Tang riddles

On April [-]th, thick overcast clouds covered the sky of Luoyang City, and early in the morning, it began to drizzle densely.The Central Plains region, which has been dry all spring, finally ushered in the first rain this spring.

Li Bai put on his best robe, held a shiny black oilcloth umbrella in his hand, and followed Zhang Shuo step by step.Beside him is Shen Sui who is dressed in the court uniform of a sixth-rank official.

Today was the day when Zhang Shuo recommended Li Bai to the sage, and he had already met several of Zhang Shuo's cronies in court two days ago.And today is also the day when Shen Sui proposes marriage to the saint.This is a big day, so both of them looked extraordinarily solemn.

Shen Sui didn't hold an umbrella, and during the few steps from the veranda to the front door, the rain had already soaked her official robe.She got into the carriage and put the snow knife wrapped in black cloth aside.After adjusting the official hat, he quietly closed his eyes and rested his mind.

Next, it will be a difficult time. From the time she walks this road to enter the palace, to going through the entire court meeting, and even returning home, she will find it difficult to be safe.Her heart was hanging in the princess mansion of the Jin Kingdom, but she had to concentrate on dealing with the marriage proposal and dealing with the most powerful man in the world.This made her restless and confused.For the first time in so many years.

As a white-bodied scholar, Li Bai has no fame.The only thing worthy of praise is that he has long been known as a talented poet. Over the years, he has made many visits, and he still has some reputation among the nobles.But even so, he cannot go to court.Zhang said that he had already delivered a letter of recommendation to the sage, and the sage issued a summons for Zhang Gong's sake, so that Li Bai could enter the palace.The summoning order set the meeting place in the side hall of the Mingtang of the Taichu Palace. At that time, both Shen Sui and Li Bai will meet the saint in that side hall.

When the carriage arrived at the gate of the palace, Shen Sui opened the curtain and saw a large number of carriages and horses lined up on the Tianjin Bridge, preparing to enter the Duanmen.Their carriage was already north of Luoshui, so it seemed abrupt.

In the carriage in front of Shen Sui, Zhang Yue lifted the curtain and greeted an official's driver.The coachman was very clever, he turned around and whispered a few words to the owner in the carriage.So the curtain of the carriage was also lifted, and an official bowed to Zhang Shuo from a distance, and Zhang Shuo jumped into the team and entered the team.Even Shen Sui took advantage of it, secretly thinking that Zhang Gong's popularity is really extraordinary.

There was still three quarters of an hour before the start of the Great Court Assembly, the carriage finally drove slowly into the Duanmen of the Taichu Palace, and the drizzle gradually became heavier.Shen Sui held the umbrella and got out of the carriage. Hutuo drove the carriage and followed the instructions of the officers and soldiers to drive the carriage to the designated parking place.Shen Sui then joined the ranks of officials from the upper court, stepped on the rain-wet white stone road, entered the Mingde Gate, and walked slowly towards the main hall of the Ming Hall.The towering Vientiane Shrine (that is, the Ming Hall) has already brought a sense of oppression to all officials.Shen Sui stared intently at the tall building that seemed to be piercing into the sky, secretly marveling in his heart.

Today is also the first time for her to enter the Luoyang City Imperial Palace - Taichu Palace, and the first time to see the Vientiane Shrine at such a close distance.Vientiane Shrine is the old name of the Wuhuang period, and most officials now call it Mingtang.

Zhang said that although he still had the official position of Shangshu Youcheng and a bachelor of Jixian Academy, he had been dismissed from office and did not enter the court.However, there was already an inner eunuch waiting at the door, and upon seeing Mr. Zhang, he hurriedly stepped forward to salute, and then led Mr. Zhang and Li Bai to go around to the side hall to wait.

Shen Sui walked alone among the officials, and soon came to the gate of the palace, which was both familiar and unfamiliar.She still couldn't enter the hall, and waited outside the hall to listen to the announcement.

Today is the Wangri Grand Court Meeting, and the officials came relatively neatly.All the officials of the seventh rank and above in Luoyang City came, the fifth rank and above were in the hall, and the fifth rank and below were outside the hall.It was not the first time for Shen Sui to participate in the Great Court Meeting, so there was nothing new about it.But today's Grand Court Meeting is somewhat unusual.Because of Shen Sui's position, he could clearly see a group of messenger-like people standing under the corridor of the hall not far away.

They dressed strangely and were divided into two batches.A group of people, the attire Shen Sui is very familiar with, they are envoys from Tubo.Come to think of it, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo have been at constant war in recent years, and Xiao Xiang made a triumphant victory last year, and was granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister, which probably scared the Tubo people.Now seeing the Tubo envoys, Shen Sui knew that they were probably here for peace talks.

But there was still a group of people, but it was strange, which caught Shen Sui's attention.They are a group of tall and strong people from the Western Regions with high noses and blue eyes.Dressed in black and blue robes from head to toe, each of them has thick and curly beards like hemp, and their hair is lighter in color, some are black, brown, and some are yellow.The leader was a gray-bearded old man holding a golden scepter in his hand. The head of the scepter was carved into a double-headed bird, and the bird's eyes were embedded with red gemstones.

The deputy next to the old man was equally eye-catching.He held a treasure box made of gold and iron in his hand. Many strange and exotic patterns were engraved on the body of the box, such as vines and lions.

what is that?Shen Sui was very curious.There is also the origin of this group of people, obviously they came from further west, Shen Sui guessed that it was Fusu, and this group of people were probably missionaries from Fusu.Isn't the cane of the double-headed vulture the symbol of the Fushu Empire?Shen Sui remembered that when she confronted the black-armored knight on the outskirts of Jiangling, she seemed to have seen the symbol of a double-headed eagle.

Not long after going to the court, the two groups of envoys were announced into the main hall, Shen Sui could hear clearly from outside, and the two groups of envoys explained their purpose of coming very clearly.The Tubo envoys came to talk about peace, Xiao Song's illustrious military exploits last year completely defeated them, and Tubo died down.In the hall, Shen Sui could hear the saint's hearty laughter endlessly.She thought to herself that she was lucky, the sage was in a good mood today, and her marriage would be more effective with less effort.

After the Tubo envoys, the group of envoys from Fushu also stepped forward to speak.It turned out that they were indeed Nestorian missionaries, who traveled thousands of miles from the distant capital of the Fushi Empire, Constantinople, to the territory of the Tang Dynasty. They paid a visit to the Emperor of Tang and presented treasures, hoping that the Emperor of Tang would allow them to preach in the territory of Tang.

After the sage heard about Nestorianism, his interest seemed to fade a lot.However, he still seemed very happy when the Fushi missionary presented the treasure.In the treasure box made of gold and iron and intricately carved, a golden cup was wrapped in velvet cloth.On the gold cup, there are precious jewels inlaid, and there are carved patterns with strange meanings.

According to the explanation of Fushi missionary, this golden cup is the holy grail in the Nestorian legend, it is an incomparably sacred thing, and it is the wine cup used by the Lord. On the Good Friday, the blood of the Lord was once filled.Dedicated to the Tang Emperor, it can bless the Tang Emperor's glorious photo, safe and eternal.

The saint seemed to be very interested in this golden cup, although some ministers heard that it contained blood and thought it was not auspicious.He ordered Gao Lishi, the chief internal supervisor, to accept the gold cup, rewarded Fushi missionaries with treasures such as brocade, silk, agate and jade, and allowed them to preach in the Tang Dynasty. A Daqin Temple was built separately to entertain these envoys and missionaries from the Fusu Empire.

At the end of the court meeting, it was almost noon, and the sage gave food on the porch as usual. A group of ministers sat on the porch towering into the clouds, enjoying the distant view of Luoyang City while eating.There was a rainy curtain outside, and the scene was enshrouded in water mist, making it hard to see clearly.Shen Suishi didn't know what to eat, so he finished eating the food under the corridor, the courtiers went down the steps one after another, and Shen Sui was the last one, standing on the edge of a certain corridor, trying not to attract attention.However, someone still patted her on the shoulder, Shen Sui was not surprised, because she knew it was Qin Zhen.

"Duke Qin." Shen Sui cupped his hands and bowed.

"Bo Zhao, I came to ask you about your crimes. You didn't come to visit me when you returned to Luoyang, and you didn't go back to Dali Temple to resume your job. What are you doing these days?" Qin Zhen rested his wat board on his elbow and arm. , I haven't seen her for two months, she seems to have lost weight, the jade belt around her waist is loose, and the red official robe is also a little looser.Although he had a straight face when he spoke, he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes.

For some reason, seeing this concerned old face, Shen Sui suddenly felt a little sore in his nose.

"Mr. Qin's forgiveness is due to Sui's negligence of duty. When I just came back, I was in a hurry to deal with some things, and I couldn't take care of them for a while." Shen Sui explained.

"What can make you not come back to Dali Temple to report on your work? You are absent-minded! Don't you forget that Dali Temple is still waiting for the detailed statement of Zhu Yuanmao's case, and Ming Gui is still waiting for your report before closing the case. It's good for you, Forget everything. I know you are a busy person, but you are too shameful." Qin Zhen reprimanded.

Shen Sui remained silent, stood with his head bowed, and listened quietly to the training.She really went too far this time, no wonder Qin Zhen was so angry.

Qin Zhen probably understood that this is not a place to talk, so he said:

"What are you doing here, why don't you go back to Dali Temple with me?"

"Duke Qin, please forgive me for not being able to return to Dali Temple today. I have something to go to see the saint today, and I really can't get away."

Qin Zhen's face was flushed red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "What's the matter? Tell me clearly."

"Today, Sui is going to propose to the sage about his marriage with Mrs. Zhang San." After she finished speaking, she felt her face burning for no reason.

Qin Zhen stayed on the spot, and after a long while, a smile slowly appeared on his face, and said:

"Good boy, you didn't even tell me about such important life events in advance, you really treat me like an outsider."

Shen Sui couldn't help being embarrassed, and hurriedly explained:

"Duke Qin, I'm really... I'm really dizzy from work, you must take care of it, Suiding will make up for it in the future!"

"Hey, what can you make up for me, boy? You, hurry up and welcome Mrs. Zhang San into the door, and then give birth to a big fat boy for me to play with, and you will make up for me." Qin Zhen laughed loudly, and patted Shen hard. Sui's back, "Straighten your back, don't show your timidity, saints and princesses can't eat you, I will support you."

After finishing speaking, he blinked at Shen Sui like an old urchin, then twisted the jade belt around his waist, swayed down the hall, took the oil umbrella handed to him by the palace supervisor, and quickly disappeared into the rain.

Shen Sui couldn't laugh or cry, secretly marrying the lotus maidservant was so difficult, and it was absolutely impossible to give birth to a fat boy. It seemed that he could not make up for Duke Qin's wish.

Seeing that everyone had almost left, Shen Sui patted his face, straightened his mind, and walked towards the side hall.

When she walked to the side hall, she happened to hear the saint's hearty laugh, and the sound of Jiegu drum sounded in it, which seemed to be quite lively.The palace supervisor guarding outside the door saw Shen Sui, and came up to him and said:

"This official man, the sage is inside, and he is not allowed to enter without summons, so please stop."

"I would like to ask the prison officer to let me wait here. My name is Shen Sui. I handed over the letter to the saint a few days ago. I am here to see the saint today. You can inform me when the time comes."

The eunuch nodded and bowed.After Shen Sui bowed his hands in return, he stepped aside and stood under the verandah of the side hall.

The inner eunuch sneaked a look at Shen Sui, and felt that this man was really handsome, handsome, and really eye-catching.Thinking about it carefully, the name is Shen Sui, isn't that the "Xue Dao Ming Duan" who has become famous recently?

It suddenly dawned on me, no wonder, a sixth rank official can be summoned by a sage.

After a short while, the door of the palace opened, and Li Bai came out.His clothes were a little messed up, but there was a smug smile on his face.Turning around, seeing Shen Sui, he walked over with a smile, saluted, and said:

"Brother Bo Zhao, the saint is in a good mood today, your wish will come true."

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Taibai, Sui also congratulates Brother Taibai, your wish has come true."

Li Bai laughed loudly, making no secret of his complacency. Obviously, he was appreciated by the sage, and the monarch and his ministers enjoyed themselves.

"Hahaha, I never like rainy days, but today is really a day of great joy, even the rain is beautiful. Brother Bo Zhao, today you and I have met the three great joys of life. Long drought Every rain, the future looks bright, and the flowers are beautiful and beautiful." He pointed to the rain curtain outside, then pointed to himself, and finally pointed to Shen Sui.

Shen Sui also laughed.

"Xuan, Si Zhi of Dali Temple, Shen Sui will see you!" The distinctive voice of the eunuch in the hall penetrated the hall and resounded outside the hall.

"Brother Taibai, I'm going." After saying that, he bowed to Li Bai, then strode to the entrance of the hall, lifted his robe, crossed the threshold, and entered in a hurry.

Li Bai looked back at her, secretly admiring her.

The author has something to say: I bought a new computer today, and it took a while to install it, but fortunately, the new chapter was written in time.The new computer is cool and fast.

Insects have been caught.

PS: There are three great joys in life: the rain comes after a long drought, the wedding night in the bridal chamber, and the time of being named on the gold list.However, because Shen Sui didn't have a wedding ceremony, and Li Bai didn't have a title on the gold list, there were some revisions.

However, it's hard to say whether this is the three joys in life, or the rain is about to come.Brother Taibai, are you sure the saint can reuse you?