The lights in the edict prison were dim, and Shen Zechuan’s hands and feet felt cold, and he was getting more and more out of breath. The hemp rope was tied tightly, and he kept rubbing his wrists, but to no avail.
The soil bag squeezed his chest, as if he had been thrown into a deep pool, his ears were buzzing, his breathing was disordered, as if he was drowning, unable to continue breathing.
Shen Zechuan rolled his eyes, staring at the candlelight outside the railing.
A few guards in Jin Yi in the hall were eating wine, shouting with their fists, and had no time to look back at Shen Zechuan. Shen Zechuan was nailed to the rough straw mat with an earth bag, and the nausea of suffocation buried him like a flood.
The eyes were a little dim, Shen Zechuan raised his head, gritted his teeth and moved his feet. His legs were nearly numb from the cane, but when he lifted them up, he seemed unconscious. He stepped on the left corner of the plank bed, which was rotten by moths, and it was a little bit damaged by him sitting on it the first day.
It’s getting harder to breathe.
Shen Zechuan stomped on that corner and stamped with all his strength. But his legs and feet were weak, and he didn’t even make a sound, and the bed board remained motionless. The cold sweat was dripping hard, and the clothes behind were soaked.
He wants to live.
Shen Zechuan whined wildly from his throat, he bit the tip of his tongue, and continued to stamp the bed with his feet.
Ji Mu’s inhuman corpse was the whip that whipped his desire to survive, and Ji Mu’s voice still seemed to be echoing in his ears.
He wants to live!
Shen Zechuan slammed into the wooden board fiercely, and finally heard a “plop”. Half of the bed board was stomped, and the body sunk sideways, and the soil bag rolled down. He seemed to break out of the water and fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
The ground was cold, and Shen Zechuan’s injured leg couldn’t be controlled. He propped himself up on his elbows, sweat dripping down the bridge of his nose. It was cold in the prison, but he felt that his whole body was burning, his internal organs were writhing with heat, and finally he couldn’t help but hang his head down and retch.
Damn Shen Wei.
Zhongbo has 120,000 soldiers and horses, which are divided into six states for defense lines. After the defeat of Chashihe, sand cavalry invaded the front line of Dunzhou. As the interrogator said, there was still a chance of redemption at that time. Shen Wei not only had strong soldiers and horses, but also had sufficient food and grass, and there were also garrison troops from the three cities of Duanzhou for deployment. However, he unexpectedly abandoned Duanzhou, and fled back to the Dunzhou palace timidly.
This hiding became the beginning of the fall of Zhongbo. The three cities of Duanzhou were all massacred by the Biansha cavalry. , but he ran away again upon hearing the news.
The Zhongbo army retreated steadily, and the Biansha cavalry pierced almost the entire territory of the six states like a sharp steel knife. They rode their horses, went into battle lightly, and chased them all the way to eight hundred miles away from the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
If Shen Wei could burn down the granary in the city when retreating, and carry out a solid wall to clear the field, then the border sand cavalry would never be able to go deep into such a point. Because they had no luggage, they relied on the food in the captured city as supplies. Once the food in the city was burned, even the toughest frontier sand cavalry would be hungry.
There is no way to continue fighting on a hungry stomach. At that time, the Libei Cavalry will cross the glacier and block the retreat of the Biansha Twelve Division from above. The direction of escape, these scimitars are the turtle in the urn, and they are determined not to survive the winter.
But Shen Wei didn’t do that.
Not only did he give up resistance, he also left all the granaries in the city to the border sand cavalry. Relying on the food of the Zhou people, the Biansha cavalry slaughtered all the cities of the Zhou people. Their horses were fattened and strong by Shen Wei, and they drove the civilians and captured soldiers in the Chashi River, killing them all overnight.
Shen Zechuan narrowly escaped death.
The capital now has to clear the books, and all the orders Shen Wei made before seem extraordinarily sloppy. However, Shen Wei set himself on fire in fear of crime, and burned himself with a fire, and even destroyed all the documents.
The emperor wants to find out, they can only continue to interrogate Shen Zechuan who may know. But Shen Zechuan’s biological mother is a maiko in Duanzhou. Shen Wei has too many sons. Remember there is such a son.
Someone is going to kill him.
This is not a secret, he entered the capital to take the punishment for his father. He is the only remnant of the Zhongbo Shen family, and his father’s debt is paid by the son. After the interrogation in prison, the emperor will definitely use his life to commemorate the 30,000 soldiers who were killed in the battle of Chashi River in Zhongbo Dunzhou.
But that shouldn’t be an assassination like this.
Shen Zechuan wiped the corners of his lips with his thumb, and tilted his head to spit the blood from his mouth.
If it is true that Shen Wei colludes with foreign enemies in order to rebel, then Shen Zechuan will die sooner or later, why bother to assassinate his nameless **** son? There are still people in the capital who are worried about the interrogation, if this is the case, then there must be something strange about Shen Weibing’s defeat.
Shen Zechuan didn’t know anything.
He has a master in Duanzhou, and his brother is Ji Mu, the only son of the master. To him, Shen Wei is just King Jianxing and has nothing to do with him. Whether Shen Wei colluded with the enemy or not, he didn’t know at all.
But he must be killed or not.
It was freezing cold on the ground, and Shen Zechuan just lay on his stomach like this, but he was more awake than during the day because of the cold. He is a felon mentioned by Jin Yiwei. All the arrest warrants, driving orders, and fine emblem approval documents were all handed down from above, and he was directly taken from Libei’s son Xiao Jiming to the Imperial Prison, and even bypassed the Third Division Committee. Trial.
This has already shown that the emperor will never tolerate it and is determined to investigate thoroughly. But who is so courageous to still take the risk under such circumstances and want to kill him before the emperor’s personal trial?
The cold wind was still howling at the window, Shen Zechuan rolled his eyes, staring at the dark wall, not daring to close them again.
The next day was slightly cooler, and Shen Zechuan was brought back into the lobby. It was snowing heavily outside the door, and the interrogator who had faced each other with a cold face a few days ago was smiling, serving tea with both hands, and waiting respectfully by the side of the grand master’s chair.
On that seat sat a white-faced and beardless old eunuch, wearing a sky-crane velvet cap and a gourd-scenery patch. After listening to the movement, he just opened his eyes and looked at Shen Zechuan.
“Godfather.” Ji Lei, who was ordered to interrogate these days, bent down and said, “This is the remnant of Jianxing King Shen Wei.”
Pan Rugui looked at Shen Zechuan and said, “How did you get into this?”
Ji Lei knew that Pan Rugui was not asking why Shen Zechuan was so dirty, but why he hadn’t been found out yet.
Ji Lei’s forehead was soaked with sweat, and he didn’t dare to wipe it off. He just kept bending over and said, “Zhuzi is ignorant and ignorant. He was unconscious when he was brought back from Zhongbo. I don’t know who was instigated by him. He has been refusing to explain. .”
“The emperor wants to prosecute a felon.” Pan Rugui didn’t take the tea, “A fifteen or sixteen-year-old child has been sent to a famous prison, and you have been interrogated by Mr. Ji, but he has not yet delivered a single confession. “
Ji Lei served tea, smiled wryly and said, “Because he is a felon, he did not dare to commit suicide without authorization. He was already suffering from cold when he came, and if he died without any seriousness, Shen Wei’s case would become an unsolved case.” .”
Pan Rugui looked at Shen Zechuan for a while, and said: “We are all dogs under the seat of the master. If our teeth are not so sharp, it is useless to keep them. I know you have difficulties, but this is all your job. Right now, the emperor To see people, this is to show consideration for you Jin Yiwei, how can you complain again.”
Ji Lei hurriedly prostrated himself and said: “What godfather said is very true, my son has been educated.”
Pan Rugui let out an “um” in his nose and said, “Clean him up. He’s so dirty, how can he face a holy face.”
Shen Zechuan was taken down by the handyman to be cleaned. The injury on his leg was simply bandaged, and he put on clean cotton clothes. He was at the mercy of others, his body was inconvenient to walk, and it took some effort to get into the carriage.
Pan Rugui finally took Ji Lei’s tea, stared at Shen Zechuan’s back, and said, “Is this really the remnant of the Shen family?”
Ji Lei said: “Exactly. He is the only living person in the Chashi Tiankeng. He was captured by Li Bei Xiao Shizi himself, and kept in the prison car of Li Bei Iron Cavalry. He was never touched by others on the way.”
Pan Rugui sipped his cold tea, and after a while he smiled and said, “Xiao Shizi is a cautious person.”
***
Shen Zechuan got out of the carriage, and Jin Yiwei carried him across the long road. Goose feather heavy snow blows on the face, and the eunuchs who lead the way walk quickly without talking nonsense.
Pan Rugui arrived in front of Mingli Hall, and the little **** waiting under the eaves immediately came to welcome him, first untied Pan Rugui’s cloak, then changed him into a mask, and then took the hand warmer from Pan Rugui’s hand. The transmission inside had been completed, Pan Rugui kowtowed at the door and said, “Your Majesty, this slave has brought you here.”
After a while, a low voice came out: “Bring it in.”
Shen Zechuan’s breathing was stagnant, and he had already been carried inside. Incense was burned inside, but it was not stuffy. He heard a few intermittent coughs, and his peripheral vision glanced at the feet on both sides of the hall.
Emperor Xiande was dressed in a stone-blue Taoist robe, and his back was so thin that his bones could be seen. He was weak and suffered from various illnesses during the three years since he succeeded to the throne. Sitting on the chair at this time, his long face looked extraordinarily refined and delicate due to the lack of energy and blood.
“Ji Lei has been interrogated for a few days.” Emperor Xiande glanced at Ji Lei who was kneeling behind him, “Is the interrogation clear?”
Ji Lei kowtowed and said: “Reporting to the emperor, this son’s speech is full of loopholes. The things he confessed in the past few days are full of contradictions and cannot be trusted.”
Emperor Xiande said: “Show him what he offered.”
Ji Lei took out the well-packed confession from his arms, and handed it to Pan Rugui with both hands. Pan Rugui stepped forward again, respectfully presenting himself to Emperor Xiande.
Emperor Xiande read it once, covered his lips and coughed when he reached Chashi Tiankeng. He didn’t want Pan Rugui to wipe it, but wiped off the blood between his lips with a handkerchief, and said in a deep voice, “Thirty thousand soldiers were killed in the Tiankeng, but Shen Wei survived, all people and gods are outraged!”
Shen Zechuan closed his eyes, his chest was beating rapidly. Sure enough, the next moment I heard what Emperor Xiande said.
“Head up!”
Shen Zechuan was short of breath, and his palms on the ground were cold. He raised his head slowly, his eyes cautiously landed on Emperor Xiande’s boots.
Emperor Xiande looked at him and asked, “You are the son of Shen Wei, and the only living person in Chashi Tiankeng. What do you have to explain?”
Shen Zechuan’s eyes turned red, he shook his body slightly, weeping silently.
Emperor Xiande’s expression remained unchanged, and he said, “Return to my words!”
Shen Zechuan raised his eyes suddenly, tears were already streaming down his cheeks. He only lifted it up for a moment, then slammed his forehead on the ground forcefully, trembling his shoulders and arms, followed by a choked sound in his throat.
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty! My father’s heart is for the country. After the defeat, he was ashamed of his family and country. He had no face to see Zhongbo’s elders again, so he set himself on fire to apologize!”
Emperor Xiande scolded: “You talk nonsense! If he is dedicated to the country, how can he retreat again and again?”
Shen Zechuan sobbed hoarsely: “My father sent all his sons to the battlefield. My elder brother Shen Zhouji was dragged behind a horse by border sandmen on the Chashi official road and tortured to death! If it is not for loyalty, how can we do this? Where?”
Emperor Xiande said: “How dare you bring up the battle of Chashi? Shen Zhouji fled the battle, and his crime is unforgivable.”
Shen Zechuan looked up at Emperor Xiande, with tears streaming down his face, and hissed, “The battle of Chashihe caused blood to flow into canals. My elder brother was incompetent, but he also guarded for three days. During these three days, the military situation was transmitted to Qidong, Leaving the North, without these three days…”
He was so choked up that he couldn’t speak.
Emperor Xiande looked at the confession in his hand, but there was no sound of him in the hall, only Shen Zechuan’s sobbing. During this extremely long silence, Shen Zechuan’s fingertips had already dug into the flesh.
Emperor Xiande suddenly let out a long sigh and said, “Did Shen Wei ever collaborate with the enemy?”
Shen Zechuan categorically replied: “No.”
Unexpectedly, Emperor Xiande put down his confession, his voice suddenly became cold, and he said: “Zhuzi is cunning and intends to deceive the emperor, so you can’t keep you! Pan Rugui, drag him down, and kill him with a stick!”
“Your servant obeys the order!” Pan Rugui immediately accepted the order, bowed and retreated.
Shen Zechuan was like a basin of cold water in his pocket, and his whole body became cold all of a sudden. He struggled suddenly, but Jin Yiwei tightly covered his mouth, and quickly dragged him out of Mingli Hall.