Harue Kagetsu - Chapter 121

In the fourth watch, the night was dark, and the remnants of the lamps in Jiankang Palace that had not been extinguished all night showed the tired faces of the palace people who had stayed up for most of the night.

At this moment, the splendid Jiankang Palace, which has thousands of palaces, is no longer half of its former solemnity and solemnity.

The people inside, holding their burdens and carrying boxes and cages, hurried in and out, and even bumped into each other because of carelessness.

In a few moments, the Empress will drive out of the palace and leave Jiankang under the **** of officials.

Gao Yongrong didn’t sleep all night.

The tiredness and bad mood made her face gray and her eyes puffy.

Bad news came one after another.

Wuchang County has been breached by the rebels coming from Jingzhou, and the rebels are coming towards Wangjiang County where Gao Qiao is guarding. Once Wangjiang County is also breached, Jiankang completely loses the westward barrier, and the rebels come, it will be a matter of time.

Not only that, but the Heavenly Teacher Rebellion, who had already been suppressed by the snowball-like expansion momentum, took advantage of the opportunity of the imperial army to be transferred away and their defenses weakened, and took the opportunity to counterattack.

With the news just sent, Kuaiji County, an important county in the southeast, has also fallen. The county guard was caught on the way to escape and beheaded on the city wall.

What is even more frightening is that it is rumored that Wu Cang, the head of the Tianshi teacher, and the Xuancheng rebels have colluded together. Before the arrival of the Jingzhou rebels, they are ready to move, agreeing to join forces and attack Jiankang again soon.

Dayu’s army was divided into three types: the Chinese army, the foreign army, and the state and county soldiers.

The Central Army is Jiankang’s Suwei Army and Duwei Army, which are under the command of the emperor. Now the number has increased compared with that of Emperor Xingping, but the two armies combined are less than 10,000. The proportion of state and county soldiers in various places is also very small, and they are almost useless.

The entire imperial court relied on the Guangling Army, the Jingzhou soldiers before the rebellion, and other foreign troops who were in the hands of the gentry and powerful officials.

But now, the available soldiers of Dayu are almost only Gao Qiao’s Guangling army.

There was a sound of notification from outside the palace, and the officials had already arrived outside the palace, and they respectfully invited the emperor to go out.

Gao Yongrong withdrew his gaze from the dark night sky outside the hall, calmed down, and was about to go out when a trusted palace servant hurried over and said in a low voice, “Empress, the prisoner-in-law spread the word, Gao Xianggong ordered the prison officer The prisoner was transferred to Stone Town. Shaw Brothers begged, please release her…”

The palace servant looked left and right, attached to Gao Yongrong’s ear, and whispered a few times.

A trace of disgust flashed in Gao Yongrong’s eyes, and he said coldly, “Send a message and tell her, that brother of hers, I have asked someone to bring him back from exile! Tell her to stay with me honestly now! It’s a very difficult time. , can’t make any mistakes! When this level is over, when I need to use it in the future, I will solve her!”

The palace servants should have left in a hurry.

Gao Yongrong glanced at the palace behind him and stepped out.

Gao Qiao and Feng Wei accompanied Baiguan, and saw the empress and the crown prince and his party drove out of the palace, and knelt down to greet them.

The emperor caught cold and fell ill last night. He was sullen and tired. When he came out, he was greeted by a carriage and placed down.

Gao Yongrong did not directly board the carriage, but came to Gao Qiao and said, “Uncle, Your Majesty is so worried that he has fallen ill and is in poor spirit. He asked his niece to speak to his uncle on his behalf, and Jiankang was handed over to his uncle. Everything depends on him. It’s gone!”

Gao Qiao said: “This is the duty of a minister.”

Gao Yongrong lifted him up from the ground and told the rest to be flat, then turned his head and looked at the Su Wei soldiers who were lined up in the distance, and said, “Uncle, Your Majesty has discussed with me, although I can’t stay with Jiankang. We advanced and retreated together, but there is no need for the Su Guards to go there. It is enough to bring the two battalions on the left and right, and all the rest of the troops are left behind to help my uncle defend against the rebels and defend our imperial city!”

The ministers looked at each other. Gao Qiao immediately said: “No! The Du Guards have stayed, and the Su Guards have the responsibility to protect His Majesty’s safety, not to mention this time they are moving. It is absolutely impossible!”

Gao Yongrong said: “My niece knows that the men and horses left behind are only a drop in the bucket, and it is of no use to my uncle to fight the enemy, but it is the intention of His Majesty and niece. Send the imperial edict to the Guards.

Gao Qiao looked at his niece, an unspeakable dark color flashed across his eyes, and finally said: “In this way, this minister will thank His Majesty and His Highness for the people of Jiankang. Please, Her Royal Highness, get in the car and prepare to drive.”

Gao Yongrong nodded, turned around and boarded his car.

…

On the outskirts of the west of the city, soldiers escorted a group of prisoners on their way to Stone City.

There were not many female prisoners, only a dozen or so, and they were already in the back, but one of them seemed to be unable to walk.

This female prisoner is Shao Yuniang. The woman in charge of guarding her was impatient and kept urging on the side.

Shao Yuniang held up her shackled and chained hands and begged, “Well, mammy, can you untie the chains for me? It’s too heavy, I can’t walk.”

Her face was pale because she had not seen the sun for a long time, and she was out of breath when she said a word. It looked really pitiful.

The prison woman said coldly: “The other people are still wearing shackles. The prison officer left you with both feet empty, which is already a preferential treatment. Where do you come from so many words? Hurry up!”

Shao Yuniang was helpless, gritted her teeth and chased the road again, and gradually came to a roadside with dense weeds, stopped, holding her stomach and saying it was convenient.

The prisoner pouted and told her to squat over.

Shao Yuniang smiled and said, “Good mammy, I ate bad food in prison last night, and I have a bad stomach this morning, as you know. It’s not Xiaogong, it’s Dagong, it’s inconvenient to have your hands tied, in case it stinks. , Mammy will be by my side sooner or later, I’m afraid it will get smoked. Please open the lock for me, and I’ll put it back on when I’m done.”

The inmate knew that she had a stomach upset in the morning, and her brows were furrowed. She looked around, it was flat, and there was no place to hide. She was afraid that she was really contaminated with filth, so she frowned and took out the key. He unlocked a hand for her.

Shao Yuniang thanked her with thousands of thanks. She hung an iron chain with one hand and covered her stomach with the other. After touching a clump of weeds in the field, she squatted down.

The prisoner stopped after a few steps, waited for a long time, and urged her several times, but she never got up and walked over angrily, only to see her lying on the ground, her eyes closed, she fainted, startled, squatted She went down to pinch her and saw that she didn’t respond. She was about to stand up and call out to the person in front. Shao Yuniang, who was on the ground, opened her eyes and grabbed the iron rope hanging on one of her wrists. Close, the chain will strangle the neck.

The prison woman was tall, and was strangled by Shao Yuniang behind her. She couldn’t break free. At first, both hands were still desperately clutching the chain, trying to break free.

Shao Yuniang gritted her teeth, tightening her tighter and tighter, and the chain went deep into her flesh.

Slowly, the old woman’s hands and feet slackened, her whole body remained motionless, and she was so suffocated.

Shao Yuniang loosened the iron chains, sat on the ground, took a few breaths, took the prisoner’s key, opened the other shackles on her hand, and dragged the wife’s body into a ditch and buried it with grass. After looking around, he walked quickly in the direction of Jiankang.

…

On the third day after the evacuation order was issued, the empress and the ministers accompanying him had already left for Qu’a, and the residents of the city had already left for more than half of their journey.

Genius shines brightly. The thin morning mist, like a veil, shrouded the hills and fields far away in the eastern suburbs of Jiankang, outlining a looming curve in the morning light.

The field in front of me is so peaceful. If it weren’t for the battle reports that flew in like snowflakes day and night, it would be hard to imagine that in the near future, all this in front of us might also be broken by military chaos.

There was a loud noise under the city gate, and a group of people who had just left the city came out, men and women, young and old, with their families. A man walking behind pushed a wheelbarrow, and in the car sat a woman with a nursing baby in her arms. The woman’s eyes were dull, and there was a burden at her hand.

Gao Qiao stopped looking at it, turned his head down the city, and returned home.

Xiao Yongjia was ready, and brought the imperial doctor, midwife, Aju, and four or five other selected servants waiting at home.

Gao Qiao picked up his wife and placed them in an ordinary green felt carriage with thick pads. A group of horses quietly went out of the South City Gate and headed towards Jurong.

Near Jurong, there is a less well-known Qinglong Mountain. In the middle of the Qinglong Mountain, there is an unknown Taoist temple. Not many people know it.

Gao Qiao sent Xiao Yongjia here to give birth.

After half a day, the place was convenient. The bluestone steps leading to the mountain are hidden under the dense canopy of the mountain trees, which is extremely hidden. Even better, to go to the Taoist Temple, you have to take a plank road built between two hills. Even if there is an accident down the mountain, at the last moment, as long as the plank road is destroyed, the passage will be broken.

The spectator came to pick up Xiao Yongjia and went up the mountain.

The Taoist temple is not big and the environment is quiet. Xiao Yongjia was placed in a courtyard at the back. Gao Qiao left a team of guards with enough staff, and ordered to guard the intersection, plank road and Taoist temple respectively.

Xiao Yongjia urged him back: “It’s very good here, I’m very satisfied. You have a lot of things to do, and you’ve spent most of the day with me. Come back quickly, don’t worry about me.”

Gao Qiao was reluctant to go, and knew that there were so many things waiting for him in Jiankang City, so he had to go. Shaking his wife’s hand, he told Aju and the others to take good care of her, told him to tell him when he had a baby, and said that he would come to see her when he was free. After speaking, he turned and left.

He stepped out the door, but heard Xiao Yongjia say behind him, “Wait a minute.” Then he stopped, and when he saw her approaching, he straightened his clothes for himself with a smile, and said in a low voice, “No matter how difficult it is, remember that you must All right. My baby and I are waiting for you.”

Gao Qiao’s heart warmed.

His introverted personality, coupled with his self-contained identity, no matter when he was young or now, even if he and Xiao Yongjia are locked up and loving, there will be no intimacy in front of people.

But at this moment, involuntarily, in front of Aju and the other servants, he hugged her into his arms and gave her a strong hug. As a response, he let go, turned around and left in a hurry.

Xiao Yongjia leaned against the door and watched her husband leave. Holding her waist, she was caught by Aju and turned back to the house.

The days in the mountains are pure and pure, compared to the chaos of soldiers and horses outside at the moment, it is like being in a dream.

Xiao Yongjia lived here for seven or eight days, and Gao Qiao never came to see her.

She knew that the situation must be tense. I can only barely suppress my anxiety, walk around the Taoist temple during the day, go to bed early at night, and wait for the delivery period.

Unexpectedly, in the second half of the night, the mountain fire actually burned.

It was a night watchman who found the fire. When he saw the fire, he immediately woke up the people in the Taoist temple.

In the early winter, yellow grass and dead branches were all over the mountain, which was easy to ignite, and it had been sunny for many days. Together with the mountain wind, the fire quickly spread over a large area and could not be put out at all.

The location of the Taoist Temple is again downwind. Seeing that the fire is getting closer and closer, people in the house can not only feel the heat, but they can even hear the beep-beep-beep sound of the wildfire burning through the branches and leaves of the trees.

The Taoist temple will soon be engulfed by this fire.

The people in the entire Taoist temple, the master, several apprentices, Xiao Yongjia’s side, plus the guards, had to withdraw from the mountain.

There is no place to stay near the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, the Guanzhu said that there is a Nomura nearby ten miles away, where a few families live and can go there. The guard lifted Xiao Yongjia with the shoulder yoke he had just brought down, and searched all the way.

The village is indeed as the Guanzhu said, only a few households live. The houses are sparse and scattered along the terrain, and they rely on planting a few acres of mountain fields and hunting for a living on weekdays, all of which are simple. Because the two places are close, they both know this view master. Seeing that he brought a group of people, the woman had a big belly, and the rest looked like her entourage. Although the situation was embarrassing, there must be a background, and with awe, he immediately vacated the largest room with a yard.

Aju led the maid to clean up the place, and finally settled down reluctantly. At this time, the raging tongue of the mountain fire had engulfed almost half of the mountain top, and the fire light emitted, illuminating the vicinity like daytime, and even here, the fire light could be seen.

Everyone looked at it from a distance, and they were all startled.

Xiao Yongjia was supported by A Ju and rested on the humble couch of the Orion house.

She knew that her husband must be busy. It’s been seven or eight days since I went up the mountain, and I don’t know how the situation outside has changed. I didn’t intend to disturb him with the birth of a child, but tonight was really unfortunate. If something like this happened, there is no way to send someone back. Jiankang reports the news to Gao Qiao.

It was dawn now.

After tossing for a while, she herself was fine. Seeing that everyone else was looking tired, she asked someone to borrow some food from the villagers. Several households sent them to store grain, some millet and wild vegetables. The servant girl burned a large pot of vegetable porridge and invited everyone to eat it.

The guards were busy in the middle of the night and came out of the fire again, and they were all anxious. Seeing that there is a small well used by the villagers nearby, all of them have already gone to drink water. At this moment, I am feeling hungry, and just happened to bring porridge. I stood there and finished a few mouthfuls. , the rest continued to stand guard, waiting for news from Jiankang.

Xiao Yongjia saw the imperial doctor, the midwife, and the servants, all of whom had boiled eyes, so he asked to eat something and go to rest first.

Regardless of her own hunger and thirst, Aju brought porridge and a plate of steamed preserved meat, entered the room, sat in front of Xiao Yongjia, and while gently blowing cold for her, whispered: “I’ve wronged the eldest princess, I’m about to see it as soon as I see it. Born, who would have known such a thing would happen…”

Seeing that her eyes were red, Xiao Yongjia knew that she felt sorry for her. She smiled and was about to open her mouth when she suddenly felt a faint abdominal pain.

It was a few days earlier than expected!

Aju jumped up and immediately went out of the house to call the midwife, the maid and the others who had not been lying down for a while. Who would have thought that everyone was sleeping so hard that they couldn’t wake up when they called.

Aju was puzzled, and called out a few more times. Seeing everyone was still awake, she felt that something was wrong. She hurriedly ran out of the Chaimen to call for the guards.

Only then did I find that the guards outside the door had all fallen to the ground, and they were unconscious.

Aju turned pale in shock, and was about to open her mouth to shout at the family on the opposite Gangpo, when the wind in the corner of her eyes saw someone shaking her head, turned her head, but she didn’t respond, her chest was cold and painful, and a dagger had already stabbed in it. .

She opened her eyes suddenly, staring at the man opposite.

In her pupils, there was a face that she could recognize even after nearly twenty years, even if it was burnt to ashes.

Shao Yuniang’s face!

Shao Yuniang was dressed as a peasant woman, her face was unkempt, her face was as white as a ghost, her eyes were flickering with erratic light, and there was a sneer at the corner of her mouth. Fengzhi looked at the wind for himself, turned around, took hurried steps, and drifted inward.

Xiao Yongjia waited for a while, but when he didn’t see Aju bringing someone in, he felt that something was wrong, he held his stomach, waited for the pain to pass, and called out, but still no one was there, he leaned on the edge of the couch, got out of bed with difficulty, and was about to go out. Hearing the sound of small footsteps coming from the door, he raised his head and saw a woman walking in, and was stunned for a while.

As soon as Shao Yuniang saw Xiao Yongjia, her eyes fell directly on her body, from her face, down slowly, and finally on her stomach, staring at her, her eyelids twitching, her expression extremely is weird.

Xiao Yongjia murmured: “Shao Yuniang…it’s you…how did you come here…”

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly hugged his stomach and fell back on the bed with a look of pain on his face.

Because of the pain, her body quickly curled up into a ball. Immediately, she called Aju’s name, her voice trembling.

Shao Yuniang’s eyes finally left her stomach and fell back to her face.

She stared at Xiao Yongjia’s face that was similar in age to herself, but still looked young and beautiful.

Even if she is pregnant and about to give birth, living in such a dilapidated house will not detract from her attractiveness at all.

“Xiao Yongjia, you wouldn’t have thought that you have today, right? You said where did the mountain fire come from last night? I set it up! Your place is so well hidden. You push down…”

There were two eyes full of jealousy in her eyes, and she laughed smugly.

Xiao Yongjia’s abdominal pain became worse and worse, and even his body shook slightly.

“What about them… how did you treat them…”

Shao Yuniang snorted: “You are really a noble person who forgets things. Don’t you forget? My family has a doctor. I used to donate medicine to save Gao Langjun, not to mention Tianshijiao is the best at controlling people with drugs. I want to get it. It’s not easy to order medicine? They are lucky. I originally wanted to poison the well, but I thought again, if you poisoned you at the same time, wouldn’t it be cheaper for you? That’s why I changed it and told them to sleep. One day and one night is enough!”

I don’t know if it was pain or anger, Xiao Yongjia’s body trembled even more, and he tried his best to exhale.

Shao Yuniang laughed loudly: “What do you call, not to mention Gao Langjun, even the people in this whole village have been fooled by my well of water, I see who you can call!”

“Shao Yuniang, what are you trying to do… What happened to you back then has nothing to do with me… I didn’t ask people to hunt you down…”

Xiao Yongjia trembled and said, hugging his stomach and moaning in pain.

“Shut up for me!”

The smug smile on Shao Yuniang’s face suddenly disappeared, and a look of anger crept into the corners of her brows and eyes.

“Even if you didn’t send someone to hunt me down, so what? If you didn’t obstruct me in every possible way, Gao Langjun would not want me? If you didn’t force me to leave, what would happen to me? It’s all your fault, You snake and scorpion poisonous woman!”

She gritted her teeth, and her originally beautiful face was also deformed. He closed his eyes and took a long breath, as if trying to calm down the anger in his heart, then slowly opened his eyes again, staring at Xiao Yongjia, who was curled up due to abdominal pain and looked embarrassed, and sat calmly opposite her. , smiled and said: “Just now you asked me what I want to do?”

“Listen. I’ll tell you to hurt for a while. If you still can’t give birth, I’ll cut your stomach for you, take out your baby and Gao Langjun’s baby, and raise it as your own baby. I don’t believe it. Gao Langjun will dare not listen to me in the future…”

She couldn’t stop laughing, as if infected by the plan she had come up with, and a strange look flashed in her eyes.

Xiao Yongjia murmured: “Shao Yuniang, stop dreaming. You don’t know, Lang Jun told me back then that you are a shameless person trying to seduce him. In his eyes, you are just a lowly person. He How could I listen to you…”

Her voice was weak, but her articulation was very clear, and each word clearly floated into Shao Yuniang’s ears.

As if being pricked by a needle, she jumped up abruptly, her brows were furrowed together, her eyes were full of anger, she immediately forced Xiao Yongjia over, and before she got to the bed, she slapped Xiao Yongjia in the face and said sharply. : “Xiao Yongjia, you bitch! You try to talk nonsense to me again? Back then in Jiangbei, he was injured and had to be taken care of by me. I could feel that he clearly had feelings for me! If it wasn’t for you to be a hindrance, he would have wanted If he hadn’t forgotten his old love for me, how could he forgive me and let me live in solitary confinement…”

“You bitch, calling you nonsense…”

She looked irritated, grabbed Xiao Yongjia’s shoulders, and kept shaking it vigorously.

Xiao Yongjia’s face was pale, and she shook her long hair in a mess, without resisting.

The furious Shao Yuniang didn’t pay any attention, but Xiao Yongjia’s hand was quietly reaching under the pillow.

“I’ll cut your belly…”

She let go of Xiao Yongjia and turned around to look for the knife. At this moment, Xiao Yongjia’s hand touched the hard object under the pillow.

It was a dagger. After she came out, just in case, she always carried it close to her body, and just put it under the pillow.

She grabbed it, pulled it out, and stabbed the unsuspecting Shao Yuniang with all her strength.

Shao Yuniang let out a scream, covered her stomach, her face showed an unbelievable pain, and her body slowly hunched down.

Xiao Yongjia wanted to pull out the dagger. It’s just the struggle just now and the last knife that stabbed out, which has exhausted all her strength. The knife seemed to be caught in the ribs, stuck, and could not be pulled out for a while.

She climbed off the bed, leaned against the wall, and ran out.

Shao Yuniang’s screams quickly attracted Shao Fengzhi, who was outside. He stood at the door with a sword in his hand, watching the scene in surprise, and his footsteps stopped.

“Kill her for me…”

Shao Yuniang lay on the ground with a painful expression, and ordered her brother.

Shao Fengzhi’s eyes fell on Xiao Yongjia and looked at her.

Xiao Yongjia slowly straightened up and stared at the person opposite.

Her face was pale and the situation was embarrassing, but at this moment, when she stood up straight and looked directly at each other, she seemed to be exuding the unattainable aloofness in her bones, and she actually told Shao Fengzhi to avoid her sight. He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her.

“What are you still doing? Don’t do anything—”

In order to gain Gao Qiao’s trust, she had been deliberately ill for a long time before, and was locked up in prison. After killing the prisoner and escaping, the days of stalking, lurking, and high concentration of spirit had already overdrawn her, and she had become weak. body of.

The knife just now seemed to have eaten away all her strength.

She opened her mouth, gasping for breath, forcing her brother.

Xiao Yongjia said coldly, “Shao Fengzhi, do you dare to kill me?”

Shao Fengzhi’s hands trembled slightly.

“Hurry up!”

Shao Yuniang shouted sharply.

Shao Fengzhi’s hands trembled more and more severely. Under the pressure of Shao Yuniang, he raised his sword with difficulty, facing Xiao Yongjia’s chest, and continued to shake for a while. Suddenly, with a “ding” sound, the sword fell to the ground, and he followed his legs and feet. Feeling weak, he knelt on the ground and begged: “Sister, I don’t dare to kill her… Let’s stop… Run away while we can… I don’t want revenge… I want to live…”

“You useless thing-“

Shao Yuniang became furious again, tried to get up from the ground, then got up, swayed, and fell down again.

Shao Fengzhi was lying on the ground, shivering, not daring to look up.

Xiao Yongjia ran out, passed by his servants and guards who had fallen on the ground, and ran to a low post. His lower abdomen throbbed again, and he could no longer walk. He hugged his stomach and slowly squatted on the ground. .

Bean sweat rolled down from his forehead.

She felt a heat flow down the inside of her thighs.

…

Although Gao Qiao was doing his best, when he arrived here, it was the evening of the same day.

He was stunned by what he saw in front of him.

All the people in the village fell into a coma, but Xiao Yongjia disappeared!

On the west road, the defenders of Wangjiang County are fighting fiercely with the Jingzhou rebels. And he also received the exact news that the Xuancheng rebels and the Tianshijiao had colluded together, and 200,000 people attacked Jiankang again.

These days, he has been busy dispatching troops and building defense lines, never expecting such a thing to happen here.

He found Ah Ju lying on the ground.

She still took a weak breath, and finally waited for Gao Qiao, and muttered, “Shao Yuniang…” She couldn’t hold it any longer and fainted.