The setting sun is setting in the west, like carmine red through the western sky, and the warm wind is blowing in Jiangning, mixed with the sweet smell of blood.
The smoke from cooking in the city is getting less and less, and many families already have one meal a day and one meal every noon.
Although Jiangning is rich, it does not mean that the common people are also like this. After several years of forced expropriation and expropriation by Huashi Gang, it is a good situation to have a full stomach.
During wartime, it was rare to divide areas within a city. At most, it was just a matter of enforcing street security and checking passers-by, which did not delay people's normal travel and work.
Then, if nothing goes wrong in defending the city, the people can probably work for a few months or even half a year, and then they will be without work and trapped at home.
At this time, or earlier, the government will begin to recruit civilians to defend the city together, distribute food to the civilians so that families can continue to survive, and for those who do not have strong labor in the family, they will give them porridge to maintain their livelihood, until they can no longer wait. Reinforcements could not break the siege, food was exhausted, people died, and the city collapsed completely.
This is the most normal trend when the enemy is besieging a city without support. Of course, there are other more extreme exceptions, such as surrender, breakout, and even killing people to save food. I won’t go into details here.
But at this time, everything seems to be moving ahead of schedule, saving the time for the people to continue working. It seems that it has directly reached the moment when the army and the people defend the city together, and the government has not yet recruited civilians and issued food replenishment notices. This has made some people in the city boast that they have The knowledgeable people were puzzled.
Zhao Tong was sitting in the guest room behind the office. He was still drinking as he had done the past few days. There were not many dishes on the table. It looked plain, but he drank with gusto.
Zhu Xiuniang looked at him from the front, her eyes full of vigilance, and there was a hint of hatred in her quiet expression. Zhao Tong moved slightly, and she hurriedly made a gesture to hide on the couch.
At this time, the sun had completely set. The maid and the mother-in-law lit several large candlesticks, which illuminated the surrounding walls in red, making it look very festive.
Zhao Tong sang a song by Li Yishan without a title while drunk, then picked up a piece of fruit and threw it to Zhu Xiuniang.
When Zhu Xiuniang was willing to accept it, she heard a "clang" sound as the fruit fell to the ground. It was originally fresh and smooth, but the skin immediately broke, revealing the flesh, which was covered with dust.
When Zhao Tong saw this, he sneered: "Who knew that every grain of food on the plate had to be worked hard? The common people in the city cook porridge for one meal a day. It is a sin for Xiu Niang to waste the food like this!"
Zhu Xiuniang said angrily: "If you want to impose a crime, there is no excuse. Since the people are already hungry, the prince is still drinking for pleasure. Why don't you ask yourself what the truth is?"
Zhao Tong looked at her with a sullen face. Now he no longer talked about dignity and etiquette, and the etiquette was always high and low. Instead, he became tit-for-tat everywhere.
He said: "Is Xiu Niang accusing me?"
Zhu Xiuniang mocked: "Does the prince not know that the Mo family is destined to die? Man-made disasters start from oneself, how can they start from heaven?"
Zhao Tong laughed angrily: "You learn from Zhang Hengqu, and how much do you talk to me about the Mohist school?"
Zhu Xiuniang teased: "This dynasty worships Confucianism, why does the prince disrespect it?"
Zhao Tong snorted: "You are very sharp-tongued. How can I be so disrespectful? Could it be that my four-sentence sermon is not Confucian?"
Zhu Xiuniang's face was simple: "How can it be called Confucianism if it is mixed with Buddhist principles?"
Zhao Tong took a deep breath: "The studies of Zhou, Shao, Zhang, and Cheng will not be mixed with Taoism?"
Zhu Xiuniang paused for a moment, turned her head and stopped talking, with just a hint of contempt at the corner of her mouth.
Zhao Tong said coldly: "Xiu Niang, you must remember that you should just respond to what I say. Don't try to anger me, otherwise it will be detrimental to you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiuniang immediately turned her head, stared into Zhao Tong's eyes and said, "Is the prince angry because of shame? If he doesn't want to let the girl go, then he can just kill her. There is no need to look at her and be upset every day!"
Zhao Tong looked at her for a moment and said slowly: "Xiu Niang thinks I don't dare to kill you?"
When Zhu Xiuniang heard this, her eyes almost instantly burst into anger: "Is there anything else that your Highness, King Qin, dares not do? All the people in this city are under your control. Which one do you dare not kill, and which one cannot be killed?"
Zhao Tong frowned and shouted softly: "Shut up!"
Zhu Xiuniang said: "Why do you want people to shut up? Since the prince wants to do it, don't be afraid of being said. If the prince has never wanted to do it, why should he be afraid of being said!"
Zhao Tong's face was ugly, and he stood up with a "huh".
Zhu Xiuniang said slightly disdainfully: "The prince has been touched by the people's daughter. Do you want to violently kill the people? The people's girls cannot return home, and life is worse than death. It is best for the prince to kill the people's girls!"
Zhao Tong sneered: "Xiu Niang, do you really think that this king won't take action!"
Zhu Xiuniang showed a fearless look on her face and said: "Since the prince has murderous intentions, why bother talking nonsense!"
When Zhao Tong heard this, his anger suddenly subsided, and he changed to another look. He said with piercing eyes: "I do have a thought, but it is not murderous!"
After that, he took two steps forward.
Zhu Xiuniang's originally calm and calm expression suddenly changed, and panic suddenly appeared on her face. She said: "Evil King, what do you want to do!"
Zhao Tong said: "Since Xiu Niang is not even afraid of death, why are you asking this king?"
"I'm not afraid of anything!" Zhu Xiuniang moved towards the couch: "Zhao Tong, don't threaten me!"
Zhao Tong smiled and took a few steps forward.
"That's very good. I am still worried that you are afraid of Xiu Niang. That would be too boring."
Zhu Xiuniang saw Zhao Tong getting closer and closer, her face turned pale, and her whole body almost moved to the couch: "Zhao Tong, you, don't come over..."
Zhao Tong shook his head and said: "This makes me wonder, Xiu Niang, since you are not afraid of anything, neither death nor killing, why are you afraid of me coming?"
He said that he had already walked to the couch.
Zhu Xiuniang had moved to the bed at this moment and huddled in the corner: "Zhao Tong, you, you..."
Zhao Tong sat on the edge of the couch, looking at Zhu Xiuniang with a smile, his eyes moving from top to bottom, and finally landed on a pair of small embroidered shoes.
Zhu Xiuniang's eyes followed his gaze, and she hurriedly shrank her delicate white ankles into her skirt.
Zhao Tong said: "It's not good to wear shoes on the couch."
After saying that, he leaned into the couch.
"Ah!" Zhu Xiuniang exclaimed: "Zhao Tong, please don't pass..."
Zhao Tong's hands were like lightning, and he didn't know what method he used. In the blink of an eye, he had a pair of embroidered shoes in his hands.
He smiled and said: "It has to look like a couch. Whose daughter have you seen sitting on it with shoes on?"
Zhu Xiuniang was lost for a moment. She had no idea how Zhao Tong took off her shoes. She bit her lips tightly and pressed her body tightly against the wall of the couch.
At this time, Zhao Tong began to reach out and put down the curtains on the silver hooks. As his fingers slid, the two curtains fell down with a "clatter".
Zhu Xiuniang suddenly lost her composure, "Zhao Tong, you, you don't want, ah..."
Outside the curtain, red candles flickered, inside the curtain, the light and shadow were dim... (End of this chapter)
