On the risks and benefits of falling in love with a prince

Zhao Tang held back his tears, carried Liu Rui on his shoulders, walked through the backyard of this family, and came out from the front door.The labyrinth-like alleys are narrow and dirty, and can't be drawn on any map, but Zhao Tang is used to walking.Occasionally, patrol soldiers blocked the way, and Zhao Tang killed them with a single blow.

Soon, the two arrived at a small river passing through the city.Zhao Tang jumped into the river, put Liu Rui on his back, and got into the dark drainage ditch.

The ditch was dark and long, and the walls were slippery, and the mice crawled around "squeaking".Zhao Tang didn't have a torch, so he walked instinctively in the dark, not sure if he was walking correctly.

Liu Rui lay on Zhao Tang's back, with his face pressed against Zhao Tang's neck, breathing weakly: "Let me go by myself."

Zhao Tang said: "You have an injury, if you touch the wound with water, it will be over. I have no medicine on me."

Liu Rui was silent for a while, then suddenly asked: "Then do you have any money?"

Zhao Tang said: "Yes! In my arms..." As soon as he stepped forward, he suddenly felt that his arms were empty, and the bag of five baht coins he carried before leaving disappeared.Was it lost during a fight?He gathered himself together and said with a smile, "It's okay, I don't have any money, and I'm still here!"

The underground ditches have been in disrepair for a long time, and some abandoned pipes no longer drain water and become dry and cool. The homeless poor live in them, forming a huge underground city.However, Zhao Tang has been walking for a long time and has not met any living people.

There is no light underground, and people cannot feel the passage of time.Zhao Tang only felt that he was walking in an infinitely dark and infinitely long corridor, heading towards death.Only Liu Rui on his back was warm and soft, exhaling hot air, reminding him that this place is still human.

After walking for a long time, Zhao Tang's knees were shaking with hunger, and he and Liu Rui sat down to rest in a dry place.

Liu Rui leaned against Zhao Tang's arms, and said softly, "Are we going to die?"

Zhao Tang touched Liu Rui's nose, pinched it lightly, and said with a smile: "Don't talk about frustration, I have had a more difficult time, and I can't die."

But Liu Rui said: "I shouldn't hide on the mountain, I shouldn't implicate you..."

Zhao Tang said: "Don't talk, save some energy."

Liu Rui shook his head and said intermittently: "At that time, I thought I couldn't survive. I knew you might leave, but I still wanted to go up the mountain... I wanted to see you for the last time."

Zhao Tang's heart became hot, and all kinds of tenderness surged in his chest.He lightly patted Liu Rui on the back and comforted him: "In the future, we will all live a long life. It's okay to see a thousand or ten thousand faces. I'm old and ugly. If you don't want to see me, you can."

Liu Rui smiled slightly, unable to speak, hugged Zhao Tang's arm.Zhao Tang said: "Go to sleep, we will come out when we wake up."

Liu Rui fell asleep.Zhao Tang leaned against the pipe wall to rest for a while, got up, and continued walking with Liu Rui on his back.

After walking for an unknown distance, a slippery thing crawled under his feet, and Zhao Tang knew intuitively that it was a snake.He grabbed the snake's body and threw it hard against the pipe wall.The snake was very long, hit the pipe wall with a "snap", and then fell into the water.Zhao Tang pulled out his knife and fiddled with the snake. After confirming that the snake was dead, he cut off the snake's head, peeled off the snake's skin, and stuffed the raw meat into his mouth.

The raw snake meat was cold and fishy, ​​it was hard to chew, so Zhao Tang swallowed it whole.He was eating when Liu Rui woke up on his back and asked, "What are you eating?"

Zhao Tang was shocked and said, "It's nothing."

Liu Rui said: "Give me some."

Zhao Tang hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's... raw meat..."

Liu Rui said "hmm", Zhao Tang pinched a bit and fed it into Liu Rui's mouth.Liu Rui's lips were very soft. He took the snake meat, chewed it and swallowed it.Zhao Tang smiled and said, "You used to refuse to eat leftovers." Liu Rui said, "Really?" ...that was more than ten years ago."

Zhao Tang said: "That happened last year!"

Liu Rui was a little panicked: "Oh, yes, it was last year, I remembered wrongly."

Zhao Tang felt strange and thought to himself: "After he was assassinated in the night market, he became very strange, not only unpredictable, but also always said old-fashioned things." But he had no time to think about it, so he ate half of the snake meat and put the rest in In his arms, he continued to set off with Liu Rui on his back.

This time they walked for a long time, until the snake meat was eaten up, Zhao Tang suspected that the two of them were going to starve to death.However, suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of him.Zhao Tang ran forward, passed through the narrow pipe, and his eyes suddenly opened up.

This is an underground lake, and there are dots of lights floating on the lake-every festive season, the rich people in Luoyang put out river lanterns, and when the lights run aground, the poor people in the underground pick up the lights and relight them for lighting.

With the faint light, Zhao Tang could see the surroundings clearly. It was a small market full of beggars, thieves, prostitutes, and young girls who escaped into the palace.Its goods are all that the upper world disdains or dares to circulate.

Liu Rui lay on Zhao Tang's back, looking at the star-studded underground lake, he gasped in shock.

Zhao Tang put Liu Rui down, dizzy for a moment, and said with a smile, "Rui Rui, we are saved."

The underground market was also very lively. Zhao Tang exchanged Qiushuang knife, his silk clothes, and hairpins for money, and then took Liu Rui to have a big meal.After eating and drinking, he asked the way, bought a torch, and continued on the road with Liu Rui.

The underground road is not dark, and the residents in the pipes are all lit with small lamps, shining brightly.Liu Rui observed all the way, and said in surprise: "There are a lot of girls here."

Zhao Tang said: "The dog emperor picked girls twice, regardless of whether they are married or not, as long as they are good-looking, they will be sent to the palace. Those poor girls who refuse to enter the palace and have no money to bribe can only hide with their families."

Liu Rui said angrily, "What did you call him?"

Zhao Tang smiled and said, "Father-in-law, my name is father-in-law, what did you hear?"

Liu Rui snorted and didn't speak.

Zhao Tang took Liu Rui's hand and walked through the dimly lit underground city. For a moment, he wanted to stay here forever and be a shameful couple with Liu Rui.But the underground city is extremely dangerous. Once there is a heavy rain, most of the residents will die. Plague, famine, and looting are full of here.This is hell on earth, there is no kingly law, and there is no future.

There was a torch to light the way, and a day later, Zhao Tang led Liu Rui out from the bank of Luoshui outside the city.

It was night when it came out, and the odorless wind was almost sweet; to eyes accustomed to darkness, the starry sky was as bright as day.

Liu Rui took a deep breath and smiled.Zhao Tang hugged him into his arms, kissed him, and said, "Baby, we escaped!"

Liu Rui also hugged Zhao Tang tightly, and said in a low voice, "From now on, we will never be separated, okay?"

Zhao Tang felt like fireworks were going off in his heart, and the joy exploded in all colors.He murmured intentionally, and Liu Rui said anxiously: "Although I am in trouble, I will be able to return to Luoyang and ascend the throne in the future. I will treat you better than before!"

Zhao Tang said: "The emperor has 72 concubines in the Sangong and Six Courtyards, and I don't want to be one of the 72."

Liu Rui said: "I'm not married, only you."

Zhao Tang said: "Really?"

Liu Rui nodded desperately: "It's very simple, as long as the crown prince is established early, my last life...cough, I mean it was like this in my dream."

Zhao Tang said: "King An agrees?"

Liu Rui's eyelids twitched, as if thinking of something terrible, and then he smiled and said, "After my father reunited, I already have a younger brother. I have no heirs, so of course he agrees to let my younger brother inherit the throne."

Zhao Tang couldn't help being happy when he heard Liu Rui's words sounded decent, and bowed his head and kissed Liu Rui on the mouth: "It's a deal, if you go back on your word, you will never do it."

Liu Rui said: "Huh?"

Zhao Tang glared at him, Liu Rui blushed, Qi Qi Ai said: "Okay, if I go back on my word, I will never...not raise..." The voice of the word "not raise" was very low.

Zhao Tang laughed loudly, and lay on the grass with Liu Rui in his arms.

The three days and three nights underground almost exhausted their energy.At this moment, the sky is full of stars, and the autumn insects are chirping. The two of them lie side by side, smelling the smell of the river, the soil and each other, and they feel extremely at ease.