Fu Shifeng

Chapter 182 Shang Yuan Hua Lantern
During the Lantern Festival, the curfew is temporarily suspended. Luoyang, the eastern capital, is decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons everywhere, just like a city that never sleeps.The streets outside the square were crowded with people, laughing, singing and dancing to dispel the cold.

Changqing was riding on horseback, looking into the distance, heading north along Tianjie, ending at Tianjin Bridge on Luoshui River.Going further north is Ziwei City, the eastern capital.

In order to control the land of Shandong, the last emperor of the previous dynasty spent countless manpower and material resources to build Luoyang. Its specifications were comparable to Chang'an, and the palaces and towers were extremely majestic, luxurious and magnificent.

Although the capital of this dynasty was Chang'an, during the reign of Emperor Zhao, the capital was moved to Luoyang for a time in order to control the nobles of Guanlong, and a lot of efforts were made to build it.He also demolished the Qianyuan Hall in Ziwei City and built the Wanxiang Shrine.

"This building is really high." Cheng Sanwu, who was still holding a chicken leg in his hand, looked at the nearly [-]-foot-tall Vientiane Palace and stopped in surprise.

Even though they are far apart, you can still feel its towering height. The entire shrine is brightly lit, like a bright lamp standing in the Central Plains, illuminating thousands of miles.

Chang Qing said with emotion: "In fact, there was a Tower of Babel to the north of the Wanxiang Shrine earlier. It was the place where Emperor Zhao worshiped the Buddha. It was also called 'Heaven' and was much higher than the Shrine. But later we encountered an accident and was destroyed by fire. It was completely burned and the Buddha statue inside was broken into hundreds of pieces.”

Cheng Sanwu took a bite of the chicken leg and said, "Does this sound like someone is causing trouble?"

Chang Qing did not answer. Afu in the carriage beside her covered her mouth and smiled: "I'm afraid it's not some earth-shattering conspiracy, but just jealousy between male favorites."

"Ah?" Cheng Sanwu was very surprised: "It seems that when men compete for favor, they cause quite a lot of trouble."

When Afu sent someone to report the news of Cheng Sanwu's awakening to Chang'an, it was the Lantern Festival, so she got into the mood and took the two of them to Luoyang to celebrate.

In the late autumn of last year, the saint completed his enshrinement and passed through Luoyang on the way, where he held a banquet for all the ministers in Ziwei City.Craftsmen dedicated dozens of large lantern towers, which were hundreds of feet high. The brightness of the candles was comparable to the sun and the moon. The sound of chanting was endless, showing that the prosperity of our Great Xia was unparalleled in ancient times and today.

The sage Longyan Dayue immediately issued an edict to the lantern-making craftsmen and their children to move to Chang'an and make more lanterns during festivals so that the people of Great Xia could enjoy this splendid and prosperous scene.

No matter how successful the saint's eastward tour was, Luoyang's lantern art was regarded as favored by the saint. Therefore, the lights on the Lantern Festival this year were more numerous and more gorgeous than in previous years, and the entire sky street was decorated with lanterns of various colors. , the lantern tower illuminates like daylight.

Even the poorest beggar in Luoyang, the eastern capital, can't help but hold his head high when he sees such a prosperous scene.

"Da Xia will last for ten thousand years! Saints will last for ten thousand years!!"

As Cheng Sanwu and his party approached Luoshui, hundreds of people suddenly ran and shouted beside them.Some of them had tattoos on their hair and thick knuckles on their fingers, so they must have some martial arts skills.

"These are the bad boys from Luoyang." Afu leaned against the window of the carriage and said with a smile: "The Wanxiang Shrine is open to the Luoyang elders tonight, and Dongdu stayed behind to have wine and food with the people as usual. They are rushing to go Take advantage of it."

"Can I enter the palace and eat for free?" Cheng Sanwu looked eager to give it a try, maybe he would chase after him on horseback.

"They are all bland wine and food. I have tasted them back then." Afu sneered: "After the completion of the Wanxiang Shrine, Emperor Zhao granted a general pardon to the world and allowed the women and elders of the Eastern Capital to visit, and also gave them food and wine."

Chang Qing asked from the side: "It is said that the current saint was imprisoned in the palace when he was a child. After he ascended the throne, he often abandoned Emperor Zhao's government. Why is this custom of opening the palace and giving food still retained?"

"This is just a way to win over the people." Afu waved his hand and moved the gauze curtain: "And now the Wanxiang Shrine only allows the elderly to enter, and the women of Dongdu have been excluded. Isn't this intention obvious enough? ?”

Chang Qing remained silent, while Cheng Sanwu nodded and said with a smile: "It seems you still hold a grudge... Then how do you get in later?"

"It's okay. Anyway, we can go in with our status as Minister of Internal Affairs and have already said hello." Afu said with a smile: "Although Luoyang is prosperous, it is not as strict as Chang'an."

While several people were talking, Qin Wangshu, who was driving the car, suddenly pulled the reins, and another group of people and horses passed by, blocking the front.

There were dozens of people coming, all riding horses and wearing round-collared robes of various colors, obviously all with official status.However, they look like Han Chinese, but when they talk to each other, they speak in gibberish, which doesn't sound like Chinese.

Cheng Sanwu was about to scold and drive him away, but he saw a man with a narrow face and a broad face looking over. When he saw Changqing, his face lit up with joy, he rode forward, crossed his hands and saluted: "But Mr. Changqing in front of you? The master is polite. !”

Upon seeing this, Chang Qing returned the favor and glanced at Cheng Sanwu and A Fu. His face was calm, but he was a little worried in his heart.

When a fierce battle broke out in Yongning Temple, although Damen Yi was affected and fainted, he was fortunately rescued in time.When he woke up, Yongning Temple had been completely reduced to ruins, and the loss of Xuan Mizhu made him extremely panicked. He wanted to rummage through the ruins, but he could not find it.

Upon seeing this, Chang Qing considered that he had personally used Xuan Mizhu to treat Cheng Sanwu. He originally planned to explain it to Da Yi in person, but was blocked by A Fu and was not allowed to reveal it to the outside world.

With no other choice, Chang Qing could only pretend to be good to Da DaYi, claiming that he could try to use magic to hunt for treasures. He actually performed the magic in front of Da DaYi and stayed at Yongning Temple for three full days.

In the end, it was Da Yi who chose to give up, reluctantly accepting the reality that the "Heart of the Sacred Tree" was lost.

At that time, Changqing was really relieved. In order to save Cheng Sanwu, he could only go against his own heart and deceive Da Yi.

On the contrary, Da DaYi was grateful to Chang Qing who took the initiative to help him. When they met by chance today, he immediately stepped forward to say hello.

"Hey, it seems like you're doing well." Cheng Sanwu also leaned over.

"This is... Lord Zhaoyang from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Damen Yi dismounted and bowed deeply: "I have long heard that it was Lord Zhaoyang who killed Wuluohu, and I had no chance to visit him before. Please accept my bows!"

Cheng Sanwu also simply turned over and dismounted, laughing loudly: "Wuluo Hu and I already have a grudge, so Quan thought he was helping along the way."

Damen Yi was stunned for a moment and did not dare to ask what grudge the other party had with Wuluohu.In the six months since he arrived in Daxia, he had learned from others that the Ministry of Internal Affairs was a group of vicious, greedy and cruel people.

"Why are you in Luoyang? I thought all foreign envoys were in Chang'an." Cheng Sanwu asked.

Damen Yi replied with a wry smile: "By the saint's order, I will temporarily stay in Luoyang to wait for my orders. Now, our Daxia soldiers will conquer the rebels in the Bohai Sea and will succeed soon. If the saint needs it, I will go to the Bohai Sea immediately and call on my fellow villagers to surrender to Daxia."

"Oh, that's a good thing."

Cheng Sanwu said this, and Afu smiled and said nothing.Although Luoyang, the eastern capital, is prosperous, for the current Daxia court, it is just a retirement place for idle officials.If he is sent to serve in the Eastern Capital, it is almost equivalent to losing power in the court, and it is nothing more than avoiding the pain of being demoted.Even foreign envoys must be close to the saints.Da DaYi was placed in Luoyang and said to be waiting for orders. However, in the future, he will be rewarded based on his merits and receive holy favor, but I am afraid there will be no place for him.

And this is probably due to the loss of Xuan Mizhu, which makes it difficult for Da Da Yi to perform in front of the saint.Even foreign envoys are distinguished by their superiority and inferiority.

It is precisely for this reason that Afu wants Changqing and Cheng Sanwu to keep the secret strictly.If the Xuan Mizhu incident is leaked, it will immediately become a means of criticism by others. It can be said that Cheng Sanwu secretly embezzled the envoy's tribute treasure, and Afu and Changqing will also be held accountable.

After leaving the carriage and horses under the care of the servants, Cheng Sanwu and his entourage walked onto the Tianjin Bridge to enjoy the lights on both sides of the strait.

Luoshui runs through Luoyang City, and there are two sandbars in the river between Tianjie and Ziwei City, which are convenient for building bridges.

After listening to Chang Qing's story, everyone learned that in the previous dynasty, the Tianjin Bridge was a pontoon bridge that was tied to boats with large cables and connected with iron locks. There were watchtowers on both sides of the bank. If a ship passed by, they would wave their flags and order them to be transferred.

In the early years of this dynasty, the Luoshui River flooded and destroyed the pontoon bridge. Taizu ordered that square stones be built as feet and the bridge be built like a rainbow so that pedestrians and boats could use it. This is how the current Tianjin Bridge came into being.

"Flying the rainbow across Tianjin, I am truly worthy of being the Emperor Taizu." After listening to this story, Damen Yi held on to the railings of the bridge and looked at the bright lights on both sides of the river and the dense crowds of cruise ships on the Luoshui River. He wanted to imitate others in composing a poem. , but in a hurry, I lacked inspiration, opened my mouth and felt deeply ashamed.

Afu heard this from a distance and gently tugged on Cheng Sanwu's sleeves with a subtle smile on her face and raised her eyebrows deliberately.

"That's Emperor Taizu, of course he's powerful." Cheng Sanwu said deliberately.

Changqing turned around and saw the two of them flirting with each other. Just as he was about to stop them, he discovered that there were many men and women traveling together on the Tianjin Bridge.Thinking of today's Shangyuan Festival, Cheng Sanwu and Afu's behavior was not surprising, and he had nothing to say.

Looking at the prosperous and lively scene in front of him, Changqing was in a daze for a moment. This prosperous age was as beautiful as an illusion.

While everyone was relaxing and enjoying the night view, a sloop happened to pass by under the bridge.The five boatmen on the deck took out their weapons from the secret compartment, looked up and saw the gate craftsman on the bridge above. They each looked at each other for a few times, nodded to each other and immediately put on their hoods. Then they grabbed the rope, performed light skills, and walked along the The mast rushed up quickly, and the movement was as fast as an arrow leaving the string.

The master craftsman was still rummaging around and thinking, when suddenly a few black shadows flashed before his eyes, and the cold light of the sharp weapon was already glaring at his face!

At the critical moment of life and death, Da DaYi instinctively dodges and cuts off a corner of the fu head with the cold light of his sharp weapon.

However, there was more than one sudden cold light, blocking Da Yi's dodge position, and then a knife slashed across it, leaving long scars on his arm, and blood flew into the sky!
The third ray of cold light came almost at the same time, flying up and down from under the bridge, piercing Damen Yi's shoulders and back.

But at this moment, a streak of rainbow sword energy struck from the side, knocking the stabbing figure away. It was Chang Qing who took action.

"There is an assassin!!" Chang Qing shouted loudly the moment he took action.

Chang Qing was already closest to Da DaYi, and he was the first to notice that an assassin was attacking from under the bridge, but even so, Da DaYi was still injured by the assassin.

When Cheng Sanwu heard this, he immediately took action. While flying towards Da Jie, he pushed angrily with both palms, and the scorching palm wind roared out, directly forcing back several armed assassins.

At this time, there were many tourists on the Tianjin Bridge. Even if they were not rubbing shoulders, they were definitely not fighting.As soon as the assassin said these words, nearby tourists immediately screamed and ran away. However, passers-by in the distance could not hear it and still pushed towards the bridge. The crowds on both sides collided with each other, causing chaos immediately.

But no one could care about this at the moment. Cheng Sanwulie swept away the assassin with his palm, took the opportunity to draw his sword and slashed wildly, his eyes were blinded by the glare of the sword.

Unexpectedly, a masked assassin on the opposite side also used an unparalleled sharp knife. For a moment, there seemed to be a chaotic shadow of knives between the two people. The sound of the exchange was so dense that it made people's scalp numb. The burst of energy made the onlookers almost open their eyes. Don't open your eyes.

"What a fast knife!" Cheng Sanwu and the assassin were both shocked.

Cheng Sanwuyi couldn't see the outcome for a moment, and the other four assassins immediately attacked the rolling and crawling Damenyi, like a pack of wolves hunting, extremely ferocious, and the weapons in their hands emitted a faint blue light under the light of the lights.

But Changqing and Afu each took action at this moment. One had a ghostly movement, waving his hands to interweave a net of swords to kill, and the other had an immortal girdle floating around, pointing sword shadows in the air!

The four assassins were all fearless and fearless. They did not dodge and resist at all, and used all their strength to attack Da Jie.

However, Afu and Changqing took action together, and the four assassins were instantly shrouded in the shadow of swords and swords, and were cut into pieces on the spot.

One of the assassins threw the sword in his hand at the last moment. Unfortunately, Da Yi was on guard and rolled on the spot, causing the sword to fall into the air.

Four of the five assassins were killed in an instant, and the last one couldn't fight with Cheng Sanwu for more than a few breaths. Knowing that the defeat was certain, he immediately used his strength and fired dozens of sword lights at the same time, intending to force Cheng Sanwu back.

But Cheng Sanwu was not the type to give up when faced with difficulties. His fighting spirit surged, the flames flew around, the sharp knives connected in series, and the red lotuses bloomed on the ground. Their brilliance and scorching potential were bound to destroy the obstacles in front of them.

Unexpectedly, the dozens of swords fired by the assassin were more illusory than real. Facing Cheng Sanwuyan's flowing sword light, he had no way to resist. He immediately withdrew and flew away, intending to jump off the Tianjin Bridge.

"Don't let him escape!" Upon seeing this, Afu immediately shouted: "Catch him alive!"

But Cheng Sanwu's ultimate move had already been launched, and there was no time to retract it. The red lotus-like flaming sword light grazed the retreating assassin and directly shattered a section of the railing beside the bridge.

Cheng Sanwu was about to chase after him when he saw an agile figure jumping down before him. He pulled out a long sword in mid-air, like a snake dancing, and the frost blades shot out six times, leaving the assassin unable to catch him. The sword pierced his shoulder.

The pursuer was none other than Qin Wangshu. She was standing far away just now, so she had no time to stop the assassin.When she arrived, she saw that the last assassin had been defeated, and she immediately wanted to block the retreat.

The assassin was struck by a sword in mid-air, and his back hit the deck of the ship hard. Before he could fight back, Qin Wangshu quickly used Xuanyin Bujie Finger to intercept pulses and tap acupuncture points.The assassin suddenly felt that half of his body was cold and stiff. Not to mention that he had cut himself off, and even his breathing became difficult and stagnant.

The ship shook again, and it was Cheng Sanwu who jumped from the bridge. He looked at the assassin who could not move, and raised his thumb towards Qin Wangshu: "Awesome! If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to kill him whole. Caught alive.”

(End of this chapter)