Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

"I dont go."

When Jiang Shangxian heard that he was going to be taken to the Dali Temple, the back of his head went numb and he refused decisively.

Even the self-proclaimed "slave" that they had finally gotten used to in this era was thrown out of their minds.

Generally, only very close elders or those in higher positions will say "I" to younger people.

It's not very polite of her to speak like that.

But this living father in front of her actually wanted to take her to the police station! Her uncle and aunt had tolerated it, so Xiao Jiang couldn't tolerate it either!

Jiang Shangxian didn’t know whether Cui Bianxu’s face was dark or not, but she knew that he was really tall.

There was nothing else to it. This guy stood up and stared at him from a top-down angle.

If she had a strong flashlight, she felt that she could probably see the nose hair and cartilage of Cui Shaoqing.

Jiang Shangxian couldn't tell for a moment whether it was the pressure brought by the height difference, the overpowering aura of the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple in front of her, or her hands and feet were tired after a day of work. In short, she felt a little weak in her legs.

In fact, her body honestly took two steps back and leaned against the wall with a "bang".

No, we can't do this. Why are you so cowardly? Communist Youth League members are not afraid of any bourgeoisie!

"Shangguan, I am only fourteen this year. My father died early, and I only have my elderly mother and young brother at home. If I don't go home, they will definitely worry."

She first described her own pitiful family situation, then carefully chosen her words and said earnestly, "I was just unlucky to have run into this evil man. If the government needs anything, as a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, I must cooperate. It's really too late now. How about I go to the Dali Temple early tomorrow morning?"

Cui Bianxu, who was directly rejected, said nothing, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly silent.

He looked at the female corpse on the ground from the mirror sea, and glanced back and forth between the two of them. Seeing that the young lady's legs were shaking a little, he couldn't bear it and wanted to say a few words to persuade her.

After all, he is a victim, not a criminal. It would be inappropriate to take him back to the Dali Temple in the middle of the night, right?

Alas, Cui Shaoqing is used to being high and mighty and has no idea of ​​the sufferings of the world.

Just as he was about to speak, Cui Bianxu spoke first: "Why do you carry a dagger with you?"

Jiang Shangxian then remembered and turned to look at the ground in the distance. Her boning knife had fallen there. She had secretly "borrowed" it from Lexianlou and had to return it when she went to work tomorrow.

"That's a boning knife. Today at Yue Lao Temple, I ran into two superiors leading their men on an investigation. Thinking of the recent disappearance of women in Chang'an City, I felt a little scared, so I took it with me when I got off work, thinking it would be used for self-defense if anything happened."

Cong Jinghai nodded approvingly and gave a thumbs up: "Young lady is smart."

Jiang Shangxian felt a little embarrassed. What's so clever about that? Wasn't it just a trick?

"Shangguan, you are too kind."

Cui Bianxu remained silent and immediately asked the next question: "How did you find out it was wrong?"

Although he did not see it with his own eyes, he was very strong and the sound of the wooden barrel falling made him realize that something had happened. After that, although Jiang Shangxian's shout was only one sentence, he heard it.

After a few words, Jiang Shangxian's mood had stabilized. "At first, it was a little dark, and she kept her head down, so I didn't notice. But on the way, she turned her head to talk to me several times, and I saw that there seemed to be some traces of makeup on her face."

She paused, not sure whether these two understood what she was saying. She glanced at Cui Bianxu's expression, but couldn't see anything.

I could only continue with my speculation: "She said she was sixty-three years old and had no relatives at home. Without help, she would have trouble even getting a drink of bitter water. How could such a person have the mind to put powder on her face?"

"Just because of this?"

"of course not."

Jiang Shangxian pursed his lips and continued, "I asked her if her parents grew flowers. She said they had a lotus flower pot at home and it was difficult to even get water. How could they grow lotus flowers? Besides, I just made up the story that people in Yongdafang grow flowers to sell. I don't think she is from this place."

After hearing this, Cong Jinghai couldn't help but applaud her: "Young lady, you have a really good brain."

Cui Bianxu had never expected that a young lady who was only fourteen years old could think of these counter-cheating strategies in an orderly manner and use various methods to escape after experiencing such a thrilling experience. Although she failed, she was already very smart.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, and his tone became a little softer: "Have you found anything else?"

Jiang Shangxian was stunned and asked himself?

She is a cook, not a criminal police officer. Her knowledge of this type of criminal case is very limited, and she only knows it by watching Douyin during class.

For example, the victims were thrown far away and buried nearby, the victims were either male or female, the murderers were either acquaintances or strangers, they were either locals or from other places, they committed crimes during the day or at night, and their height was between one and two meters...

But if she dared to say this, the man in front of her would probably torture her to death with his glare!

She racked her brains to recall the brief and intense interaction with the still-living female corpse. Suddenly, she remembered something and looked up sharply: "The scent on her body is the one that the women in Qinlou and Chuguan like to use."

Hearing this from Jinghai, he was a little puzzled: "With this appearance, how could there be guests in that place?"

This customer must have such a special hobby that he would spend money to order such a thing?

His thoughts were completely revealed on his face. Jiang Shangxian might not have noticed, but Cui Bianxu saw it clearly and felt ashamed.

I just told him to be easy-going, but I don't know what's wrong with this guy's brain. If there weren't outsiders here, I would have wanted to beat him up.

But now was not the time to talk about this. He had just smelled a fragrance on the female corpse, which was similar to the hair that Ding Yuan asked him to smell.

However, he had no female relatives around him and never went to brothels. Although the nobles all used incense, the incense used by men and women was clearly distinguished.

Seeing that Jiang Shangxian knew, he asked directly, "How do you know it smells like Qinlou Chuguan?"

Jiang Shangxian, eager to escape quickly, spoke quickly, "I used to have a stall selling braised mutton in the West Market. Prostitutes and courtesans would often come to buy my mutton. Shangguan Xu may not know that even in brothels, women of different status use different fragrances. This woman uses the finest Spring Night Charm."

"A Hundred Beauties of Spring Night?" Cui Bianxu recited it silently, not knowing what he was thinking.

Jiang Shangxian didn't want to wait any longer. She looked up at the sky, which was getting darker, and then she said boldly, "Shangguan, this is all I know. I've already said it all, and I can't think of anything else for the moment. Can I go home now?"

Cui Bianxu still didn't respond. I don't know what he was thinking about, he looked extremely focused.

"Go ahead, and be careful on the road." Cong Jinghai waved at her and whispered, "Remember to come to the Dali Temple tomorrow and say you're looking for Cui Shaoqing or Cong Sizhi."

"Hey!" Jiang Shangxian saluted carefully with some excitement, turned around and trotted away.

Cui Bianxu came to his senses and saw her bending down to pick up the boning knife, casually wipe it on her sleeve, and then running away quickly.

"Who let her go?"

Cong Jinghai was speechless: "Shaoqing, he is a good citizen."

"Humph, all citizens of the Great Tang should assist the government in investigating this case."

Despite saying this, Cui Bianxu had no intention of actually bringing the body back. He glared at Cong Jinghai and scolded him, "Why haven't you called for help yet? Are you planning to carry the body back yourself?"

From the Mirror Sea: . . . .

The Jiang family of Yong'anfang.

Jiang Shangxian stepped into the gate to the sound of the curfew drum.

She was greeted by the concern of all her neighbors and the open doors and lighted lanterns of every household.

"Oh, Aunt Jiang, you're back!"

"Your mother is almost dying of worry. Where have you been, kid?"

"Hurry, hurry up and call everyone back! If it's any later, we might have to report it to the police!"

.......

This was the first time in Jiang Shangxian's two lifetimes that she had received such treatment. She felt a little strange and walked into the house awkwardly. The house was empty, with no one in it.

On the dining table was a plate of cold Hu pancakes and a bowl of braised mutton sauce. The Jiang family liked to dip the Hu pancakes in the sauce. There was also a large bowl on the side with oil on it and a few green vegetables floating on it. At the bottom were two chicken legs and a chicken head with a neck.

"Sister!"

The door slammed against the wall. Jiang Wangri wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve and rushed in panting. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her in person and slumped to the ground. "Sister, where have you been? Mother was so worried."

Outside, Jiang's mother was still thanking people in a loud voice.

Jiang Shangxian felt a little embarrassed, his eyes getting hot: "I'm sorry for making you worry..."

"You know you're making people worry, so why don't you go home earlier? Don't you know that things in Chang'an are not peaceful lately? You're getting bolder and bolder, you're really becoming more capable!"

Jiang's mother closed the gate while cursing, and strode in. She put her left hand on her waist and slammed her right hand on the table. The dishes on the table shook twice before they stabilized. She looked like a furious King Kong.

Jiang Wangri gave his sister a helpless look. Even though his mother was angry, there was nothing he could do.

"Mother, have a drink of water first." Jiang Shangxian stood up and poured a glass of water for Jiang's mother. He helped her sit down and stood behind her to help her calm down. "I went to Yue Lao Temple today and was delayed at work. On the way back, I ran into the shopkeeper, so I thought I'd make up for it. I've only been gone for two days, and it wouldn't be nice if others saw me."

She didn't intend to tell others about how she was almost kidnapped. If she were a real fourteen-year-old girl, she would definitely tell the adults, but she was not. Telling them about it would only make Jiang's mother worry for no reason. It was more likely that Jiang's mother would directly ask her to quit her job at Lexianlou.

Besides, the Dali Temple has already intervened in this matter. What could be better than the intervention of state agencies?

Mother Jiang's anger subsided a little when she thought about the unfortunate trip to Yue Lao Temple today. After all, she had insisted on dragging her daughter there. Her anger was directed at Yan Yin and Qu Chen: "Damn those thief Taoist priests, they're cheating and spouting nonsense! What a waste of an entire afternoon!"

"Yes, mother is right. We should not go there next time. Talk about ghosts and gods is not to be believed."

Seeing that her hair had been smoothed, Jiang Shangxian signaled his brother to heat up the cold dishes on the table, while saying that she didn't want to participate in any religious activities outside the Temple of the God of Wealth.

Unexpectedly, Jiang's mother suddenly changed her mind and pounded her legs, looking somewhat unconvinced. "Next time, next time, let's go to Daxingshan Temple. I don't believe anything could happen in that Buddhist temple!"