The county magistrate Zhang Hong had already walked outside the prison door, and the jailer of Jingzhao Mansion came over, put the chain on the door railing, and locked it with a clatter, and sent Zhang Hong to the end of the corridor.

The prison was still gloomy and gloomy, Zhang Xiaojing stood by the wooden railing, his one-eyed gaze was gloomy, and only a glimmer of light was cast from the high window at the end of the corridor, which made him squint his eyes tightly.

Zhang Xiaojing sighed sadly: "Heiye, this time we really encountered a big difficulty in life and death. ”

"Tell me, what should I do?"

He smelled something unusual, and suddenly turned his head and looked at Li Siye, who was gobbling up, his cheeks twitching violently.

"Well, you can leave me some!"

Zhang Xiaojing hurriedly pounced, snatched the plate containing mutton from Li Siye's mouth, and dragged the last chicken leg from the dry chicken rack.

After a while, the two patted their stomachs against the earthen wall of the prison, and said that their stomachs were comfortable first.

Zhang Xiaojing turned around and asked him in surprise: "Facing such a desperate situation, don't you worry at all." ”

"What's there to worry about, my mother once told me that I don't want to go home when I'm full of food and drink. My mother also said that when encountering things, you can't just think about worrying, you should face the problem head-on and find a solution. ”

Zhang Xiaojing nodded enviously: "Your high hall must be a lady of everyone, otherwise how can you say such wise words?" ”

Li Siye pursed his lips and smiled, these words were told to him by his mother in another world, when he had not yet become famous, wandered in a foreign land, and often fought black boxing in underground boxing rings. Li Ye's psychological quality is actually very poor, whenever he encounters an invincible opponent, he is depressed for a long time before the fight, and he doesn't even have the courage to take the gloves. Every day, he receives encouragement from his mother on the phone, encouraging him to let go of his fears, let go of his timidity, face his opponents with an optimistic attitude, and not admit his defeat until the last minute.

Now his mind has become indifferent, no matter how big the matter, he just needs to face it calmly.

"Tell me how we can solve this problem?"

Li Siye snapped his fingers and said: "Of course, we must first analyze the possible consequences of our promise to Zhang Hong to commit perjury. Then we measure whether we can bear the consequences, and if we can bear it, we will do it, and if we can't, we won't do it. ”

Zhang Xiaojing arched his hand and praised: "It's really wise." ”

Receiving the praise of such an ancient, Li Siye unconsciously became fluttering, and he had a feeling of commanding Fang Xuan when he spoke: "First of all, let's imagine that if we testify with the demons, and the testimony is not accepted, the prince is safe and sound. Next, the prince is about to fight back, in the face of the prince's counterattack, what will Yang Yuma do? ”

"He didn't hesitate to throw us out and take the blame. People are the concubines of Princess Xianyi, the saint's favorite, and we are just two low-level officials, weak as grasshoppers and as cheap as ants. ”

Zhang Xiaojing took the initiative to take over the conversation, and gritted the root of his teeth tightly when he spoke.

"What if Yang Juma succeeds? Our testimony worked, and the crown prince was deposed, or given death. What would he do with those of us who have no value? ”

Zhang Xiaojing snorted coldly and said: "In order to prevent someone from overturning the case for the prince in the future, the insiders and witnesses of this case must be solved secretly." ”

The evil consequences of perjury are already obvious, as long as they participate in this case, they will die left and right, don't think about getting promoted and getting rich to find a backer, this kind of good thing will not be their turn.

The only way left is to refuse to cooperate and sit through the prison. You don't even need to sit through the bottom of the prison to let two disobedient people die in prison unconsciously, it's still very easy.

In this way, they are really in a desperate situation, whether they testify or not, it is a dead end.

Li Siye complained about Zhang Xiaojing in his heart, in the final analysis, he was too rough in law enforcement, and he was a little softer to Liu Gengsan, and he would not have fallen to the point where he is today.

Zhang Xiaojing poured the only little wine left in the wine jar into the cups of the two of them, brought it to his lips and tasted it slowly, and suddenly said: "There is still a third way to go." ”

Li Siye suddenly turned over and asked in surprise: "How to go?" ”

"Let this case not be investigated."

Li Siye was puzzled: "Can you explain it more clearly?" ”

"In the final analysis, the key to this case lies in Liu Gengsan, so Yang Juma did everything possible to get him from Liquan County to Chang'an City, and he was the main witness. As long as this person dies, Yang Yuma's plot to falsely accuse the prince will be aborted, and we don't have to take the risk of slandering the prince, and Yang Xun has no reason to kill us. ”

Li Siye shook his head helplessly: "Now that we are locked up in this Jingzhao Mansion prison, we can't do anything, how can we let Liu Gengsan die, do you make a big vow and ask God to cut him to death with a thunderbolt?" ”

Zhang Xiaojing grabbed a straw and put it in his mouth and laughed: "I, Zhang Xiaojing, have never believed in God, no matter when and where, I can only rely on myself." Since they asked us to commit perjury, we will definitely conduct collusion and secret interrogation, and there will always be a chance to meet Liu Gengsan, as long as we find a way to get rid of him, you and I will still have a chance to live. ”

"So?" Li Siye followed his intention and extended downward: "Tomorrow Zhang Hong will come again, pretending to promise him to commit perjury, paralyze them, and wait for the opportunity." ”

Zhang Xiaojing nodded, narrowed his eyes, yawned and said: "Sleep when you are sleepy, and only by nourishing your spirit can you break the crisis." ”

Li Siye thought so, gathered the straw under him, spread it thicker, and lay on the ground.

There is no distinction between day and night in the cell, and sometimes it is not even possible to tell whether the light is shining or the moonlight from the small window at the end of the corridor, which can only be distinguished by the time the jailer delivers food. He sometimes wakes up and can feel rats jumping around on his body, itching his shoulders and back, and sometimes pinching a flea.

Zhang Hong, the county lieutenant, came to the prison again, this time he didn't bring wine and meat, just stood outside the wooden fence, and said loudly with a dim and blurred face: "Zhang Xiaojing, Li Siye, have you two thought about it, do you testify?" ”

Zhang Xiaojing rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up, and replied dullly: "Of course it is to testify, in addition to taking refuge in Yang Yuma, do we have a better way?" ”

Zhang Hong smiled assumedly: "It's right to do this, Yang Juma won't treat you badly." ”

He took out two pieces of paper from his bosom, put them into the wooden fence and threw them on the ground, then turned around and instructed the jailer, "Get them two a lantern and let them memorize their confessions." ”

Li Siye walked over and picked up the paper, unfolded it in his hand and looked at it, and muttered to himself, "What is this?" ”

Zhang Hong stood outside the cell and told the two again: "The above confession must be memorized, and no matter who asks when testifying, you will bite these two sentences to death." ”

The jailer brought in the lantern from the outside and hung it above the wooden fence. This wind lantern is just a bronze seat inlaid with an iron frame, covered with a thin veil, and the light is faint and swaying.

Li Siye and Zhang Xiaojing stood under the lamp, unfolded the paper to look at the contents, and saw that it was written:

"On the thirteenth day of the lotus month, at the beginning of Chen, the bad handsome Zhang Xiaojing and I were ordered by the county lieutenant to enter the Zoroastrian Temple to arrest the demon who held the quality. And there are two seven-word verses: return to Taiji to give birth to Wanhua, and the sunrise lotus pond turns the world.

Zhang Xiaojing asked: "What is the Holy Lotus?" The demon replied: "Save the people and reorganize the world!" Zhang Xiaojing asked again: "Where is the Holy Lotus?" The demon replied: "The teacher's words show that the east of Tai Chi is as rich as the East Palace." The demon also said: "Those who are where the holy lotus is located will take away the qi of creation and transformation." ”

Li Siye looked at Zhang Xiaojing's paper, the content on it was generally the same, but the title of the person who dictated it had changed.

The two pretended to bow their heads and recite, Zhang Hong didn't see anything unusual, and brushed his sleeves away with satisfaction.

As soon as the jailer and Zhang Hong left, the two folded the papers, walked to the corner straw pile and continued to sleep.

They remained in the cell for five or six days, during which time they heard from Wuji and heard nothing from them. Li Siye exercises every day, doing 100 push-ups and 100 squats. Zhang Xiaojing was curious about this special forging method, so he simply followed suit, and the Tang people usually do not reject novelty things.