The little maid served the tea respectfully, the fine Huazhou white porcelain, Maojian tea was fragrant and steaming.
Because it was still too hot, Xia Zhaoyi didn't go to get it. She sorted out her words and went straight to the point, asking Mrs. Qu about Nianhua Zhai, and directly mentioned the name of the person, Tang Xiangsi.
During the process of her speaking, Mrs. Qu listened quietly with a serious expression. After Xia Zhaoyi finished speaking, Mrs. Qu said gently: "There is nothing mysterious about Nianhuazhai, it is just a shop, handed down from Li Shipin's ancestors."
, each generation can find the genealogy. As for Tang Xiangsi, I seem to have heard of this name."
"Have you heard of it, madam?" Xia Zhaoyi looked at her.
"Let me think about it carefully." Mrs. Qu said. She picked up the tea cup and blew on it gently. Although she was fat and had heavy makeup, her behavior was really elegant.
After a while of silence, Mrs. Qu said: "I heard my grandfather mention him when I was young. My grandfather was a rich man from a wealthy country and liked to be arty, so he made friends with literati everywhere. Among them, Tang Xiangsi was among them."
"How is their relationship?"
"I don't know about this, but we are indeed friends. I still have calligraphy and paintings from Tang Xiangsi in my hometown. I will send someone to get them overnight for you to take a look at."
If there are calligraphy and paintings, the handwriting can be seen. Xia Zhaoyi nodded: "That's it, madam."
Mrs. Qu smiled: "Miss Ah Li, I am not a person who likes to ask about other people's affairs, but right now you have really aroused my curiosity. This Tang Xiangsi is a friend of my grandfather. He must be very old. You are
How did you recognize it?"
"It's a book," Xia Zhaoyi said. "I once bought a collection of his handwritten essays, which I found quite interesting. It was written in the book that he had some connection with Hengxiang."
"It turns out that I came here to admire my talents," Mrs. Qu smiled, "any article that can make Miss Ali praise her is definitely the best in the world."
Xia Zhaoyi also smiled: "Thank you, madam, for complimenting me."
The evening wind turned cold, and dew appeared on the lake. Xia Zhaoyi sat down for a while, drank all the tea in the cup, declined Mrs. Qu's dinner invitation, and stood up to leave.
Mrs. Qu did not stay long, but personally sent Xia Zhaoyi to the door and asked someone to carry the sedan chair.
Xia Zhaoyi declined again.
Mrs. Qu had no choice but to chuckle and said: "If you are busy today, what about tomorrow? If you are not busy tomorrow, you can stay for a meal while you come here to look at calligraphy and painting."
There will indeed be nothing to do tomorrow. If Wang Caiqi has come over, that would be the best. If she doesn't want to come over, she doesn't need to force her.
Xia Zhaoyi nodded: "Okay, tomorrow."
Qu's Mansion is in a very good area in Beicheng. It is full of wealthy families. It is quiet and elegant, with very few ordinary residents.
But the courtyards of wealthy families are not always lit with lights. After Xia Zhaoyi said goodbye, she still had to walk a long, secluded and dark road before reaching the brightly lit streets.
The night was getting darker and thicker, and the sky and the earth were covered with fog. She was holding a small oil ball lamp, and the light shone not far away, and there was a very light halo falling on the ground.
Because she had something to do at home, she walked a little faster, recalling in her mind the calligraphy and paintings, the corridors, and the stone formations that His Highness Qianqiu had seen. The last thing that lingered in her mind was still those three words, "visitor to the dead."
The accumulated snow calms the storm, and the clouds welcome strangers.
There is also that song, a stranger comes to the mountain temple, the mountains and the sea come in the middle of the moon. In the old dream of the past, the peach blossoms are smiling and floating.
An old Taoist priest selling her book at Congyun Market in Tangzhou said that there was only one copy of "The Immovable City" in the world, and it had been circulated in the temple for more than three hundred years.
It was more than three hundred years ago, but Mrs. Qu said that her grandfather and Tang Xiangsi were old friends.
I don't know if they are the same person, but even if they are, Xia Zhaoyi doesn't feel scary.
She has never believed in immortality, but she has to believe in the existence of the deceased.
Moreover, she had a very strong intuition that this Tang Xiangsi, like her, was... coming back from the dead.
What exactly is the Qianqiu Palace?
Why did His Highness Qianqiu’s people hiding in the dark place Tang Xiangsi under house arrest? Do they all know Tang Xiangsi’s true identity?
And Tang Xiangsi, is he still alive now?
The further they walked, the slower Xia Zhaoyi's steps became.
At this time, her auricles moved slightly, and she raised her head and looked forward.
The three people facing me were all wearing black night clothes and carrying swords and knives on their backs.
The night fog was thick and they met on a narrow road. The three people on the opposite side had no idea that there would be an old man walking silently and alone in the darkness. They really didn't catch any footsteps.
Xia Zhaoyi no longer deliberately hunched his back, his expression became solemn because of his thoughts, and he looked like a tall, tall and wise old man in the night.
The atmosphere suddenly became strangely quiet, and no one moved thirty steps apart.
There was a sudden sound of very light but rapid footsteps, and two men wearing the same night clothes as them ran out from the other side, one of whom had no mask on his face.
Xia Zhaoyi looked at him. He didn't have a pretty face, but it was easy to recognize.
Seeing Xia Zhaoyi, they paused slightly, and then their eyes turned fierce.
Almost at the same time, the leader of the three men in black pulled out his weapon and strode towards Xia Zhaoyi.
The other two people looked on coldly, while the two people who had just arrived walked towards the other two companions.
When dealing with an old man, there is no need to pay extra attention.
However, he heard a gust of wind, and the big man who was walking with the knife only had time to be startled. He subconsciously raised the weapon, and his right arm was suddenly grabbed and buckled down. The weapon was removed, and at the same time, he was forced to half-twist his upper body to the right, and then struck a blow.
An elbow hit his back, his hind legs were kicked violently, and his whole body fell. Then, several major joints of his body suffered a series of heavy blows. The next moment, the big man fell to the ground with a "Bang!"
It was all done smoothly and smoothly, but in the blink of an eye, the others couldn't even react.
Immediately afterwards, everyone drew their weapons and rushed towards the old man.
Xia Zhaoyi picked up the thread with his fingers, put his little finger against the pattern mechanism of the small oil ball lamp, extinguished the fire, and stepped forward in the dim light.
Soon, Xia Zhaoyi discovered that these were all top-notch masters.
If the big man just now had not been defenseless and was attacked by her first, she would not have succeeded so easily.
But she had no companions, so she didn't have many worries. The opponent had a real sword, but because the weapon had no eyes, she was afraid of hurting the same kind, so she couldn't let it go.
And when it comes to positioning by hearing sounds and agility in movement, these people are no match for her in the dark.
The winner was decided after a moment, and the small oil ball lamp in Xia Zhaoyi's hand came back on, hanging leisurely under her slender fingertips.
She looked coldly at the man in black with damaged joints all over the floor and unable to get up, wondering if she should mind his own business.
A man in black may not be a good person, but a man in black who wants to kill an old man he meets on the road is definitely not a good person.
It is even possible that these people will be detrimental to Mrs. Qu.
At this time, he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from far away. Xia Zhaoyi turned around, and the outline of the man gradually became clearer under the light of the small oil ball lamp.
Nie Huimo saw the situation here from a distance, slowed down his horse and came over, raising his eyebrows slightly: "Old man, did you beat these people alone?"
