"This mine originally belonged to the government, but then it collapsed and was closed overnight. The government contracted it out to a local big business, but that big business went to the north to do business, so it has been abandoned here."
"Look, Princess, the mountain temple over there is where the mountain bandits smelted copper. People from the nearby villages have moved to the center of the city to gather, and it has been abandoned for many years."
Wei Qingxuan rode his horse, level with the carriage, and turned his head to talk to Chu Shou in detail.
Chu Shou opened the curtain and looked in the direction Wei Qingxuan said. Sure enough, not far from them, there was a mountain temple with grass growing on it, swaying in the wind.
Song Yanqing was riding a strong white horse in front. Her black robe hung down and was decorated with auspicious clouds and crane patterns. Her black hair was tied up by a silver crown, and the length reached her neck. Her broken hair was flying, and her robe was rolled in the wind.
Here, it is blunt and sad.
Chu Shou's eyes turned to his back, and her hand clinging to the side window of the carriage tightened unconsciously. She lowered her eyes, her heart was sour, and she had so many thoughts...
She turned to look at Wei Qingxuan and said in a deep voice: "Master Wei, let's go to the mountain temple first."
A group of people stopped in front of the mountain temple. Under the wind and rain, the color of the gate had long since faded. The brick walls and steps were all dilapidated. Colorful prayer flags were hung on them. They were so worn that the original color could not be seen.
appearance.
Wei Qingxuan got off his horse, stood on the side of the carriage, and said softly: "Princess, we are here."
Chu Shou gathered up his skirt, bowed and got out of the car. In the distance, the Tianshan Mountains were gray, with fog locking the top of the mountain, and the bare mountain hidden in the sky.
"Princess, Master Song and the others rode their horses to the mine. You and His Royal Highness can take a look here. The bandits are smelting copper in the backyard. Some of the tools are very rough..."
Wei Qingxuan said and waved, and a man came from behind him. Due to years of farming, his palms were thickly calloused, his skin was dark, but his body was very strong.
"This is a nearby villager who witnessed bandits transporting copper ore and smelting copper in the middle of the night. Please tell the princess what you saw that night."
"Back to the princess, I came back from cutting firewood in the mountains and wanted to come here to rest. I saw a group of people pulling carts from a distance. When I arrived at this ruined temple, I had nowhere to hide, so I had to bite the bullet and come down. I saw the burning smoke.
I was angry, so I climbed up the wall and took a peek, and found that the bandits were secretly smelting copper. I didn't dare to say anything more. I went down the mountain all night and returned to the village. Later, the official found me here, so I dared to say it.
"
After hearing this, Chu Shou raised his eyes slightly, walked around the old incense burner, and asked softly: "Chopping wood in the middle of the night?"
The villager was stunned for a moment when he was asked. He raised his eyes and glanced at Wei Qingxuan quietly, and then explained: "Autumn has entered these days, which is a good time to chop wood. Uh... My family went to the city in the morning to collect food, and it was evening when they came back. My old lady at home
I pushed hard and even went up the mountain at night."
"Bandits don't even dare to go into the forest in the middle of the night. This big brother is really brave."
After hearing Chu Shou's words, the villager smiled naively and replied: "You have to make a living, right?"
Chu Shou found a broken incense stick, took the broken sticks handed over by Sanqian, lit the incense, and the smoke was lingering. She respectfully inserted it into the altar. She raised her eyes, looked at the villagers and nodded with a smile: "Okay, I
Got it, you can go home."
He glanced sideways at Wei Qingxuan and waited for instructions. Unable to hold back, he covered his mouth and coughed. Wei Qingxuan waved his hands and said in a low voice: "Go, go, go!"
Chu Shou looked at his back and stood there, looking straight at Wei Qingxuan and said: "Master Wei, why don't you find someone more suitable next time? His hands are like blacksmith's hands. Where did they come from?"
Sowing the land, harvesting grain, chopping firewood for cooking..."
After saying that, she turned her eyes and landed on Wei Qingxuan. Wei Qingxuan had a straight face and said nothing. Then he thought about it for a while, lifted up his robe and knelt down in front of Chu Shou. He said nothing, what else?
All said.
"As for this mountain temple, it is indeed a place where copper is smelted. Is it the mountain bandits who smelt it or who smelted it? Master Wei, do you know it yourself?"
"You don't have to use this to trick me. Don't you know it very well? Master Du Yushi and I have been to Linglong Village early in the morning."
Chu Shou took out a folded piece of yellow paper from his sleeve. On it was a notice to investigate bandits on the run, with the heads of a man and a woman drawn on it. He threw it in front of Wei Qingxuan, and then said in a cold voice: "If it hadn't been for the news from Kyoto, Princess
, the Metropolitan Procuratorate came down to conduct a thorough investigation of the Qingzhou Copper Mine. Mr. Wei is afraid that I will end up with the same fate as Mr. Shen. Wei Qingxuan, I know why you are able to navigate the officialdom at such a young age - you are so courageous
big enough."
Wei Qingxuan only vaguely felt that Chu Shou knew something. The news that the two of them went up the mountain to Linglong Village that night was passed down by him through bribery of a small bandit leader. The man used his damaged memory to record their faces.
After drawing it, he admitted that he wanted to lure them to Qingzhou City.
From Yuanshan Inn to Qingzhou Shuiyunjian, it should be foolproof...
"Master Wei Qing, why do you need to kneel to me? You should solemnly thank me today. The envoy You Yan will arrive tomorrow. I just want the two countries not to fall apart because of you."
Chu Shou knelt down in front of him, her eyebrows were like distant mountains covered with mist, her eyes were like the cold moon falling into an autumn well, there was no wind or waves, she suppressed her voice and spoke in her own voice.
From that day on when she talked to Meng Liang in Linglong Village, she no longer believed in the so-called government slogan of "encirclement and suppression of bandits and clearing out surrounding areas".
If you approach the truth with a critical eye, you will find that the real murderer is full of mistakes and omissions.
Everyone in Linglong Village suffered from the copper mine and were forced to go up the mountain. The mine was filled with their relatives. Meng Liang often wrote in his letters to her that every time that day came, the village was filled with longing.
, every household agreed to set off sky lanterns in the direction of the mine at night, but they were on the mountain, fearing that it would trigger a mountain fire and burn down the only place that could give them a way to survive.
That day was not a person's death anniversary, because the mine collapsed and buried many people. It was like the silence of a whole big family. Meng Liang felt full of sadness every time that day came. He was the only one, no matter how sympathetic he was.
, it can't offset their thoughts, but he can't see the extinguished ashes in their eyes, but he is making a sky lantern, but his eyes are full of hope.
The mine has been abandoned since the collapse. It is like a crumbling broken bridge. It is not known when it will collapse again. That place can only be the cemetery of their relatives. How can they dig graves in exchange for money?
"Don't worry, since envoy You Yan is coming, you will be safe."
Chu Shou stood up and looked down at him. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised. She smiled but was bitter. If it hadn't been for last night, she would still have the energy to deal with Wei Qingxuan, but she couldn't afford to watch his dramas one after another.
Just dismantle his stage and stop making so much noise.
When Luo Qi entered the temple, she passed by Chu Shou. There was no expression on her face. Although her brows were relaxed, they seemed to be pressed tightly by two mountains. The brightness disappeared overnight, leaving only
sad.
Wei Qingxuan picked up the notice on the ground and stuffed it back into his sleeves. Those who understand current affairs are heroes. However, even though he thought so, he was still worried in his heart. If one day the princess wanted to raise the old account, he was afraid that the boat would be overturned and the officialdom would be turned over again.
But come here.
He stood up and looked at Luo Qi, bowed in vain, and walked out of the mountain temple with his thoughts in mind.
Luo Qi walked inside, raised his eyes and looked at the incomplete statue of the mountain god. He stood with his hands behind his hands, but looked inwardly.
If you want to catch prey, you must first learn to lay out bait. The best result is that the bait is still there when the prey is caught.
But...as long as the prey is caught, it doesn't matter whether the bait is there or not, complete or not.
He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and prayed devoutly, his slightly raised eyelashes trembling slightly, and his mind was as dark and unclear as the gray sky outside.
@
"Let's go back to the city."
Chu Shou sat in the carriage and gave instructions in a deep voice.
After hearing this, Sanqian, who was driving outside, gently opened the corner of the curtain with some worry in his eyes. Since he woke up in the morning, Chu Shou's mood has been gloomy, completely different from before.
"Miss, why don't you wait for Master Song and the others to come back together?" Ah Shui suggested gently from the side.
Chu Shou sat upright, and when she mentioned Song Yanqing, she couldn't help but take a deep breath, and the suppressed emotions forced her eyes to turn red.
Before he finished speaking, there was a commotion outside, and then a voice was heard: "Sir! Your Majesty! The mine on the southwest side of the mountain forest has collapsed again!"
"The mine collapsed?! Where are Master Song and the others?"
"This... I didn't see any adults. It seems that even the old monsters are trapped in it."
The old monster is a person specially hired by the main government to guard the mine. He is also an experienced miner. He knows the principle of "enter when you encounter rich ore and stop when you encounter poor ore." It was he who led people to discover this hidden place in the mountains and forests.
He knew all about the copper mines, how many mine shafts, how many tunnels, and where the vents were.
Just now, he accompanied Song Yanqing and the others into the mine. When they went down, he swore that there was absolutely no problem with the shaft and that there were no safety risks at all. After walking a few steps, he seemed to have turned around near the mouth of the well.
There was a loud bang on the other side of the alley, and I didn't know what it was.
When Chu Shou heard the news that the man had come to report, he immediately got off the carriage, stepped forward and asked, "What did you say?"
"Going back to the princess, there was only a roar over there, it seemed like the mine had collapsed!"
"Ah Shui Sanqian, go to the mine."
The horse galloped all the way, and Chu Shou sat in the carriage but her palms kept sweating. She thought of the divination methods of the Wu people, and secretly pinched her fingers to calculate. However, her mind was very confused, and she had no idea all afternoon.
When she came out, she was so annoyed that she held the silk handkerchief in her hand. After a while, she leaned out of the window to take a look, wishing she could fly there.
Autumn changes so quickly this time. The large leaves in the mountain forests have turned yellow and are falling to the ground, in the soil. In addition, there have been several autumn rains before, and the entire ground is damp and dark, so that the carriage is driving on the mountain road.
, it was not easy to walk, the wheels behind the carriage were stuck in the mud, and no matter how the horses ran, the carriage remained indifferent.
So Chu Shou quickly gave up the idea of taking a ride, climbed out of the carriage and walked towards the entrance of the mine, which was not very far away.
Sanqian was tinkering with the carriage there, and Chu Shou waved his hand to Ah Shui who was catching up, and said: "Just stay with her there, she can't solve the problem by herself, it's just a few steps away, there will be someone to help her.
"
Chu Shou held up his skirt and robe and walked on the road covered with fallen leaves. The crunching sound seemed particularly empty in the silent mountain forest. Chu Shou tried his best not to step on the big crunching leaves, because the sound was like
The uninvited guests in the entire forest, the slightest sound, can make waves in her heart rise up to a height of ten feet.
She thought to herself, Song Yanqing couldn't be so unlucky, and just after going to the mine, he encountered this once-in-a-century opportunity.
She quickened her pace as she thought about it. When she turned an intersection, there was a whole round place in front of her, with tall trees planted all around. The only thing different here from the mountains and forests were the few ginkgo trees, which were yellow and red.
The leaves fall with the wind and spread on the ground, making it look even more dreamy.
Chu Shou stopped and looked at the leaves gathered in a circle, secretly wondering if this trap should be so obvious...
Before she could stand down and observe, a man in black suddenly flew out from the high branches behind her. He was covered in black cloth and had a slender body. He was holding a real silver sword in his hand, and the tip pointed directly at him.
He stabbed her between the eyebrows.
As soon as he said it, Chu Shou stood up and raised his elbow to gently move his arm. The man in black was violently thrown out according to the inertia. He was like a whirlwind, lifting up the ground.
A piece of dead leaf was dragged several meters away, and was finally blocked by a small tree.
But... these were just minor injuries. Soon the man in black stood up holding the silver sword, but this time, he did not dare to act rashly again.
Chu Shou took out the folded bow from between her legs, flicked it gently and turned it into a full bow. She slipped out the golden arrow from her sleeve, put it on the bow, made the bow fully drawn, and stood straight towards the stop.
The man in black was walking, and the cold light of the arrow was like a warning, which was frightening.
"Who sent you here!"
Chu Shou pointed his bow and arrow at the man in black and spoke coldly.
Under the black cloth, the man in black smiled faintly. Judging from her golden arrows and acting style, it was that person. Her name of Golden Wind, Arrow and Rain could be said to have spread throughout the world.
No one knows it, no one knows it.
It's just that the Golden Wind and Arrow Rain is not absolutely easy to use, just like this time...
The man in black dodged quickly. Chu Shou looked sideways at the bow and arrow, not wanting to miss the direction it was pointing at. He kept watching helplessly as the man in black moved closer step by step, forcing Chu Shou to retreat repeatedly.
Chu Shou finally stood there and looked back. Isn't it the big hole that was seen through at a glance?
Isn't it okay if she doesn't fall into this trap?
She only knows the skills of a three-legged cat, because even archery is only an attack from a distance. As soon as she gets close, the bow and arrows in her hands become firewood sticks that cannot be burned by firewood.
It has no effect at all.
But even so, she refused to admit defeat to the man in black, so she had no choice but to fight hard back and forth.
When the man in black attacks, she dodges; when the man in black dodges, she dodges too...