Chapter 1: The Plague of Innocence (1)

Next Chapter

"Angry hair rushes to the crown, leaning on the railing, Xiaoxiao rain rests. Raise your eyes, look up to the sky and roar, strong and fierce. Thirty fame, dust and earth, eight thousand miles of clouds and moons. Don't wait for idleness, the young man's head is white, empty and sad! Jing Kang is ashamed, and there is still no snow; when will the courtiers be hated? Drive a long car and step through the lack of Helan Mountain. Zhuang is hungry for Hulu meat, laughing and thirsty for Xiongnu blood. Stay from the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky!"

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, King Li Zicheng was proclaimed emperor in Chang'an in January, with Li Jiqian as the Taizu, and the founding name was "Dashun". On March 19, Kyoto was breached, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in the coal mountain, and Li Zicheng gave him a "ceremonial funeral". At the beginning of the city, the military discipline was good, and it was very popular with the people, but from the 27th, the Dashun army began to torture and plunder the Ming officials, raiding the homes everywhere, and stipulating that the amount of subsidy was "100,000 in the middle hall, 70,000 or 530,000 in the Jingtang of the ministry, 530,000 in the Taoist department, 321,000 in the Hanlin, and thousands of subordinates." Wu Sangui, the general of the Yuan Ming Dynasty, could not bear the harsh government, and because his concubine Chen Yuanyuan was robbed, he was "angry at the crown and became a red face", and decided to take refuge in Manchukuo and open Shanhaiguan. The Qing army drove straight in, attacking endlessly. The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of becoming a strong crossbow and was on the verge of collapse. The rivers and lakes are turbulent, the war is chaotic, and the people are miserable and panicked.

On the shore of Jiangnan Lake, in the secluded mountains and forests, verdant trees shade the sky and the sun, stretching far away, casting patches of shade. Whether it is the scorching sun in midsummer or the severe cold in deep winter, you can always experience the warmth of winter and cool summer, suitable for all seasons. The branches stretching out have their own appearance, and they can not see the end at a glance, which leads people to reverie infinitely, and it really deserves to be the famous "peach paradise". A mossy path along the bamboo shoots leads to a winding path, and the unique grass aroma in the forest exudes around it, which makes passers-by feel refreshed and happy.

Extended to the end, only to see a bluestone slab avenue straight paved, the field of vision gradually broadened, the original forest at the end of the willows and flowers, there is a hole in the sky. A manor is quietly hidden, shallow and indisputable. The overall layout is a large-scale three-way construction with symmetrical central axis, and each road has a triple hall, which is beautifully architectural. The flower beds are scattered, the guest rooms are gorgeously decorated, the courtyard dam is paved with green tiles, the courtyard wall is painted and whitewashed, antique, very elegant. The middle road building is divided into the lobby, the second hall and the main hall, there are stone dams or inner wall partitions between the halls of each road, the tall brick courtyard wall, and the masonry bucket arch under the eaves of the wall, which is simple and heavy. You can see a plaque hanging high, black gold paint, complementing each other, on the book "Shadowless Villa", the brushstrokes are vigorous and powerful, showing the magnificent momentum.

The interior of the manor is also a peaceful scene, pavilions, small bridges and flowing water, birds and flowers, which make visitors suspect that they have inadvertently broken into the fairyland of the world. I couldn't help but put my steps very lightly, for fear of disturbing the fairy in meditation.

There is a pavilion in the outer hall, which is called Yin Xue Xuan. When I got closer, I only heard a woman's voice as clear as a silver bell and laughed: "I see that the old man has always looked a little abnormal recently, gathering a group of servants, muttering all day long, as if he is planning something big." "How can I know what Daddy wants to do?" the other woman replied softly, "Since Daddy has his own reasons for what he wants to do, how can we young and knowledgeable girls manage it? "The voice is gentle and beautiful, like a spring injected into the heart.

The vial giggled, "If you want me to say, they must be discussing the marriage of the young lady." Originally, this man should get married, and the woman should get married, not to mention that Miss gave birth to a fairy-like appearance, this radius of a hundred miles, which one is better than ......" The young lady was speechless for a long time, the vial became more and more energetic, and said: "According to my discerning eyes, although Miss you don't admit it, but you still think about it in your heart! There are only two of us here, you tell me quietly......" There was a rustling sound in the room, and it seemed that the two were playing softly.

Suddenly, the young lady said coquettishly: "Ah, the ink is dripping on the painting." It's all up to you, see that I don't teach you well!" Then there was a burst of laughter, until the vial laughed: "Okay, okay, I beg for mercy! Miss let me go! Or how about I atone for my sins and go to find out the truth for you?" The young lady laughed and reprimanded: "It's your poor mouth!" Before she could tell the truth, she suddenly heard a respectful voice outside the door say, "Miss, sir, please come over." ”

The antique pear blossom wooden door "squeak" was pushed open from the inside, and the girl in front of her was dressed in pink, with only a little grease powder on her face, and she looked elegant and refined, she was the eldest lady of Shadowless Villa, Shen Shiyun, who usually likes to caress the piano and make ink, and has a soft and quiet personality. However, the girl's feelings often linger in her arms, and she is also a little curious about what the vial said. If it weren't for the seclusion in the mountains and forests with her father since she was a child, with her stunning beauty, even in the capital, she can be regarded as one of the best beauties, at this moment hearing her words, her face has unconsciously floated red, the maid next to her is wearing a green shirt, she is as lively as spring, and now she is even more proud: "What, I didn't lie to you, right?" Shen Shiyun did have this intention in his heart, but he wanted to maintain a reserve, pretending to be indifferent, and said to the little guy: "Okay, please report back to the master, I'll go over." ”

After a while, he arrived outside the hall, Shen Shiyun's heart was pounding, and he didn't know what he was nervous about. The vial smiled, "That's right, why don't we go quietly, maybe we can sneak a peek at some secrets." Who knew that it wasn't the father-in-law who summoned his son-in-law? The person who can be worthy of the young lady must be extraordinary, but it really makes me curious!"

Shen Shiyun did as he was told, and at the moment the two of them took a light step and approached the outer wall. I heard the sound of pacing in the hall, circling and unsettled, and the voice was quite heavy, as if the other party was upset. Shen Shiyun listened attentively, and gradually recognized that there was more than one person, and after listening to a few more words, he was even more surprised, and said strangely: "Hey, why are my uncle and third uncle also here?" The vial smiled: "It must be extremely cautious in this matter, and it must not ......be sloppy at all" Shen Shiyun frowned, and made a "quiet" gesture to stop her words, and felt that it was not so simple.

In the main hall, the third owner said: "The second brother has lived in seclusion here for the past few years, and he doesn't ask about the world, so he hasn't heard of those rumors, and it's not strange. Now that there have been years of wars and turmoil, and there are also various forces on the rivers and lakes that have risen one after another, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to make a big profit, the Shadow Worship Sect has been raging recently, and it is extremely arrogant! In just a few years, many factions that have been famous for a long time have wiped out all over them. Hmph, this group of thieves and wolves have ambitions, and even the Remnant Shadow Sword, the treasure of martial arts, has been taken away by them, and it is called the 'treasure of the town religion'. Many decent people were helpless, and finally dared to be angry and did not dare to speak, but behind their backs, they secretly gritted their teeth and denounced it as a 'demon sect'. ”

The owner of the big village continued: "The Remnant Sword and the Broken Soul Tears are equally famous, and it is rumored that if you get these two, you can win the world, and the Remnant Sword is in the hands of the Demon Sect, so everyone has to focus more on the Broken Soul Tears, causing endless disputes. Alas, if you want to say that the Demon Sect Committee is really greedy, a few days ago it openly sent a letter announcing that if you don't hand over the treasure, you will wash the villa in blood. Once they are given the command of the martial arts, there will be no peace in the world! This is exactly what I can't rest assured about. ”

The third owner pondered for a moment and said: "I can't control that much now, second brother, we don't want to meddle in the affairs of the rivers and lakes, and protecting ourselves is the right way!"

Shen Aotian, the owner of the second village, sighed and said, "Ahem, the two brothers just said that I am reluctant to give up the treasure? I don't want to seek the world, what use does I want it to have? What if I give it to the Demon Sect? It's just that I really haven't seen this thing! I don't know how there is that nonsense rumor that it is in the Shadowless Mountain Villa?"

A disciple beside him pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said angrily: "The Demon Sect has done a lot of evil, and everyone will be punished! The disciple can set up a sword formation with a few senior uncles to meet the enemy, and he may not be afraid of him! Although we have been living in seclusion for many years, we are not the masters who are easy to bully, so let those thieves understand that they are killing themselves if they want to find trouble in Shadowless Villa!"

Shen Aotian shook his head and sighed: "Chen'er, you have always been the master's favorite disciple, and now that the Shadowless Villa has suffered this catastrophe, the teacher doesn't want you to give your lives in vain, you and all the senior brothers together, then leave quickly! Stay in the green mountains, don't be afraid of no firewood, or there may be hope for revenge in the future!" The disciple Zou Chen said: "Master, the apprentice is willing to break his bones for the Shadowless Villa, and he will not hesitate to do so!" The rest of the disciples also said: "The disciple is willing to fight until the last moment, and he will never give up!"

Shen Aotian looked around the audience and saw that the disciples in the room were full of fighting spirit, but none of them showed the slightest intention of retreating. Moved and choked, he said, "You, you...... Alas, it's rare for you to have this heart! By the way, where is Yun'er? Didn't you ask Lao Yang to look for her?"

Shen Shiyun couldn't bear it anymore, regardless of the obstruction of the vial, he pushed the door and entered, everyone's beautiful demeanor had been left behind, and he only said anxiously: "Dad, what is going on? What you said about the Shadow Sacrifice Sect, Soul Breaking Tears, Yun'er can't understand a word!" Although she grew up in the villa since she was a child, she lived a leisurely life and had never experienced any storms, at this time, she knew that the situation was extremely dangerous based on her instinct.

Shen Aotian didn't answer, walked to the corner of the hall, and looked at a painting on the wall silently for a long time. This is a landscape map, which was made by Shen Shiyun when he was a child, when he was a beginner, and his technique was still very immature. Shen Shiyun followed his gaze, and couldn't help but evoke childhood memories, her nose was sour, and she turned her eyes for help to the big village owner and the third village owner, hoping that one of them would explain the truth to her, but she only touched that desperate helplessness. My heart sank suddenly, as if I had fallen into a whirlpool, and a sense of foreboding swept through the layers.

Shen Aotian stretched out his hand to remove the painting, but before the vial could react, he saw an iron plate exposed behind the painting paper, and pushed the iron plate away, and there was a hidden hole behind the wall. They looked at each other with Shen Shiyun and exchanged surprised glances with each other. The master and servant have been walking around the main hall for many years, but they don't know that there is still this organ hidden in the hall.

Shen Aotian took out a letter and a package from his arms, and said solemnly: "Yun'er, now without further ado, Dad can't tell you the situation in detail." To be honest, Dad doesn't know much about the cause and effect, but now Shadowless Villa has provoked a very powerful opponent for something that doesn't exist. For now, the only way to do this is to let you leave this place as soon as possible, take this letter to the palace of Chang'an, and go to the regent of the Manchu Dynasty, Dorgon, who is also my old friend, and should take you in. It's just that there may be hardships and dangers on the way, and it's difficult for you to be a girl who has never been far away...... But the heavens and the earth are big, and it is much better than staying in this mortal place! You inquired along the way, and you didn't worry that no one would see the money, and took you to the private stronghold opened up by the Manchurians in the Central Plains, but in fact, it is not any secret now! Hey, my father never took you into account before, and always thought that it was ...... Who knows...... If I can get out of this catastrophe this time, I will definitely compensate you well!" These words have undoubtedly made the final farewell.

Shen Shiyun cried: "Dad, I, I won't leave, my daughter has to stay like my senior brother and them, I want to be with my father!" Shen Aotian said: "They can still participate in the sword formation, you are a girl who doesn't know how to work hard, staying is just a burden, and if you are distracted to protect you, there is no chance of winning!"

Next Chapter
Back to Book