Li Longji and Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling were sitting on the floor. The emperor looked a little hesitant: "My dear, today I don't ask about the common people, but I want to ask about ghosts and gods." "I had a strange dream last night. In the dream, there was a bird with bright

In the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan, Daming Palace was shrouded in a misty morning light.

Li Longji and Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling were sitting on the ground. The emperor looked a little hesitant: "My dear, today I don't ask about the common people, but I want to ask about ghosts and gods."

Zhang Jiuling is very beautiful in Fengyi and is a learned poet. Prime Minister.

"I had a strange dream last night. In the dream, a mouse with bright red fur could speak human language. The mouse called himself 'Qimao' and said that he was good at stealing things and people's time."

The Emperor's His eyes immediately turned to the bronze mirror beside him. The white hair in the mirror was stained with frost and half withered. It seemed as if there was an invisible hand ruthlessly seizing time, and aging was like a gust of wind, approaching silently and quickly.

"I feel that time has passed too fast recently, unusually fast... Is there really a mouse in the world that can steal time?"

"I have never heard of it." Zhang Jiuling looked slightly surprised.

The pale golden morning light fell on the corner of Fu Chen's eyes, where there had been silent carvings of the years, with a restrained elegance and mellow elegance.

"And I feel," Zhang Jiuling pondered for a moment, "compared to the time that was stolen...the things that were stolen by time are more regrettable."

-

Qi Shuo's name comes from the Book of Songs. In "Shuo Ren", "Teeth are like gourd rhinoceros, eyebrows are furrowed, clever smile is beautiful, beautiful eyes are looking forward to". As her name suggests, she is a young girl.

This young girl is not a lady, because she is still a gentleman, a gentleman on the beam.

The little female thief likes to wear red clothes and walk around at night. Most of the time she spends money like water, but sometimes she takes jobs. Half an hour ago, she ordered a bowl of eight-treasure rice at Juzhen Pavilion, and sat on the eaves to eat it, which was so sweet that her mood softened. At this moment, she took advantage of the darkness to touch the Jingzhou governor's family, and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. The mansion of the dignified Master Shi actually doesn't even have half a guard. Even if the walls are in tatters, there aren't even any antiques, calligraphy and paintings. It's no wonder that the well-informed little female thief dislikes it.

Fortunately, what she wanted to steal wasn't gold, silver or jewelry, as long as she had something like that. Qi Shuo was just about to take action when she suddenly heard a sound under the beam, and she couldn't help but glance down.

At this glance, he actually witnessed a murder.

"You can't kill me, cough cough..." The hoarse voice sounded like Mr. Changshi . "Hurry up and hand over your things, and I will spare your life!" is a very appropriate line for home invasion.

"I don't know what you are talking about..." Mr. Changshi, who has a clear and handsome face, looks very sick. He has a knife on his neck and is reluctant to part with anything outside his body.

"Then don't blame us for being cruel!" Hearing the sound of a knife being raised and dropped, Chang Shi grunted, staggered a few steps, and his sleeves hit the table, causing the candlelight to shake violently.

From Qi Shuo's perspective, one can clearly see the red blood flowing out of Chang Shi's chest, and then he slumped to the ground, his eyes slightly opened, and he refused to close his eyes.

The murderer neatly put away the knife and left quietly.

Qi Shuo on the beam suddenly held his breath in the darkness until everything fell silent. After a long time, she touched her back and was covered in cold sweat.

It was just dawn and all the shops on the street were closed. Qi Shuo sneaked under the eaves of a house and knocked on the door three times.

The door opened, and a young man stood behind him. He quickly let the girl in, then closed the door skillfully and locked the wooden bolt.

"Why did you come back so late?"

"I missed it." Qi Shuo was obviously in a bad mood. Not only did he not steal anything, he also witnessed an unlucky murder and vomited out all the eight-treasure rice he had eaten. Can she tell such things?

"How did you miss it?" The young man seemed a little unwilling.

"Bad luck." Qi Shuo said impatiently, "Place another order."

The young man stopped asking and handed her something: "This is the reward from last time."

It was a piece of Kuilong. The pattern is jade Huang, the jade color is deep and priceless.

"Thank you." Qi Shuo casually threw the precious ancient jade into her pocket. She turned to the young man and said, "By the way, don't tell anyone about my visit to Chang Shi Mansion yesterday. "

" Don't worry."The young man's clothes are very bookish. There is a cinnabar tear mole under his right eye, which makes the originally ordinary face appear a bit thrilling. But if you don't look closely at the mole, you will only think that he has a black face. His eyes were like round abacus beads, and his businessmanlike temperament was evident.

Qi Shuo only knew that his surname was Du, that he was a jade picker from Lingnan, and he was also the shopkeeper of Du's Jade Shop, which has been very popular in recent years. Although the jade shop is inconspicuous, the business has always been very good. His jade is different from other places. Everyone can only buy a piece of jade in his shop. No matter how attractive the price is, the second time he comes to buy it. They were all politely declined. Moreover, no matter how long ago they came to the store to buy jade, shopkeeper Du would never sell it again.

When Qi Shuo came to the store to steal jade, he thought he would have his fingers chopped off. ——After all, if you steal a lot of things, there will always be an unlucky day. But shopkeeper Du didn't know whether he didn't want to take action because she was a beautiful young girl, or because he saw that she was agile, smart and valuable, so he kept her. In the past few years, Qi Shuo has been doing some leisure chores in the store during the day, and stealing things for Shopkeeper Du at night.

Shopkeeper Du wants to steal from people who are rich or expensive, but the target is not valuable gold and silver. Jewelry, but some pieces of paper and letters.

Qi Shuo was illiterate, so she didn't bother to ask, and she didn't bother to find out what she had stolen, and what kind of business Du was secretly doing besides opening a jade shop. The shopkeeper has been merciful to her and treated her well in the past few years. Besides, having a place to live is better than living on the streets. She can cover her head with a quilt when she doesn't want to go out on stormy nights.

Qi. Shuo has stolen many things, but what she likes to steal the most is jade.

Hard jade, warm blue field, bright red agate, white Kunlun jade ... When no one hired her, she stole the most. All kinds of beautiful jade. "A gentleman will never leave his body without a reason." Most of the men wearing jade were from good backgrounds. They were not wary of a beautiful girl of thirteen or fourteen years old, and some of them were handsome and elegant, so she put on a good show. Steal their hearts first, and then steal their jade.

Since she was hired by Shopkeeper Du, she has no chance to steal jade and flirt with beautiful men.

Shopkeeper Du’s store has all kinds of beautiful jade. As long as she completes the task, no matter how good the jade is. , It's just a matter of picking something up.

Last time she asked for a half-foot-high white jade flying sky. Last time she asked for a Yin Shang purple jade turtle. This time she asked for a Warring States Kui dragon pattern jade huang, Du The shopkeeper offered it with both hands without any embarrassment.

二

The business of the jade shop was as good as ever. However, it was not until the evening that a customer brought the news of the murder last night.

"I heard that Mr. Chang Shi was killed last night. It's gone!"

"Ah, what's going on?"

"I heard from my buddy in the government office that it seemed like a home invasion, robbery, and murder. "

"Hmm..."

Changshi is nominally the right-hand man of the governor, but unfortunately he is a sinecure with a name but no power. I heard that Zhang Changshi of this term was once the Zhongshu Ling of the imperial court, because his outspoken advice offended Long Yan. He was just demoted to Jingzhou , but because he was extremely low-key, the people in the city had almost no impression of him, making him even more dispensable.

Shopkeeper Du was leisurely calculating when he heard the news. I couldn't help but look at his expression, thinking that he had something to ask me, but shopkeeper Du said without raising his head: "Bring me the account book. "

A few days ago, shopkeeper Du paid a large sum of money to the best embalmer in Jingzhou City. I don't know when he became interested in the faces of dead people. When the account was written down, Qi Shuo happened to be Being there, I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

It was evening at this time, and a few rays of the setting sun were still lingering on the distant mountains, and half a dim moon rose reservedly from the horizon.

Qi Shuo handed the account book to Du. When I was working as the shopkeeper, I heard the sound of footsteps, and a customer came.

A young stranger strode into the store with a piece of straw in his mouth. His attire was slightly different from that of the locals in Jingzhou.His clothes were knotted casually, and the sunset glow falling on him was particularly unrestrained, golden and crisp. He didn't look at the jade, but he looked at Shopkeeper Du with a pair of bright eyes: "Qing Zhou!"

Shopkeeper Du raised his head, his eyes lit up, he stood up and hurriedly greeted the guests. The two men were like old friends who had not seen each other for a long time. Hug each other.

"I said you should be there today!" Shopkeeper Du looked a little different from usual, "How is the road?"

"It's very good, especially when we enter Jingzhou City. I just need to ask about Du's Jade." There are people everywhere who can give me directions." The other party touched his chin seriously, "I remember when you used clay to make clay pots when you had a runny nose and played in the mud. Qu Di peed in it... Alas, now you can sell jade."

Shopkeeper Du looked complicated: "Are you praising me, or are you hurting me?"

"Don't even think about it. Too much!" The other party quickly explained, "Of course I am hurting you!"

, the shopkeeper who has always been reserved and indifferent to emotions, seemed to be adjusting his emotions and said kindly: "I prepared a piece of jade for you."

"Do you want money?"

"It's not expensive."

"Isn't it free? I feel the malice of the world! I came all the way to find you, and only these few copper coins are left!" The other party took it from his arms. He took out a few copper plates and threw them high into the air. The thrown copper plates clearly scattered in different directions. He didn't see his footsteps move, so he caught them one by one.

The man turned the copper plate with his fingertips: "If I want to buy jade again, I have no choice but to sell myself. I heard that there are many beautiful men in Jingzhou City. Whether I can sell my beauty is still a question... ."

Shopkeeper Du pulled his hand hard and walked into the inner hall, forcibly interrupting his talk. While instructing the waiters around him to take care of the business, he said to Qi Shuo: "Come here."

Qi Shuo followed them with a black line on his head. , and she didn't know that shopkeeper Du's name was Du Qingzhou until today. Shopkeeper Du called the young man next to her "Xiao Pei", but asked her to call him "General", saying that was how most others called him.

Qi Shuo travels around the world and is fairly well-informed, but he has only heard of a famous general named Pei in the world. However, it cannot really be that person, right? How could such a big shot come to a small place like Jingzhou City? How could he talk nonsense and call himself a brother to a jade merchant? But judging from his skill in receiving copper coins just now, he is worthy of the words "peerless light skill".

definitely, it just happens that they have the same last name.

When she was full of confusion, several people had already walked to the inner room.

In addition to several rest rooms, there is also a small room in the inner hall, which is shopkeeper Du's study. No outsider had ever come in before, and Qi Shuo had only been here once or twice. There is an ink painting hanging on the wall. The mountains and rivers are quiet and poetic under the moon, and there are a few lines of words at the signature.

Shopkeeper Du rolled up the painting, only to hear a low bang, and the wall slowly moved away. There is a darkroom in this study!

Qi Shuo was stunned. Shopkeeper Du had already taken the general's hand and got in. The latter protested loudly: "No! I haven't had a sip of tea or a meal. Buy a piece of jade." You still want to be mysterious, can your jade be eaten? Forget it if you can’t eat it..."

"Shh," Shopkeeper Du interrupted him gently, "Jade has spirituality and should not be rude. The beautiful jade in the world has absorbed the sun and the moon for thousands of years. Frost and dew, you can't just look at it in public. The beautiful jade is frightened, and I am afraid that disaster will come. The jade I gave you is the best among mutton fat jade . , and you have to smoke three sticks of incense religiously before you dare to touch it."

Several people walked through a dark passage and finally reached a slightly wider place. Suddenly there was a hazy light in front of his eyes, not only Qi Shuo, but also the general stopped.

It was a lifelike jade statue. It was the same size and shape as a real person!

Qi Shuo was stunned. She felt that the jade statue was beautiful everywhere, but there seemed to be something wrong with it. She couldn't say it for a while. Come.

As expected, shopkeeper Du took three sticks of incense and offered them to the beautiful woman devoutly.

The general looked up and down in wonder at the beautiful jade that was as tall as a man, and then turned back: "Five copper coins, deal!"

"That won't work.""

"Six, no more!"

"I said, my jade is not expensive. Shopkeeper Du said kindly, "As long as you live, that's all." "

As soon as he finished speaking, a hidden arrow shot out from the wall, hitting the general's chest! When the blood spattered, there was a loud bang on the stone wall, and an iron cage fell from the sky, locking the general firmly in it!

"Your martial arts are so good. I had to go through some trouble and laugh. "Shopkeeper Du said calmly.

Blood flowed from the general's body and head. He was trapped in the cage. He barely moved for a long time: "Sure enough... a special meeting gift..."

"You are here The letter said that when passing by Chudi, he wanted to go see the teacher with me. Now, I'm afraid you are the only one who can go. Shopkeeper Du shook his head, his eyes still friendly, "Just before you came, I heard the news that the teacher was assassinated in his house last night." "

A mouthful of blood spat out from the general's mouth, and his expression suddenly changed drastically at this moment.

Qi Shuo had already been so horrified by the changes in front of him that he couldn't move, and he was even more confused at this moment... Lord Zhang, that Junya For example, the middle-aged people in late spring in the south of the Yangtze River are their teachers?

"Zhang Jiuling, the governor of Jing, was the imperial court's Zhongshu Ling before he was demoted. Shopkeeper Du seemed to understand her question and told her patiently, "He is the only prime minister in our dynasty who was born in Lingnan, and he is also the mentor of Xiao Pei and me." Our hometown is in Lingnan, which is a "barbarian land" among the rich and powerful. However, my teacher changed the atmosphere of Lingnan. He is a humble gentleman, upright and upright, and is praised by the world as "Qujiang style". "

" The teacher was a famous handsome man when he was an official in the court. At that time, the scholar-bureaucrats would wear wat boards in their belts when riding horses. The teacher was weak, so in desperation, he often sent someone to hold the wat board beside him. , Later, the imperial court set up a wat bag specifically for this purpose. "

" Even after he resigned as prime minister, when faced with a bunch of memorials to recommend officials, the emperor often asked: "Is the person you recommend as elegant as Zhang Jiuling?" But the officials often looked at each other, and no one could answer. "

When Shopkeeper Du talked about his teacher, his admiration and reverence were beyond words, and the enthusiasm in his eyes was not hypocritical, just like the enthusiasm when he saw the general.

That kind of darkness was so cordial that it was natural.

That feeling in his study room The picture of mountains and rivers under the moon is based on the artistic conception of Zhang Jiuling's "Looking at the Moon and Huaiyuan". The two lines of small characters inscribed on it are the famous sentence "The bright moon rises on the sea, and we share this moment in the world." But Qi Shuo is illiterate, so he doesn't know. That’s all.

“The world is at this time. The general laughed a few times and said, "Very good." "Then he spit out another mouthful of blood, turned his head to the side, and made no more noise.

"Keep an eye on him for me. Shopkeeper Du told Qi Shuo, "Your next task is here." "

三

The iron cage is not big, and the gap between the bars is just big enough for an arm to reach in. Qi Shuo dragged the man who was not sure whether he was dead or alive to the edge of the iron cage.

She was wondering whether the man could still be saved, and the other party His eyes suddenly opened: "Girl, what's your name? What's your birth date?"

Qi Shuo remained silent, feeling quite bored in his heart. Is there anyone who can get carried away with love at such a time? Could he really be that legend? The general in the game?

only heard the other party continue to say: "Hey, I have always wanted to be a matchmaker, so when I see a girl, I want to ask her birthday..."

He said it very seriously, and Qi Shuo also answered very seriously. Seriously: “Oh, it’s natural for men to be matchmakers and for roosters to lay eggs. "

" What is righteous and righteous will not always be righteous. There are too many things that are deviant and yet happen to happen. "At this point, the general's expression changed, he coughed violently several times, and immediately vomited out a large mouthful of blood. He gasped hard and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The surroundings were dim, and the faint light of the jade shone on his pale face. That look made Qi Shuo a little unbearable. "My name is Qi Shuo. "She thought you were going to die anyway, so it didn't matter if I told you.

"Your name must come from "The Book of Songs ".There is an article in (The Book of Songs)..."

Qi Shuo heard shopkeeper Du say " Shuo Ren) in the "Book of Songs": "The hands are like soft yellow, the skin is like gelatin, the collar is like wax grubs, and the steps are like gourd rhinoceros. ..." She didn't understand much about these, but she roughly knew that "qiaoxiaqianxi, beautiful eyes look forward to" was used to describe the beauty and generousness of girls.

The general continued: "There is an article " Shuo Mouse " in "The Book of Songs" , 'Shuo rat, Shuo rat, no food for me', which means big rat, don't steal my food, old man, that's the one, right?"

Qi Shuo resisted the urge to slap him: "No! Yes! "

"You are a thief, and a habitual thief. I can tell by looking at the calluses on your hands. "The general squinted his eyes and said half-deadly.

The girl's back stiffened.

"How do I know?" The general suddenly smiled, "Because I have also been a thief. "Qi Shuo stared at him, forgetting to be angry for a moment.

"My family was very poor when I was a child, so I had to steal when I was too hungry. And stealing this kind of thing can become addictive. At that time, I was eight years old. The general looked at his hands, "If I hadn't met the teacher, I might still be stealing now."

The air was filled with the smell of blood, and the man turned his head, and there was a smell of blood in his eyes: "I haven't seen the teacher in five years, who knows... This time, we are just a little bit away from meeting him." "

Qi Shuo was silent, and the scene of Chang Shi's death-grievance appeared in front of him again, but this time it was even more shocking.

"Oh, every time you don't listen to the teacher, it seems that things will become troublesome. "The general said nonchalantly, with blood flowing from his forehead, making his originally handsome face a mess. "The teacher asked me to be a Beijing official, but I wanted to go to the frontier; the teacher asked me to study literature, but I wanted to practice martial arts; the teacher asked me to study literature, but I wanted to study martial arts. He wrote to ask me not to come to Jingzhou, but I came..."

"Are you General Tanhualang of Longyou?" Qi Shuo finally asked.

Pei Yunxi, the general of Longyou Zhengyuan, was born as a Wen Jinshi At the age of fifteen, he was a high school prospect, but he was enjoying himself and became famous. He was no longer an official in Chang'an , but went to Longyou to take command. I'm crying, my parents will hang General Pei's portrait at the gate, which will make the ghosts and gods sad.

"Since you know that I am the unreliable Tanhua Langyi," the general smiled half-heartedly, "then you must also know another thing. :The number one scholar in the same ranking was from the same school as my teacher. His name was Du Qingzhou.

Qi Shuo was stunned.

Although Qi Shuo knew that Shopkeeper Du was not a simple person, she never expected that he had such a glorious past.

Just when she was lost in thought, the world suddenly turned upside down in front of her eyes! A powerful force Knocking her to the ground, her right arm and half of her shoulder were pulled into the cage, and there was a sharp pain on her neck - a piece of broken jade was pressed against her neck, and blood dripped out

. Jade is the hardest jade, and the cracked jade edge is better than a sword.

This piece of jade is very familiar to Qi Shuo. It is from the shop. When did the other party get it? A flash of lightning flashed in Qi Shuo's mind. Only then! He threw the copper coin into the air, and everyone's attention was on the copper coin. When he easily closed his hand, he held in his palm not only his own copper coin, but also this piece of jade. Only then did Qi Shuo realize. I truly believed that he had stolen something.

The general's eyes suddenly flashed with light, astonishingly bright. How could he still be weak from a serious injury? He took out the other half of the broken jadeite from his chest, and the green flowing jadeite was stained. A trace of blood: "The power of that arrow is really overbearing. If it weren't for this jade, I would have lost half of my life. "

He was indeed injured, but it was far less serious than she thought. He did vomit blood several times, but that might just be because of...sadness...

"You knew everything from the beginning?" Qi Shuo couldn't move. , asked with difficulty.

"The teacher has already reminded me in the letter he gave me. The general smiled, and the blood on his face made the smile not pretty, "But I still want to see it with my own eyes." We have been playmates since childhood, apprenticed together, took imperial examinations together, and...those times were not fake."Qi Shuo's neck felt cold, and more blood dropped out.

"Now I say, you do it. "The general's tone was not high, but he had the oppressive feeling of someone who commanded the three armies and laid down millions of corpses. "Kick the mechanism away. "

With the low sound of the machine starting up, the iron cage slowly rose. The general touched Qi Shuo's acupuncture points and rolled out! After escaping from the cage, there was another door in the secret room. The general touched the walls but couldn't find it. Where is the mechanism. Finally, his eyes fell on the jade statue -

He carefully searched for the mechanism on the jade statue. Suddenly, his hand stopped and his expression became indescribable: "This jade is warm and has skin. temperature. "

Qi Shuo's heart beat: "The warm jade tentacles are warm, there is nothing strange about it. "

"Can jade have a heartbeat?" The general's voice was low, and he opened her acupuncture points and motioned for her to come over. Qi Shuo put his hand on the heart of the jade statue and quickly retracted it as if he had been burned!

There really is a heartbeat!

Is there any living jade? Or... this is not a jade person at all, but a real person, imprisoned in jade clothes !

"Bai Yujing!" Qi Shuo blurted out

The ancients believed that jade clothes can make the dead. The body is immortal. The royal family of the Han Dynasty were buried in jade clothes with golden threads. However, there was a kind of jade clothes not for the dead, but for the living, which was called "White Jade Jing". Yes, I have also heard some anecdotes from master craftsmen. It is said that in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, a man made a white jade jing for himself in order to stay young, and he would get into the jade clothes when he fell asleep every day. Lou Wucheng. The immortal caressed my head and tied my hair to achieve immortality.

The general had obviously heard of some unofficial stories: "Since Bai Yujing can put it on, can he take it off?" He listened to the heart of the jade statue for a while. “I don’t know if I can live forever, but the heartbeat inside is very weak. "

The jade garment is so seamless and perfect that it's hard to know where to start.

"Water. "The girl in red suddenly said, "Only water can penetrate the gaps in jade!"

But, where does the water come from in the dark room?

"Let me come. "The general put his arm on the heart of the jade statue, and the blood flowed down the wound, staining the mutton-fat white jade, which was breathtakingly beautiful.

I don't know how long it took, but there was a soft "click" sound, and the jade clothes cracked. It broke into twelve pieces, and the sound was like five strings breaking in unison! At the same time, the door of the dark room opened with a bang.

A lifelike mask fell from the face of the jade statue and fell to pieces. There were really people in the jade clothes.

The general caught the man who had lost his support and fell down. Suddenly his face changed drastically and he shouted: "Teacher!" . The profile is dignified, and the skin is like snow under the moon, making people feel dazed for a moment. If there is a "beautiful woman" in the world, right?

This face made Qi Shuo inexplicably familiar... Last night at Changshi Mansion. The man who was killed was slightly similar to the man in front of him! But his temperament was as different as the fake one.

四

As soon as he came out of the secret passage, Qi Shuo's eyes couldn't adapt to the bright sunlight, as if she couldn't accept it. The same thing happened just now.

At the murder scene last night, she saw with her own eyes that the person who was killed was not Zhang Jiuling at all, but a person who looked somewhat similar to him! The real Zhang Jiuling had already been killed. Imprisoned in a dark room by Shopkeeper Du.

What is going on?

Suddenly something unexpected happened and there were many doubts. Qi Shuo was hesitating whether to inform Shopkeeper Du. He heard a few low coughs and Zhang Jiuling woke up. . The handsome man looked around blankly, and finally landed on the general. He was startled, and then smiled: "I've grown taller again. "

" teacher. "The general looked a little at a loss.

"I have grown taller, but I have not grown my memory. Zhang Jiuling's voice was obviously very weak, but clear and powerful, "You didn't listen to me, but you still came to Jingzhou." "

The autumn sunset shone in from the window, making the study extremely warm. The usually smooth-tongued general did not dare to answer when he heard this.

"That's all.Zhang Jiuling's voice was gentle and not reproachful, "No matter what, you want to go your own way; no matter what, you want to see me and Qing Zhou, right?"

The general suddenly raised his head.

At this moment, he didn't He was no longer a battle-experienced general, but turned back into the hungry eight-year-old child hiding on the roof beam. He was hugged down by the elder's warm arms and received a pair of chopsticks from the other party

Zhang Jiuling. He pressed his eyebrows: "What day is today?"

"The fifth day of August." "

"It turns out that I was already asleep..." Zhang Jiuling coughed a few more times, "He suddenly came to see me in the early morning of the second day of the lunar month and said he wanted to give me a big gift, and then I lost consciousness. What happened in the past few days?"

The general told what happened after he arrived in Jingzhou, including the murder in Chang Shi's Mansion.

Zhang Jiuling listened quietly.

For some reason, he saw the look in his eyes. Qi Shuo's heart sank.

"What happened? What happened in Jingzhou City?" the general asked. "Not only Jingzhou City, I'm afraid the land is thousands of miles away now..." Zhang Jiuling smiled bitterly. “A lot of people want to ask me for something. "

Zhang Jiuling was an upright official, and it was difficult for him to have any valuable possessions.

"Two years ago, the emperor dreamed of a mouse with bright red fur that could speak human language. The mouse claimed that his name was "Qimao" and said that he was good at stealing things and people's time. The emperor was unhappy about this and worried all day long. Later Li Linfu invited a Taoist priest with profound magic power to enter the palace. The Taoist priest said that there is indeed a monster like "Qimao" in the world. Moreover, Qimat can not only steal time, but also return time to the person who has been stolen, allowing the other person to return. Restore youth and vitality. "

" The sage does not talk about strange powers and chaos. I think the Taoist priest is just a person who deceives the world and steals his reputation. He firmly opposes the search for Qi Ma. He disagreed with the emperor several times, which made Long Yan furious. "

" Later, the Taoist priest again. He slandered and said that the reason why I strongly opposed it was because the Qi Ma was in my hands. "

Zhang Jiuling is a famously handsome man, and he seems to be particularly blessed by time. Even though he is burdened with heavy court duties, his temples are stained. Shuanghua, his posture is still upright, his eyes are gentle, and he always smiles. He does look much younger than his peers. There was once a banquet in Qionglin. A reckless new scholar saw the prime minister's silhouette from a distance and mistook him for a classmate who had passed the exam together. It was a joke for a while.

"Even the emperor believed it. Because of this fabricated crime of deceiving the emperor, I gradually lost the emperor's trust."

"Later, I offended Long Yan and was demoted. For some reason, the rumor spread from the palace to the world, saying I raised a unicorn, so every once in a while, a gangster would visit my house. "

If you catch the little demon who stole time and force it to give back the stolen time, you can return to youth... Such a dream. , not only emperors can do this in the world.

No wonder people are flocking to it.

This is the reason why Qi Shuo met the robber in Chang Shi Mansion that day.

"The so-called immortality is just nonsense. I feel obviously exhausted recently. I am really old." Zhang Jiuling said helplessly, "Moreover, I often unknowingly... think of myself when I was young, the old people and the past. "Now, I just want to go back to my hometown and take a look."

He smiled and turned to look out the window, his expression was clearly warm, but Qi Shuo had an inexplicable feeling of foreboding.

"Okay, when the matter in Jingzhou is settled, I will take the teacher back to my hometown." The general showed a big smile, "At that time, the plum blossoms in Dayu Mountain happened to be in full bloom, and the white plum blossoms all over the mountains and plains were even more beautiful than the snow scene. Magnificent."

Zhang Jiuling smiled and nodded.

Then, he motioned to the general to lower his head and said something in his ear.

The general's expression became solemn, and he responded in a low voice after a while: "Yes!"

五

A few wisps of cool breeze lingered on the starry night in the ancient city of Jingzhou . Qi Shuo quietly followed Zhang Jiuling and the general, looking at the teacher and student. Got on a simple carriage and drove to a remote farm.

As soon as the simple wooden door opened, laughter and laughter suddenly came, and the shouts and shouts of the children were more lively than the stars in the sky.

"Uncle Zhang!"

"Uncle Zhang, why didn't you come to see us for three days? What delicious food did you bring us?" "I want osmanthus sugar !"

The girl in red was hiding on the roof beam. , and suddenly I regretted my curiosity - it was so messy down there, my ears hurt from the noise, and the children threw themselves on Zhang Jiuling like sweet and sticky syrup, surrounding him and unable to move. I don't know which of the more sensible children shouted to the other children: "Don't crowd, don't crowd, let Uncle Zhang sit down and rest!"

"It doesn't matter." Zhang Jiuling's eyes were as warm as water, and he pointed behind him, "Look, I'll give it to you." You brought a brother here."

The children looked back in the direction of his finger, and then noticed the person who was following him.

"Brother, you got into a fight." A child wrinkled his nose and looked at the general up and down with disdain, "He is a bad boy who is not well-behaved."

The general looked down at the blood on his body, and the corners of his mouth twitched a few times. The expressions are very rich.

"You guys pack your things and follow your brother in the carriage to his new home outside the city." Zhang Jiuling paused before saying the next words, "Don't come back in a short time."

The children were surprised and excited.

"What new home?" "Uncle Zhang is going too!"

"I won't go, but I will come to see you." Zhang Jiuling didn't know whether he was telling the children or the general, "Don't worry."

The children trusted and relied on Zhang Jiuling very much. After hearing what he said, they immediately started to pack up their things with enthusiasm, including paper mandarin ducks, clay pots, grasshopper cages, the dog-eared " Three Character Classic ", and small picture albums filled with messy ink marks. ....

Taking advantage of the time when the children were cleaning up, the general saw that Zhang Jiuling's face was not very good, so he helped him sit down next to him: "Teacher, these children were all taken in by you after you took office in Jingzhou?"

Zhang Jiuling nodded: "Jingzhou suffered from drought for several years. Although there were relief aid and tax exemptions, many people still starved to death and many orphans were displaced. I saw several ragged children fighting for a bowl of horse urine on the street. It was miserable and sad. But there was no precedent for the government to take in orphans in Jingzhou, so I took them in myself, bought this farm to house them, provided them with food and clothing, and taught them to read and write."

Qi Shuo sighed longly on the roof beam. It turned out that, Mr. Zhang Jiuling did not secretly raise rats, but he raised dozens of children. No wonder his own mansion was shabby and shabby....

Soon, everything was ready.

Zhang Jiuling held the general's hand and gave a few more instructions, watching the children get on the carriage one by one. The little faces of the children holding the baggage were full of anticipation, and they were chattering non-stop.

Just as the general mounted his horse, Zhang Jiuling suddenly called out his nickname: "Yun'er."

The general turned around on the carriage. Zhang Jiuling's figure looked a little thin under the starry sky, but it was as warm as a lamp, and his pale lips moved. He moved, but in the end he just said: "Be careful on the road."

"Don't worry, teacher!" The general whipped his horse, "I will come back after I deliver these little guys. The round trip only takes three hours!""

The carriage drove away. , crushing the stars all over the place.

In the middle of the night, Zhang Jiuling stood quietly, watching the carriage go away. The look of the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was too calm, which made the sadness more noticeable.

For a long time, there was a burst of sound behind him. Footsteps.

"Is this your choice?" The person who came was Shopkeeper Du. His figure was indescribable under the starry sky, like a half-body Shura and a half-body Buddha. "You haven't changed at all after so many years. "

" You have changed. "There was something heartbreaking in Zhang Jiuling's voice.

Du Qingzhou's face froze, and then he laughed silently: "More than just a change? Since the death of my only relative, the Du Qingzhou who used to be has died!"

For the first time, cracks of sadness appeared in Zhang Jiuling's gentle eyes. He slowly closed his eyes, as if to prevent something from flowing out: "It's my fault, I couldn't prevent the tragedy from happening. Just don't use more regrets to make up for the regrets you have had."

In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, An Lushan failed in his crusade against the Khitans and should have been executed according to military law. However, An Lushan was favored by the Holy Spirit and many officials interceded on his behalf. Only Zhongshu Ling Zhang Jiuling and Supervisory Censor Du Qingzhou stood up to all the objections. , requesting the death penalty for An Lushan. Du Qingzhou wrote that "the laws of the Tang Dynasty must not be disrespected; the great rats of the country must be eliminated." The emperor put their memorial aside and spared An Lushan.

Soon after, Zhang Jiuling. After being demoted, Du Qingzhou was framed and imprisoned, while Sister Du was captured by An Lushan's subordinates. She could not bear the humiliation and died after being hit by a pillar.

"The teacher once said that evil cannot defeat good. But, you are wrong. "Du Qingzhou spoke calmly, but there seemed to be a string in the air that broke silently.

There was a deathly silence all around.

Suddenly, an arrow shot from the darkness and hit Zhang Jiuling's chest. He was like melting snow. Falling down slowly.

Du Qingzhou reached out his hand almost instinctively, trying to help him, but after a moment, he only caught the dark void.

What happened later that day, Qi Shuo really didn't want to do it again. Remember.

At dawn, the general drove back in his carriage.

Maybe he discovered something was wrong on the way - he was a smart person who was hard to be deceived, maybe it was just because Zhang Jiuling's words were too harsh. He was too warm and reliable, so he didn't think about the strangeness at that time.

Qi Shuo will never forget the look on his face when he threw himself on the corpse.

She was hiding in the dark, watching the general's expression and trembling like convulsions. The back view reminded me of the way he was helplessly arranging his hands and feet in front of Zhang Jiuling.

Zhang Jiuling didn't know what she was holding in her hands, and she didn't let go of him until she died.

She looked at the general from a distance. Opening the hand of the deceased, there was a dried flower inside, the petals were stained with blood, and had a shocking color.

It was a seven-cornered plum from the Meiguan Ancient Road in Lingnan. The color was dry and brittle, as if it had been stored. There are still lingering memories after many years.

It’s a memory of my hometown.

It’s a journey home that is far away.

“I just want to go back to my hometown to see it. "She remembered the way Zhang Jiuling looked out the window with a smile when he said this. That kind of warmth could break people's hearts more than the gaze on the ground. So at this moment, Qi Shuo covered his mouth in collapse and cried silently in the darkness.

and Her tears broke out at the same time as the children cried without scruples. All the children burst into tears under the starry sky.

One child took out a large amount of osmanthus candy and threw it to the ground: "I don't want it. Osmanthus candy! I want Uncle Zhang—Uncle, please wake up quickly. I will exchange all the osmanthus candy. Isn’t this enough?”

七

No.

Qi Shuo wanted to tell them that no matter how much they take, they can’t do it. It was not a few thieves who wanted to stop the arrow from the string.

That night, the thieves retreated silently without taking anything. From that moment on, Qi Shuo knew that they were not doing robbery at all. Come. Curiosity led her to follow the group of "thieves" and finally came to the house of the governor of Jingzhou - the governor of Yizhou and now Zhang Jiuling's boss. The look on his face when he heard the reports of several killers. He seemed to relax, then backed away from them, and suddenly knelt down towards the inner room.

The ceremony was grand and solemn, and the people inside accepted it calmly.

Under the moonlight, Qi Shuo saw an old and majestic face, with turbid eyes. It is easy to think of the iron sword that once swept across the world and was stained with blood, but was ruthlessly rusted.

His sleeves showed bright yellow piping.

The emperor went to Jingzhou incognito and executed his once beloved ministers with his own hands.

A generation of famous prime ministers did not die at the hands of political opponents, but died at the hands of the king they were loyal to. Some suspicions had to be proved by death. The candlelight burned into the emperor's fingers, and the secret decree of death was instantly turned into ashes and flames. The ink that was darker than the night and people's hearts was swallowed up in a golden orange-red...

The emperor's eyes were more turbulent than candlelight.

Qi Shuo then understood that Shopkeeper Du knew everything from the beginning.The world is so vast that there is no place for Zhang Jiuling. Only the jade garment can hide his whereabouts seamlessly; only an unskilled embalmer can hide the body of the substitute from most people's eyes.

At the beginning, shopkeeper Du locked the general in a dark room and gave him the jade statue. He originally wanted him to escape with his teacher, right?

But Zhang Jiuling's last choice made Qi Shuo shed tears.

lives too transparently and will not last long after all.

Just like the flawless jade in the world, it is difficult to preserve it for a long time; most of the ones that can preserve themselves are gravel and tiles.

At that time, Du Qingzhou told Zhang Jiuling: "Not long ago, when the palace was renovating Jixian Yuan, a craftsman dug out a stone with the inscription 'Misfortune started in Qujiang and chaos spread to Kyushu'. The emperor ordered the craftsman to be killed. From then on. At that time, the emperor began to frequently ask about the situation in Jingzhou. "

Zhang Jiuling was from Qujiang, Shaozhou. The words "trouble started in Qujiang and spread to Jiuzhou" directly pointed to his rebellion! Once the emperor's suspicion was aroused, it would never happen again. Will not go out.

"No matter how the Emperor treats me, I will always treat the Emperor the same." Zhang Jiuling remained motionless. "Just because of your so-called persistence, you were willing to be demoted to Jingzhou." Du Qingzhou's eyes flashed with a strange light, "Your political opponents have seized on all your weaknesses, they have worn away your will and deprived you of your Dignity imprisons your ideals and crushes your hopes! In the end, you can only live with loneliness, no glory, no freedom, and even your life is about to be lost. Are you still unwilling to compromise?"

Zhang Jiuling replied gently: "Only I can. Depressing myself. If I say 'no', no one can take away my dignity, imprison my ideals, and crush my hopes."

There is a kind of pride in his expression, calmly facing what is coming, and he can no longer see it. of dawn.

When he saw his body falling slowly, Qi Shuo suddenly thought that a gentleman's heart is as magnanimous as the moon. In fact, the emperor's killing of Zhang Jiuling must have been a little jealous.

八

Later, Qi Shuo went to Chang Shi's Mansion again and stole what Shopkeeper Du wanted. It was not a confidential letter, it was just a clay pot. It looked ridiculously ugly, and even its shape was crooked.

"Why should I steal this clay pot?" For the first time, Qi Shuo asked shopkeeper Du why he stole something.

"This is the first clay pot I made when I was a child." Shopkeeper Du played with the old things in his hands. "Everyone laughed at me at the time. I threw it on the ground angrily, but the teacher picked it up. He said, The initial enthusiasm is always the most precious.

"Even the things that I have discarded, the teacher has always kept with me. He is such a stubborn person. "When Shopkeeper Du said this, the darkness in his eyes became thicker, and there was a hint of water in the suffocating darkness.

However, it was only fleeting.

"You and the general should not have been together in the first place. enemy's. "Qi Shuo said softly.

"Haha. Shopkeeper Du fiddled with the clay pot carelessly, "Have you ever heard of 'jades are not worn in double belts'?"

If jade is not worn in double belts, how can a gentleman wear two jade at the same time? But the two students under Zhang Jiuling are like two pieces. Peerless Jade

“I never sell a second piece of jade to the same person, and I never share it with others. Even if my light is brighter than his, it doesn't work... I just like to stand alone. I would rather be the only star in a dark night than the nine suns in Hou Yi's era. "

Shopkeeper Du's ordinary face has some kind of terrifying darkness and power. He is the only man Qi Shuo has ever seen who is qualified but never wears jade.

I saw him pick up an account book and his voice was kind. : "Do you know, besides running the jade shop these years, what other business have I done?"

Under the account book of the jade shop, there was another thicker account book. Shopkeeper Du opened the account book, and the paper was full of vermilion. "My goods are 'secrets'. That is extremely dangerous cargo, especially for those in high positions. Look, how many of my enemies have you eliminated for me... Almost all of my enemies have been eliminated in the past few years. "

Qi Shuo has always believed that her business is only for making money, not for life. It turns out that every business she deals with that pays well is all about human life.

Seeing the expression on Qi Shuo's face, shopkeeper Du asked calmly: "Why, you think I'm scary?" "I just think..." The girl in red turned her face sideways, "It's just a little regretful."

Qi Shuo did not tell Shopkeeper Du other things, some past events that she rarely thought about since she was hired.

Epilogue

She is Qi Shuo, and she is also Qimao. She is a little thief in red clothes who walks at night, and a little demon with bright red fur.

Qimat doesn't steal time, it only steals jade. Although it also eats human food, what it likes to eat more is jade.

When he was not employed, Qimao wandered around the world looking for beautiful jade. I have been to the market and also to the palace.

For a while, it hid in the Treasure Pavilion of the Daming Palace, the most gorgeous place in the world, enjoying the beautiful jade provided by all directions and the treasures offered by dignitaries. It never lacked food.

But those precious jade gradually became worthless.

doesn't understand what's going on. Maybe I have eaten too much jade and can no longer taste the good taste of the past.

Until it got the piece of jade, the piece of jade stolen from the young censor.

A square piece of white jade, as cold and hard as stone. It didn't look expensive at all. I put it in my mouth and took a bite, but I could never forget the taste.

That was the most delicious jade he had ever tasted in his life.

Qi Maang likes to steal jade.

Everyone has a piece of precious and priceless jade. Without that piece of jade, both men and women will age faster. The emperor is no exception.

In the bronze mirror that day, what made the emperor feel desolate was not the passage of time; what made him decadent and tired was not aging itself. Zhang Jiuling is right, what is important is not the time stolen, but the things stolen by time.

Therefore, since Du Qingzhou, the imperial censor, lost the piece of white jade, he would no longer wear jade for the rest of his life.

"When you face an enemy, you must also be careful not to break the jade you were born with." Teacher Zhang Jiuling once told two students, "The best jade and the best self, once lost, will be lost." It can never be found again. "

"The true beauty is your young and upright original intention. "

is burning with the enthusiasm of dreams, soaked in the sweat of friendship, and has the fearless courage like the morning sun. But many people in the world have unknowingly thrown away this priceless piece of jade.

This is the secret of Qimao.

Author: Li Weiqi