Chapter 129 fourth quarter

A powerful unknowable force tore me apart and crushed me.I am no longer "me".From the point of view of physics, I am completely out of the material category, the original body is meaningless to me, it stays in the world of "I" in the mortal world, and I am only left with a bunch of invisible and disordered consciousness.I thought of Einstein Rosen Bridge, and the guessed "wormhole", everything seemed to really exist. On that ideal "bridge", I wandered for a long time, tossing and turning in a thousand years of time and space, seeking my own hometown.I was exhausted physically and mentally, and I made a short stay. That small town has my growing years.But the fragrant garden of Sophora japonica or apricot blossom really doesn’t exist anymore, has it disappeared for a long time?When I stood in front of the newly built skyscrapers, I saw the ruins of the garden, the locust trees and apricot trees were rotting into mud, which seemed to give me a hint—the garden would be lost forever.

In fact, the small town and the flower-scented gardens in the small town are not my real home, just like the short years when I grew up there, it is just my destined station.I finally understood that there is no homeland for me and my tribe.We are a wandering tribe, from the far west to the Persian plateau, to the deserts of the Western Regions, to the Silk Road, to the small Gobi town, we stop for a short time wherever we go, for the fleeting moment of our stay Peace, our tribe has paid too much. I wander the vast Persian plateau.The ancient sacred fire is like stars on the plateau, revealing good or evil to believers, illuminating the way to heaven for the good, and sweeping the evil into the gate of hell.However, ever since the iron hooves of the conquerors set foot on this land, the evil gods have gained the upper hand, and the good gods have left the temple. The holy flame that heralds the light has almost been extinguished, and the world has been dominated by misfortune.

The battle after battle is still fresh in my memory, and I seem to have returned to the Battle of Carleigh in 53 BC.Gold and iron horses, the earth trembled and the mountains shook, and the flags were shouted... The bloody wind blurred my vision. In a daze, Crassus, whose head had been beheaded by the Parthians, came to me. He only said half a sentence: "Deserters..." I asked back: "How do you wear the victor's crown after you lost your head? And the more than 40,000 soldiers you brought out, did they abandon you and return home?" Crassus laughed loudly, because he had no head, his laughter was squeezed out of the windpipe, like a broken blower, and he was panting.After laughing enough, he said, "Touch your own neck! How come you don't even recognize yourself?"

I groped around where the head should be, and was amazed—there was nothing there.I did not find my head. Crassus and I stopped laughing at each other.We shake hands and reconcile.We are one.So far I am even more confused: Crassus is me? "Rosen Bridge" principle?A body that has been decapitated many times has to wait for the ruling of the Senate! After trekking more than 6,000 kilometers of dangerous mountains and rivers, I thought I had returned to my hometown, the home of my soul. This is a place I have never set foot in, but this situation is so familiar to me.Those thick castles and tall colonnades still maintain the pattern of more than 2,000 years ago, but the city walls are somewhat mottled and blurred, like the face of a weather-beaten old man, floating and looming in the illusion of time.I'm supposed to be part of that illusion, right?Because I was impassable before I came to the castle, several guards in armor blocked my way.I remembered what Crassus said, and shouted at the guard: "Hey, I am your commander!" The guard blinked strangely, and suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.Their throats seemed to be cut by sharp swords, and their laughter leaked out from the gap, so unscrupulous and arrogant.I couldn't bear such a laugh, and raised the saber symbolizing power to them.

The guard's laughter stopped abruptly, and they froze a strange expression on their faces. I was brought in front of a tall house. The guard opened the heavy wooden door and pushed me in, and then closed the door with a "bang".The house was large and dark, with heavy tables and chairs, like an auditorium, and also like a court, looking so majestic and solemn.It took me a while to adjust to the light inside, and I saw three huge portraits hanging on the front wall.The men in the painting are all dressed in armor and cloaks, with a sword hanging from their waists.Because it is a bust, only half of the handle of the sword can be seen, with a huge ruby ​​inlaid on it.I feel familiar with those paintings or the swords in the paintings.

Just as I was staring at the wall in a daze, a tall elderly man pushed in through the door. "Who are you? Who am I? Why am I locked up here?" I yelled at the person who came. "I am the Consul of the Senate. You are our guest." "However, your guards saw my sword and decided that I was Crassus, so they brought me here. I know that Crassus died more than two thousand years ago. Who am I?" The consul said with a smile on his face, "You are indeed not Crassus. But you were able to come here because of Crassus' recommendation." I am more puzzled.

"I'll take you to a welcome banquet, and we'll talk about other things later." After finishing speaking, the consul walked up to me and held my hand, and I followed him through a dark and long corridor.The corridor is like a tunnel. A dark and quaint hall was full of people, they were all very old men, and they were drinking.The consul and I sat down at a long table.I asked the consul in a low voice: "This banquet is very strange. Why are there only old people? Where are the young people?" "They all went to the battlefield. Most of them never came back. Some came back, but after several years of war, they all became old people."

My heart, like this hall, has become extremely dark and dull. A few old people came over to clink glasses with me, and then they all drank the wine in the wine cup with their necks raised.We didn't speak, but I recognized them at a glance as the elders who helped Augustus to the throne of the empire. My doubts increased, how could those elders know me?Although they didn't talk to me, that "clink of glasses" was very meaningful. The consul said in a low voice: "They also regarded you as Crassus. But you are not Crassus. You just wear the same sword as Crassus on your waist, and there are three such swords in the empire."

I couldn't help but think of the three portraits I saw just now and the hidden sword hilt at the lower end of the portraits and the red gemstones inlaid on them. "Am I related to Crassus?" I asked, raising my voice impatiently. The consul said: "Don't worry, listen to me slowly. When Julius Caesar was killed, his sword disappeared. Later we caught the murderer, but did not find the sword. This is the empire The history books only record the death of Caesar, but there is no mention of the sword. According to the elders, the person who owns the sword is either of noble birth or an accomplice of the murderer."

"Since you believe that I have the same sword, I am not Crassus, so I should be an accomplice?" "No, no. If we took you as an accomplice, you wouldn't be sitting at the banquet. I'll talk about the sword. Those three swords symbolize supreme power in the empire, except for Caesar and Crassus, the first The owner of the three swords is Pompeii. It was later called the "Three Giants" of Rome. There should be some connection between you holding the same sword and these three people. I invite you to come here today because the Senate is going to re-examine The murderer who assassinated Caesar. We know the world you came from, and I heard that you are familiar with the codes of all dynasties and dynasties all over the world, and are proficient in judging cases and being eloquent. We invite you to investigate the truth of Caesar's death and the whereabouts of the sword."

"How was Caesar assassinated?" "Caesar is really a political genius. He has served as a treasurer, priest, and justice. Because he supported the common people and nobles against Sulla's dictatorship, he was supported by all people; the other two, Crassus and Pompey, were not inferior. , They all hold military power. There is a saying in the East: one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. What's more, the empire has three tigers who hold great power and are keen on fighting! In the struggle for power, the three of them sometimes united and sometimes confronted, but in the end it was Caesar He won a big victory and became the master of the empire. A long time ago, Brutus followed Pompey against Caesar. After Caesar unified Rome, Brutus was silent for a while, but he belonged to the republican party, and Caesar Disagreeing with politics, he never forgot to restore the republic, and finally took the assassination action in 44 BC. After the incident, Brutus fled to Greece, and was later killed by Caesar’s successor, Octavian—our great Emperor Augustus was defeated, he committed suicide and apologized. These things are recorded in history books. Of course, what should have happened has already happened, and we cannot change the past. Now I want you to investigate another thing: someone found Caesar The emperor is not dead." "What?" I looked at the old man in front of me in surprise. "I know that history has carried over two thousand years for you, and you think everything has changed with time. But time is meaningless for some things, like our ancient In the empire, Caesar's name is as ubiquitous as the soul, and it has not been drowned by the long river of time, but it has almost covered up the achievements of the great Augustus; more seriously, the opposition may use his prestige to do something; the emperor The most worrying thing is the Senate. Most of the officials here were former officials of Caesar. If Caesar is really not dead, what will it mean? Things don’t seem to be good. Time was frozen in this way, and we couldn't get out of the maze created by the assassination." "Do you really believe that Caesar is not dead?" "Many people believe it, including the emperor. Because the assassination hides a mystery." "What else is there to say?" "On the eve of the assassination, Caesar received an anonymous threatening letter. He was a little disturbed and asked a wizard for advice. The wizard said that although he was assassinated, he would not die, but went to the far east and became a Buddhist monk. only." "How is it possible? Leaving aside whether he went to the East or not, he won't become a Buddhist just because he launched countless battles and cut off countless heads." "But the wizard's prophecy has been confirmed. There is a new witness from a temple in the East. She said that she had seen Caesar. As for whether Caesar became a Buddhist, I remembered another Eastern saying, 'put down Butcher knife, instantly become a Buddha'. It should be regarded as a blessing for the common people that many people with sharp swords can stay away from the battlefield, and the so-called 'Buddha' is supposed to be for this reason." "Well, since you want me to take part in the investigation, I'd like to meet the wizard and the witnesses." "You'll see them soon." After the banquet, a dance was held in the hall. I can't dance, I just sit and watch.A curvaceous woman in a veil insisted on asking me to dance.I couldn't say no, I could only follow her as she spun in couples. "You must be wondering why I wear a veil differently from other women?" she asked. "Why?" I looked at the beautiful women around me, and indeed only my partner wore a veil. "I am a royal family and have my own mission. I came to the ball because I heard that you are coming." "Do you know me?" "It should be considered acquaintance. Although you don't remember me, we are destined to meet each other." I'm getting more and more confused about what the masked woman said.When we finished dancing and the masked woman left, the consul told me that she was the emperor's niece and the most famous wizard in the empire—one of the people I wanted to meet. It is indeed a little strange that there should be such a noble and beautiful woman in the world as a wizard.I thought of the legend about wolves in the empire, or since the founding of the empire, the emperor's nieces have a tradition of being priests, and wizards should be another realm of priests, right? The one who danced another dance with me was a woman in red.Her dazzling red dress made me feel familiar.However, who is she?I can't remember.Because there are many issues to be considered in the investigation of the assassination, I didn't continue to be entangled in the meditation of who the woman in red was, and I didn't even notice when she left the hall and floated away. The second person I want to see is in court.When I came to the court with the consul, I suddenly felt that this dreamlike empire was really as the consul said, and their time was frozen at a certain moment—because since I came here, the light has been so dim, I have neither I have seen the sunrise and sunset, and there is no work and rest time that I am usually familiar with. I eat when I need to eat, and work when I need to work.They had no concept of time, and after the ball, they announced the opening of the trial for the other party involved in the assassination—and according to my concept of time, it was late at night, and I should be lying in bed and sleeping. The tables and chairs in the hall were rearranged, and besides the consul and me, their chief justice was seated on the rostrum.Some of the people who had just attended the banquet and danced formed the jury, and some sat quietly and waited for our verdict. The assassin's name was Usica, a thin, shrewd man. The judge said to me: "Please interrogate him according to the procedures you are familiar with. We will make a final verdict based on the transcript of your interrogation with the jury." I nodded and started interrogating Usicaa. "Why did you assassinate Caesar?" "He is a dictator who cannot tolerate different political opinions. He will not let go of those who have made great achievements for the great cause of the empire. In the words of the Orientals, it is called 'Flying birds are exhausted, good bows are hidden. Foxes and rabbits are destroyed, lackeys are cooked ’. Such a man will certainly make him many enemies.” "However, have you ever thought that if there was no Caesar's rule in the empire at that time, the country would be torn apart and wars would resume. Later facts also proved that after Caesar was assassinated, the empire experienced seventeen years of civil war. Emperor Augustus quelled the rebellion, reunified the empire and made it stronger, and the people had a stable life." "I see……" "You were instigated by the republicans to carry out an assassination conspiracy, which brought unexpected disasters to the empire. The mastermind Brutus has committed suicide and apologized, so are you willing to obey the law?" "Wait, I have something to say." "Speak!" "We oppose dictatorship, but it is not the same thing as Brutus' ambition to subvert the country. We do not belong to the republican faction, and we have no doctrines or ideas. Our assassination is just to stop Caesar from continuing to engage in dictatorship, and it is not successful. He wanted to kill him. Afterwards we realized that Brutus took advantage of our plan of action. When the assassination caused panic in the country, he wanted to take control of the country under the guise of a 'republic'. But Brutus Adams failed, and we became the murderers, the scapegoats." "Scapegoat? Don't you think you are guilty of assassinating Caesar? The murderer pays with his life. This is an eternal truth." "We didn't kill Caesar, he went to the East, later became a Buddhist, and died in a place called 'Temple of Earth Buddha'." "Why did he give up his power and go to the far east to become a monk?" "This is the prophecy of the wizard. No one can change the prophecy of the wizard." Tufo Temple?In my memory, it was a labor camp.Did there really once be a temple called Tufo Temple?I was puzzled, so I said coldly to Usika, "Is this a lie you made up to excuse yourself?" "I've found witnesses." "Okay, witnesses are allowed to appear in court." A witness was brought up, an illiterate peasant woman.How did such a woman living in a remote place know about Caesar?I asked her about Caesar, and she kept shaking her head, wondering if she didn't understand or didn't know.I had to say to Usicaa, "Your so-called witnesses don't prove your innocence. Is there anything else you can say?" At this time, the woman said: "I can draw, I learned from the master who painted New Year pictures when I was young." I asked Usicaa, "Does this have anything to do with the case?" "Of course it's related. I also learned the whole truth from the portrait she drew." So the woman made a picture on the spot, which was a portrait of a person, exactly like Caesar. "Who are you drawing?" I asked her. "A practitioner with hair. He hasn't left since he stayed in the Tufo Temple. He and the abbot of the temple have been chanting sutras all day long, saying that he is to save the souls of the soldiers who died in battle." If the man in the portrait is indeed Caesar, the woman's words are true.She lived in a faraway place, and could not have faked the painting without meeting Caesar himself. "Usika, even if what the witness said is true, who was the person you killed back then?" "I said that the assassination was a conspiracy. Brutus took advantage of the assassination, and Caesar was a political genius. He saw through the conspiracy. Tired of calculation and the impermanence of the world, he left the Empire by that plot. In fact, no one died in that assassination." The justice said: "Now the court is adjourned temporarily, and we will make a judgment after we have a collegiate discussion." The jury left the hall and went into another room.After a while, they returned to their original seats. The justice stood up and said: "All stand up. The sentence will be pronounced below. Usica's assassination has caused serious consequences to the empire. He is sentenced to hang and executed immediately." Usika is led away by a group of guards. I asked the consul in a low voice: "According to the interrogation just now, although Usika committed the assassination, Caesar did not die. According to the laws of the empire, he should be sentenced to exile." "Yes, Ursica should be sentenced to exile according to the law. But the jury found that he could not be allowed to spread the news that Caesar was still alive, so he must die." "Can the law be so unjust?" "The law is fair, and it serves the state apparatus. Especially in an autocratic empire, its fairness is based on the principle of safeguarding national interests. What's more, Usica was indeed sentenced to hang, and we can't change history. Secrets let Let it be a secret forever!" "So, what does today's trial mean?" "Virtual, or reproduced." I suddenly felt that I had encountered a group of lunatics.According to them, I am worried about the woman who claims to have seen Caesar.I asked, "What about the witness? Is she going to be executed to keep it secret?" "Of course she will not be executed, and she will return to the place where she lives - the far east. She can tell the truth to others, and may tell it very vividly, but who will believe her words? Others will Treat her like a lunatic." "Yeah, who would believe it? There is nothing real about the so-called truth." "You don't have to be discouraged. History represents the truth, and no one can interfere. For example, Usika, although he tried his best to justify himself, but still couldn't escape the end of being executed as a murderer. This is his truth; another example is Caesar, Whether he died in the assassination or left the empire, he lost the supremacy that was his reality." "It seems that it is meaningless for me to come here. I should go back too." The consul suddenly smiled: "Go back? Have you forgotten what happened in the court of your future people?" I didn't understand what he meant, so I turned and left the hall.There were no guards to stop me, I touched the saber on my waist, and it disappeared at some point! Who am I?Why did you come to such an inexplicable place?Did the temple called Tufo Temple really ever existed?An assassination event more than 2,000 years ago and an unverifiable legend made me wander in the lost space of time and space... I seem to be struggling in a dream.I thought I would wake up as usual.But no. The material world really doesn't belong to me anymore.I was empty, floating lightly into the air, and saw my own body lying on the floor of the court in Sand City, a puddle of blood sprayed from my mouth obscuring that completely aged face.I no longer recognize my face. Some people in white coats rushed over and hurriedly lifted the body into the ambulance. I still remember the license plate number of that car. It once carried a woman in a red turban in a car accident on the street. Fast and fast, today it gallops with an unrecognizable body.I lightly chased the ambulance away. Snowflakes floated in the sky, blinding my eyes.Is this the first or last snow of winter?I no longer remember. ...