red cliff top

"Nian Qing, I'm sorry for you..." The voice of the speaker was choked up, and his tone was full of guilt and self-blame.

After contemplating and gathering his mind, he tried to focus his gaze on one point, half kneeling and half leaning against a man who was also tied up in front of him, that was his brother-in-law Chai Yun.The brother-in-law's face was ashen, and there were still tears in his eyes.

For a while, I was in a trance of contemplation. Didn't I go to the lantern festival with Wei Lu in Jinyang City and suffer from all kinds of illnesses?Why did he wake up and run to this wobbly boat?

He squinted his eyes, and his thoughts slowly drifted back to the night before yesterday... As early as when he was guessing lantern riddles, he found a very familiar figure in the crowd, but before he could take a few steps to see what happened, the shadow appeared "Whoosh" disappeared into the bustling streets and alleys.At first, Shen Si didn't take it seriously, after all, Jinyang City has a large population, so it's not surprising that there are a few people with similar looks.

Later, fireworks were ignited by the lakeside, illuminating half of the sky like daytime.While talking with King Jin, his pensive eyes inadvertently looked over his shoulder to the tourists on the other side, and the familiar figure appeared again. The man was exactly the same as his brother-in-law Chai Yun in terms of appearance and figure, and he was wearing a squirrel fur jacket. cotton robes.Shen Si vaguely remembered that the robe was sewn by her elder sister for her brother-in-law last winter. Although the material was high-quality, the stitches were thick and big, and even the cuffs on both sides were of different lengths. The brother-in-law just smiled honestly and didn't take it seriously at all. He still put the clothes on his body like a treasure every day, and was reluctant to take them off for even a moment.

Yes, that's my brother-in-law, I can't be wrong!Shen Si couldn't help muttering in his mind, it's so good, why did brother-in-law come all the way to Jinyang?Why didn't you contact me when you came to Jinyang?Even if the family members don't want to have anything to do with King Jin, they can secretly pass letters to ask him to come out and meet him.At this moment, my brother-in-law appeared in front of me again and again, is it implying something?

After thinking about it, Shen Si decided to go forward and ask for clarification.He has confidence in his heart, no matter what difficulties he encounters, as long as he speaks up, King Jin will definitely help him, even if he can't help, he can still help with suggestions.

After instructing the King of Jin to "wait for a while", Shensi ran down the stone bridge briskly, but when his brother-in-law saw this, he turned around and squeezed into the crowd again and walked away quickly.Thinking helplessly, he had no choice but to speed up and follow behind.After walking for a while, my brother-in-law would stand and wait for a while to see if Shen Si could keep up.Just like this, walking back and forth, the two finally came to a secluded small tea stand.

Now the brother-in-law no longer hides, but turns around with a smile uglier than crying: "Nian Qing..."

My brother-in-law is from a family. Although his family was in decline in the early years, he has read a lot of sage books. He has always been gentle and refined in his dealings with others.Seeing brother-in-law's extremely abnormal behavior today, Shen Si's heart tightened: "Brother-in-law, what happened at home?"

The brother-in-law opened his mouth, hesitant to speak, and just at this moment the owner of the tea stall came over with a pot, and the brother-in-law hastily poured a cup of tea tremblingly and handed it to Shen Si: "Nianqing, you... have a sip of tea first, let's take your time." Speak slowly...slowly..."

The brother-in-law was in a hurry and spilled half a cup of tea.Seeing this, the owner of the tea stall took the cup, graciously helped to fill it up, and then silently returned it.Shen Si and King Jin walked around for several hours, chatting and laughing constantly, his mouth was already parched at the moment, seeing that the tea temperature was right, he picked it up and drank it without thinking.Sister Shen Xie is six years older than Shen Si, and he was still a child when she married her brother-in-law. Over the years, her brother-in-law has watched Shen Si grow up with his own eyes, and in his heart he is no different from the three brothers-in-law.

After drinking all the tea, he wiped his mouth in thought and slammed the cup on the table: "Brother-in-law, why did you come to Jinyang this time? And why did you invite me out to talk?"

"This... this..." The brother-in-law's eyes flickered timidly, and he didn't dare to look directly at him.

Seeing that her brother-in-law was still hesitating, Shen Si became more anxious: "Just say what you have to say, even if it's a big problem, we brothers can always find a way to solve it together!"

The brother-in-law slowly raised his head, as if he had made some heinous mistake: "They...they captured Aunt..."

"Who?" Shen Si frowned, and couldn't believe her ears, "Who caught my sister?"

The brother-in-law didn't listen to Shen Si's question at all, and just murmured to himself: "They captured Ah Shou and forced me to lure you out, otherwise they will torture Ah Shou..." He grabbed Shen Si's hand , the volume suddenly increased, and my emotions became agitated, "I'm not afraid of being beaten or scolded, Nian Qing, I'm not afraid, even if they kill me! But I can't watch them torture Ah, wow, Auntie is pregnant, so she can't bear it. Nianqing, I can't help it, I can't help it..."

Facing the brother-in-law who was almost out of control, Shen Si didn't feel panicked: "Brother-in-law, don't worry, who are the 'they' you mentioned? And why are you arresting me?"

He wanted to lean down to comfort his brother-in-law, but he didn't know that his legs were limp and he couldn't exert any strength, so he sat back on the spot before he could stand still, and his head was also in a mess like drunk.He tried his best to support the table with one hand, and beat his forehead hard with the other to keep himself awake and not fall down.

"It's almost done, take him down!" A few black shadows sprang out from the darkness, spread out and surrounded him.

Shen Si knew that he was on the right track, it seemed that these people and the tea stand were set up for him, and the cup of tea he drank just now must have been tampered with.It was as if a big bell had come down from the top of his head, his eyes gradually went dark, and he could only feel the voices of people around him humming together.Struggling with the last bit of strength, Shen Si took advantage of the chaos and tore off the forehead band and threw it at his feet. He knew that King Jin would send someone to look for him later if he couldn't wait, and hoped that this band would give King Jin some hints.

As for how he was smuggled out of the city and how he was brought to this small fishing boat, he didn't know at all...

The light in the cabin was dim, and the surroundings were blocked by thick grasses, so the sky and scenery outside could not be seen.Shensi shook his head, bit the tip of his tongue vigorously with his teeth, and the pain finally awakened him a bit.

It wasn't until this moment that he fully saw his brother-in-law's appearance. Not only was his face thin and haggard, but there were also brand-new scars faintly visible under the cuffs and collar, some of which hadn't even scabbed yet.

Seeing that he was awake, brother-in-law struggled to move to his side by sticking to the ground: "Nianqing, I blame brother-in-law for being so useless. I'm sorry for you, and I'm even more sorry for your sister..."

"What are you talking about now?" Shen Si sighed helplessly, "Who are those people who kidnapped us? And what are their intentions?"

The brother-in-law glanced out: "They are Gu Mingzhang's people. Those people said that the father-in-law had an affair with the rebels and was a traitor and traitor. They wanted to arrest us together and question them."

Shen Si's eyes widened: "It's just nonsense! Even if people all over the world rise up to rebel against Da Zhou, father will never betray Da Zhou! It must be Gu Mingzhang again telling lies and turning black and white! First, he doesn't use official documents, and second, he doesn't drive Tie, if you say to arrest people, you will arrest them, don't I have no kingly law in Da Zhou?"

My brother-in-law shook his head and smiled wryly: "What is the law of the king? Isn't what the emperor said is the law of the king? Listening to one's will can lead to treachery, and being alone can cause chaos. Now the little emperor only favors Gu Mingzhang. He said that the wind is the rain, and he is the only one in the civil and military affairs of the whole court." If one person looks ahead, the upright and upright people will not know where they will be pushed out to."

With a sound of "bang", the hull seemed to be leaning against a certain pier, footsteps outside the cabin were chaotic, and people's voices in dialect mixed with Mandarin could be heard from a distance, and it was unknown where they had gone.

The straw curtain was lifted, and a well-known burly man came in, he put down a bowl of water, and threw out a few dirty and moldy steamed buns: "Hey, it's a lively conversation when you're about to die, why don't you save your energy and save it for the road. "

Seeing someone appearing, the brother-in-law quickly straightened up and struggled to move to the person's feet: "Brother, my wife is on the boat behind? Please do me a favor, let me take a look at her, just one look is enough." ! No matter what grievances you have, just come at me and don't hurt her!"

The big man sneered and kicked his brother-in-law in the chest: "What's the rush, don't worry, when you get to Ru Ning, there will naturally be a time for your family reunion, Huangquan Road will continue to be a loving couple for you, hahaha..."

Seeing that his brother-in-law was kicked on the ground and there was no way to avoid it, the big man was still not relieved, he rushed forward and patted his feet again: "What is invincible, what is strict law and discipline, Shen Jiajun? Huh!"

Shen Si was young and energetic, and had never suffered such humiliation. He deliberately rushed to block in front of his brother-in-law, but his hands and feet were tied too tightly, and he fell back heavily before he could hold himself up for a few minutes.With this thumping, the bowl on the ground was also knocked over, and the dirty water with green filth floating on it was splashed on the dry, hard and black steamed buns, just looking at it made people sick.He was already very seasick, but this time his chest felt unbearable, and he lay on the ground and retched, because he hadn't eaten for a long time, he only spit out a few mouthfuls of acid water.

Hearing the movement, another person came in from the outside, who seemed to be in charge, that person glanced at Shen Si and brother-in-law coldly, turned his head and said to the big man, "We should measure our strength, don't forget that the governor ordered us to keep alive."

The big man glared angrily, spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground with a "bah", turned around reluctantly and left.Only then did the brother-in-law crawl towards Shensi, coughing and asking with difficulty: "Nian, Nianqing, are you okay?"

This feeling of powerlessness annoyed Shensi, he hit the ship's plank with his head hard twice, clenched his teeth, suppressed the nausea and discomfort forcefully, and gasped for breath to comfort his brother-in-law: "It doesn't matter for now, it seems that they will be together for a while. He won't take our lives for a moment. Wait for the opportunity, I believe there is always a way to save my sister."

In fact, what he is most worried about at the moment is not his sister, but his father.Gu Mingzhang arrested their siblings and took them to Runing alive, probably because he was afraid that his father would be brave and good at fighting with heavy soldiers in his hands, and tried to threaten the lives of his children to force his father to submit.Once his father fell into the hands of Gu Mingzhang, he would really be wronged.His father was loyal to Da Zhou, and the blue sky can learn from him. He was never afraid of confrontation with open swords and swords, but he was afraid of treacherous people who used methods to frame him behind the scenes.

After a violent shake, the fleet resumed its journey after a brief replenishment, went down the river, and quickly circled the mountains, leaving the small pier far away in the dense mist.

At the same time, a horse team came galloping on the smoky official road near the pier. The leader was Zhan Shitai's lieutenant general, and the soldiers were all dressed as ordinary merchants.They carefully searched the pier and every nearby path, and seeing that no suspicious person was found, they pulled the reins and galloped away in the other direction...

The morning when Shen's army left camp was extremely gloomy and cold, the sun was hidden in the thick clouds, and the brightness was extremely dim.

General Shen Wei of Dragon and Tiger was ordered to stay at Runing and wait for the extermination of the bandits nearby before leaving.Under the leadership of the eldest son Shen Guan, most of the soldiers and horses set off early and rushed to Syria.

After leaving the city gate, Shen Guan turned his head and waved his hands to the second and third brothers standing on the top of the city wall to see him off, feeling sour for no reason.Over the years, he has served as a pioneer under his father's command. He has always embarked on the journey ahead of everyone else. He has been separated countless times with peace of mind. Only this time, perhaps because of the relationship away from his homeland, he is actually a bit inseparable. up.

A gust of cold wind blew by, Shen Guan folded his chest and skirts, and suddenly felt something stiff and straight in his arms.When I took it out, it turned out to be a small porcelain box filled with chilblain ointment.The soldiers of the Shen family were all from the north, and they were not used to the humid winter climate in the south. Within a few days after arriving in Runing, most of their hands had frostbite, and the backs of their hands were covered with large patches of redness, which were painful and itchy.Shen Shuai ate, lived and practiced with the soldiers, and naturally he was no exception.

A few days ago, Shen Guan overheard the head cook mentioning that the chilblain ointment he made himself was very effective, so he bought a box and prepared it for his father.At this time, it would be a bit too much to send someone to deliver it, so he put the box back into his arms and walked forward with his horse's belly.

The army left Runing City and headed southwest all the way. Just after walking two miles, the sky gradually began to drizzle.The rain was getting heavier and heavier, pattering, soaking the clothes, and the cold air penetrated the skin.The soldiers rushed on the road in the rain, and their steps were still neat and vigorous. They are soldiers, defending their homes and defending the country on the battlefield. They are not even afraid of the enemy's fast horse scimitar, so they are afraid of rain.

Only the old man feeding the horse at the back of the line wiped the water from his forehead and murmured, "Oh, this is a sign of the weeping army, a sign of the weeping army..."

Shen Wen and Shen Zhi rushed back to the station to meet their father after seeing off their eldest brother, but as soon as they walked into the inner hall, they saw their father sitting in front of the desk with frowning frowning, still holding a letter in his hand. .Seeing this, the two called out in unison: "Father?"

It took a long time for Shen Wei to raise his head, with a puzzled look on his face: "Huh? Why, the boss has already set off?"

The two brothers looked at each other, and the youngest, Shen Zhi, couldn't bear it and asked in confusion first: "What troubles have Dad encountered? Why have you been staring at the letter in a daze?"

After a moment of silence, Shen Wei let out a long breath: "Someone sneaked into the camp just now and put this letter on the father's table. This person can enter and exit the military camp as if walking on the ground. He must be a generation with strong martial arts. It seems that he has no malicious intentions." .It's just..." He flattened the letter paper and spread it out in front of his sons.

The two brothers lowered their heads and took a closer look, but they were also taken aback: "This..."

For a while, the father and son all frowned, thinking about it...

I don't know how many days I have been floating on the water, the voyage that would make life worse than death is finally over.Both Shen Si and her brother-in-law were dragged ashore, stuffed into a carriage, and continued to run wildly on the bumpy mountain path.In the past few days, they can only live on moldy dry food and dirty fruit, and their clothes are covered with dust and dirt, which is dirty, smelly and miserable.

The escorts traveled day and night. People were sent to scout the way at the front, and people were left behind to hold the line. Numerous guards were placed inside and outside the carriages, and a small amount of drug was added to their food and drinking water.Although taking that medicine will not cause fainting, but it can make one's muscles and bones numb and make one's whole body weak, so that there is no hope of escaping.

Although Shen Si was tied up and couldn't see the changing scenery around the carriage, she tried her best to pay attention to every movement outside.Jin Wang is a thoughtful person, he firmly believes that after Jin Wang finds his forehead belt, he will be able to follow the clues all the way to find it.

After a few more days of wandering in the carriage, the long and uncertain journey was finally over.The men gagged their mouths with rags and took them off the carriage.The suddenly stronger light hurt the pensive eyeballs, and it took a long time to tentatively open a slit, and within the field of vision was a towering city wall, with two large characters Runing hung high above the city gate.

The wind whistling in the ears, the horseshoes kicking, the weapons clanging, and the surrounding formations lined up with swords and guns, forming a siege.There was a panic in Shen Si's heart, and he raised his head suddenly, looking against the light, he saw only rows of black shadows on the city wall, and the battle flag with the word "Shen" fluttered in the wind above the shadows.

Immediately after them, another person pushed and shoved the older sister, Shen Yu, and came over. The older sister's mouth was blocked and she couldn't make a sound, so she could only hum with her nose, her shoulders twisted non-stop, and the tears fell down her face.

When the brother-in-law saw his longing wife, he immediately ran away from the two big men beside him and wanted to jump in front of his sister. Unfortunately, before he could get close, someone grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground, and stepped on his face mercilessly. superior.

This little chaos was quickly suppressed brutally. The soldiers parted ways, and a handsome man riding a white horse and wearing a white fur coat came over surrounded by the crowd. It was Gu Mingzhang.Gu Mingzhang has no beard on his face, his brows are full of spring, his chin is pointed and smooth like a woman's.When the horses passed by, he lowered his head and glanced at the Shen Si siblings who rolled into the dust, and gave a soft "hum" with great disdain, and took out a silk handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, as if he was afraid of being caught by some smell.

Before the formation, Gu Mingzhang threw the silk handkerchief casually, and waved his hand towards a captain beside him, who shouted loudly in the direction of the city: "Shen Wei, you have figured it out these days." Is it? If you are willing to come out obediently and accept the surrender, my family's chief governor can take a look at the sake of his colleagues and speak a few words of kindness for you in front of the Holy One."

Soon, an old but loud voice came from above the top of the city: "What is the governor? It is clearly a national thief! The old man has sent someone to bring the music to the capital to face the saint. The emperor is aware of the details, and he will return the old man." Innocent, how can you allow you to instigate and deceive others!"

Shensi tried hard to distinguish the source of the voice, and finally found the figure of his father. He had a thousand words stuck in his throat, but he couldn't say a word. The roots exploded.

Gu Mingzhang sneered: "Shen Wei, Old General Shen, don't talk about yourself being so decent. You colluded with Huo Duan, leaked the secrets of Yifu's defense, and the evidence of treason and disobedience is solid. Gu has received the imperial order to investigate and prosecute you." of."

Shen Wei was furious: "If you want to add a crime, there is no excuse! If the old man is guilty, he will have the military power to confiscate the military and the Criminal Department will investigate and deal with it according to law. What are you, Gu Mingzhang! You just want to avenge your own private revenge and take the opportunity to get rid of the old man! You think you are confused. Can the emperor cover the sky with one hand? If you have the ability, why don't you fight with me, Shen Wei!"

Gu Mingzhang turned his head and glanced disgustedly, hooked his fingers, and all his subordinates immediately pushed Shensi siblings forward.Gu Mingzhang greeted the city with a smile on his face: "Come here, old general Shen, take a closer look. I don't believe that you are so hard-hearted that you don't even recognize your own children. Immediately leaving the city and accepting the surrender will save them from suffering. If not, heh, Gu has a way to make their lives worse than death."

After hearing Gu Mingzhang's words, both Shen Si and Shen Xie desperately shook their heads, signaling to their father that they must never leave the city.No matter how gaudy Gu Mingzhang said, his father's life would be in danger if he went out of the city, and he would have no chance to be cleared of his crimes.On the contrary, if it is delayed for a few days, there may be room for things to turn around.Only in this way, they will suffer a lot from flesh and blood.

After a moment of silence, Shen Wei smiled bluntly on the top of the wall and said, "Gu Mingzhang, put away your wishful thinking. Since the day Shen Si was accepted as the adopted son by King Jin, I have kicked him out. Whether he lives or dies It has nothing to do with my Shen family anymore. As for Shen Yu, she has married Chai Yun from Liangzhou, so naturally she is not from my Shen family..."

"Hahaha," without waiting for Shen Wei to finish, he was interrupted by Gu Mingzhang's sharp and arrogant laughter, "Shen Wei, the tricks you use can hide others, but you can't hide it from the governor. Who doesn't know you She favors the youngest son, regards him like a pearl and treasure, and has nothing to do with what she says. It is nothing more than covering up the crime of resisting the edict of the youngest son, while using King Jin as a backer to seek power and profit. Since you are stubborn, I just want to take a look. Is it your hard mouth or your son's hard bones! Come on..."

At this moment, the third elder brother Shen Zhi, who was also stationed on the top of the city, suddenly bent his bow and put up an arrow and shouted: "Shen Nianqing, you have recognized a thief as your father and worshiped under King Jin's sect. You are not a child of my Shen family, but now you are also following me!" These treacherous people came to persecute my father and brother, and I, Shen Zhi, will eliminate harm for the family today!"

"Shua" a cold light shot out from the third brother's hand, and came through the air with the sound of the wind. Shen Si couldn't believe that the closest third brother would have the intention to kill him, but the arrows pierced the surging air flow, clearly Aimed at his chest... In the moment of life and death, he lost his mind in meditation. In a trance, brilliant lights and shadows flashed in front of him, fireworks were in full bloom, silk and bamboo fluttered, and willows and flowers flew in the air. A man with a unique look stood opposite him, speaking in a gentle voice. Yue Er: "Nian Qing, I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell in love with you, and I have only done this to you in the past 30 years."

He can't just die like this, he has a very important sentence that he hasn't said in time... On the stone arch bridge in Jinyang City, the man is still waiting for his answer...