Return of the Swallow

This was a baptism of blood. The bluestone bricks in front of the Fengtian Temple were soaked. The smell of blood and a stench from the human belly permeated the air, making the hairs of everyone present stand on end, and some even lowered their spirits. He lowered his head and closed his eyes tightly, not daring to look.

The pain of cutting flesh and scraping bones is simply not something a normal person can bear.

Siqin fainted several times due to pain. After waking up, he continued to scream. The pain was so severe that he fainted again, and the cycle started again and again.

For example, Bian Ruohan was so frightened that he fainted. Siqin's subordinates were shaking like chaff, and some of them even peed.

Seeing the people who had been together day and night being cut into flesh and bones, leaving only the skeleton and internal organs, no one could bear it and was about to collapse.

"Behead in half!" Li Qitian stood on the high step, with excitement after seeing blood in his eyes, pointing at the rest of the people in the cage, "Drag all these rebels and rebels to the Meridian Gate!"

"According to the order!"

After witnessing a Lingchi incident, all the palace officials, guards, and Han generals were covered in cold sweat, their spirits were tense, and their voices were much higher than usual.

The person in the cage was still stunned. Hearing the word "cut in half", his eyes widened in horror. He wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy, but his mouth was blocked. He could only look at Li Qitian in supplication and nod his head repeatedly.

The person who was cut in half did not die immediately, it even took two or three hours before he died completely.

Compared to Ling Chi, cutting in half was equally painful.

No one among the ministers dared to say a word to persuade him. At this time, everyone had chills running down their spines, and their hair almost stood on end when Li Qitian's bright eyes swept over them. Killing the Tatar Khan would certainly relieve his hatred, but everyone could feel that by doing this, the emperor was not showing power to them.

The prison cage was carried onto the prison cart and transported to the Meridian Gate.

The news that the Tatar Khan was executed by Lingchi and the others were sentenced to be cut in half was posted by the Yamen.

The common people spread the news to ten and hundreds, and at noon, the crowds of onlookers filled the open space in front of the Meridian Gate with water. The Gyeonggi Guards were divided into two columns and passed through both sides of the road, pushing the people behind, making way for the road in the middle, and transported the prison cars to the Meridian Gate.

Qin Yining frowned in the crowd, then turned to the people around him and said, "Go back."

"Don't you want to see it?"

"There's nothing good to see,

Let's all go back. " Qin Yining didn't hate those people so much that she wanted to watch them being cut into two pieces and slowly dying. Even for her enemies, she couldn't bear to see this kind of death.

"You are kind-hearted." Jingzhe and Xiaoxue followed, escorting Qin Yining, who was dressed as a young man, to squeeze out of the crowd and take a detour back to the farm.

The cruelty of the torture in the capital was spread throughout the country.

The most surprising thing is that when the news of Si Qin's death by Ling Chi reached Tatar, it didn't stir up any controversy. Because the Tatar Khan was captured by the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Tatars were leaderless, and they were suppressed by the joint attack of Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu and no longer thought about causing chaos. The imperial court began to anxiously seize the only seat.

"The Tatar court is busy fighting for the throne, but no one cares about the life and death of Utkin Khan. It is also sad." Xu Weizhi held the pot and refilled tea for Qin Huaiyuan, Pang Xiao, and Ji Zeyu, and then made an invitation gesture.

Everyone took a sip of tea and sighed in unison.

Ji Zeyu asked Pang Xiao: "Have you planned a day to return to Beijing?"

Pang Xiao nodded, "The provisions have been prepared and we can set off at any time. Alan, what do you plan to do in the future?"

Xu Weizhi and Qin Huaiyuan both lowered their eyes while serving tea, not deliberately looking at Ji Zeyu's expression. This was out of the most basic respect for Pang Xiao's friend.

Ji Zeyu also behaved very casually in front of Pang Xiao, and said with a smile: "I have already thought about it. The Tianmen and other four passes are now guarded by the Longxiang Army. The Longxiang Army is familiar with this place, and it is impossible for the Tatars to invade south again. , there is no need to worry here. I plan to return to Beijing with you."

Ji Zeyu's words surprised Qin Huaiyuan and Xu Weizhi.

Pang Xiao said he was heading back to Beijing, but in fact he was going with the Huben Army and the Pingnan Army. It was easy to talk to the Pingnan Army together, and Feng Dazhuang was Pang Xiao's confidant and could be trusted. The Huben Army now has its coach Gao Wenliang. If they want to take away the Huben Army, they must first deal with Gao Wenliang.

To put it bluntly, Pang Xiao returned to Beijing after dinner to rebel against Li Qitian.

If Ji Zeyu wants to protect himself wisely, staying at the border is the best choice. If he goes back with Pang Xiao, he will inevitably be involved in this dispute.

Qin Huaiyuan raised his eyes and looked at Ji Zeyu and Pang Xiao. He had always known that Ji Zeyu and Pang Xiao were brothers who worshiped each other and were close friends. But on the other hand, if he thought about it, wasn't the emperor also a brother who worshiped Pang Xiao, and wouldn't he be afraid of him in the end as well? Pang Xiao tried every means to kill him?

From Ji Zeyu's point of view, not reporting on Pang Xiao was already a sign of great loyalty. Now that he wanted to follow him back, he was going to help Pang Xiao.

This approach is really unexpected and very touching.

Pang Xiao looked at Ji Zeyu, with some worry in his eyes and some disapproval: "Alan, I understand your kindness and I am very grateful, but you understand what I am going to do on the battlefield. Swords have no eyes, and things in the world are unpredictable. Who will win and who will lose, and who will live and who will die, are still unknown. I hope you can stay here to guard the border and not get involved in this mess."

Seeing that Ji Zeyu was about to open his mouth to refute, Pang Xiao patted him on the shoulder and said: "I know what you mean, but your best choice this time is to protect yourself wisely. Although Anyang is gone, you are the royal consort after all. The Queen Mother is still there. Well, if you go back with me, you will be accused of rebelling against your in-laws and your own family, and this will become a stain on you! Now you are already a hero with great military exploits and respected by the people, why bother wading into troubled waters again? "

Xu Weizhi and Qin Huaiyuan both agreed with Pang Xiao's words, and they both nodded and said, "Dong Guo, there is really no need to take risks."

Ji Zeyu smiled freely and said: "What do you mean by being a Duke of the country, and what are your outstanding military achievements that the people admire? I have never cared about these things. Now we are only one step away from the peace of the country and the people, and our goal when we started the uprising that day is only one step away. I Why hold back?”

Pang Xiao's heart was shaken.

They rose up in rebellion and went against the guarantee of the Northern Hebei Kingdom. They had only one purpose, which was to prevent the people of the world from being oppressed and exploited by the imperial court and to allow the people to live a stable life.

The original Northern Hebei emperor couldn't do it, so they started trouble.

Today's emperor can't do it either, so they continue.

Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu are the same kind of people. For more than ten years, their original intentions have not changed. No one has been blinded by fame and wealth, confused or changed their direction.

Of the three brothers, only the one who sat in that position had changed.

Ji Zeyu slapped Pang Xiao on the shoulder and smiled heartily: "What are you afraid of? It's just that when we get here, it's time to go to the next step. We just have to do our own thing."

Pang Xiao finally couldn't stop Ji Zeyu anymore and nodded.

Qin Huaiyuan and Xu Weizhi were also very moved.

Ji Zeyu is a man of few words. He never expected that at a critical moment, he would not only stand up for Pang Xiao, but also say such words. It seems that his reticence is only reserved for irrelevant outsiders, but for those whom he regards as his brothers, he will never be cold anymore.

"Okay!" Pang Xiao nodded confidently: "In that case, let's get ready to set off!"

When Ji Zeyu heard this, he smiled and nodded.

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At the same time, Li Qitian, who had solved the Tatar Khan and the rebels, was finally in a better mood. He continued to arrest people suspected of being the former prince Zhou Lian, and expanded the scope of the search to surrounding towns.

Such a search made the Shuntian Mansion and Gyeonggi guards exhausted. They searched twice in a row, but no one was found. When they searched for the third time, everyone was too lazy to take a closer look. There are so many people on the left and right, everyone is on the list, and no one seems suspicious, so how can you just arrest someone for business?

Even if they can find a young man of similar age, they still have to find the jade seal passed down from the previous dynasty! Otherwise, with the emperor's temper, he will definitely punish them severely!

After the capital city shamefully killed a traitor in front of a snow, it fell into chaos again.

Some people didn't even dare to leave their homes, and only came out when there was really no food at home.

Not only ordinary people, but also dignitaries, after the bloody scene in front of Fengtian Palace, their understanding of the emperor has greatly changed. No one dares to get into trouble at this time, and even the homes of the imperial officials are now a bit low-key.

The entire capital was shrouded in a layer of dark clouds.

The former prince Li Qitian could not be found, so he pointed the finger at Pang Xiao again.

He mobilized three thousand battalions of soldiers and horses, arranged for two of his confidants, Song Deqiu and Lei Guoneng, to serve as imperial envoys, and went directly to the border to read out the imperial edict. He escorted Prince Zhongshun, who had committed 11 serious crimes, back to the capital, and brought Pang Xiao's crimes to justice. The crimes and punishments were published to inform the world.

Li Qitian spoke sincerely this time, and wrote down the tone of a king who was sworn to his elder brother and conscientious in his work, making many people doubt their previous judgment after reading it.

"Could it be that the emperor is really unjust? Prince Zhongshun is really plotting evil, but the emperor has been tolerant?"

"Did we misunderstand the emperor?"

"How on earth do those dignitaries in the imperial court live? What grudges and grudges there are among them are not something that we ordinary people can see or hear. What we see is probably an illusion. Who can say what it is really like? allow?"

There are many people who have such doubts.

Li Qitian's method actually made many people suspicious of Pang Xiao.

And just at this moment, another message from the former prince Zhou Lian spread all over the streets and alleys of the capital overnight, detailing what Li Qitian had done over the years, including two disaster relief operations and conquests in the east and west. Everything Shi Pangxiao has done is listed.

Such a strong contrast, anyone with some brains will know who is black and who is white.

Before Li Qitian could get angry enough with this statement, another news came from Northern Xinjiang.

"The Holy One is in trouble! Prince Zhongshun and Duke Dingguo have returned to the court with their army!"