Chapter 19 Section VI

For several days after the Shangyuan Festival, the sky in Chang'an has been gloomy and gloomy.The severe cold makes people long for a violent snowstorm, which is better than being exhausted like this. When the weather is like this, people are always in a bad mood.The festive season has passed, there is no reason to continue to have fun, and it is freezing outside, and the market suddenly becomes very depressed.Only in front of the temples where Buddha bones are enshrined in turn, there are still crowds of people from morning to night, and the incense is dense.The accident in front of the Da'an Guo Temple was quickly forgotten.

After several transfers, today the bone of the Buddha came to Ximing Temple in Jing'an Fang.Waking up early in the morning, the Sanskrit music was sung from the streets to the alleys, making Jing'an Square, which has always been quiet, very disturbed. In the empty back garden of Han Mansion, Han Xiang reluctantly put down the flute.The sound of the flute was completely covered by the noise from all sides, and the fireworks floated in continuously, filling the branches that had lost all their leaves. "Forget it, I'll blow it to you next time." Han Xiang stretched out his hand and patted the shoulder of the person around him lightly.

Li Mi's face has been cleaned and his hair combed neatly. His thin body is wrapped in a thick cotton robe, and he looks like a handsome and silent young man.But those two eyes that are always motionless make people who don't know it daunting. After a few days, Han Xiang got used to his appearance.Li Mi completely blocked his mind and refused to have any communication with this mortal world. Even if he didn't know the detailed ins and outs, Han Xiang could still understand this. In Li Mi's hands, he tightly held a crooked golden hairpin from morning to night, as if he was holding his own life.Han Xiang remembered this golden hairpin, which was once stuck in the black hair bun of the young girl He Niang.Han Xiang still remembered that in the flower-blossoming courtyard of Jinxianguan, surrounded by the young couple He Niang and Li Mi, he once played a flute for them.It was a bright spring day when the willows were flying, and Li Mi recalled a poem written by his elder brother Changji: "It's a pity that the sun is setting and the fragrance is falling. You don't need a matchmaker to marry the east wind."

Good times are always fleeting, just like such a lovely He Niang, never to be seen again.Whenever he thinks of He Niang, Han Xiang's heart aches unbearably.He hated himself for not protecting He Niang well.He couldn't lie to himself that He Niang married Dongfeng, just as he couldn't lie to himself that Cui Miao was practicing medicine in style, and Pei Xuanjing had ascended the Tao and became the most beautiful fairy in the nine heavens... Even Han Xiangzi, who is as carefree as a half-immortal, cannot turn a blind eye to the obvious crime.But there is not much he can do, he can only take care of Li Mi with all his heart.

When Guo Wei sent Li Mi to Han's residence, he said that he found it in the Jinxianguan Catacombs, but he was vague about the whole process.Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, Han Xiang still understands this truth.The whereabouts of Pei Xuanjing were associated with her uncle's song "Huashan Girl". Not only did she know that she was safe and sound, but she also found Li Mi who had been missing for more than two years. Guo Wei also sent Han Xiang a poem written by Pei Xuanjing, which was written by Changji.It was this poem that helped him soothe Li Mi, who was insane when he first arrived.Han Xiang likes this poem very much——

"Ding Dinghai girl plays with the golden ring, and the bird hairpin lifts her wings. The six palaces stay silent for a lifetime, and the silver list hangs high to illuminate the green hills. The long eyebrows have been green for thousands of years, and the coolness is as cool as the old mirror. The autumn muscles feel a little jade clothes. Cold, the sky is light and the water is like the sky." From Han Xiang's point of view, every word in the poem describes Pei Xuanjing.Pei Xuanjing must be like this in Changji's heart: a fairy who has been silent for thousands of years at the bottom of the sea. When she looks at the mirror for grooming, the vicissitudes of the world pass by her eyes like flowing water.The fairy was not moved at all, but silently stared at the reflection of the sky in the sea.

But Changji definitely never imagined that Pei Xuanjing would fall into the Daming Palace one day. A sudden exclamation interrupted Han Xiang's thoughts.A vague roar came from Li Mi's throat, and he recklessly pushed a person to the ground. "Oh, brother Li!" Han Xiang quickly stepped forward to help him, "Why did you provoke him? It's not like you don't know him..." Li Fuyan coughed violently for a while, before recovering his breath: "I saw something in his hand twitch... It was coming towards you. I just, knew that he had a problem with his brain... That's why I was afraid of accidentally hurting you..."

Han Xiang smiled: "It's okay, isn't it just this precious hairpin? Well, he never leaves his hand all day long." Looking at Li Mi again, he turned a deaf ear to the conversation between the two of them, and was concentrating on holding the golden hairpin and carving a horizontal line on the mountain rock.Several identical horizontal lines have been engraved on the rock from top to bottom. Li Fuyan asked: "What does he mean?" "I guess...could it be keeping track of the date?" "Using this method to keep track of the date?" "He seems to have been underground for more than two years. Maybe this is the only way to mark the date." Han Xiangdao, "I don't know, anyway, he won't hurt anyone. Just don't worry, Brother Li."

Li Fuyan sneered and straightened his scarf.In the daylight, he looked particularly haggard, with a sick and broken look. Han Xiang asked, "Brother Li, how are you doing today?" "Hey, it's uncomfortable to lie down all day. Today I feel that I still have some strength, so I supported myself and went out for a walk." "Did you go to Ximing Temple to see the Buddha bones?" "I went to Ximing Temple, but I didn't see the Buddha bone." Li Fuyan took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over tremblingly, "...but I saw this. I thought it was a bit novel, so I brought it back to Han Lang to have a look. .”

"Oh? What is this?" Han Xiang unfolded it curiously, seeing that the paper was densely filled with words, "It seems like an article?" Han Xiang read it.Outside the courtyard wall, the sound of chanting and praying was humming endlessly, abrupt and dull like winter thunder sounding from the ground.In the empty courtyard, the biting cold wind passed through the gaps of every dead branch. Han Xiang raised his head suddenly: "Brother Li, where did you get this thing?" "It's right in front of Ximing Temple." Li Fuyan said in a low voice, although there were only the three of them in the courtyard, "Someone is selling this in private, fortunately I have some money with me...it's not cheap, it cost a hundred dollars."

"Is there anyone so bold?" "I was shocked when I read it." Li Fuyan said, "Han Lang, do you think what is written here is true?" Han Xiang only felt a pinprick pain in his temple, and his eyes were a little lax.He tried his best to focus on the five words——"Xin Ping Shangxian" is the name of this strange article. Li Fuyan said: "I was horrified to see it! How could the saint be killed? It's just that the nonsense of it still looks good, as if I saw it with my own eyes." Han Xiang's mind was in a mess.Uncle's warning on Languan Road, after a few days, is actually confirmed in this strange article? wrong!Judging from the way of description, "Xin Fairy Shangxian" should be telling about a past event that has happened, not an omen!Could it be that in the Daming Palace, there was a tragedy of regicide, which is still unknown?Could it be just the random fabrication of some people with ulterior motives?But the scenes in the palace described in it, the palace people, servants, and Yin soldiers and generals are all lifelike. It is impossible for someone who walks around in the palace and is familiar with the royal rules to write it. Han Xiang asked Li Fuyan: "Brother Li, have you ever inquired about the source of this article?" "I only heard that this article first appeared on the night of the Shangyuan Festival." "On the night of the Lantern Festival?" "Yes, when the common people poured out of the city to watch the lanterns, several prayer lanterns descended from the sky, and they carried this article with them." Han Xiang furrowed his brows tightly. Doing so was tantamount to telling Quan Chang'an, who would have the guts to do so? "At that time, many people picked it up and looked at it. They were all scared out of their wits. Some were torn up and some were hidden. They didn't dare to say anything. After a few days, people began to talk about it in the streets and alleys, and they were all quietly guessing. When enters the palace, when does the sage ascend to immortality. There are unscrupulous businessmen who dare to make such a windfall of their heads, secretly engrave the articles, and sell them at high prices in crowded places." "You don't want money, don't you?" Han Xiang said, "Once this article is seen by the palace, the consequences will be disastrous." Li Fuyan sighed: "Man dies for money, and bird dies for food. Besides, even if the palace sees it and wants to investigate it, you have to go find the writer. That's the one who started the crime. If you catch the writer and sell it, you won't be able to find out the culprit." Come." "That's true." Han Xiang thought. The author of this article also knew that the matter was important, so he hung it on the prayer lamp and released it so that no one could trace it. Li Fuyan turned over the paper in Han Xiang's hand again: "Look at this again." I saw a small flower drawn in black ink on the lower left corner of the paper, and there were vivid facial features in the flower, like a person smiling. "At the beginning, there were this flower on the back of the article put down by the prayer lamp. So the engraver drew a gourd in the same way, and also marked this flower on the back of the article, but I don't know if it is a mark left by the author?" "Ghost flower!" "Ghost flower?" Before Han Xiang could speak, he heard someone shouting, "Han Lang!" Looking up, it was actually a servant leading Duan Chengshi. "I'm going to find you!" Han Xiang called, "Is your leg okay?" "Almost." Duan Chengshi turned around on the spot, "I'll take a look at Brother Zixu." After speaking, he walked straight to Li Mi and called out softly. Li Mi didn't respond. Han Xiangdao: "He doesn't know anyone, and he can't say anything." Duan Chengshi pursed his lips tightly. Han Xiang sighed: "At least I found him, and I also know the exact news about Jingniang. So far, Jingniang is still able to be independent in the palace." He looked towards Longshouyuan in the northeast, "I believe She can protect herself." Looking away, Han Xiang looked at Duan Chengshi again and asked, "What about you? Can you protect yourself?" Duan Chengshi's expression changed. "By the way, let me introduce you..." When Han Xiang turned around, he realized that Li Fuyan had disappeared. He must have seen a stranger, so he went back to his room to rest.Han Xiang thought to himself, it's fine if he doesn't see you, so he handed the article in his hand to Duan Chengshi, and asked, "Tell me, what's going on?" Duan Chengshi's face turned from red to white, and he muttered in a low voice: "You also know?" "Has the city been full of trouble?" Han Xiang pointed to the ghost flower on the paper, "With this alone, it will find you sooner or later. Why are you so careless?" "...I, alas!" "Tell me, what's going on?" It turned out that one day before the end of last year, Duan Chengshi was writing a story in the "Ghost Flower Room" upstairs in Huihui, when the clerk sent a note.It said that Duan Chengshi was invited to meet in Huaqing Palace when he was hunting in Mount Li, and he would tell him wonderful stories. "Hunting in Mount Li? Huaqing Palace?" Han Xiang thought he heard it wrong. Duan Chengshi said frankly: "I have been fascinated by hunting since the year before last. The sons and daughters of Donggong Chongwen Museum formed a hunting team and went to Lishan Mountain to play almost twice a month. Because night hunting is the most interesting, so We often spend the night on Lishan Mountain, I like the hot springs in Huaqing Palace, and every time I encourage everyone to camp in Huaqing Palace." "Isn't Huaqing Palace already abandoned?" "The palace is abandoned, but the hot springs are still there." Duan Chengshi's tone was full of melancholy, "I like the barren palaces and towers there, I always think, maybe someday, Concubine Yang will come back to wash the cream..." Han Xiang quickly interrupted him: "Just follow the note?" Duan Chengshi nodded and said: "Can you imagine how surprised I was when I received the note? It's not easy for ordinary people to go to Lishan Huaqing Palace. Why did you ask me to meet there? If he really has a good story, directly Come to Ghost Flower Room and tell me, can't you?" Han Xiang frowned tightly: "There must be something invisible?" "I also have doubts, but I still think this arrangement is very interesting, so I wrote the date of the next hunting trip on a note and asked the man to send it back." Han Xiang was speechless. Duan Chengshi said dejectedly: "But that night he invited me to the Huaqing Palace, and after the meeting, he covered my head with a black cloth and sent me to another mysterious place, where I met a person who called himself Xin Fair. I still think about it. I don’t understand the purpose of this approach. If it’s just to hide my real identity and meeting place, wouldn’t it be easier to blindfold me from the ghost flower room and stuff me into the carriage?” "No." Han Xiang said, "The Huihui Building is located in the center of Dongshi, and there are many people around, so the other party will definitely have scruples. I think that if the other party really doesn't want to reveal their identity, it's better to just pretend to be different than make it so complicated." Visit the ghost flower house, tell you the story and leave, if you haven't prepared in advance, even if you want to chase it, it will be futile." "Why don't they do that?" "Unless..." Han Xiang pondered, "That Xin Gongping can't come out." "Can't come out?" Duan Chengshi's eyes lit up, "Yes! He has to stay in that place. It's okay for outsiders to go in, but he himself must not come out. So if he wants to tell me a story in person, he has to Try to get me there." Han Xiang asked: "When you were sitting in the carriage with your head covered, did you try to judge the surrounding environment?" "It took about an hour to go. When I came back, I was dizzy and couldn't remember." "One hour?" Han Xiang frowned, "It's been a long time since I left Mount Li. Are you sure?" Duan Chengshi shook his head: "Blindfolded, I'm scared and anxious, can you count the time accurately? Or maybe I estimated it too long? I've been paying attention to the sounds around me, but I always feel more and more Quiet, like entering a very deep mountain, very cold, very gloomy..." "Will the carriage take you around Lishan?" Duan Chengshi remained silent. Han Xiangdao: "It seems that the place where you met Xin Fair can only be a mystery." "No, I know where it is." Duan Chengshi said, "It's definitely not the human world, but the nether world! Xin Gongyi is definitely not a person, but a ghost!" Han Xiang let out a long sigh. Duan Chengshi grabbed his arm: "Han Lang, tell me, if Xin Fair is not a ghost, how could he tell such a terrible story?" "You know that story is terrible!" Han Xiang was really annoyed, "Then why do you still write it down? It's nothing more than writing it down, and putting it on the prayer lamps and spreading it all over Chang'an City; Forget it, you... you actually drew ghost flowers on the back of the paper, you are trying to cause trouble!" "I didn't!" Duan Chengshi was also anxious, "I wrote it out, but I only wrote a copy and kept it in a collection. It didn't put it on any prayer lamp at all!" "What did you say?" Han Xiangyuan opened his eyes, "Didn't you do it?" Duan Chengshi stomped his feet anxiously: "Han Lang, don't you remember? What were we doing on the night of Shangyuan Festival?" yes!That night they were busy with the case of the Flying Thief and protected the Buddha bone at the last moment.Duan Chengshi was with Han Xiang when the prayer lamp was placed in the sky, so it is absolutely impossible for him to do it. "What's going on?" Han Xiang murmured. Looking at each other, Han Xiang and Duan Chengshi both saw two words in each other's eyes - conspiracy. Someone carefully planned all of this, step by step, and in the name of Duan Chengshi, the story of "Xin Gong's Shangxian" was revealed to the world, harboring unfathomable evil intentions. Duan Chengshi said in a low voice: "I've thought about it many times, but I'm still not sure whether everything described in "Xin Gong Shangxian" is true or not, whether it has already happened or is about to come? The emperor..." "You still have time to worry about the emperor!" Han Xiang said anxiously, "You should think about what you should do first! According to the current momentum, it won't be long before the story of "Xin Fairy Shangxian" will be introduced into the forbidden world. , the Holy Majesty must find out the source when he sees it. The ghost flower house is famous, and you will be found out soon!" Duan Chengshi said: "Don't be afraid! I've figured it out, even if the Holy Majesty uses "Xin Gong's Fairy" to question me, I can push it all away. I just don't know what to say, and I'm just being framed! " "This... can it work?" "Why not? Although there are ghost flowers drawn on the paper, who can prove that I wrote the article and painted the ghost flowers? The articles that have been distributed are all engraved and there is no way to trace them. As for the ghost flowers, anyone who wants to Go to the ghost flower room, and you can trace the pattern on the vertical screen, and then land it on these papers, the purpose is nothing more than to frame me!" Han Xiang said: "Your Majesty will ask, why did you choose to frame you?" "Because I like anecdotes, it's easiest to plant them on my head!" "Is it really possible to fool around like this?" "It's just a gamble." "Wait a minute," Han Xiang asked, "Where is the original manuscript?" "The original manuscript... I hid it." "Where is it hidden?" Duan Chengshi blushed and did not speak. "Well, you don't have to tell me where it's hidden. But you must destroy the manuscript immediately." "...I hid it among ghost flowers." Duan Chengshi asked hesitantly, "Do I have to destroy it? The story of "Xin Gong Shangxian" is too weird, special, and thrilling. I feel that my whole life Here, I am afraid it will be difficult to encounter such a story again.” "I doubt how long your life will last!" Han Xiang lifted his legs and walked away. "where to?" "Huihui Building! Hurry up and burn the manuscript!" Just as Duan Chengshi was about to follow, he suddenly stopped and listened. "Let's go!" Han Xiang called him, "What's the matter?" "I seem to hear a coughing sound, which sounds familiar... Oh, no, I must have heard it wrong." Duan Chengshi shook his head, and hurried out with Han Xiang. It was not until their backs disappeared at the end of the corridor that Li Fuyan flashed out of the room like a ghost. He came in front of Li Mi and sighed: "Everyone in the world suffers, but you have escaped the world of mortals. Fortunately? Sad?" Li Mi just looked at him steadfastly, his dull eyes like a plain mirror, quietly reflecting a face full of bitterness. Slowly, even this face melted into nothingness in his eyes.