Kaifeng House Small Dining Table

Zhao Zhen looked sideways at Zhao Hanyan, wondering why she suddenly mentioned the missing child in Deping County.But Zhao Zhen knew that her cousin must have a purpose in saying this purposely, and thinking about what she said before contacting her, Zhao Zhen suddenly understood what it was.

"Could it be that the three people you just mentioned are related to the six lost children?" Zhao Zhen mused, "Daoist Zi Yan is actually just a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old? But he looks old-fashioned?"

"It may be difficult for a person to become younger than his actual age. But if he becomes old, it is easy to use some tricks. I have heard people say before that when a martial arts practitioner is exposed to the wind and sun, his face will look younger. People of the same age are older. There are also people who are born old-fashioned, but they have a middle-aged face in their teens." Zhao Hanyan presented the autopsy record of Ziyan Daozhang to Zhao Zhen, and there was Zhang Yuzuo on it, which Zhao Hanyan added later. One sentence is the explanation of Taoist Ziyan's youthful body.

After Zhao Zhen looked at it, he nodded, so the situation that Zhao Hanyan said could not be ruled out.That Taoist Zi Yan was probably deliberately looking old in appearance.

"However, for a child who is only in his teens, it seems difficult for him to have gray hair and look old in an instant. Besides, the case of Ziyanguan melting silver seems to have been brewing ten years ago. If it is true as you said, this The priest is a child who disappeared six years ago, and the time is wrong."

"Ziyan Temple has only gradually grown in recent years. I suspect that there is something wrong with it. But I haven't had time to investigate, but judging from the affairs of Qu Changle, Su Yuerong, and Miss Zhang, they all have a common four-year relationship." Before. I guess Ziyan Daoist also went to Ziyan Temple four years ago. As for his appearance, it is likely that he has changed in the past two years. If this is the case, there must be a flaw, after all, he is disguised as an old man , the face looks similar, but the height will change, and the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy is the time to grow his body, so it should be easy to check." Zhao Hanyan explained.

"Six missing boys, but what you said is only three. Besides, there is only the autopsy evidence that Ziyan Daochang is young, and the others have not been confirmed yet. Maybe this Taoist priest really got it through cultivation, and he took some kind of panacea. Make yourself look younger. As for four years ago, maybe it was just a coincidence?" Zhao Zhen questioned.

"Su Yuerong is a man, you can prove it at any time."

Zhao Zhen blinked and looked at Zhao Hanyan: "People from the Jianghu, you also said that his father did something absurd like a 'flower picker'. Maybe he likes to dress up as a man since he was a child, like you, not a woman Dressing up as a man is not enough to prove that someone is guilty."

Zhao Hanyan found that Zhao Zhen's gaze was full of firmness, she probably understood Zhao Zhen's attitude, and even more understood why Zhao Zhen used these "possibles" to refute herself.

"Although it has been six years, I believe that mother and child are connected, and the parents of those six children will definitely recognize their own children. I will send someone to secretly pick up their parents in Deping County to recognize their relatives. This incident It will take time to find out, so I just want to ask my cousin to give me a chance."

"Opportunities are rare." Zhao Zhen smiled at the corner of his mouth, but looked at Zhao Hanyan seriously, "If you want to grab yours, I will also grab mine."

After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, he turned his back with a flick of his sleeves.

Zhao Hanyan's heart skipped a beat, and all eyes were on Zhao Zhen, "But..."

"No but," Zhao Zhen lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, "You only have three days. After three years, if you can't find out your so-called big conspiracy, Qu Rongfa and Grand Master Pang will be executed together."

Zhao Hanyan moved her lips. She wanted to plead for mercy, but she could already hear determination from Zhao Zhen's tone.The three days just mentioned are probably his limit.

Zhao Hanyan knew that it would be useless to say more at the moment, so he had to salute and thank Zhao Zhen for his grace.

Zhao Zhen turned around again, his eyes softened a lot, "I was selfish at the beginning, knowing that it was rare for you to relax for a year, so I arranged you to be in Kaifeng Mansion, involved in many cases, and made you worry. Actually You don't have to worry about these things, just cook your meals with peace of mind, as for Bao Zheng, I already see that he is a loyal minister, so there is no need to investigate further."

"My cousin taught me to do things from the beginning to the end. After this incident, I can ignore everything." Zhao Hanyan was afraid that Zhao Zhen would say more and directly deprive her of the qualification to investigate the case, so she hurriedly bowed and resigned.

Zhao Zhen watched Zhao Hanyan retreat, his brows gradually frowned.After thinking about it, he still summoned the guards in front of him and ordered him to send a small team to wait for Zhao Hanyan's dispatch.

Zhao Hanyan withdrew from the hall, joined Bao Zheng, and whispered a few words to him.Bao Zheng thought that he should ask the saint before asking, but then he was informed by the eunuch, and the saint got up and drove to the harem, and he did not see his foreign ministers for the time being.

Bao Zheng looked at Zhao Hanyan.

Zhao Hanyan shook his head, "Look at his attitude just now, he didn't say anything. My lord, let's go back."

Bao Zheng sighed, "Anyway, it takes three more days, you thoroughly investigate the matter of Ziyan Temple, I will send someone to invite Su Yuerong's father from Chenzhou to Beijing, and then investigate the whereabouts of Qu Changle's adoptive father, Qu Rong'an. "

"Su Yuerong's father has already rushed to the capital. I didn't have the nerve to say it before. When I sent people to Chenzhou to investigate, I deliberately asked them to pass the news to Su Yuerong's father before leaving, telling him that Su Yuerong is now He is not in good health, and I hope he can go to Beijing to take care of him, and he will be ready to leave when he gets the news, and he should be here by now. Not today, but tomorrow.” Zhao Hanyan said.

Bao Zheng nodded and sighed that Zhao Hanyan was clever.

The two walked near the palace gate one after the other, and a guard came to salute Zhao Hanyan, and whispered to Zhao Hanyan that he and the other seven were sent by the emperor to assist Zhao Hanyan in investigating and solving the case.

Zhao Hanyan was a little surprised that her emperor cousin was not so heartless.Bao Zheng was also very happy when he heard about it, but he told Zhao Hanyan's guards to keep this matter secret and not let others know it secretly.

"I suspect that there are spies in the Kaifeng Mansion." Bao Zheng said to Zhao Hanyan, "So for the investigation, let's act secretly and keep quiet. If the man behind the scenes is really as you said, he must act meticulously and pay attention to our every move. Here At such a critical moment, he will never let go of monitoring the Kaifeng mansion, and he has already been prepared to deal with emergencies on our side."

If Brother Zhao's suspicions are all confirmed, then his conjecture is correct. This is a big conspiracy.Bao Zheng was also worried about the variables of this case. If someone really spent so many years planning carefully, then the mastermind behind the scenes must have a very huge conspiracy and purpose.Regardless of the specifics of this conspiracy, it must not be a good thing, and it must not be allowed to succeed.

After Zhao Hanyan and Bao Zheng discussed and agreed to keep it secret, the two returned to Kaifeng mansion one after the other.

Bai Yutang had been waiting for Zhao Hanyan at the back door, and when he saw her come back, he asked her how she was doing.

Zhao Hanyan carefully looked around, took Bai Yutang to a secluded place behind the kitchen, and told him the general story.

"Your cousin doesn't believe you? Why don't you agree?" Bai Yutang asked suspiciously.

"It's not that I don't believe it. He wants to seize this opportunity. It's rare for a minister to bite out Grand Master Pang. This is the most powerful evidence under the eyes of everyone. There are not many chances to bring down Grand Master Pang." Zhao Hanyan understood Zhao Zhen, "He didn't Before he came to power, he had heard about the evil deeds of Mr. Pang and his sons. They formed private parties, repelled dissidents, and set up large prisons. He was young and energetic, so he couldn't control his temper. Every time he heard that they killed people, he would Furious at his own incompetence, he once kicked a rock on a rock in desperation, and his toe bleeds without crying. He told me that if he could get rid of that traitor in court, he would have to break his toe right now. willing."

"Your cousin is a good emperor. He was very chivalrous when he was young. It's a pity that he is in the imperial court. If he is a member of the Jianghu, I'm afraid he will be like me now." After hearing Zhao Hanyan's words, Bai Yutang said to Zhao Hanyan. Zhen's impression is even better.

"Grand Master Pang has a deep foundation in the court. He occupies a high position. If he does something private, he doesn't have to do it himself. Therefore, it is very difficult to catch him and punish him. Many times, to shake him is to affect the whole body. The entire court will shake violently like an earthquake. There is no solid evidence, and this person can't move now." Zhao Hanyan continued to explain.

Bai Yutang nodded, "No wonder, this is indeed an opportunity. The Minister of Rites is also a high-ranking official. It is indeed convincing for him to testify against Grand Master Pang."

"Nowadays, there are some people who have not defended Grand Master Pang. But they still lack confidence. If the Holy Majesty sentenced Grand Master Pang to death at this time, it would be considered 'righteous'. Not so many people would dare to make mistakes." Zhao Hanyan said.

"Your cousin's actions are understandable, but if the mastermind is behind the scenes, if they happen to see through this point and take advantage of it, then they are being fooled." Bai Yutang analyzed.

This is the reason why Zhao Hanyan agreed.

Zhao Hanyan immediately discussed with Bai Yutang, and the two of them didn't even ride a horse immediately. In order to achieve the purpose of leaving Kaifeng Mansion quietly without being disturbed, they chose to climb over the wall.

For Bai Yutang, climbing over the wall of the house was an easy task, but for Zhao Hanyan, who had never done this kind of exercise, it was a bit difficult, especially because the walls of Kaifeng Mansion were still a bit high.

Bai Yutang took a horse stance at the base of the wall, bowed his waist, let Zhao Hanyan step on his legs, and then stepped on his shoulders, thus climbing up to the top of the wall.Zhao Hanyan looked at the handsome and elegant Bai Yutang who was dressed in chic white clothes, shook his head, and resolutely refused to step on it.

"Why?" Bai Yutang asked why.

Zhao Hanyan resolutely didn't say anything, she was afraid that after she said something, Bai Yutang would stop wearing white clothes.

"You are too thin to step on." Zhao Hanyan rolled his eyes and remembered, "There is a big tree at the east end with very thick branches, pressing against the wall. I will climb the tree to get there."

After Zhao Hanyan finished speaking, he quickly ran towards that end.

Bai Yutang stretched out his hand to call her but didn't have time, so he had to chase Zhao Hanyan to the place she said.

Zhao Hanyan raised his head and found that the thick branch pressing on the top of the wall had been sawed off.Zhao Hanyan looked at the sawn off branch, feeling very depressed at this moment.

"Who is so bad, you did it!" Zhao Han said angrily.

"Me." Bai Yutang agreed behind him.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Hanyan turned around in embarrassment and asked Bai Yutang why.

"As you said just now, that tree branch is unsafe for people to climb out of the house and into the house. I had someone saw it off last month." Bai Yutang couldn't help laughing, "I knew you would rely on Climb it out of the house, and I won't let anyone saw it. Blame me, it's too bad."

The last sentence echoed Zhao Hanyan's exclamation.

Zhao Hanyan blushed, and felt even more embarrassed, "Actually, it's a good saw, and it's really not safe. Once this is the place where Xizuo sneaks out of the house."

After Zhao Hanyan said this, he immediately thought of something and asked Bai Yutang to wait.She hurriedly ran towards the kitchen, and asked Zhan Zhao to arrange two of the most reliable yamen to guard the gate, and to record all the people who entered and exited the Kaifeng mansion in the past two days, and the life and time of those who entered and exited must be written.

Zhan Zhao agreed, and then asked Zhao Hanyan why she ran so fast, and Zhao Hanyan told him about her embarrassment just now.

Zhan Zhao smiled, "You really feel sorry for Brother Bai. Are you embarrassed to step on the clean clothes? In fact, he doesn't care about it, and you shouldn't care about it. But I happen to have a climbing rope here, and the one with the hook here, let Brother Bao go first." Go over the wall, find a place to fix the hook, and you are climbing the wall along the rope."

After Zhao Hanyan took over the climbing rope, he washed Zhao Hanyan more, and then went out of the house according to this method. After turning over from the wall, he looked at Bai Yutang who was standing by the tree waiting to take her and smiling at her, and he felt better.

"What's next?" Bai Yutang asked.

Zhao Hanyan took Bai Yutang and bought two straw hats nearby, and specially asked someone to add black gauze.The two of them bought two horses with black gauze straw hats, and rode them to Lincheng to watch.

After the incident in Ziyan Temple, the Taoist priests in the temple were taken to Kaifeng Mansion for trial for a few days, and then they were released.Ziyan Temple was closed down, and several Taoist priests went to Lincheng Temple nearby, and some of them disappeared.This time, the two went to Lincheng Temple to ask the Taoist priests.

Zhao Hanyan deliberately brought the clothes of the county government officers, and when he was about to arrive, he found a small forest to change his clothes, and then called the Taoist priests of Ziyan Temple together in the name of the county government inspectors to manage the household registration. .

"I heard that Ziyan Temple has existed since ten years ago, were you there at that time?" Zhao Hanyan asked.

A total of seven people answered one after another.Among the seven people, the longest stay in Ziyan Temple was only three and a half years, and most of them only entered the temple in the past one or two years, and they all because they heard that Ziyan Temple lived in a good place, they could use carbon in winter, and they had energy. After eating rice every meal, it is only for a simple reason like this.

"Apart from you, who in the temple stayed longer, more than four years? If six years is the best, please tell them the name." Zhao Hanyan asked them.

The seven shook their heads, indicating that none of them had heard of it.

"The one who stayed the longest was Elder Baiyun. It is said that he stayed in the Taoist temple for nearly ten years, and Taoist Master Zi Yan was with him. Originally a small Taoist temple, there were only seven or eight people staying, and because of hunger, everyone ran away, leaving only Daoist Ziyan and Elder Baiyun. And then we new Taoist priests."

Zhao Hanyan asked the Daoist Zheng who stayed in Ziyan Temple for three and a half years, "During this period, you observed Ziyan Daoist, did you ever grow taller?"

Daoist Zheng was stunned for a moment, and then he sighed amusedly, "Grow taller? How old is the Taoist priest? How can he grow taller!"

Bai Yutang immediately reprimanded the Taoist priest to be quiet.

Instead, he glanced at Bai Yutang and suddenly remembered something, "This official looks so familiar."

The Taoist then observed Zhao Hanyan again and sighed in surprise, "You are from Kaifeng—"

"Shh!" Zhao Hanyan signaled the Taoist priest to keep quiet, "We are here to conduct such an investigation to avoid publicity and save you the trouble of going to Kaifeng Mansion again. But if you publicize it yourself, then you are welcome. I will take you to Kaifeng Mansion to drink today's tea."

"No, please don't, the last trip was already very torturous. Xiaodao is very grateful to you for thinking about us. If you have any questions, I will answer them all. I also implore the two poor masters , don’t arrest us anymore. It’s very easy for a Taoist temple to take us in. If we go to the prison in Kaifeng Mansion again, the Taoist temple here will probably dislike us.”

"It is precisely because of these considerations that we came here. But if you spread the word yourself, don't blame us for inviting you back." Zhao Hanyan said coldly.

The Taoist was so frightened that he didn’t dare, and then he continued to answer Zhao Hanyan’s question honestly: “I haven’t seen the Taoist priest very much in the first two years, and the Taoist priest often retreats. And every time I see the Taoist priest, he always sits at the table After that, I didn’t seem to notice how tall the Taoist is. In the past two years, the Taoist occasionally walks in front of everyone, and his height doesn’t seem to have changed much.”

Assuming that Ziyan Daochang is the oldest lost child, he was 12 years old at the time, and two years later, he came to Ziyan Temple at the age of 14. He was afraid that he would reveal his height, so he often retreated, and he would be 16 years old in two years.In the past two years, he is [-] or [-] years old, his height has almost stabilized, and he often sees him, but it may not be possible to see his height increase from the naked eye.

Ask the other six Taoist priests again, because they have been in Ziyan Temple for a relatively short period of time, they don't know as much as Taoist Zheng just now.

After the two left the Taoist temple, Bai Yutang said to Zhao Hanyan: "Another vague answer, which seems to be in line with your speculation, but it is not an 'iron proof'. But thinking about it now, it is really strange. I remember that we were in the Taoist temple. When I was there, I felt that the Taoist priests in that Taoist temple were very young."

Zhao Hanyan agreed, and then thought of something, and said to Bai Yutang: "Although the people in the Taoist temple have changed, the people at the foot of Ziyan Temple will not all change. Most of them must be old residents, and there must be pilgrims who know the situation of Ziyan Temple in detail. Or the people."

Bai Yutang felt that Zhao Hanyan was right.

The two went to the village near Ziyan Temple to inquire about the situation.

"When something happened to Ziyan Temple before, people from Kaifeng Mansion also inquired about the situation of Ziyan Temple in the nearby villages, but they didn't ask in detail." Zhao Hanyan prayed, "I hope we can really find out something this time."

Zhao Hanyan was still wearing the clothes of the county government, so he asked in the nearby villages.

After some inquiries, I probably learned a similar situation from the villagers.

Ten years ago, Ziyan Temple was a small Taoist temple with three or four people. In the first few years, there was no improvement. After Elder Baiyun came to the Taoist temple six years ago, it improved a little bit. Occasionally, pilgrims went to the temple to offer incense.The Feng family at the east end of the village went to Shangxiang six years ago to seek a son.The husband and wife clearly remembered that the Taoist priest of Ziyan Temple at that time was not the one in recent years.Back then, Taoist Zi Yan was a middle-aged man with a long face and half-white hair. Later, although this man was dressed similarly to him, both the husband and wife felt that they were different people.But no one told them whether the two priests were the same person.

"Once I remember I asked out loud whether Ziyan Daoist had changed, not the previous one. The little Taoist looked at me in surprise and told me that there was only one Ziyan Daoist, so I didn't say any more. I felt It may be that I am not pious enough to offend and say such words. Later, I heard that the Taoist priest of Ziyan is actually the brother of the original Taoist priest. The original Taoist priest wanted to travel, so he handed over the Taoist temple to the present Yes. After all, people in Guanli don’t like us to ask about Taoist Master Zi Yan, so naturally we didn’t dare to ask more questions afterwards.”

"I still remember that there were two years, that's right, it started six years ago. For two years, Ziyan Temple only accepted pilgrims to offer incense on the first and fifteenth day of each month. The longest time was two years."

They also heard that Taoist Master Ziyan had a face-to-face meeting after two years of retreat and practice, and then continued to retreat. For the next two years, he only came out occasionally. During this period, everything was done by Taoist Baiyun. Host Taoism.It wasn't until the last two years that Daoist Zi Yan often showed his face in front of people, and most people have almost forgotten what the old Taoist looked like before.

Four years ago, Ziyan Temple became bigger and more popular. The couple later had children and went to fulfill their vows every year.Occasionally, I saw the Taoist priest once or twice, and found that the new Zi Yandao had white hair and was older. On the contrary, I felt that this one had immortal energy, and thought it would be more effective.As for the Taoist priests in the Taoist temple, they seem to change frequently. Every time they offer incense, they can basically see new faces.

"We have asked a lot about this matter. The explanation given by Elder Baiyun is that the original Taoist priests have traveled abroad. He said that for the sake of cultivation, as long as they reach a certain age and pass the assessment, they will be allowed to travel down the mountain. With experience, it is better to cultivate, to attain Taoism and become immortal."

After Zhao Hanyan asked the husband and wife to draw a testimony, it was getting late, so they rode back to Kaifeng Mansion with Bai Yutang.

"It seems that the harvest is good?" Bai Yutang noticed that Zhao Hanyan's expression was very relaxed.

"Things are going in the direction I guessed."

Bai Yutang: "But I still haven't figured it out. How dare they replace the Daoist with someone so boldly?"

"The Taoist Master Ziyan of this Ziyan Temple is not the original one. The new Taoist Master Ziyan appeared in the name of retreat, and then replaced the old one." Zhao Hanyan explained, "Why did no one raise any objections? During this period of time, Elder Baiyun gradually replaced the old ones with new Taoist priests. Those Taoist priests who knew the real appearance of Ziyan Taoist priests were all sent away. The new Taoist priests had never seen Ziyan Taoist priests. The real appearance of the chief is just heard that the Taoist leader is in retreat. Later, when the Taoist leader leaves the closed door, as long as Elder Baiyun confirms it, then everyone will naturally not doubt Zi Yan's identity as the Taoist leader."

"The new Taoist priests are ignorant, and they assume what they are told. As for the pilgrims, they are actually easy to fool. They make up a theory of wandering, and a method of delaying time to make them forget. Naturally, it does not attract so many people's attention. " Bai Yutang followed Zhao Hanyan's words with emotion, and then stared at Zhao Hanyan solemnly, "I only now realize how terrifying the 'huge conspiracy' you mentioned earlier is."