Chapter 7 Chapter 22

With a sound of "bang", the iron door was closed.Only then did I wake up from my stupefaction, rushed to the door, and shouted, "I want to see General Bi!" The jailer who was locking the door sneered and said, "Okay, okay, everyone said they wanted to see each other the first day they came here, so you can stay at ease." He locked the door and left without hesitation. I grabbed the iron bars on the door and shouted, "I have something to say! Let me out!" Ignore me again.I shook the iron bars on the door desperately, and shouted: "Did you hear me! I have something to say!"

I yelled for a while, but the jailer got impatient and said loudly, "Forget it, General Chu, you are a first-degree felon, so don't think about it." I'm a first degree felon?I was stunned by these words.A first-degree felon is a capital crime and will be executed immediately.Bi Wei lied to me. Outside the west gate, the tunnels he said didn’t exist at all, and some of them were traps. He must have wanted to silence me and the second prince in front of the battle, but he failed by accident. Bi Wei wanted to kill me to silence me, but I really can't figure out why the second prince would accuse me of being a traitor?He was obviously brought out from the snakeman camp by me. After he fell into the trap, if I hadn't sacrificed my life to save him, I'm afraid he would have turned into a puddle of flesh by now.

Maybe, he is pretending not to know?Deliberately sacrificing me to confuse Bi Wei? I knew it would be useless to slap the iron door like this again, so I sat down slumped, my heart turning to ice.When the second prince fell into the trap, he probably already knew that this was a trap set by Bi Wei, and he also knew that fighting against Bi Wei in the city would not end well, so he deliberately arrested me to show that he didn't know about it. Bi Wei and him won't be ashamed. It's just that the second prince's reputation has been discredited after this battle, and he can no longer command Bi Wei in the future.Sitting on the foul-smelling rotten straw, I couldn't help but sneer.

Bi Wei's appearance is very rough, but if you judge him by his appearance, you will definitely suffer a big loss.Unexpectedly, he would be so fond of tricks, but these tricks are not necessarily clever, and setting up that trap is really superfluous.If he threw me to the snake man outside the city, I'm afraid I won't know what happened until I die. I sat at the base of the wall and leaned my back against the wall.The wound on the leg started to hurt again and again, as if countless fine needles were pricking it, but now I can't change the dressing or anything.I straightened my injured leg to make myself feel better, and began to think about the future.

I have nothing behind me.Although Marquis Wen appreciates me quite a lot, compared with Bi Wei, I must be insignificant. Now I still have the possibility of being cleared of the crime, right?I thought and thought, but I really couldn't think of it. Fortunately, I also couldn't think of how the second prince should confirm my name as a "rebel".I thought about the crimes he might have woven into me one by one, and then thought about how to refute it, as if I was talking to myself.But what if Bi Wei silences me in prison?Then how to deal with it?After much deliberation, I couldn't think of any way.If Bi Wei wants to kill me in this heavy prison, then I must die.

I was in a heavy prison, and half of the walls were buried underground.Leaning against the stone wall, I gradually felt the chill of the stone. I changed my posture, piled up some clean straw, and lay down. Not only the weapons were confiscated, but even the two books were confiscated.Fortunately, "Sheng Bing Ce" does not have many words, so I can already recite it. Although I can't recite the "Tao De Xin Sutra", I am very familiar with the attached meditation pictures, and one of them is lying down. , I slept on the straw, pulled my legs to the same position as the picture, and slowly and evenly breathed. The "Tao De Heart Sutra" says that there should be no distracting thoughts in the mind when meditating, but now I have lost a single thought, and a thought arises again.Until now I still do not understand.

Maybe, I won't understand when I'm beheaded. There is only one small window in the heavy prison, which is only about a foot away from the ground outside.The grass on the ground is very lush. This season, the plants are like wildfire, growing at an almost visible speed, but there is only a small patch of sunlight in the cell.It is this small square of sunshine, which will disappear after a while.Although I sat cross-legged, I was still uneasy.Here, if Bi Wei wants to silence me, it will be extremely easy.Now that Ren Ji has been silenced, will it be me next?And behind Bi Wei, what kind of role is Wenhou?

I sat in silence, gradually sinking into meditation.Strange to say, sitting like this, anger, despair, and sadness all flow away like water, leaving nothing but emptiness in my heart. After sitting for an unknown amount of time, I was awakened by the sound of knocking on the prison door: "Chu Xiuhong, it's time to eat." A clay pot full of food was stuffed through the gap under the door.I went to the door, picked it up, and said, "When will I be interrogated?" I have already thought about the words to answer, if Bi Wei wants to add me the name of "His Highness the Assassin", then I will tell him everything he told me.In this way, I will definitely die, but the second prince will definitely fall out with Bi Wei, even if Bi Wei won't be taken down, he still needs to look good.It's just that I hope that Bi Wei can come and confess to me in order to conceal the truth, so that I can still have a chance.Just, is this possible?

The jailer sneered and said: "It's early, if there is no order from His Highness, you can just stay here." After he finished speaking, he left again. In this dark prison, even the jailer would not be happy.I took the pot of food and sat by the window, and began to eat bit by bit.This basin is some rice and boiled vegetables, and a piece of meat. Compared with the dry cakes eaten in the emergency of war, it is a life in heaven.Halfway through eating, there was a sudden knock on the door outside. Knocking on the prison door.The jailer opened the door and said rightly, "Who is it? Ah, it's General Shao's handwriting..." At first, he was fierce, but immediately he was full of flattery.

Did Shao Fengguan send someone to see me?I put down the basin and smiled coldly.Shao Fengguan and Bi Wei are the same breed, I don't believe he has any kindness, I'm afraid, now he is going to kill me.I lay down on the bed and couldn't help but secretly clenched my right fist. The door opened and someone walked in.The man wore a long cloak from head to toe, and closed the door behind him as soon as he entered.I turned over and sat up, and said, "If you have anything to say, tell me quickly." The man didn't speak, just turned the hood of the cloak down to reveal his face.When I saw his face, I couldn't help but gasp.

This is Shaofengguan! I was too stunned to say a word.Shao Fengguan actually came to see me!If you want to silence him, you will never dispatch someone like him.I was desperate and ready to break the jar, but when I saw him, my body seemed to be nailed.Shao Fengguan seemed to have anticipated my reaction, and pressed his finger on his lips, and said in a low voice, "General Chu." His voice was as soft as a whisper, I was full of doubts, but I had some hope, but I still said: "General Shao, what can you do?" Shao Fengguan stood in front of me, with no expression on his face, as if he didn't hear the sarcasm in my words: "You must know my reason for coming." "Hmph," I looked at his face, and another anger rose in my heart, "It seems that General Shao came to kill me himself? How condescending." He was wearing this grown-up cloak, and he couldn't tell if he was carrying a weapon.I heard that the four generals of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind are all all-round brave generals on horseback. In the past, Lao Guoji's spear and sword skills were quite strong, but no matter how strong he is, he may not be much better than me. If he fights to the death, I may not lose with him.I clenched my fist again, and as long as he was distracted, I would punch him in the face.Even if I was killed, it would be worth it if I killed the general of Dongping City before I died. Shao Feng Guanxiang knew what I meant, he tightened his cloak and said, "I'm here to save you." If he had said anything else, I would have punched him out long ago.But as soon as he said this, my fist couldn't help but loosen, and I asked in doubt: "Save me?" There was an inscrutable smile on Shao Fengguan's face: "There are some things that you don't need to say too much. Tomorrow the second prince will interrogate you. You just need to say that you don't know anything. Don't say a single word that is unnecessary." I said angrily: "Bi Wei told me that there would be a tunnel to respond, but it turned out to be a trap. Don't I know that?" "If you say that, both General Bi and His Highness will be impatient to kill you." I snorted again.Shao Fengguan was probably called by Bi Wei to buy me off. If he really wanted me to lie for him, then I would naturally agree, but I still couldn't suppress the anger in my heart, and said: "How could Ren Ji die? of?" "General Ren sacrificed his life for righteousness, and died for what he deserved. It was originally his own business. General Chu, you are so unlucky that you took the blame for yourself." His words were very explicit, and he directly admitted that he also participated in this conspiracy.I was a little shocked, and after a while I said: "General Shao, you and Lord Wenhou have turned against each other, I'm afraid it was already arranged?" Shao Fengguan smiled, and didn't answer me, but said: "General Chu, I didn't come here today, and what I said must rot in your stomach, you know?" I looked outside the door, and the jailer outside was looking around, as if he wanted to hear what we were talking about, but Shao Fengguan's voice was so soft that he might not be able to hear it clearly.I said: "If I don't know the fun, I'm afraid I will die here on the spot?" Shao Fengguan showed a trace of embarrassment on his face, and immediately said seriously: "This matter involves a lot, and General Bi and I feel that it is not worth it for people like General Chu to sacrifice because of this matter. I hope you can also cooperate." After he finished speaking, he put the cloak on his head, turned around and knocked on the iron door, the jailer hurriedly came over and opened the door: "Are you ready?" Shao Fengguan didn't say anything, just nodded.When he went out, he turned his head and said softly, "Trust me." He walked out of the door, and the jailer locked my cell door again. There was a bang bang, and then he went to unlock the door after locking it.Seeing Shao Fengguan's back disappear into the shadows, I don't know what it feels like. Shao Fengguan came to testify with me, so as long as I follow his instructions, there is probably a glimmer of life left.I don't believe that Bi Wei will feel sympathy for me just because I was beaten to death. Could it be that Shao Fengguan said something nice for me?It never occurred to me that I have no relationship with him at all, and he doesn't need to take such risks to help me. If the second prince finds out, even his own life and death will be a problem. Anyway, I've got a way out now.I seem to have fallen into a bottomless abyss, and now even if there is a spider thread, I will hold on to it, but I don’t know if this will be Bi Wei’s plan again. Now that I have said it well, the second prince can’t catch it. Kill me when you get the handle.But now I have no choice at all, revealing Bi Wei's conspiracy, I will die sooner, so I have to listen to him. At this time, the jailer sent Shao Fengguan out, came to knock on my door and said, "Chu Xiuhong, have you finished eating?" I saved half a bowl of rice, so I picked it up and ate it in small mouthfuls, and handed over the empty bowl. go out.Because I knew I had a chance of life, I took the basin out and said, "The food in the heavy prison is not bad." The jailer snorted through his nose: "You want to die, today is the Tianshou Festival, and everyone enjoys the joy, so I will give you a piece of meat to eat." Today is Tianshou Festival.I suddenly remembered that today is March 23rd.The days go by so fast, it has been more than two months since Gaojiu City was broken, and spring will soon be over.In more than two months, I was promoted from a defeated soldier to a general, stayed in the military academy for a while, was drawn to the reinforcements and came to Dongping City, and then became a prisoner now. These days, my ups and downs have been fulfilled. I can't even dream of it.I sat on the bed and thought about it silently. I was glad that I escaped from death, but I was more confused, and some were just sad. Early the next morning, while I was meditating and refining Qi, the jailer opened the door and said, "Chu Xiuhong, someone is here to pick you up." Is it the second prince who wants to interrogate me?I felt relieved, stood up, and walked to the door.The jailer outside the door has changed. I was taken aback and said, "You guys changed shift so early?" The jailer said: "Hey, hey, don't mess with me. Zhang Xin went to change the shift in front of Father Hades last night. Hurry up and stop playing tricks." That jailer named Zhang Xin died?I was stunned, and my whole body felt cold again.The jailer was still alive and well last night, how could he fall ill and die by such a coincidence? It must have been done by Shao Fengguan.Now there is no evidence that he even came to see me. Even if I tell the second prince, there is no proof.I originally thought that the second prince would use me to tell the truth as a bargaining chip, so that I would be exonerated, and I might be able to obey, but now I feel a burst of fear.Shao Fengguan has to clean up even such traces, even if I tell the truth to the second prince, he must have been prepared, I'm afraid I will die sooner.But it can also be seen from this that what Shao Fengguan said is probably true. This is my second visit to the second prince's tent.Followed by two soldiers standing outside the tent, a soldier went in to make an announcement, and escorted me in again. Inside, the second prince was lying on a low bed like a seriously injured patient, with two soldiers standing behind him.The crown prince has seven personal entourages, and the second prince also had seven personal guards in the past. In the snake man camp, those seven were all lost, and now there are only two left.As soon as I entered, a soldier next to me pushed me by the shoulder and said: "Kneel down!" As soon as he finished speaking, the second prince beckoned: "Come here, bring a stool for General Chu." The stool was moved, and I saluted and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." Then I sat down. The second prince's injury is not serious. Although he is covered with a golden yellow silk robe and many parts of his body are covered with white gauze, he is half lying on a low bed, holding a piece of fruit in one hand and a handle in the other. The knife cuts slowly.The bright red peel is peeled off little by little, and it grows continuously.This kind of fruit is called pear fruit, which is very sweet and juicy, and is a specialty of Zhijiang Province.The second prince was holding the pear fruit and kept turning it, and the peel kept coming out from between his fingers, like blood oozing out. After peeling one, he cut off a piece of snow-white flesh and put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, and said: "General Chu, you must have scolded me in prison all this time, right?" I left my seat and knelt down, whispering: "The last general dare not." The second prince was chewing the pear fruit, and the crisp and tender flesh made a fine cracking sound. He was still tasting the sweetness of the flesh, and he didn't seem to hear my words.Maybe he didn't listen to me at all.I knelt on the ground, feeling faintly annoyed. At first I had a good impression of the Second Prince, I thought he was a virtuous corporal and he was both civil and military, but now he seems to be a completely different person, he probably treats everyone as a tool, now that I am a prisoner, he doesn't have to treat me Be polite. No wonder Marquis Wen would rather assist the weak and incompetent prince than the second prince who has the reputation of being a wise king.As I knelt on the ground, I felt a burst of hot air hovering in my chest, and my stagnation persisted. After the second prince finished eating the pear fruit, he threw the core into a basin beside him. An attendant gave him a snow-white silk scarf. He wiped his hands and said, "General Chu, you are also a smart man. So I don't have to say anything superfluous." My heart was shaken, and I said: "The end will not be known." The second prince treated me with such an arrogant attitude, I am afraid it is to win the first place and make me feel that I am just an insignificant person, so that I can obey orders.If it was in the past, the second prince's actions were correct, I'm afraid I would be in a state of panic, and I would do whatever he asked me to do.But I thought a lot in the heavy prison, and now I have a kind of disgust from the bottom of my heart for his arrogance. The second prince did not answer for a long time.Suddenly, he said grimly: "General Chu, a smart person should draw inferences from one instance, instead of just asking three questions." I lowered my head, deliberately not looking at his face: "Your Highness, the last general is not a smart person." The second prince was silent for a while.I just thought it was a little funny, even though I knew I couldn't laugh.The second prince put on such a pomp and said such words, naturally he wanted me to confess according to his will, even, all he wanted was for me to say what he wanted to hear.But he didn't expect me to be so ignorant, did he? At this time, the second prince raised his head, stared at me and said, "General Chu, people who are too smart don't live long, but people who are too stupid don't live long either, do you know that?" I fell on the ground and pressed my hands to the ground, and there was an indescribable chill coming from my palms.I whispered: "The last general dare not, the last general is not too smart, but he also knows that he is not too stupid." He laughed, sat up on the bed, put his head in front of me and said, "That's good. General Chu, tell me, who asked you to kill me?" I only felt a shiver in my body, and said subconsciously: "Your Highness, even if you have the courage, you will not dare to do this." The second prince smiled coldly, pressed the knife against my cheek, and said in a low voice: "General Chu, my strength is certainly far inferior to yours, and this knife is not sharp enough, but it is quite easy to stab into your head. I know, of course you didn't intend to kill me when Ren Ji rescued me, but the day before yesterday, you were also imprisoned by Bi Wei. what?" The blade pressed against my skin, and the coldness of the blade was extremely uncomfortable.My heart sank, and I said, "Your Highness, the last general really doesn't know anything. General Bi summoned me that day, and he also ordered me to come to the snake man camp to meet His Highness." When I said these words, although I felt a little guilty, I was still confident.That's exactly what Bi Wei talked to me that day. I wasn't lying. His original intention was to kill me and the second prince.But Bi Wei just likes to use tricks, not good at using tricks. When he called me for a discussion, he thought he was doing it very secretly. In fact, the second prince knew about it so quickly. The second prince didn't say anything, but the knife against my cheek trembled slightly, he must be furious.Even though I said these words out of my mouth, I was still a little scared, I was afraid that the second prince would get angry and the knife would stab in.But the second prince's hands trembled for a while, but stopped. He moved the knife away from my cheek and said with a smile, "General Chu, you are such a tough guy." Of course I wouldn't be naive enough to think that he would praise me, the second prince should be thinking about how to make me obey his arrangement.But the second prince has a very bad impression on me now, and I don't believe that he can treat me fairly, I'm afraid that when he finishes using me, he will kill me immediately.In fact, everyone is the same. After using a person, he is eager to silence him. This is the case from Bi Wei to Shao Fengguan, and the second prince is no different. The second prince shook the knife in his hand, as if he was still thinking about something.After a while, he raised his head and said, "General Chu, it seems that you don't want to say what I like to hear?" I still knelt on the ground and said respectfully: "Your Highness, the general only knows the truth." A sneer crossed the second prince's face: "The truth?" He smiled silently as if hearing something funny, but the knife in his hand turned faster and faster.I suddenly remembered the words in the "Tao De Xin Jing" that I have been trying to make up for these two days: "If you have thoughts in your heart, even if you hide them, they also come from your siblings." This means that if people have thoughts, even if they want to hide them, The unconscious movements of his hands and feet often betrayed what was on his mind.The second prince's tone is still very calm, as if he doesn't feel anything, but the unconscious movements of his hands have shown that he has actually reached the verge of fury. If I forced him to explode in anger, I don't know if he would order me to be shot immediately in a fit of anger.Although I was squatting on the ground, my eyes secretly aimed at the two people standing by the bed.The second prince's ability is not too bad, but it's not very good either. If I fight him one on one, it will be easy to take him down.It's just that those two people are really amazing. I don't have the certainty of victory if either of them comes out. The two of them are together, and they have weapons, but I am unarmed. It is very difficult and difficult to take the second prince as a hostage. . But no matter how difficult it is, if the second prince really wants to kill me, it will be a big deal, and I still have to fight to the death. I clenched my fists tightly, pretending to listen carefully to what the second prince said, thinking about how to make a move.Under the guard of those two people, I only have one chance. If I miss one hit, I will be doomed. If I want to make a move at that time, I must consider every action properly. The knife in the Second Prince's hand turned faster and faster.This knife is very sharp, but he is very skillful in holding it in his hand, the knife turned like a windmill, suddenly he clamped his two fingers, the blade of the knife was caught between his two fingers, and stopped suddenly. He has made up his mind!Although I don't know what he decided, my heart still sinks.I raised my head, although I was kneeling on the ground, my legs were tense, as long as he said something like wanting to kill me, then I would jump up, before the two guards reacted, to the second prince Deliver a fatal blow. Before the Second Crown Prince finished speaking, someone behind him shouted: "Your Highness, please think twice!" The voice came so suddenly, I was taken aback because I was engrossed in the second prince.It was only at this moment that he realized that the reason why the second prince stopped fiddling with the knife was because someone came in.The voice was very familiar, I glanced out of the corner of my eye, and saw Lu Gongxing stumbling in.He knelt down next to me and said loudly: "Your Highness, this matter has a lot to do with it, Your Highness must not be arrogant!" I was also very surprised that Lu Gongxing dared to barge in like this without notifying him in advance.I lowered my head and didn't say another word, the second prince also seemed to be taken aback, and said: "General Lu, what's wrong?" Lu Gongxing said: "General Chu has always cherished loyalty, and will never have any wrongdoing intentions. In the end, the general is willing to guarantee it with his life!" What he said was very serious, I had a sore nose and looked at Lu Gongxing.Back then in the Qianfeng camp, Lu Gongxing was a good and impartial leader. Although there were many factions in the Qianfeng camp, they all listened to him.At that time, I didn't feel that Lu Gongxing had many special qualities. At this time, I was caught in the vortex of the two forces, the second prince and Bi Wei. Hearing him defend me, I really felt like the rain after a long drought. The second prince pondered: "Why are you so sure?" "Your Highness, General Chu is a rare and brave general. During the southern expedition with Marquis Wu, General Chu was born and died, made great contributions, and never flinched. The general knows him very well. He is open-minded and will never be the kind of double-faced person. .” When Lu Gongxing said that about me, I felt a little ashamed. Of course he didn't know that I had the idea of ​​breaking the pot just now. He said that I was not a double-faced person, but seemed to be scolding me.But what the second prince wanted was to use me to attack Bi Wei, so what he did was even more double-faced. The second prince pondered for a while, then stopped suddenly, and shouted: "Chu Xiuhong!" I was shocked by his drinking, and raised my upper body and said: "The end is here." "You fought very hard, and Gu also saw it in your eyes, but your suspicion is hard to clear after all. Now you will be removed from your military rank and official position, and you will be temporarily detained in prison, pending disposal." Lu Gongxing spoke for me, I thought there would be a turning point, but the second prince still treats me like this!I was angry, but my face was still stiff, and I said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Your Highness, for not killing me." He must have heard the annoyance in my words, and I found that the knife in his hand was turned twice quickly, and Lu Gongxing said hurriedly: "Your Highness is kind and generous, and is a blessing to all peoples. down." The second prince snorted, sat down on the low bed, stretched out his hand and grabbed another pear fruit, gouged out a piece of fruit with a knife.Lu Gongxing pulled me secretly, saluted the second prince again, and then withdrew.When I exited the door, I happened to see the second prince throwing the small knife heavily on the table, with a "cha", the knife plunged into the table, the blade trembled, and the light of the knife kept flickering. There were a few soldiers waiting outside, and when they saw us coming out, they immediately surrounded us, as if they were already prepared.Lu Gongxing didn't wipe off his sweat until now, and whispered to me: "General Chu, it's finally too late." I followed behind him and shouted: "General Lu, this is too unfair. I put my life and death at risk to save him, but he thought I was going to kill him." Lu Gongxing looked at the soldiers around and sighed: "General Chu, don't talk outside, go back and talk if you have something to say." He didn't take me back to the prison, but took me to his tent. Once inside, he sent out his soldiers, took out a jug and two wine glasses from one side, poured me a glass of wine and said, "General Chu, Have a drink to calm your nerves." I took the wine and drank it down, but I was still aggrieved: "I'd better go back to the prison." Lu Gongxing sighed, walked to the side, reached out and took down a bow from the wall, and said, "General Chu, there is a saying that 'hardness is easy to break', have you heard of it?" If he asked me this question a few days ago, then he asked it in vain. I definitely don’t know. These days I am desperately reading the "Tao De Xin Sutra", which also contains this sentence.I said, "Why do you ask this question?" "No matter what, if it is too hard, it will be easy to break." He tried the bowstring, tightened it a little, and said: "It's the same as making a bow. Too hard wood can't make a good bow, you must combine hardness and softness." , that is a good bow." There was also a hidden meaning in his words, and I was silent for a while.Lu Gongxing put the bow back on the wall, sat next to me, poured himself a glass of wine and said, "General Chu, do you still remember when we were in the vanguard battalion together, the twenty centurions charged side by side? , and now there are not many left, alas.” I was silent again.After I was locked up, Qian Wenyi is now in command of Qian Wenyi, and I don't know if he can restrain Yang Yi and Xing Tiefeng.I said, "General Lu, what exactly does Your Highness want to do with me?" Lu Gongxing put down his wine glass, sighed and said, "His Royal Highness is extremely annoyed when he is in danger. He thinks you are involved in this matter, so he will investigate you to the end. If you refuse to tell, he will kill you." Want to kill me?I'm not surprised, it's strange that the second prince is so headstrong and doesn't kill me.I said: "If you want to kill, just kill, anyway, I have a clear conscience." Lu Gongxing looked at me, and suddenly said: "General Chu, you are really a good person." I also put down the glass: "What do you mean by that?" Lu Gongxing smiled coldly: "There is one thing you don't know. After you rescued His Highness, His Highness also asked the generals of the Qianfeng Battalion about you. As a result, two of the three commanders of the Qianfeng Battalion said that you Have an evil heart." two?I know that Xing Tiefeng sued me after Ye Zai came back.After entering the snake camp, Xing Tiefeng faced a very strong force among the snake people, and suffered a big loss. In addition, when I went to rescue the second prince, I rescued Ren Ji by mistake, which must have made him even more mistaken. Think I intend to kill the second prince.He will definitely say bad things about me, but who else would it be?Could it be Yang Yi?Yang Yi and I have never been very acquainted, and we don't talk much, but he always obeys orders, and he may also agree with Xing Tiefeng. Lu Gongxing seemed to guess what I was thinking, and said, "Do you think it's Yang Yi?" His words were really like a bolt from the blue, and I was shocked: "Could it be... Could it be Qian Wenyi?" Qian Wenyi and I have been good friends since the Qianfeng camp. This time when Qian Wenyi is reorganizing the Qianfeng camp, Qian Wenyi is also the first commander among the three commanders. I have always regarded him as my arm. Could it be that he would say that I want to kill the second prince? ?But listening to Lu Gongxing's meaning, it won't be Yang Yi who agrees with Xing Tiefeng. I was shaking all over, trying to cover it up by drinking a glass of wine, but my hands were shaking involuntarily, and the wine in the glass kept shaking. After killing so many people and going through so many battles, I have long dismissed the "justice" that the commanders call "justice". I only believe in the brotherhood formed in the flames of war.For soldiers, either brothers or enemies, even in the same unit.But now, even the friendship that I believed in before is falling apart like ice cubes under the scorching sun, even if Lu Gongxing says to ask someone to behead me immediately, the shock in my heart will not be so severe.I murmured: "Is it Qian Wenyi? Why did he do this? He should know what I am." Qian Wenyi has been with me the longest, Xing Tiefeng will mistake me, but he definitely won't.Lu Gongxing sighed and said, "General Chu, have you forgotten why the Snake Man wants to negotiate peace with us?" Mu Kun came to negotiate peace with us because I captured their "Princess Baihui".My mind lit up, and I said, "Did Qian Wenyi kill that Princess Baihui?" Lu Gongxing said: "Exactly. In fact, as soon as the snake man wanted peace talks, I immediately went to Qianfengying to inquire about Princess Baihui. When I heard that Princess Baihui was killed by Qianfengying, I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't think of a good solution, so I had to discuss with General Bi, and wanted to find a dead man to handle this matter. At that time, because you had been imprisoned, we preferred Qian Wenyi, but later General Bi said that we would let you go, saying Qian Wenyi knows the inside story, so I'm afraid he won't be able to hide it from the snake man." "That's true." I nodded, "If I knew that Princess Baihui was killed before I set off, then I wouldn't dare to go to the snake man camp again." Lu Gongxing sneered and said, "It's just that I don't know why you let His Highness jump into that trap. His Highness already believed in you, but I didn't expect you to let him jump into that trap." I was at a loss for words.That's because I fell into Bi Wei's trap, thinking that it was really a tunnel.In fact, as long as you think about it, Bi Wei's plan is actually very flawed. To rescue the second prince, digging a tunnel is definitely half the effort, and it would be better to send someone to take him back forcibly.It's ridiculous that I didn't think much about it at the time, and I fell for Bi Wei's ridiculous trick.I blurted out: "Actually..." Just after I said two words, I suddenly felt a chill in my heart, and thought of Shao Fengguan's words again.In the heavy prison, when I was so angry that I wanted to tell everything Bi Wei said to me, Shao Fengguan told me that once I said it, whether it was Bi Wei or the second prince, they would be eager to kill me.Indeed, if I really tell the truth, Bi Wei will definitely kill me to silence me, and because the second prince can't shake Bi Wei for a while, in order to hide the truth, he will definitely kill me too.Now they keep me from killing, just because the second prince still wants to know the truth of the matter from me. Lu Gongxing listened to me, and looked at me hopefully.Suddenly, I remembered the scene when I defended Gaojiu City.At that time, Luan Peng decided to send troops to kidnap Marquis Wu and force him to kill the rest of the Republican Army in the city. I remember that a commander of the right army was worried that Marquis Wu ordered to guard the forward battalion of the Chinese army to launch an attack. Peng said that he had made arrangements for the forward battalion.At first hearing these words, I thought Lu Gongxing was colluding with him, but after Marquis Wu quelled the rebellion, the Qianfengying took the heavy responsibility, Lu Gongxing didn't seem to be colluding with Luan Peng.I didn't think much about it afterwards, but when I think about it now, there is another burst of cold sweat on my back.Qian Wenyi was able to betray me, but Lu Gong acted in friendship with me, and he knew he wasn't planning on me.My words were on the verge of my mouth, thinking of these, I immediately swallowed them back.Seeing that I didn't continue, Lu Gongxing asked anxiously, "What's wrong?" I said, "Actually, I don't know anything about this matter." Lu Gongxing didn't expect me to say that, he couldn't help being disappointed, and said, "Really?" I didn't dare to look at him, but said: "It's true, General Bi asked me to go that day, but he just ordered me to bring His Highness back. As for the trap, it was purely a coincidence." Lu Gongxing was startled, and sighed, "Okay." He stood up, patted me on the shoulder and said: "General Chu, you don't have to worry, I will do my best to guarantee your life in front of His Highness. These two days the snake man's offensive is very urgent, you stay in prison for another two days , I will rescue you as soon as possible." As soon as I mentioned the snake man, I asked, "Are the snake man still attacking fiercely these two days?" Lu Gongxing said: "The snake people seem to be angry from embarrassment. They attacked very violently in the past two days, but they didn't know how to do it. They suffered a lot of losses. Hehe, this kind of strong attack will never last long. Dongping City is not Gaojiu City." In order to get back Princess Baihui, Shandu killed the envoy sent by Master Tian, ​​but he didn't expect to get back a corpse in the end. He must have hated us so much, that's why he attacked us so badly.The walls of Dongping City are high, not comparable to the dilapidated Gaojiu City, and the morale of the soldiers in the city is also high, so there is no need to worry about it. Such a strong attack will definitely not be cheap.I said: "The snake man probably has no food now, so he won't last long." Lu Gongxing nodded and said, "I heard from Qian Wenyi that you invaded the snake army and burned many of their livestock to death." They just burned the livestock to death, but they were going to kill the women in the Snakeman army.I thought silently, looking out the window.It's noon, summer is coming, the sun is shining, and the current Dongping City is still peaceful.But I don't know how long this kind of peace can last. Lu Gongxing took me out and called a dozen soldiers to escort me back to the prison.I said it was an escort, of course it was an escort, but I didn't take it seriously, so I took this time to look around.这一带是驻军聚集之城，隔着几座营房，便是毕炜的旗号。现在毕炜在营中又会想些什么？ 我正想着，忽然一阵风吹过，边上的一根光秃秃的旗杆上，有个人头被风吹得荡了起来。以前也不会在意，此时我自己的性命也是朝不保夕，我一阵心悸。这时路恭行已分派停当，过来叫我，见我正打量着那个号令的首级，他看了看道：“楚将军，此人便是与你一同前来东平城的那个狼兵将领陶昌时。” 陶昌时！I was taken aback.我只道那是个违了军令的将领，没想到竟是陶昌时。我叫道：“什么！会是他！” 陶昌时在夜袭时力战到底，自己也差点死在蛇人营中，他的战功有目共睹，杀了我还有话可说，杀他却连我也想不出罪名来。 “那是狼兵都统解瑄所定。” 我仍是惊诧莫名：“为什么要杀他？陶昌时立下大功，无论如何也罪不当死。” “他们狼兵有一条规定，凡有大败导致属下战死一半者，领军将官立斩，功不可赎。” 竟有这种规定，那是因为在来的路上，陶昌时与刘石仙为争功，要求充任前锋，却遇伏大败那件事吧。刘石仙已经战死，那时陶昌时已知道必死，才会奋勇当先，向我要求加入夜袭。他是想要立下大功，以求万一的生机吧，可最终还是功不抵过，仍然被斩首。 回到牢中，那个狱卒明显对我好了许多，伙食也颇有改善，我索性不再担心，每天读着那本《道德心经》。原先心头乱成一片，书上说的打坐是要“杂念不起”，也只有现在才能做到一些，只是说要借此来读到别人内心，却似乎还遥遥无期。 又过了三天。这三天里再没人来看我，连曹闻道也没来，倒有医官过来给我腿上拆去了线，换了些药，说我的伤口已经好了。我问了他真清子为何不来，那医官也知之不详，只说真清子师徒二人不知去哪里了。 换过药，我躺在床上静心背诵着那本《道德心经》。真清子五天前来给我换药时，后来所吟的诗颇有归隐之意，他说不定也已隐居到什么地方去了。我正胡思乱想着，忽然铁门又是一阵响动，我连忙坐起来，却是那狱官走进来。他向来面无表情，此时脸上带着点笑意道：“楚将军，你大喜了。” 我心头猛地一跳。这话一般是对要杀头的人说的，难道要杀我了？那狱官想必也已知道了我的心思，连忙道：“楚将军，不必担心，帝君下了特赦令，专门赦免楚将军死罪。我看守重牢这么多年，你还是头一个被赦出去的。” 帝君居然会给我发特赦令！我实在是做梦也不曾想到，但狱官满面春风，看样子也不是骗我的。我跟着他走出去，依然不知所以。 一到厅里，便见曹闻道正踱来踱去，他看见我出来，大喜过望，冲过来一把抓住我双肩道：“统制，赦书下来了！” 他抓得我好紧，我挣脱了他的双手，道：“什么赦书？” 曹闻道的双手被我挣开，一时也没处放，他兴奋地搓着手道：“甄参军以羽书向文侯告急，讨来赦书，这两天可真把我们急坏了，赦书直到今天才到。” 甄以宁去向文侯讨赦书？我吃了一惊，但马上想到了文侯的名字是叫甄砺之，甄以宁说不定是他子侄辈。我道：“甄以宁是文侯的什么人？” 曹闻道还在搓着手，突然一怔道：“甄参军和文侯大人有什么关系么？” 甄以宁多半是文侯的儿子了。可能甄以宁觉得宣扬他的出身，会让人觉得他立功也是靠父亲的余荫，所以干脆什么人都不说，怪不得当初我一问起他父亲，他就含糊其辞的。可是他自己不肯说，我当然也不会宣扬出去。可能，这次不是为了帮我讨赦书，他绝不会透露出他与文侯的关系的。尽管因为钱文义的背叛，我对友情有些怀疑，但是知道了甄以宁的努力，看到曹闻道这样的兴奋，我还是感到一阵温暖。 曹闻道已是急不可奈地道：“统制，我们马上回营去再说。” 他刚要来拉我，那狱官却一下拦住他道：“曹将军，且慢。” 曹闻道急道：“还有什么事啊？” “楚将军是受殿下之命关押于此，但这赦书上我不曾见殿下批文，你尚不能带楚将军走。” 曹闻道怒道：“怎的还有这等规定么？” 我也没料到居然还会有些意外，向曹闻道问道：“曹将军，赦书拿来后可曾经殿下过目？” 曹闻道道：“方才羽书到达，我就马上过来了。难道帝君与文侯大人手谕，竟还作不得数？” 狱官仍是一板一眼地道：“曹将军见谅，请曹将军将赦书交殿下批阅，方可生效。” 曹闻道怒不可遏，我怕他一气之下又说出什么话来，忙道：“曹将军，请你快将手谕交付……邵将军，请他传给殿下批阅。”这手谕是帝君亲笔签发，我也不相信二太子会有胆子违抗，要是曹闻道一怒之下，做出什么冲动之事，反而不好收拾。 曹闻道接过那道手谕放到怀里，有点不安地道：“楚将军，那你等等我。” 他这人并不粗莽，但太易冲动，往往就来不及多想便做出来了。我道：“曹将军，事不急在一时，一步步来吧。” 邵风观虽未必可信，但他能冒险来看我，只怕也有诚意。现在我已经帮他隐瞒了真相，现在该他来回报我了。有这手谕，他这顺水人情一定会做的。我本想让他找路恭行，但是因为我记起了栾鹏的事，对路恭行也不敢太过相信了，还是让曹闻道去找邵风观。 曹闻道答应一声，刚要走，一个狱卒突然进来道：“大人，路将军请见……”他一进来，见这儿已经站了不少人，却是一怔。那狱官道：“路将军有事么？” “路将军持殿下手谕，请提要犯楚休红。” 那狱卒拿过一张羊皮书，狱官接过来看了看。在他看时，我不禁忐忑不安，不知那羊皮书上会写些什么。那狱官看了一眼，笑道：“楚将军，如此正好，殿下手谕也说赦免楚将军死罪了。” 看来，二太子本来是有杀我之心啊。我被关在这儿，一直不知道他们究竟是定我一个什么罪名，但先前的狱卒也说过，一入重牢，就不用想出去，我多半早就已定下了死罪。看来，路恭行要救我，倒也并不是骗我，我不禁为怀疑他而有些内疚了。 曹闻道笑道：“那就好了，可以让楚将军走了么？” 那狱官却没有回答，只是道：“楚将军，请随我去见过路将军。” 我心头又是一动。这狱官似有欲言又止之意，恐怕二太子对我的赦免令并不是如此简单。但事已至此，多想也没用，我点了点头道：“好吧。” 我跟着狱官出去，曹闻道也已感到了可能已节外生枝，有些担心地跟在我身边。他进来的是大牢内厅，这儿是审问犯人的所在，连武器也不能带进来的。走过内厅时，周围一片寒气森森，我的身上也不由自主地发冷。一到外厅，便觉热了许多，路恭行正坐在一边，十来个亲兵围在他边上。一看见我出来，路恭行站起身迎向我，眼里却隐隐有些内疚。 狱官将手谕都交到路恭行手上道：“路将军，要犯楚休红带到，另有帝君手谕一份。” 路恭行却并不意外，接过手谕道：“好吧，多谢了，请将楚将军的武器财物交还与他。” 我被关进来时，刀枪马匹都被收缴。枪也算了，那把刀和飞羽实在是不能丢掉的东西，我本来已想向狱官要求领回，路恭行却也早有安排。那狱官道：“遵命，请路将军稍候。” 等他一走开，我道：“路将军，有什么意外？” 路恭行强笑了笑道：“楚将军，路某无能，殿下一意孤行，觉得你仍未吐实，要将你革职，送回帝都交付三法司审问。” 曹闻道急道：“路将军，难道帝君的赦书你不曾见到么？” “赦书只是赦免死罪，未曾免除楚将军之罪。” 曹闻道还要再说什么，我道：“曹将军，不必再说了。” 我虽然还一片糊涂，但事情原委已知道多半了。帝君这封赦书他只怕也已知道，因此抓住了赦书中的一个漏洞，仍要将我关押起来。此前我还是关在重牢里，是在众目睽睽之下，二太子要杀我灭口并不容易，现在虽然免除死罪，我反而直接到了二太子掌握中。甄以宁费尽心力为我讨来的赦书，居然对我更为不利，这样的主意，我不相信刚愎自用的二太子想得出来，只怕还是路恭行出的主意。 路恭行倒仍是一脸的颓唐，低声道：“楚将军，你放心，我会叫人一路保护你的安全的。” “多谢路将军好意了。” 这话说得连我自己也听得出其中的讥讽之意，路恭行一愕，脸色变了变，也不知到底想些什么。