Chapter 29 Section VIII

When she woke up, she thought she was dead.But how can there be light in the underworld?She clearly saw a narrow piece of white on the dirt wall in front of her, which was still swaying gently like water waves. It turned out to be moonlight. Pei Xuanjing stretched out her hand and gently stroked the bright moonlight.Its shape is so similar to a pure hook, and it even feels very similar to it. There is a mysterious attraction in the coolness, which is cold but makes people linger.She remembered Nie Yinniang once said that a pure hook is not stained with blood, so no matter how many people are killed and how many blood debts are borne, the most innocent cold light will always shine on the knife, as pure and flawless as the moonlight, so it is called "pure".

If it was possible, she really wanted to tell Chang Ji herself how much she loved the token he gave her.Now she already knew that it was a murder weapon, but it had the most beautiful and noble name in the world.Isn't it the same with Changji's poems?Use the most meandering words to describe the most tragic fate.He dedicated his richest talents to the ghosts that roam the night.Chungou is the moonlight that splits the eternal night. She didn't know where she was locked up now, it was like a fully enclosed prison cell, the only light was the moonlight, which came in from a small hole above her head.It was supposed to be a skylight for the prisoners to ventilate, and the wooden fence covering it was missing a long strip, allowing the moonlight to take advantage of the gap.

In this clear light, she saw those lines of poems—the long eyebrows have been green for thousands of years, and the coolness is comparable to that of Luan in the old mirror.Autumn muscles feel a little cold in jade clothes, and the air is light and the water is like the sky. Pei Xuanjing smiled, it was still Changji, who expressed her destination with a poem.Lying on the bottom of the sea, looking up at the sky light through the water, isn't that what she looks like now?She was once puzzled why Changji described himself as a fairy who had been silent for thousands of years. It turned out that his poet's eyes had already penetrated time, spanned life and death, and saw today!Ah, how happy she is, she can finally look at the world through the mirror, as Changji expected, and never say a word again.

Suddenly, something covered more than half of the moonlight on the dirt wall.Pei Xuanjing was a little anxious, she stood up and wanted to look back, when the pain broke out instantly.Her body, which had been numb for a long time, suddenly woke up. From the top of her head to her chest to her toes, every inch of her skin seemed to be torn apart abruptly. Her mouth was full of unbearable saltiness, and she vomited out with a "wow". The bright red blood splashed onto the dirt wall, and the moonlight seemed to sway along with it. "Oh, I got you dirty." Pei Xuanjing muttered to herself, and hurriedly raised her arm to wipe it off.Only then did I realize that the sleeves were covered with blood, and I looked down at the front, which was also stained into a black and red patch.

Chen Hongzhi was terrified and made a mess during the execution.Pei Xuanjing was extremely persevering, and even persisted until she saw Chen Hongzhi pick up half a piece of bloody tongue and put it on a gold plate for the emperor to have a look at, before fainting.She couldn't remember screaming and struggling, maybe.But when the severe pain hit, her heart became clear and peaceful.She could finally understand how Cui Miao felt when she was hit by an arrow. The pain once again connected her to him. She felt that she was benevolent and benevolent, even if she died now, she would have no regrets.Pei Xuanjing didn't understand why the emperor didn't kill herself, but she didn't care too much. Death was coming sooner rather than later, so there was nothing to worry about.She didn't care much about losing her tongue, she had already said what she wanted to say, and there was nothing else to say.

Oh, there is still a small regret.In the end, she still failed to fully find out Cui Miao's life experience.She was still sorry for him after all.But from the emperor's repeated slander against Cui Miao, Pei Xuanjing still got some clues.Cui Miao's status will never be as humble and lowly as the emperor insisted.Pei Xuanjing already knew the emperor very well. With his extremely arrogant and self-respecting personality, even if he was asked to mention a single word about a truly humble person, he would feel self-deprecating, and it was simply unbearable.But he repeatedly mentioned Cui Miao to her, although he kept saying "Cui thief", it made her see the hypocrisy that was trying to cover up.Now Pei Xuanjing felt more and more that the fact that the Empress Dowager recognized Cui Miao and drove him out of Chang'an deeply hurt the emperor.Regardless of whether what the emperor said was true or not, regardless of whether Cui Miao's mother committed the crime of regicide, in fact, it had nothing to do with Cui Miao.What the queen mother did was the benevolence and tolerance of a king, but the emperor chased and killed Cui Miao all the way because it involved a crime that he himself dared not face.

It was this crime that made Cui Miao a victim, but he was innocent.Although it is impossible for Cui Miao's grievances to be justified, at least Pei Xuanjing can refute the emperor's lies face to face for him.For this reason, she would rather lose her tongue, and even her life. Pei Xuanjing could no longer feel the pain, and her whole body seemed to no longer belong to her.She lay on her back on the ground and didn't feel cold.Winter is almost over, right? "Ah—" A long sigh sounded near her. A dim light came on, and someone lit a small oil lamp. Is there anyone else in the cell?Pei Xuanjing involuntarily moved towards the wall, gritted her teeth and sat up leaning against the wall.

The light from the oil lamp illuminated the face of a strange man.There is no beard on the face, but it is full of decay that has nothing to do with age, and the eyes are lifeless, making it look extraordinarily old. "Don't be afraid." He said to Pei Xuanjing.It was the voice of an eunuch, but there was no smell of an eunuch.The robe on his body was also in a style that Pei Xuanjing had never seen before. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." He repeated gently, "I've been waiting here for a while, just waiting for you to wake up, say a few words and leave. Oh, my name is Li Zhongyan .”

Li Zhongyan?Pei Xuanjing had never heard of this person. "I am the Mausoleum Commander of Fengling." Fengling!She seemed to suddenly understand something.However, can Lingtai Ling leave the mountain?Pei Xuanjing has heard that those who guard the royal tomb are not allowed to leave the cemetery for life, and one step out of the cemetery is a death penalty. Li Zhongyan is also looking at Pei Xuanjing. Although there is a large blood scar on the lip, the mouth is swollen out of shape, and the whole face can be regarded as inhuman, but the original beauty, as well as the wisdom and stubbornness between the brows can still be seen , all made him feel sorry for him.

For the first time in so many years, Li Zhongyan felt at ease from the bottom of his heart.He had a premonition that everything he had planned would eventually come to its intended conclusion.For this, he has waited too long, so long that he has completely exhausted his life. Now, all the chess pieces are placed in the most suitable position.Today, as long as he completes the last step, he can completely let go.The sun rises and the moon sets, spring blossoms and autumn fruits.He realized such a truth in Fengling: all things in the world have spirits, as long as they are put in their places, things will run naturally.At that time, no human power can stop it.

He nodded to Pei Xuanjing: "I have heard about Pei Lianshi's affairs, and I admire Pei Lianshi's courage. I also know a little bit about some past events, but I can't disclose them. I only have one thing to say to Lianshi --you're not wrong." She thought that she had experienced many battles and never shed a single tear in the most desperate and painful times, but she never expected that when she heard this eunuch who met for the first time say these words, the tears in her eyes It got wet right away.Through the mist of water, Pei Xuanjing looked at Li Zhongyan's face.No more words were needed, she seemed to be able to communicate with him.Those who guarded the late emperor's mausoleum must have been the closest people to the late emperor.Regarding the cause of the late emperor's death, his words are more credible than anyone else.Especially from his voice, she could hear the deep sorrow that could not be expressed in words. So, she is not alone.The truth she insists on, and others also insist on.Although in front of their opponents, their voices are so weak that almost no one will hear them.But she knows, he knows, that's enough! "I have one more thing I want to say to Master Pei Lian." After a pause, Li Zhongyan said again, "I want to ask Master Pei Lian to live, not die." Pei Xuanjing was shocked. Li Zhongyan smiled miserably: "People like Pei Lianshi should live on. If they live, there is hope. Let me die." Pei Xuanjing wanted to ask why, but soon realized that she couldn't say anything. "Thank you, Master Pei Lian." After Li Zhongyan finished speaking, he bent down and saluted Pei Xuanjing, then got up and left. When Li Zhongyan walked out of the cell, a gust of night wind rolled up the flag and fluttered above his head.The dark clouds all over the sky were blown away, and the bright moon reappeared, spreading the bright and clear light all over the ground.The Shence Army who are waiting in line can also see clearly. Tutu Chengcui came forward to meet him.Li Zhongyan looked at him and smiled, both of them showed expressions of relief. "See?" Tutu Chengcui asked. Li Zhongyan nodded. "how?" "good." "Just... nice?" Li Zhongyan replied with a little helplessness: "It's enough that you and I know what's in our hearts, why bother to say it out loud." "That's right!" Tu Tucheng's eyebrows danced brightly, "Let me tell you, the first time I saw her in Pei Du's mansion, I was very surprised." Li Zhongyan just hummed. "I didn't dare to tell His Majesty clearly, so I mentioned it obliquely. Who knows, His Majesty really cared." "Isn't that what you want?" Tutu Chengcui pretended not to understand Li Zhongyan's sarcasm, and continued to speak enthusiastically: "The Holy Majesty summoned her for the first time in Jia Chang's courtyard. After seeing her, the Holy Majesty ordered the courtyard to be demolished. Let me extend the words on the east wall to you. Remember?" Li Zhongyan naturally understood the meaning of his words, but followed suit, ignoring Tutu Chengcui's hint, and asked: "Is it the same reason why she is locked up in this place now?" "Well..." Tutu Chengcui hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Who told her to go against the Holy One? In fact, the Holy One has tolerated her enough. This time she said such heinous things, the Holy One didn't Willing to kill her." "Words that are heinous?" Li Zhongyan raised his head and looked towards the east, only a golden star was shining in the dark sky.After a while, Fang Fang said lightly: "Didn't you and I say that? We just said it in our hearts." "I definitely don't have it!" Tutu Chengcui was so anxious that his veins burst out. Li Zhongyan asked amusedly: "Haven't you thought about it that way?" "Of course not! You don't know the Holy Majesty, but I believe in him! He would never do that kind of thing!" Li Zhongyan was silent. Tutu Chengcui said to Li Zhongyan: "Okay, I'll let you see what you want to see. Now it's time to talk." Li Zhongyan said unhurriedly: "Not busy. Shall we go back to Fengling now?" "Where else do you want to go?" "Can you stop at the East Palace in the middle? I want to take a look at it one last time." Tutu Chengcui pondered: "It's on the way. But..." Finally, his face turned cold, "I think it's better to forget it. It's so dark, even if you go outside the East Palace, you can't see anything." He motioned to the soldiers to drive a carriage over. "It's time to hit the road. You and I, let's talk as we walk?" "Okay." Li Zhongyan smiled, "It will be daylight when we arrive at Fengling." The wheels turned "gurgling".The corridors in the imperial palace were built flatter than anywhere else, and the carriages moved extraordinarily smoothly.Li Zhongyan raised the curtain of the car and looked back. Under the bright moonlight, the lonely altar was completely white, as if carved from jade.When it was first built, no one thought it would be a prison cell.No one would have thought that one day it would hide the root of all secrets. "Don't look at it." Tutu Chengcui said, "I'll be in the lane soon." Li Zhongyan lowered the car curtain. The narrow road built against the outer wall of the imperial palace starts from the west end of Taiji Palace and goes eastward all the way along the south side of Daming Palace to the east wall of Chang’an City. From there, it passes through Xingqing Palace to the south, and then crosses the entire Chang’an City. Arrived at the southernmost Furong Garden.After passing through the Furong Garden, it is Leyouyuan. Li Zhongyan thought fascinatedly that when he passed by Leyouyuan, he wished he could hear the bell of Qinglong Temple.In this way, his trip will be completed; his life will be completed. The light outside the curtain of the car suddenly became brighter, then gradually darkened as the carriage moved forward, and then lighted up again, going round and round.Li Zhongyan is very familiar with this - every ten feet on the brick walls on both sides of the road, there is a long burning lamp, which is lit regardless of day and night.Therefore, when walking in the narrow lane at night, there is such an effect of light and darkness. Tutu Chengcui sat opposite and stared at him: "Speak." "I am Xin Fair." "You?" Tutu Chengcui didn't look surprised. "It's me. I'm the one who did the whole thing about Xin Gong Shang Xian." "Are you alone?" Tutu Chengcui raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly, "Impossible." "There is still one person to help make contact." "who is it?" Li Zhongyan asked: "Do you still remember Li Liang?" "Li Liang? Is that Li Liang, the county magistrate of Pengzhou?" Tutu Chengcui's face changed, "Didn't he be executed in Luo... oh, in the first year of Yongzhen's treason case?" Li Zhongyan said: "He had a brother who was still alive, and he managed to find me later, saying that he wanted to avenge his elder brother. I asked him to help me implement Xin's fair plan. I told him that when Wu Yuanheng was the censor Zhongcheng, Li Liang Wu Yuanheng decided on the charges against him, so revenge should be directed at the Wu family." Tu Tu Cheng Cui exclaimed: "You are so vicious." Li Zhongyan smiled: "What? Do you want me to tell the real culprit who framed Luo Lingze and Li Liang?" Tu Tucheng Cui sullenly remained silent. After a while, Li Zhong said: "Anyway, he agreed immediately." "He went to Fengling to find you by himself?" Li Zhongyan nodded. "Okay! You really regard the Royal Cemetery as the West Market, so you can enter if you want?" Tu Tu Chengcui was furious, "Those bastards, see if I don't deal with them severely!" Li Zhongyan persuaded: "There is still a gap in the hundred secrets. You, don't embarrass the Shence Army who guards the cemetery. If you stay in that kind of place for many years, you will become numb. Besides, people in the cemetery will never leave. Go, the defenders are still very strict about this point. But there are hundreds of living people in the huge Fengling, and they always need to transport food, vegetables and fruits, so sometimes the people who enter the garden are not too strict. " He smiled again, "At least I will never step out of the cemetery. General Tutu can rest assured about this." "That's not right!" Tutu Chengcui frowned, "I heard from Duan Chengshi that kid confessed that he met Xin Gonggong on Lishan Mountain. Since you can't leave Fengling, how can you go to Lishan Mountain?" As he said that, he couldn't help looking Li Zhongyan up and down, "What the hell did you do? Did you learn the avatar technique?" Li Zhongyan laughed loudly: "If only I had that ability. It's not so mysterious. In fact, to put it bluntly, it's just a little bit of blindness and enchantment." "Blinding method plus ecstasy array?" "It's very simple. The reason why I asked Duan Chengshi to meet him when he was hunting in Mount Li was to avoid the curfew in Chang'an City. At that time, he was covered and it was Fengling that was being driven by a carriage." While speaking, Li Zhongyan took out a fake beard from his arms, compared it to his chin, and smiled at Tutu Chengcui. "Haha, that's right!" Tutu Chengcui slapped his thigh fiercely, "I understand! It's closer to Fengling from Lishan than to Chang'an. One night is enough to go back and forth, and they all travel in the deep mountains at night. I can't hear any difference. Duan Chengshi would think that the carriage took him around in Lishan, but he actually ran that far." He looked at Li Zhongyan, "But why are you putting in so much effort? Isn’t it the same if you tell him the story of "Xin Fairy Shangxian" personally? For example, Li Liang's brother? Why do you have to tell Duan Chengshi yourself, isn't it too risky?" "No one can tell what I feel." Li Zhongyan said seriously, "In my heart, everything that happened in "Xin Gong Shang Xian" is real." "You——ah!" Tutu Chengcui let out a long sigh. "Besides, I also want to meet Duan Chengshi with my own eyes." "Meet him? Why?" "When you want to harm someone, at least look at him first." Tutu Chengcui said with a lot of emotion: "That Duan Chengshi is just a young man." "Yes, a young man who is smart, upright and has a bright future." Li Zhongyan said with a smile, "He is a good boy, so General Tutu should not make things difficult for him anymore. I also want to ask General Tutu to ask His Majesty, It is said that Duan Chengshi just fell into my trap and was framed innocently. The Holy Majesty has such deep feelings for Wu Yuanheng, and Duan Wenchang is the minister of humerus in the current imperial court. It is a good thing for everyone to let Duan Chengshi go. Besides, that child There was no crime in the first place. I was only thinking about asking my father to pay back my debts, but now that I think about it, it's still too much." "So you're softening your heart?" Tutu Chengcui asked strangely. "When a person is about to die, his words are good. It's all at this moment, I don't want to do more evil." "Hmph, why did you pick him to attack?" "One thing, this kid likes legends of ghosts and ghosts, so he was easily fooled by using ghost stories to lure him. Two things, a few years ago, I planned to separate the Holy Master and Wu Yuanheng, and it went very well. Who knew that the feudal town would intervene, Cut off that guy's head first! I always feel that it is too cheap to let him die!" Speaking of this, Li Zhongyan's face suddenly became ferocious, which shows the depth of hatred. "You... just hate Wu Yuanheng that much?" Even Tutu Chengcui was a little surprised. "Of course I hate it! I hate it so much!" Li Zhongyan gritted his teeth and said, "At the time of Yongzhen, Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi successively went to ask him for help, but he refused. The late emperor asked me to tell him, but he still refused! At that time, Han Yu Everyone is watching Wu Yuanheng's movements. If he is willing to stand up, how could the first emperor be forced to abdicate so soon, and the 'two kings and eight Sima' will not fall into the final miserable situation! So in my heart, Wu Yuanheng can be called The culprit!" "Oh, it's too extreme for you to say that. Although I hate Wu Yuanheng's behavior, I still have to say a few words for him." Tutu Chengcui said, "When the first emperor ascended the throne, it was already a dying candle, but why' Erwangba Sima's reckless behavior, insisting on implementing their so-called reform measures, almost offended all the veteran officials in the court. Under the circumstances at that time, it was understandable for Wu Yuanheng to choose to keep a respectful distance." "It's justifiable? The former emperor was still in power at that time! What he did was a betrayal of the monarch!" Tu Tu Cheng Cui said seriously: "Wu Yuanheng chose to be loyal to the prince at that time and now the Holy Majesty. Facts have proved that his choice is really wise. You must admit that if the group of 'two kings and eight Sima' are allowed to toss Otherwise, the court will only become more and more chaotic, and the hearts of the people will be even more confused, which will have all kinds of harm and no benefit to the Tang Dynasty. In fact, the late emperor himself realized this. Otherwise, how could he decide on the position of Zen so quickly? Woolen cloth?" Li Zhongyan remained silent with a pale face. Tutu Chengcui said again: "Since the Holy Majesty came to the throne, he has devoted all his efforts and painstaking efforts. It took a full fourteen years to wipe out all the powerful vassals in the world. Now there is only one Pinglu Li Shidao who is still lingering. It will be sooner or later." The Holy Majesty has always told me that after he succeeded in cutting down the feudal clan, he will proceed to fulfill another wish, which is to pacify Tubo on the border, then recover the lost land in Heshuo, and recapture the Longyou territory lost by the Tang Dynasty!" He stared at Li Zhongyan said word by word, "What the late emperor wanted to do but was unable to do and had no time to do, is becoming reality bit by bit in the hands of the Holy One. I believe that the late emperor's spirit in heaven will also feel comforted. And Why do you insist on being obsessed with the grievances of the past?" After a long time, Li Zhongyan replied: "You know what I am obsessed with, and you also know what the Holy One is obsessed with."