Under the pouring rain, the sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and they were heading towards the ancient temple.
At this time, the noble man who was guarded by several guards in the center couldn't help but stood up.
At this time, he could clearly see that he was a middle-aged man with a clear face, wearing a blue silk willow pattern robe and a black hat on his head, looking at the door with a frown.
Liu Jinyu stood aside and looked around.
He is in his twenties, has an oval face, and the men's round-neck robe with green pear pattern shows off his tall figure.
Father and daughter?
Li Xuan secretly thought, could this be the son of Left Prime Minister Liu Rengui?
But why does this reminder entry only appear on the head of the charming granddaughter of the prime minister, but not on her father?
Bah, old man is not serious!
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves at the door suddenly stopped, and in the blink of an eye, a dozen figures in black hats had forced their way in.
With a tall and strong body, a calm face, a dark red Qianniu uniform, and a long Qianniu sword, the person who came was actually a group of Qianniu guards guarding the palace.
Li Xuan frowned, what happened to allow such a group of Qianniu Guards to arrive at such a wilderness ancient temple on such a rainy night.
"I have been ordered to inspect, and everyone present is not allowed to move around,"
A dozen Qianniu guards wearing dark red Qianniu coats holding sword hilts were lined up on both sides of the ancient temple, staring at everyone present with sharp eyes.
A muscular Qianniu Guard in red, about twenty-seven or eight, wearing gold armor and a tiger-head hood, with a stern face, walked step by step to the center of the ancient temple.
His eyes swept over everyone present like electricity, and his cold gaze seemed to penetrate everyone's body and see through all the secrets in them.
A young maid could not help but tremble slightly, but she was tightly held by Liu Jinyu beside her.
Seeing that everyone present did not dare to act rashly, the Qianniu Guard waved his hand directly: "Search!"
A group of Qianniu Guards immediately swarmed up, and all the horses and vehicles inside and outside the ancient temple, as well as the people inside the temple, were immediately surrounded and searched in detail.
Looking at the two Qianniu Guards walking toward her, one on the left and one on the right, Li Xuan felt wary, nodded calmly, and couldn't help but cast her eyes on the east and west sides.
Perhaps because of the large number of people, these Qianniu Guards checked more of the bodyguards of the nobles on the east side and the business travelers on the west side.
A Qianniu guard blocked Li Xuan's sight and raised his hands with a serious face: "Excuse me, this... Taoist priest, why are you here in Luoyang?"
Perhaps because he was standing closer, the Qianniu Guard realized that Li Xuan was actually wearing a black gold silk Taoist robe.
"According to the order, I entered the city of God to participate in the Water and Land Jiao Ceremony." Li Xuan took out an identity document from her body and handed it to Qian Niuwei in front of her.
Hearing Li Xuan mention the words "Follow the Order, Water and Land Jiao Dharma Assembly", the Qianniu Guard breathed a sigh of relief and became even more solemn at the same time.
Ten days ago, Prince Li Hong passed away due to illness. The Emperor and Empress specially summoned virtuous people from Taoism and Buddhism to hold a land and water ceremony in Luoyang.
"Jiannan Road, Qingyang Temple, Lingjizi." Li Xuan's identity document was read out directly. The Qianniu Guard frowned tightly, holding the handle of the morning glory knife at his waist with one hand. The cold light blade was unsheathed silently: "Jiannan Road enters Luoyang. You should go through Hanzhong Chang'an. Why do you come to Songshan Mountain?"
Li Xuan glanced at it calmly: "It's not Songshan. I came from Hongzhou, Jiangnan Road. I was at Tianshi Dao in Longhu Mountain and praying for rain with the heavenly masters. Suddenly I heard the order and rushed to the divine capital immediately. I just passed Dengfeng today, so I didn’t want to encounter a sudden rain shower, so I just came here to rest.”
Longhu Mountain Celestial Master Tao, Shuzhong Qingyang Temple, these series of names immediately and unconsciously attracted the attention of everyone in the audience.
Although the Tianshi Dao in Longhu Mountain is not as famous as the Qing Palace on Maoshan Mountain, it is still the leader in Taoism in the southeast. The Qingyang Temple in Sichuan is the first among the jungles in the southwest. Even the emperor had to go there personally to offer incense after entering Sichuan. location.
Li Xuan, a seemingly casual Taoist priest in the past, has such a prominent Taoist identity. No wonder he can participate in the Water and Land Jiao Dharma Assembly.
The business travelers in the audience couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in their eyes.
"Give me the identity document." A rough big hand took Li Xuan's identity document directly from behind. It was the former Qianniu Guard.
After carefully examining Li Xuan's identity document, it was confirmed that it was correct. The other party frowned and looked at Li Xuan: "Your honor, Master?"
"Master Xuan Zang, Master, should have entered the capital at this moment." Li Xuan raised her hand and performed a Tai Chi salute very seriously.
"Please forgive me, Master Lingji. I have been ordered to investigate the murderer. Please open the suitcase you are carrying with you. After verifying that it is correct, I will let you go." This Qianniu guard was not at all worried about Li Xuan's behavior. The Taoist identity does not give in at all, but demands a more profound examination.
"Wraps are OK, but suitcases are not." Li Xuan frowned and asked subconsciously: "What happened? Why are you so nervous?"
This place is less than a hundred miles away from the sacred capital of Luoyang, so it can be said that it arrives in the morning and in the evening.
On a rainy night like this, a large number of Qianniu Guards, who were responsible for guarding the palace, suddenly appeared at the foot of Songshan Mountain for no apparent reason, and then conducted a large-scale and rigorous search.
What was this for, what happened?
"Taoist Master, this is not a request, but an order." Qianniu Weishui did not retreat at all. One hand slowly fell on the handle of the knife at his waist. He stared at Li Xuan's every move with cold eyes, as if If he makes any rash move, he will be killed immediately with thunder.
The two Qianniu Guards next to them also prepared their attack postures at the same time, as if the person in front of them was their life and death enemy.
"It doesn't have to be like this." Li Xuan waved his hands calmly. These people in front of him were indeed Luoyang's Qianniu Guards, so he could breathe a sigh of relief.
With a wave of his hand, he reached into his arms and took out a black wood token. Li Xuan flashed it in front of the three Qianniu Guards and immediately took it back.
The expressions of the three Qianniu Guards immediately changed, and at the same time they looked completely relaxed: "Your Excellency?"
"According to the order, enter the capital." Li Xuan stretched out his hand and whispered: "My identity document."
"Return it to you." Qian Niuwei returned Li Xuan's identity document with a serious face, and at the same time whispered: "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it back to Luoyang tonight. It's best for you to stay here for one night and go back tomorrow. Enter the City of Gods.”
Li Xuan's face immediately froze. This was a hidden warning. Li Xuan nodded knowingly. Although he didn't know why on such a rainy night, a large number of Qianniu Guards were hunting for the murderer overnight. He thought something big had happened.
"Thank you, this..." Li Xuan bowed slightly and joined her hands, thanking the other party for reminding her on this matter.
"Zuo Qianniu Guards Qianniu Preparation Qiu Zhenmu." While introducing himself, Qiu Zhenmu also stared at Li Xuan.
Even though Li Xuan's wrist flashed very fast just now, Qiu Zhenmu could still clearly see the personal identity on his token: Right Qianniu Guard and Left Lingjizi.
The left and right Qianniu Guards have different responsibilities. Although they are both in charge of the palace guards, they both have powers that exceed those of ordinary guards.
In addition to the palace guards, the left Qianniu guard is responsible for royal inspections and arrests, and the right Qianniu guard is responsible for anti-smuggling and spying. They are the most convenient killing weapons used by the empress secretly.
Although there was nothing wrong with the Right Qianniu Guard token that Li Xuan took out just now, the way he took it out too decisively made people suspicious.
If you hold an important position, under normal circumstances, you cannot disclose your identity even if you are tortured.
"Qiu Zhenmu, the second son of Colonel Guo Yi Qiu Shenyan." Li Xuan looked at the person in front of her in surprise. The Qiu family was considered a famous family in the Tang Dynasty.
Starting from Qiu Shou, the general of Zhendong in the Western Wei Dynasty, his son Qiu He successively served as the prefect of Jiaozhi in the Sui Dynasty and general Zuo Yiwei. In the Tang Dynasty, he served as the prefect of Shangzhu State, the prefect of Jiaozhou, and the Duke of Tan Guo.
Qiu He had fifteen sons, most of whom served as high-ranking officials. Among them, Qiu Xinggong was the most famous.
Qiu and his eldest son Qiu Shi were the generals of Shangzhu Kingdom and Zuojianmen, the governor of Jizhou, and the duke of Meicheng County.
Master Qiu had two sons, Qiu Yingqi, the captain of Guoyi in Longquan Prefecture and the son of Kaiguo in Linji County; Qiu Shenyan, the captain of Guoyi in Gaoling Prefecture.
Qiu Zhenmu, the second son of Guoyi Colonel Qiu Shenyan, is currently the sixth rank Qianniu Preparatory Officer of Qianniu Guards.
Strange, why is he here to search tonight?
In an instant, Li Xuan had a more intuitive understanding of the seriousness of what happened tonight.
"It turns out he's not an outsider." Li Xuan raised his hand and said politely: "When I was serving in the Zuo Qianniu Guards in Chang'an, the Lieutenant Commander of the Zuo Qianniu Guards was none other than General Qiu Shenji, my uncle. I will be inconvenienced tonight, but I will wait until another day. I will definitely come and visit you.”
Although Li Xuan's words were cordial, she never revealed her true identity, which made Qiu Zhenmu feel relieved.
This is normal. His behavior just now may only mean that the task he is currently undertaking is not heavy.
However, the other party was once a subordinate of his uncle Qiu Shenji. He transferred from Zuo Qianniuwei to Right Qianniuwei. For a moment, Qiu Zhenmu felt a little pity for him.
After all, his uncle was so strict that even his nephews and sons were unwilling to get close to him.
It was really difficult to inquire about the other party's true identity and responsibilities, Qiu Zhenmu could only hand it over: "I'll see you all."
Li Xuan nodded slightly, and his eyes fell on the other person's head inadvertently, because there had been no changes in the other person's body all this time, but when Li Xuan mentioned the three words "Qiu Shenji", a line of words appeared above the other person's head.
[Qiu Zhenmu, a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, and the nephew of Qiu Shenji, the general of Zuo Jinwu's lieutenant general; Qiu Shenji, a cruel official, forced the crown prince Li Xian to commit suicide. 】
