Boys' dormitory, under a kerosene lamp. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Wu Rui opened the notebook, and the first page was the title of the book, and the four words "Darkest Night" penetrated the back of the paper.

Preamble to page II. Jin Tong made it clear at the beginning, briefly introduced the concept of "alternate history", and after boasting about the value of historical deduction, he put forward the basic setting of "The Stars Are Bleak" - "What would happen without Taizu". After making a precise deduction about the fall of the Taiping Army and the rise of the Hunan Army, the preface came to an abrupt end.

Wu Rui turned the page and saw the title of the first volume: "Casting Names".

"Vote? Shuibo Liangshan? Bandits? This is an interesting entry point! He couldn't help but look forward to the content of the novel.

"A.D. 1870, the ninth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty."

The first sentence of the opening chapter named the time, but the corners of Wu Rui's mouth turned up slightly, "This era name seems to have a deep meaning." ”

"Taicang Prefecture, Chongming County, Merchant Marine Club Wharf.

Stepping on the trembling plank, Zhang Wenxiang carefully got off the boat. When he was young, he often went to Ningbo to sell felt hats, and he was used to sitting on a sand boat and a creaking springboard, but he was never so frightened as he is today.

Zhang Wenxiang has not seen the world, and his four-year career in the Taiping Army has honed him into a skilled killer. After escaping from the Taiping Army, he ganged with a group of pirates and opened a pawn shop, which can be regarded as a well-known figure in the rivers and lakes. The only hateful thing is that Ma Xinyi, who was the governor of Zhejiang, banned the people's petty charges, and his usury could not continue.

'Sooner or later, kill the one surnamed Ma!' 'On weekdays, he drinks too much, and Zhang Wenxiang always says some drunken words. It was only after this sentence that people listened to it, so they had to come this time.

……”

In order to attract readers, Jin Tong threw out suspense at the beginning, saying that Zhang Wenxiang received a mysterious invitation to meet a group of people he had never met before.

Wu Rui was attracted by this suspense and continued to read.

In the article, Zhang Wenxiang met "Zeng's staff", Mr. Zhao, in the hall. Mr. Zhao introduced him to several generals who were idle. After the generals asked Zhang Wenxiang about his life experience, they took him to the front hall to see a new play.

“……

The play hasn't been rehearsed yet, it's just an audition. Mr. Zhao smiled, "I don't know if it's with you." ’

Zhang Wenxiang was flattered, uneasy in his seat, and hurriedly bowed and said: "How dare you dare, it must be a match!" ’

The three martial artists on the theater floor did not paint their faces, as if they were acting in the drama of Liu, Guan, and Zhang Taoyuan's righteousness, and the three of them took turns to recite the confession:

'I Dou Yihu, Ma Xinyi, Zhang Wenxiang, three brothers-'

The accompaniment of erhu and gongs and drums sounded, and Zhang Wenxiang in the east wing of the stage was soaked with cold sweat.

Sanwusheng clearly sang: 'Blood is the spirit of the alliance, and the word righteousness should be the first to the earth and the sky. If you don't seek the same life and death, you will be hung with the liver and gallbladder ......

Zhang Wenxiang couldn't stand the fright, rolled down from the chair, and knelt in front of Mr. Zhao's knee with a plop, "Wronged, Mr. Zhao!" Treat unjustly! Where am I going to bow down to Governor Ma! I don't know what Dou Yihu is! Mr. Zhao! ’

Mr. Zhao's face was unhappy, "You are a good man, you are so useless!" As soon as the play is scared like this, how dare you entrust that heavy responsibility to you! ’

……

Mr. Zhao picked up the tea, leaned back comfortably in the chair, and took a sip.

'Put on your costume, paint your face, and start all over again!' ’

The three martial artists immediately got off the stage, and the squad leader commanded the small guy to change the set, and not long after, Ma Xinyi, dressed as a general, took the stage, and the big drama opened.

……”

Jin Tong played a trick and first talked about the conspiracy theory of the horse assassination case, that is, Mr. Zhao, as a representative of the Hunan Army Group, selected Zhang Wenxiang as the killer and assassinated Ma Xinyi. Before the assassination, the Hunan army group arranged a play, attacking Governor Ma's private morality and deliberately muddying the waters.

Then he turned his pen and used the "Peking Opera version of the stabbing horse" as the starting point to tell another version of the story. Its plot draws on the movie "Casting Names", with slight changes, deleting the war and political parts, focusing on Ma Xinyi's encounter with Dou Yihu's wife after the defeat, having a private relationship, and then bowing to Zhang and Dou, and returning to officialdom with the strength of the two, and finally killing the eldest brother, occupying the sister-in-law, and being retaliated against.

“……

The wind was strong, and the battlefield was littered with corpses.

The Qing army was about to be defeated, and Ma Xinyi prepared to flee.

…… As far as the eye can see, there are ruins. In the bright field, an old beggar gathered a pile of dry branches and leaves to burn the fire and warm it. In the distance, a mother with two children is rummaging around.

On a long road in the twilight, Ma Xinyi stopped in the tired walk and looked around blankly. He was the only one in heaven and earth, and he roared to the sky but did not respond.

…… The woman stood under the low eaves in front of the door, amiable, warm, but not real. As he approached, she smiled and leaned over to let him in.

…… The house is surrounded by walls, but there are mirrors, rouge, and a newly picked flower on the windowsill in a thick bowl. On the table by the window there is a conspicuous paper, ink, pen and inkstone, and a few books are neatly arranged.

'What about the men in the family?'

The woman said, 'After ten years of fighting, which house has a man sitting in it?'

'How many acres of land are there in front of this house and behind the house, and nothing is planted?' ’

The woman didn't look at him, 'I don't have any strength without help.' ’

…… Ma Xinyi woke up and found that he was the only one in the house. The right hand held in the empty air seemed to still have her residual warmth. Leaning on his knife on the side of the kang, his leather boots had been taken off and wiped clean and placed on the ground. But the woman and everything about her is gone.

…… Zhang Wenxiang saw Ma Xinyi's good shoes at a glance, and suddenly dismounted. He walked up and stretched out his foot to compare, the size was just right, so he drew his sword and stabbed at Ma Xinyi.

…… Zhang Wenxiang smiled cynically and looked at Ma Xinyi again, "Do you want to eat?" Follow me. ’

…… Ma Xinyi was stunned and stared at the knife.

Zhang Wenxiang still smiled: "It's to teach you to kill an outsider." Brothers are devoted to you. This is called a petition for nomination. The heroes joined the gang and paid the name certificate. From now on, only the life of the brother is the life, and the rest of the world can be killed! ’

......'Accept the name and form a brotherhood; Death and life are entrusted, and good and evil are rescued; Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other, and adversity and adversity help each other. If outsiders mess with my brother, they will be killed; Whoever messes with my brother will be killed. ’

…… At the gate of the backyard of the official office, a person flashed out of the crowd, shouting 'Wronged!' 'Kneel in the middle of the road.

Ma Xinyi has been an official for a long time, and when he saw a lot of sedan chairs and shouting grievances, he didn't think he was angry, but slowed down. When he saw that the person kneeling down was actually the third brother, he couldn't help but be surprised, and hurriedly waved his hand to let Ma Ben get out of the way.

…… Zhang Wenxiang drew a bloody dagger, raised his hands high, and shouted to the sky: 'Murderer, Zhang Wenxiang is also!' ’

……”

At the beginning of the novel, Wu Rui was still a little confused when he read it, and when he saw Ma Xinyi's name and the three brothers worshipped, he thought that Zhang Wenxiang's black history had been unearthed by Mr. Zhao.

Seeing Zhang Wenxiang avenge Dou Yihu and assassinate Governor Ma on the street, Wu Rui is even more sure of the direction of the plot, isn't it just a bloody love triangle and revenge: Mr. Zhao discovered the secret of Zhang Wenxiang's assassination of high-ranking officials and wanted to manipulate and use him.

However, the plot takes too quick a turn, and he reads:

“…… At the end of the play, the people dispersed, and the stage was empty.

Zhang Wenxiang's face was like ashes, 'I really didn't bow to him!' Isn't this drama nonsense? ’

Mr. Zhao shook the folding fan lightly, "It doesn't matter whether you bow or not, people all over the world believe that you just have to bow down!" ”

'I didn't kill Governor Ma, Governor Ma is alive and well......

'I didn't kill now, but I will always kill in the future!'

……”

It turns out that everything is a story within a play.

Reading this, Wu Rui really has a feeling of "amazing".

It turned out that Governor Ma was not dead. Mr. Zhao asked Zhang Wenxiang to assassinate Ma Xinyi as sung in the play.

And Jin Tong has already buried the foreshadowing in front of him.

At the beginning, when the generals asked Zhang Wenxiang about his life, they introduced that when this person was in the Taiping Army in his early years, he saved a Qing army officer on the battlefield, and later the two fled together. Because of Zhang Wenxiang's own boasting, this matter has been widely circulated in the rivers and lakes. Although the person who saved was not Ma Xinyi, it was "plausible" and enough to "transfer flowers and trees".

The propaganda target of the drama is the common people. For the people in the officialdom, Mr. Zhao naturally has another arrangement, and the article only briefly mentions a few words.

As for Zhang Wenxiang's coercion and lure to Jinling, the process of Governor Ma's assassination is mainly fictional, and the focus of the story shifts to Zeng Guofan's order to preside over the case.

In the article, Zeng Guofan questioned his comrades in the lobby. Zhang Wenxiang, who had been tortured and bruised all over his body, looked up at "Mr. Zhao's Ming Gong", gritted his teeth and insisted that "no one instructed him, only for personal revenge". Zeng Guofan pretended to be confused and hastily closed the case.

The climax of the novel is in the Forbidden City's Palace of Cultivating the Heart, where Zeng Guofan returns the conclusion of the case to Cixi, saying that "there is no other mastermind and an accomplice in the know".

“……

Cixi closed the fold, was silent for a moment, set it aside, and asked, 'I see you walking and kowtowing, and you are still in good spirits?' ’

Zeng Guofan replied: "The spirit has never recovered. ’

The pure gold nail cover on Cixi's ring finger tapped lightly on the square table.

For her, kowtowing is important.

In the whole world, only she doesn't have to kowtow to others, even the emperor has to kowtow to her, who doesn't kowtow to her?

When Ma Xinyi was young, he also came here to kowtow to her, and he kowtowed very well, and Cixi knew that he was a good material for being an official.

If a person can't even kowtow badly, he will be a chaotic minister and thief as an official.

So she didn't ask anything else, she asked kowtow first.

'Isn't it strange that Ma Xinyi is doing this,' asked Cixi again? ’

Zeng Guofan was sincerely frightened, his forehead touched the ground, and he replied: "This is very strange. ’

……”

When Wu Rui read this, he was amazed, picked up the herbal tea and took a big sip. This battle between the monarch and the minister is really enjoyable to listen to the thunder in a silent place.

The conversation between the two is in the vernacular, Cixi said: "There must be a limit to nonsense!" Zeng Guofan replied: "Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway!" ”

Jin Tong's pondering of foreign rulers and half-hearted feudal officials is really the pinnacle. Wu Rui admired and read to the end.

“……

Zhang Wenxiang was sentenced to Ling Chi.

The night before his execution, someone snuck into his cell and asked him who was directing him, but he just shook his head.

The play in the Merchant Marine Hall, the three martial artists married Jin Lan and the heroic Qianyun, if it was true, he would not have lived in vain in his life.

Maybe that's true.

Yes, that's true! On the execution ground three days later, the dying Zhang Wenxiang thought so.

His heart was dug out. ”

At the end of the full text, Wu Rui covered the volume and thought for a long time.

This "Petition for Fame" seems to tell one story, but it is actually two stories. Jin Tong deliberately told the first "assassin was forced to assassinate the governor in desperation", focusing on the premeditation before the assassination and the handling of the case after the assassination, but told the second story "brothers turned against each other and killed people in a rage".

After reading the whole article, Wu Rui's mind is divided, rationally, he thinks that the first story is more reasonable, but emotionally, he prefers the second story. Moreover, the main characters in the second story, Zhang Wenxiang and Ma Xinyi, one is the first righteous word, and the other is trapped by love, the image is more vivid and inspiring.

At this time, Wu Rui remembered a sentence in philosophy class: people do not believe because they see, but because they believe, they see.

The story of "Casting Names" is still secondary, and the half-hidden and half-explicit description of "another history of the late Qing Dynasty" is even more tickling. In the second half of the novel, the obscure political game gradually becomes clear, and the general layout of the "alternate history" mentioned by Jin Tong is also revealed.

What kind of story will be there in the future?

Wu Rui hopes that Jin Tong can write the second volume as soon as possible.