Chapter 39 They Are Coming
February 11th, Youshi
In the empty attic, only Shen Kuo and Xu Chong were left.
The two stood up and walked to the curtain, looking at each other from a short distance from the revolving lantern. Xu Chong pursed his lips to indicate that he should go over and take a look. Shen Kuo shook his head. He had just agreed with Boss Pei that a gentleman's word is as good as his bond, so it would be best not to double standards so quickly. Who knows if someone will suddenly come up?
After a while of stalemate, they heard the sound of stairs behind them. A scholar came up. The three of them didn't know each other, so they bowed to each other and then found a place to sit down. Finally, the short opportunity disappeared, and now they could only wait.
Soon another person came, also a young man from a noble family dressed in silk and satin. He seemed to know the one who came before, so the two of them started chatting and looked up at the various riddles hanging around.
Within an hour, twenty-seven or twenty-eight people had gathered in the attic. When the night fell, Boss Pei also came down with a few people. Everyone gathered around and bowed to each other, and the scene finally became lively.
There was another noise on the stairs. It was Jin'er coming up with a basket, setting fruit and snacks on the table. A few maids brought in wine and food. It was already dark outside. Only the flickering candlelight in the wine shops near and far could be seen. It was the time when thousands of lights were on again.
A group of singing girls came up and began to play and sing, but Xiao Ping was not among them. The girls only played and sang not far behind the crowd, and no one ever went into the small pavilion facing the street separated by a curtain. There was only a table, a zither, a lamp, and a vase with camellia flowers.
Soon someone lit the candles in the house, leaving only the palace lantern made by Yu Hao in the small pavilion. Xu Chong looked over there every once in a while to make sure it hadn't disappeared suddenly.
Everyone did not realize that Shen Kuo was not a member of the riddle club. Instead, they were somewhat in awe of Xu Chong, who looked like a soldier. He did not look like someone who came to drink tea and guess riddles, so no one talked to him. Shen Kuo and others could chat together. They looked at the dozens of riddles hanging under the caisson. Most of these were word riddles and were not difficult to guess. Once someone guessed it correctly, the women playing music around would play a happy song together. Someone would also bring a plate covered with a red cloth. Under the red cloth were prizes, mostly some four treasures of the study, exquisite small ornaments, etc. If someone guessed wrong, someone would filter the wine and punish him to drink. If he guessed three or four correctly, a maid would come over and put a flower on his temples. He was obviously the star of the venue.
Just when they were in high spirits, they heard a noise on the stairs. Everyone stopped drinking and watching the riddles and looked over. It was Xiao Ping who was slowly coming up the stairs accompanied by Jin Er. She changed her clothes and wore a white silk dress with a pink shawl as the outer garment. She had combed her hair into a cute bun with a jade hairpin inserted horizontally and a cross ring. She had a few strands of black hair hanging down to her shoulders. Under the night light, she looked charming, bright and playful.
The scholars and playboys in the riddle club stopped guessing the riddles and stopped to admire them.
Xiao Ping bowed at the stairs, then walked over slowly. When she came to Shen Kuo's side, she looked up and saw the red flowers on his temples, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Excellency is indeed knowledgeable."
"I dare not, I just guessed right."
"Does my dress look good?" Xiaoping half turned around, showing off her snow-white skirt and pink shawl.
"It looks good." Shen Kuo blurted out.
"'The shallow tea is called jade tea, while the deep tea is better. The big tea is called mountain tea, while the small tea is called red tea.' It is specially matched with the camellia flowers that the young master picked. What do you think? Xiao Ping really put a lot of effort into it."
Her attitude at that moment made Shen Kuo's heart beat faster . He didn't know why she was so different from the cold person just now. Maybe she seemed cold and indifferent because there were few people around. Now she was just acting in front of people. But Shen Kuo was intoxicated by it anyway. He glanced at Jin'er behind him, and Jin'er also shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.
Pei Zhang stood up and started clapping.
"What a pretty lady. I thought she lived in seclusion in the countryside and ignored us vulgar people in the capital. Unexpectedly, she has become more beautiful this time. She is also very skilled in music, singing, poetry, calligraphy and painting. I think there are only ten such talented and pretty ladies in Tokyo."
"So there are nine more? I thought that in your hearts you had already been unparalleled in beauty and talent, and there was no other choice. It turns out I was just being too sentimental. How embarrassing." Xiao Ping pretended to be angry, turned her head and walked into the curtain. Everyone clapped and laughed.
"Don't be angry, big sister. I was the one who said something wrong. Sister Xiaoping from Dongjing Chengli is the most beautiful and talented one. There is no other choice." Shopkeeper Pei said in a loud voice.
"If you say something wrong, you will be punished by drinking." Xiao Ping said with false anger.
"Be punished."
Boss Pei poured himself a drink. At this time, someone replaced a puzzle that had been guessed and hung a new one there.
When Shen Kuo looked up, he saw a new riddle that read: A new body is cast from rotten mud, beautiful on the outside but lacking talent, but beautiful things are born from the belly, and the powder and makeup turn into broken tiles.
"Manager Pei, is this riddle meant to make fun of me for marrying into the countryside and becoming a village woman?" Xiao Ping said with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare to do that even if you gave me three hundred guts. This is to hit an object, not a person. My lords, have you guessed it?"
Shopkeeper Pei looked around and saw that everyone seemed to be thinking, but no one could answer the question. The cold pavilion fell silent for a moment.
After waiting for a while, everyone was still frowning and thinking, except Shen Kuo, who looked relaxed as if he was confident, but he didn't look like he wanted to answer quickly.
"Mr. Shen, do you have any advice for this riddle?"
"Oh, I was thinking, is this a piggy bank?"
"Correct. Someone, pour some wine for Mr. Shen."
Shen Kuo took the wine and drank it all in one gulp, blushing for a moment. Up to this point, he had guessed at least ten riddles correctly and had been persuaded to drink seven or eight glasses of wine, so he was already a little tipsy.
"Everyone, listen to me," Boss Pei walked to the middle and called out, "This is Mr. Shen from the Qiantang Shen family. He is a talented person of the time. He is not only good at guessing riddles, but also an expert at appreciating calligraphy and painting. He is also a close friend of mine for many years."
Everyone came up to compliment him with a joking face. Although they didn't know him, they all came forward to be polite and said they had heard a lot about him. Shen Kuo also felt a little proud. Although the words "a talented scholar of the time" were just clichés and lies, they were quite useful. In addition, he could show off his skills in front of Xiao Ping, so he couldn't help but feel proud.
But there was a riddle over there. It was very short and read:
Using both hands and feet is not something a man should do.
Someone asked: "It must be difficult to guess with only eight characters, so what should I guess first?"
Pei Yuanwai smiled and replied: "It's not a matter of business, it's just a common thing in a brothel."
Xiao Ping had been watching Shen Kuo secretly. Seeing that he seemed to have guessed it, she wanted to speak but held back, with a flash of shyness on her face.
"I know," one person shouted, "It means catching an adulterer, that's right."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Shen Kuo shook his head slightly. He had guessed it long ago and wanted to show off, but the answer was too indecent so he didn't tell it.
Then another riddle was put up, this time it was even worse, even a little obscene: "The fifth uncle embraces the second sister-in-law, his hands hold her slender waist tightly, and when they open their legs, the taste will be known to the tongue. Guess what."
I don’t know why, but as soon as Xiaoping came on stage, all these weird riddles appeared. They were quite elegant before.
Shen Kuo sat down without thinking, but Xiao Ping waved to him and asked him to come over.
Shen Kuo hurried to the side of the road, where there was only a curtain between them.
"I saw that you blushed just now, and you are really a good person. Don't hang out with them and guess these shameless riddles. I know you brought the badge to check this lamp. I have also seen this lamp in the Prince Consort's Mansion, but it is strange. I have something to ask you today."
As she spoke, she tore off the white towel on her arm, only to see five red marks there: "The prince consort went crazy when he saw the lighted lamp that day. Fortunately, I left the study in time. You must sit closer today. If anything strange happens later, protect me."
“It is my duty.”
There was another commotion over there. It turned out that someone had guessed the answer to the riddle, which was chopsticks. So the playboys and scoundrels laughed together.
Shopkeeper Pei saw that it was almost dark, so he clapped his hands three times, and everyone stopped, and Xiao Ping began to play. The crowd that was still agitated just now finally calmed down gradually, and everyone returned to their original seats. A waiter from the store brought soup and wet towels, and it seemed that they would take a break for a while, and then the guessing game entered the second stage.
Sure enough, after a while, the servants turned off most of the lights in the hall. Xiao Ping took out a lamp stick and slowly lit the magical revolving lantern. For a moment, this lamp became the only light in the attic.
Everyone sat quietly and watched.
After being lit for only a moment, the lamp began to turn.
The screen opposite the lamp has only a light landscape background, without any flowers, plants or people, obviously waiting for words to be reflected on it.
Today is February 11th. It is a very majestic day. Outside the window, a gibbous moon, almost full, hangs in the sky, but is soon covered by dark clouds.
"Everyone," Boss Pei stood up again, "Next, Xiao Ping will play and sing a song for us called 'Yaotai Yue', and then the song 'Zhuying Zou Ma' will present the poem, and the riddle is in the poem."
Everyone's interest was piqued and they were all waiting patiently. Of course, they were not only waiting for the riddles, but also waiting to see how the magical machine would project the images. Moreover, they were also waiting to hear the miraculous stories of the Prince Consort's Mansion.
Xiao Ping began to play and sing a piece of music called "Yaotai Moon". The music was long and the voice was moving. However, this was not Yaotai and there was not much moonlight in the sky. In fact, it was not very appropriate for the scene. However, it might be in line with the words above, and it was obviously well thought out.
"The dream is over. The vanity in front of your eyes must be awakened. Jump out of the cage of the world, what is there to hold you back from the world..."
A magical scene appeared. As Xiaoping sang, the words slowly appeared on the screen painted with light ink. For a moment, everyone held their breath. There was such a magic in the world.
However, a strange scene appeared. The words on the screen gradually became different from what Xiao Ping sang. The audience thought that the lyrics had been changed. This lyric originated from an unknown author and was not originally a riddle. Many people can sing it. Since it can be used as a riddle, it must have been changed.
However, Xiaoping and Shopkeeper Pei were the first to discover the problem.
The number of words displayed on the screen was no longer correct, and they were no longer long and short sentences. Xiao Ping had been frightened last time and had already realized that something was wrong, so she stopped playing. However, the people behind her who were playing the pipa, sheng, and flute did not notice. They did not even look at the screen and were only focused on playing according to the rehearsal.
Boss Pei rushed into the tent and stared with wide eyes.
But I saw bright red words rolling out on the screen:
The yellow-robed inspector bullies the child, a drink from an empty cup can stop the war, the candlelight flickers and the shadow of the axe moves, the brotherhood is strong and the country is protected, the constant feeling of the earth and the sky will eventually respond, the dragon appears in the world and contains the law of heaven, the auspicious sign descends to the world to seal Mount Tai, and the Queen rides the imperial carriage at the court, who benefits from the imperial robe? One day in Changge, there is a female hero, the King of Hell offers sacrifices to Yuanliheng, the dead tree in the family has been dead for a hundred years, and the saints take turns to wear clothes again.
"Stop, stop." Boss Pei shouted. When something happened at the Prince Consort's house before, he thought it was just a trick the Prince Consort came up with to frame the eunuch he hated the most beside the princess. Only now did he realize that the rumors about the pair of magic lanterns were true, because it started to act like a demon again.
Shen Kuo, who was sitting in the first row, could see clearly that what was being said were the vicious words that slandered the Song Dynasty. Every word was piercing and sinister.
The first sentence: The inspector in yellow clothes bullies the child, which clearly implies that Taizu put on the yellow robe and usurped the throne of the orphan and widow. The second sentence: A drink from an empty cup can stop the war, which probably refers to Taizu's giving up the military power with a cup of wine and taking away the military power of his old brothers who fought for the country. The following two sentences: The candlelight flickers and the shadow of the axe moves, and the brotherhood is strong to protect the country, which naturally refers to the old story of the sound of the axe and the shadow of the candle. The three sentences that Heng feels that the heaven and the earth will eventually respond, the dragon appears in the world to contain the heavenly constitution, and the blessing comes to the world to confer the title of Taiyue, should refer to the fact that Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng had no political achievements during his reign, but relied on pretending to be a god to welcome the heavenly book and Fengshan Taishan to fool the world. Throughout the dynasties, there has been no king who signed a city surrender agreement and paid the annual tribute and dared to go to Fengshan Taishan.
In the following part: Ehuang is in the imperial court, riding the imperial carriage, and making the imperial robes. Who benefits? These two sentences are more sinister, obviously referring to the Empress Dowager Zhangxian ruling from behind the curtain, and the word "benefit" is clearly the first name of the current emperor. The "who benefits" in the sentence is undoubtedly a double entendre, and also refers to the current emperor benefiting from the empress dowager's chaotic politics, and his position is not legitimate. The following Yama King offers sacrifice to Yuan Liheng, which is almost the end of the plan, completely mentioning the name, and deliberately skipping the word "zhen" in the official's name. Unlike the previous sentence that the heaven and earth will eventually respond, mentioning the emperor's name and full of irony, this sentence directly links the current official with Yama King.
The second and last sentence: A dead tree in the house has withered for a hundred years, obviously refers to the hundred years of the Song Dynasty, and the last sentence: The sage takes turns to wear new clothes, implies that the old story of wearing the yellow robe is about to happen again.
Pei Bendian moved around among the officials in Tokyo and was politically sensitive. He knew that there was a high probability that he would be in trouble and he might even lose his life this time, so he ran to a candlestick in the distance that was not extinguished and pulled out a candle.
Xu Chong didn't understand the meaning of those words, but he guessed what Boss Pei was going to do from his angry actions, and hurried forward to stop him. Boss Pei and Xu Chong were trying to grab the candle outside the curtain. The whole fourth floor was in chaos.
"This is a monster. It will bring disaster if you keep it. Please allow me to burn it."
"This is evidence. How can I let you burn it?"
While the two were arguing, Shen Kuo and the others watched in shock, not knowing what to do. Everyone noticed something strange.
A strange laugh was heard.
Xu Chong and Lao Pei stopped, and the candle fell to the ground and was extinguished by Xu Chong's foot.
Everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment. It was such an inappropriate and weird laugh. Even if not everyone here realized how many people would lose their heads if the vicious words on the screen were investigated, probably no one would be stupid enough to laugh at this moment.
The second laugh came, shrill and hollow. The sound did not come from the audience, but from behind Xiao Ping, that is, outside the guardrail. This was outside a four-story building, and there shouldn't be any sound coming from outside the attic.
Laughter came one after another, and this time it was clear that it was the laughter of children.
Xiaoping screamed in fright and collapsed to the ground.
When everyone looked outside, they saw something moving on the eaves of the building opposite.
"Hat monster?" Boss Pei shouted.
"It's not a hat monster." Shen Kuo said calmly. He had already stood up and saw clearly that it was not a hat monster in the shape of Fan Yang's hat lying horizontally, but a vertical object. The hat monster was not moving horizontally, but jumping.
Along with the terrifying laughter of children, those things were jumping up and down on the opposite side, like running figures. Except for Shen Kuo and Xu Chong, everyone was retreating, but it was dark here, and those who wanted to run couldn't find the stairs to go down. They rushed forward in the dark, bumped into each other and fell all over the place. For a while, screams came one after another, adding countless fears.
Amid the screams of the crowd, the figure over there jumped into the air and disappeared, and the innocent laughter of children also stopped . The members of the mystery society, who were in a mess, finally felt relieved and began to crawl to find a way down, but something fell heavily on the eaves outside, followed by more rampant laughter. Someone looked back and saw that the figure standing outside the pavilion was clearly a human figure, but not a human, and was slightly shorter.
With the faint light of the "Candle Shadow and Horse Running" lamp, Shen Kuo could see clearly that the person standing on the railing was a puppet in costume.
"Hou Jing from the Wood Elf class?" Xu Chong was shocked. He was the first one here to recognize that this puppet was one of the puppets that were lost after the Hat Monster broke into the door of the Wood Elf class a few days ago.
"Hehehe..." The puppet laughed and jumped away, unexpectedly leaping to the opposite building. The terrifying laughter gradually faded away.
