I didn't have time to think, my hand left the spear and went to grab the halberd, not caring whether it was possible or not. But soon, the moonlight disappeared, and I saw the angry expression on Lu Bu's face.
"How can you be so contemptuous of me?" Although the voice was muffled, I could hear it clearly. Then, when the moonlight came from behind him again, I finally came to my senses.
I knew it was my fault, so I was too embarrassed to say anything. I quickly raised my spear, and then I heard a "bang" and then he asked hurriedly, "Can you handle this force?"
I was hurt by this, but I knew it was well-intentioned. I felt nothing else in my hand, so I shouted provocatively at Lu Bu who was already far away: "Okay!"
There were people cheering on the stage, and we had already pushed forward again, and he chopped again. I heard a very familiar sentence, but this time it was from him: "Okay, push forward again and I will chop up once, then cut your left rib, and then sweep from the right."
But he was able to perform many more moves than I did at the time, and I found it hard to believe that it was possible for me to complete all of his moves in one go.
However, this time the cheers from the stage were so loud that I couldn't hear his next instructions clearly, because he not only completed all the moves beautifully, but also told me the four moves for the next round.
Then we played a very bad game in front of all the court officials, but this game was full of tension and danger for me. Especially after more than a dozen wrong kicks, my hands really had no feeling at all. Every time I was very confident that I would not be able to support myself next time and was ready to be thrown off the horse, but every time my hands acted on their own and did what they thought they should do, without caring about my feelings at all. It felt like they left me aside, and they were quite fearless. But in the current situation, I really had to rely on them, so I had to swallow my anger.
The cheers should be more real than the fighting on the field, or at least not more fake.
When we felt a little bored, we decided to stop and fight. At this time, we didn't need to say anything. Wherever I pointed my gun, there would be a bang and sometimes fire. Finally, I decided to chat with him while watching my hands do whatever they wanted. During this period, we both shouted from time to time to show how hard we fought. In fact, I was really working hard, and even my expressions were rich. If there were spectators around, they would think I was trying my best, but Lu Bu was expressionless most of the time, obviously not as dedicated as me.
The days passed neither fast nor slow. It was very difficult at the beginning, but after my hands started to do things on their own, I had more free time. During this time, I even started to ask him some questions, which surprised him a little. It was obvious that the strength of his hands increased. I quickly asked him why he suddenly became like this, and he was actually more fun like this.
I didn't think this was fun, so I tried my best to hold back and didn't dare to say anything else. Suddenly, it occurred to me that maybe Lu Bu was annoyed by me and wanted to give himself some peace and quiet in this way.
I was really bored, so I shot back, but he didn't seem to react, just nodded slightly, and then I swung my gun around and hit him, which made him feel a little strange. But he thought it was easier to defend himself this way, so he didn't raise any objections.
I suspected that the Emperor was also getting bored of the two of us, as he thought it was boring and unoriginal to watch us both hitting each other like blacksmiths, you hammer and I hammer. So he ordered people to stop us.
We both saluted each other immediately. When I held the gun, I saw that my palms were a little swollen, and I couldn't express the feeling in my heart.
Then Lu Bu's men came over, and when they were fifty steps away, Lu Bu casually threw out his Fang Tian Hua Ji, which flew steadily across the air without turning at all, and was caught steadily by the man. Lu Bu did not even look at the man's position from beginning to end.
There was another round of applause from the stands, which made me feel that I should do something, otherwise I would be unworthy of my competitive spirit. But when I was ready to throw the gun, I clearly saw the panic of the man who came to pick me up. Thinking that this was not my forte, I gave up the idea, waited for him to hold my reins, handed him the gun politely, and then got off the horse steadily.
He stepped forward and saluted Brother Fengxian again, then held hands and went up to the viewing platform together.
He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, your son, Xie Zhi, the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, reports to your father that General Lu Fengxian is much better than me. I am far inferior to him. If the general had not shown mercy, I would not have been able to escape unscathed."
This caught Lu Bu off guard, but he didn't dare to say anything for a moment.
His Majesty smiled and said, "My son, there is no need to be so modest. I and the other ministers have seen you two fighting, and it seems that there is no winner. At first you were exhausted from defending, and I saw that, but later on, didn't you and he attack and defend each other?"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to report. General Fengxian must have been concerned about my status as a son. He was afraid that if he hurt the regent, it would be detrimental to the affairs of the country. Therefore, he showed mercy everywhere. It is really unbearable for me. Otherwise, if General Lu was hurt, Zirui would be to blame. Please reward him, Your Majesty?" He was secretly delighted. This matter was starting to turn out to be very good.
"Well, maybe later?" My father felt it was a little sudden, but he still felt that he should follow the etiquette and system, and he tactfully rejected my unreasonable request.
"That's what I thought during the battle. Although I am very competitive, I felt that this man should be selected. Please agree."
"The discussion of official titles in the imperial court is not a joke. How about we discuss it in the morning court tomorrow?" The emperor was obviously unhappy and ordered his carriage to return to the palace.
After the ministers respectfully saw His Majesty off, they said goodbye and dispersed.
I turned around and said to Lu Bu with a guilty but firm look on my face: "It is Zirui's regret that I cannot let you be employed. I will definitely ask for you to do it again."
He didn't know what to say, just thank you, but I didn't pay any attention to him, I just kept telling him to be polite. At this time, I wanted to pay attention to Dong Zhong's expression, but I couldn't find this guy on the spot.
After returning to the post station, I went to see my daughter first. Under Nalan's care in the past few days, the girl's complexion has improved a lot. Looking at her, my heart became much calmer. When my heart was completely calm, I went to find the teacher.
The teacher first handed me a jar directly and silently. There was a fragrance coming out of the mouth of the jar. When I opened the jar, the strong smell hit me so hard that I tilted my face back and had to cover my nose quickly.
"This smells so strong, is it edible?" After taking a closer look at the sticky mud-like substance in the jar, I couldn't help but feel doubtful.
"Eat, eat, can you think of anything else besides eating? Forget about sleeping, I want to tell you something, don't fall asleep while I'm talking to you. This is what your master's wife brought me. Look at your entire palm, especially the base of your thumb is swollen and congested, don't you feel it? Just apply it first, it will heal quickly."
The teacher seemed to be angry, so I didn't dare to be stubborn and quickly applied it, saying something incoherently: "Teacher, I don't know what you want to tell me. My hands are completely numb and I can't feel anything now. I smelled a sauce aroma outside the jar, so I thought it was something pickled. Teacher, what do you want to tell me?"
"Let me think about it and ask you again, do you have to do this? You are doing very well now. Without Xiliang's support, Dong Zhong is no longer a threat. In the harem, Empress He is more powerful than you think." The teacher's tone returned to calm, but there was still an angry expression on his face.
"Yes." Looking at the teacher's expression, I felt a little guilty. I didn't pay attention to his long list of reasons. I just tried my best to express my thoughts calmly.
"If you do this, you will suffer too much loss. Although we understand and the emperor understands, it will be very inconvenient for you to come back. We can deceive those traitors, but we cannot let the emperor use the imperial edict to deceive all the court officials in the world. That is, at that moment, you..." The teacher's hand was suspended in the air, turning twice, unable to be put down.
"I understand, but my teacher taught me to put justice for the world first. Forming cliques and creating factions is against the will of heaven. We have finally made the world stable, the people happy, and the wise and capable assist in the government. At this juncture, I will never allow this situation to be ruined by new relatives. This plan is cruel. I must expose these people and capture them in one fell swoop, so that no one will dare to do this again." I straightened my body. Although my face was a little numb, I knew this matter was serious and I was afraid that there would be real trouble, but the more excited I was, the more determined I became. Besides, since I had made up my mind, I had no intention of ending it halfway.
"But you don't need to force yourself to do this kind of thing." The teacher was a little at a loss and kept tapping the table with his hands.
"But who are you going to let do it? Who else can it be except me? Who has such conditions and such character? I can do all this without people suspecting me. Now all the court officials know what kind of person I am. Let me do it." I smiled and felt more and more confident. The teacher didn't look at me, but just sighed after listening to what I said.
The whole scene was frozen for a long time, until the teacher rubbed his hands and said with regret: "It is rare that due to special circumstances, the emperor's likes and dislikes are relatively pure, and it just so happens that you met His Majesty because of saving him, so you are innocent and straightforward and get along well with him. You can also see that he trusts you very much. Such a good opportunity, how many people in the world want but can't get it, do you understand?"
“Students understand!”
"I value you the most among all my students. Do you know why?" The teacher felt that I had no intention of changing my mind, so he continued.
"Students don't know what to do."
"Your heart is purer than everyone else's. Maybe it's because Yinling was also a child back then, and she taught you well, so your heart has never been stained by anything dirty. But this can only be the reason why I like you and prefer you, but it's not the reason why I promote you and take care of you everywhere, understand?"
“Students don’t dare to guess.”
"Because your gifts and talents are what the world needs most at this moment!"
I was actually feeling proud, but I didn't quite understand why, so I just grinned and scratched the back of my head, but didn't answer.
"You can make important decisions, and once you make a decision, you will never hesitate; you can listen to others, even if they are malicious criticisms; you can get the support of the most people because they know you are trustworthy. The best thing is your response in the most critical moment. Your wooden head has begun to be like a human head, while many people are just the opposite of you." The teacher didn't look at me, but just counted on his fingers. Finally, the teacher finished counting his fingers and looked up at me: "Do you still want to be like this?"
"I should do this and I can do this. My teacher is the most virtuous and capable person in the Han Dynasty and can gather many talented people in the Han Dynasty; my father is unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness in the world and can stabilize all the loyal and good people in the world; my brother Meng De is a genius in the world and can respond to countless strange changes in the world. Zi Rui is not talented, but it is possible that the world will be reborn for me. Moreover, if something needs to be decided, with four of us assisting in the administration, how can it be decided if two say yes and two say no? It's better to have three people, at least one side can represent two." In the end, I felt that I was really unparalleled in the world in this regard, and I smiled with some pride.
The teacher also laughed, but the smile soon turned into sorrow. "Once this is done, there is no going back. What are you going to do? I am afraid that Dong Zhong and others will harm you."
"I'll go back to Xiangyang, where no one will target me."
"That... is... starting all over again."
I nodded, the teacher sighed, I knelt down and bowed, indicating that I should leave. The teacher shook his head again, and I bowed again before leaving.
When I went to see my father again, he said nothing. He just nodded to me, patted my shoulder, and told me not to forget to go to the door and worship my ancestors when I finished my work.
My sister didn't let me deliver the letter, but just gave me a few words of advice, asking me to take care of myself when I return.
When he left, with a smile from the bottom of his heart on his face, he looked at the waning moon swaying in the sky, and suddenly remembered the Fang Tian Huaji flying in Lu Bu's hand.
In the middle of the night, I couldn't sleep. I got up and dressed to go to the courtyard, but the crescent moon had already fallen. I suddenly became excited and waved the Tianlang, but I felt that my hands were out of control. Looking at the red and swollen places on my hands, I had to give up and go back to the room to apply the medicine given by the teacher again. There was nothing to do, so I had to go to bed again, but I found that I couldn't take off my clothes after applying the medicine on my palms. In anger, I lay down with my clothes on, my hands facing the sky, and suddenly I felt like a Taoist monk. I remembered singing on the roadside in Xiangyang, and felt that I had a fairy root, and I was very proud of myself.
That night I had a dream. I dreamed that I flew to Yinling and told her proudly that I could fly. When I was about to show her, I could no longer fly.
When I woke up, I realized it was all just a dream, and I felt lost.
Today, I need to visit each family, and finally I have to say goodbye, so it is better to leave early. This day happens to be the end of the month, and there is no morning court, so it is a good time to visit each family.
Brother Zhong is alone at home. He went to his father-in-law's house at the end of the month. The Taiwei Mansion is now the Wuning Mansion, but I don't know where Lord Tian's mansion is. The last time Lord Tian invited me to a banquet, he was at the Youpuqishe Mansion. I was too lazy to ask, and I didn't want people to say that I was disrespectful. So I went directly to Zishe's mansion, but he was not there, which made me very angry.
In the morning, I rode my horse and strolled around, but found nothing. In the end, I wandered alone among the official residences, feeling very depressed and bored.
Suddenly, I heard a voice that sounded like Master Tian Kai coming from inside the courtyard wall. After listening carefully, I was sure that it was correct: "My son, your arms must be straight and your back must not bend."
How could I forget the two disciples who were taken to Luoyang? When we return to Xiangyang, Kong Ming will definitely ask me about Xu Shu and Pang Tong.
Without any more hesitation, I turned the corner, found the main entrance, and announced my name as someone who was about to die. I felt a little reluctant, but I didn't notice that they had invited me in after a while. I actually hesitated at the door, as if after entering, I would be just a commoner who could be tormented by these damn bastards who came out of nowhere.
So, when I saw Brother Wenjie coming out to greet me, I turned around and walked away without hesitation.
I heard Brother Wenjie shouting from behind: "What's the matter, Zirui?" Seeing that I didn't respond, he said again: "Don't be like this, even though Yinling is gone, can't you say something? Why are you leaving again?"
I stopped, thinking about something. Before I could turn around, I heard the door close behind me. Then I heard the voice of Master Tian Kai: "My dear son-in-law, why did Lord Zirui leave again?"
"My father-in-law, the Minister of Rites happened to come and invite Marquis Fengyun to discuss the Spring Festival ceremony."
I smiled and sighed without turning around: "Brother Zisheng, thank you very much."
I didn't meet anyone else, but lay comfortably on my couch waiting for the next day. I didn't dream of the silver bell that night, but I dreamed of a person whose face I couldn't see who said to me, "It's better to go home." I wanted to chase him, but I didn't. Finally, I couldn't find the way back, and then I woke up in a hurry.
The only thing worth mentioning is that the person was a woman. It is difficult for me to explain why, except that it is because I am a man.
The chūn is sacrificed again. (This is a joke, not standard, and I am afraid someone will make a fuss about it. The author is so anxious that he dare not not note it.) At the fifth watch, all officials in green clothes are shì, and green banners are set up to pray for the new seedlings of chūn. Outside the east gate, oxen are plowing the open space as a sacrifice. (This is not entirely true, but it is easy to understand, so it is like this. I am afraid someone will spoil this, so I am anxious to note it first.)
That night, a grand banquet was held to celebrate the new spring festival. Meng De was drunk and came out with a speech: "The assistant minister Gao Linghou came forward to report to your majesty that Meng De is not talented, but there is no poem to seduce the scene at this grand banquet. I came out to ask for a poem and invite talented people from all sides to compose elegant poems to liven up the spring festival."
The emperor approved the request, and he drank another cup, and then the poem "Drinking Together" was composed:
Singing and drinking, in times of peace, officials do not knock on the door.
The king is wise and enlightened, and his ministers are loyal and good.
Everyone is courteous and courteous, and the people have no disputes.
Three years of farming will result in nine years of storage, and the granaries will be full of grain.
Gray does not bear the load.
With such abundant rain, all kinds of crops will grow well.
Then they drove their horses back to fertilize the fields.
All the dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts and barons loved their people and promoted and demoted the nobles.
A son should be raised like a father and an elder brother.
If one violates the rites and laws, the punishment will be depending on the severity.
There is no one picking up lost items on the road.
The prisons are empty and the winter festival continues.
People in their old age can all live to a ripe old age.
His kindness extends to plants, trees and insects.
(This is Cao Cao's original poem. I did not copy it. I dare not steal his credit. The author respectfully notes.)
After the poem was finished, everyone cheered. The emperor was very pleased. His drunken eyes flashed. He already realized that Ping An Fengyun Hou Xie Zhi was talking nonsense, but he said deliberately: "Zi Rui'er, can you write a good poem for my beloved ministers to enjoy."
The young man did not refuse, but stepped out of the line and bowed respectfully. He stood up and glanced at the ministers on the right, and then he spoke in a poem, which he slightly modified according to the previous rules to become "Toast":
In the wind and clouds, the skirt flutters and butterflies surround;
The red gates are tightly shut, there is nothing to do but to deal with the distant beacon fires;
It is not for mourning, but the people do not see laughter;
There was no minister at the three-day banquet, and the dirty collusion disturbed the party;
The Zhou family arose in Xiqi.
400 in Haojing, 400 in Luoyang;
The concubine smiled, but buried the beautiful country;
Lifting the cups and jars, I consulted the Grand Master of Ceremonies and taught him the etiquette and manners;
The mistress has a cousin who is not you.
Greedy and murderous, the corpses passed by were countless.
There was no one on the road.
There are dragons in the middle of the river, but nothing is wrong inside the pass.
People are panicking, fearing they will be hurt.
Dai Bai is the best among all the people in the world.
Then I ask you: Kill? Not kill
After he finished speaking, all the ministers fell silent. Dong Zhong was angry but silent, but there was a hint of expectation between his brows. The emperor was indeed slightly angry: "Zi Rui is a rebellious child, talking nonsense when drunk. This is not to criticize me for my incompetence and my only choice to live in the inner palace."
"No, it's just that I can't feel at ease because my foreign relative Dong has not been eliminated. The Dong rebel is in Yi and the people are suffering. I can't bear it, but I have to ask Lord Dong for a solution." The young man stood proudly.
"When the Minister of Rites came to the court, you were still in your infancy. You were a yellow-haired child, yet you actually criticized the strengths and weaknesses of the court's most trusted ministers. Hurry up and apologize to Lord Dong." The emperor became even angrier, but his intention to protect him was still clear.
"It's not that Zirui is disloyal, but if I keep this man to protect the traitor Dong, the country will be in turmoil." The young man still had no regrets.
"I asked you to apologize, but you are unwilling to do so?" The emperor seemed extremely angry.
"You rebellious son, obey the emperor's command." Shen Gong shouted in a low voice.
“Father, you don’t have to do this. For the sake of the Han Dynasty, if the internal traitors are not eliminated, how can the Han Dynasty be stable?” The young man raised his head higher.
The emperor was furious, and he could be seen as raging like a thunderbolt, calling on the Yulin Army to capture Ping An Fengyun Hou and put him in the Tianlao for trial. (For the sake of understanding, no new words are added)
It was my first time in jail, and I felt something new. I felt that if I changed my last name to Fan, I would only be called Fan Jian. The Tianlao was very quiet, and there was no movement. The amnesty in Chuping made this place empty, and Brother Meng De told me that most of those who committed the most heinous crimes were executed before the Spring Festival. Now the entire Tianlao may be my residence, but I cannot visit my new home casually, and I cannot change the house I live in whenever I want. It was late at night, and there was not even a jailer around. They "sent" me here and left. When they left, they were still talking about how this new big guy was really amazing, and he might be similar to Ping An Fengyun Hou. From this point of view, I was still detained in secret.
I don't remember which old gentleman said that the doctor should not be punished. In fact, I should thank this great sage at this moment. Because of his words, I don't have to be shackled and deceive the emperor. I can walk freely in this cage of ten steps long and seven steps wide. For a moment, I felt very comfortable. Finally, I remembered that I seemed to have fallen asleep in that class again, and I was caught again. The reason was that Ziyuan saw that I was sleeping soundly, but the teacher didn't notice me. He felt very unfair, so he pretended to snore to attract the ruler to serve me.
Now thinking about the various scenes at that time, I feel very happy, and I don’t feel how hard it is to be in prison. However, some troubles began to arise when sleeping. First of all, the bedding smelled too much mold, and what was worse was that the feces bucket was not far from my head, in the depression on the ground. Although it seemed empty at the moment, the stench was still extremely bad, and it permeated the entire ground. I don’t know how often these feces buckets are emptied. It is estimated that the original owner of these things did not have a good stomach; it may also be some beans that went bad in the stomach, and fermented here for a long time, just like this unbearable smell. The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I became. I quickly gave up the idea, lifted the quilt and went to sleep, and kept repeating in my heart that I must not dream of Yinling, and I couldn’t bear to let these filth touch her.
After finally getting used to the stench of shit on the ground, I discovered that there was an even more unbearable stench in the bedding. Don't these guys take showers? Yes, there is no place to take showers. Although I understand and can understand, I can't accept the disgusting smell of stinky feet, the disgusting smell of sweat, and all kinds of terrible smells that fill the entire quilt and then permeate the entire cell.
I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I came out, dressed, and sat on the mattress away from the toilet. I felt much better, but suddenly I realized that I was close to the feces bucket next door. I decided not to sleep tonight, but just leaned on it to get through the night. But I was shaking in my heart at that time, because I knew that thinking is always easier than doing.
It was damp and cold in the prison at that time. The wind came and went freely between the bars, blowing mournful horns. There was no one moving around in the prison, making it like a cemetery. Perhaps those wronged souls were wandering around here, but it would be nice if one of them could come out to meet me.
But there was indeed a moving thing, and I was very familiar with it. When I saw it, I admit that my eyes lit up, and I felt that the whole cell was filled with endless vitality. At the same time, I prayed in my heart that this old man would come quickly.
It really came over, but the reason was not because of what I prayed for, but because the prison meal left by the jailer attracted it. I was full and had no intention of eating this dinner, so it was a good meal for it. Well, I will wait until it is full before eating. I am motionless, looking at it, just as it is looking at me now.
This is a very beautiful mouse, so I have a lot of reason to classify it as a female mouse. It lay in front of the meal, just looking at me, with its front paws on the edge of the dish and its mouth digging into the food, which reminded me of Bai. But unlike Bai who was always working hard, it would raise its head and look at me from time to time, as if it was very worried about me.
It was completely right to be worried, because I was indeed thinking about how to catch it. I think I usually can't run when I'm full, so I'm also waiting for this time. It must have been tricked by Tianxia Daxie and ate very hard, but it still had a lot of wariness of new prisoners.
It was indeed a rat-like courage, constantly on guard, never slacking off, and really not giving me a chance, so I had to jump out of the prison bed when it was almost done eating. I guess it was because I hadn't practiced for a long time, and I couldn't even see its shadow except for being covered in broken grass and dirt.
I didn't see it again that night. I was so sleepy while waiting that I curled up on the quilt, rolled up the blankets, mumbled a few words and actually fell asleep. I didn't care about the various smells. In fact, before I fell asleep, I could no longer smell these smells.
On the second day, I didn't know when the sun rose. The light in the prison was still from the eternal lamps. The strong wind still leaked in from somewhere, waking me up at about 12:00 a.m. (People in the past didn't have watches. The ancients had a biological clock to time. The author has found that he has been a little nervous recently.)
I wrapped myself in the quilt and shivered a few times, but the cold air continued to seep into the quilt from all over, making me shiver from time to time while I was thinking.
The jailer brought breakfast, shouted as usual, and left. Although I knew someone was coming, I was still thinking about other things. As for him bringing breakfast, I only remembered it later.
At this moment, the palace should be discussing my crimes, and how to deal with me is an inevitable topic.
I can be described as extremely calm right now, because I am very cold and no one is talking to me.
Suddenly, several jailers came to pick me up and said, "New prisoners, get up quickly and offer sacrifices to Lord Gao Yao."
"If Zhi is innocent, Gao Yao is not surprised; if Zhi is guilty, what is the use of offering sacrifices?" The young man replied without moving. This saying was created by my father. I feel very happy to say it again. My father in the underworld must be proud of me. However, neither my father nor I can escape this prison. However, he came with righteousness and left with a clear conscience; while I came with my own troubles and fearless, and left inexplicably without a trace.
"Sir... Lord Xie, the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun?" a jailer asked uncertainly.
"Well, do you think this person is not as he is said to be?" I stood up, straightened my back and smiled, which made them all look up. I turned around and said with a smile: "Who dares to use my name at this moment?"
"You will all go to jail." One of the middle-aged men was obviously a little unconvinced.
After hearing this, I wondered in my mind: Could it be a conflict? I looked around again, and there was indeed no one else except me. Maybe it was because I, the Xiezhi, came here to ward off all the other people.
“It’s hard to go against God’s will, right?” He was silent for a moment, carefully considering the words before speaking, and he actually felt a little proud after speaking.
"Hey, guys, Marquis Ping'an Fengyun is here!" A loud shout suddenly came from the sky prison, which scared me when I was feeling proud.
As the footsteps sounded, I could also hear the echo of "here". A moment later, several generations of jailers, young and old, gathered outside my cell, as if they were facing a great enemy. I went back to sit upright on the couch, keeping my head held high, but looking at them calmly, just as they looked at me, but they were not calm, most of them were whispering, trying their best not to let me hear what they were talking about.
But one of the old jailers suddenly separated the crowd, knelt down in front of me, and begged me in tears: "When Lord Xie Zhi meets Lord Gao Yao in the future, please forgive me for my disrespect."
This made me panic. Seeing him kowtowing like crazy, I had to take three steps at a time out of five. I rushed to the front of the fence and reached out my hand to help him through the gap. Suddenly I found that my arm was not long enough, so I hurriedly asked why.
"I have been working in this prison since I followed my father. My father called me Liu Laotou, so I call you Liu Laozi." He cried like a child without any scruples, and went on, "I am 62 years old this year. I was born in the third year of Yan Guang (14 AD). I have experienced every amnesty since the amnesty in the first year of Yongjia (14 AD). My father also told me about the previous amnesties, but this is the first time that the prison is completely empty, without a single person. My father and I have always known that when the prison is empty, something big must be going to happen. These past few days I have always felt that something was going to happen. Why are you here now?" I felt that it was probably related to my name
"What's wrong, Brother Prisoner?" everyone asked the old man who was crying on the ground.
"He is the Xiezhi, the sacred animal of Gao Yao!" As expected, I knew it was this kind of thing, but I didn't say anything. I wanted to continue listening: "Not all prisoners were released this time, but the remaining people were killed or chopped off. The prison was completely empty. And then you came. If this is not God's will, then what is it? When I was young, I was hungry and stole Gao Yao's sacrifice. I dare not hide this great disrespect."
I didn't know how serious this crime was, but I knew what I had to say: "You were ignorant when you were young, and you didn't know it. Lord Gao Yao and I have never blamed you for your crime. Don't worry. There are many such cases, and we won't care about them. Those who neglect their duties will be in big trouble now." I felt like it was the real deal, as if I had really grown a horn on my head.
"Brother, how do you know he is Xiezhi's?" Some jailers were very suspicious, especially after hearing what I said.
"Don't use him, use Xiezhi Immortal." The old man was stubborn. "Thank you very much, Immortal, and please forgive me for my disrespectful words. The Immortal is born in the year of the sheep, and there is a mole on the gate of heaven. If you come here, there will be no prisoners. You are not Xiezhi, who can believe it? How can I, who has been guarding the prison for sixty years, make a mistake?"
"But you didn't look at me, how do you know I have a mole on my forehead?" I smiled.
"Your story is everywhere, everyone knows about it. When you came last night, I didn't know it was you, because I was a little older and familiar with everyone. I asked the driver who escorted him, but he didn't know either. I only knew that you cursed the Minister of Rites in the hall and gave a frank remonstrance to the emperor, so you were arrested and brought here. Today I know it was you, and the Minister of Rites must be a traitor."
"What is Xiezhi?" A jailer asked such a question. All the other jailers looked at him in surprise. The old man jumped up, came over and hit the poor boy hard. "You eat the prison official's food, but you don't even know the gods above."
The child felt a little wronged after being beaten, with tears in his eyes, but he dared not say anything, not even cry. I felt that the child was very pitiful, but I could only listen to him tell "my" story again through the wooden fence.
"I" is a strange beast that looks like a sheep, but with a horn on its forehead. I usually stay beside Gao Tao, with my eyes wide open. If Gao Tao is indecisive, "I" will come out and eat the bad guy. I feel sick when I hear this. He also, so the law enforcers all wear the Xiezhi crown. To be honest, I have never noticed anyone in the court wearing such a strange crown, maybe because the shape is not very similar.
"Then why don't we lock up the immortal? Isn't that ridiculous?" Finally, most people reached a consensus and started discussing together.
"It's okay, it's okay. God's will has changed, and I'll leave right away." I said leisurely.
"I finally believe it now. In the past, when prisoners came in, they either cried and screamed, or went crazy and didn't know what was going on, or didn't say a word and lay like a dead pig. Only you came in, still talking and laughing, as if nothing had happened. It turns out that this is your hometown." The last word was very bad. Then, the man was beaten and kicked, and begged for mercy.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm just saying nice things. Don't be nervous." I suddenly felt that my life was getting better again.
Although there was no news that morning, the bedding and mats were replaced with cleaner ones, the dung bucket was also replaced with a clean one, and the ground was fumigated with burning calamus leaves.
At noon that day, there was wine and meat, which made me feel very happy. In fact, I was even afraid that they would send me a bundle of hay.
After eating, they all suggested that I go out for some fresh air, but I didn't go out because I might be harmful to them. They were even more angry, and after that I never felt calm again, because there were almost always people chatting with me in my cell, and even the cell door was wide open, because they thought I could leave at any time, and it didn't matter whether it was locked or not, and it would hinder them from coming in to clean up for me.
But there are not many good people in this group. Most of them would secretly tell me how much interest they had received in the past when others were not around, hoping that I would say a few good words for them in the fairy world so that they could have a good home. However, considering that they were very nice to me and this kind of place was not clean, I thought about frowning and let it go, but later I suspected that it was because I was grateful for their kindness.
No one came to visit me that afternoon, so I had a very comfortable sleep. When I woke up, I slightly opened my eyes and found that the jailer who was criticized by everyone in the morning was squatting behind the fence, propping up his head and looking at me. He seemed very curious about me. So in order to scare him, I continued to pretend to sleep, but my body was ready. I gathered some strength, adjusted my legs and feet, and suddenly pushed aside the quilt with my left hand. My body stabbed forward. When he was stunned by the shock, my hand had already reached over and grabbed his collar as he fell backwards in fear. I carried him to the edge of the fence and slowly stood up until he was as tall as me. I deliberately asked coldly: "What are you doing here? Did you also steal Gao Yaogong's sacrifice?"
This poor child didn't dare to move his hands or feet, his eyes were wide open, as if he didn't expect me to appear in front of him like this.
But I really couldn't think of what bad things this kid could do. Seeing that he didn't say anything, I gently put him down, patted his head, and deliberately turned my back to sleep. Listening to the footsteps fading away quickly behind me, I felt a sense of pleasure from playing a prank.
That night I listened to them. The guy flashed by like a flash of lightning, and I appeared from "that side" to "this side". Obviously, they believed the child's exaggerated words, and they respected me even more. So that night, in addition to wine and meat, there was also a bundle of hay that was said to be of high quality. After that, they left and let me enjoy it slowly. Then I heard several prison doors outside closing tightly, and someone shouted for everyone to leave.
But I didn't eat dinner immediately. Instead, I pushed open the cell door, ran to a cell farther away, and relieved myself in another toilet.
After dinner, facing the hay, he was sure that he had no such desire, so he opened the hay bundle, lifted the quilt on the couch, and neatly spread it on the bottom. Then he lay down, feeling soft and comfortable. While he was feeling comfortable, he suddenly saw Mouse Girl again.
I felt good about myself this time, especially since I had just made contact with the lightning. I felt a little conceited, and watched it slowly approach my plate, look at me, and just as it turned its head and ran towards the dishes, I jumped out again without hesitation.
This time I caught it, but the price I paid was still high. My mouth was full of broken grass and my nose was itchy. I tried to cover my mouth with my hand to hold back a sneeze, but I found that there was another mouse in my hand, so I had to change hands. But before I could sneeze, I was coughing because of the broken grass in my mouth. This time I was really embarrassed to catch it.
Watching this prisoner struggling in front of me, I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I kept wanting to sneeze, but I kept coughing, so I had to keep spitting out the broken grass in my mouth. At this embarrassing moment, I saw a jailer with a very strange face coming over.
While he was carefully cleaning up for me, he said something very strange: "You have a big appetite, is it not to your liking? We will pay attention to it next time."
"Okay." I couldn't say much at the moment, so I could only agree casually.
The next morning, they brought two servings of the finest wine and meat, and two servings of even finer fodder. The person who brought the food apologized, "We really couldn't catch the mouse. We're really sorry for you, old man."
After he left, I quickly put my confusion behind me and ate happily, but I left some for my friend. I let it go last night, and I don't know if it will dare to come again.
I spread the hay on the couch again and lay down on it more comfortably. Suddenly I felt that there was something wrong with me. I was probably the first person in the world who felt so comfortable in prison.
My friend was timid and didn't dare come at noon that day. There was less wine and meat at noon, but more grass and fodder.
I left some more for it, and used the straw as bedding, while I wrapped myself in the quilt and had a good nap. When I woke up, my hands were itchy, and some places had peeled off and were burning and uncomfortable.
It still didn't seem to be coming, and somehow the evening had less wine and more grass.
But my strange friendship with it ended there, and I was taken out of the prison that night. A eunuch led the imperial guards, and when I saw these people, I didn't know why, but I said something very strange and perhaps hurtful: "You can tell they are new here at a glance."
Then I said goodbye to everyone. The eunuch was probably intimidated by me and didn't say much. He just let me talk to them. I told them to be more careful in the future. Those prisoners were poor people. They shouldn't be too greedy. It wouldn't hurt the righteousness to extort money from those rich and unkind people. The group just nodded and respectfully sent me out as if I were a god.
Before I went out, I saw that there seemed to be a new clay sculpture of a sheep in the niche over there, and I knew that was "me".
In Wu Ning's house, I took a bath and changed my clothes. There were a large number of soldiers guarding outside the house. I knew that tomorrow would be the day when they would finally deal with me, but I didn't feel panic. I just felt that my bed was hard, and I really hoped that they would send me some hay. Thinking of this, I suddenly felt that my mind was wrong because of being in prison.
This was my first time in prison, which lasted from winter to spring, from the middle of the year to the leap year, and was truly a memorable one.
I dreamed of Yinling that night, but she pretended to be angry because I had put her in jail. I was shocked and suddenly found a thick iron chain on her ankle.
The next day, the emperor severed the father-son relationship, reduced my fiefdom and salary, and expelled me from the capital. From then on, I was just a commoner. Suddenly, I felt that fame, wealth and status were all illusory things. Even everything that was happening now was fake. What else was real? I suddenly regretted my plan and felt that it was a child's play. Thinking that the only thing that could make me feel at ease was that the silver bell was definitely real.
So, wearing the clothes that Yinling made for me, I stood at the east gate on horseback, looking at Luoyang covered with dark clouds, just like a country child looking at a new market town, having a dream, but now I woke up.
Suddenly, he remembered the words: It is better to go home. Then he let go of all his feelings, laughed, reined in his horse, turned around and left Luoyang.