Linzhi

Sure enough, the little lady's face turned dark instantly.

The servant girl of her family even angrily reprimanded: "You still say that you are not a disciple! Madam, don't talk to him anymore, let's go!"

He Rong had a headache, he really didn't know how to explain this matter clearly in a few words: "I'm not being frivolous, so please give me some advice, young lady, as long as I know what kind of incense you use, I will immediately Just go, no entanglement."

He Zhan was not stupid. He quickly thought of the scent they smelled on the Huanhuaxi paper in Yizhou that day, but the scent was very faint. He didn't expect that after so many days, the third brother could still find clues.

It's just that the girl is standing there now, and he can't get close to smell it and verify it, otherwise he won't be able to clean it up if he really jumps into the Yellow River.

He Zhan said: "You don't need to panic, I am He Zhan, the governor of Luozhou..."

As soon as these words came out, facing the surprised eyes of those people, He Zhan suddenly felt that he was more like a liar.

"..." He suddenly wanted to know how Song Yun and Zhang Ze, two dudes who were wandering around the capital, let others know that they were not lying when they heard their names.

He Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to say: "How about the three of you go to Luoyang County with me, and under the testimony of the county magistrate, you can clarify this matter? The answer of the little lady is very important to me. , if with your help, the problem can be easily solved, I would like to ask the county magistrate to award you an order, how about it?"

Seeing him take the initiative to mention the county government, the three of them looked at each other in blank dismay, their expressions of disbelief eased slightly.

The girl said: "Since this is the case, please ask the young master to lead the way."

He Rong bowed: "Thank you, little lady, for being reasonable!"

The poor Luoyang county magistrate had a hard time resting for the New Year. He took his children to go shopping, but was found by the yamen servants to the temple fair, and hurriedly called back to the county yamen to testify for He Zhan and the others.

"Testimony? What kind of testimony?" Luoyang County Magistrate was dumbfounded.

He Zhan also found this very funny: "It is useless to prove that our identities have not been faked. If they don't believe it, they will recognize your face."

For ordinary people, the county magistrate of Luoyang, who often has fun with the people, is naturally more recognizable than any public figure. The more the identities of He Rong and He Zhan are talked about, the more unreliable they are in the eyes of the common people .

The county magistrate of Luoyang couldn't help but laugh, and said to the little girl and her party: "These two, one is An Guogong, appointed by His Majesty to inspect the Luozhou Zhihe River, and the other is the governor of Luozhou, both of whom are the grandsons of the Tian Family. It can't be more true. The official guarantees the head of the project, you should have no doubts, right?"

The three of them were taken aback, the girl bowed to He Rong and said: "I didn't know the identity of the young master before, so I offended you so much, please be generous, sir, don't take it to heart."

He Rong: "There are indeed many liars these days. You are right to be careful. Those who don't know are innocent. I just want to know, where does the fragrance on your body come from?"

The girl raised her sleeves and smelled it, but she couldn't pass the sleeves directly to He Rong, so she took out the handkerchief in her arms: "Is this the fragrance you are talking about?"

He Rong took the handkerchief and sniffed it, happily said: "Not bad!"

The girl said: "This is the incense I asked for from my father. My clothes and handkerchiefs have been scented with this incense. My father refused to give it to me at first. But I don’t know, I only know that it has another name in Hu language, called Dali.”

He Rong frowned slightly, chewing on the strange name: "Where did you buy this kind of spice?"

Girl: "There is a spice shop in the east of the city. The owner is a cannibal who specializes in buying various items from the Western Regions. If you need it, my lord, I can take you there."

He Rong: "Then it's time to work."

The girl's family is a well-known rich family in Luoyang City, otherwise the daughter of an ordinary family, let alone incense, would be great if she wore better cotton clothes.None of the three masters and servants thought that the brothers He Rong and He Zhan were still descendants of the Tian family at such a young age. In their minds, the emperor must have a beard, and the emperor's descendants must also have a beard, with a dignified face, but they did not expect I didn't expect such a young and handsome man.

He Zhan didn't pay attention to the girl's sneaky glances at him from time to time, he was talking with He Rong in a low voice.

"Third brother, after so many days, you still remember the scent on that piece of paper?" Could it be that my third brother was really a reincarnation of a sky dog?

At that time, they only got one fragment, and the scent on it was already weak. After letting it sit for a while, it was contaminated by other scents, and the scent of the spot had long since dissipated. Anyway, He Zhan had already forgotten what it was like.

He Rong: "Because later, I smelled that smell on another person."

He Zhan frowned: "Who!"

He Rong: "Li Suian."

He Zhan was stunned: "How could it be her?"

He Rong: "That day the concubine held a banquet in the mansion. I took Yushen to meet him. I originally wanted the concubine to find a lady for him, but Li Suian saw me and stopped me on the way, and talked for a while. The scent on her body is very familiar, very similar to the smell on that piece of debris."

He Zhan was surprised: "Then you asked her?"

He Rong glanced at him: "I was almost regarded as a disciple just now, what do you think will happen if I ask Li Suian?"

Although the matter is of great importance, He Zhan still finds it a little funny: "She will think that you are trying to tease her in different ways."

He Rong: "I usually don't like incense, so I'm particularly sensitive to the scent. I can remember it for a long time after smelling it. What's more, the scent is really strange and enough to leave a deep impression on me. But then I kept looking for it, but I couldn't find it anymore. Exactly the same fragrance, until that little lady appeared just now."

While speaking, the girl had already led them to the door of the spice shop she mentioned.

Dashi merchants always know how to do business. Not only did they not suspend their business during the Chinese New Year, but they also took the opportunity to launch some products with lower prices, which attracted many people to buy them. , Let the guy go to invite the boss.

He Rong and the others were invited to sit in the back hall for a while, and the owner came out quickly. The other party was a bearded, blue-eyed and green-bearded man who spoke fluent Chinese. After hearing about He Zhan and his identities, they were very enthusiastic when they met.

"You two gentlemen, just tell me what spices you like. As long as our shop has it, I will treat it as a New Year's gift for you two. Please don't be polite!"

The girl took out the handkerchief and handed it to the owner: "Have you smelled this fragrance, did you buy it from you?"

The Hu man took the handkerchief and sniffed it, and said in amazement: "Yes, you are the little lady of the Bao family, right? Your father loves to come to me to buy incense, but this kind of incense is very rare. I just brought two copies back, one has already been sold, and the other I want to keep for private possession. Bao Langjun and I have known each other for many years, and after several times of entanglement, I reluctantly gave up. If you still want it, it is gone. "

The girl said: "I heard from my father that this kind of incense has a silly name called Dali."

Hu man: "Dari in the ancient Dashi language means the palace. This kind of fragrance spreads from the palace of Dashi in white clothes. Its original name is Sumu Li Dali Duo, which means secret treasure. It is extremely precious. It is said that The person who made the incense has long since passed away, leaving only ready-made spices without the method of making them.”

He Rong asked: "So, apart from you, there is basically no third copy of this kind of Dalixiang in the Central Plains?"

The Hu man nodded: "That's right, my ancestors have some connections with the incense maker, so I got two copies."

He Rong: "Is there another copy?"

The Hu man felt a little regretful: "It's sold."

He Zhan raised his eyebrows: "Didn't you say that there are only two copies left in the world, why are you willing to sell them?"

The barbarian smiled slyly: "There is no sale in the world that cannot be concluded, it depends on whether the other party can afford the price."

He Rong asked, "Who did you sell it to?"

The Hu man thought for a while: "I don't really remember it. It happened more than ten years ago. I was still running a shop in Chang'an, and I happened to meet a nobleman. At that time, I boasted that I had unique spices in the world. The nobleman thought Take a look, and at first sight, I like it very much, insisting that I sell it to him. The other party did not reveal his identity, but judging from the tone of his conversation with his entourage, he should be a person who is used to giving orders frequently. "

He Zhan asked again: "Do you remember what he looks like?"

The Hu man made a gesture: "About this height, no beard, dark complexion."

He Zhan was surprised: "You said you only brought back two copies of incense, why are they still using it after ten years?"

Mrs. Bao explained on her behalf: "I saw a large piece of fragrant cake from my father. Usually he is reluctant to use it too much. He knocks off small pieces and burns them. Last time I knocked out a big piece from him. Let him feel bad for a long time."

Hu Ren nodded: "Not only is the method of making incense itself rare, but the pattern printed on the top of the incense cake with a mold is also a rose unique to Dashi."

He Zhan looked at He Rong, who shook his head, meaning he had nothing to ask.

After leaving the shop, the two sent the girl back first, then walked slowly towards the Dudu's Mansion.

He Zhan: "Is it really Li Suian's father, Li Kuan, Marquis of Zhenyuan?"

He Rong frowned and said: "The height that the man said, you can find many in the rich and powerful families in the capital. Li Kuan is indeed dark complexion, but we were not in the capital ten years ago, so we don't know whether he has a beard or not. "

He Zhan: "That's easy to say, you can ask someone to ask. I remember that the Li family and He Lin, who conspired against him, were still distant relatives. Could it be that Li Kuan had indeed secretly hooked up with He Lin at that time? He managed to put the voodoo puppet engraved with the horoscope of the prince’s birthday in the palace, and went to report on the father?”

He Rong: "There may be some kind of connection between Li Kuan and Weng Hao, but He Lin probably never ordered Li Kuan to do such a thing, because first, He Lin was busy plotting rebellion and had no time to frame his father. Come on, if Li Kuan is really on He Lin's side, His Majesty will not fail to notice, and it is impossible for the Li family to be safe and sound."

He Zhan couldn't figure it out: "Li Kuan is the son of Princess Yiyang and the eldest son of the former Marquis of Zhenyuan. Once he was born, he inherited the glory and wealth. If he really colluded with Weng Hao, why would he do this? ? What good does it do him to frame his father?"

He Rong: "People's hearts are full of desires. No matter what, at least Li Kuan is indeed suspected at present. I will write a letter to my elder brother and ask him to remind my father to be careful."

He Zhan nodded. He also felt that his father's ears were sometimes too soft and easy to be taken advantage of by treacherous people. With his eldest brother around, at least it would be better.

The sun was just right, the sky was broad and the clouds were high, and the streets were still bustling and lively, but the two of them no longer had the mood to wander around.

They didn't know that there was an upcoming upheaval in Chang'an at this time.

……

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ji Cuo, the general in charge of the Beiya, was originally not required to be on duty, but Ji Cuo still came to the palace. , with him leading by example, everyone can at least raise their spirits.

At the Yinhan Gate in the northwest of Miyagi, there are two guards on duty at the gate, chatting with each other. One said he didn't go to bed until the guard last night, and now he is almost sleepy, and the other said he was lucky last night. Not good, how much money I lost, saw Ji Cuo passing by with someone, hurriedly kept silent, pretending to be on duty seriously.

Ji Zuo just laughed it off and didn't train them.

As a boss, you have to know how to relax with your subordinates. It is useless to scold people all day long. As long as it does not affect the work, you should turn a blind eye and close one eye in this kind of life, and you don't have to be too rigid.

He patrolled from Yinhan Gate all the way to the vicinity of Wangxiantai. Seeing that everything was normal, he was about to move forward when another group of people came in front of him.

"General!" Cheng Yue also saw him and rushed over to salute.

When He Zhanxin entered Beiya, Cheng Yue was still the commander of the Habayashi Guard. Later, when He Zhan took charge of the Habayashi Guard, Cheng Yue was also promoted, and now he is equivalent to Ji Zuo's deputy.

Cheng Yue cupped her hands and said with a smile: "Happy New Year, General, happy new year, everything goes smoothly!"

Ji Zuo also smiled back: "Everything is going well, everything is going well. You are not on duty today, why did you enter the palace?"

Cheng Yue: "Isn't the general worried?"

The two smiled at each other.

Cheng Yue said: "I just inspected the west side, so you don't need to go back again, it's cold, why don't you go to the duty room to rest your feet and warm your breath."

Ji Zuo: "That's fine, I brought some food and let them put it in the value room. If you got up early today, you probably haven't had time to eat yet. Let's go."

There is a small room next to Wangxiantai. In the past, it was used to store sundries. Later, when the wind and rain were heavy, the imperial guards would go in to take shelter. Over time, it became a resting place for the guards of the imperial guards.

Inside, there were two centurions of Habayashi Guard who were dodging their laziness. When they saw the officers coming in, they jumped up to greet them, but they were afraid of being scolded. After saluting, they hurried away, not daring to lift their heads.

Cheng Yue shook her head: "These little bastards!"

Ji Zuo smiled: "Just let them dodge during the Chinese New Year, and they will be severely punished for this on weekdays."

There was a small pile of melon seed shells on the table, but no one dared to touch what Ji Cuo was eating on the cabinet. With a flick of his sleeve, he swept the melon seed shells to the ground, and opened the paper bag, revealing the roast chicken inside.

"It's a bit cold, let's eat."

There was only one short desk in the small room, and both of them were military generals, so they didn't pay too much attention to it. They just sat on the ground next to each other and started eating with roast chicken.

"You can't drink on duty. There is meat but no wine. I always feel that something is missing." Ji Zuo laughed.

Cheng Yue also smiled: "I still remember the first year I joined the Forbidden Army. During the Chinese New Year, we happened to be sitting together in this small room."

Ji Zuo: "What did you eat then?"

Cheng Yue: "Braised tofu!"

Ji Zuo laughed: "At that time, I was short on money, and I was not even willing to buy roast chicken!"

Cheng Yue sighed: "That's right, we were all young people in the Imperial Army at that time, and I still need your guidance for my martial arts skills!"

Ji Zuo waved his hand: "I am willing to give advice, but you also need to work hard to make progress."

Cheng Yue: "It's been so many years in a blink of an eye, and seeing that King Lu is about to be made a prince, I don't know what will happen to us in the future!"

Ji Zuo smiled: "As long as we are loyal to His Majesty and the court, we will be safe."

Cheng Yue frowned: "If you're afraid, you're afraid, Your Majesty... Afterwards, King Lu's temperament was soft, he couldn't resist the admonitions of those aristocratic families, and he refused to reuse the children of poor families. At that time, we who have no background will be promoted by His Majesty." Those who come up are the first to suffer.”

Ji Zuo was silent for a moment, then sighed: "There are ups and downs in human affairs, one emperor and one courtier, if we really reach that point, what can we do?"

Cheng Yue smiled self-consciously and shook her head: "That's all, let's not talk about these..."

He raised his eyes inadvertently, and couldn't help but let out a gasp: "There seems to be a wine bottle on the cabinet, I'll go and have a look."

Ji Zuo let him get up and walk to the cabinet, tore off the chicken leg with one hand, and said with a smile: "It must be another bastard who secretly hid here..."

Before the word "wine" could be uttered, Ji Cuo's eyes suddenly widened, and the drumstick fell from his hand.

At the opening of his back, at some point, there was a dagger. The dagger was deeply inserted, and the blood was rushing out from the knife edge, soon soaking the soft armor on the back.

And the other end of the dagger was firmly in Cheng Yue's hand!