Jiang Qing

The autumn wind suddenly blows, and it is only a month or so.But the prison is dark and cold, and it is difficult to distinguish day and night.

A few jailers sat around a small table, drinking wine and eating a simple lunch. They didn't dislike the shrill begging for mercy coming from the execution room, talking and laughing, very self-sufficient.

"Bah." An old jailer walked out of the execution room, and he spat on the ground, as if he was about to spit out the smell of blood splashed on his face.

Seeing him coming, the guards sitting around hurriedly squeezed aside to make room for him.

The old jailer was not in a hurry to sit down, he leaned on the table and drank half a bowl of turbid wine first, then glanced at the few roasted chickens and pots of good wine on the side. People moved.

"It's about to send someone on the road again." His cloudy eyes showed the indifference that he was used to watching life and death.

Since autumn leaves are turning yellow, these delicious foods will appear in the imperial prison from time to time.This is for the prisoners who are going to go on the road, so the jailers will naturally not use any of it.No matter what fate he is, he has entered this death row, and unless the will of God changes, he will only have to wait for death.How proud he was in life, but when he died, he had nothing but this roast chicken and a pot of good wine.

"It's the generals who were involved in the Cangshan incident a few days ago, and they are going to be tortured in the vegetable market today." A jailer whispered softly.

"After finishing your meal, go to work seriously, what are you chewing on your tongue!" A petty official came from outside, leading a middle-aged man in official uniform to come in, happened to hear the private discussions of the jailers, and reprimanded him.

"I'll give him a ride, sir, you don't have to follow." Bai Jianye took a meal of severed heads on the table, and walked into the depths of the prison with ease.

The petty official repeatedly said yes, but still sneaked up after him.

The guard at the door opened the door lock, and Bai Jian caught a glimpse of the little official who followed him and leaned against the corner, but he didn't expose it, and walked in as if he didn't see anything.

There is only a small window at the top of the cell, which casts some light and illuminates a small area.

Mei Zhou was throwing crumbs of steamed buns on the small window, watching a few little birds scrambling to peck at the food.If one ignores the shackles on his hands and feet and the prison uniform, suddenly, Bai Jianye really thought he was the same as when he first met Brother Mei.

He put down the roast chicken and wine, and Mei Zhou turned to look at him.

"Anyway, I'm with you, and I'll see you off for the last time." Bai Jianye sat on the ground, put the wine bowl away, and pointed out through his sleeve robe.

Looking in the direction he pointed, a faint shadow was showing a corner on the wall, shaking slightly.

Mei Zhou understood, sat obediently on the low table, watched him pour out the wine, and sneered: "It's because I don't know people well, and I made friends with a traitor, which is why today's disaster happened. You came here on purpose to see Am I joking?"

Bai Jianye's eyes drooped, he dipped in the wine and wrote on the table: The emperor is not in doubt yet.

"I have persuaded Brother Mei a long time ago that it is easy to fall when you climb high. You have been in a high position for many years. If you were not greedy, how could you have come to such a point?" Bai Jianye sneered.

Mei Zhou took a look at the water stains on the table, feeling mostly at ease in his heart, looked at Bai Jianye with more expectation, but said on his mouth: "Winners and losers, since ancient times, you and I are not the same way, it is difficult talk."

His dipped hand paused for a moment, and he still wrote: My son?

Shang An.

"If you can tell the name of the generals that the Mei family has made friends with in the army, maybe His Majesty will leave your whole body in memory of the old friendship." Bai Jianye smiled at him with relief, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.

Meizhou understood, got up and overturned the short table, grabbed Bai Jianye's neck fiercely, and said bitterly: "Informant boy, if you didn't rely on my Mei family, how could you have the glory you have today? The despicable villains at both ends of the head rat !"

Meizhou's hand was so strong that he quickly pinched Bai Jianye immobile. He screamed for help, and the guards outside hurried in, and saw food and drink scattered all over the floor and two people wrestling together.

The jailer rushed forward to separate the two of them. On the verge of being suffocated, Bai Jianye heard someone whispering in his ear: "The road ahead is difficult and dangerous, I hope you will take care of it."

"My lord, are you all right?" The jailer couldn't help asking when he saw the shocking red mark on Bai Jianye's neck.

Bai Jianye limped out with the strength of the jailer, with tears in his eyes, as if he had just been pinched urgently and flowed out.

I could only hear Mei Zhou laughing wantonly inside, the laughter was uninhibited, with a bit of madness and pleasure.

As if his mind is over, he can happily step into the execution ground and die calmly.

----

In the penalty room.

Just as Bai Bingchen lay down with his clothes on, his originally clear face became a little more sad, and now the bruises under his eyes had accumulated another layer.

In the past month, he has spent almost all his food and lodging at the Ministry of Criminal Justice. In the eyes of outsiders, he is greedy for power and wished to convict the Mei family of rebellion early so that he could take advantage of the situation and rise to power.

When he first heard it, Bai Bingchen still felt a little uncomfortable, but gradually more ugly words fell into his ears, and instead he calmed down and stared at the movement in the cell.

Qi Jun still listened to what he said, and called a doctor to come in to treat Mei Shao. Although some traumatic medicine was applied hastily, but with the time and strength of Bai Bingchen's interrogation, Mei Shao's mental state has improved a lot, at least not as bad as before. So unconscious when I saw it.

Every few days, Bai Bingchen would report the progress of the interrogation. Even if Mei Shao didn't cooperate, he would try to find some excuses to cover it up.

After walking in the Ministry of Punishment for a long time, Bai Bingchen gradually realized that many things cannot be done by himself alone. Now he is walking on thin ice. On the surface, he is a hot upstart among his colleagues, but behind his back he has become a joke after dinner.

Countless pairs of eyes stared at him, stared at his actions, looking for evidence that he had colluded with the Mei family, he had to wrap up his emotions tightly so that no one would see any flaws.

He began to learn how to win over the servants, and asked the gatekeeper to help him keep an eye on Mei Shao's condition. He gradually got used to seeing people with three-pointed smiles and half-truths. He gradually became more and more like him. father.

Gentle, peaceful, with a shallow smile, you can't find any faults in him, but he is not outstanding, just so quiet, just let people watch him, and he can calm down a little bit of anger.

He could calmly interrogate Mei Shao, even with a slight smile, pressing him with questions that had been asked countless times without the slightest bit of anger.He is so cold that no one should enter, but when you get closer, he is so gentle and considerate that you will be at a loss.

Never before has such a long period of more than a month polished him into the expressionless expression of his emotions and anger, and even his originally clear and clean eyes were covered with a gentle smile, which made it hard to understand the truth. .

"Master Bai! Lord Bai, go and have a look, Mei Shao wants to kill himself!" A jailer hurried over and knocked on the door of the wing where Bai Bingchen lived.

"What's going on?" There was no trace of impatience in the flat tone, and soon, Bai Bingchen opened the door and followed him to the cell.

"It's all because the new guards didn't behave well. When they took over their shifts, they discussed a few words about the execution of Cangshan's rebellious party today, so he overheard them."

Hearing this, Bai Bingchen's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "Is today the execution day?"

"My lord, you have been staying in the wing and the prison all day, and you didn't realize that it was cold." The jailer saw that he was easy to talk, so he said a few more words.

Bai Bingchen was perfunctory, but he couldn't help but quicken his feet, and he arrived outside Mei Shao's cell in a short while.

Several jailers were firmly restraining him, pinching his jaw to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.

Bai Bingchen took a rough look at the bloodstains on Mei Shao's forehead and the bloodstains on the wall, and he knew what was going on.He was anxious and annoyed for a moment, but he had nowhere to express it, so he had to take a deep look at Mei Shao, and strangled his chin with his own hands.

"You want to die?" Bai Bingchen's pupils narrowed slightly, and he struck hard, "Without Mingfa's will, what right do you have to die?"

Mei Shao, who had been languid at the side, gradually focused his eyes on the face in front of him after hearing his words, and he suddenly smiled, with blood flowing from his mouth onto Bai Bingchen Subai's hands, "My father, brother, And all the uncles, they died under the hands of your Bai family. Bai Bingchen, executed at noon today, have you gone to see it?"

Bai Bingchen turned his head away and did not respond.

Mei Shao continued to ask: "Aren't you afraid to go see it? Are you afraid that they will dream of coming back at midnight and come looking for your life, or are you afraid that your heart will be disturbed and you will not be able to sleep day and night?"

"I have a clear conscience." Bai Bingchen looked back into his eyes and uttered these words unswervingly.

As if to annoy Mei Shao, a contemptuous smile accompanied these words.

The anger in his stomach charged straight up, and Mei Shao's eyes showed hatred and unwillingness again, he gritted his teeth and said: "You will regret the decision you made today. If..."

The flirtatious words interrupted Mei Shao's vigor, Bai Bingchen turned around and left, and said with a chuckle, "You want to kill me? Wait until you can crawl out of the dead alive, you're beyond your control."

Seeing that Bai Bingchen left without doing anything else, the jailer rushed to catch up and asked, "My lord, this..."

"There's no need to restrain him. Just send someone to guard the cell door. He won't seek death so easily."

Bai Bingchen glanced at the people behind him, but there was a trace of sadness in his heart.

He can't be with Mei Shao, he just wants to grow hatred, so that Mei Shao can survive the most difficult period of time and live well.