Chapter 168 Meeting an old friend in a foreign land
Zhou Jun changed into a set of regular clothes, took Hua Yue with him, passed the square street of Chengfufang, and headed south.
After leaving the Nanfang Gate, Zhou Jun heard the faint sound of water in his ears. The further he walked, the louder the sound became.
Climbing up the bluestone steps, at the end of the field of vision, Luoshui merged into a white line, slowly unfolding like a scroll.
Walking a hundred meters further south, he came to the north side of Xinzhong Bridge. Zhou Jun leaned on the railing and looked around. He saw the sun shining slantingly beside the bridge, the waves washing over the sand at the ferry, the waves of Luohe River, and the sunset flowing on the horizon.
On the wide river, countless boats sailed back and forth, densely filling up the entire Luo River.
The bridgeside post roads, Ligong Castle, Rifang Temple, Parrot Island Head, bustling market, wine shops and shops, together form a beautiful landscape painting.
Walking onto the Xinzhong Bridge, Hua Yue looked at the bridge and saw an endless stream of cars, horses and pedestrians. He couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect this place to be more prosperous than Chang'an."
Zhou Jun didn't speak, he just looked at everything in front of him quietly, with his eyes as if he wanted to carve everything in front of him into his mind.
He knew clearly that the prosperous capital city under his feet would undergo two massacres and looting during the turmoil ten years later.
Not a single living person in the city was left alive, corpses littered the streets in the streets, and the Luo River was dyed into a river of blood, which will not fade in three months.
"Erlang, Erlang?"
Hearing Hua Yue's call, Zhou Jun reacted and turned to look at the former.
Huayue asked with concern: "What's wrong? Your face looked so bad just now, a little scary..."
Zhou Jun shook his head and forced a smile: "It's nothing. Let's get off the bridge and go to the south to have a look. I heard that Nanshi in Luoyang is the busiest place in the world."
The two of them walked south along the bridge. They didn't go far when they suddenly heard a shout: "Tuesu Lang!"
Zhou Jun followed the sound and saw an official wearing a blue official robe. When he took a closer look, that person turned out to be Liu Zai.
Liu Zai walked over with a smile, bowed his hands to Zhou Jun, his face was full of joy, and he felt a bit like meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
Zhou Jun returned the gift with a smile, and couldn't help but think in his mind that Kong You had said that Liu Zai had been a guest at Bachuan Garden several times, but they always missed time with him, but unexpectedly they could meet here.
Liu Zai looked at Zhou Jun's regular clothes, then looked at Hua Yue, and asked: "Zhou Lang is in such a good mood, are you out for fun?"
Zhou Jun pointed in the direction of Shangyang Palace and said: "I have accepted the official duties."
Liu Zai glanced at Shangyang Palace and understood immediately: "Shangyuan Lantern Tower?"
Zhou Jun nodded slightly and asked Liu Zai: "Then Yi Kuang came to Dongdu for...?"
Liu Zai: "Work with Dali Temple on the case."
Zhou Jun heard the word "handling a case" and knew that there was a taboo in it, so he stopped asking further questions.
While the two were chatting, they found a restaurant in Fushanfang south of Luoshui and ordered some dishes.
As soon as the three of them sat down, Hua Yue turned to look out the window.
Outside the window of the wine shop, I saw a street and an alley, which was the west entrance of Nanshi, where merchants gathered and it was very lively.
Knowing what Hua Yue was thinking, Zhou Jun took some copper coins, handed them to her, and said, "Go buy some food and prepare some expenses."
Huayue took the copper coins, responded with a smile, and ran out of the wine shop.
Knowing Zhou Jun's temperament, Liu Zai on the side was not too surprised.
After the food and wine were served, Liu Zai declined the shopkeeper's suggestion of inviting prostitutes, and said to Zhou Jun: "I would like to congratulate Zhou Lang first and move to the position of chief of the capital lawsuit."
Zhou Jun humbled himself.
Liu Zai shook his head and said: "On Tuesday, Lang's trip to Mobei was full of dangers and dangers. In the end, it was said that the nine surnames jointly conquered the Turks and contributed indispensably. However, they did nothing. When I heard about it, I just regretted not being there."
Zhou Jun heard the dissatisfaction in Liu Zai's words, so he had a few glasses of wine with him, and then asked, "How is Yi Kuang doing lately?"
Liu Zai raised his head and drank a glass of wine, sighed and said: "I talked with Erlang earlier, and gave up the idea of seclusion. I just want to use my talents to learn and benefit the people. How could I have offended my superior because of my stubborn temper and being unaccustomed to all the things in the court?"
, now we can only do complicated things.”
Zhou Jun: "Yikang and Dali Temple came to Dongdu to handle the case this time. How can it be considered complicated?"
Liu Zai drank some more wine and said: "King Gyeongdeok of Silla sent a letter to the Tang Dynasty in April, saying that there are private interests of Tang people in Silla, and on the grounds that the Tang country is rich, they go around to lure women to board ships and cross privately."
"Sailboats entered the border of Denglai Prefecture, and forced Silla girls to be maids, imprisoned and trained them, and then sold them to Chang'an, Luoyang and other places to make huge profits."
After Zhou Jun heard this, he was stunned on the spot. This method was somewhat similar to selling piglets in later generations.
Liu Zai: "Dali Temple and the government offices of various states have been investigating for several months, but to no avail. The Shangguan again put the responsibility on a certain person, and said that the case must be solved before the first month of the year."
Zhou Jun listened carefully and asked again: "How is it? Do you have any clues?"
Liu Zai drank another glass of wine and said slowly: "That's enough, but I also discovered something. There may be a lot of hidden secrets in this case in the Dali Temple and the government offices of various states."
"When a certain investigator looked at the case, he found that there were many traces of modifications and deletions. He asked people to ask, but no one knew anything about it."
Having said this, Liu Zai put down his wine glass and sighed: "From my point of view, in the final analysis, this is still an unsolved case."
Zhou Jun was about to say a few words to comfort Liu Zai, but he heard the sound of quarreling coming from the lobby of the restaurant.
I heard a ferryman in a short coat and trousers say loudly: "It is said in the Book of Heaven that Yinglong will appear and there will be floods in eight counties in Henan this autumn."
In the wine shop, a scholar sitting by the window laughed at him and said: "How can we take seriously the drama written by a charlatan?"
The waterman frowned and said, "I just came from Qiao County, where many merchants and private households have moved to higher ground."
The scholar laughed even louder: "You fool yourself, you believe these baseless things!"
The waterman's face turned red: "The book was very detailed that day. Not only the time, but also the location and the casualties were mentioned!"
The scholar just shook his head: "Go to the temple and have a look. Even the Buddha and Taoist Master didn't say anything. How can Yinglong reveal the secrets of heaven?"
Hearing the argument outside, Liu Zai shook his head and said with a smile: "There are many idiots in the market, and some people will believe even such lies in the name of Linggu."
Zhou Jun smiled, agreed, and filled the wine glasses for Liu Zai and himself.
Half an hour later, after having had enough wine and food, Zhou Jun and Liu Zai were chatting, and Hua Yue ran back with excitement on his face, holding a large bag under his arm.
Zhou Jun could only smile bitterly when he saw that she was holding it in her hands, holding it in her arms, and still holding it in her mouth.
After telling Liu Zai where they lived, Zhou Jun took Hua Yue and walked slowly towards the inn.
The sun was setting in the west, the sky was getting dark, and the moon and stars appeared faintly in the sky.
On the way back, Hua Yue held roasted sheep's tail in one hand and sesame cake in the other, her mouth full of oil.
Zhou Jun held the large and small parcels, looked at her, and said: "Eat so much, be careful that you won't be able to eliminate it later."
Huayue ignored him and just ate the food in her hands.
Seeing that the sky was getting dark, the two of them were worried about violating the curfew, so they walked out of the street and entered an alley, planning to take a shortcut back to the inn.
Halfway through the alley, Huayue, who was still enjoying his meal, suddenly stopped moving and stopped in the middle of the road.
Seeing this, Zhou Jun asked: "What's wrong?"
Huayue's eyes turned cold, and she threw the food in her hands aside, slowly drew out the dagger from her waist, and stared ahead, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Zhou Jun looked forward and saw a tall woman wearing a black robe and a veil standing at the entrance of the alley, blocking their path.