Mo Yunxiao endured a violent cough, and her eyes were also smoked with tears. But she still tried to keep her eyes open, and shook the teapot in front of her, glad that there was still a small half pot of water.

Without much thought, she lifted up her long skirt and tore off a piece of it, but fortunately the dress was made of silk and was easier to tear.

She soaked the rags with the water in the pot and turned back.

"Official! Official! Her cough became more and more intense, and her voice became hoarse. However, it was dark in front of her, and the thick smoke filled the surroundings so that she couldn't distinguish the direction, so she couldn't lock Zhao Ji's location.

At this time, Zhao Ji was so dizzy from the smoke that his eyes couldn't see, his ears couldn't distinguish sounds, and only his heavy coughing sound was still vaguely in his ears.

At the moment when he thought he was going to die here, as if he heard Mo Yunxiao's call, his spirit was lifted, and he exclaimed with the last bit of strength: "Helu! I am here! ”

There was a rush of footsteps, followed by a cold, wet sensation.

His body shook, and he saw Mo Yunxiao squatting in front of him. Her hair was messy and her eyes were red and swollen, but she still smiled when she looked at herself.

"Official, this cloth has been soaked with water. You use it to cover your mouth and nose, and it will last for a while. Mo Yunxiao looked around again, and then said, "The fire is fierce, you better go quickly." ”

Zhao Ji took a deep breath, and sure enough, there was quite fresh air in the fabric that covered his mouth and nose.

"Why is there only one wet cloth?" Zhao Ji asked.

Mo Yunxiao understood what he meant, so she could only smile helplessly and said, "Only this little water is very precious." Official, go quickly, otherwise the water vapor will evaporate, and it will be too late. ”

Zhao Ji held Mo Yunxiao's hand with a wet cloth in one hand and Mo Yunxiao's hand in the other, and said, "I must not leave you behind, let's go together." ”

Mo Yunxiao became more and more anxious, pushed him, and said, "No, the fire will get bigger and bigger." You take me with you, and you will only ...... It will only ...... It's a drag! ”

Zhao Ji's heart was shocked, and he couldn't help but be greatly moved. He covered Mo Yunxiao's mouth and nose with a wet cloth again, looked at her with a frightened expression on her face and said, "This piece of wet cloth, you and I rotate, maybe we can also support it." ”

Mo Yunxiao's mouth and nose were covered, and she took a deep breath out of instinct, only feeling refreshed, and her strength and brain power had recovered a lot.

"I can't watch you die to save me." Zhao Ji said.

The two looked at each other for a second, and Mo Yunxiao nodded heavily. Zhao Ji felt relieved in his heart, took her hand with a smile, and the two walked towards the side door together.

They exchanged wet cloths and helped each other forward with difficulty. They walked through the cloister and through the side hall, and the damp cloth gradually turned from wet to semi-wet with the sound of coughing getting heavier and heavier.

Although the smoke was billowing in front of him, he could barely see through this side door. There was a fire raging in front of the door, and they had to look away.

At this moment, a loud noise came, and the beams of the side hall had also collapsed. The two hurriedly stepped back, narrowly missing the impact.

They crouched down, the cloth covering their mouths and noses had completely dried, and could no longer serve to keep out the smoke.

"Helu, it looks like we're really going to die here together." Zhao Ji held her hand tightly, and his tone was full of sadness.

The fire spread in front of him, illuminating Mo Yunxiao's face red. Looking at the fire, she seemed to fall into a calm that she had never experienced before.

She smiled feebly and said, "The world is wonderful. I drowned, but I will come back to life inexplicably, and today I will inevitably die in a fire. Perhaps, after this fire, I will return to the world that belongs to me. ”

"If it's really a carefree and peaceful world, let me go with you." Zhao Ji said.

His voice became weaker and weaker, but it fell on Mo Yunxiao's ears very clearly. She looked at him and smiled, "I'm afraid you won't be able to adapt to that world." ”

Intentionally or unintentionally, she also gently leaned her head on Zhao Ji's shoulder. Zhao Ji's eyes were slightly closed, his chest fell together, and violent coughs came from time to time.

He seemed to have fallen into a state of near coma, and Mo Yunxiao also felt powerless, only feeling that his facial features were all filled with black smoke, unable to breathe, and unable to get rid of it.

The suffocating sensation that crept in was eating away at her little by little. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her hands were clasped tightly.

This is by no means a caress of a pair of lovers before they die, but an instinctive reliance on each other.

Just when the will of the two of them almost collapsed, the figures outside the window were one after another, and the shouts came and went.

"The Submarine Fire Team is here! The submarine fire team is coming......" accompanied by the noisy shouts of the eunuchs and palace maids, bursts of water mist rushed to the doors and windows, making a "zizi" sound. With a shout, "hula", the doors and windows were broken.

Mo Yunxiao opened her misty eyes and saw three or four thickly dressed figures rushing in. Their heads were covered with cloths, and only one pair of eyes were exposed.

"Someone!" Greeting each other, two sturdy men lifted them on their backs, broke through the fire and black fog, and ran out of the main hall.

At this time, Zhao Ji was unconscious. Although Mo Yunxiao was not unconscious, she was weak and her eyelids felt very heavy. She just barely looked at it, and saw that countless officers and soldiers around her were holding a thick wooden tube in their hands, and after absorbing the water, they shot towards the fire, like a large needle.

However, this woodpipe should not be underestimated, only to see the water dragons winding upward, and the fire gradually showed its decline under the water mist.

In addition, more than a dozen officers and soldiers pulled up the cordon made of hemp rope and blocked the entire Zichen Palace.

"Ahh It's official! Zhang Di's voice suddenly sounded, Mo Yunxiao looked sideways, and saw that Zhao Ji was already lying on the stretcher, his face was dark, and he passed out.

Zhang Di was beside him, shouting loudly: "Official! Official! ”

A member of the submarine fire team poured something like a watering can on Zhao Ji's face, and Zhao Ji immediately coughed heavily.

Mo Yunxiao was also let go by the members of the Hidden Fire Team, but she had no strength to go over to check Zhao Ji's situation, so she could only watch from afar.

Zhao Ji coughed a few times, and his eyes slowly opened. Zhang Di cried with joy, and hurriedly said: "Official, you are scared to death of the little slave!" ”

Zhao Ji didn't respond, but gently pushed Zhang Di away. Because he was between Zhao Ji and Mo Yunxiao. At this time, the two looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.

Mo Yunxiao's spirit relaxed, and suddenly felt that the world was spinning, and then it was dark in front of him, and his consciousness was thrown into the abyss.

In the haze, a faint light flickered in the chaotic darkness, like a firefly, and like a fire butterfly. The light was approaching and getting brighter and brighter.

Only then did she see that it was a lamp. A gauze lamp that glows with a lilac glow.

She opened her eyes and looked around, only to see herself lying on a bed with the wall against it and the curtain on the other. Behind the curtain is a screen made of walnut. Behind the screen, the lights are brilliant, and you can faintly see the crowds of people.

"Where is this?" She asked herself.

At this time, a woman's voice came: "The official family, this fire can come strangely, fortunately, the official family is fine, but the fire in the palace is a major event, and the official family should not take it lightly." ”

"Whoa." Zhao Jibi replied respectfully: "Erchen must carefully investigate." ”

"Oh?" Mo Yunxiao chuckled in her heart, was the woman who spoke Zhao Ji's mother? She thought.

"It's important for officials to take care of the dragon's body." The Queen Mother said: "The matter of the investigation is still done by the mourning family." Bring it on. ”

Zhao Ji looked up and saw a soldier pulling a weak palace maid over. The palace maid had a rope around her neck, and the soldier led her to the Queen Mother like a dog, and then saluted and said, "The Queen Mother, the official family, the arsonist has been caught." ”

This palace maid looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, and her face was delicate, but at this time her face was pale and her lips were purple.

She hurriedly knelt on the ground, kept kowtowing, and said: "The Queen Mother, the official family, the small crime deserves ten thousand deaths, and the most deserving ten thousand deaths!" ”

The Queen Mother and Zhao Ji sat side by side, glanced at him, and then unhurriedly picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying, "I don't think you have the courage to harm the officials." Tell me, who told you to do this. ”

"Yes...... It's ......" The palace maid was silent, but she just raised her head and peeked at Zhao Ji and didn't dare to speak.

"Humph!" The Queen Mother slammed the teacup down and said, "Could it be that the man who still keeps you?" ”

"The Queen Mother spares her life!" The palace maid knocked her head down and said tremblingly: "It's Zhu ...... Concubine Zhu. ”

"Concubine Zhu?" Zhao Ji was taken aback. However, the Queen Mother had already expected it, so she was not surprised.

"You have to think clearly, slandering the palace is a big crime." The Queen Mother said unhurriedly.

The palace maid hurriedly said: "The little one doesn't dare to slander, it was Concubine Zhu who specially asked someone to pass a note to the little one, and instructed the little one to burn the Zichen Hall with lard." But the little one never knew that the official family was in it! ”

In the end, the palace maid couldn't cry silently, so she had to keep kowtowing.

Zhao Ji suddenly stood up and said sharply: "Concubine Zhu is known to be kind and kind. Why did she suddenly want to hurt me? ”

"Official, you are still protecting her." The Queen Mother smiled contemptuously and said to the palace maid: "Didn't Concubine Zhu write a note?" Take it to the official family to see. ”

The palace maid touched it in her arms and took out a small bamboo stick. Zhang Di on the side went over to take the bamboo stick, and then presented it to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji took a look at it, and saw that it was written with the sentence "Zichen Hall is burned, and there is a reward for success".

This is indeed Concubine Zhu's handwriting, and Zhao Ji was stunned after reading it. The Queen Mother also stretched out her hand, and Zhao Ji handed her the bamboo stick.

"Humph! What a harbor of evil! The Queen Mother slapped the bamboo sticks on the table, turned her head and said to Zhao Ji: "Official, there are all human and material evidence, but I can't tolerate that cheap maid who doesn't recognize it." ”

Zhao Ji's face was pale, and he said resignedly: "It's all up to the queen mother." ”

The Queen Mother smiled with satisfaction and ordered: "Come on, put this Nizi who plotted to kill the monarch in the prison of the Criminal Department, and deal with it after listening." ”

The two soldiers answered, picked up the palace maid and left.

"As for Concubine Zhu? Send troops to guard it first, and don't deal with it in a hurry. She commanded again.

She took a sip of tea, smiled again, turned to Zhao Ji and said, "Concubine Zhu is King Jian's biological mother. She is Sima Zhao's heart, don't you understand? ”

"The queen mother said that she wants to harm me and make her son the emperor?"

"Isn't it?" The Queen Mother asked rhetorically.

Zhao Ji did not speak.

The Queen Mother got up slowly, and said while pacing: "The first emperor Zhezong is the son of Concubine Zhu. Originally, with her son, she could also enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth. It's a pity that God didn't bless her, but let Zhezong die young. Hmph, this is a godsend for me, how can I miss it? ”

"The queen mother, the emperor is also very grateful for the kindness of the queen mother who helped me ascend to the throne." Zhao Ji said.

The Queen Mother turned to look at him and said, "Aren't the officials fond of paintings?" The mourning family happened to have a long scroll in hand, and they also asked the official family to evaluate it. ”

"Oh?" Zhao Ji was a little strange, and he didn't know why the Queen Mother turned the topic here.

So, the two eunuchs slowly unfolded a long scroll. Zhao Ji walked up and looked at it carefully, but looked at the figures, carriages and horses in the painting. The pavilions and castles are painted with sound and color.

"The penmanship is exquisite, the characters are different, and it is indeed rare to have such a long scroll." Zhao Ji exclaimed.

"This painting was made by a person named Zhang Zeduan, who was fortunate to be able to enter the eyes of the official family."

The Queen Mother's words made Mo Yunxiao's spirit suddenly lifted, is this painting the famous "Qingming Riverside Picture"? She really wanted to get up and take a look.

Mo Yunxiao thought well, this painting is the famous "Qingming Riverside Picture" in the future.

The Queen Mother pointed to the Bianhe River in the center of the picture and said: "Look, there is a small boat carrying goods in this river, but this boat seems to be about to hit the state bridge." The people on the boat shouted loudly, and there were also people on the shore who ran and shouted. But the people on the bridge were still ignorant. ”

Zhao Ji took a closer look, and it was indeed the case. However, he still didn't know the meaning of the Queen Mother's words.

The Queen Mother smiled: "Tokyo City is prosperous everywhere, but for the people on this boat, this boat is their life. If the boat capsizes, they will fall overboard. The people on the bridge will only look at jokes. Official, are you and I the same people in the same boat? ”

"Huh?" Zhao Ji was taken aback and looked at the Queen Mother blankly.

"If someone wants to overturn our ship, we must work together and do our best to get rid of this person." The Queen Mother continued: "Don't let the mourning family exert their efforts, otherwise the boat will capsize." ”

Zhao Ji already understood what she meant, so he said: "The emperor suddenly realized, thank you for the guidance of the queen mother." ”

The Queen Mother turned around and said, "I heard that King Jian was tried by the Three Law Divisions, and the major crime has been decided, but why hasn't the verdict been pronounced for a long time?" ”

"King Jian has a lot of power in the court, and the emperor does not dare to deal with it rashly." Zhao Ji replied.

"You don't deal with it rashly, but someone takes a risk." The Queen Mother smiled, sat down again, and said, "This is a matter of proportion, and the official family has to take care of it." ”

"Yes, the emperor understands." Zhao Jibi said respectfully.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Okay, the palace maid who sacrificed her life to save you is still asleep in the back, you go and take a look, and the mourning family should also go back to the palace to rest." ”

"Small...... The little one has woken up. Mo Yunxiao cautiously walked out from behind the screen.