On August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Empress Dowager summoned Ovetnia Pachidon, the princess of Baiman, in the Huangde Hall next to the West Neiyuan.
Honglu Temple urgently found a Hu envoy who was proficient in Baiman and Chinese, and the imperial court awarded him the title of Jiupintong Xiaolang, and the report will be reported in the next chapter.
The Empress Dowager sat upright behind the beaded curtain in the hall, Wang Yan, Xue Mulin, Yu Yun, Liu Wei, and Wen Yizhi entered the hall together, and saluted respectfully.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said: "Let's all get back together. The Ai family remembers that when I saw you together in the palace earlier, it was the imperial banquet in previous years. You and the Qili of Shou Wang's family were naughty in the imperial garden. The late emperor and the late wife The empress dowager often gives you fruits to eat. I don’t want to blink, but they are all rookies in the court and have made great achievements. I hope that in the future, I will share the worries of the emperor.”
Several people bowed down in a hurry, praising the kindness of the empress dowager and the emperor, vowed to be loyal to their duties, and repay the emperor's kindness with all their hearts.
The Empress Dowager asked again, "I heard that the Jingzhao Mansion's decision to judge Feng Tai also contributed to this strange case. Li Aiqing also said that the Jingzhao Mansion's time was thanks to his hard work. The Emperor also wanted to see him." Him, can he come today?"
Xue Mulin replied: "Feng Tong judged all the key points in this case. He was ordered by his empress to enter the palace with his ministers and is waiting outside the palace for announcement."
The Empress Dowager ordered Xuan to enter, and Feng Tai entered the hall. After seeing the ceremony, the Empress Dowager said: "After talking for a while, the Ai family has not yet seen that Princess Baiman."
The servant immediately preached again. A young girl was led into the palace by several maids, and bowed prostratingly.
"The concubine, Ovetnia, the daughter of Emperor Limer Pachidon, pays homage to the honorable Empress Dowager. I wish the empress dowager a thousand years of happiness."
The queen mother wondered: "You are the princess of the Yi country? How can I speak so well?"
Ovetnia raised her head slightly: "Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, it took almost two years for my concubine to come here from Baiman, and I lived in this capital for almost a year, and I have been learning to speak and write."
The queen mother sighed: "What a motivated child. Get up quickly, come closer, and let Aijia have a look."
Gong'e helped Ovetnia get up and approached the bead curtain. The queen mother looked closely, and saw that she was wearing a purple dress, which made her skin more beautiful than snow. The long light golden hair is combed into a high bun, and there is no hairpin, only two strings of fine pearls surround the bun, and there is another drop-shaped gemstone hanging between the eyebrows, the precious light is brilliant, but it is no match for her blue eyes of brilliance.
The queen mother praised: "What a beautiful child. You should be loved by thousands of pampers in your own country. You must have suffered a lot to come to our court from thousands of miles away."
Ovetnia grabbed the sides of the skirt and bent her knees. Xue Mulin bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, although Princess Ovetnia is proficient in my Chinese characters, it is still difficult to submit a detailed report. Please allow her to speak Baiman and transfer the report from the general school."
The queen mother said yes.
Ovetnia thanked the queen mother, switched to Baiman and translated paragraphs into Chinese.
"The concubine is paying attention to the empress dowager. The concubine, the daughter of the Paqidun family, Ovetnia, is the eldest daughter of the former emperor Limo of the Baiman Kingdom..."
Xue Mulin reported again: "The surnames of Baiman people come after their names, and Paqidun is the surname of the royal family. The country favors purple, and only the king, princes, and daughters can wear it. Therefore, today she wears this color specially to show respect. Greetings to the Queen Mother."
The queen mother nodded slightly: "It's hard to be so caring."
Ovetnia continued to tell.
"The courtiers and concubines were born in purple palaces. All princes and emperors will smear holy oil all over their bodies after birth, then bathe in holy water, and tattoo a rose pattern on their left shoulder. The tattoo method is a court secret technique, which is difficult for others to imitate. The empress dowager is suspicious. Regarding the identity of the concubine, you can call someone who is familiar with Baiman's national conditions to inquire, or consult the records, and then check the concubine's identity." "
The Empress Dowager said lovingly: "Since Ai's family sees you, and Honglu Temple is serving as a guarantee for these Qing families, they will not suspect you. Tell me why you came here."
The school transferred the Queen Mother's edict to be announced in Baiman language, and Ovetnia's eyes were filled with mist.
"The concubine's father, the Great Emperor Limo, was kind and caring for the people. He wished to have good relations with the state of □□, and sent envoys to the state many times. Therefore, the concubine admired him for a long time. The emperor died a few years ago. The youngest brother □□Ting Taizi inherited the great position, but the younger brother of the father, Prince Kongbu, entangled his cliques and usurped the throne. The younger brother and his concubines were wandering around for a time, and their lives were almost lost.”
The queen mother was moved: "Your wolf-like uncle actually bullied your orphan girl and younger brother like this!"
Ovetnia lowered her eyelashes.
"Blessed by the spirit of the former emperor in heaven, the concubine's uncle, Duke Nuodusen, summoned Zhongliang, finally abolished the false emperor, and helped the concubine's younger brother to become a great treasure again. But Kongbu escaped to the country of Firth by luck. Firth coveted me Baiman has been dead for a long time, and in the name of helping Kongbu return to the throne, I sent troops to attack. I, Baiman, had civil strife first, and Kongbu dedicated all the military defense maps and military secrets to Fuss. By the time of the kingdom, several cities of Byman had been occupied by Foss."
The queen mother sighed: "I have pity on you. The so-called beams are afraid of moths, and the country is afraid of thieves. Those who once controlled the important powers and knew the military and political affairs of the country are like your uncle, and the country is especially hurt. But your country is far away from our dynasty. Sad If your family asks the emperor to send troops to help you, you will have to trek through thousands of rivers and mountains, and you will be too exhausted, separated by several countries, it will be difficult to find a way."
Ovetnia bowed her knees again.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your pity. How dare the concubine work for the Heavenly Master and come here just for a treasure that can save Baiman."
The Empress Dowager was slightly surprised: "The Ai family has heard from them before that you want to ask for something from the palace, how could this thing involve Boluo Kingdom, Dongying, and a parrot. There was even a murder case. Aijia is a little suspicious."
Ovetnia has not yet answered, Wang Yan stepped into the hall, saluted and said: "The Empress Dowager, please forgive me for being rude, can you ask your empress to give you what the princess asked for first, and I will do a trick for the Empress Dowager on the spot, and take the treasure Conjure."
The queen mother smiled and said, "Wang Yan, you've resurfaced the haughtiness you had when you were a child, and you've actually betrayed Ai's family."
Wang Yan grinned: "The minister is dead. It's just that the empress has heard many lamentable stories just now. Why don't you watch the minister play a trick to change your mood?"
The Empress Dowager covered her mouth with a smile: "Forget it." She told the maid next to her, "Bring that thing."
Xue Mulin, Yu Yun and others bowed down together, praising the generosity and love of the Queen Mother. For a while, Gong'e brought a lacquer plate with something on it, covered with brocade.
The Empress Dowager signaled her servants to take the lacquer plate, took out the beaded curtain, and lifted the brocade cover, revealing a precious ball the size of a melon and shaped like an egg. The sharper end of the ball is inlaid with a huge red treasure, and the slightly smaller light golden gems are connected to form six vertical hoops like melon patterns, and the middle is densely dotted with flower patterns composed of seven colored gems, which are luxurious and dazzling. .
Ovetnia whispered softly: "It is it!"
The queen mother smiled slightly: "This thing is indeed a tribute from your Baiman country envoys when they came to the court a few years ago. The first emperor dedicated it to the first empress dowager. Aijia. But I don’t know why you came all the way because of it, and you made a lot of troubles because of it. What kind of tricks is Wang Yan trying to do for Aijia?”
Wang Yan said: "Your Majesty, this treasure ball was made by Shansi craftsman Tamusha. This man was proficient in making secret boxes and locks, and his elder brother, who died in the hands of Dongying people in this case, Guhande, a famous Hu merchant, did business together in Baiman. But their brothers believed in the fire religion, which is a felony in Baiman. The father of Princess Ovetnia pardoned their brothers and left them to work as craftsmen in the palace. Bye Before Mandi died, he hid a secret treasure related to the fate of the country in the ball. Apart from Baimandi, only Tamusha knew how to open it. The minister's trick was to open this ball."
The queen mother raised her eyebrows slightly: "I have played with this colored ball several times, but I have never found anything hidden in it. Since you said that there are only two people in this world who know how to open this ball, and both of them are dead, how do you Do you know how to open it?"
Wang Yan bowed again: "Because there is still a key to unlock the lock in the world, please ask your empress to fetch the key."
The Queen Mother nodded her approval.
Wang Yan turned around and left the hall, and returned to the hall after a while carrying a bird stand.
There is a huge gray-haired parrot perched on the shelf, except for a tuft of red hairs on the tip of the tail. The parrot fluttered its wings upwards: "All blessings, all blessings!"
The queen mother laughed: "Is this parrot the one you all ordered?"
Wang Yan replied: "It was originally raised by Tamusha, and most of the secrets during it were found out by Feng Tong. Please allow him to report it."
Feng Tai then bowed: "Chen Chade, Tamusha has a nickname called Big Parrot, and he always carries a gray parrot with him when he walks in and out. The parrot is extremely clever. Tamusha gambled to take it with him, and he has seen a lot. After Tamusha's death, the parrot was obtained by Dongying. People in Dongying only knew that the parrot could open the treasure box that hides secrets, but they didn't know what the treasure box was, let alone that it was in the palace. They used it as a bait to lure the Baimans. Princess Ovetnia and Guhande finally fell into the trap. Guhande was killed, but the parrot was taken away by Wang Langzhong's Snow Falcon passing by. miracle."
Wang Yan said: "It's not surprising. This parrot Naita Musha has been raised in the Baiman Palace. There are many eagles in the Baiman Palace. It has been used to it since childhood and can learn how to cry. The old minister's falcon did not hurt it. .”
The queen mother praised: "It's really clever, and it speaks Chinese better than many Hu people, and it doesn't smell a little bit of Hu."
Wang Yan said: "After all, the parrot is just a bird and has a great forgetfulness. It has been raised in Xu's house for several months, and it has already been tamed. I teased it in the middle of the night, but it never spoke a word of barbarian language."
The parrot flapped its wings again: "Hey, Xiaobao, hey."
The queen mother wondered: "How can it open this precious ball?"
Wang Yan bowed and saluted: "Please give me permission to bring another pair of horseshoes."
The queen mother looked even more suspicious, but still ordered her servants to do so. Wang Yan asked to bring another table to the hall, spread out the horse tag face up, and adjusted the parrot's ankle chain to make it longer. The parrot fluttered onto the table, jumped up to a piece of six cakes, and struggled to grab it.
Wang Yan picked up the six cakes and put them on the lacquer tray held by the eunuch. The parrot tilted its head again to look at the horse tags around it, and jumped to a place again, scratching and pecking at a piece of eight cakes.
Wang Yanfu picked up the eight cakes, and the parrot looked at the card table again, scratching a piece of three.
Wang Yan took out three more cards, and the parrot continued to look at the cards, pecking them back and forth. The Queen Mother couldn't help asking: "What cards does it hold?"
The old eunuch offered a lacquer plate: "Look, ma'am, this parrot is good at playing cards. At this moment, it has four three-pieces in its mouth, four six-pieces, four eight-pieces, and several three-pieces, six-pieces, and eight-pieces. Get it together, I'm looking for it."
The queen mother laughed: "Why are there all three, six, and eight?"
Wang Yan immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are wise." Please put on another set of Pai Gow, and put all the cards face up on the table.
The parrot picked up a human card, another copper hammer, and a three.
Wang Yan wiped the card, and then placed it for the parrot to hold.
The parrot first picked up a three, then a long card, and then a miscellaneous eight.
Wang Yan wiped the cards again, and spread them again, and the parrot took three more cards, namely, the big monkey, the three and the human cards.
The queen mother's expression moved slightly: "This..."
Wang Yan said: "Please look, ma'am, it seems that the parrot picks up the sky nine tiles three times. It seems that each time it is different, but in fact it picks up three times. Eight, the points are all eight. The copper hammer for the first time, the long card for the second time, and the big monkey for the third time all have six points."
The queen mother murmured: "That's right, it's all three, eight, and six, there must be something strange."
Wang Yan bowed: "Your Majesty is holy. Hu Shang Guhande let go of the parrot in the hall before he was killed by Dongying assassins. Jingzhao Mansion found something beside his corpse."
Feng Tai took out an envelope from his bosom, and handed it to the eunuch to present in the curtain.
The eunuch opened the envelope in front of the Empress Dowager, and poured out a stack of papers with pictures I, VI, X, etc. drawn on them.
Wang Yan said: "This is the counting symbol of the Western Yi countries, which is the same as one, two, three, etc. Xue Shaoqing and the others accidentally discovered that the parrot can hold cards. After inspection by Liu Zhen, it was found that it only held a few numbers when it came and went. Feng Your Excellency then compared the evidence of the Jingzhao Mansion, and your ministers deduced that the opening of the treasure ball may be related to these numbers. There are several unsold boxes in Tamusha's house, Lord Feng tried it, and it was really good."
Feng Tai took out another roll of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch: "The evidence is too big to carry, and I only drew a picture to show it. I hope the Queen Mother will forgive me."
The eunuch unfolded the scroll in front of the Empress Dowager again, and the Empress Dowager was moved again. The boxes and locks on the paper have various patterns, some of which are exactly the same as the cakes and strips in the horse hanging, and some are similar to the dots on dice or Pai Gow, full of Shansi locksmith Tamusa's deep affection for Chinese gambling games.
Wang Yandao: "According to Feng Tongjuan's questioning of witnesses, Tamusha has a bad memory, but he remembers how to open all the boxes because he always uses the same numbers. When he gambled or worked, the parrot was by his side. So I wrote down the secret numbers. Before he died, Guhand wanted the parrot to pick up a piece of paper and find out these numbers.”
Ovetnia stared sadly at the orb.
"The secret treasure in the ball was found by the concubine's father and emperor. With this treasure, the ancestors of the concubine used this treasure to expand the territory and achieve hegemony, making all the neighboring countries bow their heads and proclaim their ministers. However, when the dynasty changed, they accidentally left it behind. When the father found it, he was dying of illness. His uncle coveted the throne and buried many eyeliners in the palace. Fearing that the treasure would fall into the hands of thieves, the father hid it in the treasure ball made by Tamusha. His uncle has been killing the followers of Shenhuo. Seeing that the situation was not good, Tamusha ran away before his father died. He didn't know about it. The father only told his elder brother Guhande the secret, but Guhande didn't know how to open it. a treasure ball."
The Empress Dowager said: "Your father must be afraid that the two brothers will swallow the treasure, so it is a painstaking effort to let the two brothers restrain each other."
Ovetnia wept.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for reminding me. When my father died, my concubines and younger brother were not around, so I didn't know how to open the orb. Guhande couldn't bring it out from the palace, and it fell into the hands of my uncle. The uncle didn't know that there was a treasure hidden in it, so he took it as a gift and offered it to Shangguo. Tamusa was greedy, and Guhande didn't tell him the truth, but only tricked Tamusha to come to the capital of Shangguo with him on the grounds of avoiding disasters. , each opened a shop for a living.”
The queen mother nodded: "I think that Guhande has been thinking so hard to get back your national treasure. Then, you came here in person as a soldier of Tuvers."
Ovetnia immediately bowed down again.
"The Empress Dowager understands that my concubines have never intended to offend Tianwei. Guhande has always kept his own place in the capital. He is a barbarian. He is grateful for being able to take shelter in the capital, and he dare not think of treason. He persuaded his concubine, It’s better not to go back to Baiman, but to be an ordinary citizen in the capital and live a stable life.”
The queen mother smiled again: "The Ai family has no other intentions, so don't panic."
Ovetnia couldn't help but secretly looked at Wang Yan. Fortunately, Wang Yan had hidden the matter of framing Xue Matang and getting close to Wang Yan for her in front of his wife and queen mother.
"The concubine came to Shang Kingdom to save Baiman, and all the guards accompanying her were lost on the way, leaving only the female officer Helena. She had a relationship with Guhande. After arriving in the capital, for the sake of safety, the concubine and her First set up a jewelry store to hide, and only Helena had contact with Guhande and Tamusha.”
The Queen Mother said: "Your female officer is also a loyal servant."
Ovetnia smiled shyly.
"But not everyone is loyal. The concubine did not listen to Guhande's dissuasion, and told Tamusha about the secret treasure. Tamusha actually planned to sell the secret to the Pero people. Among the Pero people, there are Japanese espionage. Tamusha was killed by the Dongying people when he was negotiating business with the Boluo people. Originally, how to open the treasure ball would become a mystery forever.
The Empress Dowager sighed: "Perhaps your father's spirit in heaven has protected you. You have come here through so many dangers, and the Ai family will not make things difficult for you. As long as the things inside are not harmful to our dynasty, you can take them away."
Ovetnia thanked and praised. The queen mother said again: "Wang Yan, after talking for a long time, how did the ball open? The Ai family sees that there is no such symbol or number on the treasure ball, and there is no such thing as six cakes and eight pieces."
Wang Yan saluted again: "Madam, I beg you to touch this precious ball."
The Empress Dowager ordered Gong'e to hold the treasure ball and Wang Yan, Wang Yan turned the ball body, examined it carefully, and gently pressed one of the golden colored treasures, the broken treasure was not abnormal. Wang Yan turned the ball and pressed another light red gem, but when he felt his finger move slightly, the colored gem sank slightly
Wang Yan's eyes lit up, and immediately continued to press a row of stones of the same color, then turned the treasure ball around, and pressed a light blue broken treasure. The gem also sank a little, Wang Yan pressed some broken treasures of the same color again, turned the ball back to the original side, and pressed the golden broken treasure touched for the first time.
This gem has sunk!
Wang Yan pressed all the golden broken treasures of the same color around him again, and with a soft click, Wang Yan broke off the huge red treasure at the top, and the precious ball separated into six petals like a blooming flower. In the golden seat, there is a stack of cloth.
Wang Yan bowed upwards: "I asked Princess Ovetnia in advance, the calendar of the Baiman Kingdom is similar to our dynasty, and a year is divided into twelve months. There are six patterns on the ball, and the ball is divided into six petals. , each petal is two months. Each color treasure is inlaid with a rune representing the month in the Byman language. You only need to find the character 'M' for March, the character 'I' for June, and August's character 'A' press them in the correct order to open."
Feng Tai added: "Shansi craftsman's mechanisms are extremely fine, as long as the first stone is not pressed correctly, the rest will not be able to be pressed, and the colored treasures are small, even if there is a slight difference, it is difficult to find. different."
Empress Dowager Fengyan Dayue: "Wonderful, it's so tricky, it's hard for you to guess."
Wang Yan picked up the stack of cloth, which was embroidered with a vast water surface, and boundless raging fire burning on the water.
Wang Yan asked the eunuch to fetch small scissors, cut open one side of the cloth, and took out a piece of parchment paper from the inside, on which dense characters were written.
Ovetnia knelt down again: "Your Royal Highness, the Empress Dowager, this is Baiman's secret, Sea Fire. I would like to dedicate it to the Kingdom. Please allow me to take it back."