In early July, the city of Hangzhou was destroyed and the world was in chaos. Everyone was busy escaping for their lives and finding a way out. At that time, the easiest and safest escape route was the ships at the Qiantang River dock in the south of Hangzhou. Ning Yi also fought there at the beginning.
It was Ning Yi's idea, but it was not the only option. What's more, everyone originally thought that Wudeying was an elite division. Ning Yi also had confidence in Hangzhou's ability to hold on, but he did not expect that it would be broken so quickly.
.
I also heard some things during my escape after breaking the city, including Qian Xiwen's immediate escape by boat. In Ning Yi's eyes, Confucian scholars are either rigid and monotonous, hard to carve out of rotten wood, or they are cunning and slippery, playing tricks on their minds. In short,
I didn't like it very much. The city was broken, and it was not surprising that the other party escaped immediately. I just heard it and didn't take it to heart.
But in fact, after the city was broken, the old man did not really leave with the ship. It is said that after sending some potential juniors of the Qian family on the ship, he took a few old servants and secretly got off the ship. From beginning to end
, even though teams broke out one after another later, he did not leave Hangzhou with anyone.
After sending away those who could be sent away, the old man gathered some loyal servants, relatives, and some soldiers who had no time to escape, and resisted near the Qian family's old house. There were not many people, but it was said that the resistance was very strong.
After a solid fight for about a night, Guo Shiguang led his troops to conquer the place, captured the old man, and has been imprisoned to this day.
After Ning Yi was arrested, he naturally did not pay attention to the issue of Qian's family. However, in the past few days in the academy, some students wanted to kill him, and some students wanted to protect him, which almost caused a split. The relationship between the students who wanted to protect him and him was naturally
It was better. Someone probably told him about the beheading here, and then he realized that Qian Xiwen had not left. He said hello to Ah Chang this morning and said he wanted to come and see him.
He agreed and came over together.
On the surface, Ba Dao Camp's supervision of him is not strict. In Ning Yi's view, he also wants him to come out and see for himself. After the city was broken, what was the scene in the city and how desolate was what happened? What will be the consequences of those who do not submit?
How miserable it is, letting him take the initiative to see it is also a kind of psychological warfare.
Ning Yi was naturally willing to go out for a walk, mainly to seek opportunities to escape. But at that time, he also understood that his body had not recovered, and he took Xiaochan with him. After what happened in Taiping Lane and Huzhou, he could not find her.
There are too many opportunities. Since you can't take risks, why let the other party see through you too easily? Just stay and rest near the academy. When he spoke this time, the other party was a little happy. He came to visit the prison and showed him the beheading. It would be best.
But something.
"I have heard of the Qian Xiwen you are talking about. I heard that he is very knowledgeable. He is not here to bluff. He is very powerful and did not leave on purpose. When we caught him, he did not commit suicide. He
Some people in the family were also arrested and asked to surrender... You know, there are a lot of messy things. One of them heard that he was his biological son, and his hands were cut off in front of him, and he didn't even blink... Anyway
Their whole family will be killed today. If you have an old relationship with him, you might as well go and have a look. It would be better if you can convince him to survive... But I don't see it."
Among the two people who followed Ning Yi, Ah Chang was relatively serious, while Ah Ming was a little more frivolous. However, when talking about Qian Xiwen, he was somewhat impressed.
Xiaochan was left outside. After passing the long corridor of the cell, many people were crying and shouting. Some of them were family members of Qian who had not escaped, and most of them had been tortured. One or two Ning Yi even had the impression that back then,
Ning Yi went to visit Qian Mansion for the first time, and he met a young man who had stolen Qian Xiwen's coral pen. Ning Yi did not remember the other person's name. The young man broke a leg and fell to the ground.
There was not much breath left in the cell.
Ning Yi was still thinking, and after walking a few meters, a voice suddenly came from behind: "My name is Qian Weiliang!" He frowned and turned back, it was the young man who shouted. At this time, there were many people in the cell calling for help or help.
It was about other things. The young man said his name but said nothing else. Not long after, he heard several people say their names: "My name is Qian Weiqi." "My name is Qian Haiting." That name
The man named Qian Haiting is a middle-aged man who has lost both hands.
Then I heard a jailer say: "Damn, I say this every time someone comes..."
When he entered the innermost cell, Ning Yi saw Qian Xiwen. The old man didn't seem to have been abused. Except for some skin scratches on his forehead that had formed bloody scabs, the rest of his body seemed uninjured.
At that time, his clothes were neatly dressed and he was arranging his clothes and hair with a basin of water. The light in the cell was not strong, so he squinted for a while before he could see Ning Yi clearly.
The jailer opened the cell door at Ah Ming's urging. After Ning Yi entered, several people left. The old man arranged his hair and glanced at Ning Yi: "You...were caught too."
Ning Yi nodded.
"Vote for them?" Qian Xiwen looked at him, then nodded, "Well, those who understand current affairs are heroes. You are a pragmatic person, so you might as well leave your life..."
"I don't know if I have voted for them now. I heard that Mr. Qian you left immediately by boat. Yesterday I heard that you stayed, so I wanted to come and have a look."
Qian Xiwen's eyes looked a little confused: "Oh, what's going on?"
"I..." Ning Yi thought for a while, and finally shook his head, "I... Hehe, Qian Haiping and the others have escaped. They should have arrived in Huzhou now. I know a few of them. They are... I think you might
Want to hear about this, they survived."
"Oh." The old man smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. "In the past few days, people have taken turns to persuade me, and they have tried their best to persuade me. You are the last one, and this news is really good. How are you now?"
"I don't know, but I don't want to persuade you, I just want to see you." Ning Yi nodded.
"It doesn't matter if you tell me." The old man laughed. "Not long after Fang La and others broke into Hangzhou, they were in urgent need of employing people. It's not difficult to stand out. The old man has been in this world for decades. For this,
Tao does have some insights. If there is anything difficult about Ning Heng's current situation, you might as well talk about it, maybe I can help give some advice."
He spoke sincerely and harmoniously. He seemed to think that Ning Yi had taken refuge in Fang La, and instead wanted to help Ning Yi with some advice to save his life or get a higher position. Ning Yi looked at the old man for a long time, and then said: "What happened recently, the old man wants to
listen?"
"Tell me, tell me..."
"Oh, Qian Haiping, Tang Xiuxuan, Tang Lao, Chen Xingdu and I, after we destroyed the city that day..."
Ning Yi's original purpose of coming here was naturally not to tell stories, but at this moment, he felt that it was okay to talk about it. After he said this, Qian Xiwen realized that something was different. The old man listened to the fleeing team all the way
The whole story of going north and then falling into a crisis, the look in his eyes also changed a little. After hearing that Ning Yi set up a trap, he finally inspired the morale of the Wude camp to kill the other three generals, and finally patted his thigh gently and said slowly
He said: "Okay." Then he didn't say anything anymore. He listened to Ning Yi tell the whole story, and then nodded again and said: "Okay." This time, the eyes he looked at Ning Yi were completely different. They were different from the ones he thought Ning Yi had betrayed but could do.
Understanding and tolerance are completely different.
"Only extraordinary people can do extraordinary things... Well, Prime Minister Qin values you, and he is not wrong. You must stay useful and wait for the future... If Fang La's army does not occupy the general situation, it may be stopped when it reaches Hangzhou
, it won’t last long. You have to live, you have to live..."
He murmured this, and Ning Yi looked at him: "I have heard about some pedantic scribes' sacrifices for justice in some stories before. Some people sound great, and some people don't look so great.
Necessary. Mr. Qian, if the city of Hangzhou is destroyed and there is no time to escape, I can understand you. I just don’t understand why you have to come back after leaving. You are a pragmatic person who understands the way of governing the country. If you leave, you will be more helpful.
of."
Qian Xiwen looked up at him: "Li Heng...can't agree?"
Ning Yi took a breath: "Those people outside are not worth it."
Qian Xiwen also paused obviously at this time. After a long while, he nodded and said: "Yes... they are all good children. It's a pity..."
"I..." Ning Yi was about to speak when Qian Xiwen suddenly raised his head and looked over: "Liheng thinks, what is the most important thing for literati like us to do?"
Ning Yi thought for a while: "I don't want to lie to you. Everyone has their own opinions. Literary men have their own things to do, but when it comes to what should be done most, I'm afraid no one can tell clearly, and... I don't count.
Literati."
Hearing his answer, Qian Xiwen laughed: "Yes, so you can do extraordinary things and... reverse the situation in Huzhou in one fell swoop." Speaking of this, the old man seemed a little excited. "But
... I have studied Confucianism for decades and came to the conclusion that the most important thing for us Confucians to do is to... defend Taoism."
Ning Yi frowned, and Qian Xiwen laughed for a while: "Since we met Li Heng, you and I have never talked much, but in the past few months, I have learned what kind of person Li Heng is. Li Heng must be a good person to me.
I also heard some things. The original Beginning of Autumn Poetry Society, and this time the Beginning of Autumn Poetry Society, included all kinds of official dealings and political maneuvering. Li Heng also said just now that I am a pragmatic person, yes, pragmatic..."
He sighed and seemed to be quite emotional about this word: "But, Li Heng, think about it, if it weren't for today's officialdom, if it weren't for today's military, if not everyone chose this smart and pragmatic way. They would have fought.
, as soon as they felt that nothing could be done, everyone turned around and ran away. How could Hangzhou fall so fast? If we spend all day talking about the words of sages and sages, saying that a man should die for justice, when the city is destroyed, no one will
People are willing to do stupid things, but who is willing to believe the words of sages?"
"When we talk about patriotism and death, when death is imminent, but no one is willing to go, then don't Confucianism become invisible and intangible things? Li Heng, this may be too pragmatic, but
Confucians like us, every year, several people die, several...named people die under the butcher's knife, die in the Jinluan Palace, die in front of millions of people, and cannot retreat when it is time to die. Only in this way can we
I want to remind the world that this Confucian way is true. Only by dying for injustice can we be considered as inheriting the unique teachings of the saints. I died in Hangzhou City to remind everyone that some people did resist, lest they think
When I want to talk about it, when I am passionate, I can’t find a name to say..."
He spoke a little excitedly, his arms trembled, and he fumbled to put on his hat: "I am already old, and I deserve to die. Liheng, you don't deserve to die, and neither do the children outside, but there is no other way. Among them,
, there are also those who have been taught by me to believe this, so they can be considered... to die a worthy death."
There was a faint light shining in from the gap, and dust was floating in the air. When the old man said this, he smiled slightly: "So it may not sound good to say it, but the so-called defense is actually... at the appropriate time,
I'll show you my death. A lot of people have already died. Because I am more famous, I succumb to others and make those children suffer for a few more days... I am burdened by my false reputation..."
Ning Yi was slightly silent. He had both respect and disdain for Confucianism. What he admired was nothing more than the huge, self-consistent ruling system created by this system named Confucianism based on the rules of the family and the world, like a spider web.
The densely packed art of governance. What they disdain is that most Confucian scholars have lost their minds by reading and can’t think about anything or think about everything. But the old man in front of him really makes the word Confucian appear.
Somewhat great.
I will be pragmatic and practical on weekdays, and when the time comes... I will die for you to see.
Just like many Confucian scholars who died after touching pillars in front of the palace, just like Wen Tianxiang in later generations who threw himself into the sea, after Fang Xiaoru was cut in half, Judah kept scolding Zhu Di. In the eyes of later generations, many people may seem a little stupid and feel that they have not accomplished anything, but
If Confucianism is regarded as a cause, after all, it is these talents who really do the work, who really carry on the unique learning for the saints. If you talk about it, it is really "death for others to see."
Ning Yi didn't do this, but it was hard not to admire him. He thought about it, after a few days of killing outside, he was afraid that many people would die like this. He also thought of the few people who called his name outside when he came in, and asked
He said: "When I came in just now... there were a few people saying their names. Are they..."
The old man laughed: "They just want people to remember that there are a few people like this who will die like this for you to see... They are all good boys, both those who shouted and those who didn't..."
He thought for a while and patted Ning Yi on the shoulder: "You should live if you can live. You have to live to do things. You are still young. Don't think too much. In the future, treat this as a story and tell it to others...
"
The old man then did not talk about Confucianism, but thought about the safety of Su Tan'er and other Su family members, so he asked, and then he seemed a little chatty and mentioned some names, asking if there were any of these people in the escape team. Ning Yi remembered it.
Not much, I chatted with him for a while, and the last thing I kept thinking about was the coral pen grid in the old man's house. The old man was very strict in running his family, and the children in the family didn't have much money to spend. When they were in urgent need of money, they would steal the old man's pen.
Therefore, the old man gave a reward of ten guan of money at home. When the other party returned it, he gave him ten guan of money without asking anything else. As a result, the children in the family would often steal once, pay back again, steal once, and pay back again, every time.
Can get money, and one of the young people is Qian Weiliang, whose name was mentioned outside...
Haha, that guy who stole things can be so tough...
Ning Yi thought about this, and his heart almost got old. He hadn't heard such an interesting story for a long time, and he was slightly moved...
When noon arrived, the jailer came in and opened the cell door. Soon after, under the scorching sun, a row of heads were chopped off on the khaki square outside. In the crowd, some cheered and cheered loudly, while others were silent.
, with a solemn expression, Ning Yi stood in the crowd and watched the whole process of beheading...