Strong winds often blew in Chengdu in early autumn, and the dense foliage of the trees rustled in the courtyard. The wind blew through the window and into the room. If it wasn't for the injury on her back, it would have been a good autumn.
The injury on her back had been there for a few days. Although it was properly treated and bandaged, the pain still came in waves. Accompanying the pain was the tightness in her chest caused by lying on the bed for a long time. Qu Longjun occasionally moved, but after lying on the bed for a long time, it was useless.
For the past few days, Qu Longjun had been living in a state of anxiety and fear.
Ever since she followed Wen Shoubin to Chengdu, it wasn't that she hadn't imagined the current situation. Deep into danger, the exposure of a conspiracy, and all kinds of bad luck after being caught … But for Qu Longjun, a sixteen-year-old girl didn't have much choice in the past.
Without a choice, she actually didn't have much fear.
When she was young, she listened to her parents' arrangements. Before she could grow up, her family was gone. She was sold to Wen Shoubin and learned all kinds of skills that a thin horse should have: cooking, embroidery, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting … These things weren't glorious, but in fact, since she was sensible, her life had been arranged by others.
This kind of life was like being driven on a narrow path. Once she got used to it, there was nothing wrong with it. Wen Shoubin wasn't a good person, but if she had to say he was bad, at least she understood his bad side. He raised her, and at some point, he would marry or give her to someone. If he really was at the end of his rope, he might not be able to take care of her, but at least before that day came, there wouldn't be too many things to worry about.
Life's hurdles often appeared without any warning.
A few months ago, when the news of the Huaxia army defeating the Female Zhenren spread, Wen Shoubin suddenly began to talk to them and arranged for them to come to the southwest. Qu Longjun was vaguely at a loss. Her future was broken.
When they arrived in the southwest and stayed for two months, Wen Shoubin began to make friends from all walks of life and slowly began to plan. Everything seemed to be back on track. But on the twentieth night, a group of people rushed in from outside, and danger descended again.
They packed their belongings and fled. Then, they arrived at the courtyard of the Huaxia military doctor and discussed how to leave Chengdu. Late at night, Qu Longjun also thought that this was good. In this way, everything would go back to normal. Who knew that there would be such a bloody scene next?
Wen Shoubin had suddenly died, and he had died so easily. His opponent had just casually pushed him into the fray, and in the blink of an eye, he had fallen into a pool of blood. He did not even leave a single word.
The fighting in the courtyard was the same. It was sudden and abnormally violent. The explosion shook the room, and the five wounded people lost their lives along with the collapse of the house. Among the wounded, there were even some "heroes", and the fighting outside the courtyard was just an extremely simple confrontation. People wielded sharp blades and swung them at each other. In the blink of an eye, one person fell, and in the blink of an eye, another person fell … Before she had time to understand all this, she did not understand the fighting, and she did not understand the death, she also fell.
When she opened her eyes, she fell into the hands of the Black Flag Army. The Wen Shoubin who, even though he wasn't kind, truly provided her with a roof, died so easily and forever.
The sixteen year old young lady was like a snail with its shell removed, tossed into the wilderness. She had long grown accustomed to Wen Shoubin's evil. The Black Flag Army's evil, as well as this world's evil, she still didn't have a clear concept.
However, she reckoned that it would be something a hundred times more evil than Wen Shoubin.
She recalled the dusky courtyard, the scene of blood dripping down from the tip of the youth's blade …
…
There was always the wafting smell of medicine and human voices in the courtyard outside. In the morning, sunlight would always pour in through the half opened window. When the autumn wind blew past, it made her feel as if she wasn't wearing any clothes.
She lay on the white bed, her back always aching, her chest extremely uncomfortable. If she could move at will, she would even more so curl up into a ball or hide in a corner others couldn't see.
The second day after she was injured, there were people who came to interrogate her about many things. Her relationship with Wen Shoubin, her goal in coming to the southwest, and other things, she originally wanted to pick out the good ones, but when the other party mentioned her father's name, Qu Longjun knew that it would be hard for her to get lucky this time. Her father had admittedly died because of the Black Flag Army, but during the process of dispatching troops, he had definitely killed quite a few Black Flag Army people. As his daughter, she was currently stirring up trouble in the southwest for the sake of revenge. How could she be easily let go after falling into their hands?
Several days passed in this type of way. On the afternoon of the twenty-third day, a young doctor named Long Aotian appeared in her room with an expressionless face. He held a book and inquired about her injuries. She replied in full detail, her body nervous to the point where she didn't dare move an inch.
This young doctor's appearance looked pure and kind, but that day in the early hours of the morning, she had already experienced the other party's scheming and acting skills, as well as his ruthlessness and ruthlessness when killing. She still didn't quite understand why the Black Flag Army left her alive, but when she saw this young doctor, she vaguely guessed that she was most likely being forced into some kind of crafty plot.
As for what the specifics would be, she couldn't figure it out in a short amount of time, and she didn't dare make excessive guesses. This youth had grown up in the dangerous southwest, which was why he had developed a despicable and ruthless personality at such a young age. Putting aside Wen Shoubin, even people like Huang Nanzhong and Yan Ying were toyed with in the palm of his hand. How could a girl like her resist? If she made him unhappy, she didn't know what kind of torturous methods would be waiting for her in front of her.
"It will take a hundred days to recover from an injury." After clarifying her condition, Long Aotian said, "However, your injuries aren't serious, so it shouldn't take that long. Recently, the hospital is lacking people, so I will come over to take care of you. Rest well, don't act recklessly, get better quickly and leave this place. That's all. "
That afternoon, the other party said these words as an explanation. During this entire process, Qu Longjun could sense that the other party's mood wasn't high, and his brows were furrowed the entire time. She was so frightened by the other party's warning of "rest well, don't act recklessly" that she didn't dare to move. As for "get better quickly and leave this place", perhaps he was waiting for her to recover before dealing with her, or perhaps he was being forced into some kind of conspiracy.
Just like that, the next day, the young military doctor brought her three daily meals and decocted medicine. What surprised her the most was that the other party actually came over in the morning to clean the chamber pot under her bed. It made her feel that such a ruthless person didn't care about trifles. Perhaps it was because of this that he had no problems when it came to scheming against people and killing people. These things made her even more afraid of the other party.
For the next few days, in order to go to the toilet less and get out of bed less, Qu Longjun subconsciously made herself eat and drink less water. After all, the young military doctor wasn't that meticulous. On the twenty-fifth day, when he saw her half a bowl of porridge that she couldn't finish, he muttered, "Are you transformed from an insect …" Qu Longjun lay on the bed and pressed herself into the pillow. Her body was stiff and she didn't dare to speak.
On the twenty-sixth day, she struggled to go to the toilet. When she came back, she fell and the wound on her back opened slightly. After the other party found out, he found a female doctor to clean and bandage her wound. After that, he still looked at her with a straight face.
This was a small interlude during her recuperation.
The interrogation was soft and didn't feel too oppressive.
"… You killed more than ten people in one night. Are you happy now?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Before it happened, I already guessed that there was something wrong with Huang. Instead of reporting it, I secretly sold medicine to him. On the other hand, I secretly monitored Wen Shoubin for a month. After finding out what happened, I didn't tell anyone. Now, I even helped Miss Qu as a guarantor. You know that her father died in our hands, right? You even monitored her until she had feelings … "
"No feelings …" The young man muttered. "I don't think she's that bad …"
"You know she broke the rules, right? This is called entrapment. "
"I'm not entrapment. I just don't have evidence to prove that they did something wrong. They just like to talk nonsense …"
"If you know there's a problem, you should have reported it. You didn't report it and they found you, causing so much trouble. The higher-ups want me to ask you if you're willing to accept the punishment. "
"… Fine, I'll accept the punishment. I'm happy anyway."
With a wave of his hand, he hit the young man's head. He couldn't dodge it.
"You still have to go back to school after September, you know?"
"Yes, I'll go back to school."
"Before the incident, it was hard to say that Huang would definitely do something bad. You didn't report it, so we couldn't say anything. But at night, you directly killed everyone in the courtyard. Your brother said that you must have done it out of your own will. Your father asked me to teach you a lesson. Other than beating you up, I can't think of any better ideas. However, you're not allowed to go to the martial arts tournament anymore. "
"Ah … I'm just going to be a doctor …"
"You still dare to talk back!"
He waved his hand and dodged.
"… Fine. I won't do it if I don't want to. "
"Also, since you've been out for so long, you should finish what you started. Weren't you kind enough to be a guarantor for the young lady? She was stabbed in the back. Shouldn't we pay for the medicine, the room, the doctors and nurses to take care of her … "
"This … Even if she's a criminal, we'll pay for it …"
"You're still talking back. You're different! "
"Fine, it's different then …"
"Take care of your business for me. Since you've vouched for her, go and help out at the hospital. You take care of the little girl. Don't bother anyone else. When she recovers and deals with the loose ends, go back to Zhang Village to go to school."
"Ah, why should I take care of her …"
"Her father killed our men, and we killed him too. You say she's not a bad person, but do you know what she's thinking? You're compassionate and want to save her once. You want to be her guarantor. This is your business, right? What if she's resentful and doesn't want to live anymore? What if she stabs a doctor with a knife? Oh, you can be a guarantor and throw her to our side. You can't rely on others to help you settle her down. So, you have to handle her well. When you're done, the matter in Chengdu will be over. Since you dare to say that you'll accept the punishment, then do it. "
The teenager's face wrinkled like a bun. "Well … It's not that I don't want to accept the punishment, but why did you say it, Sister Chuyi …"
"Mr. Ning gave me the task. Why? Do you have a problem with it? Or do you want to fight with me? "
"… I think you're taking revenge on her for seducing my brother …"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing … I'll accept the punishment. I love peace and don't fight. "
The procedure for accepting the punishment was thus finalized.
Ning Ji didn't think too much about losing his job in the martial arts competition to take care of a silly woman. He thought that Sister Chuyi and his brother were in cahoots with each other and wanted to see him make a fool of himself.
On the other hand, he was just an innocent child in his teens who participated in fighting and killing all day long. He was well aware that his parents had been worried about him for a long time. In the past, he always found an excuse to make a fuss. This time, he fought with more than ten people in Jianghu in the middle of the night. He was forced to do so, but in fact, he was repeatedly jumping between life and death during that moment of fighting. Most of the time, the exchange of blades was just an instinctive response. If there was a little mistake, he might be the one to die.
It was a good thing that he survived and seemed to be able to deal with it calmly. But this matter had indeed reached the psychological bottom line of his family. His father asked Sister Chuyi to come over and deal with it, and he made a fool of himself in front of everyone. This was considered a toast, but if he refused, it would be quite uncomfortable when he was forced to drink a forfeit. For example, he asked his mother to come over and cry with him, or spread a rumor to his younger brothers and sisters that "your second brother is going to die", making his younger brothers wail incessantly. With his father's ruthlessness and his elder brother who had inherited his father's teachings, it was not impossible for him to do such a thing.
Because of this, after a little probing, he still accepted this task without hesitation. Although it was a little unheroic to take care of a stupid woman who was injured in the back, he was flexible, did not care about trifles, and angered his brother and sister-in-law who were in cahoots with him. Thinking of this, he secretly cheered for himself in the midst of bitterness.
As for taking care of people in the ward, Ning Ji did not have much mysophobia or psychological barriers. He was used to seeing all kinds of broken hands, feet, intestines, and internal organs all year round in the field. When many soldiers could not take care of themselves, he had naturally taken care of them many times. He brewed medicine, fed them, ran errands, wiped them, and dealt with defecation … Because of this, although Sister Chuyi talked about this matter with a sneaky look, this kind of thing was really not a big deal for Ning Ji.
Of course, when it came to real treatment, there would be some things that were different from those on the battlefield.
The other party especially hated him, or was afraid of him, which made him feel very unhappy.
It seemed that after what happened that night, the little b * tch regarded him as an extremely evil person. Every time he went over, she would shrink back. If it wasn't for the fact that her back was injured and she could only lie upright, she might have curled up like a quail under the blanket. Her voice was also completely different from when he peeped at her. Although Ning Ji was young, he could still clearly distinguish such a reaction.
Are you kidding me? I am a bad person? What do I have to be afraid of?
You are the bad people, okay! You and that old b * tch Wen Shoubin came to the southwest to make trouble and do bad things! You live in that rotten yard and talk all day long like a scoundrel! I look so decent, how do I look like a bad person!
What's more, I saved your life in that yard a few days ago!
Ning Ji was a little angry at this ungrateful little b * tch who could not tell good from bad. But he also wanted to save face, so he disdained to say anything. There was nothing to say. He had peeped at her all kinds of things, so of course he could not confess. Therefore, he and the little b * tch just met by chance and did not know each other in the past.
In this way, the little b * tch did not give him a good look, so he did not bother to give her a good look. Originally, considering the other party's physical inconvenience, he had thought about feeding her and helping her to the toilet. But since the atmosphere was not harmonious, it did not matter after thinking about it. After all, the injury was not serious, and she could not get out of bed completely. He was a man and a woman, and his brother and sister-in-law were in cahoots with him, waiting to see a joke. It was better to avoid trouble.
Of course, when she fell in the corridor on the 26th day, Ning Ji felt a little guilty. The main thing was that she was a little embarrassed, and her chest was flattened, which made him want to laugh. This urge to laugh made him feel that it was not the behavior of a gentleman, so he asked Aunt Gu of the hospital to take care of her once a day to go to the toilet. Although Sister Chuyi asked him to take care of her himself, he thought that she would not care too much about this kind of special thing.
As for the matter that the other party ate a little more after Aunt Gu helped her to the toilet, Ning Ji realized it later and roughly understood the reason. He thought that women were so pretentious and did not understand the principle of doctors caring for their parents.
After leaving the Martial Arts Contest, the hustle and bustle of Chengdu seemed to be a little farther away from him. He did not care about it. He had gained a lot in Chengdu this time and experienced such exciting fights. Traveling around the world was something to be done in the future. There was no need to think about it now. On the 27th day, when Yao Shubin, the jinx, came to eat hot pot with him, Ning Ji did not care about the movements of all sides in the city, the internal strife of a group of great Confucian scholars, the emergence of masters in the Kung Fu Contest, and even the gathering of elites in various armies.
"Humph, I have already seen it."
"Oh? How did you see it? "Yao Shubin was full of curiosity.
"I won't tell you."
Time passed by the end of July, and the clouds rose and gathered several times.
After the chaos on the 20th of July, the topic of the military parade officially emerged on the table. The Huaxia army began to send out invitations to the military parade in the city. Not only the people who originally supported the Huaxia army in the city received the invitations, but also the great Confucian scholars and famous scholars who lived in the city at this time.
The Confucian scholars in the city debated for several days about whether to go or not on that day. The people who did not receive the invitation wantonly refuted it. There were also Confucian scholars who had received the invitation who urged the crowd not to go. However, there were also many people who said that since they had come to Chengdu, they had to witness everything. Even if they had to write an essay to refute it in the future, it would be more credible if they were present. If they had decided not to participate, why would they have come to Chengdu in the first place?
The people argued in the newspaper again, and it was very lively.
…
The sky seemed a little gloomy, or maybe it was because the overgrown leaves blocked too much light.
In the courtyard of the inn called Xiangwu Guild Hall, Yang Tiehuai sat upright and still, looking at the article on the news paper, slightly lost in thought. There seemed to be cursing in the air in the distance. After a while, only a bang was heard. No one knew who threw a stone from outside the courtyard, but the sound of cursing came from the street.
His eldest disciple, Chen Shiguang, sat opposite the desk and also heard the sound. He looked at the invitation on the table and the teacher on the other side of the desk and said in a deep voice, "Black Flag is despicable and shameless. He used a borrowed knife to kill people, which makes people despise him. But I think that the Heavenly Dao is clear and will not let such an evil person gain power. Teacher only needs to temporarily avoid it and leave Chengdu first. Things will slowly turn for the better. "
Yang Tiehuai looked calmly at his eldest disciple and did not say anything.
After coming to Chengdu, he was one of the most hot-tempered Confucian scholars. In the beginning, he wrote angry articles on the news paper and refuted the various actions of the Huaxia army. After he went to the street to debate with people and was hit on the head with a stone, these actions became even more radical. For the turmoil of the 20th of July, he secretly colluded with people and contributed a lot. But the moment the riot was really launched, the Huaxia army directly sent a letter of warning. He hesitated for a night, but in the end, he could not make up his mind to take action. By now, he had already been brought up by the Confucian scholars in the city and became the person who was most cursed.
At this time, the principle of the innocent being innocent was no longer feasible. The more the event failed, the more the participants needed to find a scapegoat. As for who this scapegoat was, it was no longer important. After all, if there was no such person, how could the stupid people forgive themselves?
The wound on his forehead had already healed. After taking off the bandage, an ugly scab was left. The old man's serious face and the ugly scab set off each other. Every time he appeared in front of people, he gave off a strange aura. Others might sneer at him in their hearts, and he knew that others would sneer at him in their hearts. But because he knew this, the expression on his face became even more stubborn and tough. This toughness and the scab set off each other, showing that he was also aware of the confrontation between others and him.
"… I know what I'm doing."
After a long time, he finally said these words.
The noise and cursing outside the courtyard became even more ear-piercing in the distance.
On the 29th of July, the Jurchen captives had already been settled in the military camp in the western suburbs of Chengdu.
In the evening, Wanyan Qingjue looked through the fence of the camp and saw a familiar figure walking not far away. He carefully identified it twice — it was Zuo Wenhuai, who had punched him in Changsha. This Zuo Wenhuai was delicate and handsome. At that time, he looked like a rabbit, but now he was wearing the black Huaxia army uniform. His figure was tall and straight, and his eyebrows were like swords. Looking at him, he really did have the awe-inspiring air of a soldier.
"Young Master Zuo! Young Master Zuo — "
Wanyan Qingjue leaned on the fence and waved at him.
He was one of the nobles with the highest status in the Jurchen army. He had been captured once before, and now he was also helping the Huaxia army manage the high-level captives. Therefore, in the past few days, he occasionally did something out of line, and the nearby Huaxia soldiers didn't immediately come to stop him.
Zuo Wenhuai and several soldiers around him all looked over. Then he raised his eyebrows and walked over. "Oh, if it isn't Young Prince Wanyan. You look good. Have you been eating and drinking well recently?"
"Young Master Zuo, I have something to say to you."
"… It's not a good sign to eat and drink well in prison. Aren't you afraid that you'll be eating the last meal?"
Because of Yu Mingzhou, Zuo Wenhuai didn't have a good impression of Wanyan Qingjue. At this time, he said such words to scare him. Wanyan Qingjue's eyes were serious, and his hand almost reached out through the fence to grab him. "Young Master Zuo! I have business. It's good for you … good for the Huaxia army. Please listen … You know my identity. There's no harm in listening. It's good, it's good … "
Wanyan Qingjue emphasized. Zuo Wenhuai stood not far from the fence and looked at him quietly. After a while, he said, "Go ahead."
Wanyan Qingjue looked to both sides and seemed to want to talk in private. But Zuo Wenhuai directly waved his hand. "If you have something to say, say it here. Otherwise, forget it."
"Okay, okay." Wanyan Qingjue nodded. "Young Master Zuo, I know who you are. You also know who I am. You also know who these people in the camp are. All of us have families in the Jin Kingdom. According to the rules of the Jin Kingdom, those who are defeated but not killed can be redeemed with gold and silver …"
"That's not our rule."
"But we can consider it." Wanyan Qingjue said, "I know that after the Western Xia was defeated, you also let them redeem people. I was also redeemed when I was captured for the first time. Today, you know some of the people in the camp, but you are not familiar with the Jin Kingdom. As long as you can go back, you can get far more benefits than you can imagine. I've written a list here. It's something you didn't know before. I know you can see Mr. Ning. Pass it to him for me … pass it to him for me … "
Zuo Wenhuai looked at him. "The parade didn't say to kill you. Why are you so afraid?"
"I'm not afraid. But since we have to pay, we are willing to pay more so that you have more bargaining chips. Maybe … everyone can go back faster." Wanyan Qingjue's expression was still calm. He smiled. "I know it's not easy to kill Han people. Since the Tang Dynasty, prisoners of war have not been killed. We were defeated on the battlefield. You don't have to kill us. If you kill us, it will only lead to endless fighting …"
Zuo Wenhuai was silent for a moment. "I quite like endless fighting …"
"But it's not necessary … not necessary …" Wanyan Qingjue looked at him. "Please pass it to me. Anyway, it's not harmful to you …"
"… Give it to me."
Zuo Wenhuai finally nodded. Wanyan Qingjue immediately took out a few pieces of paper and handed it over. Zuo Wenhuai did not take the paper. A soldier came over. Zuo Wenhuai said, "Take a bag and seal it. Pass it to the secretariat. Tell them that this is the condition that Young Prince Wanyan wants Mr. Ning to consider … Are you satisfied? Actually, in the Chinese army, there isn't much difference if you hand it over yourself or if I hand it over. "
Wanyan Qingjue nodded. He took a deep breath and took two steps back. "I just remembered something about Yu Mingzhou. Young Master Zuo, if you want to know, after the parade …"
Before he finished speaking, Zuo Wenhuai's eyes darkened and a dark murderous aura rose. "If you mention this name again, I will personally send you on your way after the parade!"
Wanyan Qingjue shut his mouth and waved his hand. Zuo Wenhuai stared at him for a moment, then turned and left.
The sun was setting in the west. Wanyan Qingjue stood there in a daze for a moment, then let out a long breath. Compared to the other Jurchen prisoners of war in the camp, his state of mind was actually slightly calmer. After all, he had been captured once before and had been exchanged. He had also seen that Mr. Ning before. The other paid attention to benefits and wasn't easy to kill. As long as he cooperated with him and completed the process of offering the prisoners of war, the other wouldn't even have the mood to humiliate these prisoners — because the Han people paid attention to being a gentleman.
Of course, even if the risk was low, they still didn't want to take it. People longed to go home earlier, especially people like them who had large families and businesses and had enjoyed half their lives. No matter how much gold, silver, or Han slaves they had to pay in exchange, their families would find a way. Because of this, in recent days, he had been thinking of ways to pass the message to Mr. Ning.
He thought of the parade that was coming.
Perhaps after the parade, the other party would call him over again. During this time, he would certainly say a few words to him, tease him about being captured again, and then, of course, he would also show off the power of the Chinese army. If he was a bit more respectful and humble, then he would be satisfied. Perhaps everyone would be able to go home earlier — a real man could submit and stand tall. As the person with the highest status in the crowd, it wasn't shameful for him to suffer some humiliation …
。
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