Lanting prelude

Chapter 37
In Jiangling, the gate of Dajue Temple is affixed with the seal of Jingzhou Mansion.

In the middle of the night, a black shadow quickly climbed over the courtyard wall and entered the temple silently.The black shadow first came to the release pool behind the Heavenly King Hall and stood there for a while, then turned back to the front of the Heavenly King Hall, jumped onto a dense locust tree, and jumped onto another locust tree not long after.Afterwards, Hei Ying spent a long time feeling all over the seven or eight locust trees in the courtyard before jumping off and running straight towards the back of the temple.

Because the temple was sealed off and all the monks in the temple were taken away, the Dajue Temple seemed silent and gloomy at this time.

The black shadow quickly came to the dharma hall behind the main hall, opened a long window, turned and entered.

In the darkness, a candle was lit by a scythe.Holding the candle, the black shadow walked around the lectern and came to the back of the Dharma hall.By the dim light of the candle, some sundries can be seen piled up in the corner.The black shadow glanced around, but he didn't seem to find what he was looking for, so he came to the corner on the other side.Soon, behind a dilapidated screen, the black shadow found the target - in the corner stood an oval pottery vat more than two feet high, covered with a cap; the surface of the vat was covered with a layer of yellow-green celadon glaze , with lotus, auspicious clouds, cranes and other patterns painted on it, as well as the words "Buddha's light shines everywhere".

This is the unique "sitting vat" of Buddhist temples, also known as the monk's coffin.After some monks sit cross-legged, they are placed in this kind of tank. Usually, charcoal, lime, spices and other things are placed around the body to dehumidify and preserve. The cylinder was buried in the soil for burial.

Hei Ying took off the lid of the vat and held up a candle to light it—as expected, this was Xuan Guan's Sitting Furnace!
At this time, Xuan Guan was sitting in the vat, no different from what he saw in the abbot's room last night.Heiying discovered that there was no charcoal, spices, etc. in the jar, apparently the monks in the temple were taken away hastily, and there was no time to put these things in.

The black shadow held the candle and looked at Xuan Guan quietly for a moment, then turned around and went to the lectern to fetch a pair of copper chimes, and then knocked on Xuan Guan's ear: Ding...

The sound of the chime was clear and long, echoing for a long time in the empty Dharma hall, and the lingering sound lingered around the beams.

Under the gaze of the black shadow, Xuan Guan slowly took a slight breath, his pale face gradually turned rosy, and finally opened his eyes suddenly, facing the black shadow.

"How long does the abbot plan to sit this time? Is it Maitreya's next-born Longhua Sanhui?" Heiying laughed, and it was Xiao Junmo's voice.

"Longhua Three Meetings" is a famous Buddhist prophecy, which refers to 56 billion years after the death of the Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva led the world to the world by himself, became a monk and learned Taoism, and sat under the Longhua tree in the Hualin Garden of Chitou City Cheng Zheng waited for enlightenment, and said three times before and after. Those who had never attained the Tao under the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha in the past can all attain the Tao at this meeting.

"The poor monk would like to, but it's a pity that he doesn't have that skill." Xuan Guan also smiled lightly.

"The abbot's skills are already astonishing. Otherwise, Pei Tinglong, who is so shrewd, would have been fooled by you?" Xiao Junmo has a long history of research on Buddhist meditation. will stop, and only rely on the pores of the whole body to breathe.Xuan Guan obviously has this kind of kung fu, so he was able to deceive Pei Tinglong.

"It's true that I deceived Pei Tinglong, but I still couldn't hide from Xiao Lang's piercing eyes!" Xuan Guan said, and jumped out of the clay vat lightly, "There are rumors in the government and the public that Xiao Lang's eyes are like a torch, and he can solve cases like a god. Now that I see you, It really lives up to its reputation!"

"The abbot praised it absurdly. The younger generation only realized it now. It is really slow. What can we talk about as bright as a torch?"

"How did Xiao Lang find out that the poor monk was cheating?" Xuan Guan was rather curious.

Xiao Junmo briefly talked about the various doubtful points discussed in the inn before, and finally said: "After discovering that the assassination was probably planned by you, I thought that you wanted to die to escape the coercion, but later found out that since you Why would you risk your life so easily when you can design such a realistic assassination? So I carefully reviewed what happened last night, and finally found that I missed an important detail."

"What details?"

"The blood you bleed is too little, and it coagulates too quickly, which is unreasonable." Xiao Junmo said, "If a normal person is stabbed in the heart, not only will the blood flow be heavy, but it can't be stopped at all, but you stopped it in a blink of an eye. Blood, this means that the place where you were hit by the knife was not the heart at all. But the problem is that the dagger clearly pierced your left chest, judging by the location of your wound, it is the heart, so how to explain this? I was puzzled by this for a long time, and finally I suddenly thought: Why do people have to have their hearts on the left side? Many years ago, I heard my father say that there are very few people in this world whose heart position is opposite to that of ordinary people, not on the left side, but on the left side. It grows on the right side. So I concluded that you, Abbot Xuanguan, are one of the rare strangers in this world. Therefore, you are not going to die for Pei Tinglong to see, but to deceive him by feigning death and let him Don’t think about Buddha finger relics anymore, right?”

When Xuan Guan heard this, he couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing: "Wonderful, wonderful! Xiao Lang is really smart, and the poor monk admires him! But, how do you know that the person threatening me is Pei Tinglong from Xuanjiawei?"

Xiao Junmo's expression darkened, and he said with a wry smile: "I should have noticed it a long time ago, but I didn't realize it until today. It was actually a very stupid mistake, which is really unforgivable!"

"Why did Xiao Lang say that?" Xuan Guan was puzzled.

Xiao Junmo then explained the reason.He told Xuanguan that when he investigated Biancai a few months ago, he had already found out Biancai's whereabouts in his early years, and knew that he lived with Zhiyong in Dajue Temple in Jiangling for several years in the early years of Wude.In Jiayugou before, based on this information, Xiao Junmo judged that Biancai's escape direction was Jiangling.But the problem is that both the emperor and Xuanjiawei also know this information. Since Xiao Junmo can guess it, then the emperor and Xuanjiawei can also guess it, so it is entirely possible for Pei Tinglong to rush to Dajue Temple in advance and wait for him and Xuanjiawei. Argument comes to your door.It was indeed an unforgivable mistake for Xiao Junmo to realize this until today, at least for himself.

"In addition to this, there is another point that can also explain that the person who is coercing you is unlikely to be someone else, but the most likely person is Xuanjiawei." Xiao Junmo said.

"Which point?"

"The Buddha refers to the relic."

"Oh? I'd like to hear about it."

"I originally suspected that the ones who threatened you with the relics of the Buddha's fingers were members of the Heavenly Punishment League, but after thinking about it later, they couldn't do it. Firstly, the relics of the Buddha's fingers are enshrined in the underground palace, so they can't get their hands on them; secondly, if they want to use You can report to officials if you are coerced by force. But if it is Pei Tinglong, the situation is completely different. First of all, Xuanjiawei is so powerful that even the local government cannot resist it, let alone the temple; secondly, Pei Tinglong can also falsely preach imperial edict , use the emperor to pressure you, so that you have to submit; in the end, only in the face of this irresistible pressure, you will choose to feign death to get rid of the coercion. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that those fake monks last night were all Xuanjiawei, and the person threatening you is Pei Tinglong."

"Xiao Lang's thinking is really meticulous!"

"It's just that I still don't know one thing."

"What's the matter?"

"Accordingly, only you and Huiyuan should know about this suspended animation plan. The prison court and other mages must not have participated. Then after the abbot enters meditation, won't the other mages really think you have passed away and bury you in the soil?"

Xuan Guan smiled: "After the monks in my temple pass away, they usually do rituals for seven days before being buried in the earth. During this period, I will come out of samadhi."

Xiao Junmo nodded, thinking about something: "The abbot's plan is firstly to protect the relics of the Buddha finger, and secondly, to transfer the round cup safely. "

Xuan Guan smiled wryly: "Xiao Lang is referring to whether Hui Yuan can take Yuan Shang away safely?"

"Exactly. Since Xuanjiawei has controlled your temple, there must have been ambushes on the periphery. Although Master Huiyuan can escape from the secret path of the release pool, the younger generation is still worried that the canal outside is still under the control of Xuanjiawei. within range."

Xuan Guan's expression darkened, and he let out a long sigh: "Xiao Lang was very worried. When the poor monk was discussing, he also thought about handing over the round wine cup to Zuo Shi first, and then let Hui Yuan do it, but I was worried. Now that you are under the supervision of Xuanjiawei, wouldn’t it be more dangerous to hand over the cup to you? In desperation, I can only hope that Huiyuan will take the things out first, and play by ear later, at least get you and It will be safer for each other if the cups are separated. But as you said, the poor monk does have a fluke mentality, and he just wants to gamble that the Xuanjiawei's control range is not so wide. It turned out that the poor monk, In the end... I still lost the bet!"

When Xiao Junmo heard the last sentence, he noticed something different, and hurriedly asked: "What does the abbot mean by this?"

Xuan Guan was dejected for a long time before slowly saying: "Hui Yuan failed to escape the clutches of Xuan Jiawei, last night he...he was killed."

Although this matter did not exceed Xiao Junmo's expectations, he still felt a bit gouged out when he first heard the bad news.I didn't expect that the first time I saw Huiyuan last night, it would be the last time—in order to protect the secrets of "Lanting Preface" and the Tianxing League, another righteous man paid the price of his life like his father.

"Abbot, when this junior left last night, you were already in samadhi. How did you know about Master Huiyuan's death?" Xiao Junmo was a little puzzled.

"At that time, the poor monk had just entered samadhi, and he was still aware of the movement of the outside world. They brought Huiyuan's body in, and I heard it clearly..." Xuan Guan's eyes were red, and his expression was sad.

"The matter has come to this point, and there is no way to undo it. I hope the abbot will mourn." Xiao Junmo comforted.

Xuan Guan nodded and suppressed his sadness: "When Hui Yuan died, Yuan Shang also disappeared. The poor monk is ashamed of the left envoy, and he is even more entrusted by the lord!"

"Abbot, don't be too busy blaming yourself. Although Master Huiyuan sacrificed, he was very smart and hid the cup beforehand."

Xuan Guan looked at him in surprise: "How does Xiao Lang know?"

"The abbot wants to know, where does Master Huiyuan hide the cup?" Xiao Junmo looked at him with a half-smile.

"Of course!"

Xiao Junmo suddenly reached into his arms and took out something.Although the candlelight was dim, Xuan Guan recognized it at a glance. This bronze round object engraved with the word "奶" in running script was undoubtedly the round cup!
Xuan Guan was extremely astonished: "Where did Xiao Lang find it? And how did he find it?"

Xiao Junmo smiled faintly: "This has to start with Master Huiyuan's escape route last night. The abbot should still remember that after Huiyuan took the round cup, he went out from the gate of the Heavenly King Hall, and then went towards the gate of the temple, right?"

"Of course I remember."

"When Huiyuan ran near the gate of the temple, he was stopped by a group of Xuanjia guards. At that time, the junior didn't know what was going on, so he went up to fight him, and then Huiyuan turned back to the temple, ran to the back of the Temple of Heavenly Kings in one breath, jumped Entered the release pool. This matter has always puzzled the juniors. Since there is a secret path in the release pool, why did Master Huiyuan not go directly into the pool, but run towards the temple gate first, and then turn back? I thought he I had no choice but to turn back when I encountered interception. But after thinking about it later, I finally realized that Master Huiyuan had already expected that he might not escape, so he deliberately created an illusion of rushing left and right, panicking and reckless, in order to confuse Xuanjia Wei, in fact, during this process, he had already hidden the cup."

Xuan Guan frowned and thought: "You mean, when he ran towards the gate of the temple, he had already hidden his things?"

Xiao Junmo nodded: "The abbot should be able to guess where he hid his things by now?"

Xuan Guan pondered for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Could it be... those old locust trees?"

Xiao Junmo smiled.Just now he touched the locust trees in front of the Palace of Heavenly Kings for a long time, looking for tree holes where he could hide things, and he found a round cup in one of the tree holes.

"But why did you think of the locust tree?" Xuan Guan was still a little confused.

"I have to thank one of my companions for inadvertently giving me a hint." Xiao Junmo smiled, "The three of us came to visit the abbot last night, but we didn't realize that another companion followed us all the way. Huiyuan came from When Tianwangdian ran out and jumped onto a locust tree, she happened to be hiding in another locust tree. Afterwards, the two Xuanjia guards who pretended to be servants chased her out, mistook her for Huiyuan, and beat her up. Get up. I didn't think much about it until I was on the way here, and I suddenly realized that the reason why the two Xuanjia guards misunderstood must be that they saw Huiyuan jumping on the locust tree. Logically speaking, at that time Huiyuan In a hurry to escape, why use a locust tree to hide? This is obviously unreasonable. Therefore, the only reasonable explanation is: Huiyuan is not using a tree to hide, but a tree to hide something!"

Xuan Guan suddenly realized, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "Xiao Lang is the best detective in the world!"

"A lot of things are just a coincidence, and it just happened to connect me together." Xiao Junmo waved his hand, and immediately said seriously, "The abbot has no identity now, what's the next plan?"

"It's just the so-called monasticism and homelessness," Xuan Guan smiled wryly, "Where can an outsider not live? There are so many jungle monasteries in the world, and there are always places for poor monks to stay, not to mention that there are many brothers scattered in this rudder Everywhere, no matter where you go, you are not afraid of being taken care of.”

"That's good." Xiao Junmo was quite relieved, and suddenly became curious, "Can I ask, which sub-helm is the abbot?"

"According to the rules of the organization, it is inconvenient for poor monks to tell, but we might as well make an exception for Xiao Lang." Xuan Guan smiled, "I'm Chong Yuan."

Xiao Junmo quickly searched his memory, and blurted out a sentence: "Yang Yong Yi Yi Fang."

Xuan Guan then said: "Rejuvenating and rejuvenating."

"Are you a descendant of Wang Yunzhi, Minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty?"

"Exactly."

These two sentences just now come from a five-character poem written by Wang Yunzhi at the Lanting Meeting. The full text is: "Scattering emotions and aspirations, and dusty tassels suddenly donate. Looking up and chanting the leftover fragrance, refreshing and rejuvenating." So far, Xiao Junmo Altogether, I already know the eight sub-rudders of the Tianxing League: Mingzang, Linchuan, Wuya, Xuanquan, Langyou, Donggu, Echo, and Chongyuan.

"Abbot, are the supervisors and other mages of your temple people from Chongyuan Ruo?" Xiao Junmo asked suddenly.Just now when he saw the seal on the gate of the temple, he already expected that these people would be arrested by Pei Tinglong, so he couldn't help worrying about them.

"They are just simple monks, not brothers Benduo." Xuan Guan was a little puzzled, "Why did Xiao Lang ask this?"

Xiao Junmo sighed: "They were caught by Pei Tinglong."

Xuan Guan didn't know about this, he was startled, and annoyed: "It's all my fault, I'm the one who got them involved."

"The abbot doesn't have to worry too much. Since they are not members of the Heavenly Punishment League, Pei Tinglong won't be able to interrogate them. Sooner or later, they will be released. At most, they will suffer some flesh and blood." Xiao Junmo said, "It's you, you have to leave quickly Well, it’s not suitable to stay here for long.”

Xuan Guan felt a little relieved when he heard the words, and then he showed worry: "The poor monk can leave Jiangling tonight, but what about you and the Zuo Envoy? Now that Pei Tinglong has his eyes on you, how can you and the Zuo Envoy get out of trouble? "

Xiao Junmo groaned for a moment, then smiled calmly: "Abbot, let's go at ease, the junior has his own way out of trouble."

The Xiji coffin shop in the south of Jiangling city is the largest one within hundreds of miles. The coffins it sells are complete in variety and authentic, and they are well-known in Jiangling and even Jingzhou.To facilitate maintenance, Xi Yan lives behind the shop.

Late that night, at about three o'clock in the morning, Xi Yan was awakened by a strange sound in his sleep.He listened intently, it seemed that someone was knocking on the coffin rhythmically in the courtyard, the sound was not loud, but very clear.Hearing this strange noise in the middle of the night, no matter how courageous Xi Yan was, he didn't feel his scalp go numb.

He put on his clothes and got out of bed, with a knife in one hand and a lamp in the other, he opened the door and walked into the courtyard.This courtyard is very large, and the courtyard is full of large and small semi-finished coffins.The sound came from behind a nanmu coffin that had been completed but had not yet been painted.Xi Yan approached the coffin step by step, stood still at a distance of six or seven steps, and asked in a deep voice: "Where is the friend, dare to break into the private house at night, what is your intention?"

The knocking stopped, and a black figure stepped out from behind the coffin.Xi Yan took a closer look, and it turned out to be Xiao Junmo.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Donggu," Xiao Junmo said with a smile on his face, "Come here late at night, disturbing your clear dreams."

Xi Yan was a little displeased: "What's the matter with Xiao Lang, do you have to be so sneaky in the middle of the night?"

Xiao Junmo smiled: "I have two news, one is bad news, and the other is worse news, which one would Mr. Donggu want to hear first?"

"What if I don't want to hear it?"

"Then I can only say goodbye. You can go back and have your sweet dreams. However, before I leave, I have to ask you a question."

"what is the problem?"

"You have sold so many coffins in your life, did you keep a good one for yourself?" Xiao Junmo touched the nanmu coffin beside him, "This one seems to be pretty good, I suggest you keep it for yourself."

Xi Yan was furious: "Xiao Junmo, I respect you as the person next to Zuo Shi, so I treat you politely, don't you know what's good or bad!"

"Don't be angry, Xiao has absolutely no intention of teasing." Xiao Junmo said with a smile, "I just want to tell you that people who are targeted by Xuanjia Guards usually don't live long."

"What do you mean?" Xi Yan was confused.

"What I mean is very simple. There are at least ten Xuanjia guards around your shop, plus thirty police officers from the Jingzhou government. If I hadn't been familiar with the Xuanjia guards' control methods, I would have been arrested when I came in." Watching."

Knowing that Xiao Junmo didn't need to lie to him, Xi Yan thought for a while, and said, "So, Xuanjiawei followed Zuoshi and you to follow me?"

"I can only express my apologies for this." Xiao Junmo said, "I didn't realize it when I connected with you this morning, and I didn't realize it until night, so I came here to inform you now."

"Is this the bad news you said?"

"No, it's worse."

"What's the bad news?"

"Want to hear it now?"

"Say."

"In a few days, Mingzang will come to Jiangling. Naturally, it is for Sanshang. Although he doesn't know you yet, he can't underestimate his methods. With his internal support in Jiangling, it may be a matter of time before he finds you. thing."

Xi Yan was slightly startled: "Who is his internal response?"

"Echo."

"Echo?" Xi Yan narrowed his eyes.He only knew that there was a sub-helm in the Tianxing League, but he didn't know that it was in Jiangling, let alone who the rudder was. "Can you tell me, who is this echo?"

"It's okay to tell you now, Xie Ji, the owner of Fulitang Restaurant in the east of the city." Xiao Junmo said, "And I might as well tell you that he is one of the people who holds the three cups just like you."

This person is greedy for money, lustful, and only seeks profit, everyone in Jiangling City knows it, Xi Yan did not expect that he is actually a member of the Tian Xing League, let alone that he also has three cups in his hand.

"How do you know that he has taken refuge in Mingzang?"

"If you want people not to know, you have to do nothing. As long as you have ghosts in your heart, you will always show your feet. After all, Xiao has been a Xuanjia guard for several years, and he still has some experience in this regard."

"Then if you tell me everything now, you won't be afraid that I have ghosts in my heart?"

"You said you were loyal to the alliance, I never doubted that." Xiao Junmo said seriously.

"Even if I disobey the orders of the leader and the left envoy?"

"Your disobedience was originally intended to protect the organization. I believe that once you realize that your ideas can no longer protect the organization, you will change your position. Am I right?"

Xiao Junmo stared at him sharply, as if he could see into his heart.

In silence, Xi Yan deeply felt the trust and understanding from Xiao Junmo.For a lonely and stubborn person like Xi Yan, this kind of trust and understanding is obviously more convincing than any persuasion, and it can also make him change his mind.

When Xie Ji woke up suddenly, he saw two black figures, one tall and one thin, standing beside the bed.

The concubine who was sleeping next to her also woke up at the same time. Just as she was about to scream, she was slapped unconscious by the thin black shadow.Xie Ji smiled wryly.He knew very well that the fact that these two men were able to eliminate a dozen guards outside and reach his bedside without a sound proved that they were capable, so what he did now would be futile, and the only way to save his life was to It is obedient cooperation.

"Two friends, I'm here late at night, what can I tell you?" Xie Ji smiled.After all, he is the rudder master of the Echo sub-rudder of the Tianxing League, so he still has the strength to stay calm in the face of danger.

The candles on the side were lit, and Xie Ji finally saw clearly that the person in front of him was a young man who claimed to be Wu Ya whom he had seen at the restaurant in the afternoon, and the other was actually Xi Yan, the owner of Xiji Coffin Shop in the south of the city.Three years ago, he held a funeral for his father, and the expensive coffin he used was ordered from Xi Yan.Xie Ji didn't understand how these two people got together, and why they came here late at night, the only thing he knew was that these two guys came here with bad intentions!
"Mr. Huibo, do you still recognize me?" Xiao Junmo found a round stool and sat down, crossing his legs.Xi Yan stood beside him with a gloomy expression, motionless, that face that was originally extremely ugly looked even more chilling at the moment.

"Naturally." Xie Ji smiled all over his face, "Mr. Wu Ya came to the humble house, why didn't he say hello in advance? Seeing that I didn't even wear any clothes, I'm really rude!"

"Mr. Huibo, you are welcome." Xiao Junmo also smiled, "We are not here to be guests anyway."

"Those two are..."

"Mr. Huibo must have released the carrier pigeons, right? Before Mr. Mingzang arrives, we have some things to talk about first."

A trace of panic flashed in Xie Ji's eyes, although it was fleeting, Xiao Junmo had already seen it all.

"What is the meaning of Mr. Wuya's words? Why can't I understand a word?"

Xiao Junmo smiled coldly, turned his head and said to Xi Yan: "Boss Xi, he doesn't understand what I said, why don't you come and tell him?" The blood was obviously from the guards outside.Xie Ji froze when he saw it, and smiled wryly: "Forget it, what do you two want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about your current situation." Xiao Junmo said, "First of all, I have to tell you that you have been targeted by Xuanjia Guards. In my estimation, you may have entered Xuanjia before Mingzang arrived in Jiangling. Wei’s cell. Of course, you don’t have to believe it, but you’d better book a coffin with Boss Xi first, so as not to be in a hurry; if you believe it, then let’s continue talking. What do you think?”

When Xie Ji heard this, he immediately looked terrified.He had heard of Xuanjiawei's prestige for a long time, once it fell into their hands, it would be absolutely impossible to survive.Judging by Xiao Junmo's appearance, it doesn't seem like he is scaring him.Xie Ji rolled his eyes for a long time, and finally said two words dejectedly: "I believe it."

"Very good. Next, we can talk about your choice. You have two options now: [-]. Give us the goblet, and then you take the gold, silver and soft goods and run as fast as you can. Yuan; Second, insist on not paying, and then order a good coffin with Boss Xi, and wait for the Xuanjiawei to catch you, and you will be able to taste the feeling that life is worse than death." After Xiao Junmo finished speaking, he smiled, " Well, the road is in front of you, how to choose, you can figure it out, I will never force it."

"How can there be two paths?" Xie Ji smiled uglier than crying, "There is clearly only one path."

"From what you said, do you want to choose the first one?"

Xie Ji smiled wryly.

"You have to think it over." Xiao Junmo said seriously, "Didn't you bury the cup in your father's grave? These few days are not auspicious days. If you dig up your ancestor's grave casually, it is a big taboo!"

"I... didn't I just say that casually?" Xie Ji was embarrassed, "Who would be so stupid to really bury that thing in the ancestral grave?"

Xiao Junmo and Xi Yan looked at each other and smiled.

Of course he knew that Jiaoshang could not really be buried in the cemetery, but he deliberately did not expose it, just to let Xie Ji tell it himself.

As soon as the rooster crowed for the first time, Xiao Junmo returned to the Yunshui Inn before dawn.

Of course, he didn't take the usual path - in order to avoid the monitoring eyes of the Xuanjia guards all around, Xiao Junmo came back from the roof with a cat waist, just like when he left last night.

Biancai was meditating in the room, and when he heard the knock on the door, he thought Xiao Junmo had woken up early.When I opened the door, I saw bloodshot eyes in his eyes. It was obvious that he hadn't slept all night, but there was a happy smile on his face.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Biancai let him into the room and quickly poured him a glass of water.

Xiao Junmo chuckled, drank up the water and wiped the corners of his mouth: "I couldn't sleep, so I went outside for a walk."

"Walking around?" Biancai looked at him suspiciously, "Where did you go?"

"I went to meet a few people and brought back a few things by the way." Xiao Junmo said, then took out the "several things" he said from his arms and lined them up on the case.

When he saw it, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Three cups? !
Three palm-sized bronze plaques were placed on the case, one round, one square, and one hexagonal, with the same engraved words on them: cup.The three characters for "饭" are all running script, and the shape of the characters is very similar, but you can still see the difference if you look closely.

Biancai never expected that in just one night, Xiao Junmo would put the almost impossible to get three cups intact in front of him like a magic trick!

"This...how is this possible? I'm not dreaming, am I?" Biancai opened his eyes wide and was incoherent with excitement, "How did you do it?"

Xiao Junmo smiled, and wrote lightly: "Actually, it's not as difficult as I imagined, it's just a matter of using my brain."

Next, Xiao Junmo explained in detail how he found out the doubts and how he got back the three cups.Biancai was stunned, especially when he heard that Xuanguan's heart actually grew on the right side, and he used this to successfully implement the "fake death" plan. The strong Xiao Junmo admired him even more.

At this moment, Biancai suddenly remembered the words Hua Linger said the night before yesterday: "We can elect a courageous, resourceful, courageous and insightful person to be the leader of the alliance, and let him lead those who are still loyal to the alliance. , join forces to fight against Mingzang!"

Yes, instead of giving in passively and letting Mingzang do whatever he wants, it is better to gather the organization and give it to the young man in front of him to thwart Mingzang's ambitions and schemes.Biancai believes that as long as Xiao Junmo is willing, he will be able to do it, but the question now is: how can he make him agree?

"Xiao Lang, there is one thing that I would like to ask for your opinion." Biancai suddenly said seriously.

"Mage please tell me."

"Now that the three cups have been retrieved, as long as we arrive at Yuezhou, we can take out the original "Lanting Preface" and the seal of the alliance." Biancai looked into Xiao Junmo's eyes, "In other words, this is the moment to decide the fate of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance. Let us According to the original plan, these two things can be destroyed, so that the organization will disappear from the rivers and lakes; you can also take this opportunity to wake up the organization and let it protect the world again! According to Xiao Lang's opinion, what should be done better?"

Xiao Junmo didn't expect Bian to raise such an important and serious question. He was stunned for a moment, and then said after a while: "Didn't the mage have already thought about it before? The purpose of taking back the three cups is to disband the organization, so as not to let Mingzang take advantage of it. Besides, this is also the will of the leader, why are you hesitating now?"

"The reason is very simple." Biancai said, "Because of you."

"Me?!" Xiao Junmo laughed dumbly, and immediately understood the meaning of the debate, "Master, the so-called nomination of who to be the leader of the alliance is purely the whims of that crazy girl Hua Linger, why are you confused? This is simply a joke. ..."

"No, this is not a joke." Biancai said with a serious face, "If Xiao Lang is willing, the poor monk is willing to assist Xiao Lang to revive the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, fight against Ming Zang, and protect the world!"

Looking at Bian Cai, Xiao Junmo suddenly saw the snowy winter of the second year of Zhenguan, and the frozen corpses on the White Deer Plain.At that time, Xiao Junmo wanted to save those disaster victims so much, let alone a seven-year-old child, even his father, the court, and even the emperor had more than enough heart and power...

"To be honest with the mage, protecting the world and saving the common people is also the wish of this junior in his life, but the wish is often far from the reality, not to mention that the burden of the Heavenly Punishment League is not something that this junior can bear, please forgive me for being difficult to obey. .”

Biancai sighed: "Xiao Lang, don't rush to refuse, anyway, it will take some time to go from here to Yuezhou. These days, Xiao Lang can seriously consider it. If you are still unwilling when the time comes, the poor monk will naturally not will be forced."

Xiao Junmo originally wanted to say "I will not change my mind", but after thinking about it, he felt too cold, so he was silent for a while, and then changed the subject: "Master, right now the inn is full of Xuanjia guards and arresters, the most urgent thing is to You have to think about how to get out of trouble, don't you think?"

Biancai was not worried, but smiled instead: "Xiao Lang has even completed the impossible task of getting back the three cups, so there must be a way to get out of trouble."

"You trust me that much?"

"Of course. How many times has Xiao Lang saved the poor monk and the little girl, if he doesn't trust you, who else can the poor monk trust?"

Xiao Junmo's heart felt a little hot when he heard the words, and at the same time he felt a heavy responsibility.

Tai Chi Palace, Chengqing Palace.

Chengqing Hall, also known as Chengqian Hall, is located to the west of Liangyi Hall.During the reign of Wude, Li Shimin once lived in this hall, and Prince Li Chengqian was born in this hall, so it was named "Chengqian".After Zhenguan, this hall became the place where Li Shimin was heard and "recorded prisoner".The so-called prison record refers to the review and review of prisoners in custody to prevent the occurrence of unjust, false and wrongly decided cases.This system originated in the Han Dynasty and was perfected in the Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, Li Feng was kneeling in the hall wearing shackles and shackles, Li Shimin was sitting on the imperial couch, Li Ke and Zhao Dequan stood on both sides.Behind Li Feng, stood a group of heavily armed Wuhou guards.

"Li Feng, where are you from?"

Before today's interrogation, Li Shimin had read Li Feng's statement in detail, but now he still wanted to confirm it himself.

"Western Region, from Gaochang." Li Feng's voice was very calm, without any emotion.

"Why did you come to Chang'an? When did you come?"

"Xiaomin used to serve in Gaochang's army. Two years ago, Hou Junji attacked Gaochang and Xiaomin was captured. Hou Junji saw that Xiaomin was good, so he brought him back to Chang'an and sent him to the East Palace."

In the 14th year of Zhenguan, Hou Junji led his troops to destroy Gaochang, and then the Tang Dynasty established Xizhou here.Li Shimin knew very well that when Hou Junji pacified Gaochang, a total of more than 7000 people were captured. As for how many "good skills" he sent to the prince in private, Li Shimin did not know.Yesterday, he summoned Hou Junji into the palace for questioning, Hou Junji hesitantly said that he gave a total of nearly a hundred people to the East Palace.Li Shimin asked him if he still recognized Li Feng, Hou Junji said with a bitter face that there were too many people and he couldn't remember.

"What are you doing in the East Palace?" Of course Li Shimin knew the answer to this question, but he still wanted to hear him answer it himself.

"Accompany the prince to practice martial arts."

"Who ordered you to assassinate in the Anxiang Building yesterday?"

"Prince."

"Did the prince give you instructions in person?"

"Yes."

"How did he say?"

"He showed Xiaomin the portraits of Du He, Du Chuke, and King Wei, and told Xiaomin to assassinate Du He, and if he had the opportunity, kill the other two."

"Did the prince say why he wanted to kill them?"

"No. Xiaomin dare not ask about the prince's affairs."

"Then what benefit did he give you by asking you to do this?"

"Xiaomin still has some family members in Gaochang, the prince promised to take care of Xiaomin's family."

"But now that you have confessed the crown prince, don't you worry about your family?"

Li Feng suddenly smiled bitterly: "Wu Wang said that he will keep my family safe, otherwise how could Xiaomin confess?"

Li Shimin asked Li Ke with his eyes, and Li Ke nodded.

At this point in the interrogation, it seems that there is no need to ask any more, because Li Feng's answer is almost the same as the confession, and there is nothing valuable to be asked.

Of course Li Shimin at this time didn't know that the reason why Li Feng was able to answer the questions fluently was because Wang Hongyi and Li Tai had taught him all the things that needed to be answered beforehand, and he had already memorized them fluently.In addition, since Li Feng had never actually been to the Eastern Palace, nor had he seen the prince himself, Li Tai specially found a floor plan of the Eastern Palace for him to memorize, and showed him a portrait of the prince.

The reason why Wang Hongyi chose Li Feng to carry out the mission this time was not only because of his high martial arts skills and absolute loyalty, but also because Li Feng himself was indeed from Gaochang, and he really had family members in Gaochang.

At this moment, Li Shimin stared at Li Feng with a cold gaze.Although Li Feng's answer was flawless, Li Shimin still felt that he was lying.

"Ke'er, do you believe what this guy said?" Li Shimin asked in a low voice.

Li Ke was slightly taken aback: "Father, I don't want to believe it in my heart, but the facts are there, and I... dare not believe it."

This was said very cleverly, upon hearing this, a bitter smile flashed across the corner of Li Shimin's mouth, and he didn't say anything more.

"Li Feng, I'm going to ask you one last question now." Li Shimin said, "Have you been practicing martial arts with the prince in the East Palace for the past two years?"

"Yes."

Li Shimin was silent.After a long time, he waved his hand lightly, motioning for Li Ke to take him down.

When Li Ke led his men to escort Li Feng out of Chengqing Hall, he kept thinking about the intention of his father's last question.This question has already been asked before, why did the emperor ask it again?
Li Ke was puzzled.

The only thing he knew was that, under any circumstances, Father would never ask a meaningless question.

(End of this chapter)