Until Qin Luo was dragged down, the third prince did not show up. He was still staying in the Golden Palace, and when he heard the slave who passed the message report that Qin Luo still had one breath left, he just nodded indifferently and said, "Okay." ”

Khan looked at his youngest son helplessly, and at the last moment, Tuoba Yan suddenly said to him: "Even if Qin Luo really deceives me, then I have to listen to him say it himself." You can't kill him so hastily. You keep him breathing, and I'm going to ask him for clarification. ”

"If it's really him, what are you going to do?" Tuoba Hao asked.

Tuoba Yan took a deep breath, his eyes flashed with unbearable and painful pain, he raised his hand and gestured to his neck, and spit out a word: "Kill!" ”

"Good!" Khan nodded, "I'll leave his life and death to you." ”

After Qin Luo was thrown into the cell, he had a high fever for several days and was unconscious. Jimmy wanted to go to see Qin Luo, but was dismissed by the third prince, and he said angrily: "What to see, just let the witch doctor see it, he can't die." ”

Jimmy had never seen his master get so angry, and he was stunned for a moment. She didn't understand why the third prince was sullen when he came back from the Golden Palace, and she didn't care about Qin Luo, as if there was no such person as him.

After a few more days, Qin Luo finally woke up. When he woke up, there was nothing in his body that didn't hurt. He stared blankly, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

"Ahem, ahem!" Qin Luo suddenly coughed violently, he only felt that his mouth was dry, there seemed to be a smell of blood in his mouth, and his limbs were weak, and he didn't even have the strength to turn over.

"Are you awake?" The sound of coughing alarmed the guards who were sleeping on the side, and he walked up to Qin Luo and said mockingly, "You Chu people are so weak, you have only received a few sticks, and you will die or live." We, the Xiangqiang people, can still ride horses and hunt after being beaten a few times. ”

Qin Luo's eyes widened, and he finally saw who it was. This man he knew, the man who had taken care of the captives. Qin Luo reacted after realizing that this was the place where the prisoners were held in the first place.

I didn't expect to come back again after going around in circles.

The guards used a broken bowl to bring a little water to Qin Luo. This was like a painful heavenly elixir and jade dew for Qin Luo, and it instantly made his throat feel a lot better.

The guards knew that the third prince valued this person, and they didn't dare to abuse him, and after Qin Luo drank the water, he said, "You wait, I'll report to the third prince." ”

"Don't ......" Qin Luo wanted to stop him, but his throat was hoarse and he couldn't make a sound. He lay on the ground tired, watching the guards out of his sight.

The guards came to the tent of the third prince and reported to him that Qin Luo had woken up. After hearing this, Jimmy said excitedly, "Okay, well, finally alive." ”

However, Tuoba Yan was indifferent to this, and he said coldly to the guard: "When you wake up, you will torture me severely, do you still need me to teach you this kind of thing?" Get lost! ”

"Uh...... Yes, yes, yes. "The guards were as puzzled as Jimmy, didn't they hear that it was the third prince who begged the Khan to let Qin Luo go? Why now, the third prince ordered to torture him again?

The guard nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking rice, and then rolled numbly. Jimmy was the only one left in the tent to face the uncertain Third Prince. Recently, Tuoba has been angry and scolding people at every turn, and no one knows what happened to the master. Jimmy cautiously pleaded: "Master, Qin Luo's injury is not healed yet, he can't stand it......"

"Shut up!" Tuoba Yan roared angrily, "In the future, you are not allowed to mention that person's name in front of me." ”

Jimmy was stunned and stood there at a loss. Just when she was embarrassed, the second prince Tuoba Ling came.

Tuoba Ling waved Jimmy down. He had already heard the roar of the third brother outside the tent, so he naturally knew what Tuoba was angry about. Although the khan has been hiding from the people below, the truth that the six princes fled from Xiang Qiang. But the second prince still heard a few words from his mother, Concubine Wei Mu. Only then did he know why Qin Luo was suddenly arrested, so that's the case.

Tuoba Ling sighed and persuaded his younger brother: "The Chu people have always been cunning, and I once reminded him not to play tricks. It's a pity that he didn't expect that he had been calculating people's hearts from the beginning. There is an old saying in the Central Plains: 'Eat a trench to grow a wisdom', and you shouldn't be too angry. ”

Tuoba listened indifferently, noncommittal to the second brother's words. He doesn't believe anyone's word now, he only believes in himself. He wanted to listen to Qin Luo's own admission, even if he was tortured, he would not hesitate to do so.

Since Qin Luo woke up that day, he was directly tied to the torture rack and tortured every day. During this time, the third prince never set foot in the cell. Qin Luo was imprisoned on the torture rack, and he seemed to understand something in his heart. But he was so weak and tired that he was numb with pain all over his body, and he didn't have the heart to think or answer any questions.

"Smack!" Another whip was drawn, and Qin Luo's ears came with words that were repeated many times, and he asked him over and over again, "Are you a fine work sent by the Chu State, and explain it honestly." ”

"I'm not ......" Qin Luo was tortured and dying, and he was powerless to even speak.

"Nonsense, you definitely are. What did the State of Chu ask you to do in our Xiang Qiang, say it quickly! The guard was completely unconvinced, and raised his hand and gave him another whip.

Qin Luo lowered his head, closed his eyes and stopped answering.

This was the first time Tuoba Yan had entered the cell in Danyang City, it was dark, gloomy, dirty, and it was very simple, it was a stone prison made of stones, and inside it was a simple fence made of thick wood, divided into small cells.

Xiang Qiang's cells were rudimentary, and there weren't many of them. They did not have a perfect judicial system like the Central Plains, and Xiang Qiang's punishment was simple and harsh. The one who draws the ruler dies, and the thief does not enter his house. The guilty are rolled by the smaller, and the greater one dies. Therefore, those who have been imprisoned for a long time are less than ten days, and there are no more than ten prisoners in a country. (1) As for the prisoners captured during the war, they were also temporarily imprisoned here, and then they were killed or released, or assigned to the tribes to serve as slaves.

There are very few people like Qin Luo who have stayed here for so long. He watched several of his fellow prisoners go out, and saw new criminals come in, and then go out a few days later. Until a long time, no one came in again. In the empty cell, there was only one prisoner left, Qin Luo.

He was tied to this dark place, not knowing the night, not hearing sorrows, not feeling joy and sorrow, not knowing the time of time. The days seem to have passed for so long, and here, Qin Luo lives like a year.

He was hanging from the torture rack and was being whipped and reprimanded. Suddenly, the executioners stopped. He heard the man say respectfully, "Third Prince, you are here." ”

The Third Prince? Qin Luo opened his eyes and saw a pair of jet-black shiny boots stop in front of him. He slowly raised his head, his gaze moved up, and he saw Tuoba Yan wearing black clothes, his expression was cold, but his eyes were like a knife, and he stabbed at him with a "swish", steady and accurate, and hit Qin Luo's heart.

Tuoba Yan stared at Qin Luo, who was dying, looked at him for a while, then turned his head, and the first thing he said to the guard: "Go out!" ”

The guards quickly retreated, and the cell was instantly empty.

The third prince looked at Qin Luo again, his eyes were very unfamiliar, revealing the pain of distrust and being deceived. Qin Luo knew that the third prince had already known everything and no longer believed in himself.

Sure enough, the third prince spoke: "Your sixth prince, Zhao Ruize, has ascended the throne as the emperor and went south to rebuild the Chu State. Congratulations! ”

Qin Luo's eyes widened, he didn't expect the Sixth Prince's ascension to the throne so smoothly. The corners of his mouth hooked up a smile, he really didn't lose himself by suffering this crime.

Tuoba Yan saw that he actually smiled, and suddenly the last glimmer of hope was shattered, and he said angrily: "You said, is it you, who planned a plan to release the prisoners, the purpose is to rescue Zhao Ruize." ”

Qin Luo lowered his head slightly and said with a wry smile: "...... Be. ”

"You've been pretending to be honest from the beginning, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

The third prince stepped forward, grabbed Qin Luo's injured shoulder, and asked angrily, "Why?" ”

"Because I am a Chu person, I can't betray the Chu country, and I don't want to be a slave to the country."

"So you're using me and deceiving me?" The third prince took a step back and said bitterly.

For the enthusiasm of the third prince, Qin Luo has nothing to repay in this life. If they were born in times of peace, they might have become confidants and friends. It's a pity that they were born in troubled times, and they are also hostile parties, destined to not be friends.

"Yes!" Qin Luo had nothing to say about this, and there was no need to apologize, he had to admit it.

"Good, good!" The third prince pulled out the horsewhip on his waist, and the sound of breaking the air suddenly sounded, and then hit Qin Luo's chest fiercely, making a dull and dull sound.

Again and again, Tuoba waved tirelessly, his eyes seemed to be able to ignite a scorching fire, and his heart was depressed for several days, and he could only be relieved by venting.

The weight of the third prince's attack made Qin Luo cry out in pain. There wasn't much meat on his chest, and after a few whips, he almost tore the skin and flesh and hit the bones. Douda's cold sweat gradually dripped from his sideburns into the dirt, and he couldn't resist, and he didn't beg for mercy, but wanted to die quickly.

After more than a dozen lashes, the cry of pain weakened, and the third prince also recovered from his rage. He pinched Qin Luo's chin and found that the person had passed out. He had no mercy, he picked up water and splashed it on him, choking Qin Luo and coughing, and the person woke up.

"Don't play me dead." The third prince said coldly.

Qin Luo coughed up a mouthful of blood and said hoarsely, "You kill me." ”

"Huh!" The third prince sneered, grabbed Qin Luo's head, forced him to meet his eyes, and said word by word: "Kill you?" Don't even think about it. Do you think you're done and can smile at Jiuquan? Dream! Father Khan has sent troops to seize a large area of land in the northern part of the Central Plains. You Chu country is in a safe corner, and it won't last long. ”

"Oh, yes." Tuoba Yan let go of Qin Luo, wiped his hands and smiled, "There is no Chu State anymore, most of the country is gone, what do you dare to call Great Chu?" Now there is only Nanchu. ”

Qin Luo's face gradually changed, Tuoba Yan's mouth was indeed powerful, and it was the place where he was angry. He trampled on Qin Luo's last hope, he just wanted Qin Luo to know that even if the six princes ascended the throne, your Chu State would not be able to jump for a few days.

"Someone!" Tuoba Yan shouted to the guards and ordered, "We Xiang Qiang don't raise idlers, Qin Luo is a slave, let him carry stones, clean up the horse manure in the pasture, and do the most tiring and dirty work." Remember, separate him from those Chu slaves. No, separate him from all the slaves. This is a cunning man, and he must be kept under strict guard, and he cannot be allowed to escape, nor can he die. ”

"Understood!" The caretaker's command. Qin Luo knew that the third prince wanted him to be unable to survive, and he couldn't die, and he would definitely let himself watch the Chu State perish. And these tribulations are just beginning......

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(1) From: "Hanshu Xiongnu Biography"