On 4 November, Zhu Youzhen issued another order, ordering the arrest of Wei Zhongxian and escorting him back to Beijing for interrogation.

The arrest of the prisoner was supposed to be handed over to the emperor's personal army Jinyiwei for execution, but Jinyiwei's commander Tian Ergeng was Wei Zhongxian's righteous son and one of Wei Zhongxian's cronies, and Zhu Youzhen couldn't believe it.

Zhu Youzhen issued a holy decree to the first royal army that was being reorganized, and Wang Mujiu went to arrest Wei Zhongxian.

When Li Yongzhen heard that Zhu Youzhen was going to arrest Wei Zhongxian, he immediately sent his confidant, Li Chaoqin, a popular man in front of Wei Zhongxian, and ordered him to ride a fast horse and go out of the city overnight, rush ahead of Wang Mujiu, and secretly report to Wei Zhongxian.

On the afternoon of the 5th, Li Chaoqin caught up with Wei Zhongxian in Fucheng.

Knowing that Zhu Youzhen was going to send pro-army to arrest him, Wei Zhongxian sighed: This Donglin Party still refuses to let go of itself.

The heavy breath pressed on everyone's heart, except for the sound of horses' hooves and the wheels turning, no one dared to speak, no one dared to touch Wei Zhongxian's moldy head, and no one knew what to do.

The group slowly entered the city, and there was no longer the glory of leaving the capital.

"Nine thousand years old, where are we staying tonight?" Liu Yingxuan, the eunuch who was ordered by Zhu Youzhen to escort Wei Zhongxian to Fengyang, was originally Wei Zhongxian's subordinate and confidant, and he obeyed Wei Zhongxian along the way.

"You go and arrange it!" Wei Zhongxian couldn't raise his interest, Wang Mujiu might come to Fucheng at any time and appear in front of him.

"Yes, nine thousand years old, the slave will arrange it!" Liu Yingxuan left first with a few cronies.

After a while, Liu Yingxuan appeared in front of Wei Zhongxian again: "Nine thousand years old, we found a 'You Ji' hotel in the south of the city, and it is still dry, but there are already more than a dozen guests living in it. ”

"Ying Xuan, what are you going to do?" Wei Zhongxian glared at Liu Yingxuan with blood-red eyes, "What's wrong with staying here?" Just drive them away. ”

"Yes, nine thousand years old." Liu Yingxuan took the lead and went to negotiate with the shopkeeper, and then Wei Zhongxian also came to the "You Ji" hotel.

"Set up the wine, come all the way to Qin, I want to have a good drink with him." Wei Zhongxian usually doesn't like wine, but today he is in a bad mood, so he learns from the ancients, maybe wine can relieve real sorrow.

"Nine thousand years old, this is going to Zhongdu, and you are not allowed to drink alcohol on the road according to the system." Zheng Kangsheng was another eunuch who escorted Wei Zhongxian to Fengyang.

"If you don't say it, I don't say it, who knows?" Wei Zhongxian sighed in his heart, this holy decree has not yet arrived, and the human favor is about to become cold, Zheng Kangsheng is his subordinate, and he has not taken care of him before.

"This ......" Zheng Kangsheng didn't dare to speak, and hesitated to retreat.

"What is this? Zheng Kangsheng, you go and arrange it for our family. Wei Zhongxian was furious, and his finger almost pointed at Zheng Kangsheng's nose.

"Yes, nine thousand years old." Zheng Kangsheng retired and was busy preparing a banquet for Wei Zhongxian.

A splendid dish, two people to drink.

The only person who accompanied Wei Zhongxian to drink was the eunuch Li Chaoqin.

Wei Zhongxian didn't say a word, just lowered his head and drank in a muffled voice, glass after glass.

Wei Zhongxian didn't speak, and Li Chaoqin didn't dare to say it, he already had a stomach of questions to ask, for example, what was Wei Zhongxian's plan, whether he would escape before Wang Mujiu arrived, and so on.

With half a pot of wine in his stomach, Wei Zhongxian's drinking speed slowed down, but his face was still cold, which was even more pressing than the cold outside in this cold night.

After about three watches, the strength of the wine in his stomach rose, Wei Zhongxian's complexion gradually became ruddy, and the coldness on his face subsided a little.

"Nine thousand years old?" Li Chaoqin cautiously tested.

"Chaoqin, but what are our family's plans?" Although Wei Zhongxian drank a lot of wine, his mind was unusually clear.

"Nine thousand years old, once Wang Mujiu chases after him, the matter will be irreparable." Li Chaoqin finally couldn't help it.

"Redemption?" Wei Zhongxian put the lamp again, "Chaoqin has worked hard all the way for our family, but do you think our family can be saved?" ”

"Nine thousand years old?"

"Once our family is captured and falls into the hands of the stubborn donkeys of the Donglin Party, is there any room for redemption - our family is not at a loss, the stubborn donkeys who died in the hands of our family, there are not a hundred, but also fifty, right?" Wei Zhongxian tilted his head, probably because he had been sitting for a long time and his body was uncomfortable, he slowly moved the seat.

"......" Li Chaoqin felt a chill in his heart.

"The Donglin Party has been suppressed and attacked by our family, they can't wait to pick our skin, smoke our family's tendons, eat our family's meat, and drink our family's blood," Wei Zhongxian drank half a cup of residual wine, "Chaoqin, you say, if our family falls into their hands, can it still die well?" Even Your Majesty can't take care of our family all the time......"

"Nine thousand years old, can you ......" Li Chaoqin held the wine glass, but did not drink the wine in the cup.

"Chaoqin, if you have something to say, you have something to say." Wei Zhongxian leaned back in his chair and looked directly at Li Chaoqin.

"Nine thousand years old, since the Donglin Party refuses to let go, can nine thousand years old leave the brigade and live a secluded life alone?" Li Chaoqin had already thought of his words, and he said them more subtly.

"Chaoqin said that he wants our family to escape?" Wei Zhongxian looked at Li Chaoqin with pity.

"......" Li Chaoqin didn't speak, just nodded slowly.

"Chaoqin, our family is nearly sixty years old, where can we flee to? How long can they escape? Wei Zhongxian filled himself again, and by the way, he also filled Li Chaoqin with a cup, "Our family has this half of a life of glitz, even if it is death, it is not in vain to live this life." ”

“……”

"Our family is used to luxury, and we can't be a starving ghost." Wei Zhongxian began to devour the dishes in large gulps, and the dishes on the table were already cold and had formed a thin layer of ice residue.

Li Chaoqin's heart was as cold as the deer breast meat on Wei Zhongxian's chopsticks, but he was still unwilling, "Nine thousand years old, is it really irretrievable?" ”

Wei Zhongxian swallowed the deer breast in his mouth with all his might: "Chaoqin, our family has calculated other people's lives for half their lives, and now that they are old, they don't want to calculate anymore, and they don't want to hide in Tibet anymore - even if they escape, where can they flee to?" After the death of our family, the imperial court must be controlled by the Donglin Party, can they allow our family to live in seclusion between mountains and rivers? ”

A wisp of heavenly sound slowly came from the sky, and in the night, a young scholar seemed to be singing, and seemed to be dissatisfied with the words of his tune, and was chanting alone, ready to revise it at any time.

Listening to the first change, the drum is beating, and the heart is annoyed;

I think about the beginning, what a luxury it was to have a night banquet;

Entering the lamb, pouring wine, singing and singing;

Now in the lonely and deserted store, I have to get drunk on the village morom.

I'm afraid that the wine will be weak and sorrowful, how can I sweep away my sorrow?

During the second watch, I was worried and worried, and it was difficult to dream;

I want to be at the beginning, sleep in the gums, splendid silk;

Now the reed is the curtain, the soil is the kang, and the cold wind is in the coffin;

The wall wears the cold moon and cold, and the eaves are shallow and the night is sad;

Poor and desolate, I got up again and walked around the house.

In the night, the drums are pounding, and the gongs are beating three times;

Dreams come true, and I am shocked, and I sigh infinitely;

Thinking about the beginning, who is disrespectful?

Jiuqing is called the junior, and the prime minister is private;

Now the trend is declining, scattered like floating grass.

On the city tower, the drums beat four times, and the stars move around;

Thinking about it, in that day, the python was facing the sky;

Now don't be the dragon building, the phoenix pavilion, the bleak lonely hall;

The rooster sounds the thatched shop month, the moon shadow grass bridge smokes;

It's really a long distance, and it's far away.

noisy, people urging, five more weather;

It's cold, the wind is cold, and the frost is blowing the clothes;

Who is more, be diligent and warm to each other;

Accompanied by the shadow of the cold moon, shouting is the neighing of horses;

It's as desolate as this, it's better to die......

"It's so desolate that it's better to die!"

Wei Zhongxian's heart throbbed, he silently recited this last sentence, it was simply tailor-made for him Wei Zhongxian, who is the owner of this song? Could it be that in the dark, there is a way of heaven?

"Nine thousand years old, it's already four watches, do you want to go back to the room to rest? I have to go tomorrow. Li Chaoqin also felt that hearing the lyrics of this song now was unlucky for Wei Zhongxian.

"Hurry? What else do you need to rush? Wei Zhongxian untied the silk soft belt tied around his waist, tied a slipknot at one end of the soft belt, threw it over the second beam, and then climbed into the chair and tied the soft belt towards the beam.

"Chaoqin, the king of the Ming Dynasty, Mu Jiu, is here, and he has nothing to do with our family."

"Nine thousand years old?" Li Chaoqin finally understood what Wei Zhongxian meant, he knelt in front of Wei Zhongxian's chair, tears burst out as if he had just drunk liquor.

Wei Zhongxian looked very calm: "Chaoqin, my identity, the Donglin Party will definitely not let it go, it is better to make a decision on your own, so as not to be insulted." It's you, you're still young, our family can't protect you anymore, you better run, stay away from the Jingshi, choose a place to hide, and after a few years, they will forget you. ”

Li Chaoqin knelt on the ground and refused to get up: "The slave is not going anywhere, and the slave still has to follow around the age of nine thousand." ”

Wei Zhongxian laughed: "Chao Qin knows the kindness of the people, and he is a true temperament." Fortunately, with Chaoqin by our side, our family is not lonely on Huangquan Road. ”

"Thanks to the grace of nine thousand years old, the good life of the slave is enough, the slave should go with the nine thousand years old, and in the underworld, he still serves the nine thousand years old."

Wei Zhongxian put the soft belt around his neck, and finally glanced at Li Chaoqin: "Chaoqin, our family will go first." Then he kicked hard, and the bench turned to one side, and his body hung like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.

Li Chaoqin sat on the ground and watched blankly as Wei Zhongxian struggled on the soft belt.

"Smack!" One of Wei Zhongxian's cricket shoes fell off his foot and hit Li Chaoqin's head.

"Nine thousand years old is in a hurry." Li Chaoqin respectfully kowtowed to Wei Zhongxian three times, and then untied the belt around his waist.

The strap was too short to reach the second beam, Li Chaoqin tore off a sheet from the bed, knotted it on the belt, and then threw the second beam to tie a dead knot.

Li Chaoqin didn't have any nostalgia, he stretched his neck into the belt, and then kicked the chair under his feet hard, and his body suddenly hung in the air.

After dawn, Liu Yingxuan came to call Wei Zhongxian to get up. He knocked on the door for a long time, but there was no response from inside.

"Could it be that Wei Zhongxian left us behind and ran away alone?"

Liu Yingxuan hesitated outside for a while, and finally knocked on the door.

There was no wind in the room, and the two corpses hung quietly on the second beam.

Liu Yingxuan was not at ease, he touched the surface of Wei Zhongxian's feet, which were already stiff and cold.

Liu Yingxuan thought for a moment, and the light in his eyes gradually appeared. He didn't make a noise, quietly summoned a few cronies, and secretly drove Wei Zhongxian's forty-two carts full of gold, silver and jewelry out of the hotel.

"Wei Zhongxian has escaped, you are waiting for news here, I will chase after you!"

Everyone immediately became busy, and Liu Yingxuan took advantage of the chaos to leave everyone's sight.

(PS: Special thanks to the book friend 19630508 for the tip)