The imperial city of Chang'an is divided into two parts: the inner and outer parts. The inner city is where His Majesty Li Yuan works and rests. For example, the three main halls and the inner garden are all in the inner city, while the outer city is where the imperial officials work, such as the left and right sides.
The Xiaowei, the Left and Right Wuwei, the Shangshu Province, the Secretary Province, etc. are all here.
But there are not exceptions...
The personal guards directly under His Majesty Li Yuan, the Yuancong Forbidden Army, were not stationed in the imperial city like the other twelve guards, but were stationed alone in the West Inner Garden outside Xuanwu Gate to contain and control the entire Inner Garden Imperial City.
And because the terrain here is open and not as expensive as the outer city, the Yuancong Forbidden Army's garrison is also extremely well-built, from training grounds to barracks, from command rooms to cells, it can be said that everything is available.
At this time, in the prison cell of Yuancong Imperial Army, Monk Falla was facing the wall, sitting cross-legged on a pile of dry straw, muttering the Lotus Sutra.
Due to the lack of medical treatment in the cell, even though a long time had passed since Monk Faya was arrested, judging from his somewhat gray face, it seemed that his injuries had not yet healed.
"Faya,"
A black shadow flashed, and a man wearing a mask and a black robe suddenly appeared silently outside the cell door where Faya was located, speaking in an indistinguishable male and female voice.
"You feel so comfortable!"
"How can you be at ease when you are in jail..."
Monk Faya turned around and smiled bitterly, looking at the man in black with hopeful eyes. "Do you have any good news to tell the old monk this time?"
"To be precise, I brought bad news this time,"
The man in black took out a key, and while squeaking it in the lock of the cell, he said in a deliberately altered voice, that of a man or a woman.
"Now all the rescue operations outside have failed, including Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and the Crown Prince, who have not persuaded His Majesty to change his mind. He has decided to use your matter to attack our Buddhist sect."
"That's really bad news,"
Monk Faya nodded and began to think seriously.
Squeak!
After the door rang, the man in black opened the cell door and walked in. He raised his head and looked above the cell, as if he was looking for a suitable place.
He soon found it, which was a small, barred window on the wall of the cell.
Then he felt inside his black robe and took out a gray belt.
At this time, Monk Faya, who had been thinking hard for a long time, finally took a long breath and shook his head.
"The old monk can't think of any good solutions. It seems that we really can only change the emperor. But the status of the few followers of the old monk in the palace is still a bit low. I don't know if you have any suitable ones.
…I said, what are you doing?”
"Help Faya make some preparations..."
The man in black calmly tied the gray strap that had been hung on the cell window railing in his hand and said, "You can use it later!"
"I can use it..."
Monk Falla raised his head and looked at the gray cloth strap hanging on the railing, blinked his eyes, and showed a look of fear on his face. "Are you planning to let the old monk hang himself?"
"Well, this method seems more realistic."
The man in black nodded while continuing to tie the knot.
"We have also considered letting you take poison, but it is not very credible that you can get poison to kill yourself under the strict guard of the Yuancong Forbidden Army, so I have discussed it and let you hang yourself.
!”
"Not so believable..."
Monk Falla opened his eyes in horror. "So you think the way to solve this problem is to let the old monk hang himself?"
"Compared to changing the emperor, we think this method is simpler and more suitable."
The man in black seemed to have finished tying the knot and pulled the gray cloth belt with his hand.
"Well, not bad, very strong!"
"But the problem is that the old monk was not the only one who made treacherous remarks in those words that were recorded,"
Faya said somewhat eagerly.
"Even if the old monk passes away, can't today's saints arrest other people?"
"rest assured!"
The man in black said nonchalantly.
"All the monks noticed by the saint will have passed away recently..."
"Everyone will pass away..."
Falla just repeated the words of the man in black, and she keenly discovered the pain point.
"Everything can pass away. I think they can all fake their own death to escape. In this way, isn't the old monk the only one who will die in the end?"
"Why are you so stubborn?"
The man in black turned and looked at Monk Faya.
"If the remaining great monks pass away like this, the reputation they have accumulated throughout their lives will be in vain, and their sacrifices will be huge."
"Old monk, I am also willing to make such a sacrifice..."
Monk Faya patted his chest with his hand and said eagerly.
"You send me back to Tiantai Mountain, and you don't have to give up my lifelong reputation. You said you could sneak in with such a big show, why can't you help the old monk fake his death and get out?"
"Feel sorry!"
The masked face of the man in black came close to Monk Faya's face.
"The saints today will definitely investigate your body after your death. If you lie, it will easily be discovered, and it will give the saints an excuse to destroy the Buddha. Therefore, for the sake of the survival of Buddhism, I would like to ask you, Monk Faya, to die in bliss."
Go for it!”
"The old monk thinks..."
Falla got down on all fours, supporting herself and moving backwards.
"This matter can still be discussed in the long term."
"There is nothing to discuss in the long term. Monk Faya didn't check carefully during the meeting, causing the content to leak out. Now it's time for you to take responsibility."
The man in black followed Faya's backward steps, took a step forward, grabbed Faya by the collar, picked him up, and dragged him towards the window.
"If I were you, I would use some of the courage I had when facing Dou Gui some time ago and hang myself up."
Faya was trembling all over and shrank back desperately.
"No, I'm not going to hang myself...someone is here..."
Suddenly, Monk Faya, who had been speaking in a low voice, shouted with all his strength.
"There's a thief in the cell, guard...where is the guard...uh!"
Before Faya could finish his words, he saw the man in black grabbing his neck. He was unable to resist as he was still seriously injured, and his words were instantly strangled in his throat.
"Be decent, Monk Falla!"
The voice behind the mask of the man in black was sinister.
"Although I'm not afraid of you yelling, you should save some face for yourself. You are an eminent monk of the Fahua Sect and a great master who has seen through the cycle of life and death. It is very inappropriate for you to yell like this before you die.
"
"Uh uh uh……"
Monk Faya struggled violently and made a hiccup sound.
But it was useless. He was seriously injured and was no match for the man in black. In his frightened eyes, he was dragged inch by inch to the gray noose, and then watched helplessly as he was being strangled.
He was lifted up and a noose was put around his neck.
"Before you pass away, Monk Falla, I can tell you the news you want to know."
Just after Faya's head was completely stuffed into the noose, he heard the man in black say in a voice that was indistinguishable from male to female.
"Monk Yifan who was rescued by you has been running around all this time. Not long ago, he colluded with Kong Kong Jingjing and wanted to kidnap you out of the cell. He even agreed to Kong Kong Jingjing on one condition.
Accompany them to rob Li Zitong out of Chang'an and send him to Jiangnan..."
Before Falla had finished listening to these words, the man in black loosened his grip and with a click, Monk Falla was hung on the wall of the cell.
Despite this, Monk Falla still had a strong desire to survive and pulled the noose with both hands, trying to take his head out of the noose.
"Master Falla, since you are so shameless..."
The man in black suddenly stretched out his hand and slapped Faya on the head. Faya rolled her eyes, her hands dropped weakly, and the rope around his neck tightened, hanging him up.
"Don't blame us for making you look decent!"
The man in black quietly looked at Monk Faya, who was knocked unconscious by his own palm and successfully hanged himself. His face gradually became stiff little by little. After finally confirming that he was dead, he reached out and
Faya took off the identical gray belt that he was wearing from her waist, stuffed it into her black robe, and sighed.
"Actually, if Yifan hadn't been messing around during this period, we would have planned for you to die with more dignity."
After saying that, the man in black turned around and walked out of the cell, locked the door again with the lock. After standing outside the cell door again to confirm that nothing was missing, he turned around and walked out of the prison, facing the man standing outside the prison door.
A certain man in black bowed slightly.
"Thank you, General Kodak, for your help!"
"I was just following the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Kakashi looked cold and expressionless.
"It has nothing to do with you!"
"No matter why, General Kodak has done me a great favor..."
The man in black was not displeased by Kakashi's cold expression, but bowed respectfully again.
"I heard that General Ke Ke will soon return to the East Palace as Marquis of Youyu, and will lead three hundred sudden cavalry. Although we have no skills, we can still help the prince and General Ke Ke buy some horses back."
Kakashi stopped, the expression on his face was very complicated.
That's right, the reason why Kakazhi dared to take such a big risk and help these men in black send Monk Faya away was because, in addition to the fact that this order was personally given by Prince Li Jiancheng, there was another big reason.
He will soon return to the East Palace and become the Marquis of Youyu, so it doesn't matter what he offends Dou Gui.
Moreover, Li Jiancheng had also promised him that he would get three hundred cavalry from Luo Yi to command him. He also told Kada Zhi that these three hundred cavalry were the most elite troops under his command.
The Black Armor Cavalry of King Qin Li Shimin.
Now this gift from the man in black has really been delivered to Kakashi's heart.
"Tell me, what are your intentions in giving this gift?"