The door plaque inlaid with black ink and gold in the Zhenbei Hou Mansion hit the ground, breaking a corner, and the powerful characters were also covered with a thin layer of dust. Back then, the ancestors of the Qin family guarded the frontier, expelled the Xiongnu, and protected the country. They once shed their blood for this land. The silver hook and iron painting with the pen are full of heroic spirit and pride.
Just sigh at the moment, three generations of loyal souls are proud, and once the family is in decline.
The officers and soldiers, wearing soft armor and holding long halberds, filed in. The precious flowers and plants were smashed into mud by footsteps, and the golden bells on the branches were no longer crisp, as if they were strangled by the throat, and were torn off into that pocket. Whether it's jade lions or red-painted gold pillars, the places that were swept by officers and soldiers are all ruins.
This was done in the manner of confiscating the house. The servants of the Qin family were pushed to the corner. If anyone dared to resist, they would be beaten immediately, even to death. There was even a young and beautiful maid who was taken advantage of by the officers and soldiers, crying and wailing resounded through the whole Qin family, leaving everyone in a mess.
The Qin family used to be prominent in the past. After the old Hou Ye left, although he did not have the glory of the past, but with Chu Yu's support, no one dared to disturb and make trouble. Although the young master has never held a real position in the court these years, but with Chu Yu's management, his life is getting richer and richer every year.
It's not that the servants of the Qin family didn't make small calculations. No matter what, the second master of Chu was just the one who married into the family. The master of the Hou's mansion was Qin Zheng, and the real mistress was the master's favorite. When Meng Hanyi wooed them back that day, he used this pretense as well.
Meng Hanyi is kind to others, such a person is more comfortable to be a mistress than the always strict Chu Yu. The servants of the Chu family were also shaken, and followed Meng Hanyi across the sea, almost costing Chu Yu's life. Once Chu Yu was gone, and he ended up in this situation, he could only regret it.
…
The Bogu rack was overturned, and the precious porcelain on it was broken to the ground, which was shocking.
"What are you doing! This is the Zhenbeihou's Mansion!" Qin Yao screamed and supported Sun, and asked those vicious officers and soldiers with the last bit of strength.
The leading general waved his hand, and someone dragged the mother and daughter of the Qin family into the courtyard.
After being rich and noble ladies for so many years, when did the mother and daughter of the Qin family suffer such grievances, and they immediately cried endlessly. As the news spread, the mother and daughter of the Qin family also heard the reason of the incident. They hated Meng Hanyi's viciousness for dragging down the Qin family, and worried that Qin Zheng would be convicted because of it. It wasn't until this moment that the mother and daughter of the Qin family fully understood how isolated and helpless they were in their current situation.
The family has no pillars.
Seeing her trembling daughter, Sun couldn't help feeling sad. She lost her husband and her son was imprisoned, leaving her alone as a woman. In the past, those days were so flat that I forgot what I was relying on.
The pillar of the Qin family has been cut off by their own hands.
"What a bold Zhenbeihoufu." The leading general snorted coldly, and said disdainfully: "Meng Hanyi intends to murder the Holy Majesty, and the Zhenbeihoufu's intention of treason is clearly revealed. Today, no one in the house can escape!"
"Put your mother's shit on, my old Hou Ye is so loyal, and my son is upright and upright, why should he slander us so much!" Mrs. Sun forgot to be afraid when she got angry, and spat on her waist.
The general frowned, his fierceness suddenly appeared, and he said coldly: "What kind of nonsense does an ignorant woman say, how precious is your Qin family? Since Meng Hanyi can accompany Qin Zheng on the spring hunting trip, it must have something to do with your Qin family Hey, such a big crime can allow you to sophistry? Come, take down the entire Qin family for me, and kill anyone who dares to resist!"
As soon as the words fell, the blood of the two struggling servants was splashed on the spot, and their heads rolled three feet away.
After a brief silence, Qin Yao screamed, shrank into her mother's arms, broke down and cried. Sun's eyes widened, her breath was stuck in her throat, she couldn't go up or down, she wanted to faint, but she was so frightened that she became sober. It was only then that she realized that behind all the wealth and power was a danger she had never seen before as a woman in the back house. It was just that someone had always covered up this intrigue and predation of the weak so well that she thought it should be so easy and natural to get all this.
Qin Yao wailed, after all, she was only fifteen or sixteen years old, like other noble girls in Shangjing, she was arrogant and domineering and well protected, she had never seen any storms. The change in front of her directly destroyed all her cognition for more than ten years. How arrogant she was once, how desperate she is now.
The mother and daughter were helpless like duckweed, and for a while they had no other thoughts but to cry loudly.
The general's brows were full of evil spirits, he glanced indifferently at the plaque on the Zhenbeihou Mansion on the ground, stepped on it in two, and said coldly: "Take all these people away, those who resist, kill! Those who escape, kill! Even if the Qin family is bloodbathed today, evidence of Qin Zheng's rebellion must be found!"
When the killing order was issued, the entire Qin family suddenly cried out in mournful mourning. The servants and maidservants in the Mansion were crying all over the sky, and the mother and daughter of the Qin family closed their eyes in despair, tears streaming down their cheeks.
"I haven't seen you for a long time. General Mingyuan has a good temper."
The light and fluttering words seemed a little lack of energy, but they were surprisingly stable like a rock, like a town house talisman, which dissipated a lot of the sadness that had never seen the sun, and the wailing sound gradually died down in an instant.
Everyone subconsciously looked towards the sound.
The cloud-patterned brocade official boots stepped through the mess of the Marquis Mansion step by step. The tumbled flower scarlet gown, the jade buckle button, the sleeves embroidered with honeysuckle, and the peony pattern on the hem, were all court uniforms. His complexion was pale, and his eyes became more and more like lacquer spots, and the loss was sharp, but it was a desolate place, neither wind nor rain nor sunshine.
"If the Hou's mansion is washed with blood, it will start with Yu."
Chu Yu spoke loudly, and walked step by step in front of the leader, General Ming Yuan, General Fan Wu. He has become very thin recently, and the robe that originally fitted him was a bit empty, hanging on his shoulders, making him look more and more skeletal, but his straight back gave the Qin family unspeakable hope, like a dark night. A smudge of candle in the pond, driftwood in the mud.
Sun's and Qin Yao's eyes became hot, and the tears flowed more wantonly.
General Fan frowned, and slightly nodded at Chu Yu, his tone was still tough and arrogant: "It turns out that Second Master Chu is still here, but we are also following orders, so please don't make things difficult for me."
The green vine huanghuali chair was placed in the courtyard of the Qin family. Chu Yu flicked his sleeves, picked up his robe and sat down, curled his pale lips, knocked on the armrest and said, "Since we are acting impartially, then we should talk about it. Before, I dare to ask General Mingyuan, according to court etiquette, the general is from the fourth-rank military position, and the official is the second-rank chief minister, and inherits the third-rank duke..." After a pause, the voice suddenly turned cold, "See you, General Mingyuan If I don't salute, it's... extremely rude."
"You!" General Mingyuan is one of the rare generals in the court who came from grassroots background. He has more than enough bravery but not enough courage. He couldn't hold his head up.
Chu Yu stopped tapping the fingertips on the armrest, and said softly: "What a righteous man, I don't know which family the general is holding? Is it the Dali Temple, the admiral of the Nine Gates, or the Imperial Forest Army? Is there any official edict or official documents? ?”
Old Hou Ye used to be the commander of the Beimen Army, he had offended too many people back then, and now he has finally found out the big trick. Although they have not obtained the handbook or the charter, the Qin family is condemned to death, and now they can get a chance to show their faces first when they are detained. Therefore, as soon as the wind was heard here, General Mingyuan and his party first came to suppress the Qin family...
Seeing that the other party didn't answer, Chu Yu couldn't help but slapped the armrest heavily, and said sharply, "Yu hasn't entered the coffin yet, and she's still the half-head of the Hou's family. If anyone dares to make trouble in the Zhenbei Hou's mansion, first weigh yourself." identity of!"
The wind blew, and the sleeves of Chu Yu's clothes fluttered. His figure remained motionless, as if six years ago, he stood alone in front of the Hou's mansion in white clothes and black hair, and said:
From today onwards, I am the head of the family here.
Qin Yao looked at Chu Yu's back with tears in her eyes, but couldn't say anything, so she could only move behind Chu Yu step by step with Mrs. Sun.
Qiuyue cast a cold glance at the two of them, and stood beside Chu Yu calmly, between them and her master.
Chu Yu covered her lips and coughed a few times, and said flatly, "General Ming Yuan hasn't answered for a long time, so he must have none of them, right? Then why did he have the guts to threaten to bloodbath the Marquis' mansion?"
General Ming Yuan said with a gloomy expression, "Chu Yu, don't make excuses here! The Qin family conspired to rebel and assassinate the emperor. Since you promised that you are the head of the Qin family, you are also inseparable from it! Come, let's take down together!" !"
Chu Yu let out a low laugh, his face covered with frost: "Yu has been ill for a while, but it's not so bad. My Lord Hou has been deceived by the villain for many years, so he was so confused that he brought the wrongdoer away." By my side. That treacherous villain is a servant of my Marquis's mansion, but that's all. At the time of the assassination, my Marquis also sacrificed his life to save him. If it wasn't for this, the villain would have already succeeded. The merits and demerits are equal , the emperor's meaning is still unclear, why did the general convict the Houfu first?"
Yue Zu acted on his behalf, it would be a serious crime to suppress this hat, General Ming Yuan immediately turned pale, and argued anxiously: "That's not the case, you..."
Chu Yu immediately stood up and interrupted him: "That's not the case, wouldn't General Mingyuan's actions today be presumptuous! Although Qin Zheng is in prison, his title is still there. If His Majesty does not cut his title for a day, here is Zhenbei for a day. Hou's Mansion! The heroic spirit of protecting the country is still there. The ancestral hall of the Qin family is lined with cards. There are no less than a hundred blood-stained battlefields who sacrificed their lives for the country. Those eyes are still watching from above your head. How dare you!"
The voice was not loud, but with the fury of thunder, it immediately frightened the soldiers including General Mingyuan. They were all from the army, and they were in awe of the heroic souls who died, and now none of them dared to move.
"Please also ask General Mingyuan to take your people back ten feet away. Before the charges are settled, don't touch the Qin family alone! Otherwise..." Chu Yu said so much, not much to say, a cold look in his eyes is enough to warn.
General Mingyuan was depressed, he gritted his teeth and said: "Second Master Chu is so brave, I only hope that after His Majesty's handbook comes down, you can still say such things like this time."
Chu Yu stretched out her hand, and put on an elegant gesture of seeing off the guests: "Don't bother the general, Yu will go and ask His Majesty for instructions."
General Ming Yuan's face turned blue and white, raised his hand and said: "Everyone, retreat ten feet!"
Outside the Shizhang Gate, the officers and soldiers still surrounded the Hou's mansion, as long as there was any intention of taking him into custody, they would go all out. But at least the Qin residence is safe for now.
At such a critical juncture, Chu Yu dared not delay, and immediately ordered people to prepare the carriage to go to the palace.
"Second Brother Chu!" Qin Yao choked up and called out.
Faced with Chu Yu, Sun could only lean against her daughter and cover her face and weep.
Qin Yao bit her lower lip, knelt down and choked with sobs, "Please save my brother..."
Chu Yu didn't look back, and there was no emotion in his tone: "Your brother will not die before me."
He only has such a dying life left, and he can't afford to give extra promises, and he doesn't want to give them.
…
After getting into the carriage, Chu Yu almost fell headfirst on Qiuyue.
"Second master!" Qiuyue shouted anxiously, her hands were cold, she barely supported Chu Yu.
Chu Yu's face was like gold paper, her eyes were half-closed, and after taking a breath, she began to cough lowly. Every time she coughed, her face turned pale, but blood flowed down the corners of her lips for a long time, and Qiuyue almost cried out in shock, but Chu Yu covered her mouth.
"Don't be afraid, I bit my lip and tongue myself." Chu Yu took a long breath, the fine pain on the tip of his tongue woke him up a bit.
Qiuyue's eyes turned red, and she poured a cup of tea from the side and handed it to Chu Yu.
Chu Yu stretched out his hand, his fingers trembling with weakness, took the cup tremblingly, and poured half of the tea, but he didn't want Qiuyue to feed him, so he leaned to his lips and swallowed half a cup of tea with Xuesheng.
"Second Lord, why do you..." Qiuyue couldn't stand it anymore, sobbing.
The cup slipped from Chu Yu's hand, and he leaned on the soft couch, he didn't mean to answer Qiuyue, but said tiredly: "I'll close my eyes for a while, when I get to the place, please remember to wake me up, if I wake up No, you..."
The voice became deeper and deeper, and before she could finish speaking, Chu Yu couldn't hold back and fell asleep. Qiuyue pulled the blanket up to cover Chu Yu, and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with a handkerchief. After sitting quietly for a while, he finally couldn't help crying softly.
She never waited for Qiuyue to wake him up, Chu Yu was thinking about this kind of thing, she couldn't rest well, and woke up just before the palace gate. He took the veil from Qiuyue's hand and covered his face. After a while, he regained a sense of sobriety, and walked out through the curtain.
Towering palaces, eaves flapping their wings, a line of birds in the sky, passing through the heavy sky.
Chu Yu handed over the sign and asked His Majesty to see him, but she was turned down after a while.
Wang Daban who was next to the emperor had received a lot of favors from Chu Yu in the early years, and it was really hard to see that Chu Yu would come to seek death in this limelight, so he lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "Chu Yu My lord, let's go back to the Duke's mansion, I'm afraid His Majesty doesn't want to see you right now... This is a big deal, His Majesty is in a fit of anger..."
Chu Yu accepted the favor, nodded and said: "Thank you for your kind words, Lord Hou was deceived by traitors and made such a big mistake, Yu dare not ask Your Majesty to forgive the Zhenbei Hou Mansion, but only ask for my Lord Hou's life to be spared." , so as to make atonement." After saying that, Chu Yu knelt down in front of the hall, and immediately kowtowed three times inside.
Wang Daban had no choice but to go back and report.
Chu Yu bit Qin Zheng to death because he was deceived by others and never knew about it. Only in this way could he have a glimmer of hope for Qin Zheng's life.
It's just that from kneeling at noon to sunset, there was still no movement inside. There were many officials coming and going, so they all saw Chu Yu kneeling on the white jade steps in front of the hall.
Those who were not familiar stood aside pointing and whispering a few words, afraid of getting involved, they dared not come forward. There were also courtiers who had a good relationship in the past to persuade a word or two, and even those who were at odds in the past came to ridicule a few words.
Chu Yu just knelt down, bowed his head slightly to salute when he heard the consolation, and just lowered his eyes and remained silent when he heard the ridicule. I used to carry the honor and disgrace on my shoulders, but now, my heart is as calm as water.
The voices of discussion around him grew louder, as if they didn't care about being heard by Chu Yu, or they were meant to be heard by Chu Yu.
"Hey, isn't this Second Master Chu? Why are you kneeling here?" A sarcasm full of meanness.
Chu Yu didn't raise his head, a pair of cloud satin official boots appeared in front of his eyes, and the shadow was pressed down. Someone gently lifted Chu Yu's sharp chin with his fingers, but Chu Yu subconsciously avoided it.
Crouching halfway in front of him was Uncle Ning, who stared at Chu Yu for a while with a half-smile, shook his head and said, "Your beauty, how can I be a thief?"
Chu Yu pursed his chapped lips, and said in a hoarse voice, "Yu doesn't understand what Uncle said."
Uncle Ning sneered, and mocked: "Qin Zheng's rebellion is not a thief? What is it if you plead for him today? Or do you want to praise the second master? His love is stronger than gold. Today, he is here to ask His Majesty to reward you." The archway? I can’t see that Chu Erye is still an infatuated kind... "
Chu Yu's face was pale, she reached out her hand to her heart, and coughed violently.
Uncle Ning wanted to say something more, when he caught a glimpse of someone behind him from the corner of his eye, he hurriedly got up and said with deep meaning: "Come on, don't bother the second master to save your husband, and I hope you can get your wish..."
Chu Yu supported the ground with one hand, and covered his lips with the other hand to suppress the coughing sound. His eyes darkened for a while, and suddenly his wrists tightened, and he staggered almost being pulled up.
"Chu Yu, get up." A sullen voice came from above his head.
It was none other than his elder brother Chu Ming who held Chu Yu back.