Chapter 5 Meet a Tang Dynasty Warrior

With a gentle breeze and moonlight like water, I walked slowly along the West Street to the West Gate, climbed the stairs, and strolled up to the top of the city. The night is deep, because it is deep winter, there is no one on the city wall, it looks extraordinarily cold, and even the moonlight looks more ethereal than under the city. There is a cold seeping slowly from the bottom of my heart, I feel lonely and at ease.I finally came back to this ancient city wall again. It felt like an old friend reunited. I sat down next to the name "Qin Yue" and gently stroked the slender and vicissitudes of the name on the brick, as if I could hear the heartbeat of the city wall and feel Tender love beneath its hard shell.

In the distance, someone is blowing the xun, that is simply not the music of the world, it is the echo of history, it is the cry of the ground, weeping in the night wind, soaking my heart layer by layer.In the wind, I don't know how many souls of the previous dynasty wandered in it, and they made the air on the city wall seem cold and faint. The moonlight became brighter and clearer, and the names on the city bricks gradually became clear, as if they were engraved just yesterday, with faint bloodstains. My heart trembled, and I suddenly made a movement that I couldn't explain—I leaned my face against the city bricks, and softly called that name: Qin Yue!

The moonlight suddenly brightened at that moment, and I knew something was going to happen. There was the sound of clanging footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer, accompanied by the crisp sound of armor colliding.Under the moonlight, the voice was indescribably clear and far away, as if it came from ancient times, but it clearly rang in reality. I turn around. look back. look back. and saw him. A man with heaven and earth! Seeing him, I suddenly understood what I was looking for on this ancient city wall over the past ten years since I was a child. He was wearing a war robe, and the armor was shining with a cold light, and it was not rusted due to age.

He came towards me in the dark, stopped at a distance from me, leaned his spear on the wall, and asked softly, "Are you afraid?" I looked at him, looked into ancient times, and looked into eternity.I replied: "Don't be afraid, you are my friend." I can't explain why I was so brave and calm in that moment, taking everything for granted.I just think that under such a moonlight, on such a city wall, no matter who you meet or what happens to you, it is normal.What's more, a former soldier in spear armor fits the identity of the ancient city wall. I looked into his eyes, as if I had known him for hundreds of thousands of years, as if I knew that he would appear on this city wall, as if I was waiting for him when I went to the city wall today.Sentences from elementary school Chinese homework suddenly came to my mind: "Qin Yue is my good friend. We go to school together and go home together every day. We talk about everything and are inseparable."

I laughed. He said, "My name is Qin Yue." I nod. "I know, I brought you back to life." "Thank you." Still smiling, I accepted his thanks, "Which dynasty are you from?" If it was in broad daylight, if there were people nearby, they would be scared to death by my question, or they would think that I was crazy and talking nonsense. But at that moment, I didn't feel that there was anything wrong with my question, just like interviewing a film and television star, I asked him: "Are you a few hundred years old?" "I'm over a thousand years old, and a fraction is ten or twenty times older than you."

So big, but not a bit old-fashioned, I was more relaxed: "But you look similar to me." "That's because I was only 27 when I died." "Sure enough!" I clapped my hands, "I'm 23 this year, only 4 years younger than you, and I can call you brother at most." When he laughed, his voice was hearty and slightly magnetic, nice, youthful, and even sunny.He didn't look like a ghost at all. I calculated with my fingers, "For more than a thousand years, it was Qing, Ming, Yuan, Song..." Before I could finish the calculation, he automatically provided the answer: "Tang. I am from the Tang Dynasty."

"Tang Dynasty?" That was the most beautiful and prosperous era in history. "Then you must be very familiar with them, Zhao Feiyan, Yang Yuhuan, Wu Zetian," I thought of the recently popular "Daming Palace Ci", "by the way, there is also Princess Taiping." "I'm not familiar with them." Qin Yue smiled, "I'm just a warrior, far away from the palace." "That's such a pity. They are all beauties." I asked him, "By the way, how did you die?" "Fight to death." During Gaozong's period, the border invaded and wars continued frequently. The guards of the city guarded against each other, vowing to protect the safety of women and children in the city with their lives.

The young Qin Yue was one of the dead guards of the city. He knew that he would die that night. Before the moon rose, he confided his thoughts to his companions: "We fight to protect women. This is a man's bounden duty. But I haven't had time yet Really know a woman, and love her vigorously once." On the night when he said this, the enemy came to attack, Qin Yue was shot with many arrows and died in battle.With the last bit of strength, he carved his name on the city bricks with the tip of a spear dipped in blood. It was a full moon night, when the moon had risen to the mid-heaven, and it was as clear as washing, Qin Yue swore to the moon: If many years later, there would be a girl who was as pure and kind as the bright moon.She will appear on this wall, and read my blood-soaked name in the moonlight.At that time, my spirit will be reborn on this city brick, and love her life and death.

Unexpectedly, as time flies, the stars will move, and in the blink of an eye, there will be a thousand years of silence.Qin Yue waited bitterly under the nine springs, and finally waited for my appointment tonight. Yes, this is a date that was made thousands of years ago.As long as I show up, it's the right time, neither too early nor too late.Because he was waiting for me, not others. And I, looking at his resolute face, also deeply understand that this unique warrior is also the person I am waiting for. When we meet, it is as natural and turbulent as the wind blowing over the water, ever-changing, with new ripples and new surprises every minute.

He told me the customs and allusions of the predecessors, and I told him the current etiquette fashion.I danced at the top of the city, and my white cotton skirt danced into a huge lily. I just felt that I had never felt such joy since I was born. I asked him to come closer, smell the perfume on my body, and said that it was the French brand Cavelin, and it was bought by Daier as a gift for me when I went to Hong Kong with her last time. Hongkong?France?He doesn't understand.He said that women in the Tang Dynasty were also fragrant, but they were dyed with spices. I don't believe it. I heard that at that time, women wore thick and thick clothes and didn't take a bath for several months. How could they smell good?

He smiled and didn't argue with me.But I pointed to my pure cotton skirt and said it was not the best material. In their era, there was a kind of silk cotton, which was light and warm, and the whole skirt could be tied together and worn through a ring. I am fascinated.Silk has always been a kind of clothing material that I am in awe of, and I always feel that it is alive.In its previous life, it was a silkworm that ate mulberry hard, spun silk lingeringly, and cocooned itself in despair. The more it struggled, the tighter the entanglement became. Does the whole process look like love?I asked. love.He repeated it softly, seeming a little uncomfortable with the word.Women in our time would not have spoken so boldly about love, he said. I laughed and told him that girls today are different, they go out to work, work like men, and be their bosses.But it's not the queen's boss like Wu Zetian.In modern times, men and women are equal, and being a big official does not mean that you can marry more wives or more husbands. They are all monogamous, and the extra one is called a third party, and a couple only has one child. , more will be fined. He was surprised and showed a simple smile.I noticed that his teeth were white.So I remembered that although there was no toothpaste at that time, it seemed that there was a way to brush teeth, using salt. I asked him this, and he laughed again, paused, and said, "Girls at that time wouldn't ask questions like that, they didn't talk that much." I quickly interrupted: "I know, if you don't show your teeth when you smile, your skirt must be above your knees." For some reason, I was very relaxed in front of him, as if I was ten years younger than my actual age, and suddenly I learned to play tricks and act like a baby. He was a pampered child who was loved and loved. Although there were many arguments, we still had a good chat.He said that he hadn't talked to anyone for thousands of years, and I said that although I talked every day, I was equally lonely. When they broke up, both of them were reluctant to part with each other, so they made an appointment, and if there was moonlight tomorrow night, they would come to this city to meet again. I just don't know how I got home.Dai'er went out last night and never came back. I sat on the edge of the bed with my pillow in my arms, thinking about it and laughing again, until it was dawn before I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly, which is a rare good weather in Xi'an.The scene of last night is vivid in my mind, I know it was not a dream, but I don’t know how to say to Dai’er: I met a man at the top of the city, oh no, it’s a male ghost, a soldier ghost from the Tang Dynasty... Will it scare Dale to death? Working all day is vain, and my mind is in a trance. After sitting until noon, I finally asked for leave and came back early, turned on the computer and searched for detailed information on Tang history online. Qin Yue died in the first year of Gaozong Linde, that is, 664, and he was 27 years old that year. In other words, he is more than 1,300 years old today. According to historical data, in that year, Shangguan Yi, the prime minister of Emperor Gaozong, was sentenced to death for asking to depose Empress Wu. Mother Zheng. Shangguanyi, Shangguan Wan'er, Zheng Shi, when I read these names, I feel an indescribably familiar feeling, and I feel inexplicably sad. Is there any inevitable connection between Shangguan Wan'er's birth and Qin Yue's death, or is it just a coincidence? The online world, like the urban world, is both virtual and real. I don't think there is anything wrong with Qin Yue's appearance, at least, he is no more illusory and terrifying than online hackers. It was so easy to stay up until night, but suddenly it began to rain. Not reconciled, I went out anyway.The red paper umbrella and the green cotton skirt lingered on the wall for a long time, but Qin Yue never appeared. The sky was completely dark, the rain gradually turned to light snow, and the ground was sprinkled, which melted before it hit the ground.Like an unfinished dream. I looked at the sky, it was gloomy without a trace, I was afraid that the snow would get bigger and bigger, and it would still be cold. As a last resort, he had no choice but to go down the city wall resentfully. When I got home, Dai'er asked me where I had been, but I didn't answer, I pulled up the quilt and fell asleep soundly. Dill was bored and was reading her 101st time again: "If a man falls in love with a single flower among millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He can Say to yourself: 'My flower is on one of the stars...' But if the sheep eats the flower, it seems to him that all the stars go out at once Same!" She sighed and said to the wall: "How strange, we can love all the stars because we love a flower, but we can't love all the men because we love one man, on the contrary, because we have That one man, we regard other men as dung..." My heart moved, and the base of my ears suddenly felt itchy. "If someone falls in love with a single flower among the billions of stars..." I murmured, and pushed open the window casually, the snow had stopped, and a round moon shadow faintly appeared on the horizon, as faint as a silent sigh, already revealing its incompleteness.The night was very still and heavy. "He can say to himself: My flower is on one of the stars... But if the sheep eats the flower, it will seem to him that all the stars go out at once. Same!" All the stars are all extinguished... My heart suddenly felt deeply lonely. When I went to work again, I saw male colleagues coming and going around me, and I suddenly found fault with them for no reason. It is unimaginable that Qin Yue would play tricks on women in order to publish the manuscript. It's just a petty profit, but she actually used the trick of framing her. I don't know where the demeanor of men in this world has gone. I remember Xiao Zhang, the editor, once secretly told me that Zhang Jinding’s girlfriend was ugly and savage. Zhang Jinding pursued her not because of love, but because of benefits: the girlfriend’s father is the head of a certain bureau in this city. , then Zhang Jinding is expected to transfer his household registration to Xi'an, and from then on he will fly to the branches and become a phoenix.However, even if Zhang Jinding's goal is achieved, will he really feel satisfied and happy if he sells his feelings in exchange for a city hukou? Faith and dignity have been sold in pieces. When people get some benefits with their left hand, they give something with their right hand, so modern people are not happy, but because they don't know what they are giving, they will not have deep feelings. pain of.All they had were petty quarrels between servants and servants in the Grand View Garden, and all they could get were small favors like rose dew, tuckahoe cream, and the like. I don't know if people are getting smarter or getting dumber. Qin Yue said that a man's bounden duty is to protect women.In his time, there was a clear division of labor between men and women, and there was an absolute difference.Women do not have such great freedom and power today, but women have endless tenderness and pity.They are full of flowers and flowers, and they study spices and silk as their homework, so they don't need to worry about the frequent wars and the changing situation, because there are men like Qin Yue who fought bloody battles for them and died. I long to go back to ancient times by myself. In fact, from the beginning to the end, I felt that I was out of tune with the world around me. Perhaps, my birth was a mistake at all. No wonder my biological parents wanted to abandon me. After three days and nights in a row, the sky cleared up again. The moon had just risen, and I had already rushed all the way to the top of the city. This time, I was wearing jeans, deliberately trying to surprise Qin Yue.In his era, he must have never seen a woman wearing trousers, right? Qin Yue arrived before me, and made fun of him as soon as we met: "Quiet girl, wait for me in the corner of the city. I don't see you, scratch your head and hesitate." I yelled: "So you saw me these three days, but you didn't come to see me." He said nothing, pain and embarrassment flashed in his eyes. What is he worrying about? I changed the topic: "My favorite is the two sentences: 'Weakness, weakness, Hu Bugui?' It makes people feel sad." In fact, I also like "Death and life are broad, enjoy each other with the son, hold the hand of the son, and grow old together with the son".But I dare not say it, not because I am afraid that Qin Yue will laugh at me, I am transparent in front of him, but I can't imagine the situation of holding hands with him, I dare not take risks, I have no way of guessing whether his hands are cold or cold A touch of firmness. Love cannot be tested, I would rather look at him quietly from a distance, as long as he stands in front of me, it is enough. From the beginning, we have been talking about Han Fu and Tang poetry. I only feel that it is very beneficial to discuss ancient poetry with a real ancient man. We walked slowly along the city wall, and he pointed out to me that this is called "horse face", this is called "arrow tower", and this is called "corner platform". At this moment, I suddenly noticed the bricks behind me. On the ground, Qingshuang lightly reveals my footprints, clearly, alone, only - my own line! Although I already knew clearly that Qin Yue was a ghost, but when he really showed it in such a real and specific way, it still shocked me and made me speechless for a while. When he reached the west gate, Qin Yue stopped and said softly: "You once asked me about the concubines and princesses of the Tang Dynasty, but I have actually met one, and that is Gao Yang." "Princess Gaoyang? The one who had an affair with Monk Bianji?" I immediately forgot about the footprints and asked curiously. "Yes, that was really a shocking love." Qin Yue's eyes were calm, and he told me in a low voice about the love tragedy thousands of years ago—— Gao Yang is the most beloved daughter of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. She married Fang Yiai, the son of Fang Xuanling, the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, and Fang Yiai, the regular servant of Sanqi.She was dissatisfied with Fang Yiai's rudeness, refused to have sex with him, and often shut him out.The Fang family was ashamed, but because she was the emperor's favorite princess, and because of her, she was "respectful to her husband" and received many rewards, so they could only bear it. Later, when Gao Yang went to Huichang Temple to offer incense, he met Samana Bianji by chance, was overwhelmed by his profound knowledge and elegance, and fell madly in love with him.So, one is the princess of the court who is the venerable saint, and the other is a Buddhist disciple who is pure and ascetic. These two people who are so far apart fall in love fearlessly. Love itself is already the most complicated and difficult subject in the world, but the love between the princess and the Samana, who is bound by many taboos, is even more difficult and thrilling.Every meeting of them is full of tricks and lingering, because of the excitement and thrills, it is even more precious. They regard every meeting as the end of the world, as the only, as eternity, as farewell.Again and again, it has been a full 8 years, and even had two children. 8 years, even for ordinary couples, is not a short period of time.But the two almost impossible aliens insist on finding a gap between the etiquette and the prohibition, and prolong and prolong their love as much as possible. At all times, the breath of death surrounded them, and a sharp sword hanging above their heads would roar and cut off at any time.However, they are not afraid, they would rather insert the tip of the sword deep into their chests, soaking in the blood of their hearts to savor the most painful and painful love. They escaped all the eyes of the world, but they couldn't escape the regret and hesitation from their hearts.Especially Bian Ji, who was originally the most pious and holy monk who attained Taoism. He once enjoyed a great reputation for writing "Da Tang Western Regions" dictated by Tang monk Xuanzang, and was highly appreciated by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.After meeting the princess, her beauty and indulgence made him the greatest joy in life, but it also made him try the deepest pain of betrayal of faith. Every pleasure for him is both heaven and purgatory, intertwined with the strongest Pleasure and deepest sin. In the end, carnal pleasures are no match for the call of Buddhism. In the 19th year of Zhenguan, Bianji volunteered to go to Hongfu Temple to help Xuanzang translate scriptures, and shut himself up in the Buddhist monastery, away from the world of mortals, away from temptation, and away from the temptation of the flesh. Bitter joy.From then on, the ancient Buddha Qingdeng devoted all his energy to the translation of the Sanskrit scriptures until he died. The opportunity of death comes from an exquisite jade pillow. That was after the debate machine was closed, the princess missed it so much that she bribed the merchant and presented the defense machine with the golden treasure pillow specially used by the royal family.Since then, Bianji has been fasting and reciting Buddha on the day, and sleeps with a pillow at night. Although the two can't meet each other during the day, they meet each other in dreams at night. So three years. One day, a thief entered Hongfu Temple at night, stole a jade pillow and fled, but was caught by the government when selling the stolen goods, and found that the jade pillow was for the imperial court, so he reported it to the court.After layers of investigation, the princess's private affair was leaked, and Tianyan was furious. Taizong personally issued an edict to have Bianji be executed by beheading at the waist under the big willow tree outside the west gate. . Qin Yue still clearly remembers that it was the autumn of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, it was raining heavily, and the alleys in Chang'an City were empty, and almost all the people flocked to the West Market to see the famous Nine Masters of the Hongfu Temple. The beheading of the monk Bianji, one of the virtues. That was Qin Yue's first time facing death so close. Bian Ji's face was peaceful, like a deep sleep.Perhaps, as early as the day he met the princess, from the moment he decided to accept the love of the world of mortals, he had already predicted his own destiny.He paid for his disloyalty to the Buddha with death, and he has no regrets since then, but thinking that the work of translating the scriptures has not been completed, will he have no regrets in his heart? The common people took out their needles and threads and sewed up Bianji's body.The blood under the big willow tree gradually faded in the rain, and it was as red as rouge.And at this moment, Gao Yang got the news and came on horseback, hugged the corpse and let out a cry of grief, but before she could express her grief, she was supported by the royal guards and left. At that time, Qin Yue was just a teenager who knew nothing about the world, but from Princess Gao Yang's eyes, he understood the depth and pain of love for the first time.He will never forget the grief-stricken look in Gao Yang's eyes before he left. If she was just an ordinary woman, even if she cheated on her, she shouldn't be punished so inhumanly, right?At that moment, I don't know whether Gao Yang hated himself for not being born in the emperor's family? Shortly after Bianji's death, Prince Li Zhi built the Ci'en Temple in memory of his deceased mother, Empress Wende, and designated a scripture translation institute, and ordered Xuanzang to lead all the monks to move into the temple.Every night when he was translating the scriptures, he often heard the sound of crying. Xuanzang realized that it was the dead soul of Bianji wandering around, so he specially set up a monk's room to store all the relics of Bianji so that he could still be with him. Translated scriptures until the completion of the hundred-volume "Yogi's Land Treatise". After Gao Yang knew about it, he drove here many times and lingered for a long time, but he couldn't enter the temple. In the fourth year of Yonghui, Gao Yang was sentenced to death for treason.When she died, her only request was to bury the jade pillow with herself. Qin Yue said: "There is a legend in our era that if two men and women who have no destiny have to break up, if they leave something with each other's breath behind, then, after reincarnation, the other party will continue to live together. I searched all the way back with my own logo and resumed the frontier. Just like my spirit is with the name on the city brick, the spirit of Bianji must always follow that jade pillow, right? Thousands of years later, they The spirit of the soul should also be reunited earlier than the kingdom of heaven." I suddenly thought of my gold bracelet, so I raised my wrist to show Qin Yue the pattern on the bracelet: "I'm afraid this bracelet is also a souvenir, right? I just don't know what kind of story it hides?" Surprise suddenly appeared on Qin Yue's face. He stared at the bracelet for a long time, and said in deep thought: "There should be eighteen of these bracelets, right?" "Yeah, how do you know?" After being born for so long, this is the first time someone knows the details of breaking the bracelet, and this contains a great secret about my life experience. My heart couldn't help beating violently, "Have you seen this bracelet? Could it be that it is from the Tang Dynasty?" "Yes." Qin Yue said affirmatively, "It is the treasure of the royal family. It was brought in by the Persian envoys to the Tang court, and Emperor Taizong once gave it to Mr. Shangguan." "Teacher Shangguan?" I exclaimed, "You mean Shangguan Yi who was bestowed to death by Wu Zetian for writing the edict to abolish the Empress?" Thinking of the death of Shangguanyi that I just found out on the Internet a few days ago, I just felt weird and weird in my heart, as if some big secret was gradually approaching, and the truth was about to come to light, but I didn't know what I would hear I don't know what all this has to do with myself. "That's right. I have worshiped under Teacher Shangguan since I was a child, and I have seen this bracelet with my own eyes, so I will never remember it wrong." I suddenly thought, "No wonder you are so proficient in poetry. But, you said you are a warrior? Besides, isn't Shangguanyi the prince's teacher?" Qin Yue smiled: "Haven't you heard the phrase 'accompany the prince to study'?" "you……" "My father worshiped the Minister of the Ministry of Officials and had good friends with the Shangguan family for generations. I was selected to study with the palace since I was a child, and I was deeply taught by my teacher. In the first year of Linde, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, Teacher Shangguan was executed. .My family was also implicated, the female relatives entered the palace as slaves, and the males were all dead soldiers." is that so?I looked at him, he had experienced such a serious disaster, but there was no trace of complaint and hatred on his face, this is a person who only loves but not hates. Qin Yue seemed to read my mind, and said with a smile: "If I have hatred in my heart, I will become a ghost, bring misfortune to the world, and fill the world with resentment. You know, the droughts, floods and wars of the past dynasties have all It is not a natural disaster, but human will, and it is a filth formed by human strife, greed, conspiracy and hatred filling the space between heaven and earth." When he said these words, his whole body exuded gentleness and peace. He said that he was just a ghost, but I felt that he was clearly a god. In fact, what is the difference between ghosts and gods?In my opinion, it's just teaching people to be good or evil. Qin Yue is my god! I suddenly thought of a question: "You said that Shangguan's family was ransacked, but what about the bracelet?" "Naturally, it was also confiscated. But it is strange to say that Mr. Shangguan's family was either executed or expelled from the family. The only ones who survived were the infant Shangguan Wan'er and his mother Zheng. People should not treat her harshly, and gave her the bracelet. It was a coincidence that this bracelet returned to Shangguan's house twice. But what happened later?Where did the bracelet go after that?How did it get into my hands?What have I to do with this bracelet? The root of the bracelet is finally clear, but the mystery of my life experience only becomes more complicated. But the east was getting whiter, the morning star was rising high, and I had to go down the wall.