Chapter 70: The Same Vibration and the Same Sound
February 19th
Needless to say, the donkey was his old donkey, and the person on the donkey was clearly a slim woman, but it was too far away to tell clearly whether it was Xiaoping. However, the figure was holding an umbrella.
In such a dark night, she was holding an umbrella on the small bridge and flowing water far behind the mist? Such a strange scene was really frightening, but Shen Kuo decided to chase her. Xiao Ping said that we would meet again if we were destined to, but she didn't expect that fate would come so quickly.
He chased across the bridge, and the bell was already not far ahead. He chased around a corner and saw Xiao Ping riding on a donkey waiting for him. Shen Kuo slowed down his pace, took a breath, and then walked over. He knew Xiao Ping would not leave, because since she came, she must have something to say.
Xiao Ping got off the donkey, turned her back to him, and stroked the old donkey's mane.
"Look at that enemy. He has made you skinny because of hunger."
The old donkey raised his head and nodded desperately, and even rubbed his head against Xiaoping, looking extremely aggrieved.
"That day, they said they would not send you to the restaurant but put you in the soup pot. But they starved you to such an extent that you even have bruises on your body. I don't know that horses and donkeys should not be in the same trough since ancient times. I guess you were bitten by those careless animals."
The old donkey made a whining sound, as if it was crying or complaining.
"Sister, are you a human or a ghost?"
Shen Kuo asked after he stood still. This was the truth that came out of his mouth. He also felt a little regretful when he recalled it later, because he never thought that he would lose his principles so easily.
Xiao Ping burst out laughing.
"I'm not a ghost, I'm a fox fairy."
"Fox fairy?"
"Don't you suspect that I am Hu Yong'er, the fourth master of the Maitreya Sect?"
"But I don't have any evidence." Shen Kuo shivered and held his hands. The weather was really cold and he was only wearing a tight sweat shirt, so he could only look so embarrassed.
"I'm kidding. I'm just Xiao Ping, not Hu Yong'er."
"Oh, oh, oh. Big sister, you said that we would meet again if we were destined to. Why did you come to see me so soon? You must have something to teach me?"
"I can't see you for nothing?"
"Of course I do. Of course I do."
"You must be wondering how I got away?"
"I don't want to know at this moment."
Xiao Ping was stunned. Shen Kuo's words were beyond her expectations.
"I just want to tell you, big sister, that you were able to escape last night. Even though I have a thousand mysteries in my mind, I am extremely happy. I am just afraid that you will be imprisoned and executed."
The two of them stood in a stalemate for a while in the cold wind. Xiaoping's face showed a little confusion and joy, while Shen Kuo's face was covered with snot.
"Well, even if you ask me, I won't tell you. I'll just leave it to you to guess. I came here today because I do have something else to say."
"Please speak, elder sister." Shen Kuo's teeth were chattering and he could not speak clearly.
"I... am not what you or that black-faced official think... I have my own destiny and my own merits, but I will never want to overthrow the Song Dynasty."
"But those Maitreya prophecies..."
"I can only tell you that I don't know anything about the prophecy. But I know who the person in charge is."
"Is it Yu Jing?"
"He is not a simple person either. You also found out that the Saint Lady is dead. However, there is a master behind Yu Jing who is guiding him. I don't know who it is. I only know that it is the other two of the four hexagram masters. I don't even know the name of one of them. The other one is called 'Zhuge Suizhi ', who seems to be a monk, but I have never seen his true appearance. I only know that his ability is far superior to Yu Jing. Now it is he and Yu Jing who are planning the last sentence of the prophecy. The plan to use a puppet to kill the Saint Mother was also planned by him, and I was just coerced into it and used ventriloquism to speak for the puppet. In fact, I have no choice."
"The ninth sentence of this prophecy is exactly the key point we want to investigate. If it comes true again, the world will be in danger."
"I will find out the whereabouts of Zhuge Suizhi in the next few days. If you hear a bell at night, it means I am here. Come down by yourself and I will have news for you. If you bring people to ambush and capture me, our fate will end here."
"I understand, I understand." Shen Kuo nodded like pounding garlic. If Xiao Ping was innocent, he would naturally be very happy in his heart.
"Okay, I'll ride this donkey away. You should go back quickly and put on more clothes to avoid catching a cold."
“Yes, yes.”
Xiao Ping tried to climb up on the donkey's back, but she was too weak and the umbrella in her hand was blown to the ground by the wind.
"Let me help you." Shen Kuo wanted to help.
"Sir, please wait. You can't move this umbrella." Xiao Ping stopped Shen Kuo from getting close, and climbed onto the donkey's back. Shen Kuo picked up the umbrella on the ground, and didn't dare to move forward abruptly. Xiao Ping drove the donkey forward, stretched out a pale jade hand, and Shen Kuo handed over the fan handle.
Xiaoping didn't thank her. She took the umbrella and walked away, leaving behind the crisp sound of donkey hooves and bells on the street.
She just disappeared at the end of the street. Shen Kuo followed her secretly without any intention. Knowing that Xiao Ping was not a traitor, even though it was just her one-sided statement, Shen Kuo had already freed himself from the demons in his heart. Now was the time to trust her.
February 19th, the hour of ugliness
When he returned to Lao Ya Lane trembling, Xu Chong happened to come back yawning. He was also surprised to see Shen Kuo coming back in a single layer of clothes. He hurried forward to ask what was going on. Could he be having the same epileptic seizure as the prince consort?
Shen Kuo hesitated and did not tell the story of Xiao Ping looking for him. After all, the fact that Xiao Ping was not a traitor was not convincing at all. He was the only one who was willing to believe it. However, Xu Chong asked him why he came out so late. He suddenly thought of an excuse and said that he saw the donkey missing from the barn at night. He was worried that it was stolen by a donkey thief, so he chased it out to check. In the end, he found no trace of it. The donkey was indeed gone.
Xu Chong did not ask further questions, but he naturally did not believe it in his heart. He could tell that Shen Kuo was lying as soon as he opened his mouth. After all, Xu Chong was experienced and had seen many people who could lie, but they were definitely not like Shen Kuo. Moreover, even if someone sneaked into the yard, why didn't they steal the old donkey whose teeth were almost falling out when there were several good horses? Was that crazy? Not to mention that the donkey loved to bray. At night, if a stranger approached within ten steps, it would start to bray loudly. How could it be so easy to steal it?
He felt that there was something fishy going on, so he could only keep the question to himself. After Shen Kuo went upstairs, Xu Chong decided to check the backyard carefully. The wooden door on the back wall was still open. It was obvious that Shen Kuo had chased out through the back door in a single layer of clothes, and then he came in through the front door and even forgot to close the back door. What was the reason for this?
It must be someone important that made him so anxious to go out, but he was unwilling to tell him about this person. The donkey's social circle was also a question worth pondering. Xu Chong knew it best. In fact, in the whole city of Tokyo, most of the people it knew were people Shen Kuo knew. It seemed that there was only one person who could approach it at night and lead it away without calling out, except for himself, Yang Wei De and his wife, Shen Kuo, or the few spies in the yard who often changed his water. That person was Xiao Ping. After all, Xiao Ping and Shen Kuo rode it to Tokyo together.
After all, Xu Chong was smart. Combining the two doubts, the answer was obvious.
Morning, Chenshi.
Shen Kuo was upstairs, flipping through the book "Sacred Scriptures and Talismans", which Xiaoping had left on the windowsill after she came in. Was it an oversight, or was it intentional?
The book was so complex and there was no clue to find, so I started reading from the page I had opened when it was on the windowsill. I found that this page was about a strange pharmacy: "Yanmi San" was prepared with several strange drugs. According to the above description, it was colorless, odorless and non-toxic. After taking it, people would fall into a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, with hearing and vision retained, but the sight was blurry and the hearing was not clear, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and dreams. The sermon was most effective at this time because the audience was confused and drowsy, like an oracle.
Shen Kuo was still thinking about the half-asleep and half-awake state he had been in at night, so he quickly took his pot of cold tea and smelled it. There was no smell, but he still poured it out.
After breakfast, Shen Kuo went out listlessly. He was still wondering if Xiao Ping was lying to him. Also, how did Xiao Ping manage ? And was the little paper man on the zither just a distraction, or was it really useful?
He went to Huailiang's shop first, but found that Huailiang was not there. Only Xiaoyi was watching the shop. When asked, Xiaoyi said that Huailiang did not come in the morning, maybe he came at noon? Of course, he might not come all day. There was really no business recently, and the monk was a little absent-minded in doing business. Shen Kuo asked if the master went to the tile house to play, and Xiaoyi said it was not like that. In the past, he went to the tile house nearby and did not bring anything. Recently, he always carried a bag, as if he was going to the ghost market to exchange for things that the government did not allow to be sold. In the past, he went there once or twice a month, mostly for stolen goods, illegal salt and illegal liquor, or distiller's yeast that had leaked from the palace.
It seems that this monk Huailiang has many hobbies. Shen Kuo left Daxiangguo Temple and remembered that he had not been to Yang Wei De's house for a long time, so he turned out of the city and headed west to Qionglin Garden.
This section of the road was not short, and we walked for quite a while. We arrived at noon.
As they approached Yang Wei De's house, they heard the sound of a zither coming from the Prince Consort's house. The sound of the zither was like the sound of orchids in the valley, full of ancient charm. This was clearly an unknown zither piece, but it was not the first time Shen Kuo had heard it. A few days ago in Lao Ya Lane, Huai Liang had played this piece with Xiao Qin's zither. At that time, he pricked his finger and a few drops of blood flowed out.
"Impossible... No one can play it exactly like Master Huailiang?"
Shen Kuo's mind turned. He himself was quite proficient in the art of playing the zither, so he naturally knew that Xiao Ping's skills were very high, and there were few people in Dongjing who could match her. However, the monk was not inferior to Xiao Ping, especially since this piece of music was an ancient piece that he had only heard the monk play once in his life.
"Master Huailiang is here?"
He recalled that Huailiang had said that he had visited the prince consort not long ago to mediate the matter of Shopkeeper Pei being detained by the Imperial City Bureau. In the end, the prince consort agreed to release Shopkeeper Pei and also became friends with Huailiang.
It seems that Huailiang has come here for sure, although he doesn't know why Huailiang would come here at this critical moment, especially since he really hates walking long distances. So he must go in and take a look today.
So he didn't care about asking Yang Shaoqing to visit him, and went directly to the Prince Consort's house. After knocking on the door and asking the doorman, he found out that it was indeed the monk from Daxiangguo Temple and Pei, the shopkeeper from Jicui Painting Pavilion, who came together and were enjoying the zither in General Yunhui's study at the back.
The retainer knew Shen Kuo and knew that he was a friend of the princess' husband, so he let Shen Kuo in on his own without informing him.
Shen Kuo did not ask where the study was, but followed the melodious sound of the piano, passing through the pavilions and towers to the back. He saw a monk sitting in the window of a big house and playing the piano.
When they reached the door, the song had just ended. The Prince Consort and Boss Pei cheered together.
"Master, you have great skills! I'm afraid there are not many people in the capital who can play this ancient music." said the prince consort.
"To be praised by the prince consort, he is truly a top talent." Boss Pei echoed.
"The arrival of the master today also gives me the opportunity to display these dusty ancient zithers that I have collected for many years."
The prince consort said this unintentionally. Shen Kuo outside was stunned. It sounded like the monk came here to play more than one zither?
He walked to the window and bowed, then cheered loudly: "Master Huailiang is a great musician."
When the three people inside looked out together, the Prince Consort and Boss Pei had a hint of surprise on their faces, Huailiang's expression was a little stunned but then returned to normal.
"It turns out to be Master Shen." said the prince consort.
"You barged in without informing us. I was reckless and disturbed everyone's fun. I am so sorry."
"Mr. Shen, come in and listen to the master's performance."
Shen Kuo was surprised when he entered the room. He saw that there were seven or eight tables, each with a zither on it. And a paper figure was inserted into the strings of each zither.
Shen Kuo saw through the intention at a glance. In fact, he had been thinking about that problem and was only a thin layer of paper away from the truth, but he was unable to break through this layer. It seemed that the monk thought of the verification method first and found a place with many pianos that could be tried for free.
The monk stood up.
"Cunzhong arrived just in time. I wanted to wait until it was confirmed before telling you..."
"Are you sure?" Shen Kuo asked anxiously.
"I feel a little more confident..." the monk said, keeping it a secret, but his face was filled with pride. "Today, Shopkeeper Pei and I came here to visit the Prince Consort. First, we want to thank him for his generosity and for making things easier for Shopkeeper Pei. Second, we heard that the Prince Consort has a taste for collecting zithers, so we came to visit him and ask for his appreciation."
"Master, you came at the perfect time. Recently, there has been a demon in the capital, and all my friends have fled to the countryside to avoid the disaster. I was feeling bored, and Master, you can come. It is also fun to move out these old collections. I have only heard that people today are separated from the ancient zither by a thousand years, and being able to play it is fate. For example, I bought these zithers, but I can never find the time to play them, which means I have no fate. A zither without fate is like rotten wood. It is just like a brush and paper that is destined for me. Master, if you can come and play a piece, it means you have fate with these zithers."
"I thank you, Prince Consort Duwei."
"When the master was playing just now, Shopkeeper Pei and I saw clearly that only the Shang and Zheng strings on the zither were vibrating slightly, while the rest were not moving."
"Oh, I understand. Thank you."
"Master, you can play another song if you want. I'll keep an eye on it for you."
"As you command, I only ask that you tune the zither a little more."
"Master, please do as you please." The prince consort agreed generously.
The monk walked to one of the zithers and adjusted the gong, jiao and yu parts, tightening or loosening them.
The prince consort beside him clapped his hands and said, "Master, you really have a keen eye. This Yaoqin and the one you are playing are actually a pair. I didn't tell you, but you were able to see through it."
"Oh?" Shopkeeper Pei pretended to be surprised. "How come there is a saying that there is a pair of zithers? Can you tell me about it, Prince Consort?"
The prince consort probably didn't realize that this question was deliberately asked by Shopkeeper Pei to let him show off. He looked very proud and said, "A pair is a zither made of a single piece of phoenix wood. I have heard that if one zither is played, the other zither will also vibrate and produce the same sound. But I never took it seriously and thought it was just a rumor. If the master hadn't come, I would never have thought of giving it a try."
