Mu Fulan walked into the dungeon and ordered people to remove the shackles from the spy who had been detained there for nearly half a year.
Zhu Liuhu slowly opened his eyes.
With her young and beautiful face and noble and gorgeous clothes, her appearance made this dark dungeon seem brighter.
He looked at her blankly, not knowing why she was here, and even less why he was stopped when he was about to commit suicide with the dagger, until he heard her say, "Do something for me."
"Return Xie Changgeng's mother to him."
Zhu Liuhu was stunned. After a moment, he understood. Slowly, a trace of the breath of a living person appeared in those eyes that had been as dead as water.
He got up from the ground and kowtowed to the woman in front of him with gratitude.
When he stood up, he wanted to ask how she was doing now, but he pursed his lips with difficulty and swallowed the words back.
This woman gave him a chance to face his superior and accept the punishment that he deserved in a dignified manner. This was already a huge favor. He had no right to think about anything else, and he didn't have such an opportunity.
His life no longer belongs to him.
At this moment, he knelt in front of the man who had the power over his life and death, and bowed his head deeply to the ground, feeling unworthy of the honor.
"She had nothing else to say except asking you to send my mother back?"
A cold voice came from the other side. He immediately took out a small ebony box with four corners covered with gold from his bosom, held it in his hands, and raised it high above his head.
"The princess also asked me to hand this item over."
Xie Changgeng held the box and opened it slowly.
In the box was a golden seal with a tortoise-shaped knob, which seemed to have been split in half by a sharp weapon.
He stared at it for a long time without even blinking.
Zhu Liuhu did not dare to look up, and waited for a moment before saying, "I have ruined the King of Qin's plan, and even death is not enough to atone for my crime!" After he finished speaking, he took out a dagger and was about to stab himself in the heart, when he suddenly heard the person opposite him ask, "When you came out, did you know about the situation of Li Liang of Fuzhou attacking Changsha State?"
Zhu Liuhu stopped and looked up.
Xie Changgeng looked at him expressionlessly.
When the court returned to Shangjing and Xie Changgeng was about to lead the army to Changping Pass, the officials also criticized Changsha, one of the culprits. Although Mu Xuanqing died of illness on the way of retreat, this did not eliminate the anger of the officials. They wrote to the emperor one after another, demanding that they should be wiped out. Li Liang, the governor of Fuzhou, a close neighbor of Changsha, stood up at the right time and wrote to the emperor to recommend himself, claiming that he was willing to share the worries of the court and lead the army to destroy Changsha.
"When I came out, Li Liang and Changsha General Yuan Handing were fighting in Yunmeng. As for the battle situation, I don't know."
"You and Liang Tuan have been with me the longest. You are smart and prudent, and have never made any mistakes in doing things. How could you fail in your duty to such an extent this time?" He heard Xie Changgeng ask again.
Zhu Liuhu was so ashamed that he dared not look at him and whispered, "I dare not hide anything. Two years ago, when I was ordered to settle in Yuecheng, I met a woman who was my neighbor..."
He paused and bowed deeply to the ground again.
"It was all because I was tempted by beauty, indulged in comfort, became lazy, forgot my mission, and became blind and deaf, ruining the King of Qin's great cause. It has nothing to do with others."
After a long silence, he heard that cold voice again.
"Since you have been with me for many years and have made great contributions in the past, I will spare your life. According to the rules, you will cut off one of your fingers as a warning."
Zhu Liuhu could hardly believe his ears. Then, when he realized what was happening, he burst into tears of gratitude.
He cut off his left thumb with a knife, ignoring the blood gushing out, gritted his teeth and endured the pain, and kowtowed heavily to the back of the person in front of him who had already turned around and walked away with the box in hand: "Thank you, King Qin, for not killing me!"
…
A few days later, hundreds of miles away in Fuzhou, Li Liang, the governor of Fuzhou, was caught in a dilemma and could not sleep or eat.
Changsha State is located in the southern corner. At the beginning of this dynasty, when it was first granted to the King of the Mu family as a fiefdom, except for a few larger cities near Yuecheng, the rest of the place was sparsely populated and covered with swamps. However, after the governance of the King of the Mu family, the swamps were filled with land, and benevolent policies were implemented. Gradually, the population prospered, fish and rice were abundant, and the granaries were well-stocked. Li Liang had long coveted it. He took advantage of the fact that Changsha State had weak soldiers and no weapons. He had previously taken advantage of the chaos and sent troops to attack, intending to seize the territory. Unexpectedly, the other side suddenly killed a sharp army. At that time, he was defeated, but he was very unwilling in his heart. This time, seeing that Changsha State failed to rebel with the King of Qi and lost the king, the country was in turmoil, and there was a tendency of people's hearts being scattered, he was overjoyed and believed that the opportunity had come again, so he wrote a letter to the court, one is to show loyalty to Xie Changgeng, and the other is to take the opportunity to get some food and money, and then come back.
As the saying goes, the emperor is far away and the sky is high. As long as he can win the battle and capture Yuecheng, he can fish in troubled waters and gain huge benefits.
He had not expected that Changsha, without its king, would have a regent princess. Changsha was not in disarray as he had imagined, but the army was united in hatred of the enemy and its fighting power was amazing.
Since he sent troops to the border of Changsha State to invade Yunmeng again, he had suffered three consecutive defeats in less than a month, suffered heavy casualties and was in a miserable state.
He was unwilling to retreat. He wanted to regroup and attack Yunmeng again, but his subordinates began to complain. Yesterday, he killed several captured deserters and promised to let the soldiers plunder the city for three days. Only then did he manage to hold his ground.
Yunmeng was just a small city, but it took a long time to capture. The longer the time dragged on, the more detrimental it was to morale.
He planned to launch another attack as soon as possible. If he failed again this time, he might never have a chance to turn the tables. He did not dare to be careless, and was still in the camp planning with his subordinates after dark. However, the two capable generals disagreed over who should lead the troops to attack the city first, and they blamed each other, and even drew their swords against each other.
Li Liang was furious and was just rebuking loudly when he heard someone come to report that the newly appointed King of Qin and Hexi Jiedushi Xie Changgeng had actually come here in person. He was so surprised that he straightened his clothes and hurried to greet him with his men.
Outside the camp gate, a group of people and horses stopped. In the front, there was a man sitting high on the horse's back. It was Xie Changgeng.
Li Liang knelt to greet him and ushered him into the tent. He said with a smile, "Your Excellency the King of Qin, you have come from afar. I was unable to come out to greet you. Please forgive me, King of Qin."
He felt timid, so how could he dare to ask him the purpose of his journey south? He thought that he came for the war with Changsha.
He naturally knew about the origin and grudge between Xie and Changsha State, from relatives to enemies. Mu followed the King of Qi in the rebellion, which caused Shangjing to fall for a time. He must have hated Mu very much.
Xie Changgeng glanced at the military maps still scattered on the table. "I heard that the war is not going well here?"
He looked calm, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry from his tone.
Li Liang knelt down hurriedly: "I have failed the high hopes of the court and the King of Qin! It is not that I am lazy. I really did not expect that the regent of the Mu family would come here to supervise the battle in person and deceive and win over the people. This is why the rebels are difficult to suppress."
He straightened his chest and said generously: "Don't worry, King Qin, this is only a temporary situation! I have already made arrangements and planned to attack again soon. What's more, if the soldiers knew that the King of Qin came here in person, they would be greatly encouraged and swear to be loyal to him until death!"
After he finished speaking, he bowed solemnly to the person sitting there.
There was silence in the tent for a long time, and then he heard a voice saying, "Retreat. Without my order, you are not allowed to send troops out again."
"Otherwise, you will be treated as a rebel!"
Xie Changgeng stood up and walked out.
That night, the moon was bright in the sky and the river was cold and desolate.
Xie Changgeng wandered alone, walking along the river bank several miles away from Fuzhou Camp.
He went down to the river bank. There were piles of rocks under his feet and the waves were crashing against the shore. At the end of his sight, the surface of the river was pitch black.
In this deep winter night, it seemed as if there was nothing else between heaven and earth, except for the water flowing under his feet, rolling endlessly.
Until in the distance, the sound of a ship's horn came with the wind. In the middle of the river, a black boat came from afar.
He made his fortune in the river and knew this waterway like the back of his hand. This section of the river branches off here, and there are many reefs in the middle of the river, making it extremely dangerous to sail at night. The boat owner, whether for profit or to hurry up for his career, ignored the danger and sailed downstream at night. The lone boat seemed to come from the sky, drifting in the middle of the river. When it reached the mouth of the tributary ahead, several strong boatmen who had been sailing on the waterway for many years took the oars, touched a protruding rock in the middle of the river, shouted slogans, and exerted their strength together, and successfully turned the bow of the boat over, following the current and turning into the branch.
The boatman's horn gradually faded away, and my ears became silent, returning to peace.
Xie Changgeng stood alone by the river, letting the waves of water wet the corners of his clothes.
He watched the lone boat drift away downstream, gradually being swallowed up by the darkness and disappearing from his sight.
By following this tributary winding down, you can take a shortcut into Dongting Lake.
Many years ago, a young man, also in the middle of the night, with unspeakable ambitions, boarded a black boat under the moon, and crossed the dangers from here to Dongting Lake.
This young man is planning to marry the princess of Changsha.
But at that time, he was just a river bandit, and the woman he wanted to marry was of noble status.
He always tried to do things without mistakes, especially such an important matter. After following the river into Dongting, he did not go ashore immediately, but quietly went to the center of the lake to visit an old friend he had met by chance in Junshan.
The purpose of the visit was naturally to find out more about what he wanted to know.
Time flies, and the war flies. These old events from many years ago have gradually become blurred in his memory.
But at this moment, the river bank remained the same, the moon was still bright, and the black boat that had already passed away made him suddenly realize that everything seemed to have happened just yesterday. He even remembered an accidental incident that happened when he was going down the mountain.
It was as if he was passing a mountain road and he met a girl who was running towards him helplessly for help for a baby bird that was blown off a cliff by the mountain wind.
The girl he never remembered again...
Xie Changgeng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
A strange feeling, as if the river tide was surging towards him under his feet, surged into his heart.
He frowned, slowly closed his eyes, and tried hard to recall the girl who had long disappeared from his memory.
The shadow gradually became clearer.
I remember it was a spring day, the girl was half grown up, with black hair, pink clothes, and pale eyebrows. She was very charming. One glance showed that she had been raised in luxury and did not know the dangers of the world. How could she have known that the kind-hearted person she lifted up her skirt and ran to for help was actually a bad person? Just before she stopped him, he was still thinking about the unspeakable secret hidden deep in his heart.
Although he was surprised, he thought it was just a small task, so he acted like a good person and helped her bring the bird up and back to its nest as she requested.
She raised her delicate and childish face like a flower with bright eyes, looked at him, and thanked him joyfully.
He felt a little uncomfortable with the girl's innocent smile, but he still nodded at her, smiled back, and left.
Xie Changgeng suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head abruptly, and looked towards the direction of Dongting Lake across the water under the dark night sky.
He remembered.
The face of the little girl he met under the old cypress tree on Junshan Mountain that day, if she took off her childishness, she would clearly be Mu Fulan in the future!
The river wind whistled in his ears, his heart beat faster and faster, and his hands were covered in sweat.
He remembered again what she had said to him before.
She said that before she got engaged to him, she met the man of her dreams in Junshan.
But later, that person died.
He once believed it without a doubt, and was jealous, resentful, and aggrieved until he had no choice but to accept it. Later, he no longer cared about it, and even did not hesitate to grovel in front of her, just asking her to be nicer to him, forget the man in the past, and regard him as her real man.
However, she was heartless and discarded him like a worn-out shoe.
Only at this moment did he understand that he was the former lover she had mentioned.
He was also clearly still alive, and had married her as she wished.
He didn't know what happened later. How could she be so cruel to treat him like this
Even to this day, he allowed Li Liang to use his troops to put pressure on her, and she was unwilling to see him again even for negotiations!
By the river, Xie Changgeng's figure stood still, as if he had turned into a rock pillar.
He stared at the dark sky in the distance, his eyes gradually turning red. After a moment, he suddenly turned around, climbed up the river bank, walked away quickly, and his figure soon disappeared under the moonlight.