When approaching Qipan Street, Jin Yiwei, who was leading the way, slowed down his horse in advance. When they turned into the alley, the three of them all dismounted.
"Madam, is the mansion in front of you Ma Mansion?"
As soon as Zheng Haizhu said "hmm", another Jin Yiwei hissed, signaling his companions to stop talking to Mrs. Zheng.
He seemed to be listening, and after a moment he said in a low voice: "Just now, I seemed to hear the sound of a knife being unsheathed."
After he finished speaking, he and his companions drew out their embroidered spring knives.
As the sun approaches, the autumn moon turns into a thin crescent. The light given to the earth is really limited, and the surroundings are dark.
The lantern hanging on the gate of Ma Mansion in the distance guided the suddenly vigilant visitor to lead the horse forward.
Suddenly, there was sudden movement on both sides, tiles crashed, branches swayed, and five or six black shadows either jumped down or flashed out from nooks and crannies. In an instant, the road in front and behind the three of them was blocked.
It is common for Jinyiwei to handle cases after curfew, and his night vision is naturally better than ordinary people.
The Jin Yiwei Xiaoqi who was escorting Zheng Haizhu could easily tell that the people who were crossing the road were all wearing various types of common clothes, unlike the uniformed guards of the hospital.
But what is the boundary of Qipan Street in the capital? Not even bandits and refugees.
Xiaoqi then said in a deep voice: "Jinyiwei is on an errand, get out of the way."
Among the blockers, a man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward without answering immediately.
Xiaoqi and his companions were about to protect Zheng Haizhu with their knives when the man suddenly said: "Miss Zheng?"
There was more surprise in his tone than awe.
Zheng Haizhu already held the self-defense stainless steel chisel in one hand, and held the fire seal given to her by Liu Qiao in the other hand.
At this moment, he took out a fire stick and blew it brightly, shining it on the man, and memories of the past flooded into his mind.
"Are you, Brother Ma Biao?"
Zheng Haizhu recognized him as Ma Xianglin's tooth pawn named Ma Biao during the fierce battle between Li Guozhu and the Spanish at sea.
But since leaving Taiwan, Zheng Haizhu reunited with Ma Xianglin several times, but never saw this Ma Biao again.
Ma Biao put the knife back into the leather sheath on his waist and held it in his hand in greeting: "Mrs. Zheng and Jin Yiwei were on errands together. Why?"
The "Miss Zheng" that was blurted out just now was changed to "Mrs. Zheng" in a respectful tone, but there was an unusual sense of scrutiny in this question, and Zheng Haizhu felt something was wrong.
She then said calmly: "Are you and these brothers still generals and soldiers? Are you guarding the courtyard? But you are a hundred steps outside the courtyard and don't go in at night. Why?"
Ma Biao was stunned for a moment.
After he went to Shanhaiguan to report Ma Xianglin, he knew more and more that Zheng Haizhu was still a close friend of the young master. The young master even disdained the idea of marrying this woman with the surname Zhu, and he would certainly not allow his subordinates to do anything rude to her. .
But the message he got from Liu Shimin at dusk, combined with the situation before him, made Ma Biao have a quick thought: at least two Jin Yiwei must be killed, and then Miss Zheng should be handed over to the young master. ?
He was about to call everyone to kill people in Shili dialect, but he heard a calm female voice behind him shouting: "Why are you making so much noise here?"
Ma Biao knew who it was without looking back.
Oops, I still alerted General Qin who was kept in the dark!
Before the coolness of fear and embarrassment reached Tianling Gai, there was the faint sound of horse hooves coming from the direction of Qipan Street outside the alley.
…
Ma Xianglin counted the time and only stayed in the northern suburbs of the capital for two days before confirming that his mother Qin Liangyu had entered the city.
He deliberately chose midnight after the curfew and rushed home. At this moment, he saw Zheng Haizhu and two Jinyi guards standing next to his mother. The brothers he had secretly placed around the house also showed up, and his mind couldn't help but buzz. A sound.
Qin Liangyu's eyesight and brainpower, which were honed in the ever-changing situation, instantly discovered and realized that what was even more wrong than the scene a moment ago was that when Ma and Zheng faced each other, they both had a strange feeling of not knowing who would speak first.
This situation is completely different from how we got along with each other in Miss Zheng's Songjiang School.
Qin Liangyu was tall and unarmed, but still exuded a majestic aura like a god in the dark night.
"I'm used to marching in the front line, so here I'm lying on the ground. When I hear the sound of horse hooves and footsteps, I go out to take a look. Miss Azhu, would you like to go to the house to talk?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Okay, but these two officials cannot leave me."
Ma Xianglin also concealed the mixed emotions in his heart, and coldly ordered Ma Biao: "Tie the horses, the other brothers return to their positions, and you follow me into the house."
Several people entered the house. Ma Xianglin shouted in a deep voice and dismissed the housekeeper who came to inquire with sleepiness, and went straight to the study in the inner hall.
Ma Biao and the two royal guards stopped outside the threshold.
As Zheng Haizhu closed the door, she heard Qin Liangyu's soft words: "Xianglin, Sichuan and Guizhou are in urgent need. Originally, even if Fengyi gave birth, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to make it. I am the guardian of the country and the loving mother of my children." You can't have it both ways. I never thought that the children under my command would be able to put down the rebellion of Yang Yinglong's old tribe so quickly. When I entered the house today, Fengyi said that her stomach was throbbing and aching. It must have been that the uterus had begun to contract. But after a while he was as normal as before, and before midnight he fell asleep. It was the same when my mother gave birth to your eldest sister."
The mother's stiff nagging was completely inconsistent with her temper. Ma Xianglin's heart softened, he forced a smile, responded to his mother, lowered his head and untied his wind robe.
Through the lights in the room, Zheng Haizhu saw that there was a pair of weapons hanging on his waist, with cowhide handles and a sharp blade like a fork at the front, shining with a cold light.
The armor and clothes are also complete, as if he had just come off the battlefield.
Qin Liangyu said to Zheng Haizhu again: "Miss Zheng, Fengyi told me that after Xianglin went to Shanhaiguan, you often came to see her and comforted her. After all, she is the first child, and even if she is a tiger-like girl, she will inevitably be a little scared. .Xianglin, we want to thank Miss Zheng very much."
Ma Xianglin finally raised his head, glanced at Zheng Haizhu, quickly looked away, and said slowly: "Mrs. Zheng, what's the emergency with the royal guards tonight?"
Zheng Haizhu frowned, closed his eyes and sighed deeply, and finally spoke bluntly after a moment: "General Qin, Xianglin, and Ma Xuanfu were framed by Qiu Chengyun, the eunuch, but he was not killed. The one who killed Ma Xuanfu, They are descendants of Emperor Jianwen who lived overseas after the Battle of Jingnan, and are now in the capital."
"Snapped……"
The lights on the table exploded, highlighting the strange silence in the room where the mother and son were speechless.
Then, Qin Liangyu retreated, fell down on the chair, and looked at Zheng Haizhu blankly: "Miss Zheng, has the court finally found out?"
Ma Xianglin's breath suddenly became rapid, and his cheeks in the candlelight showed a ferocious look that Zheng Haizhu had never seen before.
He approached in just a few steps, and Zheng Haizhu could even feel the frosty air of the cold night that had not yet dissipated on his armor.
"Azhu, who do you think you are?" The voice was like a low-pitched beast.
"Descendants of Emperor Jianwen."
"impossible."
Zheng Haizhu hoped that her guess was groundless, but the three words she was most afraid of hearing tonight came out of Ma Xianglin's mouth.
When he first heard the new answer to the mystery surrounding Ma Xuanfu's death, his and his mother's reactions were so different!
"Xianglin, no matter whether they are really of Jianwen blood or not, they are indeed responsible for Ma Xuanfu's death. They started sneaking back to the Ming Dynasty very early. When Uncle Ma was unjustly imprisoned, he became their target, but the court suddenly After issuing the pardon order, they silenced Uncle Ma. They have already set up a secret stake in the prison. If you don't believe it, we will go tomorrow, no, today..."
"Shut up! Stop talking!"
Ma Xianglin punched the table, then turned around, opened the door with a bang, and rushed into the courtyard.
In the dim light of dawn at the end of Yin Dynasty, the desperate young general was spinning like a dead leaf blown up by the strong wind. Finally, he staggered and held on to the loquat tree in the corner. After taking a few breaths, he started again. Punch to the tree trunk.
Zheng Haizhu ran over quickly.
Even in his sudden state of madness, this dear friend still did not roar heart-rendingly.
But his mournful whisper was even more heartbreaking than his bleeding left fist.
"Beasts, they are all beasts. Those beasts killed my father, and I helped them succeed. I am also a beast!"
Zheng Haizhu stretched out his hand and pressed down Ma Xianglin's fist. He didn't know where he got the strength to grab his shoulder pads and forcefully pulled him half way. Looking at his twisted face, he said word by word: "Been beaten." Evil people are blind and exploit them, and they are not beasts. Who can know everything like a god all the time and see through everything at a glance? Xianglin, my firearms factory, is also their prey, and I have also been used. But I am not a beast. None of us!"
Ma Xianglin's blood-soaked fist dropped, his mouth slightly open and his eyes distracted.
Zheng Haizhu heard Qin Liangyu's voice behind him: "Xianglin, as expected, you have been hiding something from your mother."
(End of chapter)
