In the damp, cold, and musty prison, Zhu Xixiao stood in front of a wall, wiped the dust off the wall with his own hands, and under the light of the candle flame, a few lines of words appeared:

The spirit is still too empty,

Dan's heart is eternal.

Before his death,

Leave it to posterity!

The King of Heaven is self-sage,

Made high through the ages.

Life has not repaid the favor,

Keep it for the loyal soul!

Zhu Xixiao's tearful eyes stared at the neat and beautiful handwriting on the wall. In a trance, he seemed to see the stump, haggard, great, and glorious figure standing against the wall again; It was as if I heard his sonorous and powerful voice - death is deserved, and death is not afraid!

Zhu Xixiao's thoughts drifted back to eight years ago-

At that time, he had just joined Jinyiwei and didn't understand anything. In the morning, before his errand, his brother gave him a snake gall and asked him to give it to the prisoner who was to receive the cane that day. When he obeyed his brother's instructions to send the snake gall, the prisoner refused - Jiaoshan has its own guts, why bother with snake gall!

At night, he came to see him with medicine for his injuries, and the scene he saw made him extremely shocked!

Later, he learned that this person was Yang Jisheng, a member of the Military Selection Division of the Ministry of War, who was convicted of impeaching Yan Song by death.

Zhu Xixiao rested his head on the wall and half lying, many voices sounded in his ears, and countless pictures flashed through his mind-

A bloodstained hand pushed the medicine box: "Little brother, old man, I offended a person who covers the sky with one hand, you blatantly take care of me, your errand, your future and even your life are worried!"

He glanced at the dagger, and continued to cut the rotten rotten flesh on his leg with the broken piece of bowl: "No, it's almost finished, it's not worth soiling the dagger anymore." Little brother, why are you shaking, as soon as you shake the light, the shadow is also moving, I can't see clearly. ”

"If it is a serious crime, it will not be forgiven, that is, I am willing to behead the ministers and concubines, and punish them on behalf of the husband!" - Zhang Zhen, the wife of Lord Yang, who is illiterate and looks like an ordinary peasant woman.

With so many pictures and sounds appearing uncontrollably repeatedly, Zhu Xixiao's head seems to be blown up! In his rationality, he may not approve of this kind of "moth to fire" and "knowing that it cannot be done". But that pearl-like shining and precious soul and that body of iron bones are extremely admirable! When everyone succumbed to the obscenity of the Yan family, he, a military selection officer of the military department and a mere five-grade official, was not afraid of power, life and death, and said the truth loudly to the dark and filthy court. And after witnessing the tragic situation of the people ravaged by the Japanese invaders, he retreated in order to protect himself, and what face did he have to claim to be the king of Dongping and the descendant of Wu Lie!

With a "bang", the prison door opened, and Lu Yanyuan and Yan Shaoting walked in with a quilt and a food box.

Yan Shaoting said: "Our two families are about to turn the sky upside down, but you are hiding here."

Zhu Xixiao sat up straight: "My brother stays in the Shenji Camp all day, no matter if I go home or here, I am alone, unless you two let me go to join in the excitement of your house."

Yan Shaoting walked up to Zhu Xixiao and squatted down, and said solemnly: "My father is determined to marry Yang Shun, the governor of the Chinese army and the commander of the 3,000 battalions, and he will definitely want me to marry his daughter Yang Mo, eldest brother, Yan Yuan, you marry Yang Mo and Princess Ning'an, otherwise Xuan Xuan and I will be finished!"

When Zhu Xixiao heard the word "marry", the sweet smile, crisp laughter and clear eyes immediately appeared in his mind, but the ridicule issued by reason immediately shattered the image in his mind. He took the food box from Yan Shaoting's hand, and said casually as he opened it: "Brother, no matter what kind of stimulation you have, don't talk about this kind of nonsense in the future."

"I'm not talking nonsense, I'm serious, didn't the commander always hope that you could marry the military department, and hope that Yan Yuan could be a concubine?"

Lu Yanyuan threw the quilt in his hand on the haystack, sat on it by himself, and said: "Shaoting, my father really wants the eldest brother to marry the important ministers of the Ministry of War, but the candidate is Yang Bo, the secretary of the Ministry of War, and he wants to marry Yang Bo's daughter Yang Ruixuan." As for me, my father would have made me a magnificent portrait of a colt commander that could only be hung on the wall. But I won't marry Princess Ning'an, because we all know that Princess Ning'an likes big brother. If it weren't for the fact that my Ming Dynasty gradually formed an unwritten rule, the candidate for the concubine is the priority of the ordinary family, and he cannot serve as a high-ranking official with real power, the emperor and the Duke of Cheng Guo would have put them together a long time ago, how embarrassing it is for me to marry her. Besides, the obstacle between you and Xuan Xuan is not Yang Mo, so don't involve the eldest brother. My father was angry with me mainly because of the matter between you and Xuan Xuan, and he thought that Xuan Xuan would not be happy if she married into the Yan Mansion. When I think about it, I think it's ......" He paused slightly, "I think my father is right." Our two families have always been at odds, and your grandfather and your father have always wanted you to marry Yang Mo, and Xuan Xuan has married, what will they think......

Yan Shaoting was anxious, he interrupted Lu Yanyuan's words: "Who said that Xuan Xuan married me and must live in Yan Mansion, I can be released and take Xuan Xuan away from the capital, who can bully her when the time comes?"

"Your grandfather is a pavilion elder, your father is a small pavilion elder, and Wu Peng, the secretary of the ministry, is a puppet of your Yan family, they don't agree, can you let it go?"

"You!" Yan Shaoting snatched the food box and dim sum from Zhu Xixiao's hand: "You are not allowed to eat any more, where can I eat dim sum when Yang Jiaoshan was locked up here." He turned his head to Lu Yanyuan and said, "Hurry up, how can you cover the quilt when your butt is sitting on your butt?"

Zhu Xixiao said with a reproachful tone: "Who are you throwing a tantrum at?" Recklessly, stabbing the matter to the emperor, you really think that the emperor can't see that the fold is your masterpiece. He pretended not to know and told the contents of the excerpt in front of everyone, because the marriage between Yan and Lu involved the court situation. ”

"The Imperial Bureau? Will the emperor agree to the marriage of the two families? ”

"I don't know." Zhu Xixiao shook his head: "The commander made the Lord have a discord with the Yan family, and if he is separated from Xu Cifu, it shows that Jinyiwei has a neutral attitude in the matter of establishing the prince." This attitude is the most satisfying to the emperor, because Jinyiwei is the closest and most trusted by the emperor, to put it bluntly, he is the emperor's house slave, and he must only be absolutely loyal to the emperor. As we all know, the emperor dotes on King Jing's mother and son, and he also has great trust in the Yan family, who are close to King Jing. The emperor's attitude towards the marriage of the two families depends on whether his old man wants to be strict and Lu, no, to be precise, the cabinet and Jinyiwei work together to assist King Jing, or whether he wants the support of Yu and King Jing in the court to remain balanced. ”

Yan Shaoting asked anxiously: "To put it bluntly, it means that if the emperor decides to make King Jing the prince, he will agree to the marriage between me and Xuan Xuan, and if he has not determined who will be the prince, he will not agree, right?"

Zhu Xixiao shook his head solemnly: "I don't know, because the commander has never thought of letting Yan Yuan take over the Jinyi Guard, it depends on whether the emperor can fulfill the wish of the commander and let the Lu family withdraw from the disputes in the court."

Lu Yanyuan thought of his father's physical condition, and couldn't help but feel irritated in his heart: "My father will live for a hundred years, what do you say to take over Jinyiwei."

Zhu Xixiao said: "Don't quarrel, do me a favor, I should go to see Mao Haifeng, you two help me cover."

Lu Yanyuan sighed: "Big brother, Wang Zhi was beheaded, do you still expect Mao Haifeng to defect and help us deal with the Japanese invaders?"

Zhu Xixiao said categorically: "It's man-made."

"But we also have to recognize the reality! Now we are facing the reality that the Guogong Mansion, the Yan family and the Lu family are like three golden cages, and the three of us are just canaries in cages. The emperor, on the other hand, has the right to decide whether the cage should be hung in a prominent place for everyone to admire or thrown in the flames to be poured and melted. What will be the result of the caged bird breaking out of the cage and fighting with the cage bearer? ”

Zhu Xixiao's expression was resolute and heavy: "I still remember the definition of the four words 'loyalty and righteousness' when we first entered Jinyiwei - if the literati and writers of the world can sigh for the people of the world, the imperial historians of the imperial court are willing to shout for the toiling people, and our Jinyiwei is to pull out the embroidered spring knife and be willing to cut it all out, so as to kill a way for the people in the world who are in deep suffering!" If you retreat because of possible danger and possible failure......"

Zhu Xixiao suddenly stopped, Yan and Lu immediately understood, took out the food and wine in the food box, pretended to be relaxed and casual, and began to enjoy it.

As the footsteps came from far and near, the edict was also illuminated by Songming. A group of wrestlers in soap suits are surrounded by stars and moons, and a figure wearing a flying fish suit and wearing an embroidered spring knife at his waist - Nansi Suihu Qianhu Huang Zikai.

Zhu Xixiao smiled faintly: "Lord Huang is a follower of thousands of households, not on an errand in the palace, but he ran to this cold and smelly prison, what do you do?"

Huang Zikai snorted coldly: "The three famous noble sons in the capital really have a bit of righteousness of 'sharing difficulties', and the 'Taoyuan Three Knots' in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is nothing more than that. It's a pity, those heart-wrenching and heartfelt feelings are written in books and sung in the play after all, and the real ending is just to leave a 'happy and unmissable' allusion to laugh and be generous. ”

Yan Shaoting said lazily: "There are a few people in the world who are as heroic as Huang Qianhu, born in a poor family, and are already the real power figures of Jinyiwei at a young age, and they can easily play in the inner and imperial courts, which is really enviable."

Huang Zikai was furious: "The surname Yan, Hugh is arrogant again, sooner or later, one day your Yan family will know about the lack of things that you have done, and your Yan family will definitely pay for it with blood!"

Lu Yanyuan stood up and said patiently and slightly excitedly: "Everyone is the same brother in the brocade guard, why do you blush like enemies when you meet?"

Zhu Xixiao's tone was still indifferent: This is the Imperial Prison, the territory of the North Division, even if Lord Huang is angry in his heart, he still doesn't lose his dignified demeanor and face in front of his brothers. His Royal Highness King Yu has not received the gift for three years, and His Royal Highness King Yu was forced to ask Yan Shoufu for favors in desperation. Lord Huang wants to avenge the grievances of His Royal Highness King Yu, but this method will only cause trouble for Brother Ling in vain. ”

Huang Zikai let out a sneer: "I think back then, King Dongping followed Grandpa Cheng to be such a hero in the Battle of Jingjing." It's okay if his son Zhu Yong is a bear, but he didn't expect that there would be scum who colluded with adultery among the younger generations. I'm not afraid that King Dongping will be angry and spit in your face. ”

Zhu Xixiao stood up violently, stopped Yan Shaoting, who was about to draw his sword, and said coldly: "Didn't Gonggong Huang teach Huang Qianhu, isn't it useless to speak quickly in case of trouble?" This edict is no cleaner and smoother than Xiyuan or Yongshou Palace, and if you are not careful, you will lose the dignity of a thousand households. ”

"Yes, the squalor here and the character of the few really go hand in hand." Huang Zikai turned around and left, but before he took two steps, the wine jug in Zhu Xixiao's hand flew to Huang Zikai's feet. With a stumbling step, he leaned forward, and just before his face made intimate contact with the floor, a plate of shredded pork in Kyoto sauce was sprinkled "in front of him". When he looked up, this Qianhu Lord was already full of "sauce makeup and meat ornaments" on his face.

Yan Shaoting laughed: "Huang Qianhu's makeup is really amazing."

Lu Yanyuan couldn't help laughing.

Zhu Xixiao leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes to rest, as if he was asleep.

Huang Zikai angrily pushed away the two officials who came to support him, turned around, pointed to the cell with a trembling right arm, and then strode away.

The torches were gone, and the prison was even darker.

After a while, the two people who "visited the prison" left, and "Zhu Xixiao" was lying on the haystack.