Placid Chang'an

Feng Yiming returned to Beijing again.

It's called returning to Beijing to report on the work, but now it's not a year or a festival, what kind of work are you reporting?

Su Cen watched helplessly as this man entered Xingqing Palace with a box full of gifts, and was ruthlessly driven out by Li Shi.

Feng Yiming was not annoyed by this, he made another plan when he failed, packed up his things, and turned around to defect to Su Cen.

Su Cen watched Feng Yiming come all the way from Yangzhou, covered in dust and dust, and nodded softly for a moment, but turned into eternal hatred when he stumbled.

It turns out that kindness to your enemies is cruelty to yourself.

So every day when Su Cen came back from Dali Temple, he could see Feng Yiming in his yard, sitting on his reclining chair, drinking his tea, and directing his servants, taking it for granted.

Feng Yiming is an official from the north who travels south. He likes pasta and has a strong taste. Every day he urges Ah Fu to add more salt and more spice to his cooking. Su Cen is a true southerner. , unable to speak for several days.

Feng Yiming likes strong tea, and the Su family's tea leaves go down several taels a day, Su Cen once drank a cup of it, and didn't fall asleep all night.

Su Cen got used to it for a few days, and treated him as if there was no such person in the family, and the two of them stayed together, ate two meals, drank two kinds of tea, and occasionally lived in the same room peacefully, watching the autumn shade dissipate in the yard together, It's quite harmonious.

Su Cen held his Biluochun and asked, "You run to the capital like this every day, aren't you afraid that someone will impeach you for leaving your post without authorization?"

Feng Yiming took a sip of his own Tieguanyin and said, "Whoever wants to play it can play it. It just happened to transfer me back to the capital, so I can enjoy myself at leisure."

Su Cen chuckled: "You are sure that Yangzhou cannot live without you."

The salt decree had just been abolished for less than a year, and Feng Yiming served as the Jianghuai salt and iron transport envoy, coordinating the salt, iron and water transportation of the entire Huainan Road.Huainan Road is a place where merchants gather, and salt profit is the most important thing. When the tax revenue came up at the end of last year, it completely filled the treasury. Feng Yiming can be said to be confident now, and he is no longer the one who needed death to save his life. Sesame Officer.

Su Cen looked at the last smear of red in the sky, and suddenly asked, "So unwilling?"

Feng Yiming laughed, "If it were you, would you be willing?"

Su Cen frowned, and thought about it quietly, until the last bit of light disappeared in the sky, then said softly: "I'm not reconciled."

"I asked him, we are so similar, why is it you?" Feng Yiming held a cup of cold tea and smiled lightly, "Guess what he said?"

Su Cen raised his head. He remembered that when he was in Yangzhou, he overheard the conversation between Feng Yiming and Li Shi. Feng Yiming questioned him hysterically—why him?

He left early and didn't hear the end. Since it wasn't for him, he didn't want to know.

But now that the words came out of Feng Yiming's mouth, he became a little more curious for no reason.

Feng Yiming smiled with a bit of sadness: "He said, it's not like."

Su Cen was taken aback: "What's different?"

"I also want to know what's different." Feng Yiming shook his head mockingly, "That's why I came here to see what's different between us."

Su Cen smiled lightly, raised his glass and moved forward, "You can see it now?"

Feng Yiming also passed the teacup forward, Tieguanyin and Biluochun bumped into each other lightly, there was a sound of "ping", and the water rippled, Feng Yiming chuckled, "It's quite unusual."

The case of Tian Pingzhi was brought on file by Su Cen through untold hardships. According to Zhang Jun's temperament, he would never touch such a case that might step on the thunder. The teacher is in danger, and everything they have investigated has been erased.It's fine if it's just about the secret door, but it seems that there are people in the court who are involved, pulling out the carrots and bringing out the mud. He doesn't know how many people are still involved.

And now that the case has been sealed for so many years, the insider is long gone, and even the only persistent old man Tian has been buried. He really can't figure out why there is any need to investigate this case?

Su Cen didn't take it seriously. A case, a life, and the fact that the truth is revealed is a consolation to the living and a respect to the dead. No matter how many years have passed, it shouldn't be shelved and left in the dust.

Zhang Jun was so annoyed by Su Cen that he took a leave of absence and hid at home for a few days, but Su Cen actually came to his door to visit his doctor. After a lot of reasoning, even those who were not sick were told that they were sick. coming.

Zhang Jun was so entangled that he finally nodded his head, but there are three chapters in the agreement. It is okay to investigate, but it must be done in secret, and he must know where the case has reached. Once it reaches the point where it is out of control, Su Cen must listen to him Yes, if you say stop, you have to stop.

Su Cen didn't have the word "no", so he stayed up late that night to integrate all the clues, and finally came to the conclusion that the case cannot be fabricated out of thin air, and there must be a catcher, so Tian Pingzhi's body had to be found first. come out.

Tian Pingzhi died of sudden cardiac arrest and was buried directly behind the Gongyuan. Chen Guanglu dug up the body to investigate the case, and it was later confirmed by witnesses that he died of asthma at that time.The case was finally found out, and the only one who knew the truth, Mr. Chen, had gone west. The whereabouts of Wu Zuo was unknown, so where did Tian Pingzhi's body go?

Dali Temple has an ice cellar dedicated to storing corpses, but it is only used for temporary storage. After so many years, the corpse will definitely not be placed in the ice cellar.

But since the case is not closed, according to old Chen's logic, the corpse will definitely not be disposed of hastily, and must be placed somewhere for further investigation.

Then when Mr. Chen left Beijing angrily and went to Lujiazhuang with the determination to die, where would he hide the body?

If he was Old Chen, where would he hide the body in the end?

The more I think about it, a place in my heart gradually becomes clear. Since the case is not closed, it will be left to future generations to continue to investigate, so everything returns to the most primitive place——

The corpse is still in the Gongyuan!

Wanting to understand this level, Su Cen suddenly became enlightened. Early the next morning, he went to Dali Temple to take a leave of absence, and then went home and changed into normal clothes.Hearing that the body was going to be dug up, Feng Yiming, who was too busy at home, rushed to join in the fun. Su Cen thought that one more person would help him, so that this person would not have to worry about him every day at home, so he brought him along.

Speaking of the corpse, I had to mention one person. Before the two went to the Gongyuan, they went around the Taifu's mansion and brought out Ning Santong who was drinking tea and listening to music.

I never thought that I would run into an acquaintance in Taifu's residence.

Since Shen Yugui was rescued from Liu Kang that day, he was taken home by Ning Santong for medical treatment. After that, he was adopted by Mr. Ning as his granddaughter and lived in Ning's house. This time it was a coincidence that when Su Cen and the others arrived It happened that Shen Yugui was painting in the back garden.

Shen Yugui used to dress up as a man for revenge. He looked cold and weak, but now he changed into a woman's dress, wrapped in silk and satin, and his waist stood out. Only then could he see the graceful figure of a girl.He seemed to be well-raised in the Taifu's mansion, his face was not as pale as before, and he had a bit of radiance.

Seeing Su Cen coming, Shen Yugui showed surprise, and immediately put down his pen, leaned forward to Su Cen and bowed, smiled lightly, blooming like a white lotus, "Grandfather."

Su Cen smiled helplessly: "I already said you don't need to call me benefactor."

Shen Yugui looked at Su Cen and said seriously: "You have done my Shen family a favor, and this kindness is well deserved."

Su Cen smiled, and didn't want to worry about it any more. Instead, she looked at the drawing paper on the table, "Are you able to draw again?"

"The right hand is still not good." Shen Yugui looked at his right hand helplessly. A scab protruding from the surface ran across the wrist. The tendons here were broken before, and no matter what, it would never be as flexible as before .

"So I'm practicing my left hand now. I'm not that proficient yet. It's okay to doodle to relieve boredom on weekdays, but I can't get on the stage."

Feng Yiming took a closer look at Shen Yugui's scribbled works, and couldn't help frowning, "You're scribbled, so wouldn't all of our paintings be picked up by dogs?"

I saw a freehand autumn chrysanthemum on the drawing paper, which had just bloomed after a severe frost, but its posture was proud, and it was not forced by the severe frost at all.With bold and unrestrained brushstrokes, it vividly shows its sparse, stern, and wild spirit. If it is said to be a masterpiece of Dacheng, no one will doubt it.

Su Cen was in a different state of mind when he saw the content of the painting, and said with a slight smile, "You used your Shen family's painting method."

Shen Yugui smiled lightly: "In the past, I used to imitate other people's things, but now I can finally draw something I want. What Engong said that day was good. No matter how imitated, they are still imitations. There is no such thing as when I painted. If I don’t have a state of mind, the soul in the painting is missing. When I paint my own things now, whether they are beautiful or ugly, there is always something entangled in them, and what I paint is no longer a simple dead thing.”

Su Cen nodded. The chrysanthemums in this painting exuded a sense of vitality, which was indeed not comparable to those of the previous imitations.

After talking to Shen Yugui for a while, Ning Santong came slowly, with a light robe and a graceful posture. Seeing Feng Yiming, he couldn't help but smile, "Yo, Yangzhou has been very peaceful recently, what brought you here?"

Feng Yiming smiled back, "No more leisurely than you."

This is true, Ning Santong doesn't seek fame and fame, and has a idle job in Dali Temple. On weekdays, he stays in the temple when he has a case, and hangs out in teahouses and restaurants when he has no case.And with such a heavy identity here, no one else dared to order him casually, and gradually became Su Cen's queen servant.

Ning San said: "Call Zheng Yang another day to cleanse you up." Then he looked at Su Cen and asked, "Is there a new case?"

"It's not a new case." Su Cen briefly explained the previous case, and finally said: "The case is a bit tricky, it may involve the dignitaries in the court, and what Mr. Zhang means is to investigate secretly, and it can't be revealed in the open." Come on, will you take it?"

"You really don't want to stop," Ning Santong couldn't help laughing, "If I don't answer, who else can you turn to?"

Su Cen cupped his hands and smiled, "That's the work."

Ning Santong found his big wooden box, and after packing it up, the three of them set out together.On the way to the Gongyuan, Ning San said: "It's a coincidence that Mr. Chen and my master took charge of this case more than ten years ago. Now it's you and me. Back then, they dismissed from office, and those who resigned resigned. The case was hidden. Know if we can have better luck."

Su Cen said: "The ambition of our ancestors will protect us."

He doesn't believe in ghosts and gods on weekdays, but here he believes that Mr. Chen has a spirit in the sky for no reason. He must also hope that they can solve the case and return the dead to rest in peace.

The couplets written by Lin Zongqing on both sides of the gate of Chang'an Gongyuan are still there. Every three years, the Gongyuan is used as an examination room for imperial examinations, and the gates are closed on weekdays.Thousands of officials gathered here that day, holding a pen in their hands, holding thousands of volumes of books in their hearts, lamenting that the country and the world, the mountains and rivers of books, the scenery and scenes are like yesterday, but now there are few in front of the door, and even the Tangshui shop of that day is gone. .Su Cen felt in a daze for a moment, thinking that he started his official career here back then, and now returning here is like a reincarnation, he was destined to return to this place by fate.

Su Cen took out the key borrowed from the Ministry of Rites, unlocked it, pushed open the two vermilion lacquered gates, and entered the tribute courtyard.Both he and Feng Yiming came out from here, and a sense of familiarity came over his face, and he couldn't help being filled with emotion for a moment.

Ning Santong had never been in before, so he couldn't help muttering: "Why is this house so small, like cages?"

Su Cen smiled, "It's just a cage."

Rows of dorms stand everywhere, but they are just cages. Those who come out of these cages fly into the sky and fly for thousands of miles, and some of them cannot get out.

Passing through the hall to the end of the Gongyuan, there are several wild jujube trees lined up next to the wall, and the three people were taken aback before they got close.

"Not good." Su Cen hurried forward, seeing the scene in front of him clearly, his expression gradually became dignified.

There were potholes all over the place, and a human-shaped pit was dug out under a jujube tree not far away. The dug up soil was piled aside, and the soil was still fresh.