When Chu Ziling was secretly escorted to the main tent, Jinghong was shocked by the tragic state.
His face was bruised and purple, one eye was bluish red, swollen and bulging, and a whip mark extended from under the eye to the corner of his mouth.
Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng were both in the main tent.
After Shi Tingyun left, Yan Yuanzhao wanted to call his horse to go with him, but Yan Yuanheng stopped him: "Brother Six Emperors, follow me to see General Shi in the main business."
Yan Yuanzhao said urgently: "If Tingyun wants to go wrong, run to release that Chu Ziling..."
Yan Yuanheng replied: "Tingyun knows it well."
Now that he saw Chu Ziling's tragic appearance, Yan Yuanzhao was relieved.
Fortunately, Tingyun didn't do anything stupid.
But Yan Yuanheng raised his eyebrows instead.
He looked at Shi Tingyun's excessively calm expression, and his palms, which had been rubbed with fine bloodstains because of his grip on the whip, made his heart tighten with pain.
The southern Xinjiang special envoy, surnamed Kang Mingyang, was a Miao nationality, dressed as a scholar, wearing a pair of crystal glasses at a young age, and his appearance and eloquence were extraordinary.
He glanced lightly at Chu Ziling, who had been beaten into a dog-like manner, turned his head calmly, and spoke very fluently in Chinese: "The two princes, General Shi. Several of General Timur's letters have been read, and the peace talks are about to be discussed. It still needs to be negotiated in detail. In the next few days, I will stay in your army to discuss this matter. As for…”
He pointed to Chu Ziling: "... This name is Chu Ziling, I have been entrusted by someone, and I must take him back to the southern border."
Shi Jinghong: "Who is entrusted?"
Kangyang said, "My dear friend Aisha."
Hearing this, Chu Ziling's bloody eyes turned slightly.
... Aisha
Is Aisha crazy
He stayed in the Beifu Army himself, and he clearly still had something to do. Why did he ask someone to take him away
Chu Ziling has always acted prudently, but he has also imagined countless times in private that when he revealed his face in front of everyone, everyone was shocked, sad, or angry, and he could accept it with ease. After all, at that time , he has already achieved success, Yan Yuanzhao, Yan Yuanheng, and even Shi Jinghong, in front of him, are just prisoners under the steps, turtles in the urn.
… It’s definitely not like now, kneeling in front of the hall with a bruised nose and a swollen face, surrounded by onlookers, life and death are uncertain.
Shi Jinghong remained calm: "Chu Ziling, what do you want to say?"
No matter how much confusion Chu Ziling felt in his heart, he put it all away at this time.
He raised his head and said decisively: "The last will be wronged!"
Kangyang raised his cup to drink tea with a peaceful demeanor.
Yan Yuanzhao couldn't help it, and said first: "You said that this person is collaborating with the enemy and treason, but he entered the general's mansion when he was twelve years old. If his net worth is not innocent, how could he be admitted to the mansion?"
Kangyang put down the tea cup: "Spys should be raised from an early age. The sixth prince should understand such a simple truth."
Yan Yuanzhao: "..."
Having nothing to say, he thought the envoy was a little weird.
It stands to reason that the spies planted in the enemy camp are either kept, or they are directly regarded as abandoned children after being discovered, and they are thrown away. Why did this person take the initiative to reveal Chu Ziling's identity and plan to bring it back
What exactly did this Southern Border man plan to do
Not to mention Yan Yuanzhao, Chu Ziling was also at a loss.
What does he mean
Chu Ziling, no matter what kind of madness Aisha is going on, he has been a slave for several years, just to be proud, how can he let his efforts go to waste
He bowed his head and said, "General, son, Ziling doesn't know how to defend himself. I entered the general's mansion since I was a child, so I didn't have to suffer from wandering.
The four words "into the mansion since childhood" reminded Chu Ziling of the experience of being displaced in the past, and of the piece of jade that was shattered at the feet of Shi Tingyun.
His heart and stomach were aching, and even his lower abdomen was tangled up.
Even so, he still tried his best to hold on, not impatient, but more helpless and heartache: "Nanjiang people just want to use this to sow discord, is there any real evidence? Young master, Ziling has grown up with you since he was a child. Big, deep friendship, you were temporarily deceived by the villain, Ziling is willing to suffer the wrath of the son. But Ziling is pure and innocent, with a heart and blood, the sun and the moon can be learned!"
Kangyang's demeanor was as usual, neither shocked nor angry, but instead praised: "It's really good tea. If the peace talks go well, I wonder if Kang can bring some tea back to his friends to taste?"
Shi Jinghong was also indifferent and said with a smile, "If Special Envoy Kang likes it, it's okay to take some away."
Chu Ziling was stretched out by the two of them, and the words that hurt Chen Qingbai seemed powerless.
But don't worry.
He thought that as long as there was no evidence, there was still room for manoeuvre.
if only…
"... Innocent, pure heart and blood?"
When he still had fantasies, Shi Tingyun picked up a pile of letters on the table and handed it to him, his hands shaking a little, making a rustling sound: "... You mean these?"
After all, he slapped the letter on Chu Ziling's face.
When Chu Ziling saw the stack of letters, written in black and white, he didn't realize it was dark in front of him, and a fire in his heart made him dizzy.
… What is this southern Xinjiang person doing? Do you really want to unload the grind and kill the donkey
"Seven years of the Battle of the Two Cities." Kangyang said while playing with the tea cup, "...It happened when Mr. Shi went to the border for the first time. Mr. Shi was still young at the time, staying in the main city and never going out. Participated in the war. The one who served by his side was this Chu Ziling. I remember that there was also a servant next to the son, named Li Yeshu, who stayed in the General’s Mansion at that time and never accompanied him. I dare to ask General Shi, this letter has real-time military information, And the letter with the same handwriting as Mr. Shi, if it wasn’t for Mr. Shi, who would most likely have sent it? If this matter were to be judged by the world, I don’t know how many secret and strange rumors would flow out.”
Yan Yuanheng's expression changed.
This is really nasty!
This surnamed Kang has a smile on his face, he is clearly a ruthless character, but he is actually trying to involve Shi Tingyun!
The beloved son of General Shi Jinghong Shi is known to everyone. At present, Chu Ziling may have done something in detail, and only a few personal guards and them know about it, but if the people in the southern border spread this matter...
Even for the sake of Shi Tingyun's reputation, Shi Jinghong had to find a reasonable sinner immediately, otherwise once the matter spread, not to mention the identity of General Shi Tingyun's son, he would attract much criticism for him, even if it was A notorious "lax discipline" is enough time to stop and drink a pot.
To put it bluntly, this is a blatant threat.
- If Chu Ziling is handed over, then this matter is known by heaven and earth, you know it and I know it.
- If you intend to shelter, then once the rumors spread, it is unknown who the victim is.
Shi Jinghong naturally understood the meaning of these words, but he just responded with a gentle smile: "Envoy Kang is quite concerned about the child, and even knows the people around him."
"Sorry for the offense. I didn't know about the family affairs of the General's Mansion before." Kang Yang looked at Chu Ziling, "It's all down to this person, and I explained it clearly in the letter."
Chu Ziling's eyes turned sharply, and he saw the letters that fell in front of him clearly, and his heart became even more heavy.
These are not all letters, they have been selected, but they are destined to be sealed.
Including a few months ago, he reported Wen Feiru's injury, the military situation in Dingyuan's emergency, and the matter of helping Sui.
If he infers that it is a forgery, who can know so many secrets
What's more, he just said something like that, which was forcing Shi Jinghong to immediately condemn him.
But Nanjiang people have no reason to treat themselves like this, especially Aisha, who has to point at himself to climb up.
Besides, if he wanted to harm himself, he could end his life by sending a message directly, so why would he make an extra effort and propose to bring him back to the southern border
As Chu Ziling's eyes turned, he was full of thoughts.
Only Aisha had these letters. Aisha sent this person to meet him and displayed all his cards. What was it for
Could it be that the Southern Border Royal Family has changed? Or when the King of Southern Borders asked himself, Aisha had to reveal his true identity, so the King of Southern Borders wanted to see him, and this special envoy came here because he was compelled to do so because he was ordered to do so
The more Chu Ziling thought about it, the more reasonable it became.
Only in this way can everything make sense and make sense.
Thinking of this, he simply did not open his mouth to defend himself.
Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng on the side heard the sinister words in Kangyang's words, and couldn't help but feel anxious.
Yan Yuanzhao looked at Shi Jinghong, and Yan Yuanheng looked at Shi Tingyun, who looked uncertain.
Shi Jinghong seemed to be unaware and said, "Special Envoy Kang, why should I return this person to the southern border? If I throw him out of the tent at this time, he will be immediately divided by five horses."
Kang Yang said with a smile: "General Shi is a smart man, so he probably wouldn't want to make the matter of General Shi's lax rule to the point of public knowledge."
Shi Jinghong's smile didn't change: "There are special envoys from Laokang who are bothered."
He picked up Timur's peace negotiation book, turned two pages, and instructed without raising his head: "Left and right, stab Chu Ziling to death with a sword, saying that Special Envoy Kang intended to kill, Chu Ziling protected me and died, and then drag Special Envoy Kang to death. Go out and chop."
Kangyang: "… "
The left and right lieutenants drew their swords, and Special Envoy Kang's cold sweat broke out instantly: "When..."
Shi Jinghong raised his eyes, his eyebrows were full of gentle smiles: "Envoy Kang, if I deal with it like this, how are you going to publicize this matter?"
Kangyang was ashamed, and when he saw the swords were put away from the left and right, he reluctantly felt relieved: "General Shi, you are joking."
Shi Jinghong said, "Envoy Kang, don't joke around. We are talking about peace, so we must put honesty first. If you want to take Chu Ziling away, you must give me a reason not to kill him."
"He's been a little restless recently." I don't know if it was because of his shock, but Kang Yang was unexpectedly frank, "Probably he has a future in the Beifu army, and he wants to plan for his own future. We really don't want to. We will let him know how the traitor should be treated. General Shi can rest assured that this person will not be sent back to the southern border. I will be treated well. Especially Aisha, who asked me to visit, has a blood feud with him, and will never indulge him."
Kangyang's disapproving and anti-depreciation attitude made Chu Ziling more at ease.
He really came to pick him up.
Shi Jinghong pondered for a while: "Chu Ziling, how do you choose? Do you want to stay or go back to the southern border?"
Chu Ziling never thought that Shi Jinghong would ask for his own opinion, and he was sweating profusely: "I..."
With just this hesitation, thousands of thoughts and emotions ran through his mind.
His identity was revealed in public by Kangyang, and there were letters to testify. Although there was still room for defense, or he used his right hand to write in public to prove his innocence, it was useless to stay here.
Even if you stop trusting yourself again, once the seeds of doubt are sown, there will be no room for return.
Instead, he returned to the southern border, and he still had a chance to fight again.
In these days in the Central Plains, he has gained a lot of experience in the defense of the Central Plains. Even if he fails to make the Shi family's father and son into a name, it will not be a loss to take this information back.
And his hesitation was seen by everyone present.
Shi Jinghong waved his hand: "Okay, I know. ... Special Envoy Kang, please."
Kang Yang knew that this was done, and bowed his hands respectfully, Chu Ziling was gagged, dragged out, found an idle tent, and held him temporarily.
Kangyang made up his mind and continued to drink tea.
However, Yan Yuanzhao couldn't sit still. He approached Shi Jinghong and said softly, "General Shi, why let him go back? Killing him on the spot is the best way to keep Tingyun's reputation."
"Thank the sixth prince for your concern for the child." Shi Jinghong replied, "But who in the guard camp didn't know the relationship between Chu Ziling and the child, and killed him rashly without giving a reason, and the rumors would only get worse."
However, Yan Yuanzhao disagreed: "It's fine that the execution was carried out secretly, and there are only a dozen people around who knew about it. What if they brought back Chu Ziling and then made a fuss about those letters with handwriting similar to Ting Yun? Not to mention the surname Chu. But I know a lot about the military situation in the Central Plains…”
"Sixth prince, don't be impatient." Shi Jinghong was still gentle and polite, "You can rest assured that Chu Ziling has been transferred to the Xiaoqi Camp for many months, and the defense has been adjusted. Besides, they will not accept any words of Chu Ziling. Chu Ziling. If you go to the southern border, you will definitely die."
Yan Yuanzhao raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Kangyang also seemed to be aware of Yan Yuanzhao's doubts and took the initiative to release his sincerity.
He pointed to the scattered letters on the ground, and said, "General, you have read all the letters, and they are all originals. You can burn all the letters. Once you get out of this tent, Kang won't mention another letter. Just think that Chu Ziling stole property from the army and was fired and kicked out of the army."
"Envoy Kang is really considerate, Shi Mou would like to thank you here."
After Shi Jinghong signaled it, Shi Tingyun, who had been standing beside him with his head down, began to pick up the secret letters scattered all over the place.
At the same time, Shi Jinghong spoke again: "Special Envoy Kang, there is also something about Shi here, I hope you will know."
Kangyang is polite: "What's the matter?"
Shi Jinghong said: "Ding Yuan Wen is not a Confucian, and has never been injured."
Kangyang didn't know why he brought this up, so he smiled politely: "That's not very..."
Before the word "good" was out of his mouth, Kangyang understood the meaning behind this sentence, and immediately got goosebumps.
Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng didn't quite understand at first why Shi Jinghong brought this up.
Wen Feiru was not seriously injured before the battle of Dingyuan...
Shi Jinghong looked at Kangyang's pale face, and said slowly: "Xiao Er realized that there was a traitor in the house, so he played a small trick and told the people close to him two completely different messages, one is that Dingyuan Wen Feiru was injured. , and the second is that Vice-General Bai of Yongzhou City was injured. Soon after, Dingzhou was attacked by your army."
Yan Yuanzhao also gradually came to understand, with surprise in his eyes, he looked at Shi Tingyun who was packing up the letters.
The sadness on Shi Ting's cloud was no longer there. He picked up the letters page by page and threw them into the stove beside him.
When the fire tongue burned the corner of the paper and rolled it up, Shi Jinghong smiled and said, "Since we have already identified the traitor, we will work hard for Special Envoy Kang to send the traitor back to the southern border for us, so we can deal with it."
…
Chu Ziling in the other tent knew nothing of what happened in the main tent.
He bent his knees and touched something in his arms.
The broken jade is still there.
After the jade was smashed by Shi Tingyun, he excused that it was his mother's relic, wrapped the broken jade, and put it back in his arms.
Broken jade can also be repaired, and it is not difficult to see the original appearance.
… still works, still works.
Chu Ziling could only comfort himself like this, resting his head on the hardwood on one side, enduring the burning pain all over his body.
For the next few days, Kangyang stayed in the Beifu army to discuss peace talks. Chu Ziling listened to the guards chatting outside, saying that after getting along with Kangyang in the past few days, he admired General Shi and Major General very much.
But Chu Ziling's life was not very good.
The whiplash pain on my body is another matter. I lack water and eat less every day. Occasionally, a meal brought by my guards is still sour. Even if I don't smell it, I swallow it whole, and the powdery and greasy taste in my mouth. Also disgusting.
On the second day, Li Yeshu came, and without saying a word, grabbed him and beat him, and he was a little harder than Shi Tingyun. He was beaten to death.
Seeing that Li Yeshu's eyes were red, he kept kicking and kicking himself, and his voice was full of screams. A tall guard simply carried him on his shoulders and sent him out to look for Major General Shi.
This time, Chu Ziling's injuries got worse, and he vomited when he drank water.
On the other hand, Li Yeshu seemed to be thinking about him. When he had time, he would go through the window and beat him. He even brought a knife.
Chu Ziling lived a miserable life, it was like a year.
Day after night, it was finally time for Kangyang to leave the camp.
The Southern Border Mission wanted to secretly take Chu Ziling away, so they chose to leave in the early hours of the morning. In order to avoid people's eyes and ears, Chu Ziling's head was covered with a black pocket.
When he was blindfolded, out of the corner of Chu Ziling's eyes, he caught sight of Shi Tingyun, who came to see him off.
When it was time to part, Chu Ziling felt a different kind of melancholy in his heart, secretly said, Young Master, maybe when we meet again, we will be enemies.
On the other hand, Kangyang surrendered to Shi Jinghong and told him the last thing: "General Shi, Chu Ziling has a grey-necked pigeon. Listen to me, it's useless to keep it, kill it."
The peace negotiation team walked along the Cangjiang River and heard the sound of the waves. They were far away from the Beifu Army Headquarters. Chu Ziling, who was on horseback, moved his aching body and said, "It's alright. Now that we've gone far, let me go. Bar."
The peace negotiation team responsible for escorting him looked at each other for a while and sneered.
Chu Ziling was really uncomfortable being tied up, so he frowned: "Where is Kangyang?"
Kangyang rode his horse and pulled the black cloth from his head with one hand.
The suddenly bright morning light hurt Chu Ziling's eyelids. He squinted awkwardly. When he was able to open his eyes, he moved his numb arm, thinking, maybe Aisha didn't tell others about him. The identity of the prince, only Kangyang knows. Therefore, he got closer to Kangyang and whispered, "How is Aisha's situation?"
Kang Yang glanced at him: "It's not very good. I hurt one eye, and only one life was saved."
Chu Ziling was puzzled: "He is a civil servant, how could he hurt his eyes?"
"... Wenchen?"
Kang Yang looked at his smiling eyes and raised his tone slightly when he asked the question, making Chu Ziling faintly aware that something was wrong.
He asked, "Didn't Aisha tell you to take me back to the southern border?"
"'Return'?" Kang Yang thought for a while, then smiled, "Yes, 'return' to southern Xinjiang, from now on, Aisha House in southern Xinjiang will be your home. You used to be a slave in the Central Plains for a period of time. I have enjoyed the time to join the army, and now I want to go back to my old business, how do you feel?"
"...What kind of work?" Chu Ziling's bad premonition grew stronger and stronger, "What did Aisha tell you?"
Kangyang said: "Lieutenant General Aisha asked me to tell you that since you love being a slave, he will reward you and be a slave for life."
Aisha? ... lieutenant general
Chu Ziling opened his mouth for a while, and finally realized that the situation was completely different from what he imagined.
He didn't dare to hide it any longer, the blood in his chest hissed and boiled against the flow, making his head buzz: "I am the prince of the Southern Border! I have a token on my chest!"
Kang Yang raised his eyebrows, reached into his arms, and really touched a pile of broken hard objects.
He took the package out and squeezed it in his palm.
After Chu Ziling showed a look of anticipation, Kangyang did not dismantle it. With a wave of his hand, the bag of broken jade fell into the Cangjiang River, and was immediately engulfed in the river water, floating and sinking a few times, and there was no trace.
Facing Chu Ziling's gray-green face, the eyes under Kangyang's crystal glasses glowed with a cold light that was half a smile but not a smile: "...whether it was before or not, it is not now."