Although he was very moved by the elephant and the white peacock, in the end, An Changqing did not agree to bring Huai Rushan in. In the end, it was the matter of the two Huai Ruyu brothers. He intervened in the middle, and he always overstepped himself. After having fun in Fuliang City, An Changqing and Xiao Zhige went to the secret vault with Huai Ruyu's token.
The secret vault was built underground in Huai Ruyu's bedroom. Huai Ruyu's confidant servants led them down, bowed at the door and left. The gatekeepers were two deaf and mute attendants. An Changqing showed the token and went in smoothly with Xiao Zhige.
The inside of the secret vault is very dry, and you can't feel the humidity and heat outside at all. In addition to the rows of bookshelves in the entire warehouse, there is only one bookcase for reading. In order to prevent water from escaping, the lighting in the secret vault is full of luminous pearls, which are inlaid on the wall one by one to brighten the interior of the warehouse.
Not long after they came in, one of the gatekeepers brought tea and pastries over. An Changqing nodded in thanks, and the janitor made two gestures and withdrew.
An Changqing flipped through the stack of books on the flip-book case, and found that in addition to some predecessors' manuscripts, there were also many records related to the mermen, which they had never seen before in Daye and Xifeng.
Putting the books down, An Changqing flipped through the bookshelves. The stored books were subdivided into categories, which were manuscripts of ancestors, which were unofficial rumors, and some paintings that were left by predecessors, which were specially stored in non-perishable wooden boxes. on.
"It seems that we have come to Yuze this time." An Changqing opened a wooden box and looked at the picture inside.
Xiao Zhige felt the same way, pointed to the bookshelves and said, "There are still ten days left, and we read half of the books on the bookshelves alone, so we can't say we can find some new clues before we set off."
An Changqing's thoughts coincided with him, and he immediately split with him, each holding a few books and starting to read. An Changqing was looking at the notebook left by Huai Shuan. The time was marked on the cover of the notebook. He read it from the very beginning, and then vaguely figured out the identity of the person in the painting.
The manuscript should have been written by Huai Shuan in his old age. He started writing from his first encounter, and there are memories between the lines.
"In the sixteenth year of Zaide, I took a boat to sea and met Yu Qiao at sea. He said that he went out to sea as a businessman, but unfortunately encountered a storm at sea and the boat capsized. He floated with a boat board for three days before meeting me. I couldn't bear it, I allowed him to get on the boat and take him back to Yongzhou."
This Yu Qiao is the person in the painting. At that time, Yuze was still a wild land belonging to Yongzhou. And Huai Shuan came from the Huai family in Yongzhou, and he was still just a young man who had just been weak.
Below this paragraph, Huai Shuan added another paragraph in small print: "At that time, when I was young, I saw his beautiful appearance and was fascinated by his beauty, so I believed him. Looking back now, he was so bright and haggard at that time. No, how could he be someone who has been floating on the sea for three days? His miraculousness was revealed early. It was just that he was young and didn't notice it at that time."
An Changqing read each book according to the time listed on the cover. Most of the notes were written about the two people getting to know each other. Except for a name at the beginning, no other information about Yu Qiao was mentioned. In addition, Xu Shi was too old to remember many things clearly, and most of the recorded texts were short and fragmented. changed.
The note says: "In the spring of the twenty-first year of Zaide, there is little rain in the north, and there are severe droughts. In autumn, the grain is not harvested, and the imperial court's exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes have become more and more heavy. I heard that there were thousands of miles of starvation and countless deaths. Yongzhou is located in the south. There was a severe drought, but it rained for several months, and the dam burst and flooded the farmland. The imperial court refused to allocate silver taels for disaster relief, and the victims were killed and injured countless times. Walk with me. This is the most regretful thing in my life, I killed him."
This paragraph of handwriting penetrates the back of the paper, which shows that Huai Shu feels remorse in peace. An Changqing hurriedly turned back, but found that there was a large blank behind it. After turning over a few pages of blank paper, the following record jumped directly to the last year of Zaide two years later.
In the last years of Zaide, the former state of Wei was unable to make a living because the monarch was ignorant and ignorant. The eight big pillar states conspired to revolt, which lasted for two years, and finally led their troops into the capital, overthrowing the previous dynasty and establishing a new dynasty. The remaining seven Dazhu kingdoms jointly elected Xiao Li as emperor and changed the country's name to Da Ye.
How Huai Shu'an did not write about the three intervening years, but wrote: "We spent three years occupying various places and attacking the capital. Everyone, including Yu Qiao, would like to honor Xiao Li as emperor. Yu Qiao once said that he was in his heart The master of the world is a trustworthy person. But in reality, he is nothing more than a hypocrite who is greedy for power, and we have all been deceived by him."
An Changqing continued to look back, but found that, like before, this paragraph was empty again. I don't know if it was because Huai Shuan didn't want to recall it, or because he was afraid that he would be spied on when he wrote it, so he deliberately hid it.
An Changqing turned to the last page, but saw only one sentence written on it: "Yu Qiao is gone, if I could have brought him back to Yongzhou earlier, maybe everything would have been different."
The records of the Zaide years came to an abrupt end. An Changqingrou rubbed his eyes, and was about to get up to look for the back handwriting, but suddenly felt dizzy. Xiao Zhige supported him in time, poured him a cup of tea, and let him sit down for a while: "You take a break first, don't be so anxious."
An Changqing drank a cup of tea, squeezed his eyebrows again, and said: "There is too little useful content in these manuscripts, and now I only know that the person in the painting is called Yu Qiao, who went to Kyoto with Huai Shu'an, I met Tai. Ancestor and the other six Great Pillars. But what happened in the middle, I have no way of knowing."
Xiao Zhige said, "I didn't find anything useful in the manuscripts here, but I found a painting."
He handed him the scroll at hand: "It's exactly the same as the painting of Xi Chi."
An Changqing slowly unfolded the scroll, and saw that the portrait was exactly the same as the one that Xue Wuyi gave them. But one is in Xizhi and the other is in Yuze. There must be some connection between these two paintings.
"Let's talk to Huai Ruyu and take the scroll out for comparison." An Changqing said.
Xue Wuyi said that the caravan sent by Xue Chang was likely to go out to sea. At the beginning, they analyzed that from Xiji to the seaside, they had to pass through the border of Yuze. And the two of them judged Da Ye at the same time, obviously there is some connection. If Xue Chang sent a caravan out to sea to build a tomb of the Merman with Huai Shu'an, then it would make sense for them to keep a picture scroll alone. This picture scroll may contain clues to the tomb of the merman.
Xiao Zhige looked at the secret vault that was illuminated by the night pearl. He didn't know the time since there was no sun here, but he estimated that it was not too early, so he said, "Let's go out and talk about it, the rest can be seen tomorrow."
An Changqing felt a little dizzy even when he sat down, so he took the painting and went out with him. Originally thought that the two gatekeepers would stop them from taking the paintings out when they went out, but they didn't expect that the other party did not stop them, and only carefully locked the door after they came out.
The two walked up the steps, only to realize that it was already the middle of the month. In addition to Huai Ruyu's confidant waiting in the hall, Huai Rushan was also there.
Seeing them coming out, Huai Rushan yawned sleepily and said, "There are countless people in the secret vault, and you actually stayed there until this hour before you came out."
Xiao Zhige looked at the sky outside and asked, "What time is it now?"
The attendant replied: "The ugly time is over. Seeing that the two distinguished guests have not come out, the king asked the slaves to wait. The king is still handling political affairs in the study."
"I've waited for a long time, there is no daylight in the secret vault, and I can't tell the time, so it's been delayed for a long time." An Changqing said.
The attendant bent over, said "I'm going to invite the king" and left.
Instead, Huai Rushan yawned again, looked at the scrolls in their hands sleepily and asked, "What clues have you found?"
"I did find some clues, but it has yet to be confirmed." An Changqing said.
As soon as Huai Rushan heard it, he immediately came over energetically: "What is it? Let me see it."
An Changqing put the scroll behind his back and said slowly, "There is no elephant in Da Ye, and there is no white peacock."
"???" Huai Rushan's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, stared at him in disbelief, and said angrily, "I know now, you are much worse than my brother."
An Changqing smiled and let out a small white tooth, like a clever and cunning little fox, cute and good-looking. Huai Rushan immediately succumbed to her beauty: "Xingxingxing, the elephant will give you one, and the white peacock will also give you. You can show me quickly."
As he spoke, he reached behind him and grabbed the scroll. Anyway, he will see it when Huai Ruyu comes, but now An Changqing didn't argue with him, and gave him the picture scroll.
Huai Rushan unfolded the scroll, and his excited expression froze when he saw the person in the painting. He rolled up the scroll and squinted at An Changqing: "Aren't you using your own portrait to deceive me?"
An Changqing said, "What am I deceiving you? The person in this painting is called Yu Qiao, probably...is my ancestor?"
Huai Rushan opened the picture scroll suspiciously and looked at it carefully, only to realize the difference. He spread the picture scroll on the table, looked at An Changqing and then at the portrait, tsk tsk sighed: "The merpeople are really amazing, all of them are great beauties. I heard from my brother that the saint's appearance is also unique."
"You only remember these messy words, why don't you remember that I told you not to get involved in this?"
A voice came from a distance, and Huai Rushan saw him striding over as soon as he turned around, and immediately put on a flattering smile and leaned over: "I remember. But I'm not worried about you, right? ?"
Huai Ruyu glanced at him with a helpless expression. In the end, he didn't drive him back, but turned his eyes to An Changqing and Xiao Zhige and said, "What's so special about this painting?"
An Changqing hadn't told him about the portrait and the secret treasures of the Xiji before. It wasn't that he deliberately concealed it, but there were too many things that he had not had the chance to tell, so Huai Ruyu naturally didn't know what was special about it.
"I also have such a painting here. It was handed down by Xue Chang, the late king of Xiji." An Changqing told him about the secret treasure of Xiji, and the person who happened to be sent to fetch the painting also came. An Changqing took the painting and gave it to Huai Ruyu: "You can take a look first, it's exactly the same."
Huai Ruyu took the portrait and spread it out beside the previous one, and found that it was exactly the same.
"Do you suspect that the tomb of the merman was actually built by the late king and Xue Chang together?" Huai Ruyu asked.
"That's right." Xiao Zhige said: "Xue Chang's secret treasure was left to the person in the painting, which is Yu Qiao. And the tomb of the merman in Huaishu Anjian was also for Yu Qiao. The two of them knew each other and would work together. Not surprising."
An Changqing added: "It's a pity that those manuscripts omit many important events. If we can find out what happened back then, it may be much easier for us to explore the tomb of the mermaid."
Huai Rushan pondered for a while and said slowly: "Actually, although the tomb of the merman was built for Yu Qiao, but I looked through all the manuscripts, but I felt that maybe Yu Qiao was not buried in the tomb of the merman at all. Although it is called the tomb of the merman , but it’s really just an island.”
He frowned, as if he didn't know how to explain: "When I read the manuscripts before, I felt that Yu Qiao was not considered dead in the records of the late king. The tomb of the merman is not like a cemetery, but more like a paradise on the sea. He has been waiting for Yu Qiao to come back, but he didn't wait until he died."
He had vaguely thought of this before, but he wasn't too sure. It was not until today that I heard Xue Chang's last words that I felt that my guess might not be wrong.
"The late king and Xue Chang seem to think that Yu Qiao will not die and will come back again."
An Changqing was bitten by him, and his eyes lit up: "Yes, there is a passage in Huai Shu'an's first handwritten note, saying that he should have discovered Yu Qiao's miraculousness. What can be called miraculous... will What is it?"
"Immortal." Xiao Zhige said suddenly.
Seeing that the three of them were all looking at him, he said solemnly, "I looked at the portraits of Yu Qiao kept in the secret vault, have you noticed that the portraits have been separated by several years, but Yu Qiao's appearance has not changed at all. ?"
It took seven years from Huai Shu'an meeting Yu Qiao at sea to when they established the new dynasty. The manuscript never mentions Yu Qiao's age, but it is roughly estimated from the sporadic fragments that Yu Qiao is about the same age as Huai Shu'an. From the age of the weak crown to the nearly thirties, even if the old age is slow, it is impossible to change at all. But the people in the portraits, apart from the changes in their clothes, have not changed their appearances at all, not even the slightest increase in fine lines.
Although it can also be explained that Huai Shuan deliberately painted Yu Qiao's appearance when he was painting, but based on these signs, it is more likely that Yu Qiao's appearance has not aged over the years.
If Yu Qiao was immortal, then the attitudes of Xue Chang and Huai Shuan could be explained.
An Changqing was dumbfounded for a while, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this guess was not unreasonable. Otherwise, the strange attitudes of Xue Chang and Huai Shuan would not make sense at all.
"But in this world, is there really someone who can live forever?" Huai Ruyu frowned, only to feel a chill creep up from the soles of his feet. In previous dynasties, there were always emperors who pursued the art of longevity, but he only found it terrifying. Imagine when all the relatives and friends you met died one by one, and in the end, only you were left alone, living alone. This is not a gift, it is clearly a punishment.
An Changqing subconsciously wanted to say that immortality is too miraculous. When he was about to say it, he suddenly remembered his rebirth, and swallowed the words, he frowned and said: "It's true or not, go to the tomb of the merman. I know."
The three were relatively speechless, Huai Ruyu said: "Forget it, it's useless for us to guess here. I'll arrange things as soon as possible, let's go to the South China Sea as soon as possible."
The author has something to say: Well, there is no need to rob, I have both elephants and white peacocks.
Advice: give me a call
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Thank you to the little angel who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-01-12 22:46:12~2020-01-13 21:59:38~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the mine: 1 Ziyue Pavilion Master;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 36 bottles of Uncle Strange Hand Shakes; Miao Mi, Ben Miao obviously has 22 bottles; Sister He He, Fu Rui Hei Online Sand Sculpture, Fan Zhi Mi 20 bottles; Si Han. 17 bottles; 15 bottles of Jun Xuanqing; 10 bottles of 33881268, Ran Xi, I am not stupid; 8 bottles of Gouzi; 3 bottles of Yan; 2 bottles of Enron Afterglow, Yingjie, and Liaobao; 1 bottle of digging, sky, sunset, _strong, Yuebai, and the cutest in the whole kindergarten;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!