Si Tian Guan

The sunlight from outside shone in through the tall and narrow windows, and the harsh noon sun had turned into a soft orange, and it was almost evening.

Although the people in the dungeon couldn't see it, the light could just reflect the shadow of a copper bell under the eaves.

The clear-cut shadow will gradually rise as the sun sets in the west, and it will be completely swallowed by the darkness when it reaches the position of No. 16 bricks counting down from the roof.

It was perhaps the only thing in the cell worth staring at.

When the shadow was about to disappear at the No.16 brick, a hand finally couldn't help but try to reach up, as if it could hold a little hope.

But after all, there was nothing in the hand, and the shadow of the copper bell still disappeared in the gray mist.

The man suddenly curled up in the corner, sobbing like a child who lost his favorite toy.

The sound of iron chains clashing lightly came from the cell next to the wall. The people next to him hated his growing sorrow. Every time they heard him cry bitterly, they would turn over and cover their ears.

"Qu Chenzhou!" He threw himself on the wooden fence, roaring like crazy: "You hurt me! Why did you hurt me! If Liu Chongming can give it to you, so can I! Why do you want to help him!"

The smile that seemed to grow on his face in the past was gone, and no one could believe that this hideous and distraught man could be the former King of Huai, Mu Jingyan.

"Why are you trying to kill me!"

He has been living here for more than half a month, but every time he hears the voice next to him, he can't hold back his hysteria.

Everything should have gone according to his plan!Nothing should be like this!

Not long after Kuaima broke into the city gate, they met a group of Beiya patrolling the city. The other party was obedient to his scolding, and they could only back away inexplicably.

When he was approaching Guang'en Temple, Bai Shiyan finally led his troops to chase after him to ask him, but there were only a few dozen people, but it was exactly what he wanted.

—— King Huai was ordered to go out to Beijing to worship his ancestors, but he was robbed and killed by the dragon cavalry army halfway. Fortunately, five hundred reinforcements from Shiliting arrived in time to escort King Huai back to Beijing.

——Unexpectedly, Bai Shiyan would not give up, even in Beijing, he would boldly try to attack him.

The two sides were at war with each other, and someone secretly made a move, and since then, the two sides have been out of control.

Everything is going according to his plan, the rest is as long as he escapes into the palace in time and files a lawsuit...

But when they arrived at Guang'en Temple, the rest of the direction deviated from the proper track.

At first it was the leading guards and the left and right guards who came one after another, and then the reinforcements from Beiya came one after another, as if the location had been calculated and prepared to be around.

Even though he was protected in the battle circle, he could clearly feel a great sense of oppression.

Not just oppression, but a suffocating fear. For the first time, he really knew what a battlefield is—no matter how noble or humble it is, it is just a piece of dead flesh that will never move again .

He was fighting between the two, and he couldn't even say the word "retreat", but even so, he quickly discovered something strange.

There are thousands of people on the other side, and they only have a few hundred people. They shouldn't have persisted for such a long time, but they not only persisted, but were also forced to move forward gradually.

It wasn't until the palace wall in front of him was getting closer and closer, until he saw Liu Chongming rushing from the dismounting stone with soldiers and horses from the Jinxiu Battalion, that he finally figured out what the other party wanted to do.

"cannot!"

He roared heart-piercingly, and burst into tears, the palace gate was a giant beast that wanted to bite him into pieces and devour him, just waiting for him to send it to the door.

"Can't go over!"

They were still rolled all the way to Chengtianmen, and the people around him were like straw harvested in autumn, falling down layer by layer, leaving him in the middle as the fruit of victory waiting to be picked.

Not even a cry of grievances could reach that person's ears.

It wasn't until he saw Qu Chenzhou in the prison of Dali Temple that he finally understood who was playing a huge game of chess behind him, and even put himself on the chessboard to become a deadly move.

"Qu Shenzhou!" His nails pinched on the wooden railing, shaking so that the shackles all over his body were clanging.

If there is not a wall separating them, I wish I could get out and swallow the people next door alive.

"What did you say to the emperor! Why did you do this! Aren't you afraid of death yourself!"

The neighbor finally reacted, but he was so calm that he didn't know he was in prison.

"Afraid of death?" Qu Chenzhou sat up against the wall, and smiled softly: "Mu Jingyan, you don't know how happy I am to be able to drag you to hell with me."

Finally got a response after these days, Mu Jingyan squeezed to the nearest railing, trying to calm himself down.

"What do you want? I, Mu Jingyan, always keep my word, as long as you tell me, I can give it to you!"

"Mu?" Qu Chenzhou sneered: "Isn't your surname Zhou?"

Finally being able to talk to others, Mu Jingyan also calmed down: "It doesn't matter what my surname is, as long as you are willing to help me out of trouble, when I ascend the throne some other day, even if you say that the throne will be divided into half of you, I will never be ambiguous."

"I'm the king and you the queen?" Qu Chenzhou also moved to the side of the railing, and he still had the heart to joke with him: "It's a pity that I don't like you. If I were the king, it would be almost as good to marry the prince."

Mu Jingyan had no intention of joking with him: "I don't believe you don't have what you want! I don't believe you are really not afraid of death!"

The neighbor was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"I'm afraid of death, but I want the court to be clear and bright, and I want the world to have a feast of sea and rivers. Can you give it to me?"

"I want you to let go of power, know people and use them well, appoint people on their merits, kill and exile Ren Rui, Dong Chengyu and other villains, are you willing?"

"I want you to abolish slavery and do everything possible to suppress the pressure from inside and outside the court, do you dare?"

"I..." Mu Jingyan was interrupted just as he opened his mouth.

"It's useless for you to promise, because you can't give it, you are unwilling, and you dare not. You yourself are a pile of carrion, and you can only attract foul-smelling flies."

"So I can only choose another enlightened master, you should give up on this heart."

Hearing uncontrollable sobs in the panting sound across the wall, Qu Chenzhou suddenly laughed softly.

"My lord is so smart. Seeing me here, I should also understand the situation of my lord. In the past ten days, let alone seeing my lord, my lord has not asked me to hand over a handwritten letter. My lord even expected to escape from death." ?”

Mu Jingyan's face turned pale.

Of course he could understand that even though leading troops through Chengtianmen was enough to be accused of treason, he believed that those people would run for him, as long as the emperor was willing to see him, he would have the hope of turning around.

But there is still Qu Shenzhou...

From the emperor's point of view, he had won over this close minister who was trusted and loved by the emperor, cooperated with him internally and externally, and planned this rebellion together. If it hadn't been for the bloody battle between the northern and southern Yamen and the Jinxiu Camp, he would have been killed to the Chengtianmen. victory is in sight.

He once laughed at Mu Jingzhao as an idiot, but unknowingly, he followed in the footsteps of King Ning.

Mu Jingyan slid along the railing and knelt on the ground, buried his face in his hands, sobbing silently.

It wasn't until the chills scratched his bones that he gradually woke up. The surroundings were so dark that no shadows could be seen, and he fell asleep lying on his side like this.

It was not only the cold that woke him up, but also the sound of footsteps walking on the upper floor.

The footsteps of several people, and at this hour, it must not be the jailer who delivered the food.

Mu Jingyan got up suddenly, and before the iron gate on the steps opened, he shouted loudly: "Who is it! Did you come to pick me up! I want to see the emperor! Let me see the emperor!"

Slow footsteps came down the steps, and the person carrying the lantern walked behind, and the shadow of the leader was stretched until it crossed the railing, as if swallowing Mu Jingyan whole.

"Liu..." Mu Jingyan's breathing became rapid: "Liu Chongming..."

The candles on the wall were lit up, illuminating the person standing holding the knife more clearly. He almost watched Liu Chongming grow up, but he never thought that this face would look so frightening.

Standing slightly behind is Ling He.

Mu Jingyan seemed to see a little light, and suddenly shouted loudly: "Linghe! This king knows that you are upright and upright, and you are just! This king is wronged! I did not rebel, it was Bai Shiyan who sent people to kill me! I I had to flee back to Beijing! You asked me to see the emperor! You asked me to write a letter to the emperor to redress his grievances!"

Ling He nodded to him as if it was a routine, and watched the jailer go to the side cell first and help Qu Chenzhou out.

The three of them stood in front of the closed cell door like this, and only Mu Jingyan was left to be interrogated.

"Ling He! How dare you help Liu Chongming..."

His mind was confused, and he was even more panicked. He didn't know how many people were standing behind Liu Chongming.

"Following the emperor's will," Liu Chongming said, interrupting his scolding: "Send the prince a ride!"

Someone came forward with a tray and squatted outside the cell door, with a glass of wine on the wooden tray.

As soon as Mu Jingyan's eyes touched the glass of wine, he backed away as if bitten by a poisonous snake.

"Impossible! The emperor can't even see you face to face! It's you! It's you who passed the imperial decree falsely! It's a death penalty! I want to sue you for deceiving the emperor!"

As if they didn't have ears, the guards didn't hear his screams. They opened the cell door and held down his hands and feet.

"Liu Chongming!" Mu Jingyan was like a beast in a cage, struggling to the extreme and laughing out loud: "I'm dead, and Qu Chenzhou can't survive either!"

The glass of wine was poured down his throat, and it was so hot that it seemed like a fire was burning. He wanted to scream, but he opened his mouth in vain, unable to utter a sound.

The cell suddenly fell silent, only the silence of struggling could be seen, which was so eerie that it made one's hair stand on end.

"Want to die?"

Liu Chongming said slowly: "Let you die casually, how can it be so cheap?"

"Ling Shaoqing can testify that I did not falsely preach the imperial decree. The prince brought troops back to Beijing on the way to worship his ancestors, intending to rebel. The emperor was so angry that he vomited blood. How could he summon the prince?"

"My lord, let's give up."

"The emperor ordered the two of us to come and give you a glass of poisoned wine. I just exchanged the poisoned wine for my Jinxiu camp's dumb medicine."

"I saved your life, should I still be grateful to me?"

"After tonight, there will be no such person as Mu Jingyan in this world."

"It just so happens that there are often some guests with strange interests in my Huanyi Building. In the past, I was always reluctant to entertain anyone, but now I have found a proud person."

Mu Jingyan paused for a moment before trying to understand the meaning of these words, he suddenly opened his mouth and bit it, but the jailer quickly stuffed the sackcloth into his mouth, received a hard blow on the back of the neck, and suddenly fell to the ground.

Since he fainted this time, there will be no more Mu Jingyan in the world.

No one would know that the dumb person who will be happy every day in the Huanyi Building will be the former Prince Huai.

Until the jailer dragged him out, Liu Chongming's eyes still fell on the empty cell in front of him, and he didn't dare to look away, for fear that he would not be able to maintain the calmness of his flimsy disguise.

The one who broke the silence was Ling He, who called the name he wanted to hear the most but was afraid of hearing it the most.

"Qu Shenzhou."

Qu Chenzhou's eyes skipped over Liu Chongming and landed on Ling He, but he saw Ling He took half a step back, knelt down solemnly on one knee, and saluted him.

"Linghe..."

On the way to Qingxinju, he was able to be calm and open, but now he can't see Linghe bowing to him in front of Liu Chongming.

Even if he can afford it.

He could have saved himself.

Before entering the palace gate, Bai Shiyan and Liu Chongming were enough to wipe out hundreds of people including King Huai, and the crown prince would also fall to Lan'er.

But even if Mu Jingyan dies, the idiots behind him have not been eradicated, and they must be stirring up trouble in the dark.

Even if Liu Chongming had thunderous methods to eradicate them one by one, it would be in the mouth of others, it would be the name of his relatives Liu family for eradicating dissidents and killing innocent people for the little prince, let alone the blood of King Huai was still undone.

At that time, even if Lan'er ascends the throne, her name will be dishonest, and there will inevitably be turmoil in the court.

On the emperor's side, whether he died at his hands, or was forced to sit in Lan'er under his persecution, it would be like adding fuel to the flames.

Lan'er's throne is not only accompanied by eternal scorn and infamy, but also a fatal blow to this powerful Taiping.

Such a catastrophe and turmoil may last for decades, and no one can become a complete egg under the whole nest.

With Qu Shenzhou offering sacrifices alone, and maintaining this singing and dancing promotion, it can be regarded as a worthy death.

Ling He stood up, looked at Liu Chongming who was standing aside, left only one sentence before turning and leaving.

"The emperor is still sick and waiting for your confession. According to the message from Jiu'an, you will be executed in the past few days. If you have anything to say, please speak as soon as possible."

There was only a rare silence in the cell.

Qu Chenzhou saw the familiar back muscles tense, but his shoulders trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to speak several times, but he didn't know what to say.

If Liu Chongming hated him and resented him as before, maybe it could make him feel better.

"Chongming, after I leave..."

The courage he tried to muster was interrupted by the sound of paper shaking. Charcoal pencils, white paper, and the booklet full of names were all thrown on the wooden table not far away.

"Let's write." Liu Chongming's voice was much calmer than he imagined: "Finish the business first."

In order to distinguish him from Liu Chongming, he deliberately changed his handwriting a little in front of the emperor in the past two years, which Liu Chongming could not imitate.

Qu Chenzhou pulled the iron chains on the handcuffs, and the charcoal pen fell on the paper—the sinful minister Qu Shenzhou has committed a crime, and he is willing to inform the accomplices, begging for mercy...

As if in the study room before, Liu Chongming patiently stood aside, watching him write, while flipping through the booklet for him until the last name.

Liu Chongming watched him bite his finger and pressed the bloody fingerprint on it, then carefully folded the paper a few times and put it in his arms.

"Chongming..." Qu Chenzhou didn't know whether to raise his gaze, so he could only cry softly.

There was no voice to answer him, he bit his lower lip lightly, as if he was talking to himself.

"King Huai is gone. Sooner or later, many people will focus on impeaching the relatives of the Liu family to take power. But this matter should not be too urgent. If Lan'er and sister want to secure their positions, they must rely more on the Liu family and the Bai family."

"After Chongming, I will teach Lan'er well..."

The firm and warm embrace accommodated him as always, and warm breaths and kisses fell on the back of his neck.

"I know these things in my heart, you don't have to worry, Shen Zhou," Liu Chongming comforted him with a gentle voice, as if this is not a prison, but a bridal chamber where they are about to merge: "Do you remember what you said once?" talk?"

Qu Chenzhou restrained the choking in his throat, and asked softly, "What are you talking about?"

"You said, even if you die on the way one day, it's just burning firewood in the fire and making the best use of everything."

Of course he remembered that at that time they were like two hedgehogs, wishing they could stab each other with bruises all over their bodies.

But looking back now, those days were actually a little sweet.

"I also said that I will not stop you from doing anything in the future, but I will..."

The scorching breath came overwhelmingly, and the teardrops that he had suppressed by force rolled out unsatisfactorily.

"I'll catch you."

Liu Chongming hugged him against the railing, groping for his breath with his lips.

"You did what you were supposed to do, leave the rest to me..."

"wait me back."

The author has something to say: Shen Zhou's goal is for Lan'er to ascend to the throne of God safely and undisputedly, and the goal is not only King Huai, but also the accomplices behind King Huai, using confessions to dig out everyone