Chapter 33 The Death of the Messenger

Outside the post hall of the Guishuang messenger, the triple encirclement surrounded the post hall. The innermost layer was the guard regiment of Guishuang. More than a hundred Guishuang warriors surrounded Ma Ming's room in the middle. They held weapons and looked vigilant. Some people still had tears in their eyes. Cobrador, the deputy envoy, was also a monk and a direct disciple of Ma Ming. At present, he put his palms together and stood in the porch, with tears in his eyes, looking at the fast-walking Yue Wang Buyuan.

Outside the Guishuang warriors, there are the guards arranged by Warage, the king of Aksum. These guards were originally responsible for the peripheral security of the Guishuang envoys. Usually, because nothing happened, they are a little lazy, but now, they stare their eyes round one by one and raise their attention to the highest level. I'm afraid I'll lose my head if I'm not careful.

The outermost layer is the Yue Guards just arranged by Xia Hourong. There were about 2,000 people, who surrounded all the Axum guards and Guishuang warriors in the middle, and isolated them from all kinds of people who came to inquire about the news. Ding Feng personally led the team and strictly ordered all the soldiers. No one was allowed to enter or leave without the permission of the king. Violators were killed on the spot. In order to prevent misunderstandings, Xia Herong arranged interpreters who knew various languages to keep shouting. At the same time, he also posted slogans on the main streets, announcing that due to the death of Ma Ming, martial law was imposed in the nearby area to avoid being disturbed by people with ulterior motives.

Ma Ming suddenly died in the post office. This matter suddenly spread all over the city of Axum, which is not very large. Although Axum City, like Rome, mainly believes in the polytheism of the Romans, there are also many Buddhists. As soon as they heard the news, they gathered here. When Sun Shao's step arrived, dozens of people had gathered. They still didn't know the reason. They wanted to inquire, but they were blocked by the Yue soldiers. They couldn't help but feel a little anxious. I don't know who said something, and several monks shouted loudly. They waved their arms at the Yuewang step that had just stopped. He shouted loudly.)

Sun Shao heard the shouts of the monks. He stopped and turned his head to look at the excited monks. He turned his head and ordered Xia Hourong. Xia Hourong immediately walked over with several guards and bowed to the two leading monks: "Are you here to visit Ma Ming?"

The interpreter who followed him immediately translated his words. The two monks listened and looked at each other. One of the older ones put their hands together and bowed and saluted: "Exactly, we heard that Venerable Ma Ming suddenly died. We were very surprised and rushed to inquire, but the soldiers of your country blocked us and refused to let us in. We respect Venerable Ma Ming very much. He suddenly ascended to heaven. We are very sad and angry. We hope to recite the sutras for him. Please allow us to go in.

Xia Hourong gave another salute: "Your respect for Venerable Ma Ming, my king is very moved, but Venerable Ma Ming has just passed away, and some of them are still unclear. Maybe there are some conspiracies hidden in it. If you make a noise here, it may affect my king's judgment of right and wrong. Maybe there will be evil people because of this. Escape. Please understand the painstaking work of my king. Don't be bored. Venerable Ma Ming is a guest invited by my king. He died unexpectedly here. My king has the responsibility to find out the facts and ask for your cooperation.

The monks listened to Xia Hourong's words and saw that he said bluntly that the death of Venerable Ma Ming was not normal. They couldn't help looking at each other and discussing a few words. The leading monks shook their heads and comforted the people next to them. Then they said to Xia Hourong, "Since the general said so, we are more I need to go in and have a look. It's not that we don't believe in the king and the general, but we really want to know how the Venerable died. He turned around and pointed to more and more monks and said sincerely, "General, if we can't get the right news, I'm afraid there will be rumors to deceive people."

Xia Hourong nodded: "It's not that I won't let you in, I just hope everyone can be quieter. The king has an order and is asking the relevant people to wait for the scene. Even if you don't come, the king will send someone to invite you. It's just that the space inside is limited, and it is impossible to accommodate all the people. Please recommend a few people to go in and check together.

When the monk heard this, he nodded repeatedly, turned around and discussed with the crowd. The monks also agreed very much. They calmed down and quickly recommended a few people to follow Xia Hourong in. The others consciously sat down on both sides of the street, sat cross-legged, closed their eyes and recited the scriptures, and the detailed and solemn chanting spread beside the post hall. Come on, gradually suppressed the noise and shrouded the whole post hall in sadness.

Shapur and Varag, who had just been invited to get the news, saw this situation and looked at each other coincidentally. Varag looked nervous and sweated coldly. Shapur's face was expressionless, but the corners of his eyes couldn't help twitching. They instinctively accelerated their pace, passed through the monks, rushed behind Sun Shao, and bowed.

"You two came so fast." Sun Shao smiled faintly, and his smile flashed from his face, replaced by a heavy face and anger: "King Aksum, the noble frost messenger died violently in the post hall. As masters, we have an inescapable responsibility. As King Aksum, you are the first responsible person. I have ordered to surround the post hall, and you will have it immediately. All the people in charge of Guan are called here. I will ask them in front of you and find out their respective responsibilities.

Wallag wiped the dense sweat on his forehead tremblingly, answered repeatedly, walked to the front of an Axum guard, and roared a few words loudly. The guard listened, even kowtowed, and then got up and flew up.

Sun Shao turned around and greeted Cobrador: "I'm very sad about the death of His Holiness. As soon as I heard the news, I rushed here immediately. Don't worry, I will definitely give you a way, and I won't let the venerable die wrongedly.

Cobrador is really uncomfortable. Ma Ming is a Buddhist with a deep Taoism. He is not only profound knowledge, but also very honest. He never quarrels with people. Even when negotiating, everyone disagrees. He is also very gentle and reasonable. He has not even spoken loudly. Today's negotiation is back. After that, he meditated in the room and did his homework. It was always very normal. Who knew that he didn't come out when the time came in. When he went in, Ma Ming had fallen to the ground with no breath. His eyes were wide open, and he seemed to see something very horrible.

As soon as Cobrador saw this scene, he immediately felt suspicious. He notified the palace as soon as possible. The king of Yue was not in the palace. Xia Hourong received him. After hearing his report, Xia Hourong's first thing was to order the imperial guard to surround the post. No one was allowed to enter and no one was allowed to leave. Cobrador was very angry and felt that Xia Hourong was not handled properly, and Sun Shao did not show up later, which made him even more unhappy. Originally, he planned to vent as soon as he saw Sun Shao, but now he admits that he is responsible as soon as Sun Shao opens his mouth, and promises that he will give him a satisfactory confession. There is no intention to shirk responsibility at all. He is a little embarrassed.

"King..." As soon as Cobrador opened his mouth, tears came down: "The venerable man devoted himself to the Buddha all his life and never did evil. Unexpectedly, he said goodbye to the world in this way. It's really sad."

"Please express your condolences." Xia Hourong also advised: "The most important thing at present is to find out how the venerable died, whether it was killed by anniper or for other reasons. The messenger must also know that the Venerable is not only your teacher, but also the messenger of Guishuang. He came to Aksum City to bear the high expectations of King Guishuang. If his death has affected the friendly relationship between Guishuang and me in Vietnam, it may have been tricked by some annihminers.

Cobrador nodded. He was not unaware of this, but was disturbed by Ma Ming's death. Now after listening to Xia Hourong's reminder, he has understood that Xia Hourong did not arrange people to surround the post hall out of malice, and the resistance in his heart naturally went away, and he was a little grateful for Xia Hourong's arrangement.

Cobrador invited Sun Shao to enter, but Sun Shao shook his head: "I want to invite the Roman emperor to come, and then we will go in together. This matter makes me so angry. I want to find out the real reason for the death of the venerable in front of the four countries.

When Cobrador listened, it was not easy to persuade him. Fortunately, Alexander arrived soon. He looked at Sun Shao with an unexpected face and asked what was going on with his eyes. Sun Shao shook his head slowly, saying that he didn't know. Alexander took another look at Shapur and Varag next to him. Shapur looked sad, but Varag couldn't hide his nervousness. He couldn't help humming and entered the inner courtyard side by side with Sun Shao.

Master Ma Ming has been flattened on a silk carpet, and his eyes are still wide open. He looks straight at the blue and black roof, and his mouth is slightly open, as if he is talking about something. Sun Shao looked at it and bowed slightly. Alexander and others also expressed their condolences. The representatives of the monks stepped forward and circled around the body of Venerable Ma Ming twice. After the older monk checked the body of Venerable Ma Ming, he looked at a loss. He talked softly with the monks, and then He came straight to Cobrador and said something softly. Cobrador nodded repeatedly and seemed to agree with him very much. The monk walked back again, sat cross-legged next to Ma Ming's body with several companions, formed fingerprints, and chanted softly, corresponding to the Sanskrit sound outside.

"Your envoy, have you checked the body of the venerable and know how he died?" Xia Hourong took a step forward and asked in a peaceful voice.

Cobrador frowned, hesitated for a moment, and shook his head slowly: "I don't know."

Sun Shao was a little surprised. Since it is said that Ma Ming's death was abnormal, why didn't he know the cause of death? He glanced at Cobrador and felt that his expression was a little strange, as if he knew something, but he refused to say yes. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Alexander and others and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, please come forward and check together to see if there are any suspicious traces on the remains of Venerable Ma Ming."

Alexander nodded, walked forward without thinking, bent down and checked carefully. Shapur hesitated for a moment and followed him to look at it. Varaga was about to go up, but Sun Shao grabbed him and said seriously, "My King Aksum, you know, this is the land of my Yue Kingdom and the capital of your King Aksum. The respected Ma Ming suddenly died here. If there is indeed If there is any conspiracy, you have the responsibility to expose the conspiracy and prove to me that you have the ability to manage this land and the ability to ensure the safety of our guests, you know?

Waragar couldn't help raising his arm, wiped the sweat that had never stopped since here, and nodded in panic. Then he stepped forward and looked at it carefully. Then he closed his eyes, bowed to Ma Ming, muttered a few words, and then reached out to turn him over. Come here. Cobrador frowned and was about to come forward to stop him. Xia Hourong stretched out his hand to stop him: "Your envoy, please believe that King Aksum did not mean to offend. He did this to find out the truth."

Cobrador nodded helplessly, turned his head, and couldn't bear to look again.

Varage looked carefully for a long time before he came back. He looked at Sun Shao with a little wandering eyes. Obviously, he was puzzled and nervous.

"How's it going?" Sun Shao looked at him and Alexander and Shapur: "Can you see what's wrong?"

Several people didn't say anything. Shapur held his beard and said nothing. He looked at the body on the ground and didn't know what he was thinking. Alexander thought for a moment and said directly, "Your Majesty, I think it's very strange that there is no scar on the body of the venerable, and there is no sign of being killed, but his expression is horrible. He clearly saw something that scared him very much. Is it... Was he scared to death?"

Before he finished his words, Cobrador snorted and interrupted him: "How can you be scared to death? Your Majesty, please be careful not to insult the reputation of His Holiness.

"What do you think is the cause of your death?" Xia Hourong immediately asked.

Cobrador was speechless, moved his lips a few times, and shook his head helplessly: "I really don't know."

"If there are no scars, it doesn't mean that there are no injuries." Shapur suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him at the same time. Shapur bowed to Cobrador and said respectfully, "Please forgive me. I'm just guessing that there is a possibility, and I don't want to belittle the cultivation of the venerable."

Kebrado snorted unhappily. Shapur didn't have to speak, he knew what he wanted to say. As soon as he saw Ma Ming's face, he felt strange. Ma Ming died, but there was no trauma at all. In his understanding, there are two ways to cause such a death. One is to poison. There are many jungles in the north of Tianzhu. There are poisonous snakes, and the poison is not rare, but he can confirm that Ma Ming did not die of poison, because the person who died of the poison can be seen from the appearance. Then there is only one thing left, that is the forbidden spell.

Buddhism does not believe in forbidden spells. When Buddha was alive, he said many times not to believe in forbidden spells. He also used his own experience to explain that forbidden spells were invalid, because there were many people who founded Buddhism and wanted him to die. Among them, there were many Brahmins who were famous for being proficient in forbidden spells, but he was safe and sound. However, with the increase of Buddhist sects and the complexity of doctrines, some Buddhists began to believe in the forbidden mantra. They also explained that the Buddha was not afraid of the forbidden mantra because his Dharma was profound, so whether he could resist the harm of the forbidden mantra was also one of the reasons why the Dharma practice was profound.

Guishuang is a multi-religious country. In addition to Buddhism, there are also many sects such as Christianity and Brahmanism, including the original witchcraft trusted by the Dayue people. Although Cobrador does not have a forbidden spell, he is not unfamiliar with the forbidden spell. In the case of Ma Ming, the greatest possibility is to die from the forbidden spell.

But Cobrador can't admit that Ma Ming died of the forbidden curse. Ma Ming is a famous venerable. His cultivation is profound, his status in Guishuang country is respected, and it is also one of the symbols to protect Buddhism in Guishuang's national foot. How can such a person be injured by the forbidden curse? If it is true, doesn't it mean that Buddhism is not as good as other religions, at least it will affect Ma Ming's reputation. As Ma Ming's direct disciple, he will never allow such a thing to happen.

Although Shapur saw that Cobrador's face was not good, he continued to say: "For example, I, Zoroastrian, have a spell that can burn the heart with sacred fire, but the skin and flesh are not hurt. Most of the dead have strange looks caused by pain." He bowed to Cobrador again and shook his head and said, "But Venerable Ma Ming has a profound cultivation. If you want to hurt him, it is only possible for the high priest of my temple to come. And although people who are hurt by the sacred flame can't be traumatated, their faces are blood red and have been moxibusted, and Ma Ming's face is pale. Obviously, this is not the case.

Kebrado's eyes flashed. What he was most suspicious of was Shapur, because Guishuang's current two major enemies, one is Yue and the other is Sassan. Yue's strength is not as Sasanne's. Now in order to contain Sasanne, he is pulling Guishuang. It should be said that he will not attack Ma Ming at this time. If the Sassans kill Ma Ming here, it may cause Guishuang to have a bad relationship with Vietnam. Not only can they not cooperate with Vietnam to contain Sassan, but they may also become Sassan's allies. On the whole, Shapur's suspicion was the greatest, but Shapur took the initiative to tell the secret of the Zoroastrian sect's forbidden spell of burning the heart of the sacred flame, which shook his suspicion. He had never heard of such a thing as burning the heart of the sacred flame. He thought it was a high secret of Zoroastism. If Shapur didn't say it, he would certainly not have thought of that, and Shapur took the initiative to say it, which showed that he was very frank.

Shapur looked at the change of Cobrador's face in his eyes, smiled, turned his head and said to Sun Shao, "The distant Eastern Han Dynasty had more profound knowledge. I think there must be this kind of secret method, right?"

Sun Shao picked up the corners of his mouth and guessed Shapur's psychology clearly. He deliberately told the secret of the burning of the sacred flame, and then denied it. He left himself aside first, and then pointed the finger at him. Such a trick looks very smart, but for the second person who has never been afraid to treat others with conspiracy, Such a trick is simply not technical at all. If Shapur didn't behave like this, he might just suspect Shapur and not be sure. Now, he has to say that Uncle Sun is very angry and the consequences are very serious.

"Yes." Sun Shao said bluntly, "And I can do one."

Everyone was immediately stunned, and Cobrador's eyes widened and looked at Sun Shao in surprise.

(to be continued)