Autumn is coming quietly, and the cicadas screaming crazily on the branches gradually become deeper, less manic and restless, and they seem to feel the slightest chill.
Ling Yun was taken to the emperor's study room and knelt down to see the emperor.
The emperor said: "Get back on your feet, I think you are injured, so you can answer standing up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ling Yun stood up respectfully and stood with his hands lowered.
The emperor casually raised his eyelids and looked at the person standing in front of him with his eyes lowered and his deep eyes filled with scrutiny.
His delicate facial features are as frosty as snow, and are almost sickly pale; his slanting sword-shaped eyebrows, clear and distant black eyes, slightly pursed thin lips, and sharp outlines, coupled with his tall and tall figure, make him look cold and desolate. Standing there, like an eagle that has lost its direction in the middle of the night, confused and lonely, but also showing a bit of reserve and persistence.
The once outstanding, handsome, and light-hearted person was also infected by the secular world and fettered by the hustle and bustle of the world, and became so indifferent and alienated now - alas, the world is so ruthless...
At that moment, the emperor suddenly felt an inexplicable melancholy and sadness in his heart.
After a moment of silence, the emperor withdrew his gaze with some difficulty, and said straight to the point: "I won't bother you, let's get straight to the point. You must answer the questions I ask truthfully. If there is even half a word of lies, I will not be lenient. Ling Yun, Do you understand?"
Ling Yun said in a deep voice: "Ling Yun understands."
The emperor said: "Okay, let me ask you first: when we raided the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Punishment, you were implicated in the Prince's case and imprisoned in the sky prison. Why didn't you just stay in the prison and wait for me to arrange for someone to investigate the case?" The whole story, to restore your innocence, but you still choose to set fire to the prison, kill people and escape from prison?"
Ling Yun's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his eyes were dimmed with confusion, "Your Majesty, your grace. I originally had the same idea as your Majesty, which was to stay in the prison quietly and wait for them to investigate and collect evidence and return me. An innocent person; but that night, I was framed by their conspiracy.
"They first put medicine in the tea I drank; when I found out, they got angry, locked the cell door and set fire to the cell - they did everything they could to kill me! If I didn't escape, I would die. Ichijo, how can I have a chance to see the Holy One?..."
The emperor was surprised and said: "Oh? Could such a thing happen? Please tell me carefully."
Ling Yun nodded, and recounted in summary how the four imperial guards, Yuan Chao, Zhou Shan, Shen Hai, and jailer Zhang Hu, conspired to murder him in Tianlao that night.
The emperor was dumbfounded and sighed, and murmured: "So that's it..."
Ling Yun lowered his silent eyes and said silently: "Yes."
The emperor frowned slightly, paused for a moment and said, "I'll ask you again, do you know the whereabouts of the dragon, phoenix and jade talisman?"
Ling Yun said bluntly: "I know that the dragon and phoenix jade talisman has been destroyed by Ling Yun."
"What? Did you destroy the dragon and phoenix jade talisman?" The emperor was shocked. I thought to myself: "This Ling Yun should not be underestimated. He is so bold and dares to do anything outrageous!"
He was a little stunned and confused, and his eyes became cold and cold, "Why?..."
Ling Yun lowered his head and said nothing, his face became extremely ugly, and the painful, humiliating and unbearable experience a few days ago came to mind again like an electric shock.
The emperor looked at his painful and tangled expression, and couldn't help but feel soft in his heart, and said softly: "Ling Yun, what's wrong with you?"
Ling Yun came back to his senses, stabilized his chaotic mind, and whispered: "It's nothing. At that time, Ling Yun was careless and fell into the hands of Li Ruiyun and others. They used hard and soft tactics on me, coerced and lured me, and forced me to hand over the dragon, phoenix and jade talismans.
"Ling Yun was really forced by them to the point of desperation... With no choice but to resort to a trick, he took them to the study room where Mr. Lu used to work in the Ministry of Punishment.
"Ling Yun was determined to die with them, so he found the dragon and phoenix jade talisman from under the bookcase, and detonated the gunpowder mechanism next to it..."
When Ling Yun said these words, his words were calm and his face was expressionless; but the emperor was speechless for a long time, and then said after a long time: "Ling Yun, you are really capable! I admire your courage and courage. , it seems that you are really what people call a lone hero!"
Ling Yun heard the emperor's tone full of teasing, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Sir, don't make fun of Ling Yun anymore. Ling Yun was just forced by them at that time, and he was really unwilling to let the dragon, phoenix and jade talisman fall into their hands, so he made a desperate move. I just want to fight them to the death.
"And it was true that many Tianxiao disciples were killed at that time. It's a pity that Li Ruiyun and Bai Yu, that stinky Taoist priest, were not killed. It's really a pity!..."
The emperor glanced at him and said slowly: "Ling Yun, not only did you escape from danger, but you also turned defeat into victory and killed so many of them. It is really a great achievement! Tell me, should I take care of you? I’ll give you a reward!”
Seeing the emperor's mouth full of ridiculing words, Ling Yun felt helpless and had to bow his head and remain silent.
The emperor added: "There's just one thing I can't figure out right now."
Ling Yun looked up at the emperor.
The emperor looked at him with a gloomy look, and said in a somewhat narrow tone: "You, Ling Yun, have always been fearless of heaven and earth. You regard death as home, fearless and fearless. You said that you are not even afraid of death, and how do Tianxiao's people treat you?" How can you use coercion and inducement to make you willing to succumb to their power and obey their mercy?..."
Ling Yun was stunned for a moment, and his originally clear eyes were covered by a sharply smudged thick black ink; the tiger's mouth hidden under his sleeves was also clenched tightly in his fists, stretching out the veins on the back of his hands.
"Sir, do you know that sometimes, some things are more terrifying than death... Just like the situation at that time, if Ling Yun was given a choice, Ling Yun would rather die ten times than encounter such a thing once..."
The emotions in the emperor's eyes couldn't help but tremble violently. His eyes were fixed on his face, the light spots in his black eyes were sparse and broken, and he almost said every word through his teeth: "Tell me, what did Li Ruiyun do to you?..."
"They humiliated me in every possible way, even..." Ling Yun's face was pale, his eyes were red and broken.
The emperor suddenly had an illusion, as if there was a heavy downpour for no reason. The rain poured on him with invisible power, extinguishing the remaining pride in his bones inch by inch.
"Tell me, has that bastard succeeded?..." The emperor's face was dark and he gritted his teeth.
The emperor's voice was low, but every word hit Ling Yun's heart.
"No..." He shook his head slumped, his eyelids drooped, like a remade defective product that was pulled off the altar, his voice was so hoarse that even he could not hear it, "So I was forced to have no choice but to They took them hostage and went to the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Justice to look for the Dragon and Phoenix Jade Talismans——"
"It seems that in your mind, Master Ling, personal honor and disgrace are sometimes more important than the country!" The line on the emperor's lips gradually straightened, and his tone was filled with unabashed ridicule.
"Your Majesty..." The corners of Ling Yun's mouth drooped, leaving only a hint of feeble bitterness.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's get back to the business." The emperor squinted his eyes, with a trace of inquiry in his eyes, and glanced at him casually: "Who doesn't know that you, Ling Daxia, are the heroes of the world, with unparalleled martial arts skills? These days, you are even more so. The whole capital was in panic all day long.
"I'm just curious. There are so many powerful officials, soldiers and guards who can't catch you. How did you fall into Li Ruiyun's hands so easily?"
"..." Ling Yun felt that his throat was swollen and filled with a salty smell. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say, so he lowered his head and said nothing.
The emperor looked at him condescendingly, and said with a stern expression: "Why don't you speak again? Is there anything else that is unspeakable?"
Ling Yun bit his lip and said: "At that time, Li Ruiyun held Huanyu and Tianci hostage to blackmail my father... Oh, it was Mr. He, and threatened him that only I can exchange for Huanyu and the others; Mr. He was helpless , so they had to put a very heavy dose of drug in my wine, knocked me out, and handed me over to them..."
By the end, his voice was trembling and he could no longer speak.
The emperor listened thoughtfully, and couldn't help but think of what Princess Chang Qing had told him a few days ago that Ling Yun was her son, and he understood the whole story even more.
He pondered for a moment, looked at him with interest and said: "Ling Yun, I ask you, are you really the child who was taken away by the wet nurse of He Mansion more than thirty years ago?"
Ling Yun was touched in a sore spot and was extremely sad; but faced with the emperor's question, he had to answer. He lowered his head in frustration, his back tensed and his voice hoarse, "Yes."
The emperor looked into his eyes and said, "In other words, He Yuting is your biological father?"
Ling Yun nodded silently.
The emperor curled his lips playfully and sighed: "This He Yuting is really good. A tiger's poison doesn't even eat its children. He can actually send his own son into the tiger's mouth with his own hands..."
Ling Yun's eyes were dark and showed no emotion; his lips moved slightly, but in the end he didn't say a word.
The emperor asked: "Do you still hate him now?"
Ling Yun did not answer directly, but just said: "Actually, he had no choice but to save Huanyu and Tianci; and at that time, Li Ruiyun came for me, and Huanyu and Tianci were also implicated by me..."
The corners of the emperor's lips gradually deepened, and he said quietly: "So you don't hate him anymore?..."
Ling Yun said in a thick voice: "Your Majesty, Ling Yun begs you, can you stop saying these things?"
Looking at Ling Yun's sad and painful expression, the emperor felt pity in his heart, and sighed: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about business first!"
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his eyelashes and looked into Ling Yun's eyes and said, "Then let me ask you again, how did you pretend to be Yuan Chao and disappear from the palace?"...
