The light in front of me was dim, and an indescribable sour smell permeated the entire space, but in my ears I heard the "squeaking" sound of mice.
Xiao Yu leaned on the pile of rotten grass at the base of the wall, his mood as gloomy as the entire cell. It seemed that he was really going to sit through the bottom of the cell.
He felt that he had been forgotten by the world. Since Xiao Yuwan left that night, except for the jailer who regularly delivered meals and cleaned up the bucket, no one had been here again.
He felt like he was so idle that his whole body was growing hairy, but the heavy shackles on his body prevented him from moving around like a normal person. Even if he wanted to keep track of time normally, this confined space also made it difficult for him to tell the difference between morning and morning. hour and evening.
In this closed and dark environment, Xiao Yu's originally frantic heart gradually calmed down. He seemed to have resigned himself to his fate and could only endure this endless life sentence.
He now understands that death may make people feel more relieved than this endless "life imprisonment", but once death comes, will he still have such a feeling?
Another burst of footsteps came from outside. Xiao Yu, who was still thinking about life and death, suddenly became more energetic. He sat up straight and looked towards the cell door.
The noise was getting closer and closer, and Xiao Yu was very sure that it was not the sound of the jailer coming to deliver food or changing the bucket, because it was also mixed with some subtle sounds of armor plates clashing and chaotic footsteps.
Xiao Yu was horrified. He was thinking about the upcoming scene. He was choosing between poisonous wine, white silk or a dagger. It seemed that every way to die was unpleasant.
Soon, the iron door opened again, and a ball of orange-red flames illuminated Xiao Yu, which made Xiao Yu unable to open his eyes. A group of soldiers with bright armor walked in first and guarded both sides of the aisle. They were all strong and majestic. .
Following closely was an internal official in white palace uniform. He only had a whisk in his hand, but there was no imperial edict.
There were also four Huang Men behind him. Their hands were folded and placed neatly in front of their lower abdomen. There was no self-cutting object in their hands.
The fire came closer, and Xiao Yu, who had been in the dim environment for a long time, felt the light was more and more dazzling. The cell door was opened, and he vaguely saw the internal official in white palace uniform walking in.
After a while, Xiao Yu got used to the dazzling light, and when he looked up, he saw the internal official standing not far away, staring straight at him.
"Zhou... Zhou Gong..."
Xiao Yu called out. He was not surprised that the person in front of him appeared here.
It's just that the other party's expression was stern, and a disgusting and arrogant attitude was always placed on his face. Thinking of the experience that night, Xiao Yu still felt a little angry in his heart.
Zhou Neiguan glanced at Xiao Yu and said, "Your Majesty, please ask Prince Jiangxia how your life is going."
Xiao Yu smiled, pulled the chains on his body, and said with an indifferent expression: "Very good." He raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Neiguan again, "Duke Zhou, your majesty asked you to come here just to care about the lives of your ministers?"
"Of course not."
"Are you going to see the misery of your subordinates?"
Zhou Neiguan slowly shook his head.
"What is that? Did the Duke of Zhou come to issue an edict to kill his ministers, or did he tell his ministers to wait until autumn to ask for execution?"
"None of them." Zhou Neiguan's tone was still indifferent, "Firstly, we didn't bring the imperial edict, and secondly, we didn't bring the poisoned wine. Bai Ling, we are just here to deliver a message for His Majesty."
"Just ask me if your life is good. If it is good, so what? If not, so what?"
Zhou Naiguan frowned: "His Royal Highness, if you always want to go against His Majesty, sooner or later you will not be able to reap the benefits."
"I've been talking for a long time, what on earth are you here for."
"His Majesty really asked our family to ask about the situation of the Prince of Jiangxia and to see his current situation."
"Look at my current situation?"
Zhou Neiguan nodded: "Let's see if the prince can accompany his majesty on a hunting trip..."
Xiao Yu couldn't believe his ears.
"Duke Zhou said that Your Majesty wants me to accompany him on hunting?"
"Your Majesty said this, if the prince is in good health, then he can come with our family."
…
Xiao Yu was not removed from the shackles, but walked out of the prison gate under the escort of soldiers.
A dazzling light shone into his eyes, making him feel dizzy. At the same time, he realized that it was still daytime, not night as he imagined.
In front of him, an iron cage carriage used to hold prisoners was parked in an open space not far away. In front of and behind the carriage stood brightly-armored Forbidden soldiers and Ouchi guards.
He felt someone was staring at him, and when he looked up, he saw a few familiar faces among the guards. They were several guards. They nodded respectfully at Xiao Yu.
But apart from being familiar, Xiao Yu couldn't think of where he had seen them before.
At this time, Zhou Neiguan on the side said with a smile but not a smile: "It's better to trouble the prince and leave it for a while."
Xiao Yu looked at the iron prison and curled his lips: "This standard is quite high. Without the iron cage and so many guards, I can't escape."
"How come our family doesn't know about the prince's magical powers?" Zhou Neiguan smiled, "Not only our family, but your majesty also knows it very well. Your majesty is afraid that with the prince's current reputation, how many heroes will come to rob the prison. , if the eldest son has any problems, our family cannot afford to have such a relationship."
Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows pretending to be relaxed: "I won't embarrass Duke Zhou."
After saying that, he was about to climb onto the prison car, but he was shackled all over his body. Before one leg could be lifted, the chain on the other leg was pulled away.
Just when Xiao Yu felt that he was going to make a fool of himself, a figure suddenly came up to him and said in a low voice: "My little prince, I'm here to help you."
Xiao Yu turned to look at the person who came, and saw that the man was about forty, dressed as a guard, with a medium build and a beard. He didn't look tall, but he gave people a feeling of being smart and capable.
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes: "Have we met before?"
The other party cupped his hand and smiled casually: "I've seen it before. That day at Chaogou Pier, Liu Changshi's silver gun was in the hands of the villain."
Upon hearing Chaogou Pier, Xiao Yu's eyes immediately flashed with anger.
The other party observed his words, with a look of fear on his face, and explained: "Liu Changshi's gun was collected by the villain that day and was temporarily kept for the young prince, but it was not the villain who killed that day... The villain did not approve of their killing."
"What's your name?" Xiao Yu asked.
"The villain Zhao Shouzhong."
When the two of them said this, the urging voice of Zhou Neiguan came from behind: "Guard Zhao, what are you doing? You are not waiting for the prince to get in the car."
Zhao Shouzhong responded and said to Xiao Yu: "My young prince, please forgive me for being disrespectful."
As he spoke, Zhao Shouzhong held Xiao Yu's arm with one hand and exerted force on his waist with the other. Xiao Yu felt that his whole body was lifted off the ground and his feet just reached the door frame of the iron cage.
He couldn't help but look back at Zhao Shouzhong. This guard seemed to be thin, but his arm strength was so amazing.
When he looked back, his whole body was already in the iron cage. The cage was low, so he could only sit on his waist.
As the iron door was locked, a dark curtain covered the entire iron cage, and Xiao Yu's eyes fell into darkness again.
Xiao Yu's body swayed slightly as the carriage moved. He didn't know how long he had stayed here before he finally left the prison where felons from the imperial court were held.
…
The royal road was bustling with pedestrians. Liquor flags were flying on both sides of the spacious road, and there were rows of restaurants and shops, creating a lively and peaceful scene.
Guiyun Tower is an inconspicuous one among these restaurants, but in Jiankang, the capital of the capital, where every inch of land is precious, it welcomes people every day, and also receives many merchants and merchants from all over the country. A regular local customer.
On the third floor of this restaurant, in a private room facing the royal road, a woman in red was looking out the window at the flow of people.
A handsome man sat opposite her, cynically admiring the beautiful woman in red in front of him.
"What's there to see?" The woman in red glanced at the handsome man angrily.
The handsome man smiled slightly, calmly picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip: "It's beautiful, I can't get enough of it."
The woman in red has long been accustomed to the man's glib tongue. She is neither happy nor angry: "Awu, everyone else has returned to the north. You should go back to Luoyang. You staying in the Nan family will do no good to the country or to yourself."
The handsome man seemed to be interested: "Oh? I want to hear you tell me what is public and what is private?"
The woman in red frowned slightly. She and the man had known each other since childhood, and she knew that she couldn't argue with him. If she was a little careless, she would fall into the trap of words set by him.
"I have no personal feelings for Awu, only companionship. Awu has no personal interests and is just a waste of his time."
"Hongxiao thinks so? You are so self-righteous!" The man named Awu was Da Xiwu. He smiled bitterly and continued, "How can I stay in Xiao Qi on a public or private basis? For so many years, the imperial court has been Isn’t the investment in Chunxiang Painted Boat enough? If there is a loss in Chunxiang Painted Boat, it will be a loss for the imperial court, which is justified for both public and personal reasons. However, Hongxiang disobeyed Yunniang’s order and insisted on staying in Jiankang. It’s public!”
"you……"
Hongxiao pointed at Da Xiwu but was speechless and couldn't say a word to refute.
"Hongxiao, you should only stay here because of that little prince! You have only known each other for a short time, and you don't even understand each other. Why do you think he fell in love at first sight? In the end, you are the only one who will be hurt, and only me..."
Da Xiwu spoke sincerely and his eyes were full of affection, but Hong Xiao only looked at him and looked away.
"You do not understand……"
"I don't understand? Hongxiao, you and I are childhood sweethearts. We've known each other since we were young. Yes, when I was a child, I liked to play tricks and made you cry a lot, but those were all..."
"Don't talk about that time! I don't care, and I have never been really angry with Ah Wu. In Hongxiao's heart, Ah Wu is just a partner and brother. Apart from that, he has no other feelings. I hope Ah Wu can return to Luoyang soon. Come on, stop pestering Hung Hom here!"
Da Xiwu looked angry. He drank the wine in one gulp and poured it out for himself.
He couldn't understand more and more, that Xiao Yu was just born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he happened to be born with a good skin. He had average martial arts skills, average methods of doing things, and no heroic spirit of decisive killing. How did he get such a person? The Queen Mother, Prince Qinghe, and even Chunxiang Huafang were favored by many beauties, and even more so that Hongxiao was obsessed with him, having three courses of tea and not thinking about food.
The more Da Xiwu thought about it, the angrier he became, and he said loudly: "He can't come out! Follow me back to Luoyang!"
Hong Xiao's eyes were filled with anger, and she turned back to glance at Da Xiwu.
"If you go back, go back by yourself, no one can stop you!"
"What's the use of waiting for you in Jiankangku? After so many days and nights, can you find out any information? Forget him! That fool of his has been convicted of such a big crime, and he might have been punished by the emperor of the Southern Dynasty long ago. Got it!"
"That's not all because of you!"
"I...I don't want to either. That day...it's not like you didn't see how embarrassed I was that day."
Hong Xiao narrowed his eyes: "But you retreated in the end, so cleanly, leaving only some small fish and shrimps on the periphery as your last fig leaf, Da Xiwu, what did you do at that time?" How shameless, do you think I don’t know?”
"What nonsense are you talking about! It was an emergency that day, who could have predicted the situation at that time!"
"Is it such a coincidence? Da Xiwu, you should say the same thing when you meet the Queen Mother and Prince Qinghe!"
"Of course I tell the truth!"
The two were arguing here when suddenly there was a noise outside the window. The two looked at each other and stood up together to look out the window.
I saw a group of soldiers driving away people on the street, causing chaos in the market.
"What's going on?" Hong Xiao asked.
Da Xiwu looked at it for a while, with a devilish smile on his face, and his words were sarcastic: "It's such a big battle. I, the Empress Dowager of the Northern Dynasty, realized the sufferings of the people and built a lawsuit car. I often travel in the streets and alleys of Luoyang, for fear that I will not be able to do anything." It would be better for the Southern Dynasty emperor to solve the people's sufferings. How can the Southern Dynasty be undefeated if he fights like this on a single trip and disturbs the people when he crosses the border?"
"Awu, are you saying that the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty will pass through here?"
Da Xiwu came from Yu Linlang and knew the palace bans well. Although there were some differences in regulations between the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Da Xiwu could guess a lot after just a few observations.
Looking at the empty imperial road with flags fluttering and canopies gathered on the far side, Da Xiwu muttered a little. He counted the days, but couldn't figure out what day it was today.
But he still answered Hung Hom: "It seems that he is the emperor of the Southern Dynasty, but why did he leave the palace at this time?"
When Da Xiwu said this, he felt something was wrong around him. Looking at Hongxiao again, he saw that she had gotten up and left the couch to get her weapons.
"What are you going to do!" Da Xiwu asked.
"I gonna go see."
Da Xiwu stepped forward and grabbed Hong Xiao's arm: "Are you crazy? Are you going to do something stupid?"
Hongxiao glanced at Da Xiwu, struggled to free his arm, and said coldly: "I didn't do anything stupid. I just want to ask the emperor what he did to the young prince!"
"Crazy talk!" Da Xiwu shouted, "Who do you think the emperor of the Southern Dynasty is? He is a benevolent and filial emperor like our two emperors Xiaowen and Xuanwu of the Northern Dynasty? He is a murderous demon who does not blink an eye!"
Hongxiao couldn't listen to Da Xiwu's advice at all. All he cared about was the whereabouts of Xiao Yu. She said: You don't have to worry about it! He left the box and ran outside.
"Hung Hom!"
Da Xiwu chased Hong Xiao all the way out of the private room and ran down the stairs. The lobby on the first floor was crowded with various people. They gathered around the door and looked out cautiously.
Da Xiwu searched for the bright red color among the crowd, but could not find it.
When he was anxious, a waiter who had brought tea patted him from behind.
"Mr. Lang, are you looking for someone?"
"That's right!" Da Xiwu seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, "That's the girl in red!"
"The girl who is fair and fair, has a pair of almond eyes, doesn't like to smile, and has a fierce look on her face?" asked the waiter.
"That's the one, can you see her?"
"She, the villain was wondering what happened to her just now. She climbed out of the window on the second floor. He called her, but she didn't answer. The villain was afraid that she would not be able to think about it, so he hurried to the window to look, but when he poked his head, he couldn't see her. ”
Da Xiwu frowned, pushed the waiter away, and ran upstairs again. It seemed that she wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him.
