Record of ups and downs in troubled times

"Does Mr. Ying know about Ying's martyrdom?"

The Ying family was a prominent family in the south, and the country they died in was not the Liu family of the dynasty, but the Ji country, which was originally a peaceful corner.Although the Ying clan had fallen out of favor in the last few years of the Ji Kingdom's lingering days, but after the Ji Kingdom was destroyed, the Ying clan was buried for the country to repay the country's kindness.

"Yeah, I know." Hearing Zhou Zheng asked about this, Ying Guzi answered very flatly, "Uncle told me about it."

His tone is relaxed, as if this is someone else's family business.Zhou Zheng immediately became cautious, and looked him over calmly.

"You're not very old, so you probably haven't experienced it. I just don't know if that uncle of yours participated in it?" Zhou Zhengfu asked, focusing on the young man's face with dozens of extra thoughts, wanting to See even a trace of strangeness.

"Probably not?" Yingguzi stopped asking.He tilted his head and thought for a moment, and deduced: "My uncle said that he returned to the mansion after our clan was destroyed, and he didn't even see my father for the last time. According to him, he should have escaped by chance. Passed a martyrdom."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Zhou Zheng still persevered, but the ugly behavior of questioning other people's family affairs, when it came to him, seemed to be just gossip. "However, what do you mean by the 'last side' you mentioned? Could it be that your father and your uncle parted ways after the martyrdom?"

"It's not an exaggeration to say that we parted ways." When Ying Guzi talked about his father, he didn't miss him very much. It should be because he had never gotten along with his father, so he didn't have much affection. "My father died in martyrdom, but my uncle survived by accident. Isn't that just parting ways?"

Zhou Zheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes almost popping out.Not only that, he also felt a horrific chill on his back, and the hair under his clothes almost stood on end.

"You just said that your father died when Yingshi died for the country?"

"Yes." Ying Guzi didn't understand why Zhou Zheng was surprised, and turned to Zhou Zheng blankly.

Zhou Zheng tried his best to put his pounding heart back to its original place, as if facing an enemy, he asked in a low voice, "Then how old are you now?"

Yingguzi didn't understand the meaning of his words for a moment.When he realized it, he understood the deep meaning of Zhou Zheng's words: the death of the Ji family and the death of the Ying family have a history of 50 years. If it is true as his uncle said, Gu Zi is indeed a descendant of the Ying family, The one standing here is not a person, but something else...

After Tan Yan returned, the emperor slept for a long time.

He didn't even move for lunch, and slept on the couch until night.He didn't get up to eat until the moonlight was thinning and the sunlight was faintly throbbing.He didn't want to be uncomfortable with even this little thing.

Zhou Zheng watched as he stretched out his silver chopsticks, first picked up an emerald green vegetable leaf, then twisted a finger-long crispy pastry, and then took a spoonful of soup to drink, expecting that the emperor had at least something in his belly When it was over, he stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, something has happened. Tan Zhonglang was arrested by Zhi Jinwu."

Moreover, this Habayashi Zhonglang not only violated the law of the curfew: he also killed someone, and the person who killed was Commander Feng's "wife"—Jin Mo.

What happened was clear and beyond doubt: after the curfew, Tan Yun went out of the Tan mansion to Feng Shu's place, and secretly killed Mrs. Jin Mo who was taken away the day before yesterday.When being chased by Feng Shuxing's subordinates, it happened that Zhi Jinwu, who was patrolling in the city, was caught between the two sides and was finally caught.

As for how to deal with it, it is also very clear: Violating the curfew law should have been sentenced to death.But Tan Yun knew the law, but he still wanted to break the law as Habayashi Zhonglang. He took the lead in attacking Zhi Jinwu with his sword, and caused one death and five wounds to Zhi Jinwu.

Secondly, Feng Shuxing lived in the other courtyard of King Xiang in Beijing. Although King Xiang had never lived in this courtyard, it was still considered the royal family's territory.Breaking into someone else's house is not counted, and if you commit a lower crime, the crime will be aggravated, and you will be punished according to the law.

Third, the person Tan Yun killed was actually Mrs. Feng's family. Murdering the lives of relatives of officials in the DPRK "without reason" is even more punishable according to the law.

Calculated one by one, Tan Yun's life has been wiped out.

In fact, there was no need to deal with it "according to the law". When he was carried to the palace by Zhi Jinwu, he had already been beaten so that his head was covered with blood, and he was only half breathed.According to reports from Zhi Jinwu and other young generals under his subordinates, most of the injuries came from the servants of Prince Xiang's Mansion and Feng Shuxing's subordinates, which can be regarded as a private fight in the capital.

The crime of fighting privately in the capital city is unclear.Liu Pu can definitely punish the servants of Prince Xiang's Mansion and Feng Shuxing's subordinates on the basis of this crime, but the premise is that if he wants to convict these people, Tan Yun must first admit to the death penalty of "breaking into a private house at night and murdering relatives".

The emperor sat in an ear room next to the main hall of Jingren Palace, twirling two porcelain rosary beads with his fingertips.Kneeling in front of him were Huben Zhonglang General Zou Ji who was begging for Tanyun's life, and King Xiaoxiang who had come to ask Feng Shuxing for an explanation; King Xiang's troops were badly injured.

Dilemma.

He stood up suddenly, still twirling the two porcelain beads, and walked slowly towards the main hall, passing the pretentious and aggressive King Xiang, and Zou Ji, who was silent and kneeling with a pleading expression on his face. .

Dozens of people in the hall hastily made way for the emperor, extending straight to the foot of Tan Yun.

Habayashi Nakaro, who used to be handsome in the past, is now bound by ropes all over his body, leaning on the red lacquered courtyard pillar in the hall.The blood on his head and face came from a gash on his forehead, and it was faintly solidified at this moment; the cuts on his legs were deep, revealing hideous flesh.Other than that, there were countless wounds, large and small.

The emperor walked up to Tan Yun, bent his knees and squatted down.

The congealed blood on his forehead happened to stick to the lid of Tan Yun's left eye, and he struggled to open it several times before he looked back at the emperor's eyes covered in blood.

"Tell me, the way to save you." Liu Pu's voice was not high, and it happened that only Tan Yun could hear it. "For example, the secret of this matter, the doubts of King Xiang..."

"Why?" Tan Yun's lips were scorched due to excessive blood loss, and even his voice was intermittent, like a dry well under the scorching sun.

"What why?!" At the critical moment, Liu Pu was very anxious, and his tone became even more impatient.He hastily explained: "Why else? You are my master, Tan Yangui's father, and elder brother's best friend. How could I push you into the tiger's mouth?! Think about it carefully, is there any loophole in this matter?" Can it be drilled?"

"No," Tan Yangui, who was leaning on the vermilion lacquer pillar, panted heavily, coughing up a trace of blood foam from the corner of his mouth.He said to the emperor weakly: "Let me die."

"Be sober!" Liu Pu couldn't help but reached out and grabbed Tan Yun's shoulders, shaking him back and forth twice, "Listen to me, think about it carefully, can you refuse to accept this matter and just hide it?"

"No." Tan Yun was shaken forward and backward by him, and he fell forward, just leaning on the emperor's shoulder.The moment he put his head on Liu Pu's shoulder, the voice that was still weak just now became urgent: "The person who led the minister out of the mansion, judging by his skill, should be a member of the imperial guards. Zhi Jinwu and King Xiang have already mixed in A lot of scum."

Liu Pu's eyes widened suddenly: It's unbelievable that even the emperor's most trusted imperial guards have a different heart!

"Kill the minister," Tan Yun swallowed with difficulty, his voice rustling, "then take the opportunity to clean them up."

"It doesn't matter," the emperor forced himself to calm down, comforted Tan Yun in a deep voice, and even comforted himself: "Live first, and find another time to clean up the house."

"No," it was so close that whenever Tan Yun opened his mouth, the emperor could smell the blood from his mouth. "I ran into Feng Shuxing's backyard by chance, and realized that the number of soldiers he brought into Beijing was not as small as it appeared on the surface. Killed the minister, and then searched those other courtyards on the charge of private fighting among officials, forcing him to leave. Go back to the south! As soon as possible!"

If you want to search and clean up the side forces, you must first be charged with "private fighting"; if you want to be convicted of "private fighting", you must first turn yourself in; and once Tan Yun turns himself in, he must be the first in the case. a dead man.

This is an endless loop.

"Even if it's cleaned up, so what." Liu Pu couldn't help but feel a little depressed as the lifeless cycle turned in his mind. "With you alone as bait, how can you catch a whole pool of fish?"

"Who told Your Majesty to catch all the fish in this pond?" Tan Yun laughed softly, the blood froth around his mouth gathered into a bubble that swelled and burst with a puff.The look in his eyes was as if the one in front of him was not the emperor, but a child who still needed his protection. "Do you still remember how I taught you martial arts before? Blocking with a sword is not for the next attack, but to suspend the enemy's offensive, and then..."

"run!"

Tan Yun was warning him, just in case, there might be a time when he had to flee the capital in the future.Everything that is done now, although it is unlikely to win back the defeat, but it can keep Qingshan forever.

This is a trick to retreat.

The emperor gently pushed Tan Yun away and stood up.

"You," he pointed to a random person, and ordered, "go invite Luo Yushi."

Luo Ke, the imperial historian, served as a picket in the court.Now King Xiang is relentless, and Tan Yun is extremely uncooperative, so he can only hope that Luo Ke will find a way to bring King Xiao Xiang under control.Officials in the DPRK and China more or less have a record with the doctor Yushi, so it is better to use this as a threat to force him to let go.

"Luo Yushi," a leading servant of Prince Xiang's Mansion looked around and boldly stood up, "Your Majesty, someone from Ting Wei's prison was about to report to you about Luo Yushi's imprisonment. Later, Fu Zongzheng sent someone to call He left, and before he left, he also entrusted me with a message that he would come back at night and report to you in detail."

Fu Zongzheng?Fu Xiyuan?

According to the law of the court, the Central Prison is under the jurisdiction of its higher authorities, and the Zhongdu Prison has its own Lingcheng, and each belongs to its Shaofu and Zongzheng.Doctor Yushi is an important official in the court, and he should be detained in Ruolu Prison or Zuodu Sikong Prison specially separated from Tingwei Prison, and Fu Zongzheng happens to have partial control over it.Coupled with the backing of his master surnamed Cheng, there's nothing that bastard Fu Shu can't do!

bottom of form

The emperor took a deep breath before restraining the urge to kill the Cheng family's dog.

It just happened to be at this time that the trouble was launched, and it seemed that the fat pig of King Xiaoxiang had also been thrown into the Cheng family's pigsty.

Liu Pu gritted his teeth secretly for a moment, then turned his head to look at the dying Tan Yun.

"General Yubayashi Zhonglang, I will be dealt with by the Ting Wei according to the law. Those who participate in private fights under the Prince Xiang's Mansion and Feng Shuxing will be severely punished according to the law." The emperor slowly squatted down in front of Tan Yun's feet, staring at this piece of paper. There were bloodstained faces in the wrinkles, and when the eyes met, each of them understood the other's decision.

"Tan Zhonglang, you are an old minister by my side." As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently wiped a bloodstain from the corner of his forehead, "I will ask you one last time, do you admit to the crime they described?"

Tan Yun lifted the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled, and answered without any hesitation: "Yes."

As soon as the word was uttered, the emperor's finger just slid to the corner of his mouth. In just a split second, he felt a suffocating coldness coming from his mouth, and a bead-like thing quickly melted into a puddle of ice water. , slipped down the throat.

It turns out that these two porcelain bead-like things are not made of porcelain.

When the emperor withdrew his hand, Tan Yun's head had already drooped heavily and he lost his breath.

He gently stood up on his knees, looked around, and said coldly: "According to Zhi Jinwu, the sinner Tan Yun's body injury was done by the subordinates of Prince Xiang's Mansion and Feng's family. Killing an important official in the court. What crime should I be convicted of?"