County Lieutenant Zhang Hong had already walked outside the cell door. The jailer of Jingzhao Prefecture came over, put the chain on the door rail, locked it with a clang, and respectfully escorted Zhang Hong to the end of the corridor.
The prison was still gloomy and dark. Zhang Xiaojing stood by the wooden fence, his one eye looking deeply. There was only a ray of light coming from the high window at the end of the corridor, making him squint tightly.
Zhang Xiaojing sighed sadly: "Siye, this time we really encountered a life and death crisis."
"How about you tell me what to do?"
He smelled an unusual smell and suddenly turned around, looking at Li Siye devouring his food, his cheeks twitching violently.
"Hey, leave some for me!"
Zhang Xiaojing rushed over quickly, snatched the plate with mutton from Li Siye's mouth, and pulled the last chicken leg from the dried chicken rack.
After a while, the two of them patted their stomachs and leaned against the prison wall. Whether they felt comfortable or not was another matter, but their stomachs felt better first.
Zhang Xiaojing turned around and asked him in surprise: "Facing such a desperate situation, are you not worried at all?"
"There is nothing to worry about. My mother once told me that I miss home after eating and drinking. My mother also said that when you encounter something, you should not just worry about it. You should face the problem head-on and find a solution."
Zhang Xiaojing nodded enviously: "Your high school must be a lady, otherwise how could you say such wise words?"
Li Siye pursed his lips and smiled. These words were said to him by his mother in another world. At that time, he had not yet become famous. He was wandering in a foreign country and often boxed in underground boxing rings. Li Ye's psychological quality was actually very poor. Whenever he encountered
An invincible opponent, he was depressed for a long time before the game and did not even have the courage to take off the gloves. He would receive encouragement from his mother on the phone every day, encouraging him to let go of his fear and timidity and use optimistic words.
Face your opponent with the right mentality, and don't admit defeat until the last moment.
Nowadays, he has a calm mind. No matter how big the issue is, he just needs to face it calmly.
"Then tell me, how should we solve this matter?"
Li Siye clapped his fingers and said: "Of course we must first analyze the possible negative consequences of our promise to Zhang Hong to bear perjury. Then we will weigh whether we can bear the negative consequences. If we can bear it, we will do it. If not, we will not do it."
Zhang Xiaojing raised his hands and praised: "You are indeed very wise."
After being praised by such an ancient man, Li Siye felt elated, and he felt like he was commanding Fang Qiu when he spoke: "First of all, let's imagine that if we testify together with the demon, the testimony is not accepted, and the prince is safe. Next, the prince is safe.
We are about to fight back, what will Prince Consort Yang do in the face of the Crown Prince's fight back?"
"He did not hesitate to throw us out to take the blame. He is the consort of the saint's favorite Princess Xianyi, and we are just two low-level officials, as weak as earthworms and as cheap as ants."
Zhang Xiaojing took the initiative to take over the conversation and gritted his teeth tightly when speaking.
"What if Yang Prince Consort succeeds? Our testimony works, and the prince is deposed or sentenced to death. What will he do to us worthless people?"
Zhang Xiaojing snorted coldly and said: "In order to prevent someone from overturning the case for the prince in the future, the insiders and witnesses of the case must be solved secretly."
The consequences of perjury are already obvious. As long as you are involved in this case, you will be killed. Don't think about getting promoted and making money to find a backer. Such good things will not happen to them.
The only way left is to refuse to cooperate and go to the bottom of the prison. It doesn't even need to go to the bottom of the prison. It is still very easy to let two disobedient people die in prison without knowing it.
In this way, what they are facing is really a desperate situation. Whether they testify or not, they are a dead end.
Li Siye had a complaint against Zhang Xiaojing in his heart. In the final analysis, he enforced the law too harshly. If he had been more gentle with Liu Gengsan, he would not have ended up in this situation today.
Zhang Xiaojing poured the remaining wine in the wine jar into two glasses, brought it to his lips and tasted it slowly, then suddenly said: "There is still a third way to go."
Li Siye suddenly stood up and asked in surprise: "How to get there?"
"Let this case not be investigated."
Li Siye was puzzled: "Can you explain it more clearly?"
"In the final analysis, the key to this case lies in Liu Gengsan, so Yang Consort tried every means to get him from Liquan County to Chang'an City. He is the main witness. As long as this person dies, Yang Consort's conspiracy to falsely accuse the prince will be aborted.
, we don’t have to take the risk of slandering the prince, and the consort Yang Hui has no reason to kill us."
Li Siye shook his head helplessly: "Now that we are imprisoned in the Jingzhao Mansion prison and can't do anything, how can we let Liu Gengsan die? Should we make a big vow and ask God to strike him with thunder and kill him?"
Zhang Xiaojing grabbed a piece of straw, put it in his mouth and said with a smile: "I, Zhang Xiaojing, never believe in God. No matter when or where, I can only rely on myself. Since they ask us to give perjury, they must conduct collusive confessions and secret interrogations. There is always a chance."
When you see Liu Gengsan, as long as you find a way to get rid of him, you and I will still have a chance of survival."
"So?" Li Siye followed his intention and said, "Zhang Hong will come back tomorrow and pretend to promise him perjury to paralyze them and wait for the opportunity."
Zhang Xiaojing nodded, squinted his one eye, yawned and said, "Go to sleep when you are sleepy. Only when you have enough energy can you overcome the crisis."
Li Siye was convinced, gathered the straw under him, spread it thickly, and lay down on the ground.
There is no distinction between day and night in the prison. Sometimes he can't even tell whether the small window at the end of the corridor is sunlight or moonlight. He can only tell it by the time when the jailer delivers meals. Sometimes when he wakes up, he can feel mice jumping around on him.
Go, itchy shoulders and back, and sometimes you can even pick up a flea.
County Lieutenant Zhang Hong came to the prison again. This time he did not bring any food or wine. He just stood outside the wooden fence. His dim and blurry face said loudly from a distance: "Zhang Xiaojing, Li Siye, have you two decided?"
, do you want to testify?"
Zhang Xiaojing sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and replied dully: "Of course it is to testify. Apart from seeking refuge with Prince Consort Yang, do we have any better way?"
Zhang Hong smiled as he took it for granted: "This is the right thing to do, Prince Consort Yang will not treat you badly."
He took out two pieces of paper from his arms, put them through the wooden fence and threw them on the ground. Then he turned around and ordered the jailer: "Get them both a lantern and let them memorize the confession."
Li Siye walked over, picked up the paper, unfolded it in his hand, looked at it, and muttered to himself, "What the hell is this?"
Zhang Hong stood outside the cell and warned the two men again: "You must memorize the above confession. No matter who asks you during the testimony, you must bite these two sentences."
The jailer brought the wind lantern in from the outside and hung it above the wooden fence. The wind lantern was just a copper base inlaid with an iron frame. The top was covered with gauze, and the light was dim and swaying.
Li Siye and Zhang Xiaojing stood under the lamp, unfolded the paper to read the content, and saw that it read:
"On the 13th day of the month of Lotus, at the beginning of the morning, the bad commander Zhang Xiaojing and I, on the orders of the county captain, went to the Zoroastrian Temple to capture the demon who was holding the hostage. The demon held the Zoroastrian treasure and said wildly: "I came to Chang'an only for the Holy Lotus.
!" There are also two seven-character verses: Return to Tai Chi to bring about all transformations, and the sunrise from the lotus pond will turn the world around.
Zhang Xiaojing asked: "Where is the Holy Lotus?" The demon replied: "How can we save all the people and reorganize the world!" Zhang Xiaojing asked again: "Where is the Holy Lotus?" The demon replied: "As the teacher's verse shows, in the east of Tai Chi, there is no wealth like this.
This is the East Palace." The demon said again: "Where the holy lotus is located, it will definitely take away the magical power of creation."
Li Siye looked at Zhang Xiaojing's paper. The content on it was generally the same, except that the name of the person who dictated it was changed.
The two of them bowed their heads and recited pretendingly. Zhang Hong couldn't see anything strange and walked away with satisfaction.
As soon as the warder and Zhang Hong left, they folded up the papers and went to the corner of the straw pile to continue sleeping.
They stayed in the cell like this for five or six days. During this period, Wen Wuji came to visit, but there was no news other than that. Li Siye exercised every day, doing 100 push-ups and 100 squats. Zhang Xiaojing
I was curious about this unique way of exercising, so I simply followed suit. People in the Tang Dynasty generally did not reject novel things.