Xiao Fu turned around and continued to instruct, "Yuanqing, send me the life story of Xiao Huang, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, in every detail, especially the second young lady of the Xiao family, her name, her personality, and who she interacted with. Find out everything."
Although Yuanqing didn't understand, he agreed.
At this moment, the situation in the imperial palace had changed.
The emperor was lying on the golden dragon couch, his face purple and red, twisting his body in pain and shouting: "Mother, Mother..."
"My son, my son, mother is here!" Empress Dowager Xiao was so anxious that she was about to cry, "Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician Zhang, where is Imperial Physician Zhang!"
Doctor Zhang rushed back to the palace with his medicine box and plopped down on the ground: "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I am here."
"Where's Xiao Fu? How badly is he injured?"
Doctor Zhang knelt down and answered: "My Lord...cannot move. I absolutely cannot take him back to the palace."
Emperor Yuwenduo had been on the throne for less than eight years. He was still young, and it was unimaginable that at the age of only twenty-five, he had somehow gotten into trouble and been infected by the Miao poisonous insect!
The poison has taken effect and my whole body is itchy. This is the third time it has occurred. Before that it happened once a month, with the same regularity as a woman's menstrual period.
The imperial doctors came to see him. Some said it was poison. Doctor Zhang speculated that it was a Gu: "It was probably put in the imperial meal. The Gu insects were ground into powder and mixed into the food. After entering the stomach, they laid eggs. Because it doesn't take effect immediately, it is difficult to guard against."
Empress Dowager Xiao: "What should we do?!"
Doctor Zhang said, "It's easy to plant the poison but hard to cure it. If an expert in this field could come in, I'm sure he would be able to cure the disease."
"Master of Gu cultivation... Hurry, send someone to Yunnan! Make sure to find the Gu King!"
However, a month later, there was no news, and Empress Dowager Xiao suddenly thought of her younger brother Xiao Fu.
Yuwen Duo cried like a child: "Mother, where is Xiao Fu? Uncle! Mother, I want my uncle..."
Empress Dowager Xiao had no choice but to comfort him: "Marquis Dingbei was assassinated when he came to the capital and was seriously injured and unable to move..."
"Come here... take me out of the palace. I will go find him and beg him! I was too cruel to send him to exile back then."
Yuwenduo's eyes bulged out, veins popped out on his face, and he was shaking like a sieve: "Tell him to find the Gu King... and bring him to me! Ah! Mother, I am in so much pain..."
The whereabouts of the Gu King are mysterious, but Xiao Fu grew up in the Yunnan Palace. He was kidnapped when he was young and was rescued by the Gu King, thus they became acquainted.
Later, Xiao Fu's grandfather, the King of Yunnan, was poisoned by a strange Gu and was dying. It was Xiao Fu who found the Gu King and spent 49 days to cure his grandfather.
Xiao Fu dared to slap the emperor because, firstly, he was of noble status and was the emperor's elder; secondly, he was half a gangster, had a gangster air, and behaved like all kinds of people, and did not take the imperial power seriously.
Yuwen Duo felt ashamed of his behavior, but was also afraid. With the advice of the eunuchs around him, he tried every means to force Xiao Fu to guard the interior of the country.
Empress Dowager Xiao also said that he was too ruthless: "Xiao Fu is your uncle after all, even if he is only two years older than you."
Yuwen Duo said that Xiao Fu was a serious threat: "He has the support of the Duke of Changguo and the wealthy Prince of Yunnan. You are his elder sister, and he doesn't take me seriously! What if he doesn't like me one day and wants to sit on my throne?"
Empress Dowager Xiao said: "No, he is your elder."
Yuwen Duo: "But he is also from the Yunnan Palace!"
The King of Yunnan was the vassal king that the late emperor wanted to get rid of the most, but he was also the meritorious official who helped him ascend the throne.
Seven years later, Yuwen Duo began to get anxious for Xiao Fu, and shouted with red eyes: "Mother, I want to go on a secret visit! Go find Xiao Fu and ask him to bring the Gu King to me!"
His attack lasted only one or two days, but he felt as if half his life was gone. He lay there half dead, gasping for breath.
"The emperor leaving the palace is no small matter. If people find out about this, it will be... a big trouble." Empress Dowager Xiao shook her head secretly. "Only you, me, Doctor Zhang, and a few eunuchs and palace maids know about this. These eunuchs and palace maids have been dealt with, and only Doctor Zhang has been spared. Don't worry, my son. Your mother will leave the palace immediately under the pretext of praying for blessings, and I will let your uncle find the Gu King for you!"
When she turned her head, Empress Dowager Xiao's expression became melancholy.
"Why did you go to Xingzhiguan..."
Walk, stop and observe, cleanse your mind in the hall.
Lin Zikui tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.
The next morning, when it was still light, Mo Liu woke up first and fetched a basin of water for Lin Zikui as usual. The water was from a mountain spring and was icy cold to the touch. Lin Zikui became more sober after being soaked in the cold water and could not help coughing a few times.
Mo Liu put on a gray rabbit fur cloak for him and said, "Sir, it's cold in the mountains, be careful not to catch a cold. We don't bring enough clothes, do we have to go down the mountain to buy two more?"
Lin Zikui shook his head: "Let's talk about it later."
"Oh." Mo Liu was dazed and recalled what happened yesterday: "By the way, Master, I went to the East Guest Hall to investigate yesterday. You said that I was found by Miss Xiao's people and they knocked me out. Then I came back. Did you explain the matter of Miss Xiao to her?"
Lin Zikui sighed: "She doesn't seem to be willing to break off the engagement."
"Why are you sighing? Isn't this a good thing? Isn't Miss Xiao as beautiful as a fairy?"
Lin Zikui hesitated: "A fairy descended from heaven, but...she is not quite the same as an ordinary woman."
"What's different? I didn't see it yesterday."
"She is... taller than me," Lin Zikui gestured, "stronger than me, more handsome and taller than me."
Mo Liu's expression became more and more strange. Fairy?
"You are talking about a man, right?"
"No, she is a girl, but she likes men's clothes. Mo Liu, if you see her, don't offend her! The body and hair are given by parents. The second girl is taller than a man, and her voice is not gentle, which is not what she wants."
Mo Liu scratched his head and responded.
Lin Zikui said nothing and put on the black blindfold. This is his habit, to avoid sunlight during the day and reduce eye strain.
After having breakfast in the temple, Lin Zikui went to the Wenchang Hall of the Xingzhi Temple. He took off his cloak, knelt on the cushion and performed a complete prayer ceremony, burned incense and prayed for fame, and then went to the Guanyin Hall and reverently shook a Guanyin lottery stick.
"The world was created to create a good marriage, and everything will come together on an auspicious day and at a good time. If you get this lot, it is not a small matter. A loyal person will be honored by the emperor." Mo Liu read the lot to him and said happily, "Sir, this first lot is definitely a very good one!"
The interpreter was a female Taoist in her sixties. After taking the lot, she showed a look of surprise on her face: "Whose lot is this?"
"My young master's!"
Lin Zikui cupped his hands and replied, "Master, I drew it."
Kundao looked him over and asked, "Are you asking about fame or marriage?"
"Ask about fame... and marriage."
Kun Dao said with emotion: "This is a Heavenly King Lottery. This is the first time I have seen someone draw this. If you ask about fame, it means that you will be the top scholar in the imperial examination in the future, second only to the emperor and above all others."
Mo Liu was ecstatic and excitedly grabbed his hand: "Master!"
Lin Zikui also looked surprised and asked, "What about marriage?"
Kun Dao held the fortune stick and said: "Your marriage destiny has arrived. Someone in a high position and power will take a fancy to you, reward you, and take the initiative to date you."
Lin Zikui took a half step back and thought of Miss Xiao Er.
Could it be that this is my fate?
"Then...will I marry her?"
"From the looks of the lottery, the result will be good. You don't have to worry." Kun Dao said, "Do you have anything else to ask?"
Lin Zikui wanted to ask, "What if I don't want to?", but for some reason he didn't dare to ask. He just bowed and said, "Thank you, Taoist priest."
"You're welcome," Kun Dao said in a friendly manner, "Layman, are you staying in the Western Guest Hall of the temple?"
"Exactly."
"Due to some rumors, few candidates have come to see the book in recent years. Since you are here, it must be predestined."
Lin Zikui was puzzled: "Some rumors?"
Seeing that he didn't know, Kun Dao said, "It's just some rumors."
She stopped talking, and more pilgrims came to interpret the divination. Lin Zikui had to leave. There were many pilgrims at the Taoist temple, and there were even more pilgrims on the first and fifteenth days of every month. The entire Taoist temple was built along the central axis of the mountainside, and the back hall was reached through two narrow doors.
After Lin Zikui finished paying his respects to everyone, he suddenly heard a crying voice coming from the side.
"Mom, I want to study at Xingzhiguan, please agree with me!"
"No! Don't you know..." The old lady glanced around and lowered her voice instantly, "Don't you know that there is a monster in their living room? How many scholars have died in the living room!"
Lin Zikui and Mo Liu were both stunned.
"This is a Taoist temple, where did the monsters come from?"
"That seductive red-robed vixen has thousands of years of experience, and she specializes in seducing scholars like you. There is no room for negotiation. Come back with me!"
"mother!"
Seeing the two were about to leave, Mo Liu hurried over and said, "You two, please stay."
Auntie: “What for?”
Mo Liu: "Nothing, just now... Auntie was talking about a vixen, how come I haven't heard of it before?"
The old lady glanced at Mo Liu, the book boy, and then looked at Lin Zikui standing behind him, who was obviously a scholar, and explained in a low voice: "I heard that there is a small fox fairy temple in the back mountain of Xingzhi Temple. Unfortunately, it is not a fox fairy that lives in it, but a fox spirit. A few years ago, there was a scholar who would pay homage every time he passed by, and was entangled by a fox spirit. In the end, the scholar hanged himself in the guest hall wearing a red robe. I heard that when he died, all the energy in his body was sucked dry!"
Perhaps out of consideration for this being a Taoist temple, the old lady did not say much. She only said, "Although this incident happened in the guest hall, praying and drawing lots are quite effective." Then she hurriedly left with her son.
Mo Liu was worried: "Sir, there is a monster in the guest hall. No wonder the Taoist priest had a strange expression when we came here yesterday."
Lin Zikui was quite calm: "The lady who interpreted the fortune just now said that no scholars have come to live here in recent years. So this is the reason. But I think it's all nonsense. The pressure on the candidates to pass the imperial examination is great, so it's not uncommon for them to hang themselves. After being passed around, the rumor changed its flavor and became a red-clothed vixen who was taking people's souls and seeking their lives."
"You have a point, sir."
The master and servant walked past the side of the Sanqing Hall and headed towards the guest hall in the backyard. The faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafted in the air.
Mo Liu supported him: "Sir, there are stairs, please go slowly."
Lin Zikui walked up the stairs slowly, and suddenly, Mo Liu stopped.
In front of a glazed tile wall not far away, there is a century-old osmanthus tree, with countless red silk prayer ribbons hanging on its branches, fluttering in the wind. Standing under the tree was a "woman" in red. Her clothes were as bright red as fire and very flamboyant. Even from a distance, one could clearly see her sparkling, beautiful and dreamy face.
Because the man was dressed in women's clothes, with loose black hair, and his appearance was too beautiful and breathtaking. Mo Liu was surprised at first, and then became nervous: "Sir!"
Lin Zikui was puzzled: "What's wrong? What did you see?"
"Yes, yes..." Mo Liu swallowed his saliva, "The vixen in red is taking souls and claiming lives..."
Without saying a word, he dragged Lin Zikui away: "Let's go to the Guanyin Temple to take shelter!"
"You must have seen it wrong," Lin Zikui knew that he was as timid as a hair and couldn't stand listening to strange stories. In addition, he didn't believe in monsters at all, so he took off the blindfold and said, "It's just a girl in red. Don't be afraid. I'm still here."
After saying that, Lin Zikui looked carefully, and indeed saw a person in red. He couldn't see the face clearly, but he felt that the skin was whiter than snow, and he looked like a demon or a ghost.
Judging from her figure, she looks more like a man.
Lin Zikui frowned: "Is she the vixen you are talking about?"
"Yes, yes... Sir, let's go!"
Lin Zikui didn't move an inch. "I'll take you closer to see how there could be a fox spirit in a Taoist temple. The Taoist priest said that these are all rumors. How can you, a scholar, believe in these strange and supernatural things?"
After saying that, he pulled Mo Liu over without saying anything.
"Sir, I don't want it, please don't pull me..." Mo Liu looked resistant.
As he approached, Lin Zikui saw a beautiful woman in red under the tree. She raised her hand and waved at him, "Lin Lang! Lin Lang!"
Lin Zikui stopped.
The voice was clear and had a metallic and stone texture, different from that of an ordinary woman. Just by listening to the tone, one could imagine the tall figure and the red lips and the smiling face like a flower - Lin Zikui recognized it as soon as he heard it.
It’s the second girl.
"She's calling Lin Lang?" Mo Liu panicked: "It's over, sir, a vixen has set her sights on you!"
Lin Zikui reacted quickly and turned around: "Mo Liu, let's go to the Guanyin Temple."
Mo Liu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran with the young master.
Lin Zikui walked hurriedly and put on the blindfold carelessly. Before he reached his destination, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. The force was not strong, but it made Lin Zikui unable to move. For a moment, he thought, could the second girl really be a vixen?
The deep voice came closer, its breath brushed past his ears, and asked him: "Lin Lang, why are you walking so fast?"
The author has something to say:
Lin Lang: The vegetarian hall is about to close!
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