Chapter 15 Fifteen, Sky Light and Cloud Shadow
E Wang Li Run still met them in the delicately arranged tea room. When Li Shubai mentioned that he wanted to see Chen Nianniang, he looked surprised and asked, "Why did fourth brother ask about her today?"
"I have some small things to ask her."
Li Run said helplessly: "What a coincidence, Chen Nianniang has already left."
"What? Chen Nianniang left?" Huang Zixia was stunned, Li Shubai looked back at her, and then asked Li Run, "When did you leave?"
"Yesterday. She packed up her things and left Prince E's Mansion. She left without saying goodbye, leaving only a letter behind. I'll ask someone to bring it for you to see."
Chen Nianniang's letter arrived immediately. It was said to be a letter, but it was actually just a piece of plain paper with a few lines written on it——
The handwriting is very elegant, but there is a kind of scribbled, a feeling of haste.Li Shubai scanned the letter and handed it to Huang Zixia.
Huang Zixia's eyes fell on the four words "The wish is already made", pondered for a long time, and then handed it back to King E, saying: "In this case, the chance of seeing Nianniang again must be very slim. It's a pity that I am not good at playing the piano. I want to learn from her for a while longer!"
E Wang Li Run smiled and said: "That's nothing. Most of the inner and outer teaching workshops are luthiers, and there are also excellent masters. By the way, yesterday was Wangri. Before I went to the palace to greet the concubine as usual, Chen Nianniang asked me to say that the concubine I like the pipa the most. There was a portrait of the six daughters of Yunshao in the Yunshao Garden in Yangzhou. Some people said that it has a deep flavor of pipa. If the concubine likes it, she can present it for appreciation in a few days. She just smiled and said, "What's so good about a painting, she refused."
Li Shubai asked: "Then, when you came back from the palace, Chen Nianniang had already left?"
"Well, so if the queen mother is really interested, I can't show that painting yet." Li Run laughed.He has a really good temper, and he has a loose smile on his face, obviously he has no grudges against Chen Nianniang.
Li Shubai nodded and said: "Since she has already left, it is obviously not easy to find her. Thank you for letting my seventh brother make tea by himself today."
"Where can I say that the fourth brother can come, I wish for it."
The two exchanged some polite words before Li Shubai took Huang Zixia out.
It wasn't until Li Run who sent them out was left far behind that Li Shubai reined in the horse and stood with Huang Zixia on the streets of Chang'an, staying on the horse for a long time.
Both of them saw some speculation about this matter from each other's eyes.
Li Shubai asked: "Yesterday you said you were going to investigate, where is it?"
"The canal outside Guangzhaifang. If it's not past noon, there may be people carrying water over there. It's better to go in the afternoon."
Li Shubai nodded, raised his head and pondered for a moment, turned his horse's head and walked westward, saying: "Let's go to the West Market."
Huang Zixia flicked the whip lightly, brushing Fusha's buttocks repeatedly, and asked, "Oh? Going to see a juggler again this time?"
He didn't answer, but asked, "What do you think is the biggest doubt and difficulty in this case?"
Huang Zixia said without hesitation: "Although this whole case is complicated and confusing, in my opinion, the biggest doubt lies in how Wang Ruo suddenly disappeared from the impenetrable Yongchun Palace and the heavy guards of two hundred people. It was obviously just an accident. In the blink of an eye, entering the East Pavilion can make people disappear, what is the trick?"
"Yes, Wang Ruo's disappearance should be the key to the whole case. If this mystery is solved, perhaps the case can be outlined and hit the nail on the head." Li Shu Baisong took the reins and let the two horses walk slowly, Said, "Recently, I have also thought about this issue. I think it may be because the trick we saw when we visited the West Market last time affected us too deeply, because there are traps in the birdcage that will make the bird escape, so it is always Let's think about whether there are secret passages in Yongchun Hall."
"But the direction of people's thinking is always like this. For a living person, in a room with almost no furniture, how many places are there for entry and exit? On the top, there is a caisson with palace lanterns hanging, not to mention no skylights, or even houses. Liang. Four walls, two sides are solid earth walls, without any gaps, and there is a door on the other side, leading to the main hall. At that time, the door of the hall was wide open. As long as someone came out, the guards at the door needless to say, the eunuchs in the hall at that time We will definitely see it. There are windows on the last wall, and there are guards guarding the windows, so it is certain that no one has come out. Then there is the bottom, the tunnel or the secret cellar, and we have not found it."
Li Shubai concluded: "In a room surrounded by birdcages on all sides, people just disappeared."
"Well, a few days later, an unrecognizable corpse appeared, but it was not the person who disappeared."
The two discussed in low voices, and they had already arrived at the West Market.
They tied their horses to the West Market Supervision Office, merged into the noise of the West Market, and slowly followed the flow of people.
The West City is still a bustling and lively scene: all kinds of industries, thousands of trips, gathering rare treasures, fine wine from Lanling, and blue-eyed orchids.The extravagant wind brought up by the current emperor is spreading in Chang'an City of Datang.
The shop owner who sells fish tanks still sits there teasing the fish, and looks indifferent to the customers who come to the door.Li Shubai bought the same fish food as last time, and when he turned around and saw Huang Zixia looking at him with complicated eyes, he didn't bother to explain, but when he walked to the door, he still said: "That fish likes this kind of fish food, it seems to have gained weight recently."
Huang Zixia was speechless for a while, and could only say: "Let's go and see that juggling couple."
The couple was actually very early today, and they were already juggling on the street.This time they came up with a trick of turning an egg into a chicken. Although Huang Zixia knew it was just a trick of cheating, she still thought it was cute when the fluffy chicken ran around on the ground, and helped them clean up the mess all over the floor. The runaway chicks were picked up and put back into the cage. The crowd dispersed, and the wife pursed her lips and smiled when she saw her, but glanced at Li Shubai, and asked, "Are you going to learn any tricks again this time?" Huang Zixia said: "The trick that you taught us last time to make the bird disappear has not been used yet - if you can't tame the bird, there is no way! I wonder if you have any tricks that are simpler and more convenient than the last time. ?” The woman smiled and turned to her husband: "Bring that birdcage, and that piece of cloth, yes, the black one." The woman shook the black cloth, indicating that it was indeed a fluffy black linen cloth that did not hide anything, then covered the empty birdcage with the cloth, looked up at Huang Zixia, did not move or speak, just smiled. Huang Zixia knew that this was the secret of tricks, so naturally he couldn't just pass it on to him so easily, so he reached out to Li Shubai. As soon as her eyes moved, Li Shubai knew what it meant, so he took out a small silver ingot from his purse and handed it to her. The juggler's face immediately glowed when she got the money. She grabbed a chicken in the cage with her right hand and approached the birdcage covered with black cloth. With her left hand, she gently lifted the black cloth on the birdcage. , she stuffed the yellow chick into the black cloth-covered cage.She spread her five fingers like flicking a lute, and left the birdcage, indicating that both hands were empty. And behind her, the black cloth moved twice, it seemed that the chicken had really entered the cage. The conjurer smiled at them, and then lifted the black cloth from the birdcage, only to see that the cage was empty. Huang Zixia lifted the birdcage subconsciously, and looked inside carefully, but there was really nothing inside, and the birdcage was crudely made, and it seemed that there was no secret mechanism. The trick lady smiled and said: "This is a cage that has not been touched by any hands and feet. The chick has just hatched from the egg shell and has not received any training. Moreover, the technique of this trick is very simple. No matter who knows it You will surely learn the mysteries.” Huang Zixia and Li Shubai looked at each other, and their eyes fell on the piece of cloth in the hand of the trick lady.Inside the black cloth, something was moving. The conjurer smiled brightly and shook the black cloth away, only to see a small pocket on the inside of the black cloth. The yellow chicken was poking its head out of the small pocket, looking at them blankly and innocently. It was such a simple technique, Huang Zixia couldn't help laughing, and murmured: "So that's how it is..." Before she finished speaking, countless fragments flashed through her mind—— The prophecy of the man who suddenly appeared in Xianyou Temple; the missing assassin in Penglai Temple; the golden hairpin with leaf veins that fell under the rockery; , quickly connected in her brain. This feeling of being connected and suddenly enlightened made her take a deep breath involuntarily, as if she couldn't bear the shock of seeing through the secrets, she fell into a trance. Seeing that she stood motionless on the spot, Li Shubai raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder, but she still didn't respond, so he had no choice but to take her hand, hold her by the sleeve, turn around and leave. Her hand was slender and soft, like a little young pigeon lying quietly in his palm. Inexplicably, he felt a little sweat dripping from the palm of his hand. Huang Zixia stunned and followed him to an elm tree, then heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I'm going to find Zhou Ziqin." Li Shubai slowly let go of her hand, frowned and asked, "What did you think of?" "I want to confirm my conjecture, so I need Zhou Ziqin's help," she said, looking up at him again, and asked, "Do you want to go back to the mansion first?" Li Shubai snorted, and only gave her two words for her behavior of crossing the river and tearing down the bridge: "I won't return." "Then, do you want to go to Zhou Ziqin with me?" Li Shubai, the most busy person in the dynasty, looked indifferent, and turned to look for his horse: "There is nothing left and right, you can go."
Seeing them, the concierge of the Zhou Mansion immediately smiled: "Eunuch Yang, are you here? This is..." Li Shubai sat on the horse and didn't come down. He let the porter show him with a smile, and only said to Huang Zixia: "Go in, I'll wait for you outside." Huang Zixia got off the horse and tied the horse to the horse tie stone at the door.The concierge smiled and said to her: "The young master has ordered you to go directly to the place where he lives in the future. Come, I will show you the way." Huang Zixia thanked him and followed him into the Zhou Mansion.Walking all the way to the corner near the garden, there is a small courtyard full of succulents. The gate of the courtyard was wide open, and there were two boys sitting under the grape trellis turning over the red rope. Zhou Ziqin's voice came faintly: "I... I said Abi and Ayan, come and help me, okay?" "Young master, it's not that we don't help you, it's that the thing is really scary, how dare we touch it!" The two boys didn't even raise their heads, they concentrated on handling the red rope in their hands. Zhou Ziqin's distraught voice could even be heard by Huang Zixia outside the door: "You two bastards, you would rather play with such sissy things than come to help the young master... Ouch, my bones are about to break... ..." The concierge was so commonplace, he calmly smiled at Huang Zixia and left.Huang Zixia entered the courtyard gate and shouted inside: "Zhou Ziqin, come out quickly, there is something urgent!" Zhou Ziqin's voice came from the room, like a savior: "Chonggu, help me! Hurry up... Jianghu rescue! Come and help me!" Huang Zixia looked at the two young men who were still turning the red rope indifferently, and walked to the door of the wing room where the sound came from, and saw that Zhou Ziqin was being pressed down by two bronze figures, a man and a woman, lying on the ground in great pain, with his arms in his hands. On the other hand, he was still hugging a white bone skeleton tightly, refusing to let go. She didn't know what was going on, so she could only go in and drag the two weird bronze figures aside.The bronze figure was half solid and very heavy, so tired that she sat down for a moment. Zhou Ziqin was wearing a Shu brocade robe with a dark green background embroidered with smoked purple peonies and a red belt today. Even if there was dust on the ground, it was still bright and eye-catching.He got up from the ground, touched the skull and said with relief: "Fortunately, it's not broken, otherwise I'd be so distressed—this is a complete young man's skull that I just bought at a high price of 50 yuan. Look at this The graceful and rounded arcs, the neat and white teeth, the deep eye sockets..." Huang Zixia couldn't help interrupting him: "How did you do this?" Zhou Ziqin stroked the skeleton in his arms distressedly, and said: "When I took this bone from the shelf, my foot slipped and I fell down, and then the two bronze figures fell down due to the shock. In order to keep my precious skull , I could only rush to rescue them regardless of my own safety—fortunately, I didn’t ask people to make solid bronze figures, otherwise I would have died under them today!" Huang Zixia looked at the white and perfect skull in his arms, and had a deep understanding of why this handsome, healthy, and cheerful servant boy hadn't settled for a marriage yet—no woman would want to compete with the skull hugged by her husband.This is probably why he was thrown into the most remote corner of the house. "By the way, Chonggu, what can you do with me?" Huang Zixia asked: "Do you still remember those beggars who died under the poisonous arrow tree?" Zhou Ziqin immediately jumped up holding the skeletons: "Of course! I... how could I forget! I will definitely find out the cause of their death!" "I already have some clues, if you want to know, come and help me with something," Huang Zixia motioned for him to put down the skull first, then stood up and walked out, "Remember to change into light and coarse clothes, the more worn the better, Don't go out wearing your bright red and green brocade robe!"
Zhou Ziqin got a horse from the mansion, and the three of them rode the horse towards the northeast of Chang'an City. After walking a few steps, Zhou Ziqin hurriedly urged his horse to approach Huang Zixia, and asked, "Chonggu, do you think the deaths of those beggars are already known?" "Well, we already have a clue, we just need to wait for someone to show up." Huang Zixia nodded and said affirmatively. "Waiting for someone? Who?" Zhou Ziqin asked quickly, "Is it someone very important?" Huang Zixia nodded slightly: "If my guess is correct, as long as she comes, this case that has troubled us for many days can basically be solved." "Who is it that can play such an important role?" Zhou Ziqin looked at her in astonishment. She smiled and said, "Actually, it's just my idea that has just taken shape, and no one has seen it yet!" Zhou Ziqin looked at her suspiciously, but she stopped talking, and only let Zhou Ziqin guess by himself.With a fiery temper, Di Xi rushed to the front, Na Fusha followed closely, and Zhou Ziqin's horse had to obediently lag behind. The three horses filed back and forth, walking along the streets of Chang'an.Zhou Ziqin suddenly slapped his head and said loudly behind them: "I know! I know who the person you said was coming!" Huang Zixia looked back at him in surprise. He held the rein in one hand and waved the other in the air. He stared at her with sparkling eyes, looking excited and yearning: "Is it a girl?" Huang Zixia was slightly surprised: "Well, yes." "A girl of sixteen or seventeen?" "right." "A very beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen!" "It should...be beautiful." Huang Zixia was not so sure about this. "Sure enough, I guessed it right!" Zhou Ziqin grabbed her sleeve excitedly and asked, "Then, when is Huang Zixia coming?" "Huh?" She looked at him in astonishment, speechless. "That's what you said, a beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen can make the whole case come to light as soon as she comes here, who else but Huang Zixia?" Li Shubai was on the horse in front and didn't look back, but Huang Zixia still saw his shoulders twitch slightly, as if he was trying his best to hold back the maniacal laughter that was about to burst out. She was riding on the horse, staring at the sky speechlessly. I really can't imagine if Zhou Ziqin would shed tears when he knew that he was Huang Zixia in front of him.
When approaching the Tai Chi Palace, they abandoned their horses and walked along a remote alley. Zhou Ziqin looked at the three horses behind and asked, "Is our horse all right?" Huang Zixia walked forward with Li Shubai, and said casually, "Don't worry, there is evil to be done, and anyone who dares to steal a horse must be prepared to lose a leg first." Zhou Ziqin immediately showed an envious expression: "That's great, Prince Kui's horse is also guarded against theft." Huang Zixia led them to Guangzhaifang where Youwaijiaofang was located, and stopped. Zhou Ziqin pulled on the clothes he borrowed from the gardener, and while following Huang Zixia along the small river, he asked suspiciously: "Chonggu...it seems a bit far from the place where the beggars died..." "Don't attract attention, let me take a look." Guangzhaifang is outside the Phoenix Gate of Taiji Palace. Huang Zixia looked at the entrance and exit of the palace city and foreign teaching workshop from a distance, guessing the shortest route, and then turned to the place where there were piles of bushes and no one noticed. , checked the traces of the rocks turning around, then pointed to the canal that flows through here, and said to Zhou Ziqin: "Jump down." Zhou Ziqin was dumbfounded: "Chonggu, first, the weather is not good enough for swimming; second, I'm not very good at swimming..." "It doesn't need to be very good. The water here is not deep. You just need to go down and touch something to come up." She said. Li Shubai didn't seem to hear their conversation, and looked up to admire the surrounding scenery. Zhou Ziqin asked again: "Chonggu, what did you drop? I'll ask someone to help you pick it up..." Huang Zixia interrupted him: "I want to find a piece of evidence, which is related to the deaths of those beggars." Before she finished speaking, Zhou Ziqin had already started to undress. This time it was Huang Zixia's turn to look up at the sky, and Li Shubai said beside him, "I'm already wearing such ragged clothes, why are you taking them off?" "Oh, that's right..." Zhou Ziqin tied his clothes again, "My lord, Chonggu, if you want to go into the water in the future, tell me earlier, I'll borrow some water." "Stop talking nonsense, we must keep this matter a secret, and it must not be known." Huang Zixia stretched out his hands and compared the length of a pipa, "There should be such a big thing, maybe it's a package, anyway, it's not small, Look for it." "Okay." Zhou Ziqin jumped into the water with a plop, and plunged into the ditch. Standing on the shore, Li Shubai looked up at the blue sky and white clouds and the lush elm trees, and said with emotion: "The sky is bright and cloudy, the haze has cleared, and the scenery is good." Huang Zixia sat down on a relatively flat piece of bluestone on the bank, feeling that his coercive and seductive tone towards Zhou Ziqin was becoming more and more like Li Shubai, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart.
Not long after, Zhou Ziqin emerged from the bottom of the water, panting, and said, "This ditch is so deep, and the water is quite dirty. It's full of silt and weeds. It seems a bit difficult to find things. How about I call some people?" Come, sift the waters around here carefully?" "No." Huang Zixia squatted on the shore, and said seriously, "Didn't I say it a long time ago, in order not to startle the snake, it's better for the two of us to find this matter slowly." Zhou Ziqin grimaced, with his arms resting on the shore, and looked up at her: "But such a long canal, if I touch something I don't know what it is, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!" "Don't worry, in terms of distance, direction, hidden signs and other aspects, this should be the murderer's first choice. I think it should be here." "...Obviously this place is very far away from the Xingqing Palace where the beggars fell to their deaths. It's impossible to beat..." Zhou Ziqin was still muttering, Huang Zixia stretched out his right hand and pressed him on the top of his head, so Zhou Ziqin was pushed back again In the water, what I wanted to say turned into a string of blisters, all of which were submerged in the ditch. Zhou Ziqin danced and sank in the water for a while, and then came up angrily: "Yang Chonggu, you bastard, you didn't say hello, I, my feet are entangled in water plants!" "Ah? No way!" Huang Zixia became anxious immediately, "I'm sorry, come on, give me your hand, and I'll pull you up." "It's so tight, it's killing me..." Zhou Ziqin shook his feet desperately as he said, Huang Zixia grabbed his hand and pulled it up. In the end, Li Shubai couldn't stand it anymore, and reached out to help. The two pulled each other, and it took a long time before Zhou Ziqin finally got rid of the heavy weight on his feet and climbed up. Both Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin lost their strength, and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "Why are aquatic plants so tough? A big person like you was almost dragged into it." "Don't mention it, I'm so exhausted, it's wrapped around my feet like a cloth. When I saw it underwater, such a big black shadow—" Zhou Ziqin stretched out his hands and made a hug gesture, "Wrapped around my feet I can't shake it off..." Huang Zixia looked at the size of his comparison, and thoughtfully compared the size of the thing he asked him to fish just now. Zhou Ziqin was stunned for a moment. Huang Zixia looked at him, he looked at Huang Zixia, and the two of them looked at each other for a long time before Zhou Ziqin stood up and jumped into the ditch with a plop, and plunged down again. Just when Huang Zixia was about to pick up the things he took out of the water, Zhou Ziqin suddenly got out of the water again and shouted: "Hurry up! Hurry up! There is a big discovery!" "What discovery?" Huang Zixia glanced at Li Shubai, thinking about the possibility of him going into the water to help. "Just now the water was too turbid and I could only see a shadow. Now that the dirt in the water has settled, I can see it clearly! It's not just the package! There's also a corpse!" As soon as this remark came out, even Li Shubai was quite surprised, and asked, "A corpse?" "Yes! And it's still a headless corpse, I can see it clearly, it's absolutely fine!"
The thing that entangled Zhou Ziqin's feet was indeed a package.Inside are a pipa, two pieces of clothes, a jewelry box, and a big stone. At the same time, a headless female corpse was dragged out of the water, tied to another stone.Zhou Ziqin cut the rope on the stone and dragged the body ashore. "I'm exhausted." Zhou Ziqin climbed up and collapsed on the grass by the bank, panting heavily. "Without such a heavy stone, how could things sink?" The other two, who didn't feel guilty at all, squatted next to the corpse and began to study. The headless female corpse was obviously not soaked in water for a long time. Although the skin turned white, it was not too swollen.She was wearing a light and soft skirt. Judging from her slender waist and slender limbs, she was obviously a young and slender woman. "Ziqin, you are familiar with corpses, so let's talk about this corpse." Li Shubai turned to Zhou Ziqin and said. Lying on the ground, Zhou Ziqin said regretfully, "If I knew there was a corpse, you should have told me earlier. I didn't bring any tools." Huang Zixia explained: "I didn't know there would be a corpse, I thought it was just a package." Zhou Ziqin got up, panting, crawled to the corpse, and inspected it roughly. "The deceased was a young woman. She was about five feet three inches tall before she was alive. Her figure...is very good. Among the many corpses I have examined, she can definitely rank first. As the so-called fatness fits, a one-point increase is too long , minus one point is too short..." "Get down to business." Li Shubai had to interrupt him. "Well, she was thrown into the ditch after the murderer cut off her head. The crime scene should be not far from here, and the murderer is a very experienced veteran. You see, the incision on the neck is very neat , clean and tidy, I think it would be difficult to find such a crime scene, such an experienced veteran should be able to perfectly remove all traces, especially when there are weeds and trees nearby." "Hmm...the headless female corpse, it's more difficult to confirm the identity." Huang Zixia said while picking up the pipa in the package and looked at it.The strings of the lute have been broken, but the peonies inlaid with mother-of-pearl are still intact, and their colors are vivid in the sun. It is the pipa that Jin Nu never leaves her hand, and the "Autumn Dew and Frost" given to her by her master Mei Wanzhi. There are many jewelries in the jewelry box, all of which are very exquisitely made. "It's definitely Jin Nu's." Huang Zixia looked intently at the pile of gauze crabapple that Jin Nu wore by his temples when they first met, then closed the jewelry box, and flipped through the two wet clothes. "Is it Jin Nu? That's very possible," Zhou Ziqin asked thoughtfully, "Is it possible that he was tricked into elopement and was killed when he got here? His body and parcel were tied with stones and thrown into the In the river?" "I don't think so. These things should not be packed by Jin Nu himself," Huang Zixia picked out the clothes and said, "Although they all picked out pretty dresses, they only have coats and no underwear. A woman is going out , can it be enough to just change the outer clothes?" "It makes sense..." "So the murderer just took a few clothes at random, intending to pretend to be Jin Nu's elopement." "Then this corpse?" "Jin Nu is about five feet five inches long. If you say this corpse is only five feet three inches, then of course it is not Jin Nu." Zhou Ziqin was still puzzled: "But how could it be such a coincidence that it just appeared here?" Huang Zixia looked at him: "What do you think?" Zhou Ziqin looked at her, then at Li Shubai, and said "ah", "Did the murderer deliberately use it to pretend to be Jin Nu?" "Well, the real Jinnu—" Huang Zixia said calmly, "he should be lying in Wang Ruo's coffin now." Zhou Ziqin jumped up immediately: "What, what? You mean..." "Yes, someone disguised Jin Nu's body as Wang Ruo, trying to use the appearance of this body to end the mystery of the princess' disappearance." "It's horrible!" Zhou Ziqin couldn't help but widen his eyes, "But why did the murderer choose Jinnu and make her suffer so badly?" "Because there are similarities in figure. After all, Wang Ruo is quite tall, and most women are half a head shorter than her. For example, although this woman's body has no head, we can still judge her basic height. It is just the body of a Pipa girl after all. Not as important as the princess, the government will not pay special attention to this, and if the corpse is in the water for a long time, it will be soaked in huge water, and if it is discovered a few days later, it will be more difficult to judge the height," she said, putting the pipa and others back After the package was finished, he signaled Zhou Ziqin to take it away, "Let's store the evidence with you first, it's inconvenient for me to have too many people." "Oh, good," Zhou Ziqin ignored the still flowing muddy water, hugged the package, and then asked, "Where is this corpse?" Huang Zixia coughed dryly and said, "Why don't you... see if I can take it back to your house?" "...Do you think it's possible?" Zhou Ziqin asked. Li Shubai said: "Notify Cui Chunzhan directly, just say that you found the headless female corpse and a package here. As for how Dali Temple judges the identity of the deceased, you just don't interfere. Also, remember to pack all the evidence, what? If we call you sometime, take it with you." "Okay." He said, begging Huang Zixia to inform Cui Chunzhan quickly with a bitter face, and he was waiting there with the package and the corpse.
Huang Zixia and Li Shubai got out of the bushes next to the canal, walked along the deserted road to the neighborhood, and saw a few idlers sitting and chatting under the shade of the trees by the side of the road. Huang Zixia pointed to the ditch and shouted, "The body was fished out of the water over there!" Immediately, several idlers rushed to jump up, some went to watch the fun, some shouted, and some shouted to report to the officials, they were comprehensive and thoughtful, without missing anything. Li Shubai and Huang Zixia walked into the empty alley, while Bi E and Na Fusha were still leisurely chewing the grass on the ground.In fact, it was pitiful to wear a horse bit, and couldn't eat a few grasses at all, but the two horses still rubbed back and forth on the few weeds in the corner bored. The two of them got on the horse and found that even Li Shubai, who had been standing by and watching, had mud marks and water marks on his clothes, mottled and mixed.But the two of them didn't care anymore, they walked slowly on the horse, talking for a while. Huang Zixia asked: "Has Jing Xu returned from Xuzhou's message?" "I'm back. When the arrowhead disappeared, it was the time when Pang Xun's remnants were rampant around Xuzhou." "It is said that when the arrowhead disappeared, the lock of the crystal box did not move, and the things inside disappeared. Is it true?" "It's true. After Jingxu arrived in Xuzhou, he thoroughly investigated the whole matter and interrogated all the soldiers guarding the tower at that time. He found out that it was because of Pang Xun's remnants that he bribed the guards. Huang Zixia said thoughtfully: "And what happened in Xuzhou was spread in the capital in an instant, and it was even changed, with the theory of ghosts and gods attached. It seems that someone must be manipulating this matter behind it, and Deliberately bringing up Pang Xun's affairs, intending to cover up his true intentions." Li Shubai said indifferently: "But I don't know that this is just trying to cover up and self-defeating." "Well, it seems that there is another conjecture that can be matched." They chatted casually and walked past the various workshops in Chang'an. Under the blue sky, Chang'an Seventy-two Square is neat and dignified, standing in the long wind and thin dust.The early summer sun was slightly warm, and Huang Zixia, who was wearing a thin coat, was slightly sweating on his neck.She raised her sleeves and wiped them, and walked slowly along the shade of locust trees on the street, thinking about the mystery in front of her all the way. Li Shubai casually handed her a white handkerchief folded into squares, she took it and wiped it, then she came back to her senses and turned to look at him. Under the shade of the locust tree at this time, his face was covered with a faint glow.The sunshine in May sifted through the leaves, like golden filaments, changing and flowing.But when the sun fell on them, it turned into a little bit of brilliant halo.In such a blurred and changing light, his expression, amidst his usual indifference, seemed to carry something different. For a moment, it seemed that the air between them flowed slowly. Huang Zixia lowered her head and silently walked side by side with him.When approaching Yongjiafang, she suddenly turned the horse's head and urged Fusha to go north. Li Shubai followed her and asked, "Go to Daming Palace, Yongchun Palace?" "Well, I'll go and confirm the last thing, and the case will come to light." "Have you found out everything?" He was slightly surprised, looking at Huang Zixia beside him.The locust trees were sparse, the shade receded, and the golden sunlight shone on them. He saw that Huang Zixia, who was walking side by side with him, was covered with a bright and dazzling light, as if it did not come from the sun that was about to slant west at this time. Instead, it emanates from the body. He was slightly delusional and kept looking at Huang Zixia.And she went straight from the gate of the hall, walked through the front hall, walked along the blue brick flat road and walked through the rockery, then squatted down near the inner hall, pointed to a rockery, and said, "It's here, I picked up Wang Ruo The leaf vein hairpin." Li Shubai nodded slowly.Watching her raise her hand to press the silver hairpin on her head, hold down the curly leaf, pull out the jade hairpin inside, and draw a light white mark on the blue brick floor—— "The front hall, the back hall, and the rockery in the middle. Here..." Her hairpin drew a circle on the rockery, enclosing the highest point. "This is where Wang Ruo's golden hairpin with leaf veins was lost." Li Shubai pointed to the corridor of the outer hall: "This is where we stand." "Yes, on the corridor of the outer hall, there are ten steps and one person, always staring at the entrance of the inner hall. And inside the rockery, there are guards outside the window, who never leave the window." She took off a leaf next to it, and wiped the hairpin in her hand clean , and then quickly and lightly inserted it back into the silver hairpin, raised his head and raised the corners of his lips towards him, showing a bright and clean smile, "The case is over." Li Shubai stood up silently and looked around.Dusk had begun to settle here, and twilight was about to engulf the bright day. They walked out of Yongchun Hall, mounted their horses and left Daming Palace through the corner gate.When he was about to reach King Kui's mansion, Li Shubai suddenly asked, "So, we can already confirm that the body of Yongchun Hall is Jin Nu?" Her voice was brisk: "Yes, I'm sure." "What about this new corpse now?" "I've basically figured it out." She was confident, she turned to look at him, and said, "The reason for all this is because you rescued those two girls in Xuzhou three years ago." Li Shubai stood still, thinking for a long time, without speaking. After a long time, he finally raised his eyebrows slightly, turned his head to look at Huang Zixia with a pair of deep and distant eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Could it be... that person?" Huang Zixia nodded and said, "Other than that, no one else has any chance." Li Shubai frowned slightly, and said: "If this is the case, this will definitely be another disturbance for the Tang court." "It's nothing, this dynasty has always been very tolerant, isn't it?" Huang Zixia sighed and said leisurely. Li Shubai pondered for a long time, and said, "If I persuade you to give up, what do you think?" Huang Zixia remained silent, bit her lower lip and looked at him, saying: "This matter was originally caused by you, if you want to give up, I have nothing to say." "But... is that really the case?" He sat on Bi E, looked up at the unreachable Changtian, and let out a long breath.His gaze was deep and far away, as if he wanted to see the farthest distance in the sky and see the deepest scenery there: "Do you feel unwilling to bury such a secret?" "It has nothing to do with secrets," Huang Zixia followed his gaze, looking at the sky quietly, and said, "I just want to tell the truth, for Feng Yiniang, Jin Nu, who died unjustly, and those who died silently in Chongren. The beggars in the square seek justice." Li Shubai raised his head and said nothing, only watching the light in Yejian change little by little, and it was dusk again. He opened his mouth slowly and said, "Actually, if that person is the culprit behind the scenes, maybe you will have a great opportunity to expose the culprit this time." Huang Zixia looked at him with wide eyes in surprise.而他回头看她，神情微渺和缓：“我会帮你促成此事。你只需要把你所知道的一切，都如实说出来——无论如何，我保你性命。” 她微仰头望着他。此时正是夕阳西下，涤恶与那拂沙回到熟悉的夔王府，正在欢欣地交颈摩挲。而骑在马上的他们，也不觉渐渐贴近，仿佛连对方的呼吸都可以感觉到。 黄梓瑕下意识地拨转那拂沙，与他离开了半尺距离，低声说：“多谢王爷。” 夕阳下，两人的身影拖成长长两条线，明明距离那么近，却始终存着一块空隙，难以填补。
The couple was actually very early today, and they were already juggling on the street.This time they came up with a trick of turning an egg into a chicken. Although Huang Zixia knew it was just a trick of cheating, she still thought it was cute when the fluffy chicken ran around on the ground, and helped them clean up the mess all over the floor. The runaway chicks were picked up and put back into the cage. The crowd dispersed, and the wife pursed her lips and smiled when she saw her, but glanced at Li Shubai, and asked, "Are you going to learn any tricks again this time?" Huang Zixia said: "The trick that you taught us last time to make the bird disappear has not been used yet - if you can't tame the bird, there is no way! I wonder if you have any tricks that are simpler and more convenient than the last time. ?” The woman smiled and turned to her husband: "Bring that birdcage, and that piece of cloth, yes, the black one." The woman shook the black cloth, indicating that it was indeed a fluffy black linen cloth that did not hide anything, then covered the empty birdcage with the cloth, looked up at Huang Zixia, did not move or speak, just smiled. Huang Zixia knew that this was the secret of tricks, so naturally he couldn't just pass it on to him so easily, so he reached out to Li Shubai. As soon as her eyes moved, Li Shubai knew what it meant, so he took out a small silver ingot from his purse and handed it to her. The juggler's face immediately glowed when she got the money. She grabbed a chicken in the cage with her right hand and approached the birdcage covered with black cloth. With her left hand, she gently lifted the black cloth on the birdcage. , she stuffed the yellow chick into the black cloth-covered cage.She spread her five fingers like flicking a lute, and left the birdcage, indicating that both hands were empty. And behind her, the black cloth moved twice, it seemed that the chicken had really entered the cage. The conjurer smiled at them, and then lifted the black cloth from the birdcage, only to see that the cage was empty. Huang Zixia lifted the birdcage subconsciously, and looked inside carefully, but there was really nothing inside, and the birdcage was crudely made, and it seemed that there was no secret mechanism. The trick lady smiled and said: "This is a cage that has not been touched by any hands and feet. The chick has just hatched from the egg shell and has not received any training. Moreover, the technique of this trick is very simple. No matter who knows it You will surely learn the mysteries.” Huang Zixia and Li Shubai looked at each other, and their eyes fell on the piece of cloth in the hand of the trick lady.Inside the black cloth, something was moving. The conjurer smiled brightly and shook the black cloth away, only to see a small pocket on the inside of the black cloth. The yellow chicken was poking its head out of the small pocket, looking at them blankly and innocently. It was such a simple technique, Huang Zixia couldn't help laughing, and murmured: "So that's how it is..." Before she finished speaking, countless fragments flashed through her mind—— The prophecy of the man who suddenly appeared in Xianyou Temple; the missing assassin in Penglai Temple; the golden hairpin with leaf veins that fell under the rockery; , quickly connected in her brain. This feeling of being connected and suddenly enlightened made her take a deep breath involuntarily, as if she couldn't bear the shock of seeing through the secrets, she fell into a trance. Seeing that she stood motionless on the spot, Li Shubai raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder, but she still didn't respond, so he had no choice but to take her hand, hold her by the sleeve, turn around and leave. Her hand was slender and soft, like a little young pigeon lying quietly in his palm. Inexplicably, he felt a little sweat dripping from the palm of his hand. Huang Zixia stunned and followed him to an elm tree, then heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I'm going to find Zhou Ziqin." Li Shubai slowly let go of her hand, frowned and asked, "What did you think of?" "I want to confirm my conjecture, so I need Zhou Ziqin's help," she said, looking up at him again, and asked, "Do you want to go back to the mansion first?" Li Shubai snorted, and only gave her two words for her behavior of crossing the river and tearing down the bridge: "I won't return." "Then, do you want to go to Zhou Ziqin with me?" Li Shubai, the most busy person in the dynasty, looked indifferent, and turned to look for his horse: "There is nothing left and right, you can go."
Seeing them, the concierge of the Zhou Mansion immediately smiled: "Eunuch Yang, are you here? This is..." Li Shubai sat on the horse and didn't come down. He let the porter show him with a smile, and only said to Huang Zixia: "Go in, I'll wait for you outside." Huang Zixia got off the horse and tied the horse to the horse tie stone at the door.The concierge smiled and said to her: "The young master has ordered you to go directly to the place where he lives in the future. Come, I will show you the way." Huang Zixia thanked him and followed him into the Zhou Mansion.Walking all the way to the corner near the garden, there is a small courtyard full of succulents. The gate of the courtyard was wide open, and there were two boys sitting under the grape trellis turning over the red rope. Zhou Ziqin's voice came faintly: "I... I said Abi and Ayan, come and help me, okay?" "Young master, it's not that we don't help you, it's that the thing is really scary, how dare we touch it!" The two boys didn't even raise their heads, they concentrated on handling the red rope in their hands. Zhou Ziqin's distraught voice could even be heard by Huang Zixia outside the door: "You two bastards, you would rather play with such sissy things than come to help the young master... Ouch, my bones are about to break... ..." The concierge was so commonplace, he calmly smiled at Huang Zixia and left.Huang Zixia entered the courtyard gate and shouted inside: "Zhou Ziqin, come out quickly, there is something urgent!" Zhou Ziqin's voice came from the room, like a savior: "Chonggu, help me! Hurry up... Jianghu rescue! Come and help me!" Huang Zixia looked at the two young men who were still turning the red rope indifferently, and walked to the door of the wing room where the sound came from, and saw that Zhou Ziqin was being pressed down by two bronze figures, a man and a woman, lying on the ground in great pain, with his arms in his hands. On the other hand, he was still hugging a white bone skeleton tightly, refusing to let go. She didn't know what was going on, so she could only go in and drag the two weird bronze figures aside.The bronze figure was half solid and very heavy, so tired that she sat down for a moment. Zhou Ziqin was wearing a Shu brocade robe with a dark green background embroidered with smoked purple peonies and a red belt today. Even if there was dust on the ground, it was still bright and eye-catching.He got up from the ground, touched the skull and said with relief: "Fortunately, it's not broken, otherwise I'd be so distressed—this is a complete young man's skull that I just bought at a high price of 50 yuan. Look at this The graceful and rounded arcs, the neat and white teeth, the deep eye sockets..." Huang Zixia couldn't help interrupting him: "How did you do this?" Zhou Ziqin stroked the skeleton in his arms distressedly, and said: "When I took this bone from the shelf, my foot slipped and I fell down, and then the two bronze figures fell down due to the shock. In order to keep my precious skull , I could only rush to rescue them regardless of my own safety—fortunately, I didn’t ask people to make solid bronze figures, otherwise I would have died under them today!" Huang Zixia looked at the white and perfect skull in his arms, and had a deep understanding of why this handsome, healthy, and cheerful servant boy hadn't settled for a marriage yet—no woman would want to compete with the skull hugged by her husband.This is probably why he was thrown into the most remote corner of the house. "By the way, Chonggu, what can you do with me?" Huang Zixia asked: "Do you still remember those beggars who died under the poisonous arrow tree?" Zhou Ziqin immediately jumped up holding the skeletons: "Of course! I... how could I forget! I will definitely find out the cause of their death!" "I already have some clues, if you want to know, come and help me with something," Huang Zixia motioned for him to put down the skull first, then stood up and walked out, "Remember to change into light and coarse clothes, the more worn the better, Don't go out wearing your bright red and green brocade robe!"
Zhou Ziqin got a horse from the mansion, and the three of them rode the horse towards the northeast of Chang'an City. After walking a few steps, Zhou Ziqin hurriedly urged his horse to approach Huang Zixia, and asked, "Chonggu, do you think the deaths of those beggars are already known?" "Well, we already have a clue, we just need to wait for someone to show up." Huang Zixia nodded and said affirmatively. "Waiting for someone? Who?" Zhou Ziqin asked quickly, "Is it someone very important?" Huang Zixia nodded slightly: "If my guess is correct, as long as she comes, this case that has troubled us for many days can basically be solved." "Who is it that can play such an important role?" Zhou Ziqin looked at her in astonishment. She smiled and said, "Actually, it's just my idea that has just taken shape, and no one has seen it yet!" Zhou Ziqin looked at her suspiciously, but she stopped talking, and only let Zhou Ziqin guess by himself.With a fiery temper, Di Xi rushed to the front, Na Fusha followed closely, and Zhou Ziqin's horse had to obediently lag behind. The three horses filed back and forth, walking along the streets of Chang'an.Zhou Ziqin suddenly slapped his head and said loudly behind them: "I know! I know who the person you said was coming!" Huang Zixia looked back at him in surprise. He held the rein in one hand and waved the other in the air. He stared at her with sparkling eyes, looking excited and yearning: "Is it a girl?" Huang Zixia was slightly surprised: "Well, yes." "A girl of sixteen or seventeen?" "right." "A very beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen!" "It should...be beautiful." Huang Zixia was not so sure about this. "Sure enough, I guessed it right!" Zhou Ziqin grabbed her sleeve excitedly and asked, "Then, when is Huang Zixia coming?" "Huh?" She looked at him in astonishment, speechless. "That's what you said, a beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen can make the whole case come to light as soon as she comes here, who else but Huang Zixia?" Li Shubai was on the horse in front and didn't look back, but Huang Zixia still saw his shoulders twitch slightly, as if he was trying his best to hold back the maniacal laughter that was about to burst out. She was riding on the horse, staring at the sky speechlessly. I really can't imagine if Zhou Ziqin would shed tears when he knew that he was Huang Zixia in front of him.
When approaching the Tai Chi Palace, they abandoned their horses and walked along a remote alley. Zhou Ziqin looked at the three horses behind and asked, "Is our horse all right?" Huang Zixia walked forward with Li Shubai, and said casually, "Don't worry, there is evil to be done, and anyone who dares to steal a horse must be prepared to lose a leg first." Zhou Ziqin immediately showed an envious expression: "That's great, Prince Kui's horse is also guarded against theft." Huang Zixia led them to Guangzhaifang where Youwaijiaofang was located, and stopped. Zhou Ziqin pulled on the clothes he borrowed from the gardener, and while following Huang Zixia along the small river, he asked suspiciously: "Chonggu...it seems a bit far from the place where the beggars died..." "Don't attract attention, let me take a look." Guangzhaifang is outside the Phoenix Gate of Taiji Palace. Huang Zixia looked at the entrance and exit of the palace city and foreign teaching workshop from a distance, guessing the shortest route, and then turned to the place where there were piles of bushes and no one noticed. , checked the traces of the rocks turning around, then pointed to the canal that flows through here, and said to Zhou Ziqin: "Jump down." Zhou Ziqin was dumbfounded: "Chonggu, first, the weather is not good enough for swimming; second, I'm not very good at swimming..." "It doesn't need to be very good. The water here is not deep. You just need to go down and touch something to come up." She said. Li Shubai didn't seem to hear their conversation, and looked up to admire the surrounding scenery. Zhou Ziqin asked again: "Chonggu, what did you drop? I'll ask someone to help you pick it up..." Huang Zixia interrupted him: "I want to find a piece of evidence, which is related to the deaths of those beggars." Before she finished speaking, Zhou Ziqin had already started to undress. This time it was Huang Zixia's turn to look up at the sky, and Li Shubai said beside him, "I'm already wearing such ragged clothes, why are you taking them off?" "Oh, that's right..." Zhou Ziqin tied his clothes again, "My lord, Chonggu, if you want to go into the water in the future, tell me earlier, I'll borrow some water." "Stop talking nonsense, we must keep this matter a secret, and it must not be known." Huang Zixia stretched out his hands and compared the length of a pipa, "There should be such a big thing, maybe it's a package, anyway, it's not small, Look for it." "Okay." Zhou Ziqin jumped into the water with a plop, and plunged into the ditch. Standing on the shore, Li Shubai looked up at the blue sky and white clouds and the lush elm trees, and said with emotion: "The sky is bright and cloudy, the haze has cleared, and the scenery is good." Huang Zixia sat down on a relatively flat piece of bluestone on the bank, feeling that his coercive and seductive tone towards Zhou Ziqin was becoming more and more like Li Shubai, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart.
Not long after, Zhou Ziqin emerged from the bottom of the water, panting, and said, "This ditch is so deep, and the water is quite dirty. It's full of silt and weeds. It seems a bit difficult to find things. How about I call some people?" Come, sift the waters around here carefully?" "No." Huang Zixia squatted on the shore, and said seriously, "Didn't I say it a long time ago, in order not to startle the snake, it's better for the two of us to find this matter slowly." Zhou Ziqin grimaced, with his arms resting on the shore, and looked up at her: "But such a long canal, if I touch something I don't know what it is, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!" "Don't worry, in terms of distance, direction, hidden signs and other aspects, this should be the murderer's first choice. I think it should be here." "...Obviously this place is very far away from the Xingqing Palace where the beggars fell to their deaths. It's impossible to beat..." Zhou Ziqin was still muttering, Huang Zixia stretched out his right hand and pressed him on the top of his head, so Zhou Ziqin was pushed back again In the water, what I wanted to say turned into a string of blisters, all of which were submerged in the ditch. Zhou Ziqin danced and sank in the water for a while, and then came up angrily: "Yang Chonggu, you bastard, you didn't say hello, I, my feet are entangled in water plants!" "Ah? No way!" Huang Zixia became anxious immediately, "I'm sorry, come on, give me your hand, and I'll pull you up." "It's so tight, it's killing me..." Zhou Ziqin shook his feet desperately as he said, Huang Zixia grabbed his hand and pulled it up. In the end, Li Shubai couldn't stand it anymore, and reached out to help. The two pulled each other, and it took a long time before Zhou Ziqin finally got rid of the heavy weight on his feet and climbed up. Both Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin lost their strength, and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "Why are aquatic plants so tough? A big person like you was almost dragged into it." "Don't mention it, I'm so exhausted, it's wrapped around my feet like a cloth. When I saw it underwater, such a big black shadow—" Zhou Ziqin stretched out his hands and made a hug gesture, "Wrapped around my feet I can't shake it off..." Huang Zixia looked at the size of his comparison, and thoughtfully compared the size of the thing he asked him to fish just now. Zhou Ziqin was stunned for a moment. Huang Zixia looked at him, he looked at Huang Zixia, and the two of them looked at each other for a long time before Zhou Ziqin stood up and jumped into the ditch with a plop, and plunged down again. Just when Huang Zixia was about to pick up the things he took out of the water, Zhou Ziqin suddenly got out of the water again and shouted: "Hurry up! Hurry up! There is a big discovery!" "What discovery?" Huang Zixia glanced at Li Shubai, thinking about the possibility of him going into the water to help. "Just now the water was too turbid and I could only see a shadow. Now that the dirt in the water has settled, I can see it clearly! It's not just the package! There's also a corpse!" As soon as this remark came out, even Li Shubai was quite surprised, and asked, "A corpse?" "Yes! And it's still a headless corpse, I can see it clearly, it's absolutely fine!"
The thing that entangled Zhou Ziqin's feet was indeed a package.Inside are a pipa, two pieces of clothes, a jewelry box, and a big stone. At the same time, a headless female corpse was dragged out of the water, tied to another stone.Zhou Ziqin cut the rope on the stone and dragged the body ashore. "I'm exhausted." Zhou Ziqin climbed up and collapsed on the grass by the bank, panting heavily. "Without such a heavy stone, how could things sink?" The other two, who didn't feel guilty at all, squatted next to the corpse and began to study. The headless female corpse was obviously not soaked in water for a long time. Although the skin turned white, it was not too swollen.She was wearing a light and soft skirt. Judging from her slender waist and slender limbs, she was obviously a young and slender woman. "Ziqin, you are familiar with corpses, so let's talk about this corpse." Li Shubai turned to Zhou Ziqin and said. Lying on the ground, Zhou Ziqin said regretfully, "If I knew there was a corpse, you should have told me earlier. I didn't bring any tools." Huang Zixia explained: "I didn't know there would be a corpse, I thought it was just a package." Zhou Ziqin got up, panting, crawled to the corpse, and inspected it roughly. "The deceased was a young woman. She was about five feet three inches tall before she was alive. Her figure...is very good. Among the many corpses I have examined, she can definitely rank first. As the so-called fatness fits, a one-point increase is too long , minus one point is too short..." "Get down to business." Li Shubai had to interrupt him. "Well, she was thrown into the ditch after the murderer cut off her head. The crime scene should be not far from here, and the murderer is a very experienced veteran. You see, the incision on the neck is very neat , clean and tidy, I think it would be difficult to find such a crime scene, such an experienced veteran should be able to perfectly remove all traces, especially when there are weeds and trees nearby." "Hmm...the headless female corpse, it's more difficult to confirm the identity." Huang Zixia said while picking up the pipa in the package and looked at it.The strings of the lute have been broken, but the peonies inlaid with mother-of-pearl are still intact, and their colors are vivid in the sun. It is the pipa that Jin Nu never leaves her hand, and the "Autumn Dew and Frost" given to her by her master Mei Wanzhi. There are many jewelries in the jewelry box, all of which are very exquisitely made. "It's definitely Jin Nu's." Huang Zixia looked intently at the pile of gauze crabapple that Jin Nu wore by his temples when they first met, then closed the jewelry box, and flipped through the two wet clothes. "Is it Jin Nu? That's very possible," Zhou Ziqin asked thoughtfully, "Is it possible that he was tricked into elopement and was killed when he got here? His body and parcel were tied with stones and thrown into the In the river?" "I don't think so. These things should not be packed by Jin Nu himself," Huang Zixia picked out the clothes and said, "Although they all picked out pretty dresses, they only have coats and no underwear. A woman is going out , can it be enough to just change the outer clothes?" "It makes sense..." "So the murderer just took a few clothes at random, intending to pretend to be Jin Nu's elopement." "Then this corpse?" "Jin Nu is about five feet five inches long. If you say this corpse is only five feet three inches, then of course it is not Jin Nu." Zhou Ziqin was still puzzled: "But how could it be such a coincidence that it just appeared here?" Huang Zixia looked at him: "What do you think?" Zhou Ziqin looked at her, then at Li Shubai, and said "ah", "Did the murderer deliberately use it to pretend to be Jin Nu?" "Well, the real Jinnu—" Huang Zixia said calmly, "he should be lying in Wang Ruo's coffin now." Zhou Ziqin jumped up immediately: "What, what? You mean..." "Yes, someone disguised Jin Nu's body as Wang Ruo, trying to use the appearance of this body to end the mystery of the princess' disappearance." "It's horrible!" Zhou Ziqin couldn't help but widen his eyes, "But why did the murderer choose Jinnu and make her suffer so badly?" "Because there are similarities in figure. After all, Wang Ruo is quite tall, and most women are half a head shorter than her. For example, although this woman's body has no head, we can still judge her basic height. It is just the body of a Pipa girl after all. Not as important as the princess, the government will not pay special attention to this, and if the corpse is in the water for a long time, it will be soaked in huge water, and if it is discovered a few days later, it will be more difficult to judge the height," she said, putting the pipa and others back After the package was finished, he signaled Zhou Ziqin to take it away, "Let's store the evidence with you first, it's inconvenient for me to have too many people." "Oh, good," Zhou Ziqin ignored the still flowing muddy water, hugged the package, and then asked, "Where is this corpse?" Huang Zixia coughed dryly and said, "Why don't you... see if I can take it back to your house?" "...Do you think it's possible?" Zhou Ziqin asked. Li Shubai said: "Notify Cui Chunzhan directly, just say that you found the headless female corpse and a package here. As for how Dali Temple judges the identity of the deceased, you just don't interfere. Also, remember to pack all the evidence, what? If we call you sometime, take it with you." "Okay." He said, begging Huang Zixia to inform Cui Chunzhan quickly with a bitter face, and he was waiting there with the package and the corpse.
Huang Zixia and Li Shubai got out of the bushes next to the canal, walked along the deserted road to the neighborhood, and saw a few idlers sitting and chatting under the shade of the trees by the side of the road. Huang Zixia pointed to the ditch and shouted, "The body was fished out of the water over there!" Immediately, several idlers rushed to jump up, some went to watch the fun, some shouted, and some shouted to report to the officials, they were comprehensive and thoughtful, without missing anything. Li Shubai and Huang Zixia walked into the empty alley, while Bi E and Na Fusha were still leisurely chewing the grass on the ground.In fact, it was pitiful to wear a horse bit, and couldn't eat a few grasses at all, but the two horses still rubbed back and forth on the few weeds in the corner bored. The two of them got on the horse and found that even Li Shubai, who had been standing by and watching, had mud marks and water marks on his clothes, mottled and mixed.But the two of them didn't care anymore, they walked slowly on the horse, talking for a while. Huang Zixia asked: "Has Jing Xu returned from Xuzhou's message?" "I'm back. When the arrowhead disappeared, it was the time when Pang Xun's remnants were rampant around Xuzhou." "It is said that when the arrowhead disappeared, the lock of the crystal box did not move, and the things inside disappeared. Is it true?" "It's true. After Jingxu arrived in Xuzhou, he thoroughly investigated the whole matter and interrogated all the soldiers guarding the tower at that time. He found out that it was because of Pang Xun's remnants that he bribed the guards. Huang Zixia said thoughtfully: "And what happened in Xuzhou was spread in the capital in an instant, and it was even changed, with the theory of ghosts and gods attached. It seems that someone must be manipulating this matter behind it, and Deliberately bringing up Pang Xun's affairs, intending to cover up his true intentions." Li Shubai said indifferently: "But I don't know that this is just trying to cover up and self-defeating." "Well, it seems that there is another conjecture that can be matched." They chatted casually and walked past the various workshops in Chang'an. Under the blue sky, Chang'an Seventy-two Square is neat and dignified, standing in the long wind and thin dust.The early summer sun was slightly warm, and Huang Zixia, who was wearing a thin coat, was slightly sweating on his neck.She raised her sleeves and wiped them, and walked slowly along the shade of locust trees on the street, thinking about the mystery in front of her all the way. Li Shubai casually handed her a white handkerchief folded into squares, she took it and wiped it, then she came back to her senses and turned to look at him. Under the shade of the locust tree at this time, his face was covered with a faint glow.The sunshine in May sifted through the leaves, like golden filaments, changing and flowing.But when the sun fell on them, it turned into a little bit of brilliant halo.In such a blurred and changing light, his expression, amidst his usual indifference, seemed to carry something different. For a moment, it seemed that the air between them flowed slowly. Huang Zixia lowered her head and silently walked side by side with him.When approaching Yongjiafang, she suddenly turned the horse's head and urged Fusha to go north. Li Shubai followed her and asked, "Go to Daming Palace, Yongchun Palace?" "Well, I'll go and confirm the last thing, and the case will come to light." "Have you found out everything?" He was slightly surprised, looking at Huang Zixia beside him.The locust trees were sparse, the shade receded, and the golden sunlight shone on them. He saw that Huang Zixia, who was walking side by side with him, was covered with a bright and dazzling light, as if it did not come from the sun that was about to slant west at this time. Instead, it emanates from the body. He was slightly delusional and kept looking at Huang Zixia.And she went straight from the gate of the hall, walked through the front hall, walked along the blue brick flat road and walked through the rockery, then squatted down near the inner hall, pointed to a rockery, and said, "It's here, I picked up Wang Ruo The leaf vein hairpin." Li Shubai nodded slowly.Watching her raise her hand to press the silver hairpin on her head, hold down the curly leaf, pull out the jade hairpin inside, and draw a light white mark on the blue brick floor—— "The front hall, the back hall, and the rockery in the middle. Here..." Her hairpin drew a circle on the rockery, enclosing the highest point. "This is where Wang Ruo's golden hairpin with leaf veins was lost." Li Shubai pointed to the corridor of the outer hall: "This is where we stand." "Yes, on the corridor of the outer hall, there are ten steps and one person, always staring at the entrance of the inner hall. And inside the rockery, there are guards outside the window, who never leave the window." She took off a leaf next to it, and wiped the hairpin in her hand clean , and then quickly and lightly inserted it back into the silver hairpin, raised his head and raised the corners of his lips towards him, showing a bright and clean smile, "The case is over." Li Shubai stood up silently and looked around.Dusk had begun to settle here, and twilight was about to engulf the bright day. They walked out of Yongchun Hall, mounted their horses and left Daming Palace through the corner gate.When he was about to reach King Kui's mansion, Li Shubai suddenly asked, "So, we can already confirm that the body of Yongchun Hall is Jin Nu?" Her voice was brisk: "Yes, I'm sure." "What about this new corpse now?" "I've basically figured it out." She was confident, she turned to look at him, and said, "The reason for all this is because you rescued those two girls in Xuzhou three years ago." Li Shubai stood still, thinking for a long time, without speaking. After a long time, he finally raised his eyebrows slightly, turned his head to look at Huang Zixia with a pair of deep and distant eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Could it be... that person?" Huang Zixia nodded and said, "Other than that, no one else has any chance." Li Shubai frowned slightly, and said: "If this is the case, this will definitely be another disturbance for the Tang court." "It's nothing, this dynasty has always been very tolerant, isn't it?" Huang Zixia sighed and said leisurely. Li Shubai pondered for a long time, and said, "If I persuade you to give up, what do you think?" Huang Zixia remained silent, bit her lower lip and looked at him, saying: "This matter was originally caused by you, if you want to give up, I have nothing to say." "But... is that really the case?" He sat on Bi E, looked up at the unreachable Changtian, and let out a long breath.His gaze was deep and far away, as if he wanted to see the farthest distance in the sky and see the deepest scenery there: "Do you feel unwilling to bury such a secret?" "It has nothing to do with secrets," Huang Zixia followed his gaze, looking at the sky quietly, and said, "I just want to tell the truth, for Feng Yiniang, Jin Nu, who died unjustly, and those who died silently in Chongren. The beggars in the square seek justice." Li Shubai raised his head and said nothing, only watching the light in Yejian change little by little, and it was dusk again. He opened his mouth slowly and said, "Actually, if that person is the culprit behind the scenes, maybe you will have a great opportunity to expose the culprit this time." Huang Zixia looked at him with wide eyes in surprise.而他回头看她，神情微渺和缓：“我会帮你促成此事。你只需要把你所知道的一切，都如实说出来——无论如何，我保你性命。” 她微仰头望着他。此时正是夕阳西下，涤恶与那拂沙回到熟悉的夔王府，正在欢欣地交颈摩挲。而骑在马上的他们，也不觉渐渐贴近，仿佛连对方的呼吸都可以感觉到。 黄梓瑕下意识地拨转那拂沙，与他离开了半尺距离，低声说：“多谢王爷。” 夕阳下，两人的身影拖成长长两条线，明明距离那么近，却始终存着一块空隙，难以填补。