The decree of the Marquis of Jin was spread out of the palace and announced in Suzhou City.
Noisy footsteps sounded in the east of the city. Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the Xian family's mansion and smashed open the door with heavy wood.
"Your Majesty's decree, take it!"
The crime of colluding with the dog soldiers was unpardonable, and all members of the Xian family, including men, women, and children, were arrested. Private soldiers, servants and slaves were not exempted, and were all bound with their hands and knees on the ground.
The soldiers broke into the house with a ferocity comparable to that of a tiger descending from a mountain.
The armor commander was so arrogant that he kicked Xianshi's husband away and hit him hard with his sword, knocking him to the ground on the spot.
"You can't understand the situation and you still think you are a superior clan?"
Chief A spat, stepped on the fallen man's face with his big foot, and crushed it hard with the sole of his shoe until half of the man's face was deformed and blood flowed from his mouth and nose.
"Collaborating with dogs and soldiers is despicable and dirty, worse than pigs and dogs!"
Thinking of his comrades who died in the border town, the commander became angry and cursed.
"I fought for my life with the dog soldiers, but you colluded with foreign enemies and even tried to assassinate your legitimate son. Hanging is an advantage for you, you should all be cut in half and cut into pieces in front of the people of the country!"
The members of the Xian clan who came forward were trampled under their feet, and the rest saw that the situation was not good, finally recognized the reality, and did not dare to make any more noises and entanglements.
The men's hands were tied, their bodies were stained with dust and mud, and they were all dejected.
The women leaned together and sobbed softly. The hairpin rings they were wearing had all been removed, and some of them were holding children in their arms. They were all anxious and full of fear.
The private soldiers gave up resistance, checked the number, and confirmed that no one had escaped. The commander waved behind him.
Several soldiers moved the brazier, picked up the red-hot iron in the basin and stamped it on the private soldier's back shoulder. The moment the white smoke rose, the smell of burning flesh entered the nasal cavity, which was nauseating.
The private soldier gritted his teeth and did not cry out in pain. He clenched his fists tightly, his cheeks shook, and veins bulged in his neck.
"Xian's execution will be carried out in four days, and you and others will be sent to the border areas. If you can perform meritorious service on the battlefield, you can be beheaded to the level of 20 to restore your status as a Chinese citizen."
Literary officials held bamboo slips in their hands to announce to the private soldiers, and then distributed the slips to everyone. The words on them symbolized their identities.
"Lost is like a savage."
Regardless of whether they are discarded or stolen, without the pieces in their hands, private soldiers become worse than slaves. Anyone can capture or even kill them without paying for their lives.
A team of soldiers opened the warehouse, took out the boxes and cages, and piled them all in the yard.
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Xian family has declined, the accumulated wealth is still considerable. Wooden boxes are piled with gold, silver, and bronze wares, beautiful jade and colorful treasures dazzle the human eye, and silk and cloth of various colors are dazzled by brilliant embroidery.
"Check out the records and send them to the palace."
The commander reluctantly looked away and ordered the soldiers to close the lid of the box and not to hide it secretly.
"Things have to be brought into the palace. If the quantity doesn't match, your head will fall off!"
The national laws are strict and people are killed at every turn.
The soldiers woke up quickly and did not dare to take another look.
Although gold and silver are good, they must also have life to spend them. Without the brain, everything is empty. Compared with the Xian family, all the wealth accumulated for generations fell into the hands of the Jinhou.
There were dull sounds one after another, and the lids of the boxes were closed one after another.
The box is tied with thick rope and tied with a strong knot. The top knot leaves a hole for the crossbar to pass through, and the strong slave can lift it and carry it away.
The Xian clan members were tied together, walked through the streets and sent to prison.
Private soldiers were detained separately.
The maids and slaves at home were sent to Nancheng and sold on the same day, and all the money was returned to the national treasury.
The first batch of boxes and cages were carried out of the mansion. Before they could be sent down the steps, several horses came galloping towards them. The leader was dressed as a waiter and carried a bamboo slip with the seal of the Crown Princess on it.
"Chief A, Mrs. Guotai is destined!"
The waiter got off his horse in front of the palace gate, climbed the steps three steps at a time, and read out the imperial concubine's decree in public.
"Your Majesty has succeeded the young master, and the lady of the country has ordered that this house should be kept as the prince's residence. Half of the gold and jade in the house will be left, and the rest will be written in a book and sent to the palace."
The waiter finished speaking in one breath and motioned for the maid behind him to come forward.
"They are ordered to serve Young Master Xiang and will stay here."
The commander held the bamboo slip, confirmed the content and seal, and immediately waved to the soldier, pointed to the stone beast in front of the door, and said in a deep voice: "Crush it and remove it."
"promise."
The soldiers are strong and physically strong, with amazing physical strength.
The two men each held a copper hammer and swung it twice to test their strength. They both let out loud shouts and swung the hammers at the stone beast.
There were two bangs, and cracks appeared in the stone beast. After several more blows, the stone beast cracked and broke into several pieces on the spot.
Debris flew and dust flew all over the sky.
Everyone in the Xian family stared blankly at this scene, realizing very clearly that the family that had been passed down for hundreds of years was destroyed in one fell swoop, and its former glory was reduced to dust.
In the end, the only thing left in the history books is their reputation for colluding with foreign enemies.
"Walk."
After completing the task, the armor commander led the soldiers and left.
The strong slaves followed the team, carrying the crossbar in pairs and keeping some distance between them.
The Xian clan members walked through the street with their hands tied, and when they reached the junction of Beicheng and Dongcheng, a voice suddenly came from the crowd: "They are the ones who colluded with Quanrong and foreign enemies!"
"Shameless!"
"The behavior of jackals!"
The curses rose in waves, just like boiling water.
A large number of earth and stones flew in the air, like a goddess scattering flowers, and smashed the heads of the Xian clan members.
The Chinese people were still upset and followed the team with curses all the way, making the roads crowded. If Commander Jia had not made a decisive decision and sent people to clear the way, all the members of the Xian family would have died under the anger of the countrymen before they could be sent to the execution ground.
"Go quickly!"
The crowd was so angry that the soldiers did not dare to stop them too much for fear of being burned. We can only order to speed up and send these hot potatoes to prison as soon as possible.
Behind the crowd, in a dark alley, a carriage lowered its window. Xiaonu leaned out of the car door and ordered Manu to turn around and leave quickly.
The sound of horse hooves came out of the alley, and met with the roar of people, but did not attract any attention.
In the carriage, Youhu Da and Youhu Xian were sitting opposite each other. The young master who had just been whipped lay half-lying on the soft cushion, his robe piled around his waist, and his back was bloody. Even after taking medicine, the stinging sensation did not subside and he was tortured.
"The Xian family is dead." Youhu Xian said.
"Lai delivered the news. Young Master Heng wanted to find out what happened back then, so he sent someone to take back the old servant of Yutang Palace." Youhuda handed over a piece of silk cloth with very sloppy handwriting, clearly written in a hurry.
"I've said before that the night is long and full of dreams, so no one should be left alone." Youhuxian's face was gloomy, with a ruthless look in his eyes.
"It can't be done." Youhuda sighed, "Mrs. Guotai had already noticed when she sent away Young Master Heng. My sister was so angry that she was provoked and even beat and killed the maidservant of Yutang Palace in public. She was If you seize the clue, your family’s actions will be closely watched, and the best opportunity will be missed.”
Youhuda thought about cutting the grass and roots, and was secretly making arrangements. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Li acted recklessly and showed off her power in the palace, completely interrupting his plan.
"If we had taken action back then, we would have been besieged by the Xunjiu group. Now we can only remedy the situation." Youhu Da pinched his brows, "try to intercept and kill people in the middle before they enter the city. Do things neatly and don't let anyone Seize the handle.”
"I'll go in person." Youhuxian said.
"No, you can't show up. Let Lai and Lu send people to deliver the news to Lu." Youhuda said viciously.
"Deer?"
"That's right." Youhu Da looked at the young master who raised his head and said earnestly, "Above the court meeting, the old people of Xun Dynasty rose up to attack. I was waiting for help, but Lu Min didn't say a word. He clearly wanted to sever seats with us. Still. There is a young master who, after seeing all his behavior, might have his heart wavered and even want to step on the young master and replace him."
"Uncle, teach me!"
After suffering continuous blows, the young master's head finally became clear.
He had no time to despair, he had to find a way out of his predicament.
"The current situation is not good for the young master. Together, we will press forward step by step. Your Majesty's thoughts are unpredictable, so the only solution for now is to lie dormant." Youhu Da held the young master's shoulder and touched his wound. Seeing the cold sweat on his forehead, he didn't remove his fingers, but continued to exert force.
"Brother Zhong!" Youhuxian held his wrist, "Young Master is injured."
"I made a mistake before." Youhuda stared at Young Master Heng and said word by word, "A seedling that has not experienced wind and rain cannot grow into a towering tree. Chang, you are so well protected that you are no match for Young Master Heng. .”
The young master's face turned pale and he opened his mouth, but no word came out.
"Fortunately, it's not too late." Youhuda changed the subject and released his fingers, "From now on, you must control your temper and stay in seclusion for a month. After one month, you will enter the palace and apologize to the king. Don't be arrogant anymore. Only humility. Lower your head into the dust. As long as you can seize the opportunity, you can turn defeat into victory one day."
"Uncle, I remember." The young master gritted his teeth hard, and there was light in his eyes.
Youhu Xian wanted to pat him on the shoulder, but remembering that he was injured, he stopped his hand midway and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, that Shuzi is so domineering and does not know how to restrain himself, he will cause great trouble sooner or later. The position of the prince must be yours."
The carriage passed through the alley, and voices could still be heard from time to time.
There was a fox who comforted the young master, speaking sincerely, as if the haze had dissipated.
Youhuda is worried.
We keep saying it’s not too late, but is it really not too late?
Thinking of the startling glimpse in front of the palace gate, Youhuda suddenly felt flustered.
His intuition told him that he must have missed something.
He racked his brains and couldn't come up with an answer, which made him feel very upset. It's like there are tangled threads, and I know there is a problem, but I can't find the source of the solution.
In the Jinhou Palace, Lin Heng temporarily left the South Palace and went to the newly renovated Linhua Palace.
The door of the palace is open, and the sunlight falls into the palace, spreading colorful shadows.
The light shoes inlaid with colorful treasures crossed the steps and stepped onto the spotless bluestone floor. The breeze blew over my cheeks, and the sweet scent lingered on my nose. It was my mother's favorite incense, just like in my memory.
"Sir."
A man walked out from the shadows beside the wall. He was tall and thin, with a pale face. His hair was neatly combed and his eyes were bright and clear.
The old man was wearing linen clothes, but there was a gold seal hanging on his waist, which was very similar to Mu Liang's seal.
"Fang Weng, long time no see." Lin Heng smiled with joy from the bottom of his heart, as if he took off his mask overnight and revealed his true self.
"Young Master has grown up."
Xu Fang straightened his clothes and saluted.
Lin Heng helped him up, feeling the bulging bones under his hands, and sighed: "I am not in the country. I am a bastard and frivolous. I have wronged you."
"Why did the young master say this?" Xu Fang shook his head repeatedly, "It is difficult to repay the kindness of the wife in a lifetime. The servants are unable to guard the Yutang Palace, and they are extremely ashamed. When guarding the tomb, they look forward to the return of the young master day and night, and punish the criminals to rectify their origins."
Lin Heng chuckled lightly, held Xu Fang's arm, led him to sit down in front of the screen, and said softly: "You might as well tell Fang Fang the truth, in my eyes, I am just an ant, and the real opponent is someone else. "
Xu Fangguan went to the palace of internal history and walked in the palace for many years. As soon as Lin Heng's words came out of his mouth, he knew what they meant.
"Sir, it's not the time yet."
"I see."
His white fingers pointed on the case, making a regular tapping sound.
Sunlight shines into the room through the cracks in the windows, illuminating the screen and reflecting bright golden light.
"First pull out the claws and fangs, then cut off the limbs, whip the body, and imprison it in a cage. This is the way to hunt the beast." Lin Heng raised the corner of his mouth, his eyes as bright as stars, "The tiger is difficult to hunt, so hunt the wolf and fox first."
"Young master ordered me to return to the city secretly. Are there any arrangements?" Xu Fang asked.
"You need bait to hunt." Lin Heng turned over his palm, closed his fingers one by one, and held the sunshine in his hand.
When he was in the South Palace, he deliberately let the news out. If nothing else happened, the news should have spread outside the palace.
The disguised team also moved along Luoshui as planned.
Those who do evil are so bold that they will burn history books to destroy evidence and assassinate historians at the risk of public disapproval. Now, if he doesn't want things to be exposed, he must intercept this team.
Who is the prey and who is the hunter.
Who will run into the net again?
Lin Heng lowered his eyes and smiled, looking forward to the result.
