Chapter 174 Deserted House and Ancient Temple (Part 1)
The fifth year of Tianbao is on the first day of the first lunar month.
Early in the morning, Zhou Jun dressed neatly and came out of the wing. When he saw Hua Yue washing her clothes, he took out a red cloth bag from his arms and handed it to her.
Huayue took the cloth bag, held it heavily, opened it and found that it was filled with copper coins.
Hua Yue's face was full of confusion: "For me?"
Zhou Jun nodded.
Hua Yue asked again: "Is this the custom of the Tang Dynasty?"
Zhou Jun thought for a while and replied: "It doesn't count. Just accept it and treat it as yes."
Hua Yue was confused, but finally accepted the red envelope.
Early in the morning of Yuan Zheng, Zhou Jun took Hua Yue out of the inn and went to Luoyang for a stroll.
Since yesterday was New Year's Eve, every household was keeping up the New Year's Eve, so there were not many people on the street, and it was even a bit empty.
Zhou Jun took Huayue around and finally found a breakfast stall.
After buying some steamed rice cakes, Gaosheng cakes and glue-shaped glutinous rice cakes, Zhou Jun and Hua Yue found a stone platform by the roadside and ate while looking at the scenery of Luoyang.
The early morning frost was gradually dispersed by the sunshine. Among the houses in Luoyang, every household had erected wooden poles with long flags made of paper or cloth, which fluttered in the wind, which was very spectacular.
Hua Yue was surprised and asked Zhou Jun.
The latter replied: "Those are spring flags, used to pray for longevity and health."
The two of them walked around the market for a while before returning towards the inn.
When he arrived at the door of the inn, Zhou Jun first went to the official residence next door and asked the concierge where Liu Zai was, intending to wish him a happy new year.
To Zhou Jun's surprise, the concierge replied that Liu Yushi had gone out early in the morning on New Year's Eve and has not returned yet.
After hearing this, Zhou Jun thought of the investigation that Liu Zai had mentioned before, and felt something bad in his heart.
Zhou Jun didn't even bother to go to the Yang Palace to do the mao. He took Hua Yue directly, mounted his horse, and went to Yongtongfang South Alley, which Liu Zai had mentioned before.
On the way, Hua Yue asked Zhou Jun: "If Liu Yushi is really in danger, why don't you inform Dali Temple and Yushitai and ask them to send troops to inspect Yongtongfang?"
Zhou Jun: "If Yi Kuang is really in danger, and the thieves imprison him, and hear that officers and soldiers are coming, they will definitely kill him and silence him to avoid future troubles."
"Moreover, don't forget that Yi Kuang has mentioned before that there are people in Dali Temple and Yushitai deliberately obstructing the process. If you go to look for them, the thieves might get wind of it in advance."
Huayue nodded.
The two entered Yongtongfang and followed Fang Street to the entrance of Nanxiang.
After leaving the horse in the stable of a wine shop, Zhou Jun and Hua Yue entered South Street from the alley.
As soon as he stepped into the South Alley, Zhou Jun looked around and saw deserted houses and debris everywhere. It was hard to imagine that this place was only separated from the bustling Luoyang by a door.
Even in the morning, when the sun was shining brightly, Zhou Jun could not help but feel a chill running down his spine while standing in the street.
In comparison, Hua Yue was even more unbearable. She grabbed Zhou Jun's sleeve and asked in a low voice: "Is it true that the rumor that this place is haunted is true?"
Zhou Jun walked forward and said: "Even if there are ghosts in this world, they should be afraid of strangers."
After hearing this, Huayue glanced at Zhou Jun and asked, "Are you not afraid of anything in this world?"
Zhou Jun replied: "I do have something to fear."
Huayue asked again.
Zhou Jun smiled but did not answer.
The two of them walked along the deserted street and walked several dozen meters to the south. At the end of the south alley, an ancient temple that had been abandoned for a long time appeared in their field of vision.
Zhou Jun and Hua Yue entered the gate of the ancient temple and saw nothing but silence around them, with no one in sight.
After passing through the front yard and arriving at the threshold of the middle hall, Zhou Jun was about to step in, but Hua Yue stopped him.
Hua Yue squatted down and pushed aside the dead grass and branches behind the threshold, only to see a thin line slightly higher than the ground, hiding in it.
Zhou Jun retracted his feet and looked at both ends of the thin line. He saw that one end was tied to the palace pillar, while the other end was walking along the beam towards the side hall.
Hua Yue said to Zhou Jun: "This thread is as straight as a string. It seems that although this place is deserted, there are still people living there."
Zhou Jun carefully stepped over the thin line and walked into the side hall, where he saw that the thin line was submerged in the wall.
With a gesture, Zhou Jun indicated to draw the moon and looked around.
The two walked around the room. Huayue walked to a bookcase and suddenly stopped.
Zhou Jun walked over and saw Hua Yue putting his ear against the bookcase, so he followed the law.
Zhou Jun could vaguely hear some sounds behind the wall, but he couldn't listen carefully.
After a while, the noise behind the wall gradually became quieter.
Huayue said softly to Zhou Jun: "That man is gone."
After saying that, she started groping around on the bookcase.
Zhou Jun didn't know how Hua Yue knew there was someone behind the wall, so he just followed Hua Yue to explore.
After a while, Zhou Jun touched a raised wall tile on the wall behind the bookcase, pressed it hard, and heard the whole bookcase shake.
Huayue walked to the side, grabbed the bookcase with her hands, and pushed it to the side, only to see a one-meter-square hole exposed under the wall.
Huayue took out the dagger from her waist, passed through the hole, and walked in first.
Zhou Jun followed her and entered inside. Behind the wall was a small room of less than five square meters. There was a mattress on the floor. There were five or six bells on the ceiling of the room, which must have been a thin line with the outside world.
connected.
Huayue looked inside the small room, where there was a staircase going down. She first looked at the movement under the stairs, and then walked down quietly.
The height of the stairs is about three meters, and when it lands, there is a low corridor that makes it difficult to see anything.
Compared to Hua Yue, who moved freely, Zhou Jun could only bend his body and follow her.
After walking a few dozen steps, there seemed to be light in front of my eyes.
Huayue stopped and squatted at the end of the corridor, giving Zhou Jun a silencing gesture.
Zhou Jun did as he was told, only to hear the sound of footsteps approaching slowly not far away, but heading towards the corridor.
When the footsteps came to the entrance of the corridor, Hua Yue rushed out with a short body, turned the hilt of the sword upside down, and hit the visitor hard on the temple.
Then, she caught the fainted man and slowly placed him on the ground.
Zhou Jun got out of the corridor and took a look, and saw that the fainted person was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. Although he was wearing Tang Dynasty clothes, he had the appearance of a Mobei Fan.
Zhou Jun and Hua Yue worked together to drag the man into the corridor.
Huayue put the sword on Fanzi's neck, while Zhou Jun pinched him and woke him up.
After the latter opened his eyes and saw a man and a woman in front of him, he was so frightened that he wanted to scream.
Hua Yue, with quick eyes and quick hands, grabbed his chin and used a wrong force, dislocating his joints and making him unable to make any sound.
Zhou Jun stared at the man and said word by word: "I ask you something, and you answer me something. If you talk too much, you will die immediately! If you understand, just nod!"
The fan was so frightened that he kept nodding his head.
Seeing this, Huayue helped Fanzi reattach his chin.
Zhou Jun: "Who are you?"
Fanzi: "We are the guards of Beihai Zhongjia Trading Company!"
Zhou Jun shook his head and glanced at Huayue.
Huayue's sword blade made a light stroke.
Fanzi felt a coldness in his throat, but there was blood spilling out, and he quickly said in a mournful voice: "We are from Youzhou, and this time we are helping the master's family transport goods to Luoyang."
Zhou Jun: "What is the cargo?"
Fanzi: "It's...a group of girls from Silla."
Zhou Jun: "Why should it be transported to Luoyang?"
Fanzi: "I hid them here, found someone to teach them Tang Dynasty Mandarin, chess, calligraphy and painting, and finally sold them."
Zhou Jun nodded, everything was basically consistent with what Liu Zai said before.
Zhou Jun asked again: "Did you arrest a censor named Liu in the past few days?"
The Fanzi hesitated for a while, then nodded and said: "Yes, yes, there is indeed such a person. He said that he was an eighth-rank official in the imperial court, and he seemed to be the censor."
Zhou Jun: "Where is he now?"
Fanzi: "In the cell to the west."
Zhou Jun: "How many people are here this time?"
Fanzi: "Seven, three of them have gone out, add me here, there are four more!"
After hearing this, Zhou Jun thought for a moment.
The fanzi looked at the dagger on his neck and begged bitterly: "I have said everything that needs to be said. I still have a wife and children at home. Please let me live!"
Huayue looked at Zhou Jun and cast a questioning look.
Zhou Jun glanced at Fanzi, thought about it, and shook his head gently at Huayue.
Huayue flipped her wrist, holding the dagger from up to down, and thrust it hard into Fanzi's heart.
There was only a puff, and the fanzi didn't even have time to scream. After struggling a few times, there was no more movement.