Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Shocking Secret

However, Gao Qiong was miraculously rescued from Junyi County Prison on the night of Qingming Festival. As soon as he got out of the tunnel, someone grabbed him and put a thick black cloth cover on his head, preventing him from seeing his surroundings clearly.When those masked jailbreakers entered the cell, they only took out the key they had prepared to unlock the neck clamp that locked his neck, and did not remove the hand and foot shackles. They were obviously afraid that he would take the opportunity to resist and escape because of his martial arts skills. He had already guessed These people came with bad intentions and just let themselves be manipulated without saying a word.

Someone stepped forward to tear off his clothes, as if checking his tattoo on his shoulder, and then clapped his hands, and someone grabbed his arm, lifted his hood slightly, and lifted a glass of something to his mouth.He smelled the smell of alcohol, knew that the wine must be drugged, he insisted on refusing to drink it, and said: "Since you saved me from prison, you are finally my savior, I will definitely not cry out, since I've hurt you and myself." Someone sneered and said, "It's not your turn to speak here." Two people came up again, raised their chins, squeezed their noses tightly, forced him to open their lips, and downed the glass of medicinal wine.He only felt a heat in his chest, his head began to dizzy, and he vaguely felt that someone had opened his hands, and his hands that had been imprisoned for many days were finally free.He said vaguely: "You...you are..." Before he finished speaking, he fell asleep.

I just feel that my whole body is dangling, limp and weak, as if in a cloud.When he woke up again, it was red candles shining brightly, and the smell wafted into his nostrils. He was trapped in the beautiful soft mattress, his body had already been scrubbed clean, and he had put on new clothes.A stunning woman in gauze was sitting on the head of the bed, combing his hair with a wooden comb, strand by strand, extremely carefully. Gao Qiong was taken aback, sat up and asked, "What is this place?" The woman pursed her lips and smiled, "Don't Gao Lang know?" He has been hunted down by the government all the year round, and he is instinctively alert to people. Suddenly he saw the curtains flickering by the bed, and suddenly realized something, he stopped in time, pushed the woman's hand away, and said with a sneer, "You don't have to use beauty tricks to trap me. If so, come out."

Sure enough, there was still a person standing behind the curtain, and he laughed and said: "Gao Lang is very vigilant, since he is like this, there is nothing he can do." As if he didn't want Gao Qiong to see his face, he raised his sleeve to cover his face, and walked away quickly room to go.A few moments later, several tall masked men broke in, dragged Gao Qiong off the bed, bound his hands behind his back, covered his head with a black cloth cover, and led him out of the room. Gao Qiong's medicine hadn't worn off yet, his whole body was limp and weak, and he was dragged for a long distance, and was pressed into a chair to sit down.The surrounding lights were flickering, there were many figures in shadows, but no one made a sound, as if waiting for some important person to arrive.

After waiting for half an hour, there was a sound of footsteps, and several people entered the room.Gao Qiong vaguely felt that someone came to stand still in front of him, and immediately asked: "Who are you? What is this place?" The man in front of him said solemnly: "I spent so much effort to rescue you from the prison, why don't you have the slightest sense of gratitude? ?” The voice is already very old, it seems to be about fifty or sixty years old, although it is old, it has a majestic majesty. Gao Qiong said: "Thank you. Dare I ask your Excellency Gao's name?"

The old man didn't answer, just snorted, and immediately someone came up and tore off Gao Qiong's shirt, exposing his shoulders.The old man came up to look at it carefully, and said: "Yes, it is indeed the symbol of Yuyang Gao's family, and it was stabbed since childhood, so it cannot be faked." Gao Qiong said: "Since you saved me, why did you imprison me here again?" The old man said: "My purpose is not to save you, but to find out the truth. You are not an assassin of the Khitan people." Gao Qiong said: " Haven’t you already seen the tattoo on my shoulder?” The old man said, “Yes, you are from the Yuyang Gao family, but I know you are not a Khitan assassin. Tell me, who sent you and your accomplices to Bo Assassination by Langsha?"

Gao Qiong pretended to be surprised and said: "Could this be the lobby of Kaifeng Mansion? Was I transferred from Junyi County to Kaifeng Mansion?" The old man said: "This place is much more powerful than Kaifeng Mansion. You refuse to reveal the behind-the-scenes Master, it’s up to you. I won’t send people to torture you like the Kaifeng Mansion did. It’s just the worst method, and it’s useless to deal with people like you. But if you don’t tell the truth for a day, you will Don't even think about leaving here, I have my own way to deal with you. Come and lock him up."

Immediately someone stepped forward to mention Gao Qiong, untied the rope, put on handcuffs and shackles, dragged him to a cell, took off his headgear, and pushed him in.He only felt that his feet slipped and he almost fell down. He managed to stabilize his body and looked around. It was a dark dungeon, only an oil lamp flickered on the wall, the prison was extremely humid, and water was constantly oozing from the walls formed by the wooden fences.The ground is also made of logs connected one by one, and it is wet.A man in his twenties was squatting in the corner, dressed in ragged clothes, with clumsy shackles on his hands and feet, staring at Gao Qiong, who had just come in.

Gao Qiong couldn't help but asked first: "Who are you?" The man asked: "Who are you?" Gao Qiong thought for a while, and said: "My name is Gao Qiong, and I am an assassin sent by Khitan to assassinate the envoys of the Northern Han Dynasty. "The man said: "My name is Lin Jiang, and I am the envoy sent by the Southern Tang Dynasty to form an alliance with Khitan." The two stared at each other for a long time, and suddenly they said in unison: "You are lying!" Gao Qiong asked first: "How do you know that I lied to you?" Lin Jiang said: "I was sent to Khitan by the order of the lord, and I exchanged a shocking secret for Khitan's military alliance, but the Khitan emperor thought that the Southern Tang Dynasty was exhausted, so I can't help it. They are willing to rashly send troops to help. But they want to get the big secret, so they detained me and tortured me, and they brought me to the Central Plains to find the big secret. The person who imprisoned me here is the spy of the Khitan in the Central Plains. If you are an assassin of the Khitan, how could you Are you imprisoned here too?"

Gao Qiong didn't believe it at all, and said: "You don't have to lie to me anymore. I know that you, like Zhang Yong, were deliberately sent to trick me. I've had enough of this trick, don't let me fall for it again." Lin Jiang said: "What did I lie to you for?" He lifted up his clothes, revealing many wounds, and said, "I have been tortured by Khitan for several months, these wounds are definitely not fake." Gao Qiong suddenly recognized the man, "Ah, I've seen you! You are the man in the carriage. You...you..." It turned out that Lin Jiang was the injured man who fell out of the carriage when Bo Langsha was fighting. The carriage he was riding in was robbed by the porter that day, and the Northern Han people galloped after him.After Gao Qiong was injured and captured, he was kept next to the caravan. He knew all about the Northern Han people's desperate attempt to recover the carriage. He thought that the injured man was the leader of the Northern Han people, but he actually claimed to be the envoy of the Southern Tang Dynasty. It was also imprisoned here by the Khitans.

Gao Qiong originally thought that the caravan escorted by Li Xiao was only envoys from the Northern Han Dynasty. How could he know that there were also people from the Khitan side? Although it was unbelievable for a while, but after careful recollection, he couldn't help but gradually realized that Lin Jiang's words might be true. , to explain everything— It is not surprising that the Southern Tang intended to avoid the Song Dynasty and form a military ally with the Khitan, and this has been the strategy since the founding of the Southern Tang Dynasty.As early as the Five Dynasties period, the Southern Tang Dynasty had been in contact with the Khitan Alliance.The Southern Tang Dynasty dominated the south of the Yangtze River, located between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River, while the Liao Dynasty belonged to the northern part of the Great Wall. The two countries were separated by the Central Plains, and the dynasties changed frequently.The Khitan sent envoys to the Southern Tang Dynasty several times to present horses, cattle, sheep and other local objects.In the first year of Baoda in the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, the central lord, came to the throne. He once sent Gong Chengrong to Khitan by sea to continue the old friendship, and the envoys of the two countries continued.In the late Jin Dynasty, Gaozu Shi Jingtang became a vassal of Khitan, ceded the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, and treated the Khitan emperor as a father and son, calling himself the son emperor, and attached himself wholeheartedly.Southern Tang Prime Minister Song Qiqiu deliberately sent assassins to assassinate the Khitan envoy who was sent to the Southern Tang Dynasty in order to create a wedge between them.Sure enough, Khitan was very angry, and soon sent troops to destroy the Later Jin Dynasty.This extremely clever framing incident was not exposed until after Song Qiqiu's death.In the Later Zhou Dynasty, Shizong Chai Rong was deeply jealous of the relationship between Khitan and Southern Tang, and deliberately sabotaged it.Once the Liao Kingdom sent envoys to the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the Southern Tang Dynasty specially held a grand banquet for the envoys at Qingfengyi.When the Khitan envoy was drunk, he left the banquet to go to the toilet, but was assassinated by the assassins of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and his head was cut off.The officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty waited for a long time for the envoy to come back, and rushed to the toilet, only to find that he had been dead for a long time.The Liao State blamed the Southern Tang Dynasty and cut off contact with them ever since.However, since the Song Dynasty destroyed Hou Shu and the Southern Han Dynasty, Li Yu, the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, fell into abnormal fear and took the initiative to profess his minister to the Song Dynasty. Chi kiss was also abolished; Li Yu's edict was no longer called "Imperial Decree", but was renamed "Jiao"; the central administrative agency also changed its name, such as Zhongshu, Menxia Province to Left and Right Neishifu, Shangshu The province was changed to Sihuifu and so on.Such derogation of the system is naturally a deliberate modification of the etiquette of the vassals, expressing the intention of not daring to sit on an equal footing with the emperor of the Song Dynasty.And continue to contribute things to flatter the Song Dynasty, and the left and the right are exhausted. For this reason, the Southern Tang government has exhausted its resources, but it still cannot alleviate the crisis. Therefore, Li Yu thought of sending envoys to form an alliance with Khitan and use Khitan to contain the Song Dynasty from the north. To save the precarious situation, this is indeed the only way out for Southern Tang. What Lin Jiang said about Khitan's attitude towards the Southern Tang also fits the facts.On the one hand, the Southern Tang proclaimed its vassals to the Great Song Dynasty, tried its best to flatter and curry favor, and on the other hand secretly sent people to reconcile with the Khitan. Naturally, the Khitan, who was proud of its courage, looked down upon it.The previous two batches of envoys to the Southern Tang were beheaded after being assassinated, and one of them was done by the Southern Tang himself, and Khitan could not easily let it go.Southern Tang occupied Jiangnan, which was the most affluent place in the Central Plains, and the Great Song Dynasty was bound to win it. The Khitan had already seen this, and they were unwilling to offend the Great Song because of this—after the Great Song was established, although the Khitan had no contacts , but it has never been challenged openly. This balance is quite delicate. Once it is broken, both parties will have to pay the price.At that time, the Liao Kingdom stretched to Yuhai in the east, Jinshan in the west, and Liusha in the north, Lulu River in the north, and Baigou in the south. It is rare in history. For the Song Dynasty, which has only been established for 14 years, it is really an opponent that should not be underestimated. Otherwise, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty would not have built a closed pile warehouse and prepared to use money to redeem the Yanyun Sixteen States. The Khitan had no intention of making friends with the Southern Tang, so they should release the envoys. However, it is not uncommon to detain the envoys. What is rare is that they will be tortured after being detained. This is really a violation of the principle of diplomatic relations.This shows how big the big secret Lin Jiang called was, it was so big that Khitan sent people to escort him to the capital of the Great Song Dynasty. Just as Lin Jiang said, the purpose of the Khitans coming to Kaifeng from the south was to obtain the great secret, and the Northern Han Dynasty had no sincerity in negotiating with the Song Dynasty on the surface. .For the Song Dynasty, neither the south nor the north had settled down, and the road to unifying the world was long, so it was of course the best policy to subdue the enemy without fighting.The current emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty and the empress of the Song Dynasty were originally relatives. If the Northern Han Dynasty offered to negotiate peace or even surrender, it would definitely surprise the Song Dynasty. It was exactly what the Khitan wanted—because it was not easy to bring a prisoner like Lin Jiang to Kaifeng, and there were many checkpoints along the way. The local officials of the Song Dynasty secretly picked up and sent them all the way.From this point of view, those strange porters don't want other goods, they just want the carriage, and it's for Lin Jiang in the carriage. Lin Jiang was also very surprised to see Gao Qiong recognized her, and said: "So you really are one of those masked robbers." Then she laughed, "Unfortunately, I know you are lying, you are not sent by the Khitan people." Gao Qiong said: "Are you sure that the Khitans locked you here? I don't really believe it. If these people are Khitans, why would they take the risk to rescue me from the county jail? If they just want to clear the suspicion, they can go through the North The envoys of the Han came forward to expose the case and threatened the court to investigate." Lin Jiang said: "You call the court, you are from the Song Dynasty, right?" Gao Qiong snorted, but did not answer. Lin Jiang sighed: "To tell you the truth, I was escorted from Shangjing of the Liao Kingdom to Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, and then entered the Central Plains from the border of the Northern Han Dynasty. I was brought all the way to Kaifeng. I escaped halfway and was injured and captured. There are Khitans and Northern Han guards all the time, do you think I will make a mistake?" After the carriage he was riding in was recovered from the porters by the Northern Han people, there were soldiers from the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty all the time, and he did not call for help. This was because the Southern Tang envoys intending to form an alliance with the Khitan must not be known to the Song Dynasty, and the Khitan, Khitan, The Northern Han Dynasty also had scruples, so both sides kept quiet, and nothing happened. Gao Qiong thought carefully again, no longer doubted what Lin Jiang said, and hurriedly asked: "Then what is the big secret you know?" Lin Jiang smiled and said: "Now I suspect that they sent you to trick me That’s right. But it’s okay to tell you, anyway, the Khitan people already knew that the big secret is the Chuan Guo Yuxi. I know the whereabouts of the Chuan Guo Yuxi.” Although Gao Qiong was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help being surprised, and after a while he asked awkwardly, "Are you talking about the jade seal that Qin Shihuang carved out of He's Bi?" Lin Jiang said, "Of course, Besides this jade seal, who else in the world can afford the word 'Chuan Guo'?" In the last years of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and heroes rose everywhere.In the fourth year of Tang Tianyou, Zhu Wen abolished Emperor Ai of Tang Dynasty, seized the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, and established Houliang.Sixteen years later, Li Cunxu destroyed Later Liang and established Later Tang, and the Jade Seal of Chuan Guo was transferred to Later Tang.Thirteen years later, Shi Jingtang led the Khitan army to invade Luoyang. Later Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Congke embraced the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom and climbed to the Xuanwu Building to set himself on fire. The Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom disappeared.The Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang at that time also knew the significance of the Chuanguo Yuxi to China, and once sent people to search for it, but found nothing. Only then did he believe that the late Tang Prime Minister Feng Dao said that the Yuxi had been burned, so he gave up. When Gao Qiong heard Lin Jiang claim to know the whereabouts of the Chuanguo Yuxi, she couldn't help being shocked, and asked after a while: "Hasn't the Chuanguo Yuxi been burned long ago?" The saying that the thousand-year-old jade seal was burned to ashes by the fire? That is just a legend, not really burned." Gao Qiong said: "But since the Later Tang Dynasty, not only the Khitan people have tried their best to obtain the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, even the Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou have sent a large number of manpower to search the palace and the people repeatedly, but there is no news. You Southern Tang have always been enemies of the Central Plains. , being blocked from the Central Plains, how can you know the whereabouts of Chuan Guo Yuxi? I ​​don't believe it, it must be a lie deliberately fabricated by your king in order to persuade Khitan to form an alliance." Lin Jiang said: "If you don't believe it, of course some people will believe it. Otherwise, why would the Khitan order the Northern Han Dynasty to pretend to make peace with the Great Song Dynasty, and escort me all the way to the Central Plains? You are the one who is really ridiculous. To these Khitan people, you claim to be the Khitan sent to assassinate the Northern Han Dynasty. The assassin of the Han envoy." Gao Qiong said: "It's just that the Khitan people believed your lies because they were naive. You are from the Southern Tang Dynasty, so it is impossible for you to know the whereabouts of Chuanguo Yuxi." Lin Jiang said seriously: "Then I will tell you the truth, I was originally from the Central Plains people." Gao Qiong said, "Are you from the Central Plains?" Lin Jiang nodded, and said, "Do you know the prophecy of 'the next week's inspection will be the Son of Heaven'?" Gao Qiong said, "Of course I know, the current emperor of Song Dynasty is the inspection of that day, It is precisely because of this prophecy that he was dressed in yellow robes by all the soldiers in Chenqiaoyi." Lin Jiang said: "This sentence was not a prophecy at the beginning, but a planned conspiracy to fight for power and profit. At that time, Emperor Shizong Chai Rong of the Later Zhou Dynasty was alive, and the commander of the most trusted guards and the army, Li Chongjin, and the front of the palace, both inspected Zhang Yongde. , Li Chongjin is the nephew of Guo Wei, the emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and Zhang Yongde is the son-in-law of Guo Wei. The two men are equal in fame and status. In order to attack Zhang Yongde, Li Chongjin's subordinates will intentionally engrave the wooden sign of "check as the son of heaven" and throw it in the army. Sure enough, Chai Rong was suspicious, and Zhang Yongde was removed from the post of inspection in front of the palace. After Li Chongjin found out about it, he punished his subordinates severely, and confessed to Chai Rong on his own initiative. Taking advantage of the opportunity to rise up, when Chai Rong died of illness, he took advantage of the favorable location to preemptively launched the Chenqiao mutiny, established the Song Dynasty and became the emperor. Li Chongjin naturally refused to accept it and raised troops to rebel against the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin led an army to conquer Yangzhou and killed Li Chongjin The whole family." He directly called the current emperor of the Song Dynasty by his name, violating a national taboo, which can be described as extremely bold. Gao Qiong guessed that Lin Jiang would tell such a long story for no reason, and asked with a thought, "Are you Li Chongjin's son?" Lin Jiang said, "That's right, you can guess it in advance." Gao Qiong said: "Yangzhou is close to the Southern Tang Dynasty. When Li Chongjin raised his troops, he sent people to form an alliance with the Southern Tang Dynasty to ask for help, but the Southern Tang Dynasty refused. Since you deliberately mentioned such a story, it should be related to your identity, which is enough to prove that you know the Jade Seal of Chuanguo whereabouts." Lin Jiang sighed, and said: "My surname is Li, and my first name is Yanfu. My mother, Guo, is the elder sister of the same mother and compatriot of the Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Guo Yuxi established my father as the heir. The matter was already planned, but Taizu suddenly became seriously ill. Not only did he appoint his nephew Chai Rong as his heir, but he also specially summoned my father to the sick bed and ordered him to kneel before Chai Rong and order the king and his ministers. Li. My father and mother were so indignant that they concealed the matter of Chuanguo Yuxi." Gao Qiong said: "The one who gets the Imperial Seal wins the world. Since your father has set his sights on the throne, why didn't you take out the Imperial Seal?" Lin Jiang said, "Not everyone is like what you think—you can give up everything in order to get the throne. Since my father promised in front of Taizu that he would treat Chai Rong as a courtier, he would definitely do it. Later, he raised his troops against the Song Dynasty because Zhao Kuangyin conspired to usurp the throne first. Yuxi is not easy." Gao Qiong said: "So, the Chuan Guo Yuxi is in Kaifeng City?" Lin Jiang said: "Of course. Otherwise, why did the Khitan risk taking me here?" Gao Qiong saw that he had been tortured for months, his body was covered with bruises, and his appearance was extremely haggard, so he couldn't help feeling sorry for each other, and said seriously: "Brother Lin, although you and I are not on the same road, but Gao admires you very much as a hero. You must hold on, don't hand over the Chuanguo Yuxi to the Khitan people." Lin Jiang smiled and said, "So, you admit that you are not a Khitan?" Gao Qiong said, "Whether I admit it or not, they already know." Lin Jiang said: "Well, don't worry, no matter how much they torture me, I will not tell the whereabouts of Chuan Guo Yuxi." Leaning against the wall immediately, he closed his eyes. There were no windows in the dungeon, and although there was a small window on the cell door, there was no daylight.I don't know how long it took, the cell door suddenly opened, and two masked men in black broke in, put a black cloth cover on Lin Jiang, and dragged him out.After more than half an hour, he was sent back again, his eyes were turned white, his whole body was drenched, he couldn't move after being thrown on the ground, he could only breathe heavily, and clear water flowed out of his mouth and nose. Gao Qiong hurriedly went over to help him sit down, and asked, "They tortured you again?" After a long while, Lin Jiang forced a smile and said, "Don't be surprised, this is what I experience every day. Torture, just get used to it. Every time I’m taken out, it’s a new day.” Seeing that his breath was weak, Gao Qiong helped him to lie down and put his head on his knee.She said in her heart: "Lin Jiang refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the Chuanguo Yuxi, because of the great importance. However, he has been imprisoned for many days, and he has undergone countless tortures. He can also be called a tough guy. These Khitan people know the torture He is useless, so they have to do it. But they obviously want to know the mastermind behind my scenes. Considering the risk of digging tunnels and robbing prisons, it can be seen that they are bound to win, but why do they show mercy to me instead of using torture? Torture?" It was difficult to figure out for a moment. Lin Jiang gathered some strength, sat up reluctantly, and said, "Thank you. Brother Gao, you and I are in the same prison today, so it is a predestined relationship. I know I can't leave here alive. I have one thing to ask you, if you can get out alive in the future , please take a message to my family." Gao Qiong thought to himself: "These Khitan people dig tunnels to rescue me. They have worked so hard to rescue me. Now that I know the secrets of the envoys of the Northern Han Dynasty and the jade seal of Chuanguo, how can they let me leave alive?" Seeing Lin Jiang's eyes It was hard to refuse, so she nodded and said: "Okay." Lin Jiang said: "My adoptive father was a general in the Southern Tang Dynasty. He has no children under his knees. I am grateful that he treats me like a parent. Please..." Gao Qiong lost his voice: "Could it be that your adoptive father is Lin Huzi Lin Renzhao?" Lin Jiang said: "Yes, he is the number one general in the Southern Tang Dynasty, no wonder you can guess it right away." Gao Qiong said coldly: "Not only can I guess, but I also recognize your adoptive father." Lin Jiang said: "What? You recognize my adoptive father? Could it be that you are from the Southern Tang Dynasty?" , obviously excited. Lin Jiang was anxious, and asked again: "Could it be that you are an assassin sent by the Southern Tang Dynasty, intending to provoke the relationship between the Northern Han Dynasty and the Great Song Dynasty, so that they cannot make peace?" When Gao Qiong heard the word "assassin", he couldn't bear it any longer. He stepped forward, strangled Lin Jiang's throat with both hands, and said, "I never imagined that God would send the son of an ancestor-killer and enemy to me. Don't blame me, this is God's will." Lin Jiang struggled hard, but Gao Qiong took the lead, she couldn't break free, and stammered: "You...you can't...kill me...otherwise...the big secret...the Jade Seal of the Kingdom ..." Gao Qiong said: "I don't care about the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom! By killing you, not only can I avenge my grandfather, but the Khitan will no longer be able to know the whereabouts of the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom from you. Isn't it a great thing?" Putting more effort into it, Lin Jiang twisted her body twice, then passed out. The cell door opened suddenly, and several men in black rushed in, grabbed Gao Qiong's arm, and forcibly dragged him away from Lin Jiang. Immediately, someone put a black cloth cover on his head and took him out of the cell.After walking up a flight of steps, he came to a room, where someone pushed him to sit down in a high chair, and bound him with ropes and shackles. Someone sternly said: "Now that you know our identities, you should know that your original set of lies can't deceive anyone. Tell me, who are you? Who sent you to Bolangsha to assassinate?" Gao Qiong asked back Said: "Then are you a Khitan or a Northern Han?" As soon as the words were finished, a basin of cold water was poured down, without warning.Gao Qiong caught cold suddenly, and exclaimed "Ah".The hood was instantly soaked and pressed against his face. He felt it was difficult to breathe, his chest was like a heavy stone, and he couldn't help trying to break free from the rope. He raised his hand to remove the hood, but it was still difficult to break free. The interrogator smiled and said, "Isn't this uncomfortable? Now you should know that you are only here to answer, not to speak. Tell me, who are you?" I said, I said." Then someone came up and took off the hood, but it wasn't completely removed, only the mouth and nostrils were exposed.Gao Qiong took a few breaths greedily, and after listening to the other party's questioning, he lowered his head and said: "I am from Haozhou in Southern Tang Dynasty." The interrogator said: "You mean that Li Yu, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, sent you to assassinate the envoy of the Northern Han Dynasty?" Gao Qiong said, "Yes." The interrogator laughed loudly and said, "Do you think we are fools? When Lin Jiang told you about passing on the jade seal of the country in prison, you called him 'Your Southern Tang' and 'Your King'. Of course you would not be People from Nantang. Let me tell you, we have heard every word and every word you two said." It was only then that Gao Qiong knew that there was another mechanism in the dungeon, someone was secretly monitoring every move inside, and it was intentional to lock him and Lin Jiang together.He couldn't help feeling deeply regretful, he himself was not afraid of death, but once his identity was found out, it would definitely endanger his master. The interrogator said: "You must be from the Song Dynasty. Tell me, who sent you to assassinate? Is it the current emperor of the Song Dynasty?" No matter how the other party asked again, Gao Qiong just kept silent, but his heart was extremely depressed - all the previous arrangements and efforts were in vain, and the pain he suffered and the imminent death became meaningless. Seeing that Gao Qiong refused to speak again, the interrogators didn't need to torture him, they just let him sit there wet and tied. After two or three hours, someone came in hurriedly, walked up to Gao Qiong, and said: "I already know all about your background, you'd better tell the truth yourself." The voice was that of the old man who asked the question last time. Gao Qiong said: "It's okay to tell the truth, you let me go first, I want to let go." The old man said: "Do you want to play tricks again?" Gao Qiong said: "You tied me here for a few hours, what tricks can I have?" The old man then ordered someone to loosen the rope, brought a toilet bucket and put it on the side of the chair, saying: "You are here for convenience, don't take off your hood." Urinating, as soon as he turned around, he was pushed back into the chair and sat down again. The old man said: "Now you can talk." Gao Qiong said: "Don't you already know everything?" The old man said slowly: "Well, after I heard that you have Gao's tattoo on your shoulder, I already guessed that you are from the line of Mrs. Gao, the favorite concubine of the Crown Prince." Gao Qiong sneered: "You don't even have people. If you have seen it, you can guess the family history, could it be that you are a god?" The old man said: "Of course not. I heard that you couldn't stand the torture in the courtroom, and you confessed that you were ordered by the Khitan to assassinate. Song people may believe it, but I know you are talking nonsense. Since you are not from our side Man, I took it for granted that you were sent by the Southern Tang Dynasty. The Yuyang Gao family lived in Yandi for a long time, and there were very few officials in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Since you know Lin Renzhao and call him your ancestor-killing enemy, then only One possibility—your grandfather’s name is Gao Ba, and your father’s name is Gao Gan, isn’t it?” Gao Qiong said: "Well, this..." Suddenly stood up from the high chair, buried her head and slammed aside.When he released his hand just now, he had spotted a pillar on the left. As long as he ran four or five steps with all his strength, he could commit suicide by hitting the pillar.It's just that his hands and feet were shackled, and he was tortured for days, and his body was frozen. When he just touched the pillar, he was hugged from the side, and he was dragged to the chair again to sit down.Someone fetched a rope and tied him firmly to the chair, making him unable to move an inch. The old man was quite surprised by his intention to commit suicide by committing suicide. He sighed for a while before saying, "You would rather die than admit your identity. It can be seen that the people behind you are very powerful. Well, is it true that the current emperor of Song Dynasty sent you to assassinate him?" The envoy of the Northern Han Dynasty? I guess he may not just want to blame the Khitan. Your master may not know about your shoulder tattoo. The one you really want to blame is the Southern Tang Dynasty, right? You Song people don’t know that my Emperor Daliao has refused. I was worried about the alliance between Southern Tang and Daliao, so I deliberately sent you to pretend to be an assassin of Southern Tang to assassinate the envoy of Northern Han, trying to sow discord by blaming others, and completely cut off the alliance between Daliao and Southern Tang. The trick is the same as when your grandfather Gao Ba was assassinated by the prime minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty when he was sent as an envoy to the Southern Tang Dynasty, and then blamed the later Jin Dynasty." It turns out that Gao Qiong's grandfather, Gao Ba, once held an important post in Nanjing, Liao Kingdom. When he was sent to the Southern Tang Dynasty, Song Qiqiu, the prime minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, ordered Lin Renzhao to send assassins to assassinate him.At that time, Emperor Yelude of the Liao Kingdom believed it to be true, and soon sent troops to attack and destroy the Later Jin Dynasty.When Gao Ba was sent as an envoy, he brought his son Gao Gan with him. After Gao Ba was killed, the Southern Tang Dynasty buried him with grand ceremonies and treated Gao Gan generously. Gao Qiong was born in Haozhou. Gao Qiong was terrified to hear that the old man not only revealed his background, but even pointed out the purpose of the assassination.However, at this point, he can't even ask for death, the only way is not to speak. The old man said: "I already know the name of your grandfather, and it will not be difficult to track down your mastermind. Do you still want to avenge the murder of your ancestor? If you will listen to me, I will not only help you avenge, but also get rid of Lin Renzhao , and let you go, and promise not to pursue your behind-the-scenes messenger." Immediately, someone said: "This tall kid knows too many secrets, and he must never let him go." The old man waved his hand to stop, and asked again: "How about my conditions? Otherwise, you can only be imprisoned here like a dog, without seeing the light of day, until we want to kill you. You are a tough guy, so naturally you are not afraid of death." Yes, then how about I hand you over to Emperor Song? I really want to see how he handles you." Gao Qiong was silent for a while, then asked: "What do you want me to do?" The old man said: "Chuan Guo Yuxi." Gao Qiong said: "You want me to extract the location of Chuanguo's jade seal from Lin Jiang's mouth?" The old man said: "Exactly." Gao Qiong said: "He is the son of my enemy. I almost killed him just now. How could he tell me the secret of Chuan Guo Yuxi?" , Killing ancestors and enemies may not make friends sincerely. For Lin Jiang, I have exhausted all means, but I still can't find out the whereabouts of Chuanguo Yuxi, maybe you are the most suitable candidate." Gao Qiong only felt that there was deep meaning in his words, so he didn't answer for a while. The old man said: "I'll give you ten days. If you can't do it within ten days, I will personally escort you to the Emperor of Song Dynasty. What do you think he will do? He will definitely deny that he ordered you to assassinate. Not only will you be publicly sentenced to death by the emperor himself, but your relatives and friends in the Central Plains will also be implicated. Men will either be executed or assassinated in the prison city, and women will be confiscated into officials as prostitutes and played with by dignitaries until death. Is that what you want to see?" These words hit Gao Qiong's weakness hard, he gasped, and could only say: "Ten days are too short, please give me some more time, allow me to think clearly." The old man didn't respond, he just yelled: "Come here, send him back to the cell. Separate the two of them, and don't let him kill Lin Jiang for his own sake." Immediately, someone dragged Gao Qiong back to the dungeon, locked one foot of him and Lin Jiang with iron cuffs, and nailed the other end to the opposite wall. At most, they can barely face each other, and if they want to fight again, it is absolutely impossible. Gao Qiong originally intended to kill Lin Jiang again, completely cutting off the Khitan people's desire to find the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, but in this situation, there was no chance of killing him, so he just kept silent. After more than half a day like this, Lin Jiang suddenly asked: "Do you think the two of us have a chance to get out of here alive?" Gao Qiong said: "Not even half a chance. Besides, you can't avenge your relatives. What's the difference between living and dying? " Lin Jiang said: "You still want to kill me for revenge?" Gao Qiong said: "Of course." Lin Jiang said: "I know you are Gao Ba's descendant, you must know that killing your grandfather was not a personal grudge, but a political act with a purpose. It was to instigate Hou Zhou to fight Khitan, my adoptive father was only acting on the orders of Prime Minister Song. Your grandfather was killed only because he was an envoy, and it would have the same consequences for anyone else." Gao Qiong said: "So what?" Lin Jiang said: "Didn't you also claim to be the assassin sent by the Khitan to assassinate the envoys of the Northern Han Dynasty? If it is true as you said, this is also a typical political behavior, and it has nothing to do with personal grievances relationship." Gao Qiong was stunned for a while before saying, "You're right." Lin Jiang said: "I can help you get revenge." Gao Qiong said: "You?" Lin Jiang said: "If you can help me escape from here, I will let you kill me after I finish an important matter, and I will never resist " Gao Qiong was greatly surprised, and said: "Are you really willing to do this?" Lin Jiang said: "If a gentleman says a word, give him a whip." Gao Qiong said: "But this place is heavily guarded, we don't even know what the terrain is like outside, and you and I are both handcuffed, we can't walk five steps, how can we escape?" Lin Jiang said: "What they care most about is the Chuanguo Jade Seal, and only I know the secret of the Chuanguo Jade Seal. If you find a chance to hold me hostage and threaten to kill me if you don't let me out, maybe there will be a chance. Because I If it dies, the secret of Chuan Guo Yuxi will be interrupted, and no one will know about it." Gao Qiong thought about it carefully, and this is indeed the most feasible solution under the current situation, so she asked: "What is the important thing you want to do?" Lin Jiang said: "I can't tell you about this. If you are worried , but stay by my side until you kill me." Gao Qiong expected that these words had fallen into the ears of the listeners, so he replied: "Okay." Sure enough, after a while, a masked man came in and opened his anklet, covered his head, and escorted Gao Qiong out.The old man was waiting for him, and quickly asked: "Did Lin Jiang take the initiative to discuss with you about running away?" Gao Qiong said coldly: "Didn't you send people to eavesdrop on our conversation all the time, why ask me more?" Said: "That's right. Let's arrange a plan. First, you will pretend to hold him hostage as Lin Jiang said, and then I will send some people to pretend to be your accomplices to rescue you. By the way, Lin Jiang will also be rescued, and you will follow him to take him away." Go to Chuanguo Yuxi." Gao Qiong said: "You have been imprisoning Lin Jiang for a long time. You should know that he is not a fool, and it is extremely difficult to deceive him. How can there be such a coincidence in the world that just after I kidnapped him, some accomplices came to rescue me? "The old man said: "You're right, it's really far-fetched for the accomplices to save lives." 高琼道：“况且我已仔细考虑过，不能答应为你骗过林绛取得传国玉玺。”老者道：“那么你知道我要怎样对付你了。”高琼昂然道：“随便你怎么对我，我也做不到帮助敌国取得天子信物，乱我中原。” 老者道：“我早知道你是不会轻易屈服的，这才是我们高家男儿的本色。”高琼吃了一惊，道：“原来你也姓高。” 老者道：“不错，我姓高名强，也是出自渔阳高氏，肩头有着跟你一模一样的刺青。高琼，你祖父本是契丹大官，我虽不知道你后来如何从南唐投了大宋，但料想是因为知道了你祖父遇刺真相的缘故。你在中原出生，终究还是燕人，是我们大辽的子民，是契丹人，怎么可以提敌国之类的话？” 高琼道：“燕云十六州本是中原所有，你我都是汉人，是中原人，何时成了契丹人了？”高强道：“你祖姑姑是倍太子爱妃，论起来你跟当今辽国皇帝也是表兄之亲，如何不是契丹人？只要你肯回去辽国，晋爵封王，荣华富贵，享之不尽，岂不比你在中原任人差遣要强千百倍？” 高琼道：“道不同不相为谋，虽说你我同族，恕我难以从命。”高强道：“那好，我愿意看在同族的份上退让一步，我不强求你助我拿到传国玉玺，只要你从旁协助救林绛出去，令他毫不起疑。甚至我还可以答应你，我可以说服我国皇帝与大宋通好，但条件是大宋也不可再侵犯北汉和大辽，如此大宋南下攻取南唐再无北顾之忧。如何？” 高琼道：“当真？”那高强便先用黑布蒙住脸，命人取下高琼头套，道：“你可看清楚了。”扯开衣衫，露出肩头的高氏家族标志，随即拔出一柄匕首，直插入肩头纹身之下，道：“我以渔阳高氏家族的性命起誓，今日我答应高琼之事势必做到，不然教渔阳高氏千余口人死于刀剑之下。” 高琼心道：“我性命尽在他掌握之中，他却肯答应这么多事，又立下如此重誓，当然还是为了得到传国玉玺，不过他只要我协助救林绛出去，这实在不是什么苛刻的条件。”当即应道，“好，我答应你。” 高强道：“事关重大，你须得立个重誓。”高琼便跪下道：“皇天在上，我高琼答应协助高老公救林绛出去，绝不令他起疑。若有违背，教我五马分尸，不得好死。” 高强道：“相比于我立下的重誓，你的誓言是不是太轻了？你一心求死，以保护你的主人，五马分尸有什么稀奇？你须得以你至亲之人的性命发誓。”高琼道：“那好，我若违背今日誓言，教我和我喜欢的女子都……” 高强道：“名字！”高琼明知道说出喜欢的女子的名字很可能会成为对方制约自己的筹码，迟疑了下，还是说了出来：“……唐晓英都五马分尸，不得好死。” 高强“啊”了一声，道：“你喜欢的人是唐晓英？”高琼道：“你认得她？”老者道：“她不是到狱中下毒害你的人么？我见过开封府通缉捉拿她的图形告示。这就说得通了，难怪她到最后一刻打翻了毒酒。” 高琼道：“什么？”高强道：“很好，你能用你钟爱的女子起誓，足见诚意，咱们一言为定。不过为了演得逼真些，取信于林绛，你少不得要受些罪了。” 一挥手，上来几名黑衣人，将高琼拖到一只大木桶边跪下，扯住他头发，将他强按入水中，等到他几近窒息时才拉他出来。如此反复几次，黑衣人松开手，高琼瘫坐在地上，连一丝挣扎动弹的力气都没有，只大口地喘气。 那高强便拍拍手，道：“可以了。”命人带他回地牢囚禁。 林绛见到高琼气息奄奄的惨状，问道：“他们终于开始拷打你了？很难受吧？”高琼往地上吐出几口水，道：“嗯，真恨不得自己死了才好。他们都是这样每日用水灌你么？亏得你能挺这么多次。” 两人对视片刻，忽然一齐笑了起来。 过了几个时辰，忽然有数名蒙面人举火涌进来，拿钥匙开了脚链及手足的镣铐，取出绳索反缚了二人双手双脚。 高琼心道：“这是要做什么？为何不用镣铐而用绳索。对了，他们是要将我们转移出这里，用镣铐的话，怕我们挣扎弄出声响，惹人起疑。” 果然有人上来拿黑布蒙住他双眼、用布团堵了口，塞入一条麻袋中，系紧袋口，将二人如同货物般抬了出去。 走了一刻功夫，即听见有水声，高琼感到自己被扔到了一艘船上，来回晃荡不止。行不多远，便能听到人语喧哗，有纤夫的吆喝声，商贩的叫卖声，好不热闹，应该是正经过繁华的商业街。船行了大半个时辰，有人抬起麻袋上岸，曲曲折折、上上下下走了很长一段路，终于进来一间屋子。高琼被放出麻袋，只觉得双手双脚一松，有人解开了绑绳，但旋即又被镣铐锁住。他自己举手取下黑布、布团，却见林绛也在一旁，二人又如同原先那般被锁住。 牢房中点有一盏油灯，极其微弱。高琼往四周摸索，却也是跟上次那间地牢一样，均是圆木钉成的墙壁和地板，不禁好奇问道：“我们是回到原来的地方了么？”林绛道：“应该只是一间一模一样的牢房而已。你没有感觉到这些镣铐都是新的么？原先铐住我手脚的镣铐可是沾了不少我的血肉。看来京师发生了什么大事，官府在搜寻什么重要人物，原先囚禁我们的地方已经不安全，契丹人必须得冒险转移我们。” 高琼心道：“莫非是开封府在搜捕我？不对，适才我二人是经水路被带来这里，原先那间地牢潮湿得很，应该也在河边，属于排岸司的治下，开封府管不到这里。” 也不知道过了多久，有人开门进来提了林绛出去。片刻后，牢门铁窗上即传来喝问声、皮鞭声及凄厉的惨叫声。好大一会儿，林绛才被带回来，上半身都是血，慵卧在地上，动也不能动。 高琼道：“他们对你用肉刑了？”林绛道：“嗯，我想他们有些着急了。”高琼忖道：“那么我很快就要离开这里了。” 林绛惊道：“你说什么？”高琼道：“你知道传国玉玺的下落，对他们还有利用的价值，但我却未必再值得他们冒险转移，所以我的死期就快要到了。” 话音未落，又闯进来两名黑衣人，只拿钥匙开了高琼一人的脚链、镣铐，取出绳索，背过他双手，正要如法炮制缚住手脚，林绛忽然扑过来，抱住其中一人双腿往斜里一拖。他把握的方向刚刚好，正将那人拖倒撞在另一同伴的腰间，两人同时滚倒在地。高琼手足束缚已去，趁机拔出一人腰间佩刀，奔过去扶起林绛。 瞬间又闯进来几名黑衣人，见状忙拔出兵刃，一齐围了上来。高琼将刀架在林绛颈间，喝道：“都别动！不然我就杀了他！” 一名黑衣人道：“你敢！”高琼冷笑道：“有什么不敢的？我知道你们要立即杀了我，将我沉入汴河中，反正也是死，何不找个赔死的？况且这人还是我的仇人。” 领头黑衣人问道：“你想怎样？”高琼道：“你，放下兵器，先拿钥匙过来打开他的镣铐。快点，不然我一刀割断他喉咙。” 领头黑衣人问道：“这我可做不了主，我得去禀报主人。”高琼道：“那好，等你主人来的时候，他就变成一具尸首，你们再也无法知道传国玉玺的下落。”手上加劲，登时在林绛颈中割出一道血痕来。 领头黑衣人忙道：“等等！好，我照做便是。”抛下钢刀，拿钥匙过来，老老实实开了林绛手足的锁链。 高琼道：“你用这几条铁链把你手下和你自己都锁在一起，钥匙扔出门外去。” 领头黑衣人无可奈何，只得照办，却冷笑道：“你逃不掉的。眼下开封府和排岸司都在搜捕你。就算你能侥幸逃出这里，你也逃不出你们自己人的手心。”高琼也不理睬，押着林绛出来，反手将牢门锁上。 往外走了一截，却是一间大厅，空无一人，只摆放着一些刑具。林绛道：“适才我就是被带来这里拷问。” 高琼道：“奇怪，这里似是一间船屋，他们在这里拷打你，难道不怕被人听见么？”找到墙角的木梯，往上爬出去，果然身在一艘搁置岸边的废弃大船上。暮色浓重，但依稀可辩西北边不远处有高高的围墙。 高琼道：“呀，我认得这里，那边就是排岸司监狱，我们是在汴河北岸。”也不及多说，道，“快走。” 离开废船，沿河岸往西走了几里，见到正有一艘小船要逆流而上进城去，忙上前央告船夫想搭便船。船夫见天色已黑，倒也爽快答应。二人遂上船坐在船尾。 林绛问道：“你不立即离开开封，而是要赶着进城，愈发证明你是宋人了。你是要去找你主人么？”高琼摇摇头，道：“我被开封府通缉，露不得面，不过我有重要事情要去找一个人。” 林绛道：“那好，等进城咱们就分手，各去办各的事。等我办完事再来找你领死，你告诉我你要去哪里。”高琼道：“不行，我不能让你离开我的视线。你得跟我一道去找我要找的人，然后我跟着你去办你的事，再杀了你。” 林绛道：“你信不过我？我既答应了你，一定会履行诺言。”高琼道：“不是信不过你，你身怀传国玉玺的重大秘密，多少人目光在你身上，我不能冒险再让契丹人得到你。” 林绛蓦然醒悟，道：“啊，那些契丹人是故意让你我逃出来的，是不是？”高琼不答。 林绛冷笑道：“我原以为你是条硬汉，想不到你堂堂宋人，竟然也肯当契丹人的走狗。”高琼道：“随你怎么说，总之从现在开始，直到你死，你都必须跟我在一起。”伸出手去，抓住了林绛手腕，防他跳河逃走。 林绛道：“你要找的人，就是你的主人吧？你难道不怕被我知道你幕后主使是谁？”高琼道：“不是。不怕。” 林绛道：“那么一定是情人了？”高琼道：“不是情人，是仇人，就像我和你的关系。”简单地答了一句，再也不开口说一个字，只炯炯盯着林绛，生怕他有任何异动。 林绛道：“哼，你以为我不知道么？契丹人穷尽心机想从我这里得到传国玉玺的下落，不会放弃任何机会。我早知道他们会派人监视我们一举一动。我也知道他们跟你达成了某种交易，利用你来向我套取传国玉玺的下落，我不过是将计就计，要利用你逃出来罢了。” 二人本来只是低声交谈，以防被船夫听到，林绛说到气愤处，声音渐渐高亢了起来。那船夫隐隐听到“契丹”的字眼，感觉到有些不对劲儿，便将船往岸边靠。林绛瞥见前面有一队排岸司兵士正巡视过来，忙高声叫道：“快来这里！这里有开封府通缉的要犯！” 船夫听说，忙扔了长篙，赶将过来。林绛道：“就是他，快些抓住他，有重赏！”其实不劳他说，船夫也知道开封府逃犯都有悬赏，不然也不会冒险赶过来，忙上前扯住高琼小腿。林绛趁机挣开掌握，侧身投入河中。黑暗中犹能听到他声音道：“你放心，我办完事自会来找你领死。” 高琼见兵士已赶了过来，正大声喝令舟船靠岸，只得出大力踢开船夫，如林绛一般，翻身投入河中。 船夫失去大好机会，懊恼不已，将船划到岸边，告知兵士情形。兵士听说两名男子一块上船，争吵后才有同伴举告逃犯，不免不大相信，只以为是闲汉生隙闹事。问船夫逃犯姓名，船夫也说不上来。兵士举火往水面照看一阵，见杳无人迹，也就罢了，放船夫自行离去。 高琼跳水后一直躲在船下，跟随其慢慢靠到岸边。那些兵士和船夫说话时，其实就站在他头顶不远处，可谓惊险之极。 等到小船和兵士走远，高琼正要爬上岸，忽见到一艘运货大船正缓缓驶来，不由得大喜过望。等船头过后，便游去河中追上船尾，抓住缆绳爬上了甲板，藏在一堆货物中。那船上本有不少船夫及押运的护卫，天幕黑漆漆一片，无半点星光，高琼趁夜色上船，竟无人觉察。 尤其幸运的是，这艘船是在为晋王运送货物，经过外城东水门时，城门军士一听船上抱出晋王名号，便即破例开门放行，亦无人上船查验。 开封之名，始于春秋，意为“开拓封疆”。这座城市自战国时代就是天下重镇，到宋代成为中原王朝的首都，有着自己独特的建筑风格。整座城市有宫、里、外三道城墙，形成外城套里城、里城套宫城的格局。 进来外城，高琼便选一个僻静处顺缆绳重新溜入水中，往南上岸，赶去城东厢的汴阳坊。他料想林绛身上伤重，行程多半落在自己后面。传国玉玺事关重大，足以撼动中原政局，那些契丹人极为看重，肯定早有安排，暗中安排了大量人手监视。林绛本人既已经猜到契丹人是有意利用高琼纵他逃走，也该想到此点。他身在异国他乡，无处栖身，既要躲过契丹人追捕，又要避免被大宋发现，最好的选择就是去向被软禁在汴阳坊中的南唐郑王李从善求助。高琼记得张咏提过跟几位同伴一道借住在汴阳坊，正好可以将两件事一起办理。 上岸没多远，便遇到两名醉醺醺的酒客，勾肩搭背在一起，踉踉跄跄地走过来，嘴里胡说着些疯话。高琼趁机上前，夺过二人手中的酒瓶和外袍。一人吃了一惊，道：“有强盗！”另一人嘟囔道：“哪里有强盗？你喝醉了吧？”也不理睬，继续朝前走去。 高琼将抢来的外袍罩在湿衣衫外，喝了几口酒，将剩下的酒倒在身上，也装作是夜归的酒客，往汴阳坊而来。未近李从善宅邸，即见这一带街上有不少探头探脑的人，心道：“莫非这些是契丹的探子？他们也想到林绛会来找李从善，所以派了人来监视。不过这些人做事未免太过张狂，以林绛之精明警惕，一定会提早发现，又怎会再上当？” 正要设法打听去打听张咏住处时，忽然对面一所宅子大门打开，走出来一群人，为首的却是内侍行首王继恩，送他出门的人中正是张咏和他的同伴。高琼既喜且惊，喜的是张咏人就住在李从善对面，当真是再好不过，惊的是官家身边的大红人王继恩来这里做什么。一时也不及多想，当即闪身在暗处，等王继恩和两个小黄门骑马走远，这才赶来拍门。 开门的正是张咏本人，他一时没有认出高琼来，问道：“阁下找哪位？”高琼道：“是我。” 张咏“啊”了一声，急忙拉他进来，将大门闩好，问道：“你怎么来了这里？”高琼道：“我曾经拜托张兄救唐晓英，不知……”张咏道：“她人在这里。”高琼大喜过望，忙作了一揖，道：“多谢张兄。她人在哪里？我要立即见她。” 张咏道：“不行。你也该知道你如今是什么身份，话不说清楚，休想再提条件。”扯着高琼来到堂屋，叫道，“你们看看这是谁？” 向敏中、潘阆、寇准几人到浚仪县狱探望张咏时均见过高琼，立即认了出来，个个惊讶得张大了嘴巴。 张咏道：“他是主动送上门的。现在好了，有话就直接问他吧。”向敏中道：“你是被什么人救出县狱的？”高琼心道：“救我的是契丹人，当然可以告诉他们，可这些人救我另有所图，却是不能说。”便道：“我不能说。” 张咏道：“我们已经查清你是宋人，是朝廷的人，劫走你的应该是南唐的人，还有什么不能说的？” 高琼大是吃惊，他被契丹人识破身份，只因为对方手里有一个真正的南唐人林绛，却不知道张咏他们如何得知他是宋人，也不便追问情由，只道：“我还是不能说。但你们要相信我，我没有做你们所认定的坏事。我眼下有急事要去办，走之前想见见唐晓英。” 潘阆大奇，道：“你冒险来这里，就是为了见她一面么？”高琼局促地道：“我并不知道英娘人在这里，原先为她拜托过张兄，只想来问问有没有她的下落。” 张咏心想确实答应过高琼，他甚至为此向自己下跪，眼下唐晓英侥幸获救，没有理由再多拦阻，便道：“那好，我带你去见英娘。不过在我们决定如何处置你之前，你必须留在这里，若想要趁机逃走，休怪我剑下无情。”高琼道：“好。” 张咏便领着高琼往后院厢房而来，路上告诉他救唐晓英的是折御卿和他的侄子刘延朗，也就是高琼本要去刺杀的北汉使者。高琼大感意外，半晌才道：“原来是他。” 唐晓英正在灯下绣花，听见张咏叫声，忙赶来开门，乍然见到高琼，也是遽然色变，道：“郎君如何来了这里？”高琼道：“我是特意来找英娘。” 唐晓英忙迎二人进来坐下，道：“郎君是来质问我为何要下毒害你么？抱歉，我当日受人所逼，并不知道刺客就是郎君。我为丽华姊姊受人所迫，却料不到要害的人是丽华姊姊喜欢的男人，我下不了手，我……” 高琼道：“不是为这个。英娘已然得知我姓名，丝毫没有起过疑心么？我姓高，本名高唐。”唐晓英“啊”了一声，颤声道：“你……原来是你……” 张咏早听过唐晓英父母为强盗所杀，其中一人正是叫高唐，道：“原来你就是那个在刑场上传奇逃走的死囚强盗，这可真是想不到。英娘，他当真是你的杀父杀母仇人么？” 唐晓英死死瞪着高琼，双手发抖，显是激动之极，道：“他跟画像中的高唐丝毫不像。”张咏道：“嗯，这不奇怪，应该是高唐加入官府后撤销了通缉文书，你去蒙城县廨索要高唐画像，他们料到你想要复仇，担心惹下祸事，所以随意乱画了一张。” 唐晓英道：“当真如此么？那么你该知道我是谁。”高琼道：“不错，我当日蒙面劫道杀人时见过你，记得你的相貌，尤其望不了你那双眼睛。有一次到樊楼饮酒，隔得老远，我就立即认出了你。”原来他每每来樊楼听庞丽华说书，假意关心说书母女，其实是为了接近唐晓英。 唐晓英道：“我日夜思虑为父母报仇，不惜到京师抛头露面当酒妓，可叹仇人就在我眼前，我却丝毫不知，还整日笑脸相对。”当即扬起手来，狠狠扇了高琼两个耳光。 高琼也不抵挡，只低声道：“我也一直很不好受，早想告诉你真相，可又没有勇气