Nightwatcher

In the dark dungeon, the sun shines in through the air holes, and the dust floats in the light beams.

Xu Qi'an stood there for a long time, and then, he felt that Mr. Zheng could not continue like this, so he entered the cell and released him.

There was only a trace of residual warmth in the body, and it had been dead for a while.

Dali Si Cheng sat outside the cell, crying loudly.

Xu Qi'an was not particularly sad, but felt that it was a relief that he left like this.

On the way back to the capital from Chuzhou, he watched the scholar's spine bend a little bit, and his figure became more and more stooped.

He was too tired, carrying the lives of 380,000 people on his back, and he didn't dare to let himself be free every day, because as long as he was free, the feeling of suffocation like a sea tide would catch up with him.

"Why do you say you are doing this? You are just a powerless civil servant who can't do anything. The 380,000 people didn't let you take revenge."

Xu Qi'an sorted out Zheng Xinghuai's remains, and wanted to close his eyes for him, but he couldn't do it anyway, those protruding eyes were still staring at the muddy world.

"You lobby so hard every day, but people always refuse to answer. I wanted to say something to you at the time: human beings' joys and sorrows are not connected, they only think you are noisy.

"Master Zheng, the princes in the capital are not like you and me. They have experienced the Chuzhou massacre. They can't be like you. There are disasters every year, and countless people starve to death and freeze to death every year. I witnessed it with my own eyes. Witnessing is not the same thing as seeing it in a booklet.

"I finally survived the massacre in Chuzhou and rushed to the capital. I thought that the imperial court would give justice to the 380,000 people and you, but unexpectedly I lost my life. Oh, it's useless." Scholar, you are half right.

"I was able to work hard for Governor Zhang that day. I thought I would work hard for you this time, but you have already gone before I can find a way. It's okay, life is miserable, and your life is really not good."

After tidying up, Xu Qi'an stood up, took a few steps back, and bowed deeply to this pathetic and respectable scholar.

Outside the dungeon, a group of armored soldiers gathered.

It was not a big deal for the Prime Minister of Dali Temple to bring outsiders into the yamen, but the dungeon is an important place, and no one is allowed to enter the dungeon without permission unless they have the handwriting of senior officials such as Si Qing and Shao Qing.

Of course the jailer stopped him, but after being kicked by Xu Qi'an, he didn't dare to hit the stone with an egg again, and ran to report to Dali Siqing.

Dali Siqing stood in front with his hands behind his back, and behind him were the guards of the yamen.

With a gloomy face, he waited for half a quarter of an hour before he saw Xu Qi'an come out. This young man was unexpectedly calm, neither happy nor sad.

"Xu Qi'an, you trespassed on the prison of Dali Temple, even if I kill you on the spot, Wei Yuan will not say anything." The Minister of Dali Temple preemptively shouted.

The young man with the knife ignored him and left on his own.

This knife was originally intended to kill animals, but it was a moment late and missed. If anyone wants to try its sharpness, Xu Qi'an will not refuse.

"Master Siqing," the chief guard said in a low voice.

The Minister of Dali Temple was about to order the guards to take someone, when his sleeve was pulled suddenly, and he turned his head to see that it was the Prime Minister of Dali Temple.

Dali Sicheng looked at him deeply: "My lord only has one life, why don't you cherish it."

Dali Siqing was startled, the hairs on his back stood on end.

The imperial palace, the imperial study room.

Duke Hu Guo and Duke Cao returned to the palace to return to their orders.

"Your Majesty, Zheng Xinghuai is dead, the case can be settled." Duke Cao said respectfully.

"It's just the princes, how to deal with it?" Que Yongxiu was still a little worried.

The princes can forgive Zhenbei King, it is because Zhenbei King has fallen, and now, he has to return to the capital in full. Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu were the first to not let him go.

Emperor Yuan Jing said indifferently: "I will send an imperial army to protect your country's mansion to protect your safety. You don't need to worry about assassination. In addition, the spies that King Zhenbei came back with you will be dispatched by you for the time being, and will stay in your country's mansion." government."

Only then did Que Yongxiu heave a sigh of relief, such a fortified guard force was enough to keep him safe, without worrying about being assassinated.

As for the swords and swords in the court, he just needs to keep a low profile and not fight or fight, and with His Majesty's protection, even if Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu have good hands and eyes, they can't even think of setting fire to him.

After this period of time, the future is still bright.

As soon as his mind was over, Que Yongxiu smiled sincerely as if he was relieved:

"Your Majesty is wise and mighty. This continuous attack easily shook the civil servants. When they were hesitant, he quickly cut through the mess and made Zheng Xinghuai commit suicide in fear of crime, so as not to leave a way out for the princes.

"Now, they can only pinch their noses to recognize it."

However, His Majesty also made enough concessions to satisfy the appetite of some people, otherwise, even His Majesty would be unable to support himself.

Que Yongxiu was completely convinced by Emperor Yuan Jing.

"Although Zhen Guojian was brought back to Beijing by the mission, the whereabouts of that mysterious master is unknown. If we can find him again, send troops to attack and avenge King Huai, this matter will be completed." Cao Guogong sighed.

Hearing this, Emperor Yuan Jing's face was slightly gloomy, and after a pause for a few seconds, he said slowly:

"A court meeting will be held tomorrow to conclude the Chuzhou case. Before that, let people spread the news that Zheng Xinghuai committed suicide in fear of crime."

Duke Cao laughed and said, "Yes!"

cabinet.

After the small court meeting in the imperial study room, Wang Shoufu called together five great scholars to discuss the follow-up of Zheng Xinghuai's imprisonment.

"Duke Huai is dead, that's all. But this Que Yongxiu is one of the executioners who slaughtered the city. Your Majesty's move really makes people" Qian Qingshu, a scholar of the Hall of Martial Arts, restrained himself, and sighed:

"It's a good thing to think about how to save Mr. Zheng. Such a good minister should not suffer injustice."

The Grand Master of Jianji Hall was a little impatient, and said angrily: "Zheng Xinghuai has a stubborn temper, he is fine as an official, but above the court, he can't do anything."

The tone is quite sad for his misfortune, and he hates his indisputable.

"But that's why it's respectable, isn't it."

Dongge University scholar Zhao Tingfang let out a breath and pondered: "Your Majesty wants to vindicate King Zhenbei, doesn't he want to preserve the face of the royal family, then we agree to him. The condition is that Zheng Xinghuai is innocent."

"As long as Zheng Xinghuai is convicted, the case will come to a perfect conclusion for His Majesty, will he agree?" the scholar of Jianji Hall said angrily.

"That's making trouble again!" Zhao Tingfang tapped her finger on the table with force.

Wang Shoufu shook his head lightly: "It's useless, it's different now than before. At first hearing the bad news, all civil and military officials were frightened and angry. Now that the anger has passed, they have gained benefits again, and can turn the massacre scandal into a famous one in the court." Great victory, how to choose, can be imagined."

Qian Qingshu sighed, and pondered: "What does Lord Shoufu think?"

Wang Shoufu said: "Que Yongxiu's safe return to Beijing will inevitably arouse the anger of some people. We can secretly lobby those people and jointly protest. But the requirements should be lowered.

"Que Yongxiu sued Zheng Xinghuai with a bloody book on the street this morning. Everyone knows the trouble. If we try to fight for Zheng Xinghuai's innocence at this time, neither side will be convinced, and His Majesty will not agree."

The maesters nodded slightly.

Indeed, if the conflict has intensified to such an extent, if Zheng Xinghuai is "whitewashed", let alone His Majesty disagrees, even the common people will find it absurd, so who is right and who is wrong?

If this matter is not handled well, the court will become a laughing stock.

Wang Shoufu sighed: "Zheng Xinghuai is still guilty, but he can be replaced by a death row prisoner. As long as His Majesty agrees, this matter can be done.

"All we can do is save his life."

Although the bachelors were unwilling, they could only nod.

At this time, an official hurried in, handed a note to Wang Shoufu, and then retreated.

Wang Shoufu unfolded the note and took a look, he was stunned for a long time without any movement.

"Zheng Xinghuai, died in prison"

The old Shoufu gently placed the note on the table, stood up wearily, and exited the conference hall.

His back is like an old man in his dying years.

Hit the yamen.

Nangong Qianrou sat upright, not daring to say a word.

Even though he is a fourth-rank martial artist, at this moment, he feels a little out of breath.

All the reasons were because of the note that was handed over just now.

After seeing this note, Duke Wei didn't say a word, not even a vivid look in his eyes, just like a sculpture.

Nangong Qianrou has followed Wei Yuan for so many years, and it is rare to see him so silent, and a terrible storm is brewing in the silence.

A brief message was recorded on it: Zheng Xinghuai was killed in prison.

It's really short, the dignified chief minister of a state, a second-rank official, left behind intelligence after death, that's all.

How will the history books record him? Probably the number of words will be a bit more, colluding with monsters and barbarians, killing 380,000 people in the city, and killing the pillar of the Dafeng Township.

It will last forever.

What a ridiculous world, Nangong Qianrou sneered inwardly.

As a bystander, he only has these emotions left. What is ridiculous is not the world, but people.

History books are vast, how many people like Zheng Xinghuai are there?

The reason why there are so many unjust cases is, after all, because no one dares to stand up.

"Your Highness, the Second Princess wants to see you."

When the chief guard knocked on Huaiqing's study, Huaiqing was in a bad mood, and frowned upon hearing this.

At this time, if Lin'an came to provoke her again and bother her, she would not be able to control her emotions.

"Let her go to the living room and wait. I will change my clothes and go."

After dismissing the chief guard, Huaiqing burned the note, changed into a palace skirt as white as snow, and came to the living room, where he saw his younger sister in bright red.

She was taken aback immediately.

In the past Lin'an was lively and bright, chirping like a little sparrow, pounced on you from time to time and pecked you, although every time Huaiqing slapped you on the ground casually.

But she's always tirelessly flying back up and trying to peck you in the face.

But the Lin'an she sees now is like a wrinkled little flower with a dull oval face and lowered peach blossom eyes, like a helpless little girl with low self-esteem.

"If you want to ask if Zheng Xinghuai is dead, then I can give you a clear answer: yes." Huaiqing said lightly.

Lin'an nodded, stared blankly at the ground, and said softly, "I, I don't feel well and I don't know why, just, I just feel a little uncomfortable, and I'm still very scared."

It's because this incident has caused too much impact on her. The flattery usually lasts for a long time. Before the uncle of the country died, the harem was harmonious again. Huaiqing said lightly:

"It's no big deal. If you read too little and read more history books, you will know that this is a common thing. The more bloody and injustice, the less you write about it."

"You, really think so?" Lin'an stared at her.

Because of Zheng Xinghuai's death, and because of the 380,000 dead souls in Chuzhou City, her guilt was about to explode, and she felt depressed and restless.

At this time, Lin'an thought of Huaiqing, Huaiqing was the older sister she had always wanted to surpass, so she wanted to come and see how Huaiqing faced this matter.

Now that she saw it, she was a little disappointed.

Huaiqing walked in front of her, looked down condescendingly, and said indifferently: "When the moon is full, it will be short;

"When a dynasty turns from prosperity to decline, it is bound to be accompanied by countless blood and tears. The internal decay will eat away at it little by little. There will be more such things happening."

Lin'an was silent for a while, raised his head, looked at his sister: "Then, what should we do?"

Huaiqing stretched out his hand to hold Lin'an's head, a rare tenderness flashed in his eyes: "At this time, someone will stand up."

Lin'an, who would someone stand up, suddenly clenched his hands.

In the inner city, in an inn, in the lobby.

At the table in the corner, Li Miaozhen was having a meal with a woman with an oil bottle. She didn't like this woman very much.

It's not that she always bosses her around. In the past few days, this mediocre woman has improved a lot, and she can do everything by herself.

What Li Miao really doesn't like is the aloofness and self-admiration in her eyes.

It seems that in this woman's eyes, other women are all like willows, and she is the only beauty in the whole world.

However, she is obviously the most mediocre one, the kind that men don't bother to look at, except that her buttocks are round, big and upturned, and the few pounds of flesh on her chest are firm and plump, and she can't hide her size even after wearing several clothes.

In fact, there is nothing to envy, those few pounds of meat will only hinder me from eradicating rape and evil Li Miaozhen told herself.

"Why hasn't he come to me yet?" Mu Nanzhi whispered.

"Heh, it seems that you are also married, so you want to be a foreigner so shamelessly?" Li Miaozhen was unhappy for no reason, and said with a sneer.

"It's just that staying with you is boring." The princess raised her chin and said arrogantly.

""

So where did this arrogant attitude come from? Doesn't she know how much she weighs?

Li Miao's teeth were itching with anger, she was in a bad mood these days, because Duke Huai had not been convicted for a long time, and today, she even knew that Zheng Xinghuai had been imprisoned.

One day, he will break into the palace with a knife and cut Emperor Yuan Jing into pieces. No. 2 Li Miaozhen thought angrily.

At this time, someone at the next table said loudly: "Do you know that Zheng Xinghuai is dead, so he is the culprit who colluded with Yaoman."

"What?!"

All the diners looked over with astonishment on their faces.

The man said convincingly: "I have a brother who works in Dali Temple. I heard something today. Zheng Xinghuai committed suicide in prison in fear of crime."

The pot exploded in the hall.

Is it really such a reversal?

The man continued: "Zheng Xinghuai is no better than a beast. He colluded with monsters and savages, and killed King Huai, the pillar of our Dafeng, and killed 380,000 people in Chuzhou City.

"Then, he deceived the mission and went to Beijing to sue. How much hatred is this against King Huai? I heard that when he was in Chuzhou, he embezzled military land, embezzled and accepted bribes. He was taught many times by King Huai, so he held it in his heart." .

"The reason why he colluded with Yaoman this time is because Duke Huai collected evidence of his crime and wanted to impeach him to the court."

Speaking of this, the man squeezed out tears and sighed, "Although we are common people, we despise this kind of person. It's a pity that Duke Huai, a hero of his generation, will end up miserable."

The diners turned pale with fright, ignoring their meals, and started a heated discussion.

"Impossible. The news of King Huai's massacre of the city was brought back by the mission, Xu Yinluo."

"That's right, Xu Yinluo is like a god in solving cases, how could he wrongfully wrong Duke Huai?"

"We don't believe it."

"Oh, if you don't believe it, you don't believe it. When the imperial court issues a notice tomorrow, you can't help but not believe it."

"Hey, unless Xu Yinluo said it himself, we won't believe it. We will wait for the news tomorrow."

Li Miaozhen's chopsticks fell with a "click".

Princess Xu Qi'an's heart sank, the first thing she thought of was that annoying Xu Qi'an.

In the ear, it seems that what he said echoed again: I will go to Chuzhou City, stop him, and if possible, I will kill him

On this day, the news that Zheng Xinghuai, the chief minister of Chuzhou, committed suicide in fear of crime was spread everywhere in the capital. According to the description of those with ulterior motives, Zheng Xinghuai colluded with monsters and barbarians, killed King Zhenbei, and killed 380,000 people in Chuzhou City.

Then, he beat back and blamed King Zhenbei for his crimes, so that Dafeng's pillar of the country would be ruined.

For these rumors, some people are astonished, some do not believe it, and some are confused

Common people in the market don't know the inside story, let alone the twists and turns and intrigues involved. When encountering such incidents where they don't know who to trust, ordinary people will instinctively look for authority figures in their hearts.

The statements of authority figures are the facts they are willing to believe.

At present, Xu Qi'an seems to be the only one who can be called authoritative in this regard, and the common people in the market can immediately think of it.

But now, he just came out of Si Tianjian.

Jianzheng still didn't see him, and Xu Qi'an didn't plan to see Jianzheng, he just asked Caiwei to give Jianzheng a word.

Outside the Sitianjian building, Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen were waiting for him.

The swordsman with white hair on his forehead said with a smile, "Would you like to walk the rivers and lakes with me?"

Xu Qi'an grinned, "Is the orchid from the Western Regions moist?"

Chu Yuanzhen said helplessly, "I've never been close to women."

Xu Qi'an waved at them: "There will be a day, but not now."

leave alone.

Before dusk, Xu Erlang and Xu Ershu went out of the city with their family members.

The next day, court meeting!

The princes of Gungun stepped into the Golden Luan Hall, and after waiting for a long time, Emperor Yuan Jing came, and he seemed to be impatient to go to court.

Emperor Yuan Jing sat down firmly, the old eunuch took a step forward, and said loudly: "If there is something to do, we will play, and if there is nothing to do, we will leave the court."

No one spoke, but at this moment, the eyes of countless people in the court fell on Dali Siqing.

Dali Temple Minister bit the bullet, stepped out, and bowed: "I have something to report."

People died in Dali Temple, this matter must be told by him.

A smile appeared on the corner of Emperor Yuan Jing's mouth: "Please tell me, Aiqing."

The Minister of Dali Temple paused for a while, and then said loudly: "Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou, committed suicide in prison at noon yesterday."

The Jingluan Palace was eerily quiet.

The smile on the corner of Emperor Yuan Jing's mouth deepened, and he said: "All the lovers think, how to conclude this case?"

Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, came out and said: "Since he has committed suicide in fear of crime, the Chuzhou case can be closed. Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou, is from Zhangzhou. Clan, killing the king of Zhenbei and 380,000 people in Chuzhou City, should be punished for nine clans.

"Zheng Xinghuai still has a son who works in Qingzhou. The imperial court can issue a report to the mansion, instructing Yang Gong, the chief envoy of Qingzhou, to arrest his whole family. Behead him as a public display."

Emperor Yuan Jing looked around at all his ministers, and asked loudly: "What objections do you have?"

No one spoke.

Emperor Yuan Jing laughed. Thanks to his many years of checks and balances, there are many factions in the court, just like a mob, it is difficult to gather together.

In the past, he was aloof and allowed these people to fight. The fight was indeed fierce and exciting. But when he, the Ninth Five-Year Lord, ends up, this group of mobs are just mobs after all.

His will is to serve the highest will.

This group of people actually wanted to trample on the face of the royal family and make the world cast aside.

ridiculous.

Among the ministers, Que Yongxiu could hardly control his laughter, his face couldn't hide his joy, whether it was Wei Yuan, Wang Shoufu, or other civil officials, they were all ministers after all.

No matter how superb the means are, in the eyes of His Majesty, they are nothing more than mediocre.

After the case, not only did he get through it safely, but he was also rewarded for his meritorious deeds. The title of Duke of Protecting the Country has been passed down to the present, and finally rose again in his own hands.

The pleasant time passed quickly, until the old eunuch shouted: retreat!

Que Yongxiu knew that the matter had been settled, and Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu were powerless to return to heaven.

The princes walked out of the Golden Luan Hall in a hurry, as if they didn't want to stay longer.

"Cao Guogong, go to the Jiaofang Division to play at night. I have been in the north for many years, and I have almost forgotten the water spirits of the Jiaofang Division girls."

Que Yongxiu was in a good mood to talk to Cao Guogong.

Cao Guogong frowned. With his status, he would disdain to go to the Jiaofang Division. There were countless beautiful female relatives and concubines in his family, and he was lucky enough to come here.

But seeing Que Yongxiu's warm expression, Cao Guogong nodded and said, "Okay!"

After finishing speaking, he shook his head again: "You should not go out these few days and stay at the mansion. If you want to sleep with the woman of Jiaofangsi, just let her go to the mansion of the Duke Huguo. Why do you have to go by yourself?"

Que Yongxiu thought for a while, and thought it made sense: "Then I'll hold a banquet in the mansion and invite my colleagues and friends. Duke Cao must honor me by coming."

"That's natural"

Cao Guogong answered with a smile, and suddenly noticed that the civil servants in front of him stopped and gathered in front of the Meridian Gate.

An ominous premonition filled his heart, and he whispered: "Go, go and have a look."

Que Yongxiu was a little dazed, and followed him to the Meridian Gate, pushing away the crowd, only to see a person standing outside the Meridian Gate.

This man was dressed in common clothes, with a tall figure, leaning on a knife, standing outside the Meridian Gate, blocking the way of the officials.

Not far from him, stood one in white and one in red.

"Xu Qi'an, why are you blocking the Meridian Gate again? What do you want to do this time?"

Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment yelled out reflexively.

The civil servants looked at him angrily. Such a familiar scene aroused countless psychological shadows.

Especially Sun Shangshu, who has already been scolded twice by a poet surnamed Xu.

Xu Qi'an? He was Xu Qi'an during the Chuzhou massacre case. He heard from Cao Guogong that it was Zheng Xinghuai's supporter Que Yongxiu who frowned. What do you mean by the words, this person blocked the Meridian Gate once?

Xu Qi'an looked around the group of officials with calm eyes: "Which one is Que Yongxiu? And Cao Guogong, you two come out."

Cao Guogong frowned, feeling even more ominous.

"Heh, this person is so bold, is he trying to scold me? Thinking that Wei Yuan is the backer, that he can scold me once he scolds a civil servant?"

The protector of the country, Que Yongxiu, sneered, his eyes were cold: "When I am the same as those civil servants, only talkative?"

Cao Guogong said in a deep voice: "This man's cultivation is not weak, and he doesn't know why he is crazy."

Que Yongxiu snorted, and suddenly said: "You said that I beheaded him here, will His Majesty blame me?"

Hearing this, Cao Guogong also showed a smile, "As long as you can provoke him to do something, he will surely die, um, this kid has Wei Yuan's support, and he is unscrupulous in the capital, showing off his might."

"That's because he didn't meet me. I have fought in the battlefield for many years, and I like to torture this kind of prickly head the most."

Que Yongxiu sneered, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Cao Guogong, walked in front of the officials, looked at the young man standing with a knife, and joked:

"I'm the one you're looking for. Why, you want to scold someone? I heard that you, Xu Qi'an, are very good at composing poems, so I'll give you a poem. Maybe I will be famous in history."

Que Yongxiu and Cao Guogong laughed loudly.

After saying that, seeing the young man with the knife standing still, Que Yongxiu felt that the heat was not enough, so he continued to taunt:

"Wei Gong, your level of teaching is not good enough. Look at this unruly boy, trespassing on the Meridian Gate, lawless, if you don't know how to teach, how about I teach you?"

Wei Yuan remained silent, looking at Xu Qi'an speechlessly.

"I don't swear today," Xu Qi'an sighed, "I'm here to kill people."

Cao Guogong and the officials' faces changed drastically.

"Hahaha"

Que Yongxiu felt that he had heard a big joke, and laughed wildly: "He said he was going to kill people, listen to him, he said he was going to kill people, and he was going to kill people in front of the Meridian Gate."

Smiling and laughing, he suddenly froze, turned his head in astonishment, and found that all the officials retreated in unison.

Among these people, there are six ministers, six divisions, and nobles from the Imperial Academy. They are all figures at the peak of power in the capital, so they are so afraid of a little silver gong?

Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu didn't move, they looked at him coldly.

Que Yongxiu froze, then looked at Cao Guogong, and found that he had quietly retreated more than ten feet.

He looked at the expressions of the civil servants again. At this moment, he finally noticed something was wrong. There was a bit of hatred, disgust, and anticipation in their eyes? !

"Where's the imperial army? Come, come, take this dog for me." Que Yongxiu shouted loudly.

The forbidden army not far away rushed over in unison, and surrounded Xu Qi'an, with swords drawn and spears drawn.

Que Yongxiu waved his hand calmly: "This thief threatened to kill me in the palace, take it down quickly, and hand it over to His Majesty."

The guards didn't move.

"Take him down, is my order no longer effective?" Que Yongxiu was furious.

At this time, a soft reminder came from the crowd: "He, he has a gold medal for avoiding death."

Que Yongxiu's eyes widened in an instant. He understood, understood why the princes retreated, and understood why the forbidden army did not act.

The imperial army was there to protect the emperor, and when the emperor's life was not threatened, they would not fight to the death with a person holding a gold medal for avoiding death.

So what about the gold medal for avoiding death, I don't believe that Que Yongxiu is not afraid if he dares to fight in the palace, he is a fifth-rank master himself, even though he doesn't wear a sword in court, he is not powerless to fight back.

At this time, Xu Qi'an took out a page from his bosom, shook it and lit it, and said in a deep voice, "Confinement!"

Que Yongxiu and Cao Guogong's bodies froze suddenly, unable to move for a moment.

Holding the knife, Xu Qi'an walked towards the two of them step by step.

Wang Shoufu said in a deep voice: "Xu Qi'an, don't make mistakes. The Lord Protector is a first-class duke. After the founding father, if he makes mistakes, you can't take responsibility."

Yushi Zhang Xingying was in a hurry: "Duke Wei, stop him quickly."

Wei Yuan didn't move.

When Xu Qi'an took a step, the civil servants took a step back, highlighting Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong.

"Kaka"

He swung the scabbard and smashed the kneecaps of Duke Hu and Duke Cao.

Although the person couldn't move, the pain was undiminished. Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong turned pale and screamed loudly.

Que Yongxiu looked at the officials and called for help:

"Stop him quickly, stop him quickly. We are all officials in the same dynasty, you can't just ignore death. A warrior dares to kill outside the Meridian Gate, and no one in the whole dynasty dares to speak out. You, you want to be punished by the world. Are the scholars laughing?"

A newly promoted young official of Chunwei was provoked by the words, and subconsciously stepped forward to stop Xu Qi'an's atrocities.

Unexpectedly, Sun Shangshu of the Criminal Department beside him kicked him back suddenly.

The ministers who were qualified to enter the court, such as the six ministers, the assistant minister, and the six divisions, chose to be silent tacitly, and no one spoke.

Even those who had a grudge against Xu Qi'an did not speak.

Que Yongxiu understood that these unscrupulous scholars wanted to kill people with a knife.

They all want to die by themselves.

Xu Qi'an hung the saber back on his waist, and made a movement that no one could understand. He waved towards the west sky.

Then, carrying the collars of Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong, he walked out.

In the bedroom.

As soon as Emperor Yuan Jing, who had finished the early court, returned to the imperial study, a guard rushed in, but without communicating, he stood at the door and shouted:

"Your Majesty, Xu Qi'an is blocking the Meridian Gate again, threatening to kill Duke Hu and Duke Cao."

Emperor Yuan Jing suddenly changed his face, and said angrily: "Does he want to rebel? How about Duke Cao and Duke Hu?"

"He was taken out of the palace." The guard responded anxiously.

"Quickly mobilize the masters of the forbidden army to stop Xu Qi'an. If he disobeys, he will be killed directly!" Yuan Jingdi roared.

When the guards left, he stood beside the big case with an uncertain expression on his face.

They overwhelmed Wei Yuan, overwhelmed Wang Shoufu, overwhelmed the princes of the court, and ignored such a small person.

"How dare he disobey me, he is so daring, so daring"

With a low growl, Emperor Yuan Jing swept all the copybooks, documents, pens, inks, papers and inkstones on the table to the ground.

The Ninth Five-Year Master was still furious and kicked over the table.

After receiving the emperor's order, the masters in the palace rushed out of the palace gate with hundreds of forbidden soldiers, galloped on horses, and chased along the street.

The imperial army team chased Xu Qi'an on the streets of the imperial city.

"Stop him!"

One of the leaders of the forbidden army saw that the two princes were intact, he was relieved, jumped up from his horse, and flew towards Xu Qi'an.

"call out!"

At this time, a flying sword suddenly struck, and the sword was shining brightly.

The leader of the imperial army drew out his saber and fought Feijian head-on. Although he was not injured, he was blocked.

In mid-air, Li Miaozhen stood in the air with her long hair fluttering, her pretty face covered with frost.

Li Miaozhen came from Lin'an Mansion, she stayed in the city last night.

The leader of the Tianzong Saintess Guard was shocked and angry: "I will deal with Li Miaozhen, you go and intercept Xu Qi'an."

He is not the only master who has been chased here.

Immediately, three strong men jumped up from their horses, pumped their energy, and Yukong chased them away.

brush!

At that time, a sword light lit up, cutting in front of the three strong men, cutting out a deep ravine.

On the ridge facing the street, stood a swordsman in green shirt with his hands behind his back and a cold smile.

"Chu Yuanzhen, you want to betray the court? Do you want to become a wanted criminal?"

The three powerful Forbidden Army knew Chu Yuanzhen.

Chu Yuanzhen sneered and said: "This is the imperial city, where all the dignitaries live. If you want to take responsibility, you can fight me. Anyway, Chu is a widow, and the big deal is that he will not enter the Dafeng Kingdom in this lifetime."

The three guards were furious and gritted their teeth.

The capital city is at the foot of the emperor, and it is also an inner city. The people here are richer than those outside. If it is because of the three of them, the people will be affected and a large number of people will die.

This responsibility will definitely fall on them.

Sensing the fluctuation of Qi here, in the imperial city, one after another of tyrannical breaths awakened, producing a stress response.

All the people living in the imperial city are princes and princes, some are masters themselves, and some have guest ministers in their mansions, none of them are weak.

On the other side of the palace, there were more tyrannical energy fluctuations, which were the masters who came later.

"We seem to have poked a hornet's nest," Chu Yuanzhen said via voice transmission.

"Go away if you are afraid of death." Li Miaozhen replied grumpily.

"Amitabha!"

This kind of thing, of course, cannot do without Heng Yuan, he turned out from the other side of the street, and said in a deep voice, "Why didn't Li Daoyou give me a lift?"

He also sneaked into the imperial city ahead of time, and also hid in the Lin'an mansion. It's just that Li Miaozhen didn't pick him up when he was controlling the sword, so he came a little late.

Li Miaozhen said angrily, "We'll talk about it when we're running for our lives."

It was already dawn, and there were gradually more pedestrians on the streets of the inner city.

Xu Qi'an stepped on the flying sword handed by Li Miaozhen, rushed out of the imperial city, and landed lightly on the streets of the inner city.

Then, he swaggered through the market with the two princes in his arms.

Passers-by on the side of the road, the first thing they noticed was Cao Guogong and Duke Huguo, who were wearing the duke's court clothes.

"Hey, isn't this Xu Yinluo? I almost didn't recognize him if he wasn't wearing a police uniform."

Someone shouted in surprise.

"Who is that in his hand? This, is this the python robe? A big shot!"

"I know that person, the one-eyed one. He is Que Yongxiu, the Duke Protector who entered the city yesterday."

"Is it to sue Zheng Xinghuai, the chief minister of Chuzhou, for colluding with monsters and barbarians, and killing the Lord Protector of Zhenbei King?"

It is difficult for ordinary people to know the duke. For example, Cao Guogong and they don't know him, but the Huguogong made a big splash yesterday, swaggering through the market and leaving a deep impression on the people in the inner city.

So I recognized it at a glance.

"What is Xu Yinluo doing with him? This is the Duke. What, what happened?"

"Don't care what he is doing, who is that guy? It must be involved in the Chuzhou case. I'm going to call my wife out to watch the excitement."

"Daughter-in-law, help look after the stall, and I'll go and have a look."

"But, master, I want to see it too"

Pedestrians on the street pointed and watched this scene in amazement, and followed Xu Qi'an in a spirit of fun. Some stall owners even abandoned their stalls and followed curiously.

It's not just that they just join in when they see the excitement, it's just that Xu Yinluo is related to it, and he is carrying the Duke who swaggered through the market yesterday, no one can resist curiosity.

The flow of people is gathering, more and more.

Gradually, it turned into a raging crowd.

This is what Xu Qi'an wanted. Although it would be refreshing to kill Que Yongxiu, it was not the result he wanted.

Finally, he carried the two dukes to the execution ground at Caishikou.

The execution ground is located at Caishikou. The main reason is that there are many people here. The so-called beheading is a public display. There are not many people, so how to show it to the public.

The people at Caishikou immediately noticed Xu Qi'an, to be precise, they noticed the surging flow of people.

"What, what's going on?" The people at Caishikou were stunned.

"Isn't that Xu Yinluo?"

Caishikou was crowded with people.

Xu Qi'an threw Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong on the execution platform, drew his knife, and cut off their tendons.

Then, he grabbed the heads of Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong with both hands, and asked them to raise their faces. Xu Qi'an smiled: "Look, with so many people, it's worth dying today."

Que Yongxiu's face turned pale with horror, "I, I am the first-class duke, the queen of the founding fathers. You, you can't kill me. If you kill me, there will be no place for you in Dafeng."

The commander of the army who was on the battlefield could still maintain the calmness of the soldiers at this moment, and said repeatedly: "Don't make mistakes again and again, I'm not dead yet, everything can be redeemed, I will plead with Your Majesty, and ask His Majesty to forgive you , my lord swears"

He still has a bright future, he just won the court, he can't just die like this.

Cao Guogong swallowed his saliva, "Xu Qi'an, you should know what kind of person His Majesty is. If you kill us, even if you have a gold medal to avoid death, you won't be able to save you. If you let us go, there is still room for maneuver."

Xu Qi'an smiled: "I want to be afraid of him, so I won't bring the two of you here." His eyes were calm and his tone was gentle, but the fear in Cao Guogong's heart exploded, and he kowtowed like garlic: "Xu Yinluo, it's me. Wrong, please let me go, let me go, it is the fault of Duke Protector Que Yongxiu and His Majesty, they caused the massacre, it was them, it was them."

"Shut up!"

Que Yongxiu shouted loudly.

"It's you who should shut up!"

Cao Guogong's face was grim: "You don't know him, you are not in the capital, you don't know him at all, he is a lunatic, he is a lunatic, he, he will really kill us."

"Speak louder and tell these people who slaughtered Chuzhou City!" Xu Qi'an drew out his knife and put it on Cao Guogong's neck.

The frozen blade seemed to coagulate the blood vessels. Cao Guogong's face turned pale, his mouth trembled, and he cried out in a broken voice, "It's King Zhenbei, and it's Que Yongxiu, the protector of the country. They slaughtered the city."

"Not enough!" Xu Qi'an said lightly.

"And your majesty, and your majesty, he knows everything, he knows that King Zhenbei wants to massacre the city, don't kill me, please don't kill me." Cao Guogong cried bitterly.

Boom.

The people around were fried.

What did they hear?

It was King Zhenbei and Que Yongxiu who slaughtered 380,000 people in Chuzhou City, and their king, their majesty, condoned all of this?

"No wonder Zheng Buzheng died, they killed him!" Someone shouted with red eyes.

"Your Majesty, he connived at King Zhenbei's massacre of the city"

All the faces were dumbfounded, and the eyes were twinkling with hatred and bewilderment.

They didn't expect that they would see such a scene and hear such words when they came to watch the excitement.

Prince Dafeng slaughtered the city, and Emperor Dafeng acquiesced.

Then one day, wouldn't he also point the butcher's knife at them?

On the spot, there were more than a thousand people, dense crowds, and something collapsed in their hearts.

At this time, on the roof ridges around Caishikou, figures leaped over. Some of them were wearing the armor of the imperial army, some were wearing ordinary clothes, but they all had the same powerful aura.

"Your Majesty has an order to kill Xu Qi'an!"

More than a dozen figures came from the sky, and the energy was like a sea tide, and they rushed straight to Xu Qi'an.

Behind the crowd, the sound of horseshoes shook like thunder, and the imperial guards came on horseback, waving whips to drive away the flow of people.

Duke Protector Que Yongxiu was ecstatic, and shouted: "Hurry up and save me, kill this beast."

Cao Guogong's desperate eyes burst into light, followed by surging hatred, wishing to cut Xu Qi'an into pieces.

Just at this time, a ray of clear light descended from the sky, and with a "ding", it embedded into the execution platform.

With a flash of light, those masters who came to slaughter were struck by lightning, and they all flew into the air, and blood spurted wildly in midair.

"It's finally here!" Xu Qi'an felt relieved.

It was a carving knife, a simple, black carving knife.

In the era when paper did not appear, the Confucian sage used it to carve out a series of classics handed down from generation to generation.

Before he left the palace, he had summoned it, and he had obtained the consent of the headmaster Zhao Shou yesterday.

The carving knife is rippling with clear light, forming a mask in front of the execution platform.

Xu Qi'an stepped on Cao Guogong's back, looked around at the people outside the arena, and said every word and sentence, running the air mechanism, and his voice was like thunder:

"Cao Guogong framed Zhongliang, helped the king to abuse him, and cooperated with the protector of the country, Que Yongxiu, to kill Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou. According to the law of Dafeng, he beheaded for public display!"

The black gold long knife was raised and fell heavily.

Heads roll off.

Blood splashed out of the execution platform, leaving a trace of desolate blood in the eyes of the common people.

Duke Cao was executed.

"No"

A desperate roar came from Que Yongxiu's mouth. Cao Guogong's death deeply stimulated him.

Cao Guogong is right, this is a lunatic, a lunatic!

"Xu Qi'an, Xu Yinluo, Master Xu, I know I'm wrong, I shouldn't be bewitched by King Zhenbei, I know I'm wrong, please give me another chance, don't kill me" Que Yongxiu cried.

He confessed his sins in front of countless people, and he wept bitterly in full view.

"So you're afraid too!" Xu Qi'an sneered.

"Yes, everyone is afraid of death. Just like the children you provoked with a spear, like the people you ordered to shoot and kill. Like Mr. Zheng who was strangled to death by you in prison."

"You save me quickly, you save me quickly, I beg you, save me quickly!"

Huge fear exploded in Que Yongxiu's heart, and he wailed desperately towards the master who was injured by the clear light of the carving knife.

He knew that there was a butcher's knife hanging above his head. He knew that Xu Qi'an killed him because of the Chuzhou massacre case and because of Zheng Xinghuai. But he didn't know, why did this person do this for the irrelevant people?

Xu Qi'an's butcher's knife did not fall, and he still wanted to pronounce the crime of Duke Huguo. His knife killed the person who deserved to be killed.

"The commander of the Chuzhou capital, Que Yongxiu, the protector of the country, colluded with King Huai to collude with the Witch God Sect, slaughtered the city of Chuzhou, and slaughtered it all. The blood debt is heavy and unforgivable.

"After the incident, he conspired with Emperor Yuan Jing to frame Zheng Xinghuai, the chief minister of Chuzhou, and strangled him to death in prison. The blood debt is heavy and unforgivable. Today, he will be sentenced to beheaded—stand—judged!"

puff!

The hand raised the knife and fell, and the head rolled down.

While the world was turning, Que Yongxiu saw the blue sky, saw his own corpse, and saw Xu Qi'an standing with a sneer.

"rao"

His head rolled on the ground, his lips moved, and then, the boundless darkness swallowed him.

"call"

Xu Qi'an let out a long breath, as if he had let out all the depression in his chest.

Looking at him with pairs of eyes, it was clear that there was a crowd of people, but the silence was terrifying.

In such a quiet place, Xu Qi'an reached into his bosom, took out the silver medal that symbolized his identity, chopped it off with a single knife, and with a bang, it turned into two halves of the silver medal and fell down.

Holding a knife, he smiled wildly: "Duke Wei, Xu Qi'an is no longer an official."

On the ridge in the distance, the man in the red dress covered his mouth and burst into tears.

Behind her, Huai Qing, who was specially wearing a plain white dress today, stared blankly at the wanton laughing figure on the execution platform.

Outside the crowd, a mediocre woman arrived late, unable to squeeze into the raging crowd.

She stood outside, listening to the man in the distance declaring his crimes, listening to him saying that he was not an official, and listening to his wild laughter.

Mu Nanzhi suddenly felt that she was lucky.

In the crowd, a man suddenly squeezed out, it was Li Han with an ox horn bow on his back, he knelt on his knees, crying loudly:

"Thank you Xu Yinluo for eradicating the treacherous ministers, for returning justice to the people of Chuzhou City, and to Mr. Zheng."

Shentu Baili, Wei Youlong, Zhao Jin, Tang Youshen, Chen Xian and his wife, the martyrs who escorted Zheng Xinghuai back to Beijing, squeezed out of the crowd and knelt in front of the stage.

"Thank you Xu Yinluo for eradicating the treacherous ministers, for returning justice to the people of Chuzhou City, and to Mr. Zheng."

This scene was deeply imprinted in the eyes of the surrounding people.

Looking at the free and easy young people on the stage, the crowd burst into tears.

This is a young man who exchanged his blood, future, and even life for justice.

This scene was later recorded in history.

In the 37th year of Dafengli, Yuanjing, in early summer, Xu Qi'an of Yingong beheaded Cao Guogong and Hu Guogong at Caishikou, and concluded the coffin of the Chuzhou massacre case. Seven righteous men knelt down in front of the execution platform.

PS: Sorry, I seem to have broken my promise. It took me a whole night to write it. The number of words is a bit too much. Well, take a shower and go to work.