Fletcher's Descent into the Abyss Chapter 2

The lights in the prison were dim, Fletcher Shen's hands and feet were cold, and he was gradually having difficulty breathing. The hemp rope was tied tightly, and he kept rubbing his wrists, but to no avail.

The sandbag pressed against his chest and he felt as if he was thrown into a deep pool of water. His ears were buzzing and his breathing was disordered. He was unable to breathe as if he was drowning.

Fletcher Shen 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 Fletcher Shen. Fletcher Shen was pinned to the rough straw mat by the earth bag, and the suffocating nausea buried him like a flood.

With his vision blurry, Fletcher Shen raised his head and gritted his teeth as he began to move his feet. His legs were almost numb from the caning, and when he lifted them up, he felt like he had no feeling. He stepped on the left corner of the wooden bed, which was rotten by insects and slightly damaged by him sitting on it the day before.

Breathing became increasingly difficult.

Fletcher Shen kicked at that corner, stomping down with all his strength. But his legs were so weak that he couldn't even make a sound, and the bed board didn't move at all. Cold sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes on his back.

He wants to live.

Fletcher Shen let out a frantic whimper from his throat. He bit his tongue and continued to stomp on the bed.

Theo Ji's inhuman body was the whip that whipped his desire to survive, and Theo Ji's voice seemed to be echoing in his ears.

He wants to live!

Fletcher Shen 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. It was like water breaking out of him, and he fell to the ground and gasped for air.

The ground was cold, and Fletcher Shen's injured leg was out of control. He propped himself up with his elbows, sweat dripping down his nose. The prison was cold, but he felt as if his whole body was burning, burning his internal organs. He finally couldn't help but lower his head and retched.

Marlon Shen 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. Marlon Shen 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 escape marked the beginning of the fall of Zhongbo. The three cities of Duanzhou were all massacred by the Biansha cavalry. The morale of the garrison troops was crushed and they retreated south in panic. Everyone thought that Marlon Shen would fight a desperate battle with the twelve tribes of Biansha in Dunzhou, but he fled again upon hearing the news.

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 the Zhou Dynasty, eight hundred miles away.

If Marlon Shen 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 had no baggage, they relied entirely on the food in the captured city for supplies. Once all the food in the city was burned, no matter how tough the Biansha cavalry was, they would be hungry.

There is no way to continue fighting when hungry. At that time, the Libei Iron Cavalry will cross the glacier and block the retreat route of the Twelve Biansha tribes from above. The garrison of the five Qidong counties will strangle the twelve Biansha tribes in the direction of escape from Tianfei Palace. , these scimitars are the turtle in the urn, and they cannot survive the winter.

But Marlon Shen didn't do that.

Not only did he give up resistance, he also left all the granaries in the city to the Biansha cavalry. The Biansha cavalry relied on the food of the Da Zhou people and slaughtered all the people in the city. Their horses were fattened by Marlon Shen, and they drove the people and captured soldiers to the Chashi River and killed them all in one night.

Fletcher Shen escaped from death.

Now that the capital city had to settle the accounts, all the orders issued by Marlon Shen before seemed particularly sloppy. He really seemed to be colluding with the twelve tribes of Biansha. However, Marlon Shen burned himself to death out of fear of crime, and all the documents were destroyed. Even the Jinyiwei, who were vigorous and resolute in their work, were helpless at the moment.

If the emperor wants to find out, they can only continue to interrogate Fletcher Shen who may have knowledge. But Fletcher Shen's biological mother was a dancing prostitute in Duanzhou, and Marlon Shen had too many sons. He was the eighth in the family, and he was not allowed to take his turn. He had been driven to Duanzhou to be raised wild by the Dunzhou palace. I am afraid that even Marlon Shen himself did not remember it. And such a son.

Someone wants to kill him.

This is no secret, he entered the capital to take the blame for his father. He is the only remnant of the Zhongbo Shen family, and the son has to pay for his father's debt. After the interrogation in the imperial prison is over, the emperor will definitely use his life to commemorate the 30,000 soldiers who were killed in the battle of Chashi River in Dunzhou, Zhongbo.

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

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

If Marlon Shen was indeed colluding with foreign enemies and plotting rebellion, then Fletcher Shen would die sooner or later. Why bother to assassinate a nameless B@st@ard like him? There were still people in Qudu who were worried about the interrogation. If this was the case, then there must be something fishy about Marlon Shen's defeat.

Fletcher Shen knew nothing.

He had a master in Duanzhou, and his brother was the master's only son, Theo Ji. To him, Marlon Shen was just the King of Jianxing, and had nothing to do with him. He had no idea whether Marlon Shen had colluded with the enemy or not.

But he must bite to death.

The ground was freezing cold, and Fletcher Shen just lay there, being frozen so that he was more awake than during the day. He was a serious criminal appointed by the Jinyiwei, and all the arrest warrants, summonses, and imperial edicts were passed down from above, directly taking him from Libei Prince Xiao Jiming to the imperial prison, and even preventing the three courts from holding a joint trial.

This has shown the emperor's determination to investigate thoroughly without any leniency. But who is so bold as to take the risk and want to kill him before the emperor's personal trial?

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

The next day, the weather was slightly cool, and Fletcher Shen was brought back to the hall. Outside the door, the snow was blowing hard, and the interrogator who had faced him coldly a few days ago was smiling, offering tea with both hands, and waiting respectfully beside the armchair.

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. After hearing the noise, he opened his eyes and looked at Fletcher Shen.

"Godfather." Ashton Ji, who had been interrogated by the emperor in the past few days, bent down and said, "This is the remnant of Jianxing King Marlon Shen."

Winston Pan looked at Fletcher Shen and said, "How did it become like this?"

Ashton Ji knew that Winston Pan was not asking why Fletcher Shen was so dirty and smelly, but why he had not yet figured out the cause of the case.

Ashton Ji's forehead was soaked with sweat, and he did not dare to wipe it off. He just kept bending down and said, "Shuzi is ignorant. He has been delirious since he was brought back from Zhongbo. He doesn't know who instigated him, and he has refused to explain."

"The emperor wants to appoint felons." Winston Pan did not accept the tea. "A child of fifteen or sixteen years old 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."

Ashton Ji served tea and said with a wry smile: "It is precisely because he is a serious criminal that we dare not execute him without authorization. He was already suffering from a cold when he came. If he is killed without careful consideration of the severity of the case, Marlon Shen's case will become an unsolved case."

Winston Pan looked at Fletcher Shen 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. , this is to show consideration for you Jin Yiwei, how can you complain again."

Ashton Ji bowed down quickly and said, "Godfather, what you said is very true. I have learned a lot from you."

Winston Pan snorted "Hmm" and said, "Clean him up. He's so dirty. How can he be a saint?"

Fletcher Shen 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 him some trouble to get into the carriage.

Winston Pan finally accepted Ashton Ji's tea, stared at Fletcher Shen's back, and said, "Is this really the remnant of the Shen family?"

Ashton Ji said, "That's right. He was the only living person in the Chashi Tiankeng. He was captured by Libei Xiao Shizi himself and has been imprisoned in the prisoner car of the Libei Iron Cavalry. No one else has touched him during the journey."

Winston Pan sipped his cold tea and said with a fake smile after a while: "Prince Xiao is a cautious man."

Fletcher Shen got off the carriage and was carried by the Jinyiwei over a long distance. The heavy snow blew on his face, and the eunuchs who led the way walked quickly without saying anything nonsense.

When Winston Pan arrived in front of Mingli Hall, the young eunuch waiting under the eaves immediately came to greet him. He first took off Winston Pan's cloak, then put on his veil, and then took the warm hand from Winston Pan's hand. The announcement inside had been completed. Winston Pan kowtowed at the door and said, "Your Majesty, this slave has brought this person."

After half a moment, a low voice came out: "Bring in."

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

Emperor Clement 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.

"Ashton Ji has been interrogating for several days." Emperor Clement glanced at Ashton Ji who was kneeling behind him, "Did he find out everything?"

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

Emperor Clement said: "Send him what he has to offer."

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

Emperor Clement read it once, and when he reached the Chashi Tiankeng, he covered his lips and coughed. He didn't want Winston Pan 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 Marlon Shen did not die. People and gods are angry!"

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

"Look up!"

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

Emperor Clement looked at him and asked, "You are Marlon Shen's son, and the only living person in the Chashi Tiankeng. What do you want to confess?"

Fletcher Shen's eyes gradually turned red, he shook slightly and cried silently.

Emperor Clement remained calm and said, "Reply to me!"

Fletcher Shen suddenly raised his eyes, tears already flowing down his cheeks. He only raised his eyes for a moment, then slammed his forehead hard on the ground, his shoulders and arms trembling, and a choking sound came from 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 Clement rebuked him: "You are talking nonsense! If he was devoted to the country, why would he retreat again and again?"

Fletcher Shen cried hoarsely: "My father sent all his sons to the battlefield. My eldest brother Emery Shen was dragged behind a horse by the Biansha people on the Chashi official road and tortured to death! If he was not loyal, how could he do this?"

Emperor Clement said: "How dare you bring up the battle of Chashi? Emery Shen deserted the battlefield, his crime is unforgivable."

Fletcher Shen looked up at Emperor Clement, with tears streaming down his face, and hissed: "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. Without these three days..."

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

Emperor Clement looked at the confession in his hand. No sound could be heard in the hall except Fletcher Shen's sobbing. In this extremely long silence, Fletcher Shen's fingertips had already dug into his flesh.

Emperor Clement suddenly sighed and asked, "Did Marlon Shen ever collaborate with the enemy?"

Fletcher Shen replied categorically: "No."

Unexpectedly, Emperor Clement put down his confession, his voice suddenly turned cold, and he said: "This boy is cunning and intends to deceive the emperor. You can't stay! Winston Pan, drag him away and beat him to death at Duancheng Gate!"

"My slave obeys the order!" Winston Pan immediately accepted the order and respectfully stepped back.

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