Capture the Jade:
Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan put up their skirts to enter the room, and they saw the room full of beautiful things. After careful identification, most of them were familiar faces.
Wu Qi always likes to wear red dresses, and today she is wearing a pomegranate red satin skirt. Seeing Tendu and the others come in, she greeted them with a smile: “You are late, do you think it should be punished or not. “
She acted in a hurry, and her voice was clear and clear. Du Tinglan and Teng Yuyi both saluted, and said with a smile: “It should be punished. You should be fined for drinking or poetry, and there is no ambiguity.”
He said to everyone: “Thank you for waiting for a long time.
The girls all smiled back.
Wu Qi enthusiastically led the two sisters to the table: “We are discussing whether to appreciate the flowers first or to fight poetry first. This is all right. Two eyebrow-sweeping talents came all at once. How about we fight poetry first? What do you think?” How about next?”
Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan took their seats, and Li Huaigu was seated next to them.
Li Huaigu had a peony on each of her jet-black buns, and emerald tinsel on her temples.
She smiled: “Ayu, Sister Lan.”
Teng Yuyi smiled and said, “Sanniang.”
Li Huaigu looked at Teng Yuyi: “Yesterday I wanted to invite you out to play, but your servants said that you were not feeling well and could not go out. I only thought that the wheal rash on your face hadn’t healed yet, but today it seems that it is almost healed. “
Du Tinglan coughed, it’s not that my sister can’t go out, but she has already dressed up as a “prince” and went shopping in the West Market. When Li Huaigu’s post came to my door yesterday, she asked Cheng Bo to reply.
Teng Yuyi pretended to be surprised: “It turns out that you invited me out to play. I woke up yesterday morning with a bit of a cold, so I had to rest on the bed. I vaguely heard the servant come in to reply, but I didn’t listen carefully. Lao Sanniang is worried. , the rash has been cured since I took Yuyan Dan that day.”
Li Huaigu’s face was full of concern, and he wanted to say a few more words. Someone on the other side of Du Tinglan spoke up: “Ms. Du, Mrs. Teng.”
Teng Yuyi turned her head and looked: “Miss Duan.”
This person’s name is Duan Qingying, and she is Duan Ningyuan’s cousin. She has a long face and phoenix eyes. She has inherited the heroic spirit of the Duan family. The silhouette adds a bit of beauty.
Teng Yuyi met Duan Qingying a few times when she was a child, and met again at Liu Guozhang’s birthday banquet last time, but because of Teng and Duan’s family’s divorce, the Duan family’s treatment of Teng Yuyi was not as warm as before. Especially for a junior like Duan Qingying, her attitude is unavoidably a bit unnatural.
This time was no exception, although Duan Qingying took the initiative to say hello, her smile was a bit far-fetched.
Du Tinglan has always been a good-natured person, but when it comes to the matter of the two families retiring, the Duan family’s behavior is really unreasonable. .
Teng Yuyi was calm and composed, she glanced at Duan Qingying indifferently, and then turned her gaze to everyone in the hall.
Wu Qi said: “Since everyone is willing to compete in poetry, let’s prepare pen and ink.”
Someone in the hall resentfully said: “I don’t know anything about poetry and prose. If you sing your songs, I’ll take a nap next to you.”
Everyone roared with laughter.
Teng Yuyi looked over, but she was one of Peng Zhen’s twin daughters.
Peng Huayue grabbed her younger sister, covered her mouth with a smile and said, “My sister is so straightforward that everyone laughs at me, but what Jinxiu said is right. She has been proficient in everything from Cuju, swing, and batting since she was a child, but she doesn’t like it. When studying, let her compose poems on paper and ink, I am afraid that she will not be able to hold a sentence all day.”
Someone immediately echoed with a smile: “The sun is so good today, why bother writing poems in the Yunhui Hall? In my opinion, it’s better to go out and enjoy the flowers. There is a swing in the peach blossom forest. You can also play on a swing when you enjoy the flowers.” .”
The girls were also willing to walk outside, so they agreed unanimously.
Wu Qi smiled and asked people to send tea and fruit to the peach forest, and asked everyone to move to the peach blossom forest.
In the peach blossom forest, the ladies walked around admiring the flowers while talking and laughing freely. The spring breeze slowly passed through the forest, blowing up the colorful scarves in the arms of the girls. The spring light is more dazzling than the peach blossoms on the branches.
Someone said: “It is said that there are hidden mysteries in the Yuzhen Nu Guanguan. In case of military chaos or disaster, you can use the mechanism in the temple to escape, but I have been here so many times, and I can’t see anything.”
“Don’t forget that this Taoist temple was built by Princess Yuzhen’s order of a hundred masters from the Taoist sect. Any tourist who comes here will be able to see the clues. Don’t those masters waste their efforts in building it?”
Wu Qi chose a place that is most suitable for viewing flowers, and ordered the maidservants to decorate and set up mats. Suddenly, Zheng Shuangyin said: “I encountered such a thing in the West Market yesterday. I thought you would not come. Why don’t you come?” The knowledge is still here, but today’s face looks much better.”
Peng Huayue’s complexion suddenly turned ugly: “I made you laugh yesterday. We are distant cousins with Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Rong Anbo’s son. Sister Jiang used to meet my aunt and always called her aunt. Over the years Our family is on Huaixi Road, so we don’t have much contact with the Jiang family, but the friendship between relatives is still there, so when we heard that Sister Jiang had an accident yesterday, we were so shocked that we passed out.”
Peng Jinxiu pouted: “My aunt heard that Sister Jiang had an accident, and she would have cried to death. If it wasn’t for Sister Jiang’s body still in Dali Temple, she would have taken us to Rong’anbo Mansion today to express condolences. A Niang was afraid that we would be sad too, so she forced us to come out and walk around, otherwise my sister and I would stay at home with A Niang.”
“I see.” Zheng Shuangyin and the others sighed sympathetically.
A young lady surnamed Lin panicked and said: “Early in the morning, Marquis Wu came to ask if someone in our house was pregnant. I thought it was something else. After I asked my brother, I found out that Chang’an had an accident recently. There are several such murders.”
“And those who died were all pregnant women.” Another person answered, “Last night, Marquis Wu also came to our house to inquire. He said that if there is a pregnant woman in the family, it must be reported immediately. The government does this , because they are afraid that the murderer will pick a pregnant woman again.”
Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan chose a seat on the banquet table and sat down, inadvertently raised their eyes, and saw Duan Qingying clutching the scarf tightly with both hands, the knuckles were turning white.
Others also noticed that something was wrong with Duan Qingying, and asked in a low voice: “Qingying, are you feeling well?”
Duan Qingying covered her chest and nodded: “I was shocked by this case. I don’t understand why there are such vicious people in the world.”
At this moment, the maidservants came over with cheese and cherries in glass cups, Wu Qi had already seen the strange look on the faces of the people, so she quickly changed the subject: “It’s not easy to enjoy the flowers on an empty stomach, let’s eat something first. “
Teng Yuyi listened to what she said just now, and was curious about the hidden secrets of this female crown temple. Besides, she ate too much Sanqing cake in the morning and couldn’t eat anything for a while. She looked around and saw the swing next to her. She made up her mind. She got up and walked to the swing stand, held the flower ropes on both sides and sat on it, and just tiptoed lightly, the swing took her to float in the spring breeze.
Today she is wearing a moon-white balled lotus flower monofilament flower cage skirt, with a water-colored scarf wrapped around her arms. Bright colors like water lotus.
Everyone saw how delicate and beautiful she was, and sincerely praised her: “What a beautiful woman. Madam Teng, the fabric of your clothes is not unusual, but the color matching and stitching are always different from others.”
Teng Yuyi smiled and said: “If you like the drawings that some embroiderers in Yangzhou helped me with, I will show you those patterns next time.”
The girls jokingly said: “Why bother, we will take turns every month as the host, Mrs. Teng has not returned to Chang’an for several years, or next time I will go to Mrs. Teng’s mansion to make a fuss.”
Teng Yuyi was about to answer, when she suddenly felt two cold eyes cast over her, she caught sight of them from the corner of her eye, her smile became brighter, and she said with a smile: “I have long wanted to invite you all to play in Bifu, I will write a post when I get back. “
While speaking, she pretended to turn her eyes inadvertently, and saw the group of ladies on the right talking and laughing, as if the scene just now was just her illusion.
She is a master at swinging, and she felt unsatisfied after sitting and swinging for a few times, so she simply stood in the middle of the seat and Du Tinglan helped her, and after a few pushes, she swung high into the air. As soon as she moved, the pair of pearl steps on her head also swayed, swaying back and forth non-stop, casting two bright rays of light on the tender white cheeks.
People couldn’t look away anymore, Li Huaigu took a flute from the handmaid with a smile, put it on his lips, and began to play.
Zheng Shuangyin listened to it a few times, and praised sincerely: “People say that Bai’s father and son’s flute sound is the best in the world. I think Li Sanniang’s flute skills are not inferior to Bai’s.”
Zheng Shuangyin is very good at music, and has always been a little arrogant. Even she admires her. It can be seen how outstanding Li Huaigu is in playing the flute. .
At this moment, a melodious sound of the piano suddenly came from behind the wall not far away. The sound of the piano sounded loose, but it inadvertently suppressed the sound of the flute.
Li Huaigu seemed a little powerless, and quickly put Xiao down: “This is—”
The noble ladies raised their eyes and looked at the wall not far away, blushing and said: “Ah, did the sound of the flute alarm His Royal Highness, don’t forget that behind the western wall is the Prince’s Mansion, perhaps After asking His Highness to rest, His Highness specially played the piano to warn…”
There happened to be a few older female crowns who came to deliver tea, and they laughed and said: “It’s not a problem, poor Taoists often chant scriptures and ring bells in the temple, His Royal Highness is the most good-natured, never I will be annoyed by such a trivial matter. I heard that His Highness the Prince of the County is entertaining friends from other places in the mansion today, and His Highness the Crown Prince is also here, so this piano should be played for the guests.”
Peng Jinxiu blushed: “When I was still on Huaixi Road, I heard that His Royal Highness is very good at music. Listening to the sound of the piano today, it can be seen that what I said is true.”
Wu Qi: “Speaking of which, the last time I heard Princess Changyi tell a joke in the palace, it was said that His Royal Highness once was drinking at Zheng Pushe’s house, and when he heard someone playing the flute on the other side, His Highness said Said that this person was sitting on a stone slab to play. Zheng Pushe didn’t believe it, so he hurriedly asked his servants to ask the neighbors, and the result was true. From this, we can see how good His Royal Highness is at recognizing sounds and rhythms. It is said that the only thing in Chang’an that can compete with His Royal Highness is a jade flute, who do you guess is playing the flute?”
It seems that many young ladies know about this, but they only blushed and smiled. Wu Qi glanced from left to right, but no one answered.
Teng Yuyi was playing on the swing, but his attention was on that side. Hearing this, he couldn’t help feeling a little puzzled.
I just heard those senior female champions laughing and saying: “It must be the son of the king. In the past, the little prince often came to the county prince’s mansion to play, and he played the flute with air and style, but it is a pity that he has rarely heard it in the past year. , I heard that Xiao Shizi has gone to work in Dali Temple, and he is too busy to play around on weekdays.”
Lin Chengyou? Teng Yuyi once saw Lin Chengyou holding a jade flute on the eaves of Caifeng Tower, and thought he was just playing for fun, but he didn’t expect him to know this well.
The girls couldn’t help looking towards the west wall, but unfortunately after listening for a while, there was only the sound of the piano, but no sound of the flute.
Du Tinglan raised her head and glanced at Teng Yuyi. Her younger sister is very skilled at playing the piano, and she will definitely be able to appreciate the beauty of the piano sound. Unfortunately, because of her aunt’s illness, her younger sister almost never talks about the rhythm in front of others. Even her sister has such a weird personality. no way.
She said warmly: “In addition to talent and skill, musical instruments also need internal strength to control the breath. I guess the sound of the flute of Cheng Wang’s son can compete with the sound of the piano of His Royal Highness, and this is inseparable. Li Sanniang just couldn’t keep up. The sound of the piano, if you lose, you lose in terms of internal strength, and when it comes to skills, it’s not bad at all.”
Everyone paused, Zheng Shuangyin seemed to think so, remembering that Du Tinglan won the first prize last time, when he looked at Du Tinglan again, there was a little more admiration and tacit understanding in his eyes.
Li Sanniang said modestly: “I dare not compare myself with the two Highnesses.”
Teng Yuyi looked at Li Sanniang meaningfully, and finally swayed vigorously, only to find that there are two towering ginkgo trees outside the peach forest. People can’t see the clues when they are under the trees. Two ginkgo trees look at each other from a distance, and they look a bit like…
Teng Yuyi let out a “huh” in his heart, people said that the layout of the Yuzhen Nuguan Temple has some mystery, so the mystery is actually here.
At this time, several young ladies came to line up and urged Teng Yuyi from the bottom: “Miss Teng, it’s our turn to play.”
Teng Yuyi said “OK” with a smile, and got off the swing by holding on to the flower rope.
***
Lin Chengyou got off his horse in front of the gate of Xinghualou and went straight up to the second floor, where Jiantian and Jianxiguo were waiting in the private room.
The two got up mysteriously and closed the door, and whispered to Lin Chengyou: “All the things the son wants are here.”
Lin Chengyou sat down with his robe lifted, only to see a lot of miscellaneous things on the table, which looked a bit dilapidated, and on top of them were a few books of strange records.
Lin Chengyou flipped through it: “Is it all about the records of the first moon boy?”
Jiantian took the lead and said: “That’s right, once you become a Moon Lord, you will definitely have endless troubles. This demon boy has a pure heart, if he recognizes his master as his mother, he will definitely—”
Lin Chengyou interrupted the two with a smile: “I know what the two seniors said, but I have searched all the relevant records, and there is no record that the first moon boy can cry, but so far In these three homicide cases, some people heard the cry of a baby when the incident happened, do the two seniors know why?”
Jiantian was dumb, but Jianxi said: “It’s not difficult to explain. Think about it. In the past, when the first moon boy came out to make trouble, the seniors and ancestors only knew about it after the fact. They were busy eliminating evil spirits, so how did they know about Yue?” The state of Shuo Tongjun when he left the mother’s body, maybe they will cry as soon as they come out.”
Lin Chengyou glanced out the window, the weather outside was sunny, he thought for a while and said, “Let’s not talk about this for now. Why did the first case happen in Tongzhou, and the second case went to Chang’an? Tongzhou was not pregnant Woman, why did the murderer travel between two places?”
“This——”
Lin Chengyou said: “This is actually not difficult to explain. I checked the topography of Tongzhou last night. The inn is at the midpoint between Tongzhou and Chang’an. It is called Ju’an Inn. Guess why the inn is called ‘Ju’an’ ‘——”
“This name——” Jiantian and Jianxi looked at each other, “Is it for auspiciousness?”
Lin Chengyou: “I asked Liu Facao from the same state, and he said that there was always a riot in that place, and Liu Facao couldn’t tell why there was a riot there, only that there was a riot there decades ago. The nearby mountain temple was built for this reason. It is said that there were no incidents in the first few years, but in recent years there have been frequent accidents nearby, or people fell from the cliffs, or fell to their horses and died. If it is auspicious, it will be named ‘Ju’an’.”
Jiantian thought: “We used to live in peace, but accidents have happened frequently in recent years… Maybe something sinister is about to break out of the ground.”
Jianxi was startled: “This is too unbelievable. It is obviously a peaceful and prosperous age, why are there so many monsters.”
“Let’s not talk about this for now.” Lin Chengyou’s face was a bit serious, “Don’t you think it’s a coincidence that the first case in the same state capital happened there.”
Er Dao was surprised and said: “Your Majesty, are you saying that it was done by that evil thing? But that’s not right, let’s not say that we didn’t notice the evil spirit at the scene, just say that the young couple in Tongzhou, you I also said that my husband was killed by a butcher’s knife, since it was a strange murder, why bother—”
Lin Chengyou said coldly: “What if someone is helping Yaoyi in secret? Don’t forget, that tree demon is just a little demon with a hundred years of cultivation, and suddenly he was turned into a demon. , the Caifeng Tower did not emit a demonic aura, and these doubts have not been explained so far. I searched through the Demon Scriptures and Strange Records last night, but there is a record that mentions ‘babies crying’, and the title of that volume is ‘Naizhong’ .”
“Resistance!” Jian Tian and Jian Xi shot all over their bodies, “This, this is the king of evil spirits who commands Yasha Rakshasa. Impossible, absolutely impossible.”
“But don’t forget that although Naizhong loves to eat young fetuses, he only hates Tongjun Yueshuo. Tongjun Yueshuo is full of evil spirits and can only be regarded as a femininity. It will be different if it enters the body of Tong Jun in the first month of the lunar month, and the baby will be able to cry after passing through the Yang Qi, and it will be nourishing if it is dedicated to Naizhong.”
Jiantian and Jianxi are still shocked: “Impossible, all the records of Zhizhi say that Naizhong has not appeared in the world for two hundred years. It is said that this ghost king is extremely smart and likes to pretend to be a monk and Taoist to play with mortals. Use a maze to trap people, and ask the prey questions in a gentle manner. Those who can answer it may be able to escape the maze, but how many smart people are there in the world? Once they are blocked by it, they will be chewed by it on the spot. And every time this thing appears in the world, there will be thunder in the sky—”
Before the words were finished, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed on the sunny day outside the window, and then, a huge rumbling thunder rolled over the top of the head.
Jiantian and Jianxi were stunned as if they were struck by a thunderbolt.
Lin Chengyou was in doubt, got up and went to the window to see the thunder and lightning. Seeing Tian and Jianxi were full of uneasiness, they hurried to the window, and the bright and winding lightning went straight towards the city, turning into A wisp of scorched smoke slowly fell into the store.
Jiantian and Jianxi said: “Oh no, it seems to be Xiuxiangfang!”
Lin Chengyou’s expression changed, he turned around and ran downstairs.
***
In the county prince’s mansion, the guests sitting in the seat heard the sound of the flute from the next door, and they were vaguely surprised.
The prince listened attentively for a while, then nodded and said: “The skill is not bad, at least ten years of practice, but the internal strength is weak, otherwise you will be able to keep up with the sound of the emperor’s piano.”
The king of Chun’an pressed down on the strings: “Who is watching the flowers today?”
The steward held the plaque just inscribed by the king of Chun’an County, and replied: “I heard that the young lady of Wu Ruyun’s family held a flower viewing party in the temple. There were many people who came, including two thousand pieces of gold from Zheng Pushe’s family, General Teng’s little lady…”