The moon was dark and the wind was high, and the strange trees were dense. The mist near the mountain spread from the cracks in the rocks, obscuring the vision. Only a few guards were walking on a small road carrying heavy objects.
In the hazy night, several people sometimes saw the damaged tile eaves, sometimes thought of the wind and rain, and sometimes looked at how these broken buildings were supported by the beautiful government buildings with difficulty.
The night shadows were surging as a few people turned deep into the flower hall on the west side of the Fuzhou government office. A winding path suddenly extended, leading faintly to several ancient courtyards hidden in the shade. The sculptures on the copper shop fronts were already in the style of the pre-Song Dynasty. , nature has long been rusty.
Walking along this road, several people passed by the Dharma Examination Hall and the Judgment Room, which have pointed roofs at the four corners. The gusts of cold wind seemed to be carrying a lingering atmosphere of resentment and death, making the old police officer feel... My bones are cold and my steps are heavy.
There may be people who have been here for thousands of years to get their own way, but no one has been able to seek justice.
"Damn it, hurry up, you'll be unlucky every time you come to this damn place..."
The old guard in front slipped and fell, and he hurriedly urged, "This Rongcheng is in troubled times. If the magistrate hadn't suddenly counted the books, I wouldn't have done this damn job today."
Seeing someone breaking their inhibitions, several people let out a sigh of relief, and another escort hurriedly spoke, fearing that the damn silence would surround them again.
"Grandma, how come I vaguely heard that it was Commander Bai of Prince Geng's Mansion who entrusted the person to find the magistrate?"
The other two guards also cursed in their mouths. It is said that this method can strengthen the three yang fires in the body and avoid being entangled by the dirty things wandering around the detention center at night.
"Weird things are also normal, aren't they all done by humans?"
The young guard said unconvinced, "Just like the strange thing about the three mountains and two towers, I heard that it was caused by the Geng family digging at the bottom of the black and white twin towers late at night."
"Nonsense. People in the city also said that anyone who accidentally walked in and saw it was beheaded on the spot. Who lived to tell it? I better collect these things, why do I have to send them to this damn place?"
"You still have to ask, it must be for the prisoner who was imprisoned a few days ago. What is the crime? Murder?"
"Don't ask! If Prince Geng's palace is so domineering, then why does the imperial envoy need a reason to arrest people?"
An old guard immediately yelled and cursed. He knew very well that the more he knew, the faster he would die, so he tried to persuade the stupid young man to shut up.
The gloomy brick and stone building in the northwest corner, even if it is surrounded by bamboo fences, covered with vines, and covered with thousands of bamboo poles outside the courtyard, can't stop the stench.
The only new escort covered his nose to resist the stench. He did not expect that the Fuzhou government office, which looked magnificent on the outside, would be such a dirty place.
"You haven't seen how powerful that imperial envoy is. He has ransacked more than 20 houses in the past few days. Who dares to say no when arresting people and confiscating their homes? I think he is the evil star who came to earth and was born to destroy families!"
The new escort recalled the fierce appearance of Monk Yankong, and the domineering way he led the people to drive out the prefect's subordinates that night. No one dared to look up at the scene.
But after all, he was young and energetic, and he still refused to apologize.
"No matter how great the imperial envoy's kung fu is, he's just like us with one head and two arms. I don't think it's anything special..."
Several old escorts sneered.
"Then tell me, is the young prince in Prince Geng's Mansion very powerful? It is said that he met the imperial envoy once and was frightened into madness when he returned. He is still locked up in the mansion."
The voices gradually subsided, and through the open mullioned window near the front eaves of the gable, one could vaguely see four escorts working together, nervously carrying large boxes of food and clothing as they walked deeper.
"It scares people to death. There are rumors that this monk and the imperial envoy likes to eat human livers raw. Is it true?"
"It's not impossible. You see, on the first day he went to Rongcheng, he dared to stuff prisoners into that hellish place where he was held hostage. His behavior was exactly the same as that of Magistrate Ling. He is not a magnanimous person at first glance..."
When he accidentally mentioned the former prefect, several old guards became quiet.
The road became increasingly difficult to walk, and the four of them could only walk in a row connected from front to back, gradually approaching a building on the mountain that could not be illuminated by the moonlight.
The outer wall is covered with moss and green radish, and the broken door is dark and open, which is the source of all the eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
The new police officer was young and energetic, and he always felt that these old gangsters were scaring him all the way, so he said unconvincingly: "Then what's so big about this holding station? Why are you so scared?"
"Don't talk nonsense when you go inside. Put the person in the room and leave!"
The old guards all stopped and told the new guards, "There was a former prefect of Fuzhou, Mr. Ling, who was ruthless and good at inflicting injustice. In those years, he and his master made this place a hell on earth."
"Kind and weak people cannot survive three days inside, so the survivors in the hostage are all strong thieves, and only a few treacherous and evil people can survive to this day. Don't mess with them!"
"What crime did they commit? Why are they so cruel?"
The new guard asked bravely, wondering if there was a big robber leader who had been committing crimes for many years imprisoned inside?
"I don't know, and no one knows."
In troubled times, the world is turned upside down, and several people openly admit that as police officers, they are afraid of prisoners.
Another old guard next to him added, "The previous prefect died more than ten years ago on the day Emperor Longwu of the former Ming Dynasty fled. All the subordinate officials also fled, so that all the cases were scattered and burned. What evil did these prisoners do? Don’t know anything.”
The new guard racked his brains and couldn't figure out the reason. Finally, he could only ask vaguely: "Even if there are no charges, why don't these prisoners in the hostage center be released or run away?"
As soon as these words came out, the voices in the dark alley fell silent. The old guard walking at the end of the team was silent for a long time and finally said.
"Release? This matter is an unjust case, and release does not mean killing or killing. The successive prefects were afraid of being caught in the capital investigation plan and being reported as being incompetent in making decisions, so they ordered the Yamen to deliver three meals a day. "
An old guard said in a weird tone, "With our heavy punishment, we can temporarily stabilize this gang of thugs. What's more important is that until now, no one has told them that Mingming has been dead for more than ten years..."
A single gasp sounded in the darkness.
"These are all immoral things..."
Several old people simply stopped at the door to talk, and quickly warned him, "Don't talk nonsense when you go in. No one can bear the responsibility for trouble..."
An old escort seemed to think about it for a long time, and finally whispered: "The new prisoner is not a good person. I heard that the Imperial Envoy forced Mr. Zhao to enter and wanted to copy the case files, but he walked to the door. I escaped because I saw ghost missions patrolling and people chanting prophecies. They were all weird and bizarre things..."
"Oh, tell me?"
Several people asked.
The old escort repeatedly confirmed that there was no one around, and then said softly: "I don't remember, it's better to finish the errand and leave! There are too many lunatics in the city recently, and two people also appeared in the Yizhuang in the west of the city a few days ago. Woolen cloth."
"I know this! Two people broke into the corpse of the deceased Yizhuang guest and slashed with swords. They looked like crazy demons. It is said that when they were caught, their mouths were full of rotten flesh from the corpse..."
"Tsk, tsk, it's really scary!"
But just as a few of them were muttering at the door and not daring to go in, a zigzag and jingling sound was suddenly heard in the eerie waiting room.
As they turned around stiffly, what was enough to scare them away was that the night fog was filled with shadows on both sides of the path.
Two blurry figures moved like puppets, holding swords, or law enforcement weapons, or ringing bells, making a tinkling sound. There seemed to be a few shadows kneeling in mourning, crying, and I felt a shiver all over my body...
The fishy wind and strange mist came towards them, and several guards fell to the ground with their souls scattered. They felt that the evil guards had surrounded them, and streams of black blood flowed out of the seven orifices of the two people in front and behind them.
But at this moment, another gloomy wind rushed in, and as the room reverberated, it seemed that many people were chanting inexplicable verses in unison.
The syllables and rhythms of the sobs coming from the waiting room penetrated into their ears one after another, and the expressions on the faces of several escorts became more and more distorted, until they could no longer hide the fear surging in their pupils.
"Suddenly, a madman sharpens his knife at night..."
"The emperor's star flutters and shines high..."
"From now on, things will change forever..."
"Why bother killing someone with such hard work...
Jiang Wen shouted at the top of his lungs in the holding center, scaring the people outside the door out of their wits.
He only heard a clang of heavy objects falling to the ground outside, and a strong wind came and went suddenly. He went out to take a look in half-hearted mood, and found that it was not the master sent by Monk Yankong, but two servants who refused to rest in peace, and a few people who were scared to death. Incontinent escort.
"I don't know if this is a misrescue or an accidental injury."
He took the things away nonchalantly, looked at the mark of Fuwei Escort Agency on the box, and nodded slightly.
This was his fourth night in the prison. Everything was going well. The people here were friendly and the environment was quiet. However, the sanitary conditions were not very good, so he specially found a room with no traces of dirt or blood and was cleaned to the best of his ability. It's a clean cell.
"Two inmates, my brother brought good things today. We are destined to meet each other. You can take what you want, feed and clothe yourself."
Jiang Wen waved his hand and said to the two men with disheveled hair and unshaven beards in the cell, not caring that he couldn't even see their faces clearly.
It was a coincidence that after Jiang Wen came in, he felt like a hell on earth. The few remaining prisoners inside were all fierce and terrifying in appearance. They grinded their teeth and sucked blood every day. They were all kept alone in small cages, and they could not walk, sit or sleep without leaving them. , so that everything is dirty.
Only two silent prisoners lived in the deepest cell. They tried their best to clean themselves and the cell was tidy and tidy, and they were not robbed or bullied by others.
The reason is also obvious. Although the cell is clean, the wooden window pillars are stained with blood that has darkened over time, making people shudder.
Jiang Wen always had a big heart, so he opened the lock and went in. After saying hello to the two inexplicable inmates, he found a place as his own territory.
Upon hearing Jiang Wen's greeting, the tall inmate, whose temples were already graying prematurely, came over alone, dragging his heavy handcuffs and shackles.
The thick iron chain around his neck was so heavy that he could not stand upright. The handcuffs and shackles that were tightly tied to his limbs were also embedded in his skin. Due to long-term congestion, they became discolored and developed sores, which completely grew into his skin. It may not be able to be separated even when the key is opened.
The man took a set of clean clothes with difficulty and tried every means to put them on himself, forcing a smile on his extraordinarily pale face.
"Thank you."
The other party's voice was mellow and powerful, not hoarse or crazy at all due to being in prison for a long time. This was also the first sentence they successfully exchanged since Jiang Wen came in.
The inmate on the other side was relatively silent, still sitting cross-legged on the bed against the wall, without even opening his eyes.
Jiang Wen picked out a sesame oil chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and threw it on his clean straw mat. Only when he saw him frowning deeply did he open his eyes and slowly reached out and took away the fat chicken.
As his body moved, Jiang Wen saw the two iron hooks that penetrated deeply into his bones.
The iron hook severely restricted his movement of leaning forward, and it was stabbed in the bones for a long time. The wound could no longer bleed, but it still caused him great pain. The fingers of his stretched out hands were even more mutilated, and he was obviously suffering from it. Torture in prison.
He didn't say a word, just kept eating the fat chicken, and didn't stop until his mouth was full of oil.
Jiang Wen watched this scene with great satisfaction. He came to Longchang to learn Taoism for three days, and finally reached a good relationship with the inmates. The next step will definitely be to fully integrate into this place, and then strive for a reduced sentence to be released from prison and start a new life.
"Friends outside, would you like to come in and eat together?"
The strange wind in the forest suddenly hit, and two tall, thin and weird figures suddenly appeared, rushing towards the depths of the hostage center without a trace. The dust fascinated the eyes of the prisoners in the cells along the way, and they only felt a biting murderous aura. Chiao Ming.
Jiang Wen opened his eyes unaffected, staring at the two strange figures coming towards him, and instantly pulled the tall prisoner beside him to block him.
"Inmate, you two have enjoyed the good things. Now that my two enemies are here, will you each share one?"
The heavily shackled prisoner looked pale, but still had a forced smile on his face.
"not my business."
Jiang Wen glanced at the prisoner who had pierced the pipa bone again. The prisoner was still chewing the roasted chicken meticulously without even raising his head. His facial features were all buried in the disheveled hair. It was obvious that there was no hope.
pity.
Jiang Wen sighed secretly and then stood up.
"Kunzhong Chang, I have nothing to do with your master's death. I entered Netherworld Alley with you that day, and I had no idea what was going on outside. You should be very clear about this."
Only separated by a few prison pillars, Jiang Wen could clearly see the faces of the Chang brothers.
They have become so thin that they have lost their appearance in a few days. Their thick eye circles and bloodshot eyes look like monsters. Their black and white robes are worn to tatters. Now they look more like the legendary seducers.
Chang Bozhi's skinny face was full of anger, and his withered palm suddenly grasped the wooden pillar, making a strange creaking sound with the force of his palm.
"Master has been kind to us. We don't know who killed him, but we will definitely find the murderer and pay with blood!"
Chang Hezhi also said hoarsely.
"You have suspicions and clues. We will try our best to come here. You must come with us today..."
Jiang Wen sighed. The other party's appearance of excessive wear and tear was clearly a hidden injury caused by forcibly stimulating internal and external skills. If it goes on for a long time, he may even become obsessed.
"Did you fight against Monk Yankong?"
A trace of fear flashed in Chang Hezhi's eyes.
"The monk's kung fu is very powerful. He fought with us twice and suffered a lot. Tonight, while he was out, we successfully sneaked into the government office..."
Jiang Wen spread his hands and said honestly: "You don't have to look for me anymore, I won't leave."
The expression on Chang Bozhi's face was strange, as if he didn't expect such a reply, and his hoarse voice raised a few degrees.
"The other party acted so recklessly, don't you want to clear the suspicion and give yourself justice?"
"Why are you going out? I'm bored alone outside and I don't have a girlfriend."
Jiang Wen walked back to the depths of the cell indifferently, leaning under the narrow window and saying in a lazy voice: "Everyone in this holding center is talented, and they speak well. I really like being there..."
The Chang brothers stopped using the tone of discussion and said in a cold voice: "If you don't want to leave today, you have to leave!"
Jiang Wen glanced at them sideways, took out a bottle of wine from what Lin Zhennan had sent, and drank it by himself.
"Of course I don't go out for a reason. Some things may not be clear to you in prison. Don't you think it's ridiculous to be running around these days?"
Jiang Wen said the provocative words with a hint of smile in his eyes, "It's funny, I stayed in there for three days and I have thought through a lot of issues. Even things that I didn't understand in reading in the past have been figured out by me. I see This is not only not a prison cell, but a blessed place for dragons to gain enlightenment..."
The Chang brothers looked at each other and said in unison: "Do you know who the murderer is?!"
"You misunderstood. I just thought about an allusion. Since we met today, I will share it with you. Have you heard the story of Zheng Beke and Duan Yuyan?"
Jiang Wen shook his head and said slowly, "Gong Zheng Zhuang and his uncle Duan are brothers, but because one had a difficult delivery and the other had a normal delivery, their mother Wu Jiang only favored her younger brother Duan and hated Duke Zheng Zhuang so much that she even helped her younger brother rebel against her older brother. , the story of being finally defeated by Zheng Zhuanggong."
"More later, Duke Zhuang of Zheng exiled his mother, who supported the rebellion, to Cheng Ying, and swore that she would never meet again if she was not as good as Huangquan. Fortunately, under the persuasion of the doctor Ying Kaoshu, Duke Zhuang of Zheng dug a large underground tunnel, and the mother and son finally When we meet again, we will be mother and son as before."
Jiang Wen told a famous story in Gu Wen Guan Zhi, and then spoke slowly.
"But I clearly feel that Mr. Zheng Zhuang is a traitor of a generation. In the past, he indulged his mother and protected his younger brother in order to prepare for the act of eradicating the threat in one fell swoop - after all, he could preserve his reputation as a filial brother and kill his younger brother justifiably. , the only way is to make the other party commit the crime of disobeying the country..."
"What's even more interesting is that Duke Zhuang of Zheng told the outside world that he had exiled his mother to Ying City, but during the conversation with Uncle Kao of Ying City, he accidentally let it slip. The original text of Zuo Zhuan is: 'The Duke said: You have a mother's legacy, Hu. I am alone. Uncle Ying Kao said: "May I ask what it means?" Because of the public language, I also regretted it. "
"To put it another way, could it be that Duke Zheng Zhuang had secretly killed his mother in Chengying and just imprisoned a substitute there, so the two of them have long been separated by yin and yang?"
As soon as these words came out, the Chang brothers, although they did not read much, were shocked by the cruelty and ruthlessness in Jiang Wen's words. They felt that the Zheng Zhuanggong in his mouth was a hypocritical, cruel and treacherous man who could kill his mother and his brother with great justice.
"It's just a family thing."
The chained prisoner actually made a sound, and the smile on his face faded.
Jiang Wenze shook his head again.
"Then tell me, what does the act of digging the ground and the underworld mean? In the middle of the first year of Lu Yin's reign, it was written that Gong entered and wrote: In the big tunnel, the joy is also harmonious! Jiang came out and wrote: Outside the big tunnel, the other people It’s so joyful! I think this is the son who pretends to be quite peaceful even after death, while the mother sarcastically says, it’s a joyful thing to be alive like you.”
As soon as these words came out, several people inside and outside the cell were stunned and thought it was extremely ridiculous.
Only the prisoner who had the iron hook pierced through his bones nodded slowly and remained silent.
The chained prisoner shook his head and sighed: "What you said is getting more and more ridiculous. Later in the book it is written, 'Mother and son are as good as ever', doesn't it mean that the two have reconciled and are as good as ever?"
"reconcile?"
Jiang Wen laughed wildly, spilling the wine in his glass, and looked around at the Chang brothers and the two inmates for a long time.
"Hahaha, that's what Weiyan Dayi is! Remember what I said before, Wu Jiang has never liked this eldest son! It's impossible to reconcile as before, and it's impossible to reconcile as before!"
By the time the laughter stopped, the cell had already fallen into silence.
"So I guess that Uncle Yingkao, the doctor, not only gave the idea for Zheng Zhuanggong to dig a tunnel, but also offered him a soul-invoking magic that transcends the underworld, so that Zheng Zhuanggong could meet his mother who had been killed long ago in the Tunnel of Underworld!"
The Chang brothers were dumbfounded. They seemed to have noticed something abnormal in Jiang Wen's mind and suspected that he had gone crazy.
But the chained prisoner frowned tightly, with a thoughtful expression on his pale face.
"Hearing what you said, I remembered a legend. Uncle Ying Kao later performed great feats by dancing a flag and seizing a chariot, but he was shot with an arrow from behind. For this purpose, Duke Zhuang of Zheng brought out pigs, dogs, chickens and other sacrifices, which were led by a wizard. After reciting the mantra together for three days, Uncle Yingkao's wronged soul will be restored to his righteousness, and his grandson and grandson who were wounded by secret arrows will have their souls tied up and demand their lives, and then they will commit suicide."
Jiang Wen was silent for a while: "The time of the netherworld has existed since ancient times. Who can explain it clearly? Uncle Yingkao probably didn't expect that he should offer the secret of the Tunnel of Underworld and finally avenge his innocence..."
What inspired Jiang Wen was the screams made by Protector Huang of the White Lotus Sect before his death.
There seemed to be a lot of terrible information hidden in his head, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't describe the weirdness, so he only revealed some weird rumors.
His descriptions were all kinds of things, such as the long-standing Nether Alley in Fuzhou City, the Skull Governor, the death of Sun Ce, and the sight of ghosts in the spring by the King of Fujian. However, these are all related to the mysterious and mysterious Netherworld, so Jiang Wen had to use The greatest imagination, trying to restore all this.
What he couldn't ignore even more was that Yan Gao, the governor of the Western Jin Dynasty, dug out the West Lake when he was building the city. It was rumored that he dug out the eye of the sea deep in the ground, which finally led to the discovery of the ancient temple at the bottom of the lake.
That's right, it's Wei and Jin again!
He didn't have to make too many malicious guesses, but he had no favorable impression of these Wei and Jin rhinoceros who were good at causing trouble - even if the prefect who was born in the Yan family of Langya didn't cause trouble himself, he could still prevent other Wei and Jin aristocratic families from interfering with them. Hands and feet?
Jiang Wen originally didn't want to care about the changes that happened in Fuzhou City, and he had no way to connect these weird things between the three mountains and two towers in Rong City, but now it seems that he has guessed some truth from Huang Hufa...
Someone is playing chess.
There are many people playing chess.
There are many doubts in this chaotic situation. Everyone thinks he is a chess player who wants to play a big game of chess with all the people in the world as chess pieces. But they don’t know that as soon as they step into it, they will become another ignorant chess piece and can only be beaten. Forced to walk by the general situation of the game, there is no way to escape.
Jiang Wen's words shocked the entire audience, but his expression suddenly softened. He walked to the cell pillar and looked at the stunned Chang brothers.
"To be honest, it's not time for me to get involved yet, so I won't leave. I'm not interested in who the murderer is."
He smiled kindly and looked at the angry-looking Chang brothers, as if he was saying something completely normal.
"But if you can go outside and bring something over, I might be able to let your dead master cross the netherworld and come to see you in person..."
Jiang Wen kept his voice very low, with a deliberately bewitching tone.
"What do you think?"
