Jiangning City was shrouded in darkness. A few dogs barked in an alley, followed by knocks on the door. A small door creaked open, and a voice said, "General Wang, General Ma, why are you three visiting us at this time?"
The person who spoke was Lin Renzhao. Three big men stood outside the door, all wearing cloth robes and no hats. The big man with a beard standing in front said: This is not the place to talk. Lin Renzhao suddenly realized: Three brothers, please come in.
Lin Renzhao ushered several big men into a room. He knew these people. They were all military commanders of the Southern Tang Empire, namely, Wang Yan, Ma Chengxin and Ma Chengjun. Wang Yan sat down on a chair as soon as he entered the room. Another man walked to the back window, stood on tiptoe and looked outside.
Huangfu Jixun was killed, Brother Lin, do you know that? Yan Yan said.
Lin Renzhao nodded vigilantly.
Wang Yan moved his butt, snorted, and sneered, saying: The people we arranged.
After hearing this, Lin Renzhao's eyes on Wang Yan and others changed drastically. You and I are just casual friends, but General Wang told us such an important matter. Huangfu Jixun has neglected his duties and harmed the country. He deserves death. Why should General Wang and his brothers do it themselves
Yan Yan shook his head and said: If we don't kill him, Huangfu Jixun will not die.
Lin Renzhao looked incredulous and was stunned for a moment.
Yan Yan glanced at him and said, "I have already inquired about the Cai Shi battle. Huangfu Jixun is a man who has done more harm than good. He has put the country in danger. If we don't kill him, he will be a disaster. If we don't kill him, it will be difficult to comfort the soldiers who died in the battle."
Lin Renzhao agreed deeply, but then said: Huangfu Jixun is a great general. If you, my brother Wang, exterminate his entire family, I'm afraid the court will blame you.
Yan Yan said: Brother Lin, if you dare to tell the truth in the palace, won’t His Majesty blame you
The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Lin Renzhao felt a sense of mutual sympathy for a moment, so he sighed and complained with several big men, and they were able to talk together. After talking for a long time, Yan Yan said seriously: It's time to talk about tonight's business. Although we killed Huangfu Jixun, we are guilty, but our lives are not in danger. There are many people involved, and the law cannot punish everyone; in addition, Huangfu Jixun should have died. If the court kills us for this, it will be suspected of paying for Huangfu Jixun's life, which will cause dissatisfaction among many people. But Brother Lin is different. We have received reliable news that someone will come to arrest Brother Lin and put him in prison tomorrow morning. You are a general, and once you are humiliated by a pen-and-paper official, the consequences will be worrying; what's more, your words in the hall are disrespectful. We all concluded that once Brother Lin goes to prison, he may never get out again.
After hearing this, Lin Renzhao was shocked and angry: Your Majesty did not kill Huangfu Jixun, but wanted to kill me instead.
Yan Yan sneered and did not answer. Lin Renzhao pondered over it carefully, and he also felt that this matter should be related to the power struggle, but he really couldn't figure out what was going on for a while. He didn't understand why there would be such a struggle when the country was in danger of extinction at the time of the defeat in the Cai Shi battle.
At this time, Wang Yan said: Brother Lin, please leave tonight. Our brothers will guard the South Gate. It has been arranged.
Lin Renzhao clasped his fists and said: "I appreciate the kindness of my brothers, but I cannot leave. My family is still in Jiangning Prefecture, and I cannot abandon them."
Brother Lin's family should not be worried about their lives. It seems that Your Majesty is not a cruel person.
I don't want to run away like this, otherwise why would I come back? Lin Renzhao said directly without further explanation.
After hearing this, Wang Yan stood up and said, "In this case, there is no point in staying any longer. Goodbye. Brother Lin, take care of yourself."
Lin Renzhao said goodbye to his family that night, bathed and changed his clothes, and could not sleep all night, waiting for the interrogation by the court officials. The next morning, several eunuchs and a team of imperial guards came and announced that Lin Renzhao would go to the government office.
He was ready to give a detailed account of the events surrounding the Battle of Cai Shi, and while taking the blame for the loss of his troops, he also wanted to make people understand the root cause of the defeat.
Unexpectedly, just as he entered a prison, several big men suddenly rushed up, kicked Lin Renzhao to the ground, put anklets and bracelets on him, and beat him up without asking any questions. He shouted: I am a general of the imperial army, whoever accuses me of a crime can be killed but not humiliated
His shouting only attracted a round of scornful laughter, and even heavier punches and kicks. He was beaten half to death and thrown into an iron cage. Half awake and half unconscious, he heard the iron door creak open, and two people came in, grabbed Lin Renzhao's hand and pressed it into a damp and cold box, and then pressed it on a piece of paper.
Lin Renzhao was still clear-headed at this time, and immediately realized: This was the end of the interrogation.
He is a general outside, but once he comes here, he is worse than a dog and will die miserably in a dark corner.
After resting for an unknown amount of time, Lin Renzhao, who was in pain all over, finally recovered some strength and sat up. The shackles on his body were still too heavy to move. At this moment, the iron door opened again, and a dark figure walked in.
He stared blankly at the dark shadow, knowing that it was useless to argue or resist now.
When the shadow spoke, it was the familiar voice of Wang Yan: Brother Lin, do you believe what I say now
Lin Renzhao was speechless, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He asked in surprise: "Brother Wang, how did you get in here?"
The voice of Yan Yan said: The court is full of treacherous people, but the loyal people are still alive. Now we are trying our best to retain the remaining loyal people.
Lin Renzhao shook his head and sighed in the darkness: "I am disheartened and there is nothing I can do. I would rather die than to bring trouble to my family in the capital. Brother Wang, please leave here quickly."
There was a moment of silence in the dim light, and Wang Yan said: Even if Brother Lin waits to die, I'm afraid his family won't be able to rest in peace.
Lin Renzhao immediately said: What big mistake have I made? Isn't it enough for His Majesty to kill me, but also implicate my family
Yan Yan said: If Brother Lin is worried about his family, waiting to die here in vain is no different from running away. Maybe running away is better. The court did not catch you, but is unwilling to touch Brother Lin's family easily.
Lin Renzhao was silent for a long time.
Wang Yan urged: There is no time to lose, Brother Lin, make a decision early, this is your last chance. After leaving the city, Brother Lin can flee south to the old land of Min State; at this time, Jinling is threatened by several sides and cannot spare the time to search in the south.
Lin Renzhao escaped
When Li Yu heard the news, his face turned pale. What shocked him was not the threat of Lin Renzhao's escape, but how he escaped. He was imprisoned in the Tianzi No. 1 death row of the Dali Temple, but he could come and go as easily as entering his own home. How did he escape
Lin Renzhao is not alone. There is a force behind him that disregards the prestige of the country and the dignity of the court and tramples on them wantonly.
A feeling of powerlessness, a feeling of humiliation, a huge rock, covered Li Yu's face like a quilt. He couldn't breathe, his chest was stuffy, and he felt darkness in front of his eyes. He couldn't see anything, and he couldn't see a way out.
Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Zhou Xian walked out from behind the bedroom and saw Li Yu's distraught look, and asked in surprise.
Li Yu suddenly fell to the ground like a drowning man grabbing a life-saving straw, and tightly grasped Zhou Xian's legs. Zhou Xian was horrified and bent down to pull him up, but Li Yu held him tightly. Zhou Xian had no choice but to kneel down and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, it is not proper for you to do this. What if someone sees you? Get up first, and talk slowly if you have anything to say."
Zhou Xian's words of comfort at this moment made Li Yu hug him tighter. He almost collapsed emotionally, everyone is forcing me, they all want me to die
Zhou Xian hurriedly said: Your Majesty, you are the most powerful person in the entire Southern Tang Kingdom, and no one dares to force you.
Li Yu shook his head desperately, tears and snot came out together, rubbing on Zhou Xian's skirt. He choked and said: It's useless. The Zhou army is about to attack, and I will lose my country. No one below listens to me. They are all pretending to be submissive on the surface, but they have their own plans inside. They are just waiting for me to roll down the throne and then turn against me for revenge. They are holding their breath and waiting for the day to humiliate me, laugh at me, and trample on me. I am about to lose everything. There is no one I can trust. Ehuang, you are the only one left for me.
When Zhou Xian heard this, she did not try to persuade Li Yu, and she just stood there in a daze.
She was depressed and numb, but suddenly she became more aware. She couldn't help but think, when a person has no one to care about, what is the point of living
The vows she made to Li Yu and the memories of their mutual dependence came to her mind. Zhou Xian suddenly became very gentle, with bright eyes full of love and indulgence on her pure and white face. She stretched out her trembling hand and placed it on Li Yu's cheek: My husband, I understand how you feel.
After Li Yu was excited, his mood cooled down a little. He was stunned for a while and said: I know you still hate me
Zhou Xiandao: Everyone makes mistakes, I forgive you. Can you forgive my infidelity
Li Yu got up from the ground at this time and said: Why should I care about that kind of thing? Ehuang knows my situation.
I've said that I don't care about that kind of thing, as long as we can mend the rift in our hearts. Zhou Xian's emotions also fluctuated. He grabbed Li Yu's palm, looked at his face and said, "Your Majesty, you are no match for Guo Shao. The situation of the Southern Tang Kingdom is hopeless. You should surrender."
Li Yu's eyes widened: Surrender
Zhou Xian said: There is no other way. If we surrender now, we may be forgiven by the Zhou court. Look, even Meng Chang, the ruler of Shu, is fine. We don't want to be kings or have power.
Li Yu patted his robe, sat on the chair, and said calmly: What do I have left
Zhou Xian chased after him and said, "You still have me. I know what you're thinking. You think you can't keep me even if you don't have power. Don't worry, I know Guo Shao well enough. He won't force me, and it's not necessary. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let me go back before. As long as I insist, I will never abandon my husband. Do you believe me?"