue introduced Shen Sui to Xue Song and Cui Pan, and they exchanged greetings at the door.Xue Song and Cui Pan are both outstanding young generals in the army, and they have also heard of Shen Sui's "Snow Sword Clear Judgment" for a long time, Xue Song is not like his father and uncle, he is very hospitable and friendly to Shen Sui.Cui Pan was a bit colder, the tragedy that happened to the Cui family in Qinghe was not long ago, Cui Pan always had some grudges against Shen Sui.

Shen Sui didn't talk much, and Zhang Ruohan hardly spoke.After seeing the ceremony, Zhang Ruohan got into the carriage. She didn't take Wu Ya with her, and Wu Ya stayed in the mansion to take care of Shen Jin.Hu Tuo led the horse for Shen Sui. As soon as Shen Sui got on the horse, he leaned close to Li Jinyue and whispered in her ear:

"The situation has changed, act today, play it by ear later, and cover me."

Li Jinyue raised her eyebrows and nodded silently.

The team of chariots and horses set off slowly from the Shen residence.

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