In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuehui suddenly pulled Wanyan Puruo over and took her into his arms. The next second, her hand holding the golden hairpin was gently bent and pressed against his neck. between.
The situation quickly reversed, and Zhang Yuehui kidnapped Wanyan Puruo in an instant.
There was chaos at the banquet. The guards surrounded Zhang Yuehui with a roar, and their dark bows and arrows were aimed at Zhang Yuehui.
But he just chuckled without changing his expression and without a beat of his heart. He still showed his lazy attitude of not being alarmed, and took off the mask on his face in a leisurely manner. He was even in the mood to joke: "This This thing is really boring - we meet again, Your Highness."
"Zhang Yuehui——" Wanyan Puruo showed some real hatred, "You have the guts to come."
"I think that when the princess thinks of me, she should be gnashing her teeth and sleepless at night, so no matter how far away she is, she should come and see His Highness. It's just that His Highness's sharp eyes... make this game not fun."
"Let me go, I can still consider giving you a way to survive."
"Tsk - given the current situation, it seems like I should be the one to say this, right?" Zhang Yue replied.
"Okay, then tell me, what do you want?"
Zhang Yue narrowed her eyes slightly and was silent for a moment.
What does he want? He didn't have much time to buy, but he hoped it would be enough.
Nan Yi and Qiao Yinzhi, who accidentally bumped into the patrolling guards, were still blocked in the backyard.
At the critical moment, Nan Yi had an idea and pushed Qiao Yinzhi fiercely as a sign of escorting him away.
"My subordinates have captured a suspicious maid and are about to take her to His Highness for interrogation."
The leading guard looked at the two people suspiciously. There were many female guards in the eldest princess's palace, but he couldn't recognize them all. He wanted to ask about the specific situation, but then there was a huge noise in front of them.
"Something happened! Something happened at the banquet! Come to the rescue quickly!"
Hearing this, the soldiers had no time to pay attention to these two people. They just said to Nan Yi to take good care of them, and hurried towards the front hall.
Seeing that the person was gone, Qiao Yinzhi took Nan Yi and walked toward an inconspicuous door. Nan Yi was still nervous about what happened ahead and whether it would affect her plan, but Qiao Yinzhi didn't seem surprised at all. She opened the door and took a look outside to make sure there was no one there and then called Nan Yi.
"It's safe to go out from here."
Nan Yi stepped out of the door, still a little strange, and turned around to ask her: "How did you know I would come? Is there anyone else helping me?"
Qiao Yinzhi's eyes flickered. She didn't answer. She pushed Nan Yi out hard and closed the small door immediately.
The tension at the banquet showed no signs of abating.
Zhang Yue replied bluntly: "Your Highness is chasing after me like this, which makes me unhappy. I am not a person who can bear it. Of course I will retaliate in kind."
But the movement of his hand was not at all pity. With a little force, the golden hairpin pierced Wanyan Puruo's skin, and blood dripped out.
"If I die here today, all the Han people within a ten-mile radius will be buried with me - you didn't come alone, right? Do you dare to take action?" Wanyan Puruo asked sternly without showing any fear.
Zhang Yue smiled back like a monster: "What does it have to do with me?"
Just when he suddenly exerted his strength, he saw a sharp arrow on the roof in the distance coming towards him. He knew that he would not succeed, and he had no intention of succeeding. But at the moment when the fish was dead and the net was broken, he felt Extremely enjoyable.
He came alone. His purpose was just to assassinate Wanyan Puruo. He had no companions.
The sharp arrow took no more than a split second before it pierced his shoulder blade accurately.
At the same time, Wanyan Puruo slammed her elbow into his ribs, and Zhang Yuehui was forced to let go. The golden hairpin only left a bloody mark on her neck and fell to the ground.
The heavily armed guards immediately stepped forward and surrounded him with swords from all directions.
"Your Highness, how should we deal with this person?"
Wanyan Puruo covered the bleeding wound on his neck and looked condescendingly at Zhang Yuehui, who was held down and unable to move. She thought he should panic, but even though disaster was approaching, he still smiled cynically.
Wanyan Puruo was immediately questioned. She always thought that the pursuit of him would be a long chase. Today came so suddenly that she had not seriously thought about what to do if she caught him.
Kill him? That's too simple and not enough to relieve hatred.
Just when she was silent, someone hurriedly came to report: "Your Highness, there is a thief in the shogunate. There are signs that Mr. Xie's room has been broken into."
Xie Zhu followed the attendant with an earthy face.
Wanyan Puruo felt bad: "Sir, what was lost?"
Xie Zhu could only step forward and whispered: "The love letter about Xie Queshan's identity written by Shen Zhizhong."
"Didn't you ask sir to destroy it a long time ago?!"
Xie Zhu couldn't answer. He had some selfish intentions. People's hearts are also made of flesh. Although he and Xie Queshan have different minds and do not agree with each other, they are uncles and nephews at least, and they were also good teachers and helpful friends. To be fair, he admired Xie Queshan, but he was also afraid of him, and it was extremely difficult to make the decision to persecute him. He thought that this envelope should be the only proof of the friendship that existed between them, so he couldn't destroy it ruthlessly, otherwise everyone would die. I never thought that something would happen to him even after he fled to Bianjing. It was too late to regret now.
Wanyan Puruo was a little anxious, this was no small matter - Xie Queshan's identity must not be made public! Because of this defeat in Lidu Mansion, her and Han Xianwang's status in the royal court began to become delicate. If the fact that Xie Queshan is an undercover agent is revealed by the Yu Dynasty, then their charge of employing ignorant people and losing troops will be confirmed. She will have to accept the punishment. The other nobles are already eyeing the power in her hands. Once they take advantage of the loophole, , will come up and carve it up like a hungry tiger pouncing on food.
We must not let that Zhezi return to Yu Dynasty.
Wanyan Puruo ordered those around him: "Immediately seal the city gates and set up checkpoints. No one is allowed in or out without official approval."
Only then did she realize that Zhang Yue Hui made such a fuss in order to attract everyone's attention, thereby covering up his real purpose and delaying the time for the person who stole the discount. No wonder he is not panic at all now, because what they want has been Has been taken away.
An unknown fire jumped up. He betrayed her over and over again. She wanted to suck out his bones and knock out his marrow, crushing his bones and scattering ashes, just to relieve her anger.
"Boss Zhang, your game is over. Now, it's my turn. Neither you nor your companions can escape."
Wanyan Pu Ruo raised his eyes sternly, without any mercy, and ordered: "Send him to the Eighth Prince's house to apologize."
At this moment, the Eighth Prince didn't know where he was being bundled by Zhang Yuehui. The pampered eighth prince had never been treated like this before. His temper was cruel and cruel, and he was bound to retaliate. If Zhang Yue fell into his hands, he would be tortured.
After explaining all this, Wanyan Puruo was surrounded and entered the house to bandage his wounds.
The cups and plates at the banquet were in a mess, and the guests left the table one after another. No one paid any attention to Xie Zhu. He stood in a daze, feeling inexplicably the loneliness of leaving his hometown and living under someone else's roof. Then with a casual glance, he saw the painting hanging on the easel.
It was probably a birthday gift given to the eldest princess by some dignitary. The Wang family must have put some thought into this authentic work.
He walked toward the painting in a strange way. There was no reason for it, but the painting felt inexplicably familiar to him.
Suddenly, he noticed a butterfly hidden among the mountains and rivers. He was shocked.
——No, impossible! This is Sister Qiu’s painting!
How come Sister Qiu's paintings appeared in Bianjing? Could it be that she was the one who stole the discount?
The chaotic thoughts in his mind were entangled, and he subconsciously touched the butterfly with trembling. He had already sensed something was wrong. Sister Qiu deliberately hid her own style of painting throughout the painting, deliberately copying Wang's style. Why was her identity suddenly revealed on this butterfly? Did she know he would see it?
But he still underestimated Sister Qiu's determination. The moment he touched the butterfly, Xie Zhu felt a sting. There was actually a tiny wooden thorn hidden in the painting, which pricked his finger and a drop of blood seeped out. out.
This insignificant but precise trap made Xie Zhu step back as if he had seen a ghost. Sister Qiu did not appear, but he could already feel his daughter's hatred from this sharp pain.
One step, two steps, three steps, west step, five steps.
But after walking five steps, Xie Zhu suddenly fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over.
This butterfly was painted with highly poisonous curare wood sap. As long as the poison touches the wound, it will travel along the blood vessels to the heart, and a person will die suddenly within five steps.
The moment his consciousness disappeared quickly, Xie Zhu didn't even have time to review his life in detail. There was only one overwhelming thought - the flower he had raised with his own hands, which finally turned into a sharp blade and penetrated his heart without hesitation. .
He harms his fellow men, and his blood relatives harm him.
He struggled to pursue the realm of perfection, but ultimately ended his life unable to achieve perfection.
……
As soon as Nan Yi left the princess mansion, he immediately returned to the hiding place and prepared to take Sister Qiu with him to evacuate.
Sister Qiu fell ill overnight. She was so sick that she couldn't walk at all. Her face was as pale as a piece of paper, and she lay on the bed out of breath.
"I'm already weak, maybe I'm not accustomed to the local environment...Sister-in-law, you go first, the city will soon be under martial law, you have to give the discounts out first..."
Nan Yi was struggling in her heart. She might not be able to leave Bianjing City any later, but she brought Sister Qiu here, how could she leave her in the enemy's city?
"I haven't shown up at the banquet, no one will recognize me... It's very safe here. When I recover, my sister-in-law will come to take me back... This way, nothing will be delayed."
Nan Yi also thought that Sister Qiu's body suddenly collapsed after traveling a long distance and staying up for several nights painting, so Sister Qiu's suggestion was not unreasonable. Before setting off, Song Muchuan told them that the return journey would be dangerous. He would wait for her in Yanlu City, eighty miles away from Bianjing City, under the pretext of exchanging prisoners. She would just hurry up and deliver the zhezi and come back to pick up Qiu immediately. Sister.
She told her Bingzhusi colleagues here to take good care of Sister Qiu, and she rode a horse and rushed to the city gate quickly.
After sending Nan Yi away, Sister Qiu closed her eyes calmly, but tears flowed down quietly.
Her father died, and she quietly waited for death in a foreign land.
Is this enough? Is that enough atonement? To those who died.
Nan Yi galloped on her horse. She didn't know the news of Xie Zhu's death, nor did she know that Sister Qiu's sudden illness was because she was also poisoned. Although she didn't come across poison, she could mix the paint with her own hands and mix the poison into the painting in a way that only Xie Zhu could detect. Living with poison every day, she was inevitably harmed by it.
Nan Yi rushed to the city gate, and the city gate had been sealed.
It rained heavily in Bianjing City, but the unpleasant sultry heat was not driven away at all. The raindrops fell along the eaves, ticking, ticking, like counting everywhere. Something huge hidden behind time is coming quietly. .
……
Zhang Yuehui seemed to have heard the sound of rain, or maybe it was just the water drops falling from his hair, giving him some trance-like illusions.
The gorgeous clothes draped over him like a peacock have been beaten to pieces, and his bruised and swollen facial features cannot reveal his original handsomeness at all. He is just a pitiful ball of flesh and blood hanging upside down under the beam.
The Eighth Prince was so angry that he walked away proudly.
The torture chamber was eerily quiet, but Zhang Yuehui could finally breathe a little easier, and the long-lasting torture finally stopped.
When she came, Zhang Yuehui thought that she could continue to withdraw and maintain her calm face.
He even felt ridiculous for a moment, how could such an arrogant person like him become a prisoner. Pain is the most primitive feeling that no one can escape. The whip falls on the body, the wooden stick hits the back, and the hot iron presses on the skin, as if the bones are being burned through. The pain will not depend on how much wealth and power you have. How much respect do you have, everyone is equal.
Like all humble beings, he was wailing and twitching. In this physical pain, he inevitably thought of the countless moments in the past when he had run over other people's lives.
This may be his comeuppance.
Finally, someone came in. Zhang Yuehui opened his eyes with difficulty. Hanging upside down for a long time caused blood to accumulate in his head. His swollen right eye had already made it difficult for him to see clearly.
"Put him down."
He heard Wanyan Puruo's voice.
Someone put him down and let him lean against the wall. This position was much more comfortable, and he actually felt a sense of relief and gratitude.
Soon, the attendants on the left and right left, and there were only two people left in the huge execution room.
Wanyan Puruo looked at Zhang Yuehui, who was covered in blood. Torturing him did not make her very happy, but the important thing was that everything was back under her control, and she had a firm grip on this extremely cunning man.
"Zhang Yuehui, you are so powerful. You stole something from under my nose, and you also killed Mr. Xie without anyone noticing."
Xie Zhu is dead.
Zhang Yuehui just found out about this.
"But the city has been sealed. Not a single fly can fly out. Your companions will soon come to accompany you."
Zhang Yuehui went in one ear and out the other. He thought to himself that you underestimated her too much, she must have a way to leave.
He believes it.
If Wanyan Puru is arrogant here, doesn't it mean that no one has been found outside?
His whole body relaxed, thinking that Nan Yi's mission was going well and she would definitely get what she wanted, so the hardship he endured here would be worth it.
Wanyan Puruo squatted down, with the relaxation and gloating of a winner, trying to see a hint of remorse on his face: "Zhang Yuehui, do you regret it?"
He actually had the thought to put on an ugly smile and asked, "If I regret it...will Your Highness forgive me?"
"I am a very principled person. Anyone who betrays me must die."
"Then give it a good time." Zhang Yuehui closed his eyes tiredly.
Wanyan Puruo raised her hand and caressed his cheek: "But there is something different about you...you know, right? I want you all the time, both physically and mentally, but you are so difficult to tame that I still feel unwilling to do so. .”
Wanyan Puruo said it very calmly. For her, the relationship between men and women is just a way to please herself, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Zhang Yue laughed for real at this moment. The width of his smile affected the wounds on his face and made his expression become a little distorted. He met Wanyan Puruo's eyes and said calmly: "It's a bit disgusting."
Wanyan Puruo's brows twitched, his disobedience aroused her desire to win.
"Isn't everything you do disgusting? I will treat your occasional overflowing sentiments about family and country as misguided. As long as you are willing to repent - as long as you say that you hate your hometown and hate you. My compatriot, you are a despicable and shameless villain. If you are only loyal to me from now on, I will let you go immediately."
It was impossible for her to really let him go, she was just throwing out the bait of a high-ranking person. She realized that she wanted to get his true surrender, but nothing else could relieve his hatred of betrayal.
Zhang Yuehui's smile became more sarcastic, and a trace of blood welled up in his throat. He coughed out a mouthful of blood, took it easy, and then spoke slowly.
"When I was in Shu... I stayed in the monastery most of the time... I asked the abbot... what is liberation..." His voice was almost breathless, and Wanyan Puruo had to get close to him to listen. Be clear.
She thought he was telling the truth, so she listened very carefully.
She vaguely sensed a trace of sadness. Perhaps deep down in her heart, she hoped to get a different answer. Behind all the game emotions, she had a trace of true feelings for him.
"He said... I will think about this issue after I listen to the sound of wooden fish for 3,600 times... Then I will kneel and sit in front of the futon in the main hall... one sound, two sounds, three sounds... fifteen sounds... ...Xishisheng..."
His blood-smelling breath hit her ear, and Wanyan Puruo listened for a long time, unable to believe that he was really just counting, and that he completely ignored her rare compassion.
She took a few steps back angrily.
"Somebody come!"
Soon, attendants came in one after another. Someone brought medicine and wanted to pour it into Zhang Yuehui's mouth.
Zhang Yuehui knew very well what it was, so he kept his mouth shut and refused to drink, but he was still force-fed half a bowl of medicine.
This is not poison, but a tonic, giving him some vitality so that he can accept new tortures.
He didn't know where he got such strength. He broke free from the restraints on his body, grabbed the medicine bowl and threw it to the ground. He picked up a piece of porcelain and scratched it on his wrist.
But his hand was stepped on by Wanyan Puruo.
"Can't you bear this?" She looked at him expressionlessly.
"I won't kill you. I will exile you to Mobei for hard labor. Every slave in Mobei will have an iron chain pierced through the bone and be tied to the wall like a dog. The slave master will put you there during the day. In the desolate wasteland, you have to work day and night, plowing the hard soil into fields. If you don't do well, you will be severely punished. There, you will make the sky inoperable and the earth and the earth. No, no one knows you, no one has seen your beautiful past, you have abandoned your hometown, and your hometown has also abandoned you. When Zhang Yue returns, you will live in the most humble way."
