save the judge

There is a short distance from Guichuan Mountain to Kyoto. The bullock carts and pedestrians walking on Suzaku Avenue are slow, imitating the wide street built by the country on the other side of the sea. Weeping willows are planted on both sides, and the sun falls on the leaves, jumping golden. point of light.

It was already sunset when Jingujiquan arrived near a bridge, and the orange-red sunset hung lazily on the horizon. Abe Seimei’s mansion cannot be said to be remote, after all, it is very close to Ouchi Sato, but when it comes to the layout and orientation of the entire Heian-kyo If so, the Abe mansion located in the northeast corner of Heianjing is indeed very remote.

The evening on a sunny day is called the time of encountering demons. The alternation of day and night opens the eyes of the monsters hiding in the dark. At this time, there are fewer people wandering on the road, and most of them are hurrying home. go.

It also seems that Jingujiquan, who is still soothing and leisurely, looks like a different kind.

There are even fewer people to see after entering Tsuchimmon-dori Road. This area is full of nobles and officials working in Ouchi, especially the mansion of Mr. Fujiwara Michizane. The civilians broke in.

An ox cart drove in unsteadily, and the young man sitting in the cart caught sight of the person walking ahead through the bamboo curtain that covered it, and hurriedly asked the servant to stop the cart, poked his head out from inside the cart, and said, "Who are you?" Are you going to Abe House?"

Jingujiquan, who was stunned for the first time after coming to this time and space, looked over. The person sitting in the car was obviously a nobleman of high status, wearing a light blue hunting suit, with a good-quality jade stick stuck in his belt. Di, has an elegant appearance, with gentle and clear kindness in his eyebrows and eyes.

"Yes, I come from Guishen Shrine." Jingujiquan nodded slightly at him.

The young man in the car was very happy when he got the answer. He refused the servant's support and jumped out of the car. He walked quickly to Jingujiquan and looked at him carefully.

Jingujiquan was not displeased with his sizing up, the other party's gaze was honest and frank, full of clean compliments.

"I've seen you before." He said with a smile, "Is it Mr. Shaogongji from the Kibune Shrine? After all, everyone who has seen you will never forget you. You also want to go to Seimei? What happened to you?" Yet?"

Jingujiquan looked at him suspiciously: "I'm sorry, but you are..."

The other party was taken aback, and then touched his face in embarrassment: "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. In Xiayuan Boya, I can be regarded as Qingming's friend."

Source Boya.

He had heard this name mentioned by the priests.

According to the priests who gossip in private, this young master of Genji likes rhythm and bows and arrows, and is especially good at all kinds of romantic waka creations. He is the dream lover of the most famous women in Heianjing.

And his life experience is a bonus item. Legend has it that Zhonggong was jealous of a certain beautiful female royal highness, so after she gave birth to a child and passed away, she slandered His Majesty the Emperor several times, and finally made the Emperor give up on this girl who lost her mother at birth. As a child, he was fostered in the home of a courtier who had a little relationship with the royal family but was not very close.

Genji, which has been on the verge of decline, has long since lost its former glory. Although they have the blood of the emperor, they eventually lost to their relatives, the Fujiwara family. Most of the territories had to be abandoned and cut off, and the people living on them were forced to go A new place, with a new lord, and the land that once bore Genji's glory is now covered in thorns and weeds.

In such a dire situation, it didn't seem like a big deal to adopt another son of the emperor who lost the battle now.

This matter has become something that all the nobles in Heian capital have tacitly understood. In such rumors and rumors, he can still have such a cheerful and gentle personality. Jingu Jiquan suddenly has a strong feeling for the Minamoto patriarch who raised him. curiosity.

"His Highness Boya and Seimei have a good relationship?" Jingujiquan randomly picked a non-painful topic.

Genji originally came from the emperor's blood, so it is appropriate to call him His Highness, especially the one in front of him, who already has the blood to match this title.

"That guy Seimei, if he wants to, he can be friends with anyone, right? Especially if someone like you is willing to befriend him, then I'm nothing."

Made a little joke, Yuan Boya blinked briskly at Jingujiquan: "Seimei will stay in Yinyang Liao for a long time today, maybe we can secretly taste the sake he hid..."

The Shaogongsi who was watched by him seemed to be smiling, Minamoto Boya admired the appearance and demeanor of the person in front of him from the bottom of his heart, as a nobleman who had the right to go in and out of Imazai, he had seen the top beauties in this country, After getting acquainted with Abe Seimei, I also met those beauties of all colors who were separated from the mundane world and looked even more enchanting.

But none of them gave him such a deep shock of "beauty".

Obviously he didn't laugh out loud, and he didn't put on those weak postures, his whole body restrainedly exuded a sense of alienation and indifference, but Yuan Boya still keenly grasped his ultimate charm hidden under his indifferent appearance.

"Speaking of which, how did you meet Qingming? He never mentioned this to me. He should have visited Guichuan Mountain last time." Yuan Boya said with a smile.

"Then how do you think I'm Abe Seimei's friend? After all, I haven't said a word yet." The young palace secretary in front of him spread out his snow-white cypress fan.

"Hahahahaha, the person who came to look for Qingming was either asking for him, or his friend. You should look at the appearance of those nobles who came to ask him for help, and you will know why I think you are the latter." Yuan Boya was very pleased. Proudly raised his chin, his eyes suddenly fixed, "Oh, I actually met you after saying that..."

Jingujiquan followed his gaze, and saw an exquisite house not far ahead, with an ox cart parked in front of the door, and a middle-aged man in a stone-green safari with his head bowed in the closed door. He lingered in front of the door, with a sad face, and sighed so much that he almost shrank to the ground.

The etiquette laws in Kyoto are still very strict. Those who can ride an ox cart are the nobles who are qualified to go to the palace to see them. The worst thing is that they need to have the blood of the royal family. Although Abe Seimei is quite famous at present, as far as his official position is concerned It is said that it is not enough to be able to ride a bullock cart.

However, the man walking around in front of his door is obviously different. He has a higher status than Abe Seimei, but he still waits at his door almost respectfully. This reversal of roles makes Jingu Jiquan quite curious down.

"It's Fujiwara Shonagon."

Yuan Boya, who had memorized the aristocratic genealogy in Beijing and could accurately identify all the important figures, frowned and squeezed out a word.

His attitude changed a bit bluntly, but Jingujiquan quickly remembered a series of entanglements between the "Fujiwara" family and the "Gen" surname. I heard that the current head of the Genji family is still being embarrassed by the Fujiwara family. No wonder Yuan Boya felt so disliked after meeting people in this family.

"He came to seek... help?" Jingujiquan slowly found a more suitable word.

Yuan Boya still frowned, and then sighed: "It should be, the capital recently...is not particularly peaceful." The noble young man's brows were a little melancholy, he may subconsciously look to the west, where the imperial power of the whole country stands The symbol is the place where his power, status, family, close friends, and even relatives depend on.

"By the way, speaking of which, my elder brother, Minamoto Raimitsu, wants to go to Kibune Shrine to invite priests to the mansion these few days. It happens that you are also in Kyoto, so maybe you don't have to go to Kibune Mountain to invite priests. I'm going down the mountain, I wonder if I can ask you to stay for a few days?"

The young man's eyes are very clear brown, and he always has a feeling of smiling when he looks at people.

Jingujiquan opened his eyes slightly, and then happily accepted: "Since it is the invitation of His Highness Boya, I am of course willing to accept."

"Hey, what is your Highness, such a title is too awkward, just call me Boya, those red tapes are not suitable for use between friends." Yuan Boya, who received an affirmative answer, was obviously in a better mood, so when he approached the When Fujiwara Shao Nayan, he was willing to show a little smile.

"Master Fujiwara Shonagon, are you also here to visit?"

The anxious man tried his best to show a calm and calm side in front of his family, and put his hands into his sleeves: "Ah, it's Mr. Boya. I didn't expect to meet you here."

Yuan Hiroya's expression is very calm. When he has an official position, he is called "Young Master". It is a nickname given to his sweetheart by noble women. It can be said to be ridiculed by male friends, but from the mouth of the Fujiwara family. It is obviously making fun of Yuan Boya for being too popular among women without real talent, but it is actually a rather disgusting thing.

But he has heard jokes worse than this, and he doesn't really care about his own reputation. Anyway, he doesn't want to be a high-ranking official, and he is not interested in all kinds of entanglements in the palace.

"Yes, I'm here to visit friends, but Master Fujiwara may not be. If you have time to wait, it's better to go home and close the door for a few days, and clean up the filth in the house. I heard from Qingming that there are often people in the house. Most of the things about ghosts are caused by the head of the family being incapable of managing the family, so something went wrong."

The words that came out of Yuan Boya's mouth were emotionless, and the man's face turned green and white. Jingu Jiquan felt that if he had a tool in his hand, he would definitely give Boya a real blow. It's a pity that not only the two of them were present, but also the servants and——

Fujiwara Shonagon's gaze quickly swept across the young man beside Yuan Boya, and then he pulled back and froze for a moment. Suddenly, the anger in his heart disappeared, and he even nodded politely to this side before turning around. The bullock cart.

The servants and warriors escorted the ox cart out of the silent alley, and the creaking sound gradually disappeared, Yuan Boya turned his head in surprise: "Is there something wrong with him? He even smiled at me !"

He shivered uncontrollably, and looked at the direction in which the bullock cart disappeared with horrified eyes.

Jingujiquan suppressed the smile on the corner of his mouth, shook his head, no, I think... he should be smiling at me, but it does look very wrong.

Yuan Boya finally calmed down, put that disgusting smile behind her head, raised her hand and knocked on the shabby red door in front of her.

A beautiful peach blossom slanted out from the low eaves. In this late spring season, there are still small buds, with the bright red like the lips of a girl.

With a soft "creak", the door opened a crack, and a gorgeous and beautiful girl stood behind the door, covering her lips and smiling at Yuan Boya who knocked on the door: "I heard Lord Boya's voice a long time ago, Lord Qingming is not here now, Taohua is going to get some snacks, Lord Boya, please come in, and this Lord too."

The delicate and beautiful girl seemed a little surprised when she saw Izumi Jinguji, her pupils dilated slightly, and she bowed her head to get out of the way after a brief absence.

Abe Seimei’s courtyard has not been deliberately pruned, and the sparse old trees and weeds are growing freely in a mess. There is a peach tree and a cherry tree at the door with twisted branches, and a few butterflies are lazily perched on the branches and leaves. It looks as if a piece of land was randomly cut from the wild and moved here. The path made of stones stretches windingly to the corridor, dotted with fresh green grass leaves, and the atmosphere of freedom and desolation is everywhere.

"This is Seimei's Shikigami Sakura, an elf born from the cherry blossoms. When I saw it for the first time, I was shocked."

Yuan Boya took out his dark history and smiled casually, and the cherry blossom demon who was leading the way turned his face and smiled softly and reservedly: "Master Boya, don't mention this matter again, obviously I should be afraid of it at the beginning. .”

Boya quickly apologized: "Because I was too nervous at that time, I raised my bow and arrow to you... I am very sorry."

The cherry blossom demon shook her head nonchalantly, and led them to the wide part of the corridor. A light pink petal hovered upwards at her fingertips, and then landed on the back of a butterfly. The butterfly flew up with fluttering wings, carrying a small The petals flew danglingly over the courtyard wall.

"Please wait for a while, I have sent a letter to Master Qingming." She took out a set of drinking utensils from nowhere and put it down, and took out a celadon wine jar from her sleeve: "Master Boya's favorite sake, just yesterday It was brewed successfully."

Yuan Boya's eyes immediately lit up, and he casually put the flute in his hand aside: "Sakura is so sweet!"

Here he happily took away the sake, and the cherry blossom demon looked at Jingujiquan on the opposite side with a little anxiety: "Excuse me, do you want tea or wine?"

Jingu Jiquan looked back at this beautiful girl, and suddenly remembered that when he saw Seimei last time, there was no shikigami around her, and now it looks...

He glanced at all kinds of flowers and plants in the courtyard, and had a rare curiosity: "Are there only shikigami of plants and trees here? I heard that all things have spirits, and gods can be born, so are there other shikigami here?" ? Like... a sword?"

The end of Sakura Demon's blushing eyes raised in surprise, and then lowered timidly: "Swords...there are indeed some. But he is still sleeping, and Seimei-sama also said that it is not his shikigami. "

"I also know what you said. Qingming is very precious that vibration knife. He must take it with him when he travels far. He still refuses to show it to me." Yuan Boya interjected, "Qingming attaches great importance to it. What is it called? with..."

He frowned and looked at the sky in deep thought, the cherry blossom monster covered his lips and spoke, before his voice came out, it coincided with another deserted voice.

"Tsurumaru Kuninaga."