Chapter 7 Seven, cardamom Shaohua
Huang Zixia looked up at the sky, biting the tip of her tongue, causing her trance thoughts to gather quickly amidst the sharp pain.
She breathed heavily, trying to calm down the sharp pain in her chest.
Thinking about Wei Ximin's death, the son-in-law's fall from the horse, and the princess' dream over and over in his mind, Huang Zixia tried his best to find the common ground among these three, in order to divert his attention from Yuxuan.
By the time she walked along the silk tree path to the moon gate, she had calmed down—at least, outwardly, she was completely normal.
Chuizhu was waiting for her at the gate of the moon, she came up to meet her with a smile and said, "My son-in-law lives in Suwei Garden, let me lead my father-in-law over."
"Thank you, please trouble sister."
Chuizhu pursed her lips and smiled, leading the way ahead.When she came to a door, she was about to push the door, but she quickly lowered her hand and led her to another road that was farther away.Even Huang Zixia, who didn't know the distribution of the courtyards in the mansion, knew that she had clearly turned a corner.
She looked back at the locked courtyard door, and pretended to ask casually, "Where is that place over there, and why is it locked?"
Chuizhu hesitated, and said hesitantly: "That's Zhijin Garden, there are many plantains and irises planted in it, the summer is the best way to escape the heat. But since last month, there were people crying in the middle of the night there, and everyone said—"Chuizhu left and right I looked around and saw that there was no one around, so I said in a low voice, "They say there are unclean things." The princess then ordered people to invite a Taoist priest to perform the ritual, and locked the gate of the courtyard. It is said that the resentment inside will be purified for ten years Only then can it be reopened."
Naturally, Huang Zixia didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but she still took a look at Zhijin Garden from a distance, and took this courtyard to heart.
The Suwei Garden where the son-in-law lives is full of crape myrtle.Now it's the flowering period, and the flowers inside are in full bloom, creating a lively scene.
The son-in-law was chatting and laughing with Cui Chunzhan. Seeing her being brought in by the maid, Wei Baoheng said with a smile: "Eunuch Yang, we are talking about yesterday's game! You are really good at it, let's fight again someday when we are free?"
Huang Zixia smiled and said: "Where, the son-in-law is invincible and admirable."
Cui Chunzhan looked at Huang Zixia in disbelief: "What? Eunuch Yang is very good at bowing? I really can't tell."
"You shouldn't look like you?" Wei Baoheng smiled, "When Wang Yun invited me to play, I said that Zhou Ziqin was a complete layman, and that big man Zhang Xingying didn't even have a horse in his family, and there was a father-in-law Yang, so I was alone. The three of them are also bullying, and they even teamed up with Wang Yun, they are simply bullying! Hahaha, I didn't expect to lose to them in the end."
Cui Chunzhan's jaw almost dropped: "Didn't the game yesterday be called off because your horse had an accident?"
"Hey, to lose is to lose, and King Kui is already in battle, so I dare to fight?" He said, smiling at Huang Zixia, "Speaking of which, Eunuch Yang, you have a lot of face, Beijing can summon three princes to replace you." You play the game, you are number one."
"Where, the princes are also willing to end because they know that the opponent is you, the son-in-law. How can I have such a big face." Huang Zixia said quickly.
"Oh, it's a pity that I was so ashamed and humiliated this time. I fell off my horse and lost my fame for many years!" Wei Baoheng said, but without any regret, he rolled up his sleeves and showed them with a smile, "See No? The biggest scar on the body, two inches long and half an inch wide, is scratched."
Cui Chunzhan was angry and funny, and slapped him on the elbow: "Go, man, it's so shameful to apply medicine on such a broken skin!"
"The princess said that if you are broken, you will be broken. If you lose your appearance, you won't be able to be a son-in-law," he said convincingly, and then said to Huang Zixia, "Eunuch Yang, tell me about this. I also thought about it for a long time yesterday. But I just can't figure it out. When did you say that the horse I was holding was touched by someone? After thinking about it, it seems that others have no chance to do it."
"I don't have a clue yet, and we probably need to continue investigating this matter." Huang Zixia said, and then asked, "Is there any noteworthy people or things worth noting around the concubine?"
Wei Baoheng frowned and thought for a long time, then said, "It seems not."
"Hmm..." Huang Zixia was still in deep thought, but suddenly he slapped the table again and said, "Yes! I met someone recently, it's really weird, it's hard to describe!"
"What?" Huang Zixia and Cui Chunzhan asked quickly.
"A little eunuch, handsome and slender, but he is stronger than a group of old men in the Zuo Jinwu Guard. This is the biggest strange thing I have encountered recently!" Wei Baoheng said with a smile, but his eyes seemed to have no place. Stare at the wall.
"My son-in-law, don't be joking!" Huang Zixia smiled wryly, and following his gaze, she stood up and took two steps in the room. She saw a calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall, and a bright red branch of cardamom seemed to be there. The two green leaves on the side are written by Du Mu's poem——
Seeing the inscription, Huang Zixia couldn't help admiring: "My son-in-law is really good at painting and calligraphy."
"What kind of masters in painting and calligraphy? When I was in the Imperial College, I played hookey with Zhou Ziqin every day to climb trees and catch birds." Wei Baoheng waved his hand and smiled, "It's not all because of my father forcing me, alas."
Cui Chunzhan said: "This poem is also my favorite, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, the tip of the cardamom is really green and tender, very charming..."
Wei Baoheng rolled his eyes at him: "Your Madam is old?"
"Ahem... three years older than me. But in my heart, she will always be a green and charming little girl!"
Huang Zixia ignored the two men, just looked at the painting and said, "My son-in-law's cardamom is well drawn. In this whole poem, the best two words are also cardamom."
A gloomy look appeared on Wei Baoheng's face, but in the end he just smiled and didn't speak.
Cui Chunzhan said: "Eunuch Yang, your calligraphy and painting skills are also good, and you have such a good vision."
"It was also forced by my father, and I studied it for two years." Huang Zixia said, maintaining the only professional attitude among the three, and asked, "Is the son-in-law familiar with Wei Ximin?"
"Oh, you mean the one who was condemned by God?" Wei Baoheng said casually, "I know him, he is short by the princess's side every day, and he bends his back and follows a dog obediently every day. But there is an advantage, master He will bite whoever you tell him to bite, he is very obedient."
Hearing his disdainful tone, Huang Zixia asked again: "It sounds like he can be regarded as a capable and capable person?"
"It's capable, it's so capable that people can't talk about it," Wei Baoheng sneered, "There's another thing that happened last month, I guess you'll know it when you inquire, so let me tell you now. That matter If I hadn't been suppressed by the various yamen, the reputation of the princess and the princess mansion would be completely ruined!"
Huang Zixia and Cui Chunzhan looked at each other, and Cui Chunzhan quickly asked, "What is it?"
"This matter... It seems that it has nothing to do with this case, and it seems to have something to do with this case. If it is not necessary, please don't spread it to the outside world. After all, this matter will damage the reputation of the Princess Mansion," Wei Baoheng said, and then Frowning and thinking for a while, he said, "The candles in the house have always been sent by Lu's incense candle shop. Last month, old man Lu seemed to have something to do, so he asked his daughter to bring candles, but the girl from the small family didn't understand. Advancing and retreating according to the rules, unexpectedly did not avoid the princess in time... Well, I stepped on the corner of her skirt dirty."
Cui Chunzhan said casually: "Why should the son-in-law care about such a trivial matter?"
"It was originally a trivial matter, but because of that Wei Ximin, it became a major event. The princess ordered Wei Ximin to teach that girl a lesson, but this Wei Ximin, in order to make the princess happy, beat the girl until she passed out, and just dumped her on the corner of the street. As a result, there is a scoundrel in the back street, what is his name..." Wei Baoheng said uncertainly, "It seems that everyone is called Sun Laizi, an old bachelor in his forties, covered in sores, everyone hates it. Then he saw the little girl unconscious, so he gave her to..."
Wei Baoheng looked sympathetic, Cui Chunzhan was dumbfounded, only Huang Zixia frowned calmly and asked, "Lu's Incense Candle Shop?"
"Yes, it is said that the old man Lu has always belittled his daughter, and this incident caused a lot of trouble in the city. He felt that the family was ashamed, so he kicked his daughter out of the house. I heard that the little girl has died in the wilderness now, alas..."
Huang Zixia frowned slightly, and asked, "Where's that old man Lu?"
"Speaking of this, I was lucky to meet this timid old man Lu. I ran to the various yamen to suppress this matter, and sent a hundred taels of silver to the Lu family, and ordered someone to beat up that old man. Old man Lu is grateful to Dade, and the situation is calm, and he will not mention this matter again."
Cui Chunzhan sighed: "This old man... is really timid and afraid of getting into trouble, and doesn't know how to seek revenge? As far as I know, Wei Ximin seems to be burned to death by a candle made by himself?"
Wei Baoheng spread his hands and said, "That's why it's called God's punishment. You pay for it. In the end, it was the candle made by old man Lu who burned Wei Ximin. Isn't this a good ending?"
Cui Chunzhan said with a bitter face, "If only the princess thought the same way."
Walking out of the princess mansion, Cui Chunzhan asked Huang Zixia: "Where is Eunuch Yang planning to go next?" "I think Lu's Incense Candle Shop is a must." "Well, let's go together then," he said. Huang Zixia shook his head: "Cui Shaoqing, you are wearing an official uniform, and you will be noticed as soon as you pass by. Why don't I go and find out the news first. If he is really suspicious, just summon him to Dali Temple for interrogation." "Very good, very good," Cui Chunzhan looked at the time, and quickly said, "When I went out today, my wife said that I would cook for myself. I have to go back and eat her cooking. Seeing this time..." "Cui Shaoqing, go slowly." Huang Zixia watched his carriage go far away, and then hurriedly hired a car—for God's sake, fortunately, she still has the funding she applied for during the last investigation and did not "have time" to return it to Li Shubai, otherwise, How can she have the money to hire a car? He went straight to Zhou Ziqin's house, and he really stayed in the house to study his bones. "Chonggu, come quickly!" Zhou Ziqin pointed to the skull on the shelf, and said happily, "Come and witness my greatest achievement so far!" Huang Zixia sighed, and said, "I came to you to discuss that..." "Hey, don't worry about anything else, come quickly!" He pulled up her sleeves, led her inside and walked inside.She followed him staggeringly, and saw a human head on the shelf at a glance, and was startled immediately. "Looks like a real person, right? Hahaha, it's the same as the restoration of the hand last time, but there are too many muscles on the face, and I can't make the first one until now—hey, don't you think it seems...a bit familiar?" Can you not be familiar with me?This appearance is somewhat similar to that of the queen.Huang Zixia thought in her heart. "When I got this skull, I knew it was a beauty, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful." Zhou Ziqin said while stroking the beautiful skull on the shelf. Huang Zixia thought for a while, then suddenly asked: "Where did you get this skull?" "I bought it, I have been asking the person in charge of burying the unknown corpse in the household department to help me pay attention-shh, this is not allowed by the law, you must not say it out-then one day, we are in The day before the headless corpse was picked up in the ditch, he quietly brought this to me, saying that someone found it in the grass. Oh, it was ugly when I first got it, but after I removed the flesh and blood, I found it It's a really nice head, very pretty, isn't it?" Huang Zixia took a bag next to it, wrapped the skull in her hands, and said, "Zhou Ziqin, I want to take this head away." "Ah? Why?" He hurriedly asked. "Don't ask." She stuffed his almost-recovered head into the bag, and said, "I took it away, you can find someone else's later." "Hey, Chonggu, don't be so heartless... This is really the most beautiful skull I've ever seen in my life... I only have it in my heart, don't take it away..." Zhou Ziqin grabbed the bag and burst into tears , "Chong Gu, you can't treat me like this! Thinking back to the time when I ran around for you in the case of the princess, I searched for corpses and dug holes. There is hard work if there is no credit, but what about you? You haven't told me about the case until now. I know that the corpse in the coffin of the Wang family is not Wang Ruo, but why did the Wang family send it back to Langye for burial without saying a word? Also, who is the real murderer in that case? How did the murderer commit the crime? Everything is kept in the dark! Chonggu, you are so cruel... Anyway, I don’t mind anything else, you leave me my favorite skull! Please, why don’t I take it? Can I exchange my own head with yours..." Huang Zixia listened to his bloody and tearful accusation, finally sighed, and said in a low voice: "Ziqin, this skull may be the daughter of... an acquaintance of mine. She was abandoned by her mother when she was very young. It's even more miserable. Don't you have the heart for such a beauty to be decapitated? Just let me take it back and let her rest in peace." "Okay... okay." Zhou Ziqin hesitated for a long time, finally let go of the hand holding the bag reluctantly, and looked at her pitifully, "Then... Chonggu, I heard that you are investigating This time, you must take me with you on the case of the Princess Mansion! I will investigate the case with you throughout the entire process, and this time I will use my superb skills and amazing talent to solve this mysterious case before you do! " "Okay, actually, that's why I'm looking for you," she motioned to him. "First of all, tell me, have you tested the fish you brought back last time? What's the result?" Zhou Ziqin immediately became stern: "Of course it has been tested! I am the most responsible official in this dynasty! Those fish were indeed poisoned to death!" "What kind of poison? Where is the source?" "I'm not sure, but it seems to be mercury poisoning." He scratched his head uncertainly and frowned, "It's so strange, who would put mercury in the fish pond? This thing is not easy to carry, put it in the fish pond What else is necessary?" Huang Zixia frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Remember it first, now you find me a dress first, and then we go to Lu's Incense Candle Shop." "Okay, Ah Bi is about the same size as you, I'll get you one right away."
Huang Zixia changed suddenly and became Zhou Ziqin's follower. The two found Lu's incense candle shop in West Market.From all the way, I saw the word "Lu" on the bright signboard. Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin sat down in the small teahouse next to them. Of course, a local tyrant like Zhou Ziqin first ordered the top-quality Mengding Ganlu, plus four kinds of candied fruit and eight snacks, and gave a generous reward to the tea doctor who was serving him. The other guests ignored them and concentrated on making tea in their private room. "This crab eye blister is really beautiful, look at it." Zhou Ziqin took Huang Zixia to watch the blisters in the furnace together, "Hey...the blisters are getting denser! Come on, Chonggu, look, I saw a person's mouth last time. That's the way the bloody froth is, exactly the same! Can you guess which part of his internal organs was injured?" Huang Zixia bumped his elbow on his waist, successfully stopping his next words. After the tea doctor finished making tea, he served it to the two of them, and said with a smile, "Master, you have a good eye, and he hit me right away. I have been a tea doctor for more than ten years, and no one in this teahouse can compare to me in terms of craftsmanship." Huang Zixia smiled and said, "You've only been around for more than ten years. Have you seen the candle shop opposite? I heard that his family has been making candles for four generations. That's called ancestral craftsmanship." "That's really incomparable. Four generations of grandchildren have been making candles for hundreds of years. Otherwise, how could the giant candles in Jianfu Temple come to his family this time?" Zhou Ziqin blinked his eyes, and he obediently chose to drink tea from a celadon cup as he still didn't understand the inside story. "But I heard that there are only four generations in his family. Old man Lu has no sons!" "No, there is only one daughter, and his family is considered extinct—what's more, that incident happened," Dr. Cha immediately beamed when he mentioned these rumors in the street, "Have you two heard of it? The old man drove his daughter out of the house! Oh, even a daughter can't be spoiled like this, let's see who will support the old man when he grows old!" Huang Zixia pretended to be very interested, and asked, "I heard that he drove away his daughter because of something like his daughter being raped by Sun Laizi?" "That's right, that grandson is really not a thing. He is ugly and sick. He couldn't find a wife when he was in his forties. When he saw a girl on the side of the road, he ruined her--he did such a scandal. She is also showing off happily everywhere! It is known to everyone in the streets and alleys of the capital, and this is to drive her to death!" Zhou Ziqin didn't expect such an explosive inside story, and the teacup in his hand almost fell to the ground.He pointed to the candle shop on the opposite side of the window, and asked, "Is that... old man Lu who makes candles?" Huang Zixia asked calmly, "Why doesn't Old Man Lu go to the government to report and demand that that grandson be severely punished?" "Don't mention it, why don't everyone scold this old man Lu? After receiving the money, he stopped talking, and even thought his daughter was dirty, so he kicked her out of the house directly!" He said, and finally couldn't help being angry, and his voice became louder. Raised, "We saw it with our own eyes that day. The old man kicked his daughter out of the house, threw a knife and a hemp rope in front of her, and asked her to choose a way to die. Don't lose face, don't Die at home!" Zhou Ziqin immediately slapped the table and was furious: "Bastard, this old man didn't go to the enemy to fight for his life, but spoiled his daughter like this, is he still human!?" Dr. Cha shook his head and sighed, "Poor thing, his daughter Dicui just knelt in the street and passed out two or three times from crying. The old man just didn't open the door! You said that a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl has suffered such a big change." , and caused disturbances all over the city, people poked her spine wherever she went, and her father thought she was ashamed and asked her to die outside, do you think this is a human thing?" Although Huang Zixia's face was calm, she also felt a sad anger welling up in her chest.She suppressed herself, and asked again: "Then, where did his daughter go?" "She knelt in the street under the scorching sun for more than two hours, and her father kept the door closed. In the end, we couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to pull her up, but she grabbed the hemp rope and stumbled out of the West Market. I don't know where I went... Alas, I don't know which barren mountain I died in now!" Zhou Ziqin was so angry that he couldn't speak, and after a while he pointed at the candle shop opposite and cursed: "This old man, there will definitely be retribution!" "Oh, it's time for retribution! This old man has a daughter, and his wife is getting old. After giving birth, he collapsed, so he left such a daughter. Dicui is so good. She has been helping her father since she was four or five years old. She cooks for her father on a stool at the age of seven or eight! But what about the old man? Every day he swears and says that daughters are useless, but every time he sees someone with a son, those eyeballs are so staring that they want to fall off—you say , there are millions of people in Chang'an city, many of them are patriarchal, but have you ever seen an old man who wants his son like this and wants to go crazy? If one day he is struck to death by lightning, the neighbors in the neighborhood will not be surprised at all!" Tea The doctor said, shaking his head and sighing, while going outside to fetch water, he muttered, "Our neighbors, just say that God has no eyes! That grandson has been ill for many years, if Dicui is bullied by him Run quickly, he must not be able to catch up, why was he caught that time?" Zhou Ziqin was also very angry. He turned his head to look at Huang Zixia, only to see that her lips were tightly pursed, and the hand holding the table was so forceful that even the veins almost popped out. He was taken aback and asked, "Chong Gu, what's wrong with you?" Huang Zixia let out several breaths, finally let go of her hand, tried her best to suppress her voice, and said, "It's nothing... I've never seen such a bitch like this, it's a little... sad." "Did you hear what Dr. Cha said? Don't you think it's strange? Why was Di Cui caught by that sickly mangy man and didn't run away? I think she should struggle and resist desperately. Besides, She should have cried for help at that time..." Huang Zixia thought to himself, how do you know that there is also the matter of the eunuch Wei Ximin from the Princess Mansion? Zhou Ziqin looked at her and asked in surprise, "Are you not surprised at all? Are you not surprised at all?" "Very surprised, very surprised." Huang Zixia sighed, stood up, and said, "Although I don't want to deal with this old man Lu, I still have to ask. You prepare the album, and we will go there together."
Run by four generations of the Lu family, this incense and candle shop in West City has become very old due to its age. In the narrow storefront, there is only room to turn around after walking in.On the left is a row of iron candle holders filled with candles of various shapes, high and low, and on the right is a wooden counter with some incense cakes and incense sticks on it. Old man Lu is kneeling on the counter and carving a The dragon and phoenix wedding candles with thick arms. There is only the front half of the store. Looking from the open back door, the back half is an open space. A small shed has been built, filled with wax blocks and wax models. There is a pot of red wax heating up on the stove now, and the emission is not very good. smell. Sensing someone coming in, Lu Zhiyuan didn't raise his head, his voice was hoarse: "What does the customer want to buy?" Huang Zixia cupped his hands at him and said, "Old man, I'm from Dali Temple. I met you at Jianfu Temple last time. Do you still remember me?" Only then did Lu Zhiyuan put down the carving knife in his hand, squinted his eyes and looked at her, his face was still indifferent: "Oh, it's you." "About Wei Ximin's death, Dali Temple has something to ask you, are you free?" Old man Lu held the candle in his hand and said: "Wait a minute, the weather is hot, if the newly carved shape is placed on the counter for a while, it will be deformed immediately, I have to go and paint it first." "Please." Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin stood in the store, watching him carry the candle to the pot with hot red wax behind him, then grab the reed tube at the end of the candle and quickly turn it around in the pot, the whole white A thin layer of red wax was immediately rolled on the candle, and the color was bright and eye-catching. He grabbed another handful of dark yellow stuff and melted it in the pot, stirred it with a brush, and asked, "What's the matter?" "Where were you when Wei Ximin died?" "Didn't I say it? At Fengyifang's house!" He pointed at Fengyifang not far behind with a brush, and said, "Well, after I sent it there early in the morning, I was so tired that I fell directly under the candle I couldn’t get up. Ma Liu, the coachman who was with me at the time, took me home, and Aunt Wu in the backyard even called the doctor to see me—that bastard quack, who didn’t see why, just came Prescribed some qi-invigorating medicine to let me have a good rest. As soon as he left, I heard the news that the candle I made was struck by lightning! As soon as Zhi stood up, she became dizzy and fell down!" Huang Zixia frowned slightly, feeling that from his description, there was indeed no time to commit the crime, so she asked again: "Then what were you doing the day before the ceremony at Jianfu Temple?" "Although Jianfu Temple is rich, it only collected all kinds of wax and sent it over a month ago. Do you know how much energy it takes to make such a large pair of giant candles? Especially the month before last, my daughter... I was kicked out of the house, Zhang Yan, the guy who helped me all the time, also fell ill. I set up a shelf to make candles, and I rushed to work all night, and I never left. They are all doing things, have you ever left?" As he spoke, he saw that the golden lacquer in the pot was ready, so he dipped it with a brush and slowly painted the embossed patterns of dragon, phoenix and auspicious clouds on the candle, and never looked at them again. Huang Zixia asked again: "About Wei Ximin's death, do you always think..." "Okay, I wish he could die!" He said without any concealment, "You eunuch who is a dog, please die sooner! It's a pity that the thunderbolt that day ruined the old man's first name, and caused my candle to explode!"
"Look at this old man... is there any suspicion?" Zhou Ziqin looked at Huang Zixia who was walking forward in silence, and asked cautiously. Huang Zixia frowned, and said as he walked, "I don't know, I have to ask." When we arrived at Fengyifang where Lu's family was located, it was just after Shenshi.A group of women were pounding clothes in the shade of the trees at the mouth of the well, talking about family affairs. Huang Zixia went over to salute everyone and asked, "My ladies and gentlemen, how can I get to Lu Zhiyuan's old man Lu's house?" Several women raised their hands and pointed to a nearby courtyard covered with vines: "Here, that's Lu's house, but old man Lu is in the Xishi store during the day, and now there is no one in his house." "Then...will he go home tonight?" "Of course I went home at night, oh, we are neighbors with him, and sometimes we really hate him. Especially in the past month, this old man has been working with that candle day and night, those copper molds, iron soldering irons Yes, it makes people sleepless every night because of the noise." Another woman interjected: "Isn't that right, do you remember the day before the ceremony in Jianfu Temple? In the middle of the night, Butcher Liu next door was woken up, and the next door scolded him for half the night. Ding Dangdang continued to fiddle with his candles, and Butcher Liu said that he wished he could take an ax and chop his house down!" Huang Zixia asked again: "Then his daughter Di Cui is now..." "Dicui? I don't know..." The woman's face was full of sympathy, and she said, "Oh, such a good girl, she is so beautiful. There are many boys in our workshop who like her, but who knows? So ruined." "Isn't that right? According to me, if the thunder were to strike, it should also kill that man named Sun Mangzi. How did it strike the eunuch in the princess mansion?" "Don't let Lei miss it?" "Maybe it's that grandson who doesn't dare to go out at all?" "Hey, do you guys still remember what happened last month? Dicui hid the thing about her going to fight with Sun Manzi." "Who doesn't remember! That old man Lu is really a wolf! After taking the money from others, he immediately took the wax stick away, and slapped Dicui to the ground with one slap! It's strange to say that, I heard that the mangy grandson I have been ill for many years and have no money for medical treatment, so where can I get so much money for the old man?" "Dicui's life is bitter! I was born without a mother, and this happened when I was about to die..." An emotional aunt lifted up her apron and began to wipe her tears. "It's a good thing to go underground to see her mother early, don't suffer in this world." It seems that the Princess Mansion's measures are well done, and everyone doesn't even know that there is another Wei Ximin who intervened in the tragedy of Dicui. Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin left Fengyifang. Zhou Ziqin was a little worried when he saw that she was in a trance, stepping on the ground like cotton, and he raised his hand to help her by the shoulder and asked, "Chonggu, what's wrong with you?" ?” "Compare your heart to your heart... I think... it's terrible." Huang Zixia murmured, squatting down involuntarily, feeling nausea in his chest. She squatted, leaning her hands on the tree next to her, and could only breathe hard, suppressing the depression in her heart little by little. Zhou Ziqin didn't understand that Yang Chonggu, as an eunuch, had any empathy for a young girl's tragedy. He squatted next to her and looked at her suspiciously for a long time. Seeing her pale face gradually fade, he asked cautiously, "Are you okay?" "...It's all right, I think I might be too tired," she leaned against the tree trunk, and reluctantly explained, "The case that the princess explained seems to be not easy." "That's right, the best explanation is a coincidence, but the princess insists that we find the murderer," Zhou Ziqin said, and then asked with concern, "Shall I take you back to Prince Kui's mansion?" "No...I want to go to Zhang Xingying's place first and have a look...A Di." "Okay, but..." Zhou Ziqin asked cautiously, "Are you hungry? Don't go looking for Adi, let me buy some for you. What do you want to eat?" Huang Zixia glanced at him helplessly: "I think there is a high possibility that Adi is Dicui." Zhou Ziqin jumped up, his mouth was wide open, but his eyes were almost wider than his mouth: "What? Why? How do you know?" "The time when Dicui left home to seek death was about the same as the time when Second Brother Zhang rescued Adi on the mountain road; Adi refused to see anyone, hid in Zhang's yard every day, and secretly cried in the middle of the night..." Huang Zixia said With a long sigh, he whispered, "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Zhou Ziqin continued to be dumbfounded for a long time before shaking his head vigorously: "I don't believe it! Ah Di... and Brother Zhang are so good, how could such a miserable thing happen!" Huang Zixia breathed hard, lowered her eyelashes, and looked down at her feet. On the soil under the shade of the tree, a few ants were hurriedly looking for the direction, crawling around her toes. She blocked the way for the ants to go home. Huang Zixia slowly moved her feet away, seeing the ants happily rushing out of the ant nest, seeing the ants returning home excitedly, and also seeing the ants trampled to death without her noticing, silently To pieces. The world is ruthless, a huge force sweeps everything, and the invisible hand pushes everyone's destiny forward involuntarily.Perhaps the power behind everything that dominates them is also involuntary, and perhaps they don't know that sometimes a small action by themselves is a disaster for others. She lifted her foot and walked to the stone road next to her. Zhou Ziqin looked at her inexplicably, and called her softly: "Chonggu..." She looked up at him slowly: "What?" "Oh..." He looked at her calm face uncertainly, and said hesitantly, "It's nothing... Just for a moment, I thought you were crying." Huang Zixia looked up at the sky and said, "Let's go." "where to?" "Zhang Xingying's house." Zhou Ziqin immediately followed her forward: "Then, Chonggu, in what capacity should we go? Should we assist Dali Temple to solve the case, or..." Huang Zixia pondered for a moment and said, "No, it's just Zhang Xingying's friend."
Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin carried two catties of dried fruit and walked along the hibiscus flower fence outside the yard of Zhang Xingying's house to the big locust tree in the workshop.When she looked up, she saw Zhang Xingying coming from the other side of the alley, with a preoccupied look, lowering her head and walking slowly step by step. Zhang Xingying has a great figure, even when he was reduced to the Duanruitang medicine hall, he was still heroic, but now Huang Zixia watched him walking from there, but he was in a trance, as if he was not walking home, but walking on the road. On a narrow uneven, endless single-plank bridge. "Second brother Zhang!" Zhou Ziqin called him. Then Zhang Xingying raised his head, saw that it was them, and squeezed out a smile on his face: "Oh, it's...it's you, why are you here today when you have time?" "I heard you mention uncle's poor health the day before yesterday, so let's visit." Zhou Ziqin picked up the two catties of red dates and longan and stuffed it into Zhang Xingying's arms. "I brought it for my uncle. Fortunately, Chong Gu carefully reminded me." Huang Zixia hurriedly said: "I can't help it. I have been in Kui's mansion for a short time, and the monthly silver has not been issued yet, so I have to come here empty-handed with the cheek." "Oh, don't be so alien, I'm the happiest if you can come!" Zhang Xingying quickly interrupted her, with a smile on her face, "By the way, I have something good to tell you, thanks to you , this morning, Zuo Jinwuwei has officially sent the official document, and I can join the team tomorrow!" "Great, congratulations!" Zhou Ziqin put his shoulders on his shoulders and laughed happily, "Let me just say it! Wang Yun was really convinced by us yesterday, and he probably knows it himself, so he won't accept Zhang Er again." Brother joined the company, and I can't explain to the three princes!" Huang Zixia was also happy, feeling that he finally no longer owed Zhang Xingying any more.Looking at the smile on Zhang Xingying's face, she said, "Second brother Zhang, congratulations!" Zhang Xingying said: "It's still double happiness. Originally, my father was bedridden for several months, but when he learned that I could enter Zuojinwuwei, he immediately lifted his spirits and could get out of bed in the morning! He returned it to himself. I prepared a pair of medicine, saying that the heart disease has been cured, and it will be cured in a few days!" As he said that, he pushed open the courtyard door and led them inside: "It's a coincidence that you came here, the weather is so hot, Adi said to make locust leaves as a snack, come, let's eat together." Just as he was talking, he only heard the soft sound of clogs. Adi, who was standing in the courtyard, had already avoided the visitor when he saw a guest coming. Zhang Xingying smiled embarrassedly and said, "Ah Di is afraid of strangers, don't mind." Zhang Xingying went in and took Leng Tao and bowls and chopsticks, and the three of them sat down under the grape arbor. Looking at the green and cool Leng Tao in the big basin, Zhou Ziqin almost forgot his own reason for coming.He took the bowl from Zhang Xingying and filled a small bowl first, and praised while eating: "Adi's craftsmanship is really good, I really want to come here every day to eat!" "You can come anytime, you are always welcome!" Zhang Xingying said with a smile. Huang Zixia took a sip and asked, "Second brother Zhang, where did you go just now? I think you didn't look very refreshed just now." "Alas... my sister-in-law's natal brother, who just turned four years old, was lost in the chaos at Jianfu Temple the day before yesterday. The whole family was in a hurry to look for it. Fortunately, there are still many good people in this world. I heard the news this morning. Someone Sent the kid home, so I went over to have a look." Huang Zixia asked in surprise, "Isn't your sister-in-law the only child?" "Yes, this child was adopted by her parents from the clan. After all, there must be someone who inherits the family business. I heard that they were looking for a child the day before yesterday, but because I have been running around recently, I couldn't帮得上忙，心里觉得愧疚。”张行英大哥婚后住在嫂子家中，当时长安婚俗，夫妻婚后习惯在女方家中居住几年，张行英的大哥并不算入赘。 周子秦说道：“张二哥你真是的，孩子回来了不就好了，为这事还心事重重的。” 黄梓瑕听着荐福寺外四岁孩子，脑中不由浮现出那一日大雨中，那个抱着浑身泥浆的小孩子的身影。她望着张行英，问：“送回孩子的……是什么人？” “我去得迟了，只仓促看到他一面，是个……神仙般的人物！”张行英很认真地放下碗，说道，“站在我大嫂家门口，整个院子都明亮起来了。我这辈子啊，真没见过这么好看的人。” 周子秦笑道：“蓬荜生辉？轩轩如朝霞举？” 黄梓瑕沉默着，一言不发。 张行英听不太懂周子秦的话，只说：“嗯，反正就是很好。” “那么……”黄梓瑕捏着筷子的手，不为人觉察地轻颤了一下，“他姓什么，叫什么？” 张行英摇摇头：“不知道。所以说世上好人多啊，他就喝了两口茶水，没留下自己名字就走了，连谢仪都没收。孩子又小，也不知道他姓名和住处，都不知道怎么谢他呢。” 周子秦问：“那他怎么找到你大嫂家的？” “是啊，说来也真是难，小孩子说不出自己家住何处，他只能带着孩子在长安各坊寻找，这个年岁的孩子哪走得动长安七十二个坊？都是他抱着一家一家走过来的，直到今天早上孩子看见自己家喊起来，才算是找着了。” “可惜啊，不知道他是谁，”周子秦叹道，“我还挺想结识他的，有古仁人君子之风，又听你说的长得那么好。” 张行英连连点头：“真的真的！特别出众！” 黄梓瑕只觉得心口微微钝痛，她不愿意再听下去，便转了话题，问：“张二哥，你不叫阿荻也出来吃点吗？” 张行英迟疑了一下，说：“她……她怕生，我想就不用了吧。” “崇古说得对啊！以后大家都是朋友了，阿荻这样怕生可不好，我们还会经常来叨扰的，也想和阿荻打声招呼嘛。”周子秦现在只要是黄梓瑕说的话，都一律附和，十足一个应声虫。 “哦……也是，那我让阿荻出来见见客人。”张行英站起身往屋内走去。 周子秦见他一进门，立即蹑手蹑脚跟了上去，把耳朵贴在了墙上。 黄梓瑕用鄙视的眼神看着他，无声用口型问：“你想干吗？” 周子秦也用口型回答：“听墙角，看看张二哥和阿荻有没有作案嫌疑！” 黄梓瑕被他正义凛然又厚颜无耻的眼神镇住了，明知道不厚道，可也不由自主地与他一起趴在了后面的墙上。 里面传来灶火毕毕剥剥的声音，他们听到张行英说：“阿荻，他们是我朋友，都是很好的人。” 阿荻闷声不响，过了许久，张行英以为她是默认了，便抬手去牵她袖子，说：“来，我带你出去认识一下……” 阿荻却忽然猛地甩开他的手，低声却坚定地说道：“我……不去！” 张行英尴尬地抬着手，怔在当场。 周子秦和黄梓瑕对望了一眼，还来不及交流什么，只听阿荻虚弱颤抖的声音已经传来：“张二哥，求你了……我不要见人！我，我这辈子，已经见不得人了……” 张行英默默看着她，轻声问：“难道，你就准备一直待在这个小院子里，把一辈子就这样挨过去吗？” “你不知道……你不会明白的……”她捂住自己的脸，蹲在地上，拼命压抑着自己失控的哭泣，“张二哥，你是个好人……我，我只想在你的身边好好过下去。我只想待在这个家里，也求你……不要让我出去见人……” 张行英似乎想不到她会有这么大的反应，不由得呆站在她面前，许久也没有动弹。 房间内外一片死寂，只听到阿荻的抽泣声，在房间内隐隐回响：“张二哥……我愿意一辈子为你洗衣做饭，一辈子伺候着你……我只求在这个天地间有这么一个小院子落脚，让我在这里待到死，待到朽烂成泥……张二哥，求你不要把我丢到外面去，不要让我出去见人呀！” 张行英默然听着她的哭泣，一边转头注意外面院子，听外面他们似乎没有响动，又凑近了阿荻一点点，轻声说：“好吧，不见就不见吧，其实……其实我也舍不得让你到外面去。” 阿荻睁大那双含泪的眼睛，死死盯着他。 他抓抓头发，在她的目光下窘迫地脸红了：“其实，我也很喜欢你每天在家等着我回来，知道你肯定不会离开我，知道你唯有我这一个容身之处，就像藏了一个谁都不知道的秘密……” 阿荻含了许久的泪终于掉了下来，她轻声低唤他：“张二哥……” 周子秦听着都有点不好意思了，他用手肘碰碰黄梓瑕，示意她可以离开了。 但黄梓瑕却微微皱起眉，将食指搁在嘴唇上，做了一个噤声的手势。 周子秦见她神情沉郁，若有所思，不由得有点诧异，在心里想了又想，刚刚张行英那番话，难道有什么不对的地方吗？ 屋内的气氛也忽然安静了下来。阿荻身体微微颤抖地看着张行英，许久，才颤声问：“你，你是什么时候……知道我没有容身之处，知道……我的事情？” 张行英愣了一下，不自觉地握紧自己的拳头，低头避开她的视线。 There was silence.木槿花院落外，大槐树下乘凉的人们笑声隐隐，正被风轻送而来。石榴树上趴着一只刚结束了黑暗蛰伏的新蝉，才蜕去外壳，便已经迫不及待蝉鸣声声，枯燥而尖锐的声音，横亘在小院之中。 张行英停了很久，但终于还是开了口，用很缓慢、很轻，但却异常清楚的声音，说道：“去年夏天，我在西市见过你。那时你正蹲在香烛铺门口，在卖花娘篮中拣着白兰花。天下着雨，你笑着挑拣花朵，我从你身边经过，被你脸上的笑意一时晃了神，不小心溅起一颗泥点，飞到了你的手背上……” 阿荻呆呆地用泪眼看着他，又下意识地抬起自己的手，看着自己白皙无瑕的手背。 “那时候，我结结巴巴向你道歉，你却毫不在意拿出手绢擦去泥点，对我笑了一笑，便握着一串白兰花回到店内。我在回家的路上，一遍又一遍地想着你手上那点污渍，想着你的笑，想得太入神，竟然，竟然连回家的路都走错了……” 墙外的黄梓瑕听着他的诉说，觉得自己眼睛热热的，又开始涌上温热的水汽。 而墙内的阿荻慢慢抓住自己的衣襟，用力按着自己的胸口，仿佛只有这样，才能将胸口涌起的那种巨大复杂的波涛给压制下去，不让它铺天盖地将自己淹没。 张行英蹲在她的身边，在灶间吞吐明暗的火舌之前，他定定地瞧着面前的她，轻声说：“后来，我也曾去你家门口偷偷看过你，我看到了你爹对你的忽视冷淡，也听到你时常哼着一首桑条曲，还知道了有很多人上门向你提亲，可你爹索要大笔彩礼，以至于你一直都没说下婆家……” 他说着，苦笑着停了下来，许久才又说道：“那个时候啊，我绝了自己的念头，不敢再去看你了。直到我入了夔王府仪仗队，又曾想过你，可终究也因为变故而没成。直到……直到我在山路上看见昏倒的你，手中还死死攥着根麻绳……后来我才知道，那是你爹丢给你，逼你自杀的……” “他不是我爹，”一直咬紧下唇听他说话的阿荻，此时终于从牙关中狠狠挤出几个字，“我没有爹……我只有一个娘，早就死掉的娘！” 张行英点头，没有说什么，只继续说道：“那时候，我把你带回家，你醒来后，你说自己叫滴……那时我以为你会说自己是滴翠，谁知你却改了口，说自己叫阿荻，那时我就想，你一定遇到了大事。后来，后来我从京城流言中得知你出了这样的大事，我震惊，愤怒，我想杀了孙癞子……可最深的念头，却是我一定要对你更好——我想，都是我的错，如果我早托人上门求亲，说不定……说不定你就不会面临这样的命运了……” “张二哥……”阿荻颤声轻唤他，她坐在灶前，娇小的身躯蜷缩着，颤抖如疾风中的一朵小花。 张行英伸出手，似乎想要抱住她安慰她，但看着她苍白的面容，又想到她遭受那般污辱，恐怕不喜欢和人接触，只能硬生生忍住了。 然而滴翠却轻轻地拉住了他的手，将自己的脸紧紧地贴在了他的臂上。 张行英抬起颤抖的手，情不自禁地搂住了她。 两人就这样偎依着靠在灶间，火光在他们身上投下恍恍惚惚的暖色。 他们听到张行英很缓慢、很清晰的声音，一字字传来：“放心吧，阿荻，所有做过坏事的人，都会得到报应的。” 阿荻也停了许久许久，才慢慢点头，轻声说：“是，就像那一日我们看着魏喜敏被活活烧死一样——你知道魏喜敏吧，要不是他，我不会落得这样地步。” “我知道，公主府的宦官。”他不说自己是怎么知道的，但听的人都知道，对于阿荻，其实他暗地里了解的，比他们想象的都要多。 他们靠在一起，久久不动。 黄梓瑕和周子秦默然回到葡萄架下，坐在那里吃着槐叶冷淘，只是两人都是食不甘味。
Walking out of the princess mansion, Cui Chunzhan asked Huang Zixia: "Where is Eunuch Yang planning to go next?" "I think Lu's Incense Candle Shop is a must." "Well, let's go together then," he said. Huang Zixia shook his head: "Cui Shaoqing, you are wearing an official uniform, and you will be noticed as soon as you pass by. Why don't I go and find out the news first. If he is really suspicious, just summon him to Dali Temple for interrogation." "Very good, very good," Cui Chunzhan looked at the time, and quickly said, "When I went out today, my wife said that I would cook for myself. I have to go back and eat her cooking. Seeing this time..." "Cui Shaoqing, go slowly." Huang Zixia watched his carriage go far away, and then hurriedly hired a car—for God's sake, fortunately, she still has the funding she applied for during the last investigation and did not "have time" to return it to Li Shubai, otherwise, How can she have the money to hire a car? He went straight to Zhou Ziqin's house, and he really stayed in the house to study his bones. "Chonggu, come quickly!" Zhou Ziqin pointed to the skull on the shelf, and said happily, "Come and witness my greatest achievement so far!" Huang Zixia sighed, and said, "I came to you to discuss that..." "Hey, don't worry about anything else, come quickly!" He pulled up her sleeves, led her inside and walked inside.She followed him staggeringly, and saw a human head on the shelf at a glance, and was startled immediately. "Looks like a real person, right? Hahaha, it's the same as the restoration of the hand last time, but there are too many muscles on the face, and I can't make the first one until now—hey, don't you think it seems...a bit familiar?" Can you not be familiar with me?This appearance is somewhat similar to that of the queen.Huang Zixia thought in her heart. "When I got this skull, I knew it was a beauty, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful." Zhou Ziqin said while stroking the beautiful skull on the shelf. Huang Zixia thought for a while, then suddenly asked: "Where did you get this skull?" "I bought it, I have been asking the person in charge of burying the unknown corpse in the household department to help me pay attention-shh, this is not allowed by the law, you must not say it out-then one day, we are in The day before the headless corpse was picked up in the ditch, he quietly brought this to me, saying that someone found it in the grass. Oh, it was ugly when I first got it, but after I removed the flesh and blood, I found it It's a really nice head, very pretty, isn't it?" Huang Zixia took a bag next to it, wrapped the skull in her hands, and said, "Zhou Ziqin, I want to take this head away." "Ah? Why?" He hurriedly asked. "Don't ask." She stuffed his almost-recovered head into the bag, and said, "I took it away, you can find someone else's later." "Hey, Chonggu, don't be so heartless... This is really the most beautiful skull I've ever seen in my life... I only have it in my heart, don't take it away..." Zhou Ziqin grabbed the bag and burst into tears , "Chong Gu, you can't treat me like this! Thinking back to the time when I ran around for you in the case of the princess, I searched for corpses and dug holes. There is hard work if there is no credit, but what about you? You haven't told me about the case until now. I know that the corpse in the coffin of the Wang family is not Wang Ruo, but why did the Wang family send it back to Langye for burial without saying a word? Also, who is the real murderer in that case? How did the murderer commit the crime? Everything is kept in the dark! Chonggu, you are so cruel... Anyway, I don’t mind anything else, you leave me my favorite skull! Please, why don’t I take it? Can I exchange my own head with yours..." Huang Zixia listened to his bloody and tearful accusation, finally sighed, and said in a low voice: "Ziqin, this skull may be the daughter of... an acquaintance of mine. She was abandoned by her mother when she was very young. It's even more miserable. Don't you have the heart for such a beauty to be decapitated? Just let me take it back and let her rest in peace." "Okay... okay." Zhou Ziqin hesitated for a long time, finally let go of the hand holding the bag reluctantly, and looked at her pitifully, "Then... Chonggu, I heard that you are investigating This time, you must take me with you on the case of the Princess Mansion! I will investigate the case with you throughout the entire process, and this time I will use my superb skills and amazing talent to solve this mysterious case before you do! " "Okay, actually, that's why I'm looking for you," she motioned to him. "First of all, tell me, have you tested the fish you brought back last time? What's the result?" Zhou Ziqin immediately became stern: "Of course it has been tested! I am the most responsible official in this dynasty! Those fish were indeed poisoned to death!" "What kind of poison? Where is the source?" "I'm not sure, but it seems to be mercury poisoning." He scratched his head uncertainly and frowned, "It's so strange, who would put mercury in the fish pond? This thing is not easy to carry, put it in the fish pond What else is necessary?" Huang Zixia frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Remember it first, now you find me a dress first, and then we go to Lu's Incense Candle Shop." "Okay, Ah Bi is about the same size as you, I'll get you one right away."
Huang Zixia changed suddenly and became Zhou Ziqin's follower. The two found Lu's incense candle shop in West Market.From all the way, I saw the word "Lu" on the bright signboard. Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin sat down in the small teahouse next to them. Of course, a local tyrant like Zhou Ziqin first ordered the top-quality Mengding Ganlu, plus four kinds of candied fruit and eight snacks, and gave a generous reward to the tea doctor who was serving him. The other guests ignored them and concentrated on making tea in their private room. "This crab eye blister is really beautiful, look at it." Zhou Ziqin took Huang Zixia to watch the blisters in the furnace together, "Hey...the blisters are getting denser! Come on, Chonggu, look, I saw a person's mouth last time. That's the way the bloody froth is, exactly the same! Can you guess which part of his internal organs was injured?" Huang Zixia bumped his elbow on his waist, successfully stopping his next words. After the tea doctor finished making tea, he served it to the two of them, and said with a smile, "Master, you have a good eye, and he hit me right away. I have been a tea doctor for more than ten years, and no one in this teahouse can compare to me in terms of craftsmanship." Huang Zixia smiled and said, "You've only been around for more than ten years. Have you seen the candle shop opposite? I heard that his family has been making candles for four generations. That's called ancestral craftsmanship." "That's really incomparable. Four generations of grandchildren have been making candles for hundreds of years. Otherwise, how could the giant candles in Jianfu Temple come to his family this time?" Zhou Ziqin blinked his eyes, and he obediently chose to drink tea from a celadon cup as he still didn't understand the inside story. "But I heard that there are only four generations in his family. Old man Lu has no sons!" "No, there is only one daughter, and his family is considered extinct—what's more, that incident happened," Dr. Cha immediately beamed when he mentioned these rumors in the street, "Have you two heard of it? The old man drove his daughter out of the house! Oh, even a daughter can't be spoiled like this, let's see who will support the old man when he grows old!" Huang Zixia pretended to be very interested, and asked, "I heard that he drove away his daughter because of something like his daughter being raped by Sun Laizi?" "That's right, that grandson is really not a thing. He is ugly and sick. He couldn't find a wife when he was in his forties. When he saw a girl on the side of the road, he ruined her--he did such a scandal. She is also showing off happily everywhere! It is known to everyone in the streets and alleys of the capital, and this is to drive her to death!" Zhou Ziqin didn't expect such an explosive inside story, and the teacup in his hand almost fell to the ground.He pointed to the candle shop on the opposite side of the window, and asked, "Is that... old man Lu who makes candles?" Huang Zixia asked calmly, "Why doesn't Old Man Lu go to the government to report and demand that that grandson be severely punished?" "Don't mention it, why don't everyone scold this old man Lu? After receiving the money, he stopped talking, and even thought his daughter was dirty, so he kicked her out of the house directly!" He said, and finally couldn't help being angry, and his voice became louder. Raised, "We saw it with our own eyes that day. The old man kicked his daughter out of the house, threw a knife and a hemp rope in front of her, and asked her to choose a way to die. Don't lose face, don't Die at home!" Zhou Ziqin immediately slapped the table and was furious: "Bastard, this old man didn't go to the enemy to fight for his life, but spoiled his daughter like this, is he still human!?" Dr. Cha shook his head and sighed, "Poor thing, his daughter Dicui just knelt in the street and passed out two or three times from crying. The old man just didn't open the door! You said that a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl has suffered such a big change." , and caused disturbances all over the city, people poked her spine wherever she went, and her father thought she was ashamed and asked her to die outside, do you think this is a human thing?" Although Huang Zixia's face was calm, she also felt a sad anger welling up in her chest.She suppressed herself, and asked again: "Then, where did his daughter go?" "She knelt in the street under the scorching sun for more than two hours, and her father kept the door closed. In the end, we couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to pull her up, but she grabbed the hemp rope and stumbled out of the West Market. I don't know where I went... Alas, I don't know which barren mountain I died in now!" Zhou Ziqin was so angry that he couldn't speak, and after a while he pointed at the candle shop opposite and cursed: "This old man, there will definitely be retribution!" "Oh, it's time for retribution! This old man has a daughter, and his wife is getting old. After giving birth, he collapsed, so he left such a daughter. Dicui is so good. She has been helping her father since she was four or five years old. She cooks for her father on a stool at the age of seven or eight! But what about the old man? Every day he swears and says that daughters are useless, but every time he sees someone with a son, those eyeballs are so staring that they want to fall off—you say , there are millions of people in Chang'an city, many of them are patriarchal, but have you ever seen an old man who wants his son like this and wants to go crazy? If one day he is struck to death by lightning, the neighbors in the neighborhood will not be surprised at all!" Tea The doctor said, shaking his head and sighing, while going outside to fetch water, he muttered, "Our neighbors, just say that God has no eyes! That grandson has been ill for many years, if Dicui is bullied by him Run quickly, he must not be able to catch up, why was he caught that time?" Zhou Ziqin was also very angry. He turned his head to look at Huang Zixia, only to see that her lips were tightly pursed, and the hand holding the table was so forceful that even the veins almost popped out. He was taken aback and asked, "Chong Gu, what's wrong with you?" Huang Zixia let out several breaths, finally let go of her hand, tried her best to suppress her voice, and said, "It's nothing... I've never seen such a bitch like this, it's a little... sad." "Did you hear what Dr. Cha said? Don't you think it's strange? Why was Di Cui caught by that sickly mangy man and didn't run away? I think she should struggle and resist desperately. Besides, She should have cried for help at that time..." Huang Zixia thought to himself, how do you know that there is also the matter of the eunuch Wei Ximin from the Princess Mansion? Zhou Ziqin looked at her and asked in surprise, "Are you not surprised at all? Are you not surprised at all?" "Very surprised, very surprised." Huang Zixia sighed, stood up, and said, "Although I don't want to deal with this old man Lu, I still have to ask. You prepare the album, and we will go there together."
Run by four generations of the Lu family, this incense and candle shop in West City has become very old due to its age. In the narrow storefront, there is only room to turn around after walking in.On the left is a row of iron candle holders filled with candles of various shapes, high and low, and on the right is a wooden counter with some incense cakes and incense sticks on it. Old man Lu is kneeling on the counter and carving a The dragon and phoenix wedding candles with thick arms. There is only the front half of the store. Looking from the open back door, the back half is an open space. A small shed has been built, filled with wax blocks and wax models. There is a pot of red wax heating up on the stove now, and the emission is not very good. smell. Sensing someone coming in, Lu Zhiyuan didn't raise his head, his voice was hoarse: "What does the customer want to buy?" Huang Zixia cupped his hands at him and said, "Old man, I'm from Dali Temple. I met you at Jianfu Temple last time. Do you still remember me?" Only then did Lu Zhiyuan put down the carving knife in his hand, squinted his eyes and looked at her, his face was still indifferent: "Oh, it's you." "About Wei Ximin's death, Dali Temple has something to ask you, are you free?" Old man Lu held the candle in his hand and said: "Wait a minute, the weather is hot, if the newly carved shape is placed on the counter for a while, it will be deformed immediately, I have to go and paint it first." "Please." Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin stood in the store, watching him carry the candle to the pot with hot red wax behind him, then grab the reed tube at the end of the candle and quickly turn it around in the pot, the whole white A thin layer of red wax was immediately rolled on the candle, and the color was bright and eye-catching. He grabbed another handful of dark yellow stuff and melted it in the pot, stirred it with a brush, and asked, "What's the matter?" "Where were you when Wei Ximin died?" "Didn't I say it? At Fengyifang's house!" He pointed at Fengyifang not far behind with a brush, and said, "Well, after I sent it there early in the morning, I was so tired that I fell directly under the candle I couldn’t get up. Ma Liu, the coachman who was with me at the time, took me home, and Aunt Wu in the backyard even called the doctor to see me—that bastard quack, who didn’t see why, just came Prescribed some qi-invigorating medicine to let me have a good rest. As soon as he left, I heard the news that the candle I made was struck by lightning! As soon as Zhi stood up, she became dizzy and fell down!" Huang Zixia frowned slightly, feeling that from his description, there was indeed no time to commit the crime, so she asked again: "Then what were you doing the day before the ceremony at Jianfu Temple?" "Although Jianfu Temple is rich, it only collected all kinds of wax and sent it over a month ago. Do you know how much energy it takes to make such a large pair of giant candles? Especially the month before last, my daughter... I was kicked out of the house, Zhang Yan, the guy who helped me all the time, also fell ill. I set up a shelf to make candles, and I rushed to work all night, and I never left. They are all doing things, have you ever left?" As he spoke, he saw that the golden lacquer in the pot was ready, so he dipped it with a brush and slowly painted the embossed patterns of dragon, phoenix and auspicious clouds on the candle, and never looked at them again. Huang Zixia asked again: "About Wei Ximin's death, do you always think..." "Okay, I wish he could die!" He said without any concealment, "You eunuch who is a dog, please die sooner! It's a pity that the thunderbolt that day ruined the old man's first name, and caused my candle to explode!"
"Look at this old man... is there any suspicion?" Zhou Ziqin looked at Huang Zixia who was walking forward in silence, and asked cautiously. Huang Zixia frowned, and said as he walked, "I don't know, I have to ask." When we arrived at Fengyifang where Lu's family was located, it was just after Shenshi.A group of women were pounding clothes in the shade of the trees at the mouth of the well, talking about family affairs. Huang Zixia went over to salute everyone and asked, "My ladies and gentlemen, how can I get to Lu Zhiyuan's old man Lu's house?" Several women raised their hands and pointed to a nearby courtyard covered with vines: "Here, that's Lu's house, but old man Lu is in the Xishi store during the day, and now there is no one in his house." "Then...will he go home tonight?" "Of course I went home at night, oh, we are neighbors with him, and sometimes we really hate him. Especially in the past month, this old man has been working with that candle day and night, those copper molds, iron soldering irons Yes, it makes people sleepless every night because of the noise." Another woman interjected: "Isn't that right, do you remember the day before the ceremony in Jianfu Temple? In the middle of the night, Butcher Liu next door was woken up, and the next door scolded him for half the night. Ding Dangdang continued to fiddle with his candles, and Butcher Liu said that he wished he could take an ax and chop his house down!" Huang Zixia asked again: "Then his daughter Di Cui is now..." "Dicui? I don't know..." The woman's face was full of sympathy, and she said, "Oh, such a good girl, she is so beautiful. There are many boys in our workshop who like her, but who knows? So ruined." "Isn't that right? According to me, if the thunder were to strike, it should also kill that man named Sun Mangzi. How did it strike the eunuch in the princess mansion?" "Don't let Lei miss it?" "Maybe it's that grandson who doesn't dare to go out at all?" "Hey, do you guys still remember what happened last month? Dicui hid the thing about her going to fight with Sun Manzi." "Who doesn't remember! That old man Lu is really a wolf! After taking the money from others, he immediately took the wax stick away, and slapped Dicui to the ground with one slap! It's strange to say that, I heard that the mangy grandson I have been ill for many years and have no money for medical treatment, so where can I get so much money for the old man?" "Dicui's life is bitter! I was born without a mother, and this happened when I was about to die..." An emotional aunt lifted up her apron and began to wipe her tears. "It's a good thing to go underground to see her mother early, don't suffer in this world." It seems that the Princess Mansion's measures are well done, and everyone doesn't even know that there is another Wei Ximin who intervened in the tragedy of Dicui. Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin left Fengyifang. Zhou Ziqin was a little worried when he saw that she was in a trance, stepping on the ground like cotton, and he raised his hand to help her by the shoulder and asked, "Chonggu, what's wrong with you?" ?” "Compare your heart to your heart... I think... it's terrible." Huang Zixia murmured, squatting down involuntarily, feeling nausea in his chest. She squatted, leaning her hands on the tree next to her, and could only breathe hard, suppressing the depression in her heart little by little. Zhou Ziqin didn't understand that Yang Chonggu, as an eunuch, had any empathy for a young girl's tragedy. He squatted next to her and looked at her suspiciously for a long time. Seeing her pale face gradually fade, he asked cautiously, "Are you okay?" "...It's all right, I think I might be too tired," she leaned against the tree trunk, and reluctantly explained, "The case that the princess explained seems to be not easy." "That's right, the best explanation is a coincidence, but the princess insists that we find the murderer," Zhou Ziqin said, and then asked with concern, "Shall I take you back to Prince Kui's mansion?" "No...I want to go to Zhang Xingying's place first and have a look...A Di." "Okay, but..." Zhou Ziqin asked cautiously, "Are you hungry? Don't go looking for Adi, let me buy some for you. What do you want to eat?" Huang Zixia glanced at him helplessly: "I think there is a high possibility that Adi is Dicui." Zhou Ziqin jumped up, his mouth was wide open, but his eyes were almost wider than his mouth: "What? Why? How do you know?" "The time when Dicui left home to seek death was about the same as the time when Second Brother Zhang rescued Adi on the mountain road; Adi refused to see anyone, hid in Zhang's yard every day, and secretly cried in the middle of the night..." Huang Zixia said With a long sigh, he whispered, "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Zhou Ziqin continued to be dumbfounded for a long time before shaking his head vigorously: "I don't believe it! Ah Di... and Brother Zhang are so good, how could such a miserable thing happen!" Huang Zixia breathed hard, lowered her eyelashes, and looked down at her feet. On the soil under the shade of the tree, a few ants were hurriedly looking for the direction, crawling around her toes. She blocked the way for the ants to go home. Huang Zixia slowly moved her feet away, seeing the ants happily rushing out of the ant nest, seeing the ants returning home excitedly, and also seeing the ants trampled to death without her noticing, silently To pieces. The world is ruthless, a huge force sweeps everything, and the invisible hand pushes everyone's destiny forward involuntarily.Perhaps the power behind everything that dominates them is also involuntary, and perhaps they don't know that sometimes a small action by themselves is a disaster for others. She lifted her foot and walked to the stone road next to her. Zhou Ziqin looked at her inexplicably, and called her softly: "Chonggu..." She looked up at him slowly: "What?" "Oh..." He looked at her calm face uncertainly, and said hesitantly, "It's nothing... Just for a moment, I thought you were crying." Huang Zixia looked up at the sky and said, "Let's go." "where to?" "Zhang Xingying's house." Zhou Ziqin immediately followed her forward: "Then, Chonggu, in what capacity should we go? Should we assist Dali Temple to solve the case, or..." Huang Zixia pondered for a moment and said, "No, it's just Zhang Xingying's friend."
Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin carried two catties of dried fruit and walked along the hibiscus flower fence outside the yard of Zhang Xingying's house to the big locust tree in the workshop.When she looked up, she saw Zhang Xingying coming from the other side of the alley, with a preoccupied look, lowering her head and walking slowly step by step. Zhang Xingying has a great figure, even when he was reduced to the Duanruitang medicine hall, he was still heroic, but now Huang Zixia watched him walking from there, but he was in a trance, as if he was not walking home, but walking on the road. On a narrow uneven, endless single-plank bridge. "Second brother Zhang!" Zhou Ziqin called him. Then Zhang Xingying raised his head, saw that it was them, and squeezed out a smile on his face: "Oh, it's...it's you, why are you here today when you have time?" "I heard you mention uncle's poor health the day before yesterday, so let's visit." Zhou Ziqin picked up the two catties of red dates and longan and stuffed it into Zhang Xingying's arms. "I brought it for my uncle. Fortunately, Chong Gu carefully reminded me." Huang Zixia hurriedly said: "I can't help it. I have been in Kui's mansion for a short time, and the monthly silver has not been issued yet, so I have to come here empty-handed with the cheek." "Oh, don't be so alien, I'm the happiest if you can come!" Zhang Xingying quickly interrupted her, with a smile on her face, "By the way, I have something good to tell you, thanks to you , this morning, Zuo Jinwuwei has officially sent the official document, and I can join the team tomorrow!" "Great, congratulations!" Zhou Ziqin put his shoulders on his shoulders and laughed happily, "Let me just say it! Wang Yun was really convinced by us yesterday, and he probably knows it himself, so he won't accept Zhang Er again." Brother joined the company, and I can't explain to the three princes!" Huang Zixia was also happy, feeling that he finally no longer owed Zhang Xingying any more.Looking at the smile on Zhang Xingying's face, she said, "Second brother Zhang, congratulations!" Zhang Xingying said: "It's still double happiness. Originally, my father was bedridden for several months, but when he learned that I could enter Zuojinwuwei, he immediately lifted his spirits and could get out of bed in the morning! He returned it to himself. I prepared a pair of medicine, saying that the heart disease has been cured, and it will be cured in a few days!" As he said that, he pushed open the courtyard door and led them inside: "It's a coincidence that you came here, the weather is so hot, Adi said to make locust leaves as a snack, come, let's eat together." Just as he was talking, he only heard the soft sound of clogs. Adi, who was standing in the courtyard, had already avoided the visitor when he saw a guest coming. Zhang Xingying smiled embarrassedly and said, "Ah Di is afraid of strangers, don't mind." Zhang Xingying went in and took Leng Tao and bowls and chopsticks, and the three of them sat down under the grape arbor. Looking at the green and cool Leng Tao in the big basin, Zhou Ziqin almost forgot his own reason for coming.He took the bowl from Zhang Xingying and filled a small bowl first, and praised while eating: "Adi's craftsmanship is really good, I really want to come here every day to eat!" "You can come anytime, you are always welcome!" Zhang Xingying said with a smile. Huang Zixia took a sip and asked, "Second brother Zhang, where did you go just now? I think you didn't look very refreshed just now." "Alas... my sister-in-law's natal brother, who just turned four years old, was lost in the chaos at Jianfu Temple the day before yesterday. The whole family was in a hurry to look for it. Fortunately, there are still many good people in this world. I heard the news this morning. Someone Sent the kid home, so I went over to have a look." Huang Zixia asked in surprise, "Isn't your sister-in-law the only child?" "Yes, this child was adopted by her parents from the clan. After all, there must be someone who inherits the family business. I heard that they were looking for a child the day before yesterday, but because I have been running around recently, I couldn't帮得上忙，心里觉得愧疚。”张行英大哥婚后住在嫂子家中，当时长安婚俗，夫妻婚后习惯在女方家中居住几年，张行英的大哥并不算入赘。 周子秦说道：“张二哥你真是的，孩子回来了不就好了，为这事还心事重重的。” 黄梓瑕听着荐福寺外四岁孩子，脑中不由浮现出那一日大雨中，那个抱着浑身泥浆的小孩子的身影。她望着张行英，问：“送回孩子的……是什么人？” “我去得迟了，只仓促看到他一面，是个……神仙般的人物！”张行英很认真地放下碗，说道，“站在我大嫂家门口，整个院子都明亮起来了。我这辈子啊，真没见过这么好看的人。” 周子秦笑道：“蓬荜生辉？轩轩如朝霞举？” 黄梓瑕沉默着，一言不发。 张行英听不太懂周子秦的话，只说：“嗯，反正就是很好。” “那么……”黄梓瑕捏着筷子的手，不为人觉察地轻颤了一下，“他姓什么，叫什么？” 张行英摇摇头：“不知道。所以说世上好人多啊，他就喝了两口茶水，没留下自己名字就走了，连谢仪都没收。孩子又小，也不知道他姓名和住处，都不知道怎么谢他呢。” 周子秦问：“那他怎么找到你大嫂家的？” “是啊，说来也真是难，小孩子说不出自己家住何处，他只能带着孩子在长安各坊寻找，这个年岁的孩子哪走得动长安七十二个坊？都是他抱着一家一家走过来的，直到今天早上孩子看见自己家喊起来，才算是找着了。” “可惜啊，不知道他是谁，”周子秦叹道，“我还挺想结识他的，有古仁人君子之风，又听你说的长得那么好。” 张行英连连点头：“真的真的！特别出众！” 黄梓瑕只觉得心口微微钝痛，她不愿意再听下去，便转了话题，问：“张二哥，你不叫阿荻也出来吃点吗？” 张行英迟疑了一下，说：“她……她怕生，我想就不用了吧。” “崇古说得对啊！以后大家都是朋友了，阿荻这样怕生可不好，我们还会经常来叨扰的，也想和阿荻打声招呼嘛。”周子秦现在只要是黄梓瑕说的话，都一律附和，十足一个应声虫。 “哦……也是，那我让阿荻出来见见客人。”张行英站起身往屋内走去。 周子秦见他一进门，立即蹑手蹑脚跟了上去，把耳朵贴在了墙上。 黄梓瑕用鄙视的眼神看着他，无声用口型问：“你想干吗？” 周子秦也用口型回答：“听墙角，看看张二哥和阿荻有没有作案嫌疑！” 黄梓瑕被他正义凛然又厚颜无耻的眼神镇住了，明知道不厚道，可也不由自主地与他一起趴在了后面的墙上。 里面传来灶火毕毕剥剥的声音，他们听到张行英说：“阿荻，他们是我朋友，都是很好的人。” 阿荻闷声不响，过了许久，张行英以为她是默认了，便抬手去牵她袖子，说：“来，我带你出去认识一下……” 阿荻却忽然猛地甩开他的手，低声却坚定地说道：“我……不去！” 张行英尴尬地抬着手，怔在当场。 周子秦和黄梓瑕对望了一眼，还来不及交流什么，只听阿荻虚弱颤抖的声音已经传来：“张二哥，求你了……我不要见人！我，我这辈子，已经见不得人了……” 张行英默默看着她，轻声问：“难道，你就准备一直待在这个小院子里，把一辈子就这样挨过去吗？” “你不知道……你不会明白的……”她捂住自己的脸，蹲在地上，拼命压抑着自己失控的哭泣，“张二哥，你是个好人……我，我只想在你的身边好好过下去。我只想待在这个家里，也求你……不要让我出去见人……” 张行英似乎想不到她会有这么大的反应，不由得呆站在她面前，许久也没有动弹。 房间内外一片死寂，只听到阿荻的抽泣声，在房间内隐隐回响：“张二哥……我愿意一辈子为你洗衣做饭，一辈子伺候着你……我只求在这个天地间有这么一个小院子落脚，让我在这里待到死，待到朽烂成泥……张二哥，求你不要把我丢到外面去，不要让我出去见人呀！” 张行英默然听着她的哭泣，一边转头注意外面院子，听外面他们似乎没有响动，又凑近了阿荻一点点，轻声说：“好吧，不见就不见吧，其实……其实我也舍不得让你到外面去。” 阿荻睁大那双含泪的眼睛，死死盯着他。 他抓抓头发，在她的目光下窘迫地脸红了：“其实，我也很喜欢你每天在家等着我回来，知道你肯定不会离开我，知道你唯有我这一个容身之处，就像藏了一个谁都不知道的秘密……” 阿荻含了许久的泪终于掉了下来，她轻声低唤他：“张二哥……” 周子秦听着都有点不好意思了，他用手肘碰碰黄梓瑕，示意她可以离开了。 但黄梓瑕却微微皱起眉，将食指搁在嘴唇上，做了一个噤声的手势。 周子秦见她神情沉郁，若有所思，不由得有点诧异，在心里想了又想，刚刚张行英那番话，难道有什么不对的地方吗？ 屋内的气氛也忽然安静了下来。阿荻身体微微颤抖地看着张行英，许久，才颤声问：“你，你是什么时候……知道我没有容身之处，知道……我的事情？” 张行英愣了一下，不自觉地握紧自己的拳头，低头避开她的视线。 There was silence.木槿花院落外，大槐树下乘凉的人们笑声隐隐，正被风轻送而来。石榴树上趴着一只刚结束了黑暗蛰伏的新蝉，才蜕去外壳，便已经迫不及待蝉鸣声声，枯燥而尖锐的声音，横亘在小院之中。 张行英停了很久，但终于还是开了口，用很缓慢、很轻，但却异常清楚的声音，说道：“去年夏天，我在西市见过你。那时你正蹲在香烛铺门口，在卖花娘篮中拣着白兰花。天下着雨，你笑着挑拣花朵，我从你身边经过，被你脸上的笑意一时晃了神，不小心溅起一颗泥点，飞到了你的手背上……” 阿荻呆呆地用泪眼看着他，又下意识地抬起自己的手，看着自己白皙无瑕的手背。 “那时候，我结结巴巴向你道歉，你却毫不在意拿出手绢擦去泥点，对我笑了一笑，便握着一串白兰花回到店内。我在回家的路上，一遍又一遍地想着你手上那点污渍，想着你的笑，想得太入神，竟然，竟然连回家的路都走错了……” 墙外的黄梓瑕听着他的诉说，觉得自己眼睛热热的，又开始涌上温热的水汽。 而墙内的阿荻慢慢抓住自己的衣襟，用力按着自己的胸口，仿佛只有这样，才能将胸口涌起的那种巨大复杂的波涛给压制下去，不让它铺天盖地将自己淹没。 张行英蹲在她的身边，在灶间吞吐明暗的火舌之前，他定定地瞧着面前的她，轻声说：“后来，我也曾去你家门口偷偷看过你，我看到了你爹对你的忽视冷淡，也听到你时常哼着一首桑条曲，还知道了有很多人上门向你提亲，可你爹索要大笔彩礼，以至于你一直都没说下婆家……” 他说着，苦笑着停了下来，许久才又说道：“那个时候啊，我绝了自己的念头，不敢再去看你了。直到我入了夔王府仪仗队，又曾想过你，可终究也因为变故而没成。直到……直到我在山路上看见昏倒的你，手中还死死攥着根麻绳……后来我才知道，那是你爹丢给你，逼你自杀的……” “他不是我爹，”一直咬紧下唇听他说话的阿荻，此时终于从牙关中狠狠挤出几个字，“我没有爹……我只有一个娘，早就死掉的娘！” 张行英点头，没有说什么，只继续说道：“那时候，我把你带回家，你醒来后，你说自己叫滴……那时我以为你会说自己是滴翠，谁知你却改了口，说自己叫阿荻，那时我就想，你一定遇到了大事。后来，后来我从京城流言中得知你出了这样的大事，我震惊，愤怒，我想杀了孙癞子……可最深的念头，却是我一定要对你更好——我想，都是我的错，如果我早托人上门求亲，说不定……说不定你就不会面临这样的命运了……” “张二哥……”阿荻颤声轻唤他，她坐在灶前，娇小的身躯蜷缩着，颤抖如疾风中的一朵小花。 张行英伸出手，似乎想要抱住她安慰她，但看着她苍白的面容，又想到她遭受那般污辱，恐怕不喜欢和人接触，只能硬生生忍住了。 然而滴翠却轻轻地拉住了他的手，将自己的脸紧紧地贴在了他的臂上。 张行英抬起颤抖的手，情不自禁地搂住了她。 两人就这样偎依着靠在灶间，火光在他们身上投下恍恍惚惚的暖色。 他们听到张行英很缓慢、很清晰的声音，一字字传来：“放心吧，阿荻，所有做过坏事的人，都会得到报应的。” 阿荻也停了许久许久，才慢慢点头，轻声说：“是，就像那一日我们看着魏喜敏被活活烧死一样——你知道魏喜敏吧，要不是他，我不会落得这样地步。” “我知道，公主府的宦官。”他不说自己是怎么知道的，但听的人都知道，对于阿荻，其实他暗地里了解的，比他们想象的都要多。 他们靠在一起，久久不动。 黄梓瑕和周子秦默然回到葡萄架下，坐在那里吃着槐叶冷淘，只是两人都是食不甘味。