[R18] Will drink wine – Chapter 2 of “About to Enter the Wine” [English]

Chapter 2: Death with a stick

The lights in the prison were dim, Shen Zechuan’s hands and feet felt cold, and he became increasingly breathless.The hemp rope was tied tightly, and he kept rubbing his wrists, but to no avail.

The earth bag squeezed his chest, and he felt as if he had been thrown into a deep pool. His ears were ringing, his breathing was confused, and he felt like he was drowning and couldn’t continue to breathe.

Shen Zechuan rolled his eyes and stared at the candlelight outside the railing.

Several Jinyi guards in the hall were eating wine, pumping their fists and shouting, and had no time to look back at Shen Zechuan.Shen Zechuan was pinned to the rough straw mat by an earth bag, and the suffocating nausea buried him like a flood.

With his eyes a little dim, Shen Zechuan raised his head, gritted his teeth and moved his feet.His legs were almost numb from the beating with the cane, but when he lifted them up, they seemed to be unconscious.He stepped on the left corner of the wooden bed, which was rotten by insects and was slightly damaged by him sitting on it the day before.

Breathing became increasingly difficult.

Shen Zechuan kicked the corner and stamped it with all his strength.But he’s legs and feet were weak, he didn’t even make a sound, and the bed board didn’t move at all.Cold sweat poured down hard, and the clothes on his back were soaked.

he wants to live.

Shen Zechuan whined crazily in his throat, bit the tip of his tongue, and then stamped the bed board with his feet.

Ji Mu’s inhuman body was the whip of his desire to survive, and Ji Mu’s voice seemed to be echoing in his ears.

He wants to live!

Shen Zechuan hit the wooden board hard and finally heard a “plop”.The bed board was kicked down in half, the body sank to the side, and the earth bag rolled down with it.he was like water breaking out, falling to the ground and gasping for air.

The ground was cold, and Shen Zechuan’s injured leg refused to function. He propped himself up on his elbows, sweat dripping down the bridge of his nose.It was cold in the prison, but he felt as if his whole body was burning, so hot that his internal organs were rolling. He finally couldn’t help but hang his head and retched.

Shen Wei deserves to die.

Zhongbo had 120,000 troops and set up defense lines in six states. After the defeat of Chashihe, the Biansha cavalry invaded the Dunzhou line.As the interrogator said, there was still a chance of recovery at that time. Shen Wei not only had strong troops and horses, sufficient food and grass, but also had the garrison troops of the three cities of Duanzhou at his disposal.However, he unexpectedly abandoned Duanzhou and hid back to the Dunzhou Palace in fear.

This hiding became the beginning of the fall of Zhongbo. The three cities of Duanzhou were all massacred by Biansha cavalry. The morale of the garrison was demoralized and they retreated southward in a hurry. Everyone thought that Shen Wei would fight to the death with the twelve Biansha tribes in Dunzhou, but he fled again.

The Zhongbo army was retreating steadily, and the Biansha cavalry was like a sharp steel knife, piercing almost the entire territory of the six states.They came on horseback and went into battle lightly. They relied on fighting to support fighting and chased them all the way to the capital of Zhou Dynasty, eight hundred miles away.

If Shen Wei could burn down the granaries in the city and clear the country during retreat, then the Biansha Cavalry would never be able to penetrate this far.Because they have no baggage, they rely entirely on the food in the captured city for supplies. Once the food in the city is burned out, no matter how tough the Biansha cavalry is, they will be hungry.

There is no way to continue fighting if you are hungry. At that time, the Libei Iron Cavalry will cross the glacier and block the retreat of the Twelve Biansha Tribes from above. The garrison of the five Qidong counties will strangle the direction in which the Twelve Biansha Tribes can escape from Tianfei Palace. These scimitars are the turtle in the urn, and they are determined not to survive the winter.

But Shen Wei didn’t do that.

He not only gave up resistance, but also left all the granaries in the city to the Biansha Cavalry.The Biansha cavalry relied on the food of the Zhou people and slaughtered the entire city of the Zhou people.Their horses were kept fat and strong by Shen Wei, and they drove away the people and captured soldiers in the Chashi River, killing them all in one night.

Shen Zechuan escaped from death.

Qandu now has to clean up its accounts, and all Shen’s previous orders seemed extremely hasty. He really seemed to be cooperating with the Twelve Ministries of Biansha.However, Shen Wei burned himself out of fear of crime and destroyed all the documents along with it. Even Jin Yiwei, who acted vigorously and resolutely, was helpless at this moment.

If the emperor wants to find out, they can only continue to interrogate Shen Zechuan who may have knowledge.But Shen Zechuan’s biological mother was a dancer in Duanzhou, and Shen Wei had too many sons. He was the eighth concubine, and none of them had a chance to take his turn. He had long been driven away by the Dunzhou Palace to be raised wild in Duanzhou. I am afraid that even Shen Wei himself did not remember that he had such a son.

Someone wants to kill him.

This is not a secret, he entered Qidu to suffer for his father.He is the only remnant of the Shen family in Zhongbo. The father’s debt is paid by the son. After the prison interrogation, the emperor will definitely use his life to commemorate the 30,000 soldiers who were killed in the battle of Chashi River in Zhongbo Dunzhou.

But that wasn’t supposed to be an assassination like this.

Shen Zechuan wiped the corners of his lips with his thumb, tilted his head and spit out the blood foam in his mouth.

If Shen Wei is indeed having an affair with a foreign enemy and intends to rebel, then Shen Zechuan will die sooner or later. Why bother to assassinate a nameless bastard?There are still people in the capital who are worried about interrogation. If this is the case, then there must be something fishy about Shen Wei’s defeat.

Shen Zechuan knew nothing.

He has a master in Duanzhou, and his brother is the master’s only son Ji Mu.To him, Shen Wei is just King Jianxing and has nothing to do with him.He has no idea whether Shen Wei is collaborating with the enemy or not.

But he must be bitten to death.

The ground was bitingly cold, and Shen Zechuan just lay there, feeling more awake than during the day due to the cold.He was a felon committed by the Jinyi Guards. All the arrest tickets, summonses, and Jinghui approval documents were all conveyed from above. He was directly taken from the hands of Xiao Jiming, the prince of Libei, to the imperial edict, and even bypassed the three-level interrogation.

This has shown that the emperor will never tolerate it and will investigate thoroughly.But who is so bold that under such circumstances, he still takes the risk and wants to kill him before the emperor’s personal trial?

The cold wind was still roaring at the window. Shen Zechuan rolled his eyes and stared at the wall in the darkness, not daring to close his eyes again.

It was slightly cooler the next day, and Shen Zechuan was brought into the lobby again.There was a strong wind and snow outside, and the interrogator, who had been looking at him coldly for the past few days, was smiling, serving tea with both hands, and was waiting respectfully by the side of the Grand Master’s chair.

Sitting on the seat was an old eunuch with a white face and no beard. He was wearing a sky crane velvet cigarette mound hat and a gourd-view patch. The outer cloak had not yet been taken off. He was holding an exquisite golden plum blossom to warm his hands and relax.he Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes and looked at Shen Zechuan.

“Godfather.” Ji Lei, who had been interrogated for the past few days, bent down and said, “These are the remnants of King Shen Wei of Jianxing.”

Pan Rugui looked at Shen Zechuan and said, “Why did it end up like this?”

Ji Lei knew in his heart that Pan Rugui was not asking why Shen Zechuan smelled dirty, but why he hadn’t found out the reason yet.

Ji Lei’s forehead was soaked with sweat, and he did not dare to wipe it off. He only kept bending down and said, “Shuzi is ignorant. He was delirious when he was brought back from Zhongbo. He doesn’t know who instigated him, and he has refused to explain.”

“The emperor wanted to appoint a felon.” Pan Rugui did not accept the tea. “A fifteen or sixteen-year-old child has been sent to the famous imperial prison. You, Lord Ji, have personally interrogated him, but you have not yet been able to hand over a confession.”

Ji Lei served tea and said with a wry smile: “Because he is a serious criminal, he dare not commit suicide without permission. He was already infected with cold when he came here. If he is killed out of nowhere, Shen Wei’s case will become an unsolved case.”

Pan Rugui looked at Shen Zechuan for a while and said: “We are all dogs under the master. If the teeth are not so sharp, it is useless to keep them. I know you are in trouble, but this is all your responsibility. Now the emperor wants to see someone, and this is to show consideration for you Jin Yiwei. How can you complain again.”

Ji Lei hurriedly knelt down and said, “What my godfather said is absolutely true. My son has learned a lesson.”

Pan Rugui snorted “Hmm” and said, “Clean up he. He is so dirty, how can he be a saint?”

Shen Zechuan was taken down by the handyman to be cleaned. The injury on his leg was simply bandaged and he was put on clean cotton clothes.He was at the mercy of others and had difficulty walking, so it took some effort to board the carriage.

Pan Rugui finally took Ji Lei’s tea, stared at Shen Zechuan’s back, and said, “Are these really the remnants of the Shen family?”

Ji Lei said: “Exactly. He is the only living person in the Chashi Tiankeng. He was captured by Prince Xiao of Libei personally and kept in the Libei Iron Cavalry’s prison car. He was never touched by others during the journey.”

Pan Rugui sipped the cold tea, and after a while he said with a smile: “Prince Xiao is a cautious person.”

* * *

Shen Zechuan got off the carriage and was carried across the long road by Jin Yiwei.With heavy snow blowing on their faces, the eunuchs who led the way walked quickly without any nonsense.

When Pan Rugui arrived in front of Mingli Hall, the little eunuch who was waiting under the eaves immediately came to greet him. He first took off Pan Rugui’s cloak, then put on the veil for him, and then took the warm hand from Pan Rugui’s hand.The announcement inside had been completed. Pan Rugui kowtowed at the door and said, “Your Majesty, this slave has brought this person.”

After half a moment, a low voice came out: “Bring it in.”

Shen Zechuan’s breath was stagnant and he was already being carried in.There was incense burned inside, but it didn’t feel stuffy.He listened to several intermittent coughs and glanced at the feet on both sides of the hall.

Emperor Xiande was wearing an azure Taoist robe, and his back was bone-thin.He was in frail health and suffered from major and minor illnesses during the three years after he took the throne.Sitting on the chair at this time, his long face looked particularly elegant and delicate due to lack of energy and blood.

“How many days has Ji Lei been interrogated?” Emperor Xiande glanced at Ji Lei who was kneeling behind him, “Has the trial been clear?”

Ji Lei kowtowed and said, “Reporting to your Majesty, this man’s speech was confusing and full of loopholes. What he has confessed in the past few days is full of contradictions and cannot be trusted.”

Emperor Xiande said: “Show me what you have offered.”

Ji Lei took out the neatly packed confession from his arms and handed it to Pan Rugui with both hands.Pan Rugui quickly stepped forward and presented himself to Emperor Xiande respectfully.

Emperor Xiande read it once, and when he reached the Chashi Tiankeng, he covered his lips and coughed.He didn’t want Pan Rugui to wipe it, so he wiped the blood from his lips with a handkerchief, and said in a deep voice: “Thirty thousand soldiers died in the sinkhole, but Shen Wei did not die. People and gods are angry!”

Shen Zechuan closed his eyes and his chest beat rapidly.As expected, the next moment I heard what Emperor Xiande said.

“Keep your head up!”

Shen Zechuan’s breathing was short, and his palms on the ground were cold.He slowly raised his head and his eyes cautiously fell on Emperor Xiande’s boots.

Emperor Xiande looked at him and asked, “You are Shen Wei’s son and the only living person in the Chashi Tiankeng. What do you have to explain?”

Shen Zechuan’s eyes gradually turned red, he shook his body slightly and cried silently.

Emperor Xiande’s expression remained unchanged and he said: “Reply to me!”

Shen Zechuan suddenly raised his eyes, tears already streaming down his cheeks.He only raised it for a moment, and then knocked his forehead hard on the ground, his shoulders and arms trembling, and a choking sound rose in his throat.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty! My father’s heart is for his country. After the defeat, he felt ashamed of his family and his country. He had no face to see the elders of Zhongbo, so he set himself on fire to apologize!”

Emperor Xiande scolded: “You are talking nonsense! If he is dedicated to serving the country, how can he retreat again and again?”

Shen Zechuan cried hoarsely: “My father sent all his sons to the battlefield, and my eldest brother Shen Zhouji was dragged behind a horse by Biansha people on Chashi Official Road and tortured to death! How could we have achieved this if we were not loyal?”

Emperor Xiande said: “How dare you mention the Battle of Chashi? Shen Zhouji escaped from the battlefield and his crime is unforgivable.”

Shen Zechuan looked up at Emperor Xiande, with tears streaming down his face, and said in a hissing voice: “In the battle at Chashi River, blood flowed into canals. My eldest brother was stupid and incompetent, but he still defended for three days. In these three days, military information was transmitted to Qidong and Libei. If it hadn’t been for these three days…”

He was so choked up that he couldn’t speak anymore.

Emperor Xiande looked at the confession in his hand. There was no sound in the hall, only Shen Zechuan’s sobs.In this extremely long silence, Shen Zechuan’s fingertips had dug into his flesh.

Emperor Xiande suddenly sighed and said, “Has Shen Wei ever collaborated with the enemy?”

Shen Zechuan replied categorically: “No.”

Unexpectedly, Emperor Xiande put down his confession, his voice suddenly turned cold, and said: “Shu Zi is cunning and intends to deceive the emperor. I can’t let you go! Pan Rugui, drag him down and kill him with a stick!”

“My slave obeys the order!” Pan Rugui immediately accepted the order and bowed down.

Shen Zechuan was like a basin of cold water in his pocket, and his whole body suddenly became cold.He suddenly struggled, but Jin Yiwei tightly covered his mouth and dragged him out of Mingli Hall quickly.