Chapter 21: The Banquet of Thousand Years: Catching Turtles in an Urn 6
That night.
The farce in the palace finally stopped.
Families came out of the palace one after another in carriages. The old man sitting on the carriage frowned, and the ladies touched their hearts, feeling lingering fears about the scene just now.
The Xue family and the Gao family came out of the palace together. Gao Zhishui sat in the carriage, his slender eyebrows slightly frowned, his eyes worried, and he slowly said: "There seems to be something fishy about what happened today."
Xue Ying, who was lifting the veil wrapping the snacks in his hand, stopped what she was saying and sighed: "You came to Kyoto late, so you probably don't know about it. Whenever Princess Ruchuan appears,
Five times out of ten something is going to happen, she has too many tricks up her sleeve, who knows what she is planning."
Thinking of the situation just now, Gao Zhishui said suspiciously: "But the group of men in black came and left quickly. They didn't seem to be trying to embarrass us. They might also be covering for the dancer. The banquet was in chaos, so they would naturally succeed...
…”
Before she finished speaking, Madam Gao slowly opened her eyes and said, "Be careful what you say."
Gao Zhishui was interrupted, he stopped talking and then quietly lowered his head and said: "Yes, mother."
"Alas, even we can't explain what happened in the deep palace. It's just a pity that this palace banquet was held." Xue Ying looked at the delicate snack in his hand with treasure and put it into his mouth solemnly.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted and stopped halfway, and there was a noise from the front.
Gao Zhishui raised the curtains of the carriage and looked around. On the carriage in front, Mr. Xue and Mr. Gao had already got off the car. They stepped forward again, but their sight was blocked by the carriage. They could only see the young man carrying a lantern coming and going in front of him.
What's the noise about?
After not seeing the departure for a long time, the three of them also got out of the car together and went to have a look.
"Azhong, what happened?" Gao Zhishui looked at the stopped carriages. Behind the carriages was a large case box, with its mouth open, and the young guards coming and going carrying lanterns and scattering in all directions.
, as if catching someone.
"Go back to Miss, Uncle Guo's carriage is in front of us. He said he lost something and is sending someone to find the thief. Their carriage has blocked the road and we can't get through. The two gentlemen are discussing with Uncle Guo."
She nodded, maybe the thief was eyeing the treasure in the box, stole it without anyone noticing, and was discovered.
Xue Ying chuckled and saw the box. He stood on tiptoe and joked: "Uncle Guo is really wealthy. Such a big box is used to hold gifts for the imperial concubine!"
Gao Zhishui turned his eyes and thought to himself, the congratulatory gift was given early in the morning, where did the treasure come from?
She was pulled forward by Xue Ying to look at the big open box, and it was indeed empty inside.
Xue Ying exclaimed: "Hey? This little thief has such a big appetite, he ate it all!"
"This is the only one left!" Xue Ying held a short tassel earring safely on his palm, and raised it to Gao Zhishui's eyes in surprise. The earrings were green and transparent, unlike the popular styles in Kyoto.
Xue Ying forgot, but Gao Zhishui did not forget. Although the dancer was of low status, she was really stunning, especially the exotic dress. Although it was not common in Kyoto, it was still special, especially the pair of matching tassels.
The necklace and jade earrings are even more eye-catching.
She has always been willing to pay attention to these things, otherwise how could she stand out among the many ladies and talents in Kyoto City and become unique.
She reached out and took the earring, taking advantage of the moonlight and firelight to examine it carefully. She vaguely saw a dark shadow flashing in the dark alley over there. She put away the earring and held it in the palm of her hand. She was about to walk there, but
Pulled by Xue Ying.
Xue Ying twisted the handkerchief and rubbed it back, saying in a sweet voice: "Zhishui, let's go back to the carriage and wait... I wore high-soled shoes today and I can't stand anymore."
Gao Zhishui was attracted by Xue Ying, and then looked back at the alley overgrown with weeds. The alley was dark, and there seemed to be nothing unusual about it.
Could it be that she made a mistake?
She was thinking suspiciously as she helped Xue Ying, who was limping, towards the carriage.
Soon, the road was clear, the horses neighed a few times, and they started on the way back.
Gao Zhishui did not misread it. Zhao Qinghuai, who was originally hiding in the box, had already thrown away Rong Yuanzhou's guard and staggered towards the tower over there.
When she was leaning against the wall to rest, she caught a glimpse of a shadow in the moonlight. Only one earring was left. She touched her ear in horror, and found that one had indeed fallen out.
After thinking about it, Zhao Qinghuai decided to go back and have a look. If the earrings were picked up by someone interested, it would definitely be a big trouble.
Sure enough, when he returned, he happened to see two official ladies standing in the big open box where they had just hidden themselves. The exquisitely dressed lady in Jinyi was holding the earrings she had dropped and was looking at them carefully.
When he looked this way, he seemed to have spotted her...
Zhao Qinghuai hid in the dark and watched the carriage run away. Rong Yuanzhou's guard was still looking left and right with a lantern.
It is not advisable to stay here for a long time.
She turned back again, put aside her worries, and thought to herself: When she gets to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, someone will naturally protect her.
The wound on her shoulder no longer oozed blood, and the dry and dry feeling made her feel as if she was coming back to life.
She made an agreement with the Metropolitan Procuratorate that if she could complete the task of pretending to assassinate the imperial concubine, she could join the Metropolitan Procuratorate's secret guards, and she could take the antidote and no longer be held hostage. Looking at the tower in the distance, she felt
The faith is a little stronger.
When the sun rises tomorrow, she will be like a new baby.
Finally we walked to the West Street of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
She walked all the way into the darkness. Although the wound on her shoulder was bearable, the poison swimming in her body screamed and spread in her body. The pain in her abdomen was unbearable, as if her internal organs were being stirred up.
This was the poisonous effect of the medicine called heartbreaking. She was almost running out of time...
Zhao Qinghuai clutched his abdomen and ignored the pain in his shoulder. He staggered while holding on to the wall. When he turned around at the intersection, he found the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
The closer she got there, the more nervous and excited she became. Waves of worry and panic kept scratching her heart. I don't know whether it was her own joy or the use of poison. Her heartbeat was so violent that it filled her entire eardrum.
She sucked in the air greedily, as if she would suffocate in the next second.
When she turns that intersection, a miracle will appear. Her heart will not beat wildly, the poison will be diluted, and she will be able to laugh and dance happily... These pictures flashed through her eyes, with a smile on her lips. That was her first
The first smile from the heart also became the last time...
She struggled for so long and walked so many miles, but she failed to get the miracle she wished for.
Someone suddenly covered her head with a black cloth bag, and she fainted because of the unbearable abdominal pain. Once her body sank, she could only let a few men in black take her away. Tears of despair slid down her cheeks, and her eyes instantly
A void.
The flying birds started up and jumped into the air. The dark dead branches swayed a few times, stirring the dim moonlight...
@
Daquan is a young beggar in Kyoto. His mother has been ill for some time due to overwork. In order to buy life-saving medicine for his mother, he goes out early in the morning and returns late to beg.
There is an abandoned warehouse behind Yanglou Street. It was originally a small stage. After the theater troupe left, it became a place where debris was accumulated.
It was very close to the drug store and the place where his mother lived. Because he had to take care of his mother, he couldn't go too far, so he hid all the coins he got from begging every day in the abandoned warehouse.
Normally no one would want to go in, but it became a good place for him to hide his money.
That night, he was carrying a broken bowl and a few coins he had begged for in the afternoon, and was planning to take out the remaining coins to buy her medicine for her illness. As soon as he approached the warehouse, he heard the sound of a woman crying and begging for mercy from inside. He took the courage to
Looking from the cracked gap outside the warehouse——
There were candles lit inside that had not been seen for a long time, and the candles danced as the woman cried again and again.
He could just see the woman's face, which was pale, and tears were pouring out of her eyes like spring water. She was crying so hard that it felt like she was wet by rain.
Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was sitting on her knees in front of a man. The man's back was turned to him, and his face could not be seen, only his back.
The man was sitting on the Grand Master's chair, with his arms on the armrests and his legs crossed, looking down at the woman. Behind him stood several men in black, holding swords and full of evil aura.
The man put down and stepped back, resting his elbows on his thighs, leaning out and saying to the woman: "We agreed to exchange her life for your freedom. Why did you go back on your word?"
The woman looked at the man sobbing in horror and yelled: "I was shot down by an arrow before I could reach her..."
"Shoot it down? Do you think I'm a blind person or a fool?" The man sneered, holding a sign between his long fingers and threw it to the woman's face, then slid down her body and fell into her already tattered vagina.
In the skirt, "You cooperate well with the Metropolitan Procuratorate. You don't really regard yourself as one of theirs, do you?"
Faintly hearing the words "Duchayuan", Daquan covered his mouth in surprise.
The man suddenly stood up in anger, stepped forward and grabbed the woman's delicate neck, and said angrily: "I said, you can't escape from the palm of my hand, so what if you go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate? I will tell you to die at midnight.
I will never keep you until the fifth watch..."
The woman was violently thrown out by the man. Due to the inertia, she was hit hard on a pile of debris behind her. The debris immediately fell into pieces, and even several wooden bars were broken.
In an instant, she spit out a large amount of blood from her mouth and sprinkled it on the ground. Her expression was dull, and most of her life was gone.
"I rescued you from Yanliu Lane. How much money did I spend and how much effort did I put into you?"
"I will teach you how to dance the sword, let you live in the best house, have all the food and clothing you need, and wear gold and silver..."
"You said you would go through life and death for me, till death. Aren't you willing to take the poison? You want to get rid of me without doing anything? There is no way..."
The man laughed loudly as he spoke, and continued: "There is no freedom in this world... You actually said you wanted freedom, and then you ran away without looking back. It's really ridiculous. Now that you've made your choice, you shouldn't run away.
…”
He grabbed the woman's collar again and threatened her in a low voice, "You said you want freedom, fine, I'll give it to you! I just want you to give me that woman's life, but you can't even do that?"
You can’t even do small things, Huainiang, tell me...how do you want me to give you freedom?"
There was only despair in the woman's eyes, and her beautiful face was buried under the blood. She seemed to have been injured on her shoulder, and blood oozed from the green cloth strip, soaking her entire back.
But the man's torture to her was not over yet. He threw her to the ground heavily, but then he knelt down and reached out to touch her cheek tenderly, as if he was about to lose his lover, separated by life and death.
But the words he spoke were cold and ruthless, as cold as bone-chilling: "Huainiang, one servant cannot serve two masters. You should understand this. Only the dead can betray me..."
After hearing this, the woman opened her mouth and laughed contortedly. With the last bit of strength, she still looked into the man's eyes with affection and said with difficulty: "I just want to ask you one thing...what do you think of me...
Have you ever had true love?"
The man came close to the woman's ear, murmured something in a low voice, and looked at her with great fun. The woman smiled bitterly, pushed the man away, and before he could react, she drew out the sword from her waist,
He scratched her neck so hard that her blood seemed to have drained out, and she immediately leaned back stiffly and fell to the ground.
Daquan seemed to have met her dark and empty eyes, and was so frightened that he took a few steps back, became unsteady, and squatted on the ground.
He suddenly became uneasy. He wanted to get up and run away, but he had no strength. He lay there limply, anxious and fearful in his heart, but he no longer had the strength to get up. He was like fish on a chopping board, and could only be slaughtered by others.
As expected, several men in black rushed out, put a black cloth bag on him, and caught him in the air. He didn't even have the strength to struggle and was taken to the warehouse.
It was completely dark in front of my eyes, and I could only see the figure of the man under the candlelight. He seemed to be surrounded by cold air and was trembling uncontrollably.
"Young master, he is a child, like a beggar." The guard replied gruffly.
The man paused and said in a deep voice: "It's unlucky for him to see something he shouldn't have seen."
The tone was cold and there was no hint of warmth.
Daquan was now frightened and regretful. Thinking of his mother who was still on the hospital bed, he started crying. He got up, knelt on the ground, and said excitedly: "Please, sir, you have a lot. Treat me as one, I just came here to get it."
I asked my mother for some coins to buy medicine, but I didn’t hear anything! I didn’t see anything!”
Several men in black saw him getting excited and reached out to suppress his shoulders.
Through the black cloth bag and the candlelight, he saw the man hiding in front of him. His unique smell enveloped him tightly, and he was so scared that he almost suffocated.
The man asked in a deep voice: "Child, you said you came to get money to buy medicine, do you have any evidence?"
Daquan knelt straight again, kowtowed and said: "The money is in the bird's nest on the beam of the warehouse. Sir, I beg you, if you want to kill me to silence me, can you let me buy medicine to save my life?"
My mother!"
The man raised his hand to signal, and a man in black jumped up and took out all the coins hidden there from the bird's nest. The coins were not many, but they were enough to buy his mother a pair of medicines.
"Sir, it does exist."
The man laughed and said in a deep voice: "Kid, I will spare your life today, but... you must never forget what you saw today."
When Daquan heard that the man was relieved, he immediately kowtowed and shouted: "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."
I only heard the sound of the copper plate falling to the ground. After a while, there was no reply. Daquan just knelt down on the ground. When he recovered, he picked up the black cloth bag. On the ground in front of him, besides the copper plate he had collected today, there was also an ingot of silver, which was enough.
His mother drank the disease until she recovered...