Chapter 32 second quarter

With Nie Yinniang accompanying her, the journey from Mount Qingcheng to Jiangzhou was extremely smooth.Boarding a boat and going downstream along the Yangtze River, Li Taibai's "The sound of apes on both sides of the bank can't stop crying, the light boat has passed ten thousand mountains", is like a long scroll of mountains and rivers of ten thousand feet slowly unfolding in front of our eyes.It seems that no matter how many worries and mysteries should be temporarily put aside, let the body and mind completely sink into nature at this moment, and experience the vastness of the country and the eternity of time.

"Singing in the daytime requires drinking too much, and you can return home with your youth. That is to say, from Ba Gorge to Wu Gorge, you will go to Xiangyang to Luoyang." Cui Miao stood beside Pei Xuanjing and chanted Du Fu's famous lines.Jiang Feng scattered his voices, some of them floated towards the river with the wind, while others gently caressed her cheek. Pei Xuanjing said: "This is Du Zimei's poem for the officers and soldiers to recover the lost land. Does Cui Lang also like it?" "Officers and soldiers are officers and soldiers, and poetry is poetry." Cui Miao replied freely, "I'm not that narrow-minded. Besides, my position may not be static."

"Oh? Has your position changed?" "What do you say?" Pei Xuanjing avoided his fiery gaze, and said softly, "No matter what your position is, I only hope that you will always be you." "What Jing Niang means is that no matter what, you must tell the truth to yourself, and to you as well." "Cui Lang can do it?" He replied without hesitation: "Yes." White gulls circled the bow of the ship, and their chirping echoed the cries of apes on both sides of the river.The boat was passing by the twelve peaks of Wushan Mountain, and looking up, the place where the green mountains and clouds floated was the fairyland where King Huai of Chu and the Goddess of Wushan faced the clouds and rained in the evening in his dream.The purpose of the marriage between the King of Chu and the Goddess was originally to pray for good weather, abundant crops and prosperity for the country, but in the end it was only the lingering love between men and women that was remembered by future generations.

Country or love, which one is eternal? Is it for the common people in the world, or for the only true love, how to choose is more noble and sincere? Just like that poem, is it mourning the Tang Dynasty where the mountains and rivers were broken and the people were devastated, or is it praising the unrivaled love between Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan?Or, is it hiding more unspeakable regret and pain? They will soon know the answer - Jiangzhou is just ahead. Pei Xuanjing asked in a low voice: "Cui Lang, do you think there is something wrong with Yinniang?" "Is there?" Cui Miao looked back, and saw Nie Yinniang standing alone on the side of the boat, also looking up at the towering peaks on the shore.The river wind was blowing, blowing the black sleeves, casting an unusual layer of sadness on her figure.

Still with an independent attitude, Nie Yinniang at this time is more like a generous chivalrous man who is "in the wind and rustling", and no longer has the indifference that Pei Xuanjing was familiar with seeing through the world. Cui Miao frowned: "It seems a little strange." Pei Xuanjing said: "I was thinking, why didn't I see Yinniang's husband this time?" "I mentioned something casually, but she didn't say anything." Cui Miao said, "With Yinniang's style, it's not uncommon for a couple to work separately. If she doesn't say anything, we don't have to ask too much."

After pondering for a moment, Pei Xuanjing said: "You know, Cui Lang, the imperial court has won many victories in Huaixi, and Wu Yuanji is almost finished." "heard." "Will Yinniang's husband go to support Wu Yuanji?" "Probably not. Wei Bo has surrendered to the imperial court, and now he is fighting Huaixi together. There is no need for Yinniang and the others to help Wu Yuanji." Pei Xuanjing bowed her head and remained silent. Cui Miao laughed and said, "Oh, Yinniang doesn't need us to worry about her, but Han Xiang, I don't know if he found He Niang?"

It turned out that when he was in Chang'an, Cui Miao had sent a signal to Nie Yinniang with a bronze mirror, asking her to help track down Qian Yuanzi's group.On Qingcheng Mountain, they dared to divide their troops into two groups, leaving Han Xiang and He Niang to deal with Qian Yuanzi, because they expected to wait for Nie Yinniang as a reinforcement soon.Sure enough, Nie Yinniang had followed Qian Yuanzi to Mount Qingcheng.When Han Xiang was caught down the mountain by Qian Yuanzi, he happened to meet Nie Yinniang on a narrow road.Nie Yinniang was so brave that she beat Qian Yuanzi's mob to the brim and rescued Han Xiang by herself.

She also blinded one of Qian Yuanzi's eyes, intending to let him learn a lesson and deter these evil ways. Qian Yuanzi left with his men in defeat, and Qingcheng Mountain finally recovered its tranquility.With Han Xiang guiding the way, Nie Yinniang took Cui Miao and Pei Xuanjing to Youren Valley in a canoe.When everyone reunited, they found that He Niang was the only one missing. After the discussion, Nie Yinniang still escorted Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miaodong to Jiangzhou to continue solving the mystery of Wang Zhifu and her husband.Han Xiang volunteered to stay and look for He Niang's whereabouts.Everyone thought that He Niang was born in an unfamiliar place, and she was only a little girl, where else could she go?What I'm afraid of is falling into a cliff or encountering a wild animal.There are many Taoist temples in Qingcheng Mountain, as long as there is no harassment from Qian Yuanzi and others, Han Xiang can still find many people of the same way to help.If he can't find it in Mount Qingcheng, he will go to the surrounding areas to continue searching.

"I hope Han Xiang has found her." Pei Xuanjing couldn't help sighing, "He Niang's life is really hard." "Who caused it?" Cui Miao said coldly, "In my opinion, she was involuntary in the past, which is the real suffering. Although there are more twists and turns now, at least it is her own choice. Even if she dies, she will die." Die clearly. In this world, there are not many people who can really do this." "Don't say those unlucky words." Pei Xuanjing said angrily, "He Niang will be fine." The next day, the boat docked at the head of the Xunyang River.

They soon found the residence of Sima Bai Juyi in Jiangzhou.Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao went to visit.In order to avoid Bai Juyi's fear, Nie Yinniang did not show up, but waited nearby. Compared with his friend Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi's situation is much better.Jiangzhou is rich and prosperous, with picturesque scenery.Bai Sima's mansion is on the bank of the Yangtze River. Looking out of the window, you can see white sails dotted on the river, and the large reeds and Di flowers along the bank have withered, and the broken branches and leaves are surrounded by the rolling turbid waves.

Winter is getting closer and closer, and the river flows calmly and fiercely, rushing towards the invisible sea in the distance. This time Pei Xuanjing didn't hide anything, and told Bai Juyi the secret orders of the Queen Mother, as well as all the incidents along the way to find Wang Zhifu.It took nearly an hour to tell the whole story. Bai Juyi was dumbfounded and couldn't say a word for a long time. Finally, he said: "All these secrets, I really don't know anything." Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao exchanged looks, Bai Juyi didn't seem to be lying.Perhaps it is because of ignorance that he has been able to survive so far. Bai Juyi murmured again: "I'm really worried about my pledge husband, I don't know what happened to him." Pei Xuanjing said: "Frankly speaking, I think Mr. Zhifu is more dangerous than good. What put him in a dangerous situation must be the secret he has about Yulongzi." "Why is it Yulongzi's secret and not Yang Guifei's?" "If, as we have guessed, Concubine Yang went east to Japan, she would be a nearly hundred-year-old old woman even if she lived to this day. Her secrets are of no practical significance to today's people, except for sighs. value. But Yulongzi is different.” "Jade Dragon?" Bai Juyi was thoughtful. "Yes, Jade Dragon Son." Pei Xuanjing said solemnly, "Since it is the token of Emperor Li Tang's orders to the Taoist sects in the world, its whereabouts are of great importance to both the royal family and the Taoist sects. For some people with ulterior motives The meaning is even more extraordinary. For example, Qian Yuanzi and his group followed us all the way to Mount Qingcheng. It is not known whether it was because Han Xiang spied on their plot, or because he got wind of Yulongzi. But I think, If they hear about the Jade Dragon Seed, they will definitely do whatever it takes to get it." "But did Yulongzi stay in the Tang Dynasty, or was he taken to the Wa Kingdom by Concubine Yang?" Pei Xuanjing shook her head, "I don't know. Han Xiang doesn't know either. Unless you can go to Tiantai Mountain and find Han Xiang's master, Taoist Master Feng Weiliang, maybe you can ask some clues." Bai Juyi asked: "Will the hostess go to Tiantai Mountain?" "Maybe?" Pei Xuanjing pondered, "But if that's the case, there won't be any news from him. He knows that there are people who will worry about him, especially the empress dowager." Speaking of this, Pei Xuanjing suddenly realized one thing: the Empress Dowager was so eager to find Wang Zhifu, apart from worrying about his safety, she was probably more worried about the leakage of Yulongzi's secret.And what she tried to hide from the emperor should also be Yulongzi's secret! It is really hard to imagine how deep the empress dowager's resentment towards the emperor is, and how much distrust she has?How did the relationship between the biological mother and child come to this point, and who should be responsible for it? "Yulongzi!" Bai Juyi suddenly yelled, interrupting Pei Xuanjing's thoughts. "What did Mr. Lotte think of?" Bai Juyi's eyes shined brightly: "Maybe——Yulongzi has returned to the Tang Dynasty!" "Oh why?" "Pei Lianshi has just analyzed in detail the fallacies in the book, all of which allude to certain historical facts that cannot be clearly stated. Including the prince's forced palace, Yuhuan's feigned death, the eastward trip to Japan, and the disappearance of Yulongzi, etc. But the paragraphs in the book cited by Wang Zhifu , and more than that..." Bai Juyi said carefully, "I can write the half-queen before Hongduke, a Taoist priest in Linqiong, even without Wang Zhifu's participation, but some details will be slightly different from the present. But the latter half were all born because of quality husbands—” He showed a weird smile, “Including ‘Suddenly I heard that there are fairy mountains on the sea, and the mountains are in the midst of nothingness’, and ‘I heard that the emperor of the Han family was sent by the Jiuhua Tent. The dream is frightening'. Did the alchemist think of anything?" Pei Xuanjing blurted out: "Emperor Xuanzong sent an envoy to the country of Wa!" "I said that a long time ago!" Cui Miao slapped the table hard.The faces of the three people showed complex expressions intertwined with ecstasy and nostalgia. Under house arrest in Chang'an Taiji Palace, the lonely Emperor Xuanzong missed his imperial concubine. After losing his throne, dignity and even freedom, all he had left was memories. He understands that everything is irretrievable, just like the lost time can never be retrieved, all the prosperity and glory have come to naught, he doesn't care anymore, and it's no longer his turn to care.He had only one last thought: Yuhuan. The so-called Linqiong Taoist practice of looking for Fairy Taizhen must be an excuse that Emperor Xuanzong had no choice but to come up with under surveillance.Did Emperor Suzong really believe this statement?Pei Xuanjing couldn't figure it out.Just as she still can't be sure, does the current Holy Majesty really believe that her trip is to find the immortal Jia Guiniang on Mount Qingcheng? She only knew that no matter whether it was the Emperor Suzong back then or the current Holy Majesty, they all acquiesced to such unbelievable rhetoric.Is it a strategy with other plans, or a compromise with a conscience?It can only depend on whether they see themselves first as a king, or as a human being. Bai Juyi said to himself: "Emperor Xuanzong sent a Taoist priest Yang Tongyou as an emissary to the Wa country. Did he want to pick up Concubine Yang Guifei? Or just to visit her? Or, to retrieve the treasure Yulongzi?" "It's all possible." Pei Xuanjing said. The problem is that Li Longji is no longer the emperor who can do whatever he wants.Everything doesn't depend on him anymore.After losing everything, he finally had to lose Yuhuan too. Everyone chanted silently in their hearts: "Looking back and looking down at the world, you can't see Chang'an, but you can see the dust and mist. Just express your affection with the old things, and send the tin alloy hairpin to the future." Taoist Yang Tongyou was envoy to the country of Wa by Emperor Xuanzong's secret order. Among the old things he brought back, there were half of the gold hairpin and the tin heirloom, which were the souvenirs Yang Yuhuan gave to Li Longji's Yongjue.In addition, he probably brought back one more thing - Yulongzi. For Yang Yuhuan, who is determined to die of old age in Japan, Yulongzi is meaningless.But it is still crucial to the imprisoned Emperor Xuanzong, to the Li family, and to the Tang Dynasty under drastic changes. Bai Juyi said: "I still remember that at that time, Zhifu vividly described the process of Yang Tongyou's search for Fairy Taizhen. Chen Hong and I made fun of him and said, how could he know such details? Zhifu told us about Xin Yuanping's story. Allusions, emphasizing that everything he said is true. Although we still didn’t dare to believe it, we didn’t ask any further. Later, when I started writing, I found that the story after the Linqiong Taoist was more touching than the first half. The well-known past events were even more moving, so the spring of thinking was unstoppable, and I wrote it down all the way. Until the end of the writing, when the emperor and concubine swore to Yuemeng, they had burst into tears unconsciously... From then on, I no longer doubted I think, at least as far as poetry is concerned, the first thing to pay attention to is true feelings, and the truth of specific events is not so important.” Cui Miao also sighed: "I would like to be a lovebird in the sky, and I would like to be a Lianli branch in the earth. The sky will last for a long time, and this hatred will never end. These four poems are the whole point of the poem, touching the heart, so what if it is fabricated .” He had never been to Qiangweijian, so he didn't know. According to Chen Hong, the last two swan songs were not Bai Juyi's original works, but the words of Emperor Xuanzong relayed by Wang Zhifu. Sure enough, Pei Xuanjing saw a look of embarrassment on Bai Juyi's face.He hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is these lines that are the most problematic." "Oh, what's the problem?" "Wang Zhifu told me that Emperor Xuanzong and Concubine Yang made an oath in the Hall of Longevity in Lishan on July 7th, the sixth year of Tianbao, wishing to be married forever. I wrote the last four sentences of his oath. But then I Only then did I realize that Lishan Palace is a hot spring palace, and July 7th is in the midsummer heat, how could the emperor go to Lishan Palace to take a bath at that time? Therefore, even though there are several mistakes in this, this place is the most obvious But these few lines of poems are the whole point of the poem, if they are removed, the eyes of the poem will disappear.” Bai Juyi said with a wry smile, “Just when I was thinking about it and didn’t know how to deal with it, the poems spread more and more widely. , especially the last few sentences, which are known to all women and children, and everyone is eager to recite... Now I want to change it, but I can't change it." Cui Miao said: "What's the use of changing it, I won't change it!" Bai Juyi nodded, and said in confusion: "But before Zhifu disappeared, he sent a letter to me and Chen Hong respectively. In the letter, he wrote the last two lines of poetry without thinking. What is it?" What do you mean?" Pei Xuanjing said: "Based on all our previous speculations, Mr. Zhifu hid the truth about Yulongzi in the story, and wrote it with Mr. Le Tian's ingenious pen. He also deliberately hid the details of the truth, intentionally Prompt it out with a deviated style of writing. Then, the error in the oath of the Longevity Palace on July 7 must also be related to Yulongzi's secret." "Makes sense." "From this, we have already deduced that Yang Tongyou was ordered by Emperor Xuanzong to secretly go to Japan to pay a visit to Concubine Yang Gui. Concubine Yang Guifei refused to return to Datang, and asked Yang Tongyou to bring back Yulongzi to show that there would be no more ties with Datang. Gu Ge..." Pei Xuanjing frowned, "But there is a problem here. Think about it, Concubine Yang Guifei couldn't easily hand over such an important treasure as the Jade Dragon to a Taoist priest from the Tang Dynasty. Besides, Emperor Xuanzong had lost power at that time. Did Yang Tongyou deceive the Jade Dragon Son under the orders of Emperor Suzong? It is impossible for Concubine Yang not to guard against this, so how can she identify the identity of a Taoist priest?" Cui Miao said: "Did Yang Tongyou bring a copy of Emperor Xuanzong's handwriting?" "Impossible." Pei Xuanjing shook her head and said, "Since Yang Tongyou wanted to go to Dongying under the pretext of doing something, it means that this matter was carried out without telling Emperor Suzong. Emperor Xuanzong had already become the Supreme Emperor at that time, and he was in a house arrest. If you bring a handwritten letter, it is very likely that it will be seized and the matter will be exposed." "so what should I do now?" Pei Xuanjing pondered for a moment, and her face suddenly brightened: "I see, Xin Yuanping's allusions are not used to return, but to go!" "What's going back and forth? Jingniang's words are getting more and more profound." Cui Miao laughed. Pei Xuanjing said sternly: "I mean, the whisper in the middle of the night was not that Concubine Yang Gui asked Yang Tongyou to bring it to Emperor Xuanzong to prove that she had indeed seen her. It was Emperor Xuanzong who asked Yang Tongyou to bring it to Concubine Yang Gui to prove that the Taoist I did follow his order to fetch the Jade Dragon Son." "Do you mean the two sentences 'I wish to be a lovebird in the sky, and Lian Lizhi in the earth'?" "No, I think it should be the phrase 'May I be a couple forever'." Pei Xuanjing looked at Bai Juyi solemnly, "What does Mr. Letian think?" "It makes sense!" Bai Juyi agreed, and then hesitated, "But I still can't explain why in the letter written by the hostess to me and Chen Hong, I have to enter 'Forever and forever, this hatred will never end' What about the last two lines of the poem?" Pei Xuanjing suddenly asked: "Wait... If Yang Tongyou took back the jade dragon seeds from Japan, and Emperor Xuanzong was unwilling to hand them over to Emperor Suzong, what would he do?" Cui Miao said: "Yang Tongyou is a Taoist priest, and the jade dragon seed is a sacred object of the Taoist sect, so the most reasonable way is to return the jade dragon seed to the Taoist sect!" "Yes. So after Yulongzi returned to Datang, it is most likely that the Taoist sect will keep it again. Since Li Mi had already tried to inform the world that Yulongzi had returned to Li Tang's royal family, in order to avoid disaster, the Taoist sect decided not to expose it. This lie, but secretly concealed the traces of Yulongzi. However, it seems that this secret has been leaked. As I said just now, there are too many people who want to get Yulongzi. The successive emperors and princes from Emperor Suzong As well as other princes who coveted the throne, high-ranking officials and courtiers with power for a while, and even rebellious Jiedu envoys... To this day, Liu Mi and Qian Yuanzi who try to compete with Taoist integrity will treat Yulongzi Look at it like a tiger!" "Damn, oh!" Bai Juyi said worriedly, "In this way, someone must have tracked him down because of the jade dragon son, and he was in great danger because of this!" "So he wrote that strange letter, trying to warn you in this way?" Cui Miao shook his head and said, "Wang Zhifu found himself in danger, and he should hide or seek asylum according to common sense. So his disappearance There are two possibilities: one is that he hid himself, and the other is that he was caught or even killed... No matter what the situation is, he will at least have the opportunity to send a letter to warn you two. What is puzzling is that his warning It's too vague and obscure, no one can figure out what it means just by writing those two poems in the letter." Pei Xuanjing also said: "Actually, neither Mr. Chen Hong nor Mr. Letian can understand Mr. Zhifu's meaning, so they are unable to take any action. Therefore, if Mr. Zhifu wants to write a warning letter, then his warning is fundamental. It didn't work... perhaps, these two lines are not just a warning?" Cui Miao hurriedly asked, "What else did Jing Niang think of?" "No." Bai Juyi said abruptly. "What's wrong?" Bai Juyi's face was cloudy and cloudy, and after a while, he made up his mind to stand up: "Please sit down a moment, I'll go get something." The host left the table, Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao had to wait patiently.The small house of Sima in Jiangzhou is located on a small slope beside the river. Looking out from the north window, you can see the vast river stretching across thousands of miles, and the opening of the south gate is a small man-made pool in the courtyard surrounded by celadon stones. Paved with white sand.Sparkling, a few koi sway and swim in the reflection of the blue sky. How peaceful and comfortable the situation is, how ridiculous and ironic it seems that they are talking about plots and dangers in a serious manner.Pei Xuanjing thought of Wang Zhifu's thatched hut at the top of Qiangwei Stream. On the surface, it was a purer, quieter, and more peaceful paradise than this place, but it also couldn't escape the terrible pursuit. What can protect people from harm, is it the Tang Dynasty, or the emperor who is the symbol of the Tang Dynasty?Is it power, order, or faith?Is it a soldier, a knight, or the truth? Is it - Yulongzi? Bai Juyi came back, holding a scroll in his arms, his face turned pale with nervousness. After entering the room, he immediately closed the door, and then carefully spread out the scroll on the case.When Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao saw it, they were quite surprised. It was a Tao Te Ching annotated by Emperor Xuanzong. Bai Juyi said in a low voice: "The letter from the stockman is included in this volume." Throughout the night, Pei Xuanjing was meditating on the scroll.Cui Miao persuaded: "You have been ill for a while, and you have been running around for days. You really shouldn't be so tired. It's not too late to take a break and think about it." "I'm just worried that it will be late, and it will be too late to regret." Cui Miao sighed: "Okay, what did Jing Niang think of, why don't you tell me. In the past, between you and me, we often found something, didn't we?" "Cui Lang is right." Pei Xuanjing smiled wearily, "I also think that if I think about it alone, I probably won't make a breakthrough." "Let me help you, Jing Niang." Pei Xuanjing nodded, pointed to the scroll and said, "First of all, let's assume that Wang Zhifu didn't put the letter in this volume of "Imperial Commentary on the Tao Te Ching" at will. Then, this letter and this volume should be a whole, Only by considering them together can we understand what Wang Zhifu really wanted to say. I have thought about it for a long time, and this part of the book seems to be connected with the two lines in the letter." Cui Miao looked along her fingers, and saw the words on the scroll read: "Chapter 7 Everlasting and Everlasting." Pei Xuanjing said softly: "On July 7th, there is the number seven in the Palace of Eternal Life. The chapter that lasts forever, happens to be the seventh chapter of the "Imperial Annotation of Tao Te Ching". Could it be a coincidence?" "If it's not a coincidence?" Cui Miao said, "Look at what Emperor Xuanzong wrote?—"Those who mark the longevity of the world, if they want to be selfless and unintentional, they will last forever. Selflessness becomes selfishness.'" He frowned, "It seems to mean that selflessness lasts forever?" Pei Xuanjing said: "Lao Tzu's original words are 'The reason why heaven and earth can last forever is because they can't live on their own, so they can live forever'." "But what does this have to do with Yulongzi and Yang Yuhuan?" "I can't figure it out." Her expression was very frustrated, "but it must be related. At least, selflessness becomes selfish, and it can also correspond to when no one is whispering in the middle of the night." Time passed unconsciously, and when I raised my head, the window paper was slightly red, and the long night was coming to an end. But they couldn't find an answer. After walking such a long way, I thought that the goal was close at hand, but I didn't want to be at the end of the mountain again.