turmoil

On Zhang Jingche's first night in the black mine, countless people did not sleep well.In the imperial capital thousands of miles away, Zhang Jingsu was sitting alone in the forbidden palace. The lamp on the table was like a bean, unable to reflect the splendor of the palace city. She held the white jade pendant and rubbed it back and forth, perhaps she had never left her body these days. , the patina on the jade pendant became more and more lustrous.

When Liu Yanzhao entered the hall, Zhang Jingsu was wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Her eye sockets were reddish, and it seemed that there were still wet tears.

Liu Yanzhao frowned slightly, waved his hands away from the eunuch who wanted to inform him, and walked up to him: "Isn't this the wishful pendant sent by Zhang Tongzhi?"

Zhang Jingsu was distracted for a while, and didn't pay attention to Liu Yanzhao's footsteps. He couldn't help being startled, and hurriedly got up to apologize: "I didn't know His Highness was coming, so I was far away to welcome you. I hope..."

Liu Yanzhao waved his hand, interrupted her series of routine apologies, sat down at the table with his clothes up: "Why, have you cried?"

Zhang Jingsu wiped the corners of his eyes, and said with a nonchalant smile, "It's nothing...just now the wind blew in, and I accidentally lost my eyes."

This is the style of women in the palace who want to refuse and welcome. Liu Yanzhao has been immersed in it since he was a child, and he has seen it too much, and it is really boring.Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered something: Zhang Jingche never pretended to talk to the nobles in the palace, why did he treat Zhang Jingsu differently, and even gave him a generous congratulatory gift?These two people are from the same hometown, and their names are so similar. Could it be that they are old acquaintances?

Thinking of this, Liu Yanzhao took the tea bowl from Zhang Jingsu, skimmed off the scum with the lid, and said casually, "Zhang Tongzhi seems to have been thinking about you all the time, and he didn't forget to send congratulatory gifts when he came to Jiangnan...Why, you two knew each other before?"

Zhang Jingsu was startled, the hand that cut the candle wick trembled, and a big ball of candle blossoms burst out.Seeing this, Liu Yanzhao became more and more sure of his guess, and an inexplicable depression surged in his chest, and he just pretended to be indifferent: "If you know him, you know him, it's not a big deal...Is he your relative?"

Zhang Jingsu regained his composure, remembered the Queen's instructions, dared not tell the truth, and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Of course not...he, his family and mine are in the same village, and the two families live close to each other. We are similar in age, and we have the same name. It's similar... It's just that the concubine entered the palace since childhood, and I haven't seen him for many years, and I can hardly remember what he looks like."

She carefully looked at Liu Yanzhao's expression, but saw his brows sinking slightly, and said in her mouth: "I haven't seen you for many years, you don't even remember what he looks like, but he still misses you... This childhood friendship should be quite deep, right? "

The crown prince was always kind and clear, and rarely dealt with his servants, but Zhang Jingsu was a little afraid of him for no reason, afraid that Liu Yanzhao's face would darken, and even more afraid that he would say some unclear words with a face that was difficult to distinguish between emotions and anger.Zhang Jingsu has been in the palace for many years, although he has been serving the queen all the time, he is really not a quick-witted and slick character, let alone try to figure out people's hearts.Seeing that Liu Yanzhao was in a bad mood, she panicked and hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty: "I know my mistake, Your Highness, please forgive me!"

Although Liu Yanzhao said he was unhappy, he didn't mean to ask for guilt - after all, this is not a big deal, who doesn't have a few old acquaintances?However, Zhang Jingsu's so pretentious, it seems that there is something hidden about this matter, which arouses Liu Yanzhao's suspicion.

He was silent for a moment, feeling that it was not good to get angry over such a trivial matter, but when he looked at Zhang Jingsu again, he was not pleasing to the eyes horizontally or vertically, and even his pretty face lost color.He was so upset that he simply couldn't see it—he put the tea bowl on the table lightly, got up and left.

The house full of eunuchs and courtiers retreated, leaving Zhang Jingsu alone kneeling on the ground, dripping with cold sweat.

The night passed quietly, and when the night slipped into the dawn, the unnamed island on the East China Sea also had waves.When the sky was bright, the patrolling Dongying sentry suddenly found a ship passing by in the distance. After a loud whistle, the warships that had been parked in the harbor swarmed out and surrounded the unsuspecting merchant ships. .

The owner of the merchant ship is a middle-aged man with a wretched face. How has he ever seen such a battle?Frightened, he fell to the ground and kowtowed.The Japanese leader got on the boat and gave his subordinates a wink, and the Dongying Ronin who followed him immediately rushed into the cabin and moved the cargo on the boat onto the deck one by one.

The captain of the ship was terrified, and grabbed the Japanese leader's collar and begged for mercy: "My lord... It's okay to give you all the goods. I just want to leave the villain with my life. The villain is willing to be your cow and horse." , repay the kindness!"

The leader of the Japanese people has traveled across the East China Sea for many years, and he is used to the servile and humble appearance of the Central Plains people.Hearing this, he picked up the captain's chin with the scabbard, and asked like a cat playing with a mouse: "Repay? What can you do? Sing and dance, or serve people to sleep?"

The Japanese around the deck heard the leader's frivolous sarcasm, and all burst into laughter.

The captain rolled his eyes and said in a low voice: "The villain has a treasure... As long as the uncle can spare the villain's life, the villain is willing to give it to me with both hands!"

The Japanese leader glanced at him, seeing that the captain's expression did not seem to be fake, he became a little interested: "What treasure? Come and listen to me!"

The captain lay on the deck, looking around, the Japanese leader frowned, but still retreated from his subordinates, leaving only two confidantes: "What the hell is it? Let me tell you, if you dare to lie to me, I will call you head Land!"

He pulled out the samurai sword at his waist, and slashed at the void. Although the blade didn't really fall, the fierce wind brushed his temples and brought down two locks of hair.

The captain was so frightened that he froze, he hurriedly took out a roll of blueprints from his chest, and presented it with both hands respectfully.The Japanese leader took a look and found a sea chart drawn on it, in which a certain island was deliberately marked red, and his brows were frowned: "What do you mean?"

The captain lowered his voice, pretending to be mysterious and said: "This is what the villain accidentally discovered when he was running the boat... The small island marked in red looks like a deserted island, but there is actually a big treasure hidden on it!"

The Japanese leader became interested, and leaned slightly, only to hear the captain excitedly say: "Silver mine! Silver mines all over the mountain! If so much silver is mined, I'm afraid even Dongying Island can be bought!"

The Japanese leader was taken aback. He thought that the "treasure" mentioned by the captain was at most the treasure left by some pirate fleet, but it turned out to be a silver mine.He knew that the islands marked on the chart were surrounded by reefs and undercurrents, and few people usually visited them, let alone whether there were really silver mines hidden on them.

"If what he said is true," the Japanese leader thought, "even if there is only a [-]% possibility, it is enough for us to give it a go!"

The leader of the Japanese was very itchy, and he wanted to put on a fierce look on his face: "You dare to lie to me? Believe it or not, I will break your hands and feet, and just throw it down like this!"

He gave a low shout, and the two Japanese rushed forward and pinned the captain to the ground.

The captain of the ship was gutted, he struggled to shake off the shackles, hugged the Japanese leader and kowtowed desperately: "Don't dare! The villain will never dare to deceive the masters! If there is a half-word of falsehood, you will kill me alive! Please forgive me ah……"

He was so hoarse that he almost collapsed on the ground. After a while, there was a foul smell coming from his body, and his crotch was wet—it was so frightening to pee!

The two Japanese gave up their hands in disgust, and pulled him aside with their feet.

The Japanese leader admired enough of the ship owner's begging for mercy, and finally waved his hand mercifully: "Take it back first, I will keep it for use...even the cargo on this ship will be removed!"

The Japanese people around agreed, and each got into the cabin to hunt for treasure and arrest people.

A group of Japanese stayed on the merchant ship for more than half an hour, looting all the goods on board—this ship looked small, but there were a lot of good things, except for the usual silk, tea bricks, and even a few boxes of unpolished silver cakes According to the owner of the ship, they were all found in silver mines.

The Japanese leader became more and more convinced of his rhetoric, and immediately ordered the merchant ship to be scuttled and all the crew members to be brought back to the station.

It’s not that no one raised objections. For example, the confidants around the Japanese leader cautiously persuaded: “My lord, these Central Plains people are always cunning. Long nights and many dreams."

The Japanese leader glanced at him, and saw that the captain was held between two Japanese, his legs trembling, shaking into a messy quail in the wind.He snorted lightly, and said disdainfully in Japanese: "People in the Central Plains are two-legged sheep, attracting officers and soldiers? Hmph, I forgive him for not having the guts!"

The confidant still wants to say something, but he knows that the leader has always been headstrong, and now he is obsessed with money and has made up his mind, so he absolutely refuses to listen to persuasion.He sighed slightly, and was about to turn around, suddenly felt strange, turned his head quickly, and saw a group of black-clothed Japanese men carrying the cargo boxes out of the cabin and lined up on the deck.

Other than that, nothing unusual.

"Did I think too much?" He murmured secretly, "Why... I always feel that someone is staring at me?"

The black-clothed Japanese man loaded the cargo box onto the warship, and then walked away.The bottom of the thrown merchant ship was hollowed out, and the sea water surged in. The hull gradually lost its balance and finally became unsustainable.

The sea breeze roared back and forth, the green waves rolled and rolled, and all traces were submerged under the vast ocean.

Zhang Jingche, who was thousands of miles away, didn't know what was going on in the East China Sea. He lurked in the black mine for several days and had a good grasp of the situation here.The captives were ignorant and didn't understand the rarity of the stones they mined, but Zhang Jingche knew that these were high-quality iron ores. According to the quantity mined, if they were all cast into weapons, Enough to arm a strong army.

At this point, if Zhang Jingche couldn't see what Li Wenbin was thinking, his eyes would be in vain.

The black mine is heavily guarded, and the number of people entering and leaving must be counted. When working, they are watched by stubborn officers and soldiers, and they can't easily find a chance to slip away.What's more, when the refugees were delayed for a while, the whips had already been dropped on their heads and faces, and the screams continued one after another, which made everyone panic.

A group of refugees left their hometowns, and they were already busy. Since they entered the black mine, not only did they not have enough food, they also had to work hard. After three or five days, they were already exhausted. After working all day, they could not stand upright. , let alone manage to escape.

That night, a group of refugees were escorted back to their residences. Not long after they rested, there was a sudden mournful cry from the corner.Over the past few days, similar cries have never stopped. Most of them are relatives and friends who can't bear the hardships, and are tired of illness, and finally overwhelmed.

The one who fell down was a middle-aged man with a pale complexion and weak breathing.The one standing beside him was probably his brother. Seeing that the middle-aged man was dying, he couldn't care less about other things, so he rushed to the entrance of the cave, crying and begging: "My elder brother is dying... I beg all the officials , ask a doctor to take a look!"

The officers and soldiers guarding the entrance of the cave were probably used to hearing similar pleadings, and they were indifferent.

The young man was so desperate that he grabbed the iron fence and shook it desperately: "You dog officials, you only know fish and meat villagers, and you don't care about the lives of the people!"

The officers and soldiers were enraged by his scolding, and they came up with a whip: "You cowardly troublemaker, if you don't want to die, just shut up!"

The young man has a stubborn temper. At this time, he is bloody, and he seems to ignore it: "A bunch of dog officials! You have detained us here, and you have a king's law in your eyes! The world is clear, but you beasts are allowed to run rampant. It is really……"

Before the words were finished, the officers and soldiers yelled angrily, opened the gate and walked in, picked up the whip and whipped wildly without thinking.The young man rolled on the ground, covering his head and face with his arms, cursing incessantly.The officers and soldiers looked fierce, and pulled out their sabers around their waists. The torches reflected on the blades, and the cold light flashed!

Zhang Jingche was about to stand up, but at this moment two or three hands reached out and held him down in unison.After a moment of hesitation, the blade had already pierced into his chest, the corner of the young man's mouth was bleeding, and his eyes were tearing apart: "You... these, dog officials..."

The officers and soldiers drew out their blades indifferently, raised their legs and kicked the young man's body aside in the blood splatter, and walked around in a gloomy manner: "I see everything clearly? If there is any trouble, this will be the end!"

After speaking, he turned around with the bloody saber in his hand, and wiped the soles of the shoes on the young man's skirt before leaving, as if he was very dissatisfied with the blood stains on the shoes.

Two officers and soldiers walked into the cave and dragged the young man's body out, leaving a long mark on his bleeding body.All this happened while the rabbit was jumping up and down, and when the refugees in the cave came back to their senses, the iron fence had been closed and locked again.

There was a dead silence in the cave, and after an unknown amount of time, a low sobbing sound erupted from an unknown corner.

Those who cry may not know the young man who died tragically. They just see the end of the future from the young and reckless corpse.

Zhang Jingche's tensed back slowly relaxed, and he sat back in the original position, and then retracted the hand on his shoulder.

"My lord, forgive me!" You Yunwei, who acted without authorization, said in a low voice, "I am ordered to protect the safety of my lord, but if you can't bear it, you will make a big mess..."

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes slightly, and said in a deep voice, "I know!"

He understands the truth better than anyone else, but he just couldn't bear to watch a living life being buried in front of his face.

This is a chaotic world. Living in Guishou in this land, he is like grass, ants, and dogs, except that he is not human.

It's also really strange.

"When you went out to mine today, you should have checked your surroundings," Zhang Jingche lowered his voice and kept silent, "Have you found a way to escape from here?"

You Yunwei showed a look of embarrassment: "I have observed carefully. This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only exit is heavily guarded. If you want to escape quietly, it is absolutely impossible!"

Zhang Jingche's eyes darkened slightly.

You Yunwei looked at the movement around him, and his voice was extremely low: "...However, the guards nearby are all ordinary officers and soldiers. If the lowly ranks take advantage of their unpreparedness and kill a bloody way, it should not be difficult for the guards to escape into the forest. .”

Zhang Jingche thought over and over again, but still shook his head: "Unless it is absolutely necessary, I can't take this risky move."

You Yunwei looked at him puzzled, but Zhang Jingche didn't mean to explain - of course he knew that You Yunwei was strong in combat, and if there was a sudden attack, most of the officers and soldiers guarding the place would not be able to react.

But then?

If they ran away... just running away, and alarming the guards with great fanfare, wouldn't Li Wenbin have any reason not to become angry?

At that time, in order to suffocate this crime of copying and beheading, will the tens of millions of refugees imprisoned here still survive!

Before life and death, Zhang Jingche didn't dare... and couldn't take the risk.