Chapter 9 Chapter 24 Thigh Flesh Rebirth

The second prince didn't walk very fast on the road, and the team didn't arrive in Beining City until the eleventh day.Although the capital of Fangyang Province is called "Bei Ning", it is the gateway to the south of the imperial capital.Beining City is also the second of the Twelve Famous Cities, and it is only two hundred miles away from the imperial capital. If you hurry up, you can reach the imperial capital in one day, but at the speed of the second prince, it will take two days to walk from Beining City to the imperial capital. Although I was locked in a cage, Chen Zhong took good care of me. I didn't eat badly, and I had enough rest. I actually gained some weight.The second prince also came to visit sometimes, and didn't say much. I don't know what he was thinking, but he just meditated according to the "Tao De Xin Sutra" every day.That "Tao De Heart Sutra" is not very thick. I read it every day these days, and I have memorized the whole book. I also tried it with the soldiers nearby, but it was useless. I have no way of knowing what they are thinking. What, I almost believe that Zheng Zhao said that the mind-reading technique mainly depends on talent. Zhenqingzi told me that it can be practiced. Maybe even he himself just knows it but doesn’t know why. Although Xuxinzi is his disciple , but Xu Xinzi does not seem to be able to read minds.If I can practice mind reading, then I can know what the second prince is thinking right away, but this seems unlikely.

We arrived in Beining City in the morning, and rested in Beining City for a long time. I thought that according to the style of the second prince, he would at least spend the night in the city before starting again. Unexpectedly, the second prince attended a banquet at the invitation of Tu Fang, the governor of Fangyang Province. , will start again soon. Fangyang Province has a total population of 800,000, which is considered a large province. Among them, Beining City has a total of about 200,000 people, because it is only two hundred miles away from the imperial capital, and Beining City is also very prosperous.Chen Zhong rode beside me on a horse.Since the assassin appeared that day, he never left me for more than two feet, and he chatted with me occasionally.Although he lacks the ability to adapt, he is not a person who is not ignorant of world affairs.

When the team arrived at the north gate, Tu Fang, who came to send the second prince out of the city, was ordering someone to open the city gate for the second prince, while we waited for a while.Chen Zhong looked at the endless stream of people at the gate of the city, and suddenly sighed: "Commander, we are going to the imperial capital soon." What will happen when we arrive at the imperial capital?My mind was in turmoil.Now my life is very precious to the second prince, but to Shao Fengguan, it must be too much.The changes in the world are like turning over the palm of your hand. From general to prisoner, my identity has changed too quickly.Listening to Chen Zhong's words, I also sighed and said, "Chen Zhong, how old are you?"

Chen Zhong was stunned, and said: "Return to Commander, at the end of this year, the general will be twenty-five." Four years older than me.In fact, this question is a bit out of line, and it means to change the topic. I really don't know which side to turn to when I return to the imperial capital.The second prince tried his best to punish me, but now it seems that he is protecting me instead. This kind of change is really strange. Chen Zhong didn't seem to understand my meaning of changing the topic, he said: "Commander, after returning to the imperial capital, will the Second Crown Prince punish you for your crime?"

"If the San Judiciary ordered me to be guilty, of course I have to be guilty. If you want to kill me, you can only stretch your neck and let them kill you." Even if they don't stretch their necks, if they want to kill me, of course they will kill me, but at least I will drag my back by then.Although I can't say this, I have made up my mind. After walking for a while, the sky gradually darkened, Chen Zhong raised his head to look at the sky and said, "It seems to be still early, why is it so dark?" "It's going to rain." I also looked at the sky.

"By the way, commander, do you think there is a lot of rain this year?" I couldn't help being startled, and said, "What's the matter? I don't think it rains too much." "But when I crossed the river to Dongyang City that day, I felt a little strange. Compared with when I came here, Dongping City seemed much shorter." "Much shorter?" I couldn't help repeating.When I crossed the river to Dongyang City that day, I was so upset that I didn't pay attention to it at all. "Is it because the river level has risen?" "That's right, I can't feel it in the city, but when I get to the river, I can see it clearly. The river surface is at least half a foot higher than when we came here."

For a city wall more than ten feet high, the water level of half a foot is an insignificant amount.However, as Chen Zhong said, there is not much rain this year, and the river should sink after the rainy season. How could it rise even higher? Maybe there is a lot of rain upstream. At this time, a soldier patted his horse and said, "General Chen, the road His Highness is leading seems to be wrong. We are heading west now." Chen Zhong took the horse and looked around, and I followed him to look around.It is dusk now, and the setting sun is on the mountain, but it is right in front of us.From Beining City to the Imperial Capital, the road runs roughly north-south. Although it is a bit westward in the middle, it never deviates to the due west.

And now we are heading due west! Chen Zhong was taken aback, and said: "I'll ask His Highness." He patted his horse forward, just took a step, then turned around and said: "Protect General Chu well, and make no mistakes." What is the second prince thinking?I don't believe it's because of going the wrong way, it can only be said that it's because the second prince doesn't want to go back to the imperial capital too soon.What is he going to do? Chen Zhong left, and came back after a while.As soon as he got to the cage, I said, "What did the Second Prince say?"

"He said he was going through the west gate." "why?" "It is said that there are bandits in the south of the imperial capital. To be careful, turn to the west." What kind of reason is this, I couldn't help frowning, I really don't know what kind of medicine is sold in the second prince's gourd, and it will take another day to go into the city from the west gate.No matter how rampant the bandits were, they wouldn't dare to ambush the tribute envoys like Zeng Wanggu of Ghost Xiaolin. With Chen Zhong's hundred guards and the second prince's own personal troops, as for going around such a big man to avoid bandits circle?

Probably because of me.Marquis Wen must have received Zhen Yining's secret report. If the second prince enters through the south gate, Marquis Wen will block him.Marquis Wen has the power to control punishment and the Second Ministry of Industry. If he wants to take me away, the second prince will not be able to refuse unless he immediately turns against him.And entering from the west gate, although it was a day's journey away, it missed the welcome of Marquis Wen. This idea must have come from the second prince himself, right?I know that Lu Gongxing gave him a lot of ideas, but Lu Gongxing would not come up with such a clumsy idea.It is impossible for Marquis Wen to only pay attention to the south gate, and leave the other gates alone. This kind of clever idea, probably only the second prince can come up with.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Chen Zhong said from the side: "Commander, what do you think the second prince is up to?" "For me not to fall into the hands of Marquis Wen." I smiled.I suddenly became so important, I never thought of it before.What should I do next? I looked at Chen Zhong, his face was full of concern.I'm already a prisoner, but he still treats me respectfully, not daring to lose the slightest courtesy.My heart moved, and I said: "Chen Zhong, when General Shao asked you to escort me, what did you say?" Chen Zhong was embarrassed for a while, as if I had caught something, he hesitated and said: "Commander, why do you think of asking this?" His appearance is really suspicious.My heart sank, and I said: "Did he confess to you that if I have the intention of obeying the second prince, you will kill me?" My words were like a stab in the face, Chen Zhong's face turned pale, and he said: "Commander, you...you heard that?" What an honest man.But I didn't have the pleasure of succeeding in the scheme, and my heart sank to the bottom.It seems that Shao Fengguan really has this idea. Although he knows that I am wronged, if I want to harm him, he will still mercilessly silence my words.I was at a loss for a while, and couldn't even speak.Chen Zhong looked around and said in a low voice, "Commander, don't worry too much. This is what General Bi told me. General Shao only wants me to protect the commander's safety with all my strength." It's Bi Wei.No wonder Chen Zhong, Xing Tiefeng's subordinate, came to escort me, and Pu Anli probably also had a hand in it. Chen Zhong still said in a low voice: "Don't worry, commander, although the final general has received such orders, he will never let the commander have any surprises." I also whispered: "Chen Zhong, why are you willing to help me like this?" Chen Zhong paused, and said: "Commander, do you still remember that you led our vanguard battalion to aid Dongping City?" "What's wrong?" "At that time, you told me that Lord Kaidao has me as a descendant, and his heroic spirit should be relieved." I said: "Yes. You are brave in battle, and you are worthy of being a descendant of a famous general." "Do you know, I have always been called a big fool, and no one has ever told me that. Commander, Chen Zhong is a rough man, but the last general also knows the saying that a soldier dies for his confidant since he was a child." His words choked up a bit, as if he was about to cry. What a fool.I cursed secretly in my heart, but my nose was a little sore.At that time, I was shocked by his divine power, but when it comes to martial arts, although Chen Kaidao is a brave man, he also has a deep understanding of the art of war. Compared with him, Chen Zhong is naturally very different. It's just to comfort Chen Zhong, I didn't expect him to remember it so well.Sometimes a word of comfort is worth more than ten thousand gold rewards. Chen Zhong wiped the corners of his eyes, bowed to me again and said, "Don't worry, Commander, with Chen Zhong's three-inch spirit, he will definitely ensure the safety of the Commander." He rode away and walked to one side. I looked at his back and couldn't speak for a while. People and people, in addition to intrigue, there will also be utter devotion to each other.Although Qian Wenyi's betrayal made me feel lonely, seeing Chen Zhong warmed my heart again. The road heading west has been in disrepair for a long time and is not very easy to walk.After leaving Beining City, I traveled day and night, and another two days passed.At the end of the day, when I was meditating in the cage, someone suddenly shouted: "Jiaotian Pagoda! I saw the Jiaotian Pagoda!" The Jiaotian Pagoda is in the west of the city. We are not too far away from Wuyun City. We will walk another day tomorrow and we will be able to reach the city.I stretched my arms to make myself more comfortable.Now I have practiced the flow of qi in my body, and sometimes it seems like a ball is rolling between the blood vessels in my body. This is the phenomenon that the foundation of the mind-reading technique mentioned in the "Tao De Xin Jing" has been completed.In the past ten days or so, I have had no distractions. I have eaten and slept, and I have achieved a small amount of practice, but it seems that there is still no way to practice mind reading skills. The sky was getting dark, when a soldier of the second crown prince came over and said: "General Chen, Your Highness has ordered that we will not fight tonight, we must rush back to the city overnight." Sending off the soldier who sent the order, Chen Zhong patted his horse to me, brought me a package of dry food, frowned and said: "Why is Your Highness so anxious, Commander, I have wronged you, I have to eat some dry food while driving today." I took the dry food, sneered and said, "The second prince is going to enter the city at night." "Why are you in such a hurry?" Chen Zhong still couldn't figure it out, I sighed and said, "Chen Zhong, if Marquis Wen stopped the second prince at the city gate and wanted to take me away, what should you do if you are the second prince?" Chen Zhong suddenly realized, and said: "So Your Highness should go to the city at night. But, Commander, what should we do?" It may not be a good thing that Marquis Wen took me away.I don't know if Zhen Yining is the son of Marquis Wen, if he is just a collateral relative of Marquis Wen, I'm afraid Bi Wei's words will be more effective.And if Bi Wei wants to silence me, Marquis Wen may not listen. My mind was in a mess, and I was in no mood to meditate anymore.After I had a full stomach, I heard the creaking sound of the wheels rolling over the dry and hard soil, and the sound of insects gradually became denser from the grass on the side of the road.Now it is mid-April, it has entered summer, and the weather is getting hotter every day.It hasn't rained in the past few days, and the soil is as hard as a stone by the sun, and there is a vibration from time to time when the carriage runs over it. I sit on the chair and look at the back of the car. It was almost dusk, and the twilight submerged everything like water.In the grass by the side of the road, insects are chirping, like a series of small bells ringing, and the sound is also passing by, like beads walking on a smooth stone slab, I don’t know how long, it seems, it will ring forever The end of the world is the same. I'm back in the capital again.Although I didn't look ahead, the scene in my eyes that was going backwards let me know where I was now.It was at the foot of Huabiao Mountain. Because of the dark sky, the Jiaotian Pagoda and the National Memorial Monument under the pagoda could no longer be seen, but I knew that those two majestic buildings stood on the top of the mountain. Would there be countless battle deaths there? The return of the Yin spirit, as sung in the song "The Martyr of the Kingdom", "The soul returns, to look after the family"? This is my homeland, and I am willing to give my life to defend it.But it's funny, it doesn't need me. I was thinking a little melancholy, when suddenly someone shouted, "Who is it?" The voice was loud and could be heard clearly even at a distance.The team stopped, and I leaned over to the edge of the cage to look out, but saw some dots of torchlight in front of me, reflecting a city wall. finally reached. But my heart sank suddenly, and there seemed to be something blocked in my throat, sour and astringent. The voice of the person shouting was very loud, not inferior to the thunder drums in Wuhou's army before, but the second prince's entourage did not have such a loud voice. I was at the end of the team, and I could only hear a few fragments of "Second Highness" and the like, Presumably it says who we are.After stopping for a while, the team started to march again. It must have been explained clearly, and now we are going into the city. The second prince really wants to enter the city at night.Watching the carriage drive into the city gate, I didn't have much thought.At first, I thought that there would always be some emotion, but when things came to an end, there was nothing. The only thing I had was some disappointment. I thought I would ride on a horse and come back as a meritorious minister. "Commander." Chen Zhong suddenly called me in a low voice, I looked up and saw him riding a horse beside me, I said: "What's wrong?" Chen Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "Commander, I will report to Lord Wenhou immediately." I smiled wryly and didn't say much.If Marquis Wen came forward to ask the second prince for someone, the second prince might not be able to resist.But in this way, the two groups of them are bound to break up immediately, and even the superficial calm cannot be maintained.Would Marquis Wen take the risk of doing it just for a small general? The team had already entered the city, and I was at a loss when I heard the city gate slam shut behind me. The prince is called the East Palace, and although the second prince is not called the West Palace, the second prince's mansion is also in the west of the city.I thought that the second prince would send Chen Zhong and the others away before taking me away, but he didn't do that, but brought a large group of people to his mansion. As soon as I arrived at the gate of the second prince's mansion, dozens of family soldiers came out of it, and they came to me without even carrying some of the second prince's luggage. A man with an ax and chisel came to break the sealed iron lock.The cage was bound with rather thick iron chains, and a large iron lock was fastened to the iron chains, and the keyholes had been filled with lead.This is the case for long-distance escorts of criminals or valuables. After arriving at the place, use a chisel to open the lock.The family soldier was about to dig the lock, Chen Zhong said, "No need, I'll do it." He grabbed the iron lock and the iron chain with the other hand, and with a sudden force, with a "bang", a link in the iron chain was snapped. He had enough strength to pull, but the soldier who was about to dig the lock stared straight at him, and after a while he came back and said, "Thank you, General." Chen Zhong's supernatural power must have amazed that soldier.In terms of strength, Chen Zhong might be number one in the empire. It's just that this man of supernatural power has become a subordinate. If it wasn't for escorting me, he probably wouldn't even be an officer. "General Chu, the ancients said that the world is like a tide, those who follow it will prosper, those who go against it will perish, and those who follow the sky will be heroes. Have you made up your mind?" The second prince's voice suddenly sounded from one side, I stepped out of the cage and jumped down, saying: "Thank you Your Highness, the last general understands." I haven't stepped on the soil for more than ten days, and the soles of my feet are used to the feeling of logs. Now standing on the ground seems to be a kind of enjoyment.The second prince looked at me, with a smile on his face, and said: "That's good, bring General Chu inside to change clothes." I have been locked in a cage for more than ten days, and I have never had a bath, and my body is already smelly.I followed the second prince's personal soldiers into his mansion, and Chen Zhong suddenly said: "Commander, take care." I looked back and saw him standing aside with a horse, looking at me with concern. Of course I understand the meaning of the second prince's words, and I also know what Chen Zhong said "take care", but at this moment my heart is just in a mess, and I really don't know what to do.I turned around and walked in, and I heard the second prince laughing and saying: "General Chen is unparalleled in loyalty and bravery, and he will definitely reward you heavily." Apart from being self-willed, the second prince is not too famous. He is going to buy Chen Zhong.But I can't help laughing, if he wants to bribe others, even me, he may succeed, but it is not so easy to bribe Chen Zhong. After taking a shower, I put on a new military uniform and felt much more comfortable.If it weren't for the two soldiers who were inseparable from me with their knives on their waists, even standing aside and watching me while I was taking a shower, I really would have thought that I would have become a young man in one step. Anyway, now that I have returned to the imperial capital, I must make up my mind.It might not be too bad if I switch to the second prince's sect. Lu Gongxing is my old boss, and the second prince himself is also a warrior, much better than the prince. More importantly, on the side of the prince with many talents, I want It's rare to get ahead, and the second prince is really thirsty for talents.If the second prince was the first thing I met when I returned to the imperial capital, I probably would have voted for him without even thinking about it. Somehow, everything has God's will. I couldn't help sighing. "General Chu, what are you thinking?" The second prince's voice suddenly sounded, I was taken aback, and quickly stood up from my seat.The second prince and his remaining two guards are walking into my room.I knelt down in the tunnel and said, "The sinner, Chu Xiuhong, has seen His Highness." The second prince helped me up, looked me in the eyes, he also sighed and said: "General Chu, I have wronged you, tomorrow's tribunal of judges, I have asked them not to use corporal punishment as much as possible." Are you going to interrogate me?My heart was half cold, but I still didn't show it on my face: "Thank you, Your Highness." "Three judges will interrogate, no matter what you say, I will guarantee that you will have no worries." The second prince's tone was very meaningful.Naturally, he expected me to say something unfavorable to Bi Wei. The Sanfa Division is the Ministry of Punishment, the Procuratorate, and the three divisions of Dali Temple.The five ministers of military punishment, officials and household workers are ministers who are only below the grand master and the second prince of civil and military affairs. Wei Zongzheng is especially known for his iron face and selflessness. When he was the censor of the Inspectorate, he had the title of "Iron Face Censor" Although he was not called "Iron Face Minister" after he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he was still recognized as a minister of integrity.According to the past practice, a case must be dispatched to the joint trial of the three courts. After the joint trial is over, unless the emperor speaks, even the prince and Wenhou will not be able to reverse the case.The second prince told me not to let them use corporal punishment, so I should rest assured and turn to him.But with Wei Zongzheng's temper, would he listen to the second prince? I knelt on the ground and whispered: "Sin will understand." The second prince gave a dry smile, waved his hand suddenly and said, "Go out." One guard turned and walked out of the house, but the other guard remained standing still. It was the same guard who praised my skills when I fought on the bow.The second prince was startled, and said, "Lin Qiu, why don't you go out?" Lin Qiu stood straight and said loudly: "I have the duty to protect His Highness, so I dare not neglect." The second prince scolded: "If you don't change your past, General Chu won't do me any harm. Let's go out." My heart was shaken, and I was about to shed tears. The second prince's words must have regarded me as one of his own.The second prince also came to see me when I was ambushed on the way, and I was also very touched that time. It seems that although the second prince is a bit stubborn, he is not worthless. When the two guards went out, I opened my mouth and said, "Your Highness, I..." Before I finished speaking, the second prince sighed again and said, "General Chu, there are some things we should keep silent." I said: "I will understand in the end." My voice was also a little choked up.This feeling is a bit like the scene in Gaojiu City back then.At that time, Marquis Wu suspected that I was the traitor of the snake man. After I cleared the suspicion, Marquis Wu trusted me again, and I was so excited that I couldn't repay him.Especially the second prince is not as perceptive as Marquis Wu, so it is really rare to gain his trust. The second prince patted my shoulder and said: "General Chu, once the matter is over, Gu will return your title of General to you again, don't worry." There was a faint hint of favor in his words, and I couldn't help being slightly displeased, but I didn't dare to talk too much, I just lowered my head and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." "In front of Wei Shangshu tomorrow, have you thought about how to say it?" I said: "The end general will tell the truth." The second prince frowned: "Shao Fengguan sent someone to assassinate you, don't forget to say that." Shao Fengguan put the second prince together, and now the second prince hated him to the bone, but he couldn't catch him. Although Shao Fengguan was responsible for the night attack plan, it was also approved by the second prince.What's more, the night attack achieved a lot, so it can't be said to be a failure in itself, but the second prince was greedy for meritorious deeds, and all of this was calculated by Shao Fengguan. As a result, the second prince was defeated. The army became a laughing stock. The original intention of Bi Wei and Shao Fengguan was not to take the second prince's life, but to break his reputation as a "knowledge soldier".However, if the second prince really died in the snake camp, can Shao Fengguan stay out of it? My heart suddenly trembled.No wonder Ren Ji was asked to assassinate, Ren Ji is not a subordinate of Shao Fengguan... I shivered again.From this point of view, Shao Fengguan and Bi Wei are not monolithic. If this plan was decided by Marquis Wen and Bi Wei was to implement it, the original intention should be to sacrifice Shao Fengguan... That is to say, no wonder Shao Fengguan is willing to save me , I happened to meet him at the right time, so I should take the disaster for him. Shao Fengguan expressed his gratitude to me.So, the assassin on the road... I shook my head, what was the second prince still talking about, he already hated Shao Fengguan and Bi Wei, especially Shao Fengguan, to the bone.Looking at him, I couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic.The second prince cannot be said to be totally incapable. If his status is the same as mine, he may not be able to grow into a quite capable mid-level officer, but because of his status, he has become the target of public criticism.However, one side is so far-sighted, with the second prince's strength, can he resist them? Originally, I had made some decisions to turn to the second prince, but at this moment, my whole body shuddered again, and various aspects that I had never thought of before flooded into my mind.The second prince didn't pay attention to what I was thinking, and said after a while: "General Chu, if Wei Shangshu is going to be punished, you have to stand up." I said: "Thank you, Your Highness, the general will have his own discretion." "If you grit your teeth, you will be able to win Shao Fengguan and Bi Wei, and then I will ask the emperor to make you a partial general." I can't help but want to laugh.The second prince now only has the Imperial Army in his hands, even if he wants to seal me, he can only let me enter the Imperial Army.It's just that I was born as a commoner, and I probably can't even be a small soldier in the Forbidden Army where the princes and grandchildren are everywhere, let alone a general.In order to win me over, the second prince really didn't care about anything. I really want to know if he succeeded in attracting Chen Zhong. The second prince probably felt that he had made sense of me, and said with a slight smile, "Okay, General Chu, you should rest well, and tomorrow I will take you to the Third Law Department." "Thank you Your Highness." I knelt down and saluted again, but in my heart, I couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic to the second prince.He said, "Only one who obeys the destiny will be a hero", and I should indeed obey the destiny, but I can't tell him. This night at the second prince's mansion, although people were still watching, the room and board were really good.In the evening, the second prince sent a house prostitute to accompany me, but I refused.It's not because I'm not good at women, but because of her. She is also in the imperial capital.It's just that I don't know which deep palace courtyard it is in.When I think of her, I feel a little pain in my heart, and I also think of Bai Wei, Zi Polygonum, and Su Wenyue.Although the time I spent with them was only a dozen or twenty days, they seemed to have been deeply engraved in my memory and could never be erased. What can't be erased is the sadness that gradually piles up in my heart. Early the next morning, I was woken up and asked to get dressed right away. Today is the first day of the joint trial of the three courts. It is not easy for the three judges to interrogate. It is naturally the second prince's strength to be able to judge so quickly.The second prince wants to finalize my case before Marquis Wen has any reaction, then even if the prince wants to overturn the case, he will be powerless.If Shao Fengguan and Bi Wei can be brought down this time, then the responsibility of defending Dongping City will naturally fall on the second prince again. Such a plan cannot but be said to be very thorough. I don't know if Marquis Wen can handle it. The joint trial of the three courts was held in Dali Temple.I waited in Dali Temple for a while, when I heard a shout from the yamen servants standing neatly on both sides, and someone shouted loudly: "Chu Xiuhong, the guilty general." That's the trial.I went in with the two yamen servants, knelt down in front of the steps, and said, "The last general, Chu Xiuhong, has met all of you adults." Wei Zongzheng was not tall, and he looked square.Looking at him, I couldn't help feeling a little scared.Wei Zongzheng also took a look at me, and shouted: "Chu Xiuhong, are you guilty?" "The end will be innocent." Wei Zongzheng sneered: "In Dongping City, it is true that you and the criminal general Ren Jimou assassinated His Highness?" "Ren Ji's plot to assassinate is true, and the final general has nothing to do with him. My lord is well aware." Wei Zongzheng stared at me, his eyes were like sharp knives, as if he wanted to pierce me through.I was a little apprehensive, but I dared not take my eyes away.After a while, he said again: "You tell this matter from the beginning, the more detailed the better." The second prince was staring at me with strange eyes.Now that Wei Zongzheng got to the point, it depends on what I say.I cleared my throat, and started talking. "...Ren Ji ignited the flat mine and rushed towards His Highness. At this moment, a staff officer flew forward, cut off Ren Ji's arm with a knife, and threw the flat mine, and was shot out by two of His Highness's guards. The landmines still exploded, and our army suffered many casualties. The last general rushed forward to save people, but due to too many dead bodies, Ren Ji was rescued by mistake, and His Highness fell into the hands of the snake man instead." Wei Zongzheng pondered for a while, then turned to the second prince and said, "Your Highness, is this the truth?" The second prince nodded and said, "Exactly. Later, I fell into the snake camp alone, and I didn't know anything about it until General Chu brought me out." He also doesn't call me a "traitor" now, maybe he's hoping I can do what he wants.Wei Zongzheng said: "Since this is the case, has General Chu made any contribution so far?" The second prince said: "It's just that when I was alone in the snake man's camp, General Chu was imprisoned by General Bi Wei for rebellion, but later he came to negotiate with the snake man for the exchange of prisoners. Lord Wei, you can ask about this." thing." Wei Zongzheng turned to me again and said, "Chu Xiuhong, do you have any objection to what His Highness said?" "What your Highness said is true. The final general rescued Ren Ji by mistake, and General Bi imprisoned me. And the snake man was captured by the late general because of one of the important people." I paused here, and I didn't know that" Can "Princess Baihui" be considered a "character", but I can't say that it is a "snake thing", can I? "That's why there was a discussion about changing the prisoners. However, the Snake Man has been killed by the subordinates of the last general. No one in the army dared to go to the Snake Man's camp to negotiate. General Bi had to order the last general to go to change the prisoners." "What did General Bi say when he ordered you to go?" We got to the point.My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately tried to calm myself and said: "General Bi wants me to enter the snake camp to negotiate, and I must bring it back to Your Highness." The Second Prince suddenly stood up and said: "Master Wei, when Gu came back, he fell into a trap, and Bi Wei ordered people to dig this trap." Wei Zongzheng let out an "Oh" and said, "There is such a thing?" I said: "Your Highness is right." At this moment, I saw a smile on the second prince's face, he probably felt that I was finally going to follow him.I gritted my teeth and said again: "But what General Bi told me is that His Highness will be taken out. Because the snake man's prisoner is dead, we must attack before the snake man finds out. The trap may be the original one. right on the battlefield." Wei Zongzheng nodded and said, "That's not bad." It's not surprising that there is a trap on the battlefield, and it makes sense.The second prince stood up all of a sudden, and shouted: "Chu Xiuhong, don't you want to live?" I lowered my head, but my voice was louder: "Your Highness, the last general dare not hide or lie, and tell the truth in everything." However, although what I say is the truth, I will not tell the truth. Wei Zongzheng said: "Your Highness, please be calm and don't be impatient, I will let General Chu tell the truth." He turned to me and said: "General Chu, when Your Highness has not returned to the imperial capital, I will I received the feather letter from General Shao, explaining the cause and effect of this matter, which is basically the same as what you said. There is only one thing that I can't figure out anyway. I heard from His Highness that you were assassinated on the way. What happened to this matter? Who did it?" I said: "At that time, the general was in the cage. Although he escaped a catastrophe, I still don't understand this matter until now. I really can't figure it out." The second prince was already dumbfounded in astonishment, he probably never dreamed that I would say that.Wei Zongzheng let out an "oh" and said again: "Although this matter seems to be irrelevant, it is actually the main point of this case. Who sent the assassin to assassinate you? As long as you find the person behind the scenes, you will naturally understand." The second prince woke up like a dream, and said: "That's right, the bows and arrows are in the hands of the accompanying centurion, Master Wei can order him to bring them." Wei Zongzheng said: "Okay, please order him to submit it, Your Highness." The second prince's face became more happy, and he said to the guard behind him: "Lin Qiu, go and call Chen Zhong here immediately, and bring that bow and arrow with you." Lin Qiu agreed, turned around and walked out.After a while, he came in, knelt down beside me and said, "Your Highness, Lord Wei, the accompanying centurion of Dongping City, Chen Zhong, has arrived." The second prince called Chen Zhong?I took a look, but I saw Chen Zhong coming in with a bow on his back, and he also knelt down and said, "Chen Zhong, centurion commander of the Vanguard Battalion, bows to Your Highness, Lord Wei." The second prince said: "Chen Zhong, is the bow left by the assassin you found that day still there?" Chen Zhongdao: "The final general knows the importance of this item, so I keep it here. Please look into it clearly, Your Highness and Your Excellency." He presented the bow with its sheath, and a yamen servant took it and handed it to Wei Zongzheng. Wei Zongzheng pulled the bow out of the sheath, but before he looked at it, the second prince stood up and said, "Chen Zhong, how dare you deceive the king!" Wei Zongzheng looked at the second prince and said, "Your Highness, you haven't seen this bow yet, have you? Please see it first." He walked down and put the bow in front of the second prince's case. The second prince seemed to suddenly think of something, and sat down abruptly with an angry expression on his face. What exactly is going on?I was confused by them. The second prince and Wei Zongzheng didn't make sense of these two words. Although Chen Zhongren was rude and illiterate, he was courteous and thoughtful. What's the point? At this moment, the corner of my eye caught sight of the bow on the second prince's case, as if a flash of lightning flashed through my mind, and I thought about a few more things at once. This bow was used by the assassin. The assassin dropped it after he fled. It was discovered by Chen Zhong's team, and I saw it that day.However, I'm only now finding out what's wrong. A good bow, the bows at both ends are mostly made of ox horns. The bow I saw that day was very bent, much more bent than my piercing sun bow that was lost in Gaojiu City, so I was very impressed. profound.Because there are no buffaloes in the north of Dajiang, the bows of buffalo horns are only used by people before Dajiang. In Dongping City, except for the 10,000 people who were stationed here before, the rest are all the bows used by the reinforcements transferred from the imperial capital. It's made of yellow ox horns.After I was assassinated that day, I suspected that Shao Fengguan did it. After seeing this bow, I thought I was right. However, what Chen Zhong brought up was a hard bow made of yellow ox horns.That was changed by Chen Zhong on purpose. He is too simple-minded and a bit too courageous, and such an approach is useless at all, so the second prince scolded him for "deceiving the superior and the inferior". But how did the second prince know that Chen Zhong had changed his bow? The second prince only leaked one sentence and swallowed it back in time, but it was just this one sentence that made all his previous efforts come to naught. I couldn't help sneering to myself, and called it a fluke. The second prince looked at the bow and said angrily, "I've never seen it before, but is it really this bow?" Chen Zhong said without changing his face: "Return to Your Highness, this is this one." He is an honest man, and he did not expect to be very familiar with telling lies. Wei Zongzheng took a look at the bow and said to himself: "This kind of bow is used in ordinary battles..." Suddenly someone said: "Lord Wenhou is here." Marquis Wen is here!I suddenly jumped up from the ground, the two yamen guards next to me looked like they were facing a formidable enemy, they unsheathed their steel knives, put them on my neck and shouted: "Don't move!" Their knives were very sharp, and when they were placed on my neck, the skin on the back of my neck only felt a sharp pain.I had no choice but to kneel down again, not daring to move, but I saw the surprised faces of the yamen servants on both sides, even Wei Zongzheng was a little strange. 二太子这么急让三法司审我，已经让他觉得奇怪了吧，再加上文侯突然出现，我只是一个小小的革职下将军，居然会让宗室重臣同时如此关心，卫宗政审理了那么多年的案子，恐怕也是第一次碰到。 这时文侯已经进来了。他一到大堂上，先向二太子躬身行了一礼道：“殿下，臣甄砺之见驾。” 二太子虽然属于王爵，比文侯要大两级，但文侯是国家重臣，实际两人该算是平级的。文侯如此谦恭，二太子只是鼻子里哼了一声，道：“甄侯免礼。” 文侯满面春风地道：“殿下，臣听得下将军楚休红有谋刺嫌疑，愿以一身担保，不知二太子是否给微臣这个面子？” 他的话说得很客气，但是我却象听到了当头一个霹雳。文侯居然肯以身担保，那就是说，如果我判有罪的话，连他也脱不了干系了。他是只位列于太师以下的第二号重臣，而太师因为年纪太大，已经不问世事，文侯其实该是朝中的第一权臣，他会担保我这么一个小军官，实在让听到的人觉得匪夷所思。 二太子又哼了一声，道：“甄侯说笑了。楚休红有谋刺孤的嫌疑，不能担保，甄侯请便吧。” 他这竟然是要公然将文侯赶走了。看来，太子与二太子之间只怕会提前爆发冲突，我已经被惊呆了。太子一党迟早要与二太子一党相争，这恐怕整个帝都的人都知道，但我绝想不到文侯竟然会不惜与二太子翻脸，也要来担保我，这等做法实在有些不智。 也许，他还有另外的计谋？ 文侯仍是笑容满面地道：“帝国《刑律》有云，罪无不赦，人无必杀。又云，无真凭实据者，以无罪论。不知殿下告楚将军谋刺之罪，可有人证物证？” 二太子一阵语塞，也说不上来。唯一的证人也只有任吉，但任吉在东平城里已经死了，也许是被灭掉了口，他能把我带到帝都来审问，所靠的也只有二太子的身份。如果没有人过问，他要弄死我也是简简单单，可是文侯这么问，他支支唔唔地说不出话来，突然道：“听甄侯这么说，难道甄侯有别个证据么？” 文侯摇了摇头道：“微臣一直在帝都，不曾到东平城过，自然不知。不过，听犬子发来羽书告知此事始末，听说是有个名谓任吉的军官意图刺杀殿下，可是确实？” 二太子想了想道：“正是。楚休红当时也在孤边上。” 文侯道：“殿下此言差矣，现在微臣也在殿下身边，难道微臣也会刺杀殿下么？后来楚休红将任吉救了回去，可也是确实？” 二太子道：“不错，他竟然将刺客救回，而将孤扔下了。” 文侯笑了笑道：“听殿下之意，是因为楚将军误救任吉回去，将殿下扔给了蛇人，故殿下以为他与任吉是一伙的，可是如此？” 二太子有些支支唔唔了。文侯的谈锋甚健，其实他先前所问的全是些无关乎大局的细枝末节，二太子又无法否认，他说“正是”、“不错”的也已经成了习惯。但问到这个问题时，文侯却用了个“误救”，二太子如果再说确实，那就成了他也承认我是误救任吉，这一条不救二太子之罪便已轻轻揭过了。我在边上听着，每一字每一句都听到了心里，但二太子只怕想的全是文侯所言有没有不实之处，文侯这么问他，他一时竟不知该如何回答是好。 这是当局者迷啊。文侯三言两语，一下就把二太子问住了，舌辩之术，实在也与兵法相通。诱敌深入，然后反戈一击，这等手段在兵法上屡试不爽，没想到在舌辩时也能用到。 二太子这时突然抬起头，道：“甄侯，楚休红救人是何居心，如今尚不可轻易论断。然兵临阵前，将领未能尽职，便是有罪。” 文侯道：“不然。楚将军若有谋刺之心，又何必后来再入蛇人营中将殿下救出？由此一端，便可见楚将军忠勇过人，实是无罪。” 二太子道：“甄侯，听你所言，竟似亲眼所见，故能如此断言，孤亲身历险，所言反不可信？” 二太子有些恼怒了。文侯道：“微臣不敢。然微臣实在不明，不知殿下如何解说楚将军二番救人之事。” 二太子喝道：“他是因为被毕炜所迫！” 文侯道：“既然毕炜一心要救殿下，他怎会让一个有刺杀殿下的嫌犯去与蛇人谈判；难道他不怕救不出殿下，自己也担一个失职之罪么？” 二太子的脸涨得通红，但却连一句话都说不出来了。如果他仍要坚持我有谋刺之罪，那就得把毕炜也告进去，可这么一来却又说不通他最终脱险的事了。他憋了半天，忽然一拍桌子站了起来，喝道：“甄侯，难道你是三法司的人么？” “不敢，”文侯向二太子深施一礼，又转而向卫宗政道：“还是请卫大人审理。但此人已受帝君赦命，不得判死罪。” 二太子道：“父皇的赦命仍是可以收回的，卫大人，重重的刑加上去，我不信撬不开他的嘴！” “啪”地一声，卫宗政将惊堂木一拍，文侯和二太子都吃了一惊。卫宗政站起身，向文侯与二太子行了一礼道：“殿下，大人，卑职受皇命为刑部长，审案之事，自有卑职办理，殿下与大人请去歇息吧。” 卫宗政居然会公然将文侯与殿下都逐出大堂，我也有点想不到。他的官职比文侯要小一级，与二太子更不能比，但此人倔强刚正，当真不负“铁面”之号。 二太子还要说什么，文侯一躬身道：“卫大人说的极是。此案有卫大人审理，甄砺之亦可放心。” He turned and walked out.他这一走，二太子也不能再呆下去了，只得跟了出去。走过我时，二太子狠狠瞪了我一眼，似乎在骂我出尔反尔。 等他们一走，卫宗政命人将大门掩上了，又猛地一拍惊堂木，喝道：“来人，将罪将楚休红送入坐笼。” 我竟然要入坐笼！这句话让我头“嗡”一下大了，还没等我反应过来，几个人抬了一个坐笼上了大堂。这坐笼不大，坐一个人便已很狭窄了，等坐笼上来，卫宗政的脸板得象一块石板，冷冰冰地道：“楚将军，公堂之上，若有虚言，天诛地灭。入坐笼后，若楚将军仍不肯吐实，休怪本官无情。”