Tang riddles

As night fell, Shen Sui left the cabin and came to the deck.It was pitch black all around, except for the faint flickering of fishing lights.The cold river wind blows her robe, she puts her hands behind her back, closes her eyes, and follows the ups and downs of the waves, feeling as if she has entered a wonderful place.

However, before she could experience this situation for a long time, footsteps sounded behind her.She knew who it was, she didn't look back, and said with a smile:

"Tingfang, you are really astute."

"Hehehe, seeing that the sect master left the table early, he knew that the sect master had called me." Wu Tingfang walked to her side and said with a smile.

"Ting Fang, you've been in business for many years, traveling all over the world, and you've done this ship many times." Shen Sui asked.

"The number of times is so many that I can't even remember." Wu Tingfang said.

"Did someone disappear on the ship for no reason?" Shen Sui asked.

"Yes, but it's not true if you say it's without a reason. Either you fell into the water drunk, or lost your footing, or fell into the water after fighting with others. It's just a result of falling into the water. If no one notices, it's called a 'disappearance without reason' , most of them died just like that." Wu Tingfang glanced at Shen Sui's handsome profile, and said:

"The head of the sect is thinking about the disappearance of the governor of Jingzhou?"

"Yes..." Shen Sui sighed, then she lowered her head and smiled, turned her head to look at Wu Tingfang and said:

"But this is not the question I want to ask you. You are in the timber business, so you should know the special products in Kuizhou."

"Of course it's shipbuilding." Wu Tingfang said without hesitation, "I don't know how many times I have sold wood to Kuizhou people. I have to say that Kuizhou's shipbuilding skills are really superb. There is a poem that says: The husband in the gorge never dies lightly. Less in Gongmen and more in water. The rich have money to drive a big boat, and the poor take it to a rower.”

"Then do you know, do people in Kuizhou like to engrave Kui dragon patterns on their boats?" Shen Sui asked.

Wu Tingfang was taken aback, then laughed loudly and said, "Your question is really interesting. The dragon has been a symbol of the royal family since ancient times. If it wasn't for the royal family's shipbuilding, it would not be possible to carve Kui dragon patterns on the ship casually. The legendary beast like Kuilong still has a lot of sentimentality."

Shen Sui nodded, and said: "Of course I know that the Kuilong pattern is a special emblem for the royal family. However, one thing has puzzled me for a long time. Many years ago, I saw someone engrave the Kuilong pattern on the coffin and buried it in the coffin. But he is not an emperor. "Shan Hai Jing" records: It looks like a cow, with a green body and no horns, and one foot. When entering and leaving the water, there must be wind and rain. Its light is like the sun and the moon, and its sound is like thunder. Its name is Kui. "Shuowenjie Explanation of "Zi": Kui, the charm of the gods, is like a dragon with one foot. The latter's condition was used by the royal family because it was related to the dragon, and since then it has been engraved on the country's most important utensils."

"Is the former or the latter engraved on the coffin?"

"Neither of them. The lines are more ancient and complicated. They have horns. They only have one foot. They are as long as a snake." Shen Sui recalled with a frown.

"That probably can't be called the Kui dragon pattern. It is more accurate to call it the Kui dragon pattern. As far as I know, the Kui dragon pattern appeared after the Han Dynasty." The customs of the ancient Chu people can hardly be seen now. The people of Chu worshiped the phoenix, unlike the people of the Central Plains who worshiped the dragon. In the thinking of the Chu people, the dragon is an illusion of insects crawling on the ground, and it is incomparable with the phoenix of the fire. The phoenix is ​​the symbol of the high sun in the sky. They think that the dragon is a symbol of the underworld, so someone will engrave the dragon pattern on the coffin. In the oldest period, it probably had a sense of witchcraft, to curse the people of the Central Plains."

"Hehe, I understand. The king of Zhou divided the world, and the people of Chu left the Central Plains. They were looked down upon by all the countries in the Central Plains. They couldn't enter the center of the world at that time, and they felt depressed." Shen Sui nodded and smiled.

She raised her hand and patted Wu Tingfang, and said with a smile:

"I know it's right to ask you. I heard that you are writing a notebook novel recently, but is it related to Zhiguai?"

Wu Tingfang blushed, shook his head repeatedly and said:

"I'm really ashamed, I'm not doing my job properly, and the sect master knows about it."

"Hey, what's the point. I think it's pretty good. This is your hobby. You don't have to care what others say. When it's finished, you have to show me." Shen Sui said with a smile.

Wu Tingfang's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands and said, "Sect master, in fact, my novel uses you as the main character. The things you experienced are really interesting, and I want to compile them together. What do you think?"

"Me?" Shen Sui was amazed, and then laughed loudly, "It seems that I have experienced so many strange things that I need to publish a book. Well, when I have time later, I will dictate, and you will take notes. I will tell you some interesting things that I have experienced."

"Thank you sect master!" Wu Tingfang was overjoyed.

Shen Sui's smile didn't reach his eyes, and there was a hint of pain in his eyes.

Who would know how traumatic the strangest and mysterious thing she experienced was.But this matter will be buried in her heart forever and will not be mentioned to outsiders.

***

Shen Jin was sitting by the desk, with her Jiaowei Qin in hand.Her slender fingers were carelessly hooking the strings of the piano, as if she was a little distracted.

Seeing that Erlang looked like this after dinner, the bluebird couldn't help feeling a little worried, and asked:

"Erlang, what's wrong with you?"

Shen Jin regained his senses, looked at the blue robin, shook his head with a faint smile, and said:

[I'm fine, but I'm more concerned about some things. 】

"What's the matter?" Bluebird asked.

[About Yuan Qianhe. ] She answered silently.

Bluebird frowned, a little puzzled.She didn't understand why Erlang cared about the blind girl, although the blind girl did look very conspicuous.

【Blue Robin, go to the kitchen and boil some hot water for me. I'm a little tired, so I'll take a break. 】

"Here."

After the bluebird left, Shen Jin plucked the strings a few more times.Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind blowing in from the porthole, and when I looked up, a figure was already sitting by the porthole.It was Yuan Qianhe.

"Qianhe is rude, Erlang, can I sit here?" Qianhe asked.

Shen Jin froze for a moment, smiled, and rang the bell.

Chizuru nodded, took out her shakuhachi from her waist, and pulled up the corner of her clothes to wipe it.

Shen Jin pushed the wheelchair to her side. Qianhe heard the movement and reached out her hand. She knew that Shen Jin wanted to "talk" to her.

Shen Jin held her hand and wrote in her palm:

【You always go through the window instead of the door? 】

"Hahaha, indeed." Qianhe was happy.

Shen Jin curled the corner of his mouth and wrote again:

[Can you teach me Shakuhachi? 】

"If Erlang wants to learn, how can Qianhe refuse." He said and handed the shakuhachi that had just been wiped in his hand to Shen Jin.

Shen Jin took it and put it on his lips.She can play the flute a little bit, and she thinks maybe the shakuhachi is similar.But I didn't expect that the first breath could not be blown.She frowned, took another breath, and blew vigorously, "Puff puff puff", Shakuhachi made a sound like a leak.

Qianhe laughed out loud, out of breath with joy.Shen Jin was annoyed, and puffed for the third time, his cheeks were round, and he closed his eyes and puffed again. "Beep", she seemed to have blew a note.But it soon became discouraged and couldn't blow anymore.

Chizuru shook his head and said:

"Erlang's luck is wrong, he didn't blow it like this. Use the power of the dantian in his waist and abdomen to form a resonance in his body." She stretched out her hand, and Shen Jin understood, and handed the shakuhachi back to her.She held the shakuhachi without wiping it, and put it directly to her lips, and quickly blew a beautiful note.

Shen Jin looked at her lips, feeling a little hot on his face.

"Like this? Does Erlang understand?"

She handed the shakuhachi to Shen Jin again, but Shen Jin gently pushed her hand and wrote on the back of her hand:

【I'd better concentrate on playing the piano. 】

"Indeed, with all due respect, Erlang is weak and weak, and is indeed not suitable for playing an instrument."

Shen Jin replied in her palm:

【I see.I have learned the flute and know that I am not good at playing it.My elder brother is good at playing the flute, you can compete with him someday. 】

Chizuru nodded and said:

"Shen Dalang is really all-rounder. With his talent, Qianhe is really surprised why he is subservient to the imperial court."

Shen Jin didn't answer for a moment, and after a long while, he wrote back:

[Serving for the imperial court, is it actually subservient? 】

Qianhe said: "Isn't it a condescension? Although the current government is clear and clear, according to my understanding, Dalang's temperament is probably not suitable for the ups and downs of the officialdom. He is a free bird in the mountains and forests, isn't he?"

Shen Jin looked at Qianhe in surprise, she never thought that Qianhe could see so thoroughly and say such a thing.

"A companion is like a tiger. I would rather stay away from the superior than go any further. Interest entanglements, grinding people's temperament, and killing people's kind thoughts, in the end, they will only become evil spirits corrupted by power and wealth." Qian Qian The crane's voice was low and deep, containing deep coldness and anger.

Shen Jin was silent.She didn't know what Qianhe had experienced. The day before, she had seen the scars on the corners of her eyes. How did she become blind?Shen Jin was very curious, but couldn't ask.And why she came to Datang from Dongying all the way, and never went back since then, is also unknown.

Chizuru put the shakuhachi to her lips, and blew out the music that belonged to Dongying.The cut sound is strange, and the twist is paradoxical, as if the country she once belonged to is the place where such a ghost lives.The tune was not long. After playing for a while, she put down the shakuhachi and softly sang a section of lyrics in a language that Shen Jin could not understand. The tune was similar to the one she played just now.

Shen Jin asked her:

[What are you singing? 】

Qianhe smiled lightly, and translated in pure Tang accent:

"The thunder god is moving faintly, about to hear its sound, the sky is hazy and hazy, if there is zero rain, Qi Qijun will stay. Long life together. This is a Waka from my hometown. When I was a child, my mother always loved to sing it to me.”【Note 1】

[Is this a nursery rhyme? 】Shen Jin only felt that this sentence had a sad and melancholy tone. It was probably only the singer's self-consolation.

Qianhe was silent for a while before answering: "This is not a nursery rhyme, this is a love song. She didn't sing it for me, she sang it for herself."

As soon as the words fell, a bluebird's voice sounded outside the door:

"Erlang, I'm back from fetching water."

This conversation is over.

On the sixth and seventh days, we went south from the Luoshui River, entered the Hanshui River, and arrived at Xingdao County.The boat stopped for half a day, Wu Tingfang needed to make some deals in Xingdao County, Shen Sui and his party also got off the boat to walk around and relax, it was not comfortable to stay on the boat all day.In particular, Shen Jin is not used to taking a boat. Since getting on the boat, he has not felt very comfortable, probably due to seasickness.The same is true for Zhang Ruohan, earlier when she was still in Chang'an, she had a serious illness, and before she fully recovered, she went out with Shen Sui and got caught in the heavy rain.Although she saw a doctor and took medicine when she was in Guiyan Station, it was useless. After getting on the boat, she fell ill again, and she was lying in the house all day, and she was rarely seen.

Shen Sui didn't dare to take Shen Jin to see a doctor because of Shen Jin's special status. If she had a pulse signal, the identity of the woman would be exposed immediately.Fortunately, both herself and the bluebird had learned some medical skills from the girl, and ordinary seasickness can still be cured.After getting off the boat, he grabbed the medicine in the county pharmacy, and after taking it, Shen Jin's complexion improved a lot.

On that day, Zhang Ruohan also brought Wu Ya and Qian He to the pharmacy to fetch medicine, Shen Sui greeted her and asked about her health condition, but she seemed quite indifferent, and soon left with Wu Ya and Qian He.Shen Suichu felt baffled at the beginning, but after thinking about it carefully, he thought that Zhang Ruohan was deliberately alienating her, all because they got too close a few days ago.Loyalty is probably the best portrayal of them now.Thinking of Shen Sui, I felt bitter.

On the eighth day, we marched all the way west from Hanshui River, passed through Chenggu County, and did not enter. In the middle of the night, we traveled to Liangzhou in one breath before entering the port for repairs.Since it was midnight and the gate of Liangzhou City was closed, Shen Sui and others could only spend the night on the boat and did not enter Liangzhou City until the next day.

Liangzhou was the land of Nanzheng in ancient times.During the Warring States period, Qin and Chu fought, and Nanzheng was robbed here and there.Geographically located at the border between Qin and Chu, with vertical and horizontal rivers extending in all directions, it has become a battleground for military strategists.For thousands of years, this city has experienced countless times, and it is particularly simple and vicissitudes.

In the past two days, whether it was the frail Shen Jin and Zhang Ruohan, or the strong Shen Sui, Qianhe and others, they all adapted to life on the ship.The phenomenon of seasickness has been alleviated a lot. When the weather is good, Zhang Ruohan is willing to go out of the room, walk on the deck, and enjoy the wind from the river.However, he still doesn't have much contact with Shen Sui, at most he says hello when they meet.

The relationship between Shen Jin and Qianhe has gradually improved, and the two can often see handwritten exchanges between them.In the evening, you can often hear Shen Jin playing Dongying music on the piano. It was a bit jerky at first, but within two days, he became familiar with it.Chizuru harmonizes with shakuhachi, or directly sings Dongying Waka. The rhythm is unique, which makes the rivers and rivers more interesting.

They didn't stay in Liangzhou for long. In less than half a day, the merchant fleet set sail again. Next, they will rush to Lizhou in one go.

After passing Liangzhou, the plains gradually disappeared, and on both sides of the river, you can see the rolling hills.Shen Sui is familiar with the trend of mountains and rivers, and knows that this section of the river passes through Zhongliang Mountain and Dingjun Mountain, and after Dingjun Mountain is Bailao Pass in Xixian County.

When the boat passed Dingjun Mountain, Wu Tingfang and the crew talked about the story of the battle between the Shu Han general Huang Zhong and Cao Wei Xia Houyuan in Hanzhong during the Three Kingdoms period.The sound was vivid and vivid, and the crew and sailors gathered around the deck, listening to it with gusto.

Pei Yaoqing, Liu Yucheng, Shen Sui, Shen Jin, and Zhang Ruohan all listened for a while, and Shen Sui joked that Wu Tingfang's eloquence is so good that he should go to a restaurant to talk about legends.

Bailaoguan was called Baimaguan in ancient times, and it got its name because Pang Tong fell here on a white horse.When passing the customs, it was Shen Sui's turn to tell the story of Commander Pang's attack on Luocheng, where he was killed by an arrow.The same is said vividly, and the crew and sailors love to hear it.Shen Sui explained Pang Tong's past and present life thoroughly, and when he mentioned that he was shot and died by an arrow, it actually caused some crew members to shed tears and sigh endlessly, feeling very sorry for the loss of this "phoenix chick".

At the end of the conversation, Shen Sui held his hand beside the railing, looking at the vastness of the river, and fell into a moment of confusion.The reason for the demise of the young phoenix probably originated from the dispute between the dragon and the phoenix.Seeking talent is like thirsty, being kind and talented is like Liu Xuande, and there are times when you don't know who to trust.Pang Tong is a latecomer, after all, he can't compare with Wolong's status in his mind, and in the end he sacrificed his life to give way to the virtuous, which is nothing less than tragic.

Maomao, Maomao, don't you want to be that foolish Liu Xuande, and let me, a "phoenix chick", die like that.You only have one "Crouching Dragon" in your heart, but you must know that there is also a "Crouching Dragon" in my heart.

She didn't know that when she was thinking about this, Zhang Ruohan was quietly watching her from a distance, with thoughtful eyes.

On the evening of the ninth day of departure, the group finally arrived in Lizhou.At this time, it has entered February, and it is the time of the second flower festival in February [Note 2].When the group disembarked, a grand celebration was being held in Lizhou City.This was really an unexpected joy. A group of people rushed into the city before the city gate closed and joined the sea of ​​joy.

The author has something to say: [Note 1]

From "Manyoshu Otomoyaji"

Original Japanese text (with Roman accent):

Narugami の shao shi to yo mit さ し 暗り雨 も ら ら ん か 君 を 朱めん

narukaminosukoshitoyomitesashikumoriamemofurankakimiwotodomen

Narugami の shaoshi と よ み て 重らずとも我は改まらん妹し抱めば

narukaminosukoshitoyomitefurasutomowawatodomaranimoshitodomeba

Common translation:

Thunder God moves a little, piercing the clouds and raining zero, will the king stay?

Lei Shen Xiaodong, although not zero, I will keep my sister.

"Manyoshu Otomoyajibian" Manyoshu is the earliest collection of poetry in Japan, which is equivalent to China's "Book of Songs". Sui and Tang Dynasties).These waka are all evolved from Yuefu Chinese poems.The date of completion of the book is unknown, and there are different opinions.However, most of them were compiled during the Nara period, from about 4 to 8 (which happened to be the reigns of Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong, and Dezong), and were compiled by many people, and finally completed by the Otomo family at the end of the 710th century.

The version used in this chapter is not an official translation. Children's shoes who have read Makoto Shinkai's "The Garden of Words and Leaves" probably have an impression of this waka. "The Garden of Words" is a story based on the expansion of this waka.

【Note 2】

Flower Festival, the birthday of Hundred Flowers.It is usually held on the second day, the [-]th day of the second lunar month or the [-]th day of the second lunar month.Of course, there are also the customs of Dragon Head Festival and Qinglong Festival (commonly known as Dragon Head Up) on February [-].Legend has it that this day is the birthday of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, and it was first evolved from Fuxi's persuasion of Nongsang.The so-called "the emperor's mother delivers the food, and the emperor personally farms" comes from this.This article uses Huachao Festival.