The Golden Hairpin

The carriage passed through the wide streets of Chang'an and stopped at the gate of the Royal Palace of E.

Huang Zixian just jumped out of the carriage with Li Shubai, and looked up to see that King E Li Run was already standing at the door. He still has that delicate and refined appearance, with a three-point smile on his face, and a gentle and noble suit. The originally slightly thin facial features, against the cinnabar mole on his forehead, suddenly became brilliant and became a truly beautiful boy.

He smiled and nodded at Huang Zixian, and came up to greet Li Shubai: "Fourth brother, aren't you discussing matters with King Haiqing of Huihe in Daming Palace today? How come you have time to come to me?"

"It's no big deal, it's just a routine. But he gave me a bunch of golden red sandalwood beads. If you want to come, you will like it, so he will give it to you."

"Fourth brother, you know my heart best!" Li Run happily held it up, stroked it one by one with his fingertips, and said, "Fourth brother, come in and sit down. I recently got a piece of Tianxi tea cake. It is this year. New tea, make tea later and drink it together."

Red clay small stove, slender pine branches. Doors and windows on all sides of the flower hall are open, and Koizumi is drawn out of the window. A few pieces of snow-white rock are piled up and planted with large pieces of short pine, which has a carefully crafted poetry.

Huang Zixian took a sip of the tea and looked up at the wall of the Flower Hall where two poems by Wang Wei were hanging. One sentence is that Songfeng blows off the belt, and Shan Yuezhao plays the piano. One sentence is that the bright moon shines among the pine, and the clear spring stone is up.

Li Shubai sipped tea and said: "There are pine, spring, stone, and round window like the moon. It's really like walking into the poetry of Mojie."

Huang Zixian immediately understood what he wanted to play with the question, and whispered: "If there is another piano, it will be 100% poetic."

"What Chonggu said was that there happened to be a ready-made luthier on my side." Li Run smiled and nodded, and immediately ordered Chen Nianniang to be invited. After a while, Chen Nianniang came over with the piano in her arms. She saw Huang Zixian when she was saluting, her face suddenly showed joy, and she nodded slightly at her: "Duke Yang."

Huang Zixia unconsciously moved his right hand, which was retracted inside his sleeve. There was a little hard thing wrapped in white cloth in the sleeve pocket. She was slightly moved in her heart, looking at Chen Nianniang and thinking, this is the jade with your name engraved on it, and Feng Yiniang didn't let it leave her body until she died.

She felt a little cold in her heart, but still smiled on her face, and said to her: "Chen Niang, the Ministry of Household has not found the news about your senior sister. It seems that we have to wait."

Chen Nianniang nodded, her face was a little haggard, but the piano art was still amazing, with a melodious song, and the Song Jianquan's lingering resounding, making her forget the vulgarity.

Li Shubai admired: "There are many piano masters in the Jiaofang, and none of them can compare with Master Chen."

Li Run smiled and said: "Exactly, now Master Chen Qin should be a national player."

Li Shubai casually said: "Chonggu, I remember the last time you listened to Master Chen Qin's wonderful performance, you were fascinated many times, and you learned the piano in private from others. If you have the opportunity today, why don't you hurry up to ask Master Chen Qin for advice?"

Huang Zixia admired his ability to lie without changing his face, and quickly climbed up with the pole to help Chen Nianniang put the piano back into the piano bag, and then held her back to the piano room. Li Run treats Chen Nianniang as a guest. The small courtyard where she lives is in the east corner of the palace, and the courtyard is full of green bamboos, which is comfortable and quiet.

Chen Nianniang sat down and tuned a few notes, and said, "Learning the piano is a hard work for a lifetime. I think the little father-in-law is busy with daily affairs. It may be difficult to study the piano with all my heart. If you are only on a whim, then just learn a few easy-to-use tunes. Enough. Have you learned Gong Shang Jiao Zhengyu and several gestures?"

Huang Zixia hurriedly asked for advice, and Chen Nianniang taught her one by one. Seeing the sun was approaching noon, people from the palace brought them lunch.

Seeing that Chen Nianniang ate very little, Huang Zixia said: "Chen Niangniang, you have lost weight recently. Please don't worry too much and take care of your body. I think Feng Niang definitely doesn't want to see you become so haggard now."

Chen Nianniang looked up at her, smiled reluctantly, and said, "Thank you, my little father-in-law, but now I can’t live in peace day and night. If I close my eyes every night, it’s Yi Niang’s face. You may not know this feeling. I have lived with her for more than ten years. Now that I am left alone, I really don’t know how to live it."

Huang Zixia couldn't help but patted her hand, thinking about her parents and family who had left her forever. However, the same person who fell into the world, she couldn't talk, she could only hold the small piece of suet jade in her sleeve silently.

She returned to her the little statue Chen Nianniang gave to her last time, and said, "I made a copy of it and put it next to me, thinking that I might be able to find it for you in the future. Do you think it's okay?"

She cherished the small portrait and said, "Of course it can. I would like to thank my father-in-law."

Huang Zixia asked again: "You have such a good relationship with Feng Niang, hasn't she never mentioned to you who entrusted her to her?"

"No. Yi Niang didn't hide anything from me, but she said that this is a good thing, and she must do it for help."

Huang Zixian thoughtfully asked, "Feng Niang and you should have nothing to hide. Do you think there is any old person that deserves her to be so happy?"

Chen Nianniang tuned the strings and slowly said: "It's true that we grew up together and learned art together, but Yi Niang's fate is stubborn and she was sold into the brothel. Fortunately, a benefactor helped her to redeem her body soon and followed that person. When I arrived in Yangzhou, she took a sum of money and bought a small house because the master and mother had a hatred in Yangzhou. She also worshipped a piano master in Yunshaoyuan, Yangzhou. And I stayed in Luoyang until a few years later. Only after receiving her letter did she know that she was in Yangzhou. She said in the letter, Nian Niang, when we were young, we vowed to support life and death. Now if you have the heart, you can die together..."

At this point, the tears in Chen Nianniang's eyes rolled down. On the face of no longer a teenager, the teardrops were still crystal clear: "I was in Luoyang and taught the piano among several high-ranking households, and life was worry-free. But with a letter from Yi Niang, I packed up the simplest things. A piece of clothing, going south to Yangzhou. She never said anything about her life in the past few years, and I don’t want to mention my past, because we all feel that we don’t need to talk about it.”

So her old friend, Yi Niang, doesn't know who it is?

Seeing her thoughtful, Chen Nianniang asked, "Little father-in-law, are these things related to looking for Yi Niang?"

Huang Zixia hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "But I couldn’t find the record on the Huhu Department, so I just wanted to check it privately. Because something happened in the palace recently, I had an interaction with the people from the Criminal Department and Dali Temple. I think so. I can't take this opportunity to help you find Yi Niang."

Chen Nianniang saluted her deeply, and then said, "Thank you, little father-in-law! Just ask me if the little father-in-law has anything to say. I must know that everything is endless."

Huang Zixia held her back and said, "From my guess, the most important thing in this matter is to find out who the deceased who entrusted her to enter Beijing is."

"I should have asked, but..." Chen Nianniang said, her voice low and choked, "However, I really don't have a clue..."

Huang Zixia said: "In my personal opinion, someone who can ask a luthier for help must be someone who is similar to her identity or origin. At least, it shouldn't be a guest of Yunshaoyuan. Most likely, it should be. The sisters in Yunshaoyuan, moreover, they should have left Yunshaoyuan before they can be called deceased."

"Well, if it's in this respect, I think, maybe... the person she knew when we were separated." Chen Nianniang said in detail, "Yiniang has been with me for so many years, we The interpersonal relationship is very simple. After arriving at Yunshaoyuan, I am familiar with all the people she knows. So I think about her old acquaintance, we met her in the years we separated. I am not familiar with it, but she has a better relationship. , Otherwise she will definitely talk to me about who entrusted her to **** the daughter of the deceased to Beijing."

"How long ago did you lose contact with Feng Niang? Is there any insider at the time?"

"It's fifteen years ago. Yunshaoyuan is a kabuki workshop. Everyone comes and goes frequently. Maybe they are still together today. They went to different things in a blink of an eye, let alone fifteen years ago. Most of the old people in those days are now on their tracks. It's all gone."

"But I think it should not be a general acquaintance that can be entrusted with this kind of important task in ten years. At least, it should be what happened at that time, and it will be unforgettable to this day." Huang Zixia thought, "Ten years. Didn’t Yi Niang talk to you about it?"

Chen Nianniang thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "Yunshao six daughters..."

For Yunshao six women, Huang Zixia immediately remembered the six women Jinnu mentioned, who founded Yunshaoyuan back then. She hurriedly asked: "Nianniang, can you give me a detailed introduction?"

"That was more than ten years ago, the top six sisters in Yangzhou's troupe, and the six of them built Yunshaoyuan together, which was taken from the Yunshao Mansion of Emperor Zetian. To this day, Yunshaoyuan still enshrines that year. The dagger used by Emperor Zetian when he tame the horse!"

In a Kabuki theater, a dagger was actually enshrined, which made Huang Zixian feel strange: "The dagger used by Emperor Zetian when he was training his horse? How could he be lost to Yangzhou?"

"The eldest sister of Yunshao's six daughters is a descendant of Aunt Gongsun. Aunt Gongsun's sword dance was famous all over the world, and Emperor Xuanzong bestowed that dagger on her. After the Anshi Rebellion, Aunt Gongsun's disciple Li Shiniang again Passing this dagger to the disciple Sun is Yun Shao's first female Jiang Hengbo."

"So, who of the six women has the best relationship with Yi Niang?"

"When I went there, only the eldest sister Jiang Hengbo was left. It is said that the other five people married or left in a few years. But Yi Niang occasionally mentioned that if it were not Yunshao six daughters, she would not have escaped from that gang. The merchant she redeemed. The merchant’s Dafang seemed to want to resell her. Fortunately, the sisters of Yunshaoyuan cherished her talent and tried their best to deal with Dafang to help her redeem her. It’s a pity that they just got married. Occasionally there are letters exchanged occasionally. I have not seen any of them except for the eldest sister Jiang Hengbo and the third sister Lauder, but although they are quite famous in the fireworks, they are from Kabuki after all. I think... if you can marry It doesn't seem to be easy to give it to a high-class family."

Huang Zixia nodded silently. Although it is not certain whether the person who commissioned Yi Niang was one of Yun Shao's six girls, it was a clue anyway.

"By the way, Chen Niang, since you are from Yunshaoyuan, do you know Jinnu?" Huang Zixia asked quickly when she remembered something.

Chen Nianniang said: "Of course I do. The last time I was able to show my skills in front of the princes, it was also thanks to Jin Nu's linking with them. Otherwise, how could I see the nobles?"

"Please tell me more about Jinnu." Huang Zixia hurriedly took her hand and asked, "For example, in her previous life, with whom, or... the sisters around her."

Chen Nianniang recalled carefully, frowning slightly: "When I was in Yangzhou, there were many Kabuki dancers in Yunshaoyuan, but the piano and pipa that Jinnu and I were good at were both in Bingxian Pavilion, so I occasionally met, but in fact it was not good enough. It's just a nodding acquaintance. When she was in Yangzhou, her skills were very outstanding among the younger generation. She is good-looking and likes to go to banquets and travels. She is a famous party in Yangzhou, and she is a rich family and official. There are countless children, but there don’t seem to be people who have gangsters. You may also know that although Jinnu lives a desolate life, she has a pretty good nature. The scene is open and she is enthusiastic about others. This time I am living in the capital, but she is good. Seeing me when I was passing on the street, I quickly jumped out of Zhaowang’s car and told me about my old days. After learning about my plight, he immediately helped me find a guest house to live in and paid the rent for many days. I saw her staying here. Jiaofang should also be a human being. As for the sisters in Yangzhou or here, I don’t know."

Huang Zixia could only find something less important to ask: "I heard that her master is called Mei Banzhi, one of Yun Shao's six daughters?"

"I've heard of this. Mei Wanzhi was regarded as the leader of instrumental music in Yunshaoyuan. After she picked up the five-year-old Jinnu back home, she treated her like her own daughter. Later, after Mei Wanzhi gave birth to her daughter Xue Lu Everyone said that she was not as good to Xue Lu as Jin Nu."

"Snow color... blood color?" Huang Zi Xia muttered these two words, and suddenly, an electric light flashed in front of her, making her whole brain cold and hot.