Chasing death and chasing north

What the woman caused caught everyone off guard.

After accepting her admission, my elder brother was still stuck in a stalemate with my father. In order to fulfill my promise, in addition to often giving encouragement without marginalization, I also served as a lobbyist once.The words were neither salty nor bland, and the tone of the alienated father did not relax in the slightest, which was not unexpected.

My elder brother also understood that I couldn't handle anything in front of my father, so I turned to my mother for help, but my mother sternly refused, and the aunts even persuaded him to change his mind when they met.He had no chance of winning, but he just refused to give up and went to the woman's place more times than before.

I really have nothing against her coming in.

The concubine and the princess each gave birth to a baby boy not long ago, and the elder brother only visited on the day of delivery, and everyone knows where he went the rest of the time.Thinking about it, even if He Yin really came in, a woman who was born in a worldly background and monopolized her husband's favor, would not survive for too long under the treatment of a resentful and famous senior woman without even provoking her.

At the same time, my marriage was also under the control of my mother. The other party was the youngest daughter of the household servant Li's family.

I have never met the other party, but I just heard from people around me that he is a lady with both virtue and capacity.People from this kind of family background can only obey their parents' arrangements for marriage. I don't have to feel guilty for people I have never met because I can't give love.

I got up early this morning as usual, and the tailor was already waiting outside the door to measure the size of my suit.As soon as he was called in, the eldest brother hurried in. I don't remember when his face was so pale.

He sat slumped on the opposite chair and looked at me with horror in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe that something happened.

I knew something was wrong, so I immediately dismissed the rest and asked him what happened.

"I'm dead, I'm dead." He stared at me with blank eyes, repeating the same sentence over and over again.

"Have a sip of tea first, and speak slowly."

I handed the teacup to him, he took it with trembling hands, the tea juice splashed on the back of his hands and robe, the freshly brewed tea was still too hot in his hand, he didn't notice it.

I didn't ask any further questions, I dragged a round stool to sit in front of him and waited.

"Jiro, what should I do?"

It took him a long time to speak, and as soon as he spoke, he began to cry, and his eyes quickly turned red.He looked at me like a bunny caught in a trap, with a begging look all over his body, an alluring expression I had never seen before.

I couldn't bear to hold him in my arms.Not only did he not resist, but he stretched out his arms and hugged my waist.My heart was shocked, and I couldn't believe that everything in front of me was real.

His whole body fell into my arms, docile and submissive, even in a dream, there has never been such a warm and happy scene.The only dream I can dream, apart from those intense and wild scenes, is that after expressing my heart, I was ridiculed, ridiculed, disgusted, alienated, or even killed by him.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, feeling the various tastes of embracing the body I dreamed of, surprise, ecstasy, bitterness, sweetness, self-loathing, fear, excitement, emotion, wanting to laugh and cry... My face must be very strange now, Fortunately, no one else saw him, his shoulders were leaning against me.

"I'm going to die, we're going to be ransacked, what should we do? Erlang, what should we do?"

His cowardly whispers pulled me back from my thoughts, and for a moment I thought I heard it wrong.

"Chop all over the house?"

He hugged me even tighter, but as he talked, I gradually lost my mind to feel the temperature that almost burned my whole body.

A few years ago, a rebel army appeared in Hedong, and the imperial court did not destroy it several times. Heyin was originally a secret worker in Hedong. He traveled around with other young women all the year round, using beauty as bait, and even offering heavy bribes and generous salary. Intending to instigate powerful people, her brother seems to be chosen by her as a way to get close to Zheng Guogong.

She once got her eldest brother very drunk and tricked him to write his name on the alliance letter of the rebellion. The elder brother was so drunk that he didn't remember such a thing.

Yesterday he finished his shift and went to "Zuihua Nian" to meet He Yin again. When she was in the middle of the night, he found out that the alliance letter had fallen into the hands of the spy who supervised the censor Tang Wenhu, and He Yin was entangled with that person After fighting for a long time, he finally escaped.

After hearing the reason, the elder brother was so frightened that his face paled, and he didn't bother to scold the other party. He hurried home and wanted to explain the matter to his father, but he didn't know that his father had already gone to court, so he hurried to my place.

The emperor's suspicion of his father has never stopped, Zhengchou couldn't catch it, once this thing came into his hands, not to mention father and elder brother Xiaoshou, our whole family will be punished for the crime of treason.

I was out of ideas for a moment.Conspiracy is a capital offense no matter which dynasty it is in. I have no official title and no direct access to Tianting, so where can I defend him?Even if the father came forward and begged his friends to mediate, I'm afraid it would be bad luck.

"Is there really no other way?"

My brother's expectant eyes gradually turned to disappointment, he let go of the hand wrapped around my waist, and fell to the ground in despair, curled up in a ball, and hugged his head with his hands.

"How did this happen? I didn't expect, I didn't expect...Damn it!"

I couldn't say words of comfort, I just looked at him blankly, my heart was in a mess.

In all fairness, my elder brother is not upright, and he deserves this calamity.I don't want to die, even if I have my elder brother by my side, I'm not willing to be killed like this.But if he dies, I don't know what's the point of living.I don't miss this family at all. If there is really no other way, I will take him away and hide his name as an ordinary person.

Looking at his brother holding his head and choking, a strong sense of powerlessness rose from the bottom of his heart: He is such a person, he can't live a life of poverty for ordinary people, right?

Forget it, let's see if things turn around.I took a deep breath and asked him about the situation.

"When was the alliance book stolen?"

He looked up and gave me a glimpse of red eyes. "Yesterday afternoon. The whereabouts of that person were discovered not long after. He Yin and his companions chased after him. After a few tricks, they recognized that the person was from the Yushifu, but he ran away."

It turned out that the woman had party members.There are so many dignitaries in the capital, but they only found my elder brother. I don't know if they should give a compliment?

"Did that person escape into the Imperial Palace?"

"No, they chased to the southern outskirts, and that man killed He Yin's companion, was also severely injured by them, and fled out of the city."

They have been entangled from the "Drunk Year" in the west of the city to the southern suburbs, and they have to avoid the guards of the capital, which will inevitably take a lot of time.

"When did He Yin come to see you?"

"I don't really remember...does it matter?" The elder brother frowned.

Could it be that at a time like this, who would have the leisure to ask about your boudoir?I lowered my face and said coldly: "Of course, you have to think about it."

The elder brother flinched, knocked his head vigorously, and said after a while: "It's about time, right? She didn't arrive until after the fifth watch drum sounded. I should have prepared to go to court, but I don't worry about her... "

Waiting for a woman who didn't even care about the morning court, really deserves to be a passionate seed.I snorted coldly.

He bowed his head in shame, but still refused to argue: "I have already sent someone to sue for leave, it should be..."

I was not in the mood to listen to him finish, and asked again: "Are you sure there is only one person?"

This time he nodded quickly.

I breathed a sigh of relief.It seemed that even if that person wanted to come back, the gate of the city would probably have been closed, and since he was seriously injured, he probably would not be able to break through the wall.Even if Chen Shi enters the capital as soon as the city gate is opened, the censor has already gone to court, it seems that things can still be done.

"That bitch...has He Yin sent someone to watch the Yushifu?"

"Sent, she said she'd let me know as soon as she got word."

I thought for a while, and said to him: "Go to the gate of the palace and wait for your father to come down, and tell him the matter. Be sure to stop Tang Yushi and prevent him from going to Yushitai or returning to the mansion."

He only nodded.

"The morning morning doesn't end so quickly, you can rest for a while, I'll go out for a while." I said and walked out.

He tugged on my sleeve. "where you go?"

Wipe your ass.

I wanted to return him like this, but when I thought of that expression of dependence and reluctance, it was the first time I was projected on me, and the anger in my heart disappeared without a trace, and I couldn't help reaching out to caress his pitiful face.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you alone."

Although there is probably no return, I will protect this cowardly and reckless brother.

He forced a smile. "I knew that Erlang was the most reliable, big brother is waiting for your good news."

Most of these words did not come from the heart, he might even suspect that I would just leave this house and run for my life.

And even such a petty heart feels pitiful and cute, I am really hopeless.

"You must do as I say, I'll be right back!" I let go of the hands that were holding his shoulders and clenched into fists.

He has different looks, and I want to see more, even if it's just for this wish, I will fight hard.

First come to the mansion of Marquis Changqing quickly. The eldest son Zhai Mingyuan, who has been alienated by his brothers and sisters since he was a child, is one of the few people who can be called my best friend. The reason is that when I first visited him, I was the only child who talked to him. Played hopscotch.

The Marquis of Changqing is one level lower than his father, but his official rank and status before the emperor are both higher.Mingyuan is two years older than me. Compared with my elder brother, he is more capable than 01:30.

I broke into his bedroom without notification, and the room was filled with a pungent smell of medicine. This man has been taking medicine since he was a child, and there is nothing stubborn about it, just weak.He finished his medicine while being served by a maid, and was not surprised when he saw me, but just plainly asked the idlers to leave.

After listening to what I wanted to say, he raised his delicate eyebrows, and gave a cool impression: "Zhaogong has finally played something. I thought he would only make other people's stomachs bigger. It's really impressive. .”

"The emperor is too suspicious of his father, and he can only live like his father."

"What's the difference? Auntie keeps a low profile, he is drunk and dreaming of death."

"He's still young, so there's nothing he can do about it."

"I really don't understand what you are always defending him for." Mingyuan repeated the old tune, and when he saw that I was about to refute, he quickly waved his hands and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this. Anyway, as long as you know that the ridiculous letter of alliance has been handed over When I go up, I will ask my father to come forward to protect him, and if possible, I will contact some important ministers."

I shake my head. "No."

His eyes were wide open, and the Qingjun face full of weakness was full of excitement: "Are you finally going to take the initiative to seize the heir? Great, I will definitely help you!"

"I said I don't have the heart." I gave him an angry look, "It's about treason, do you think the emperor will only punish the elder brother? The emperor is suspicious, and such a memorial will lead to a faction between our two families." , a dead end."

"Zhao Gong was framed in the first place. There is nothing unclear about this matter. You think too much." Ming Yuan said nonchalantly.

"If things are so simple, why should my father have to be a man so trembling all these years?" The emperor's suspicion of his father is the root planted since he was a child. If this happened in Changqinghou's house, it would be nothing more than a warning, but in my house, But no luck at all.

Ming Yuan tilted his head to look at me, suddenly smiled wildly, and said, "Since you inferred like this, you probably won't be wrong, what's your idea?" His tone seemed to be discussing where to go for a trip today, without seriousness.This person always looks tired and lazy when the sky is falling, and I'm used to it.

"Impeachment. When the incident happened over there, my uncle will contact some other dignitaries to come forward to impeach my father's various misdeeds. The more times the better." Most emperors like lonely ministers. Seeing that their father is completely unpopular, they will not rush to let him go. He dies.

After thinking about it for a while, Ming Yuan understood the reason, and said: "My aunt is impeccable, how can there be any bad deeds that can be impeached?"

"Vegetarian meals in the place of corpses, not discreet, not strict parenting, lustful, occupying people's land, robbing people's women... Are you afraid that you can't make up these?" I mentioned more than 20 crimes in one breath, and Mingyuan was dumbfounded.

"Which dynasty are you the reincarnation of a cruel official?"

I am too lazy to answer.In the case of Yushitai's monitoring of officials, there has always been less evidence and more empty talk, but these people will never be absent from the emperor's side.

"Okay, I'll go and talk to my father, see if we can invite the King of Changping, the Duke of Chu and the others to play together."

"You can't join the names. Once you join the names, the emperor will think that your family is forming a party. Don't impeach my father alone, and impeach a few irrelevant officials. It is best for you to impeach each other. Put my father's name in it." When the time comes, impeachment will become common in the court, and everyone will attack indiscriminately, so there is no need to worry about who will be particularly hated."

"This...isn't it why you have nothing to do when you're full."

I asked, "Do you think there is anything serious to do after you are full every day?"

"That's not true." Ming Yuan chuckled, and said again: "Who do you think Tang Yushi's subordinates will be?"

"How do I know?" There was no reason for this question.

"I think maybe it's someone you know."

I waited to probe further, but he refused to confide a word, only said: "No one can stop what you are going to do, and it doesn't make much difference whether you know it or not."

When I came out of the Marquis of Changqing, it was not yet the hour of Chen.If the person who got the letter of alliance was not a fool, he would never be able to enter the city through the south gate. Yushitai and the Tang family's mansion are both on the east side.

When I arrived, the city gate was slowly opening, and the people waiting outside filed in.The world is not good these days, and the sergeants guarding the city are facing the wanted notices, and they stop people from time to time to ask questions.

I can't be sure if the other party has modified his disguise, so I can only carefully check for pedestrians who show signs of injury.Not long after, a tall old man came in with the support of a little girl. The old man pressed his left chest and dragged his right foot. It was exactly the two places where the elder brother said that the other party was seriously injured, but his appearance was completely different.

I decided to take a gamble and follow behind the two of them.

The old and the young turned several turns, getting farther and farther away from Yushitai. Just before I decided to go back and wait for someone, they stopped in a secluded alley.

Leaning against the corner, the old man gasped and said a few words to the girl, then took out a few pieces of silver and handed them to the girl, telling her to go home immediately.

The little girl took the silver and left, looking back from time to time.

When the little girl walked out of the alley, I made a sudden move. I tore off the wide rope that tied her head and blindfolded her. I dragged her into the dilapidated empty room I saw and closed the door.

As soon as the hand covering her mouth was removed, the little girl immediately screamed.I started to take off her clothes, let the little girl cry and struggle.

The clothes were half off, and footsteps sounded outside the door. I quickly dodged and hid in the haystack behind the little girl.

"What's wrong with you?" The "old man" kicked open the door, his voice was unsteady, and he stumbled closer.

The little girl just kept crying. The "old man" knelt down and moaned hoarsely, but still asked with concern: "What's going on?"

The little girl screamed again.

"You, don't cry, I'll help you, help you..." The "old man" stretched out his hand to pick up the clothes to put on her, and his intermittent explanations were covered up in the screams.

I showed up and shouted deliberately: "Bold adulterer, what do you want to do in broad daylight?" After speaking, I slapped the "old man" on the head.

Before the "old man" could look up at me, he passed out and fell on the little girl.

The little girl's blindfold and headband fell during the entanglement. Looking at the face of the person on her body, she screamed louder in panic. I helped her up and asked her to dress herself.

"You go back quickly, I will turn around and send this beast to the police. It's not good to spread this matter, even if your family asks, don't say it."

The little girl was so frightened that she nodded and ran away after I said it three times.

I knelt down next to the "old man". He only had flint, silver, and an obviously forged identity document in his arms. I searched all over the body, and finally found the crumpled list in the leggings.Looking around, there are officials from the Eastern Capital and the nephews of many officials in the frontier, and they are involved in a wide range.I changed my original intention of destroying it, and put it in my arms together with the document.

The "old man" is still in a coma. I have never injured anyone with my hands, and there is no reason why he must die.Seeing that this man will not wake up yet, I was too busy to tear off his gray beard, revealing a rather young pale face.When I saw this face, I understood why Mingyuan said that he was an acquaintance.

I seldom make friends with Gongqing, I only met Tang Yushi from a distance, but I had a few conversations with Tang's eldest son at Mingyuan Zuodong's gathering.Although this Tang Jun is the eldest son, he was born in a concubine. His family's expectations and care are all concentrated on his younger brother, so it is inevitable to lose.

He may feel that I have the same sympathy with him, so he often takes the initiative to talk to him, and what he said is that even if he is not a legitimate son, he still has to make some achievements for others to show off.

I can't say good or bad about him, it's more troublesome now that we know each other. I turned around and wanted to leave, but a hand grabbed my ankle unexpectedly.

"My lord, where is the sacred place?"

I turned my head back naturally, and caught the flash of surprise in the other person's eyes.

If he recognizes me, then his life cannot be spared.

On the way home, I put my hands in my sleeves, and my elbows touched the handle of the dagger from time to time, and my whole body felt cold. The cold spring breeze kept blowing on my body, and I couldn't help shaking.He secretly looked at his whole body, although he thought he was very careful, there were still some blood stains on the hem of his clothes and shoes.

The feeling of hurting someone's life for the first time is indescribable, and the horror is inevitable, but there is no time to care about these things.

He Yin and the others have a bit of a brain, the place where the alliance book is kept must be kept secret, so it has been stolen, so it can be seen that they have been watched for a long time, once the eldest son does not return, Tang Yushi will suspect that he will come to my house.

I wanted to set fire to the corpse, but it's daytime now, I'm afraid I'd be caught before I got out of the alley.

It will still be discovered if it is placed there, but it will only be delayed for an hour and a half, and this time may be enough to strike first.I made up my mind, changed my route, and headed for the palace.

I don't have an official position, so I can only ask for an audience as a relative. I thought that even if I waited for a long time outside the Chaoyang Gate, I would inevitably end up being repelled, but I was summoned soon after.

The face saint was not allowed to carry an inch of iron, so I wrapped the blood-stained dagger and handed it to the prison guard, ignoring the strange eyes of the other party, led by the eunuch into the room, and soon arrived at the imperial study.

I knelt down in front of Dan Chi and saluted.

"Get up. Long time no see, Zhaoan has grown so big." The emperor still had a goatee, and his figure was a lot fatter. He was wearing ordinary clothes, leaning on the dragon chair, and his voice was quite brisk, Thinking about it, I feel very good.

Princes and aristocrats who act as scattered officials have to make pilgrimage to the emperor on the [-]th day of the Lunar New Year. I am underage and have no qualifications to inherit the title, so apart from the occasional family banquet, I rarely see the emperor.Even at the family banquet, those who occupy his eyes must be the direct descendants of the princes.

I stand up. "After the Lantern Festival feast, my nephew often misses His Majesty in his heart. Today, seeing His Majesty's dragon body is healthier than it was then, I am overjoyed."

He laughed and asked directly, "Why are you asking to see me today?"

I glanced at the old man who controls the life and death of the world, then knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

He wondered, "What happened?"

"My nephew killed someone, I beg your Majesty to come down with the crime."

"This is the job of Zongzheng and Dali. What are you doing here?"

The emperor's voice didn't fluctuate at all. I couldn't fathom his intentions, I could only say what I had planned.

"My nephew knows that there is nothing wrong with the crime, but he refuses to accept it in his heart. Even if he dies, he must explain the whole story to His Majesty."

"...Okay, let's talk about it."

"A few days ago, my elder brother ordered a lantern at the craftsman Zhang in the east of the city. This morning, my nephew was entrusted by him to pick up the goods. When I walked halfway to the alley, I heard someone calling for help. My nephew rushed over and saw an old man coming Pressing on a little girl, wanting to do something stupid, the nephew stepped forward to stop him out of righteous indignation, and stabbed that person in the hand.

"That man couldn't compete with my nephew, so he suddenly shouted: "My uncle is a member of Tang Yushi, how dare you meddle in my own business?" The nephew couldn't bear it for a while, so he also reported his own family name, but the servant listened He laughed loudly, and said: "Sun Sidao is such a dilapidated household, my lord can take care of as many houses as he wants, what is your prestige?"

"I told him that I was born in the emperor's favor and was loyal to the court. Could it be possible that Tang Yushi could deceive the emperor and frame him? The man was even more proud when he heard what I said, so he immediately gave this thing to him. Look, my lord, you are still talking about this kind of thing, Mr. Tang has as many as you want."

I raised his identity document and alliance letter above my head with both hands, and the eunuch took it and presented it to the emperor.

I lowered my head and heard the rustling of paper.

"What else did he say?"

I hesitate to speak.

"You just say it's okay."

"He said that since Xiao Jianyi can destroy Duke Hua's family, as long as Mr. Tang handed over this thing to His Majesty, how can a mere Duke Zheng be concerned?"

Hua Guogong was reported by Jing Zhaoyin for treason last year, and it didn't take long for his entire family to be executed.This fact was secretly manipulated by the emperor's advice doctor Xiao Ren, and the outside world didn't know about it. I heard from a friend I met in Guanzhong that this person is a wealthy jeweler and has a deep friendship with the eunuchs in the palace.

Sure enough, the emperor snorted coldly and said, "Call Tang Wenhu here."

"Follow the order."

"Wait a minute."

Before the eunuch could leave the door, he was called back again.

I lay motionless on the ground from the beginning to the end, feeling the emperor's scrutinizing gaze, and I was suddenly uneasy.

"You keep talking, what happened next?"

"It's okay for that man to bully my nephew, but he insulted my nephew's father. His words didn't even matter to His Majesty. When my nephew didn't feel angry for a while, he... and killed him by mistake. The weapon... the weapon is here At the prison gate guard, Your Majesty, please have someone inspect it."

The emperor didn't say a word, and I didn't dare to look up.The temples kept twitching, and the nose was filled with the pleasant smell of spices, but it couldn't calm my mind at all.

After an incomparably long time, the emperor finally said slowly, "Zhaoan, it's good for young people to be bloody, but don't be too impulsive."

I bowed my head and knelt down, and said: "My nephew regrets not listening to His Majesty's instruction earlier, the kindness of your father can only be repaid in the next life."

"You look up."

I followed my advice and looked straight into the emperor's sharp eyes. At this point, I have nothing to fear, but I don't think this suspicious old man would like to see the young man's overly aggressive eyes. Go ahead.

The emperor took a sip of tea, and wrote a few words on the silk paper in front of him. He didn't even look at me until he finished approving all the memorials on the left hand side, and said, "I already know about this matter, you should go back first."