(a)

At the behest of Liu Shen, I made no noise and secretly came to the prison.

Guided by the warden, I walked through the dark, damp, foul-smelling corridor to the door of one of the innermost death row cells.

"Open the door." I say.

"But," said the warden hesitantly, "he is a man of martial arts, and he is very dangerous!" In case he ...... again"

I said, "He's not going to do it a second time." Open it. ”

The warden looked at the chief chamberlain with me. The chief chamberlain gave him a look and asked him to obey Yi's orders. He ordered the jailer to take out the key and open the door.

I endured the foul smell and stepped through the door.

In the dim light, I saw Yang Biao standing up from the corner. As he stood up, there was a metallic thud from his chains. It turned out that in order to prevent him from being rude to the jailer again, they had fastened him with a chain to the wall.

He looked at me in amazement. He was so startled and nervous that he completely forgot to bow down.

I looked at the huge and heavy chains on his body, and my heart ached.

I said, "Go ahead and open them all up." ”

The warden hesitated again. However, this time, he didn't say anything more.

The jailer cautiously went over, opened the chains, and removed them one by one.

Yang Biao watched as they took the heavy metal chains away from his body, and the skin on his hands, feet, and neck had been worn and bleeding and festered.

He looked at me.

He said, "Thank you." Thank you, Queen, for coming here to see me now. ”

I said, "Your Majesty asked me to come and see you." Your Majesty's Ninety-Five, you can't come to the prison in person, so you sent me to come here on your behalf to visit the general. General, please be seated. Let's talk for a while. ”

Yang Biao said: "The queen still calls me a general? ”

I said, "Although Your Majesty has taken away your military power, but you have not yet issued an order to remove you from the post of general, have you not noticed?" ”

Yang Biao was speechless. In these days of interrogation and complicated thoughts, he really didn't notice.

I ordered the right and left sides to set up desks and futons in the cells.

I knelt down on the futon next to the desk.

I pointed to the futon opposite and said to Yang Biao, "General, please take a seat." ”

(b)

Yang Biao hesitated, he walked over slowly, and saluted me, "Queen Xie to sit down." ”

He sat down cross-legged at the end of the table.

I said to the chamberlain, "Pour wine for the cloth." ”

The attendants took out a few side dishes from the suitcases they carried, and a pot of hot and warm wine was placed on the table.

I said, "Stand down, all of you." ”

The attendants and wardens looked at each other, not daring to obey their orders.

I said to Yang Biao, "Will you hurt me?" ”

I looked him straight in the eye.

Yang Biao's face slowly turned red, and he lowered his eyes and looked at the messy grass on the ground. He said, "Don't dare, minister." ”

I said, "You all hear it." The Great General is a hero of the world. He won't use it again and again. He won't hurt me. ”

I said, "The heroic spirit of the old general is above, and he is watching us from heaven." ”

Yang Biao's shoulders trembled.

The chief chamberlain glanced at the warden again, and they silently withdrew, closing the door.

(c)

Yang Biao asked, "Is everything okay with the little princess?" ”

I said, "All is well, healthy and lovely, and Your Majesty regards her as a jewel in your palm." ”

Yang Biao's face turned red, he showed a look of shame, and said, "I'm sorry for the little princess." But the minister does not have the heart to harm the queen's mother and son. At that time, the minister just wanted to exert a little more pressure on His Majesty to voluntarily issue an edict to abdicate as soon as possible. ”

I said, "It's all over." Let's let it pass. Don't mention it again. ”

Yang Biao said: "Yes." ”

I lifted the wine glass from the jug and filled both glasses on the table.

Yang Biao looked at the wine glasses in front of him and watched me fill them one by one.

He said, "There's poison in this wine, isn't it?" Is the queen here to see me on my way? ”

I shook my head.

I said, "It's not poisonous." ”

I said, "It's the best wine, it's the jade liquid elixir that His Majesty has been reluctant to drink for many years in the palace." Your Majesty specially ordered me to bring it to the general to practice. ”

I looked at him.

I said, "I'll drink it to the general." Please don't doubt it, General. ”

I raised my wine glass, faced Yang Biao, and knelt upright.

I said, "The first glass of wine was for the general on behalf of His Majesty." Your Majesty is deeply grateful to the General for all his hardships and hardships for the country's life and death. Your Majesty will always remember and admire the general's talent, the general's demeanor, the general's divine might, and the general's loyalty. ”

Yang Biao looked at me in amazement.

I raised my glass and drank it all.

I filled myself a second glass of wine.

I raised my glass again: "The second glass of wine is for the late general." I would like to thank the general for his sympathy in previous years, his great help, and the rescue of life and death. I am deeply grateful to the general for living up to the trust of the late general on his deathbed over the years, painstakingly managing the Han army, carrying forward the unstoppable strength of the Han army, and becoming the cornerstone of national stability and the guarantee of prosperity. ”

I drank the second glass of wine as well.

I said, "The third cup of wine is for the great generals on behalf of my sons." Without the loyal escort of the general, they would not have grown up safely, and they would not have everything they have today, and they, like Your Majesty, will never forget the kindness of the general, and will always be kind to those descendants of the general for the rest of their lives, and will not be afraid of revenge, and will not do ungrateful things. ”

Yang Biao raised his head suddenly when he heard this, his lips trembled and said, "Isn't it to punish the Nine Clans?" Yang Biao, will there be descendants? ”

I nodded. I said: "Spread the word to Your Majesty: Yang Biao's family members, as long as they did not participate in the rebellion, can be pardoned by mercy and reason, Your Majesty will try to pardon capital crimes, and will not retaliate." Please rest assured. ”

Yang Biao's eyes instantly moistened.

I continued to pour my glass and toast.

I said, "The fourth glass of wine is to honor the general on behalf of myself." Thank you very much."

Yang Biao suddenly choked up.

He stood up suddenly.

He choked and fell to his knees. He was prostrate on the ground. He wept and said, "Queen! Yang Biao knew that he was wrong! It is Yang Biao who has the deep grace of His Majesty and the Queen, and the teachings of the general! It was Yang Biao who misled himself and the country and implicated so many people! Yang Biao's crime is extremely heinous and cannot be forgiven! The criminal is willing to be punished by death, to warn the world, to set an example! ”

(iv)

I put down my glass and reached out to help Yang Biao up.

I said, "I admire the heroic nature of the general's life from the bottom of my heart." ”

I said, "If the late general were to see the situation like this today, I don't know how sad he would have been." ”

I said, "We could have been friends and relatives for life." ”

As I spoke, tears streaming down my cheeks.

I looked at Yang Biao and said, "We have gone through a lot of hardships together to restore peace in the world." Why, exactly, that after the arrival of peace, we will fall into a situation where we want to kill each other, make enemies of each other, and live and die? Why do people who used to be able to cover and support each other with their lives become enemies of each other? What exactly is this for? How unfortunate we are that we can't start with friends and end with friends! I'm very, very sad. ”

Yang Biao burst into tears and said: "The sinner can't regret it, he can't regret it!" ”

He said: "Back then, on the eve of the death of the late general, he specially summoned his ministers to talk secretly, put his heart into his heart, and taught the guilty ministers not to be confused and misleading, to know their own strengths and weaknesses, to be the pillars of the country, not to be self-sufficient, not to be the country's misfortune. However, the guilty minister was dull and did not understand the painstaking efforts of the late general, so he still cocooned himself and failed the late general. ”

Yang Biao said: "For many years, the criminal ministers often compare themselves with the late generals, and often feel that they are on a par with the late generals whether they use troops or manage the army, and they are indistinguishable. The criminal often feels that his heart is unsettled, why do everyone respect the old general like a god, but they slander me a lot. Now, the sinner understands why. ”

Yang Biao said: "Although he is also leading the troops to fight, the heart of the old general is not fierce and hideous. Although his actions are as powerful as thunder and sharp as a knife, his heart is always peaceful and compassionate. Although he has fought all his life and is tired of bones, he has never had the intention of killing in his heart. He joined the war to stop the war. He never wanted anything else out of the war other than to stop it. ”

Yang Biao said: "Just now, the criminal minister suddenly understood, so the general is far superior to me. He fought to end the suffering of the world. He fought to destroy the war. Not to destroy one's own enemies. He himself has no enemies. He was above board and had no personal ambitions. ”

Yang Biao fell to the ground again.

He said: "Yang Biao deeply thanked the queen for today's reminder, so that Yang Biao knew his superficiality and mistakes before he died, and knew the way to be a minister, a general, and a man." Yang Biao can finally understand these things before he dies, and in this life, he can be regarded as blind. It's a pity that the big mistake was made, and the sin is unforgivable, so I can only wait for the next life to change my mind and start from scratch. ”

(5)

I stood up. I saluted Yang Biao deeply.

I said, "I deeply admire the general's heartfelt words with sincerity. On behalf of the King of Han and the late general, I am deeply grateful to the general for his profound righteousness. ”

Yang Biao wept and thanked: "The sinner is dead!" Sinners don't dare to be! ”

I said, "I should have asked the general to go back to say goodbye to his family and arrange the housework, but if the general went back, I was afraid that the trees would be quiet and the wind would not stop." ”

Yang Biao said: "The sinner understands. The guilty minister thanked His Majesty for her kindness. The sinner is willing to die as soon as possible, and does not become the cause of chaos in the world. ”

I looked at him.

I said, "So, can we be separated like friends, like relatives?" I hope that we can start afresh in the next life, avoid the mistakes of this life, and be able to create peace for the world and protect it together like friends and relatives again. ”

Yang Biao raised his head and said, "Okay." Yang Biao is willing to keep this promise and vow not to fail again. Start with friends and end with friends. ”

That was the last thing I heard Yang Biao say.

(f)

The day after I returned to the palace, Liu Shen issued a decree and fully adopted the recommendations for rewards and punishments from the three halls. Yang Biao Lingchi was sentenced to death and the nine clans were exterminated, but in order to show mercy, the emperor pardoned 100 of them, and ordered the three departments to screen and agree to come up with a list of pardons.

On the day of the execution, Yang Biao and the rebel party and their dependents who had been sentenced to death were taken to prison and taken to the downtown area for public execution.

The people watching the execution crowded the way.

Liu Shen was gracious enough to send 300 monks to the monasteries in the capital to chant sutras for the deceased along the way and at the execution ground.

I am also in the palace, leading all the palace dependents with status, for these dying people, praying that there will never be no more civil strife, and the world will be peaceful and stable for a long time.

Yang Biao, a famous general of the world, who made the world famous and frightened, just like this, in the onlookers and scolding of all the people, made a bloody mess in the city, and ended his life tragically.

After Yang Biao's death, he left a sincere letter of repentance. This letter has always been recorded in the history books.

is different from what later generations think, this is not written by the scribe after his death and whitewashed for Liu Shen, this is written by him himself. It wasn't forced to write it to protect the family. It was he who wanted to write it.

Yang Biao wrote in his last suicide note that if there is an afterlife, he is willing to live for the peace of the world and die for the peace of the world.

After Liu Shen read his suicide note, he instructed the historian to include the letter in the annals of history. He said: "Such an understanding and such a great wish should be recorded in history for future generations to see." He entered this letter into history for this, not to whitewash himself, nor to belittle Yang Biao.

In the depths of time, no one knows what really happened.

Even if there are historical records, no one knows what really happened. (To be continued.) )