Fletcher's Descent into the Abyss Chapter 3

Winston Pan strode towards Duancheng Gate, and the Jinyiwei officers stood on both sides, silent as a mouse. After Winston Pan stood still and read out the oral order of Emperor Clement, the Jinyiwei immediately took action.

Fletcher Shen's mouth was gagged, and the Jinyiwei quickly wrapped him in a thick cotton undershirt and made him lie face down on the ground.

Winston Pan leaned over in the cold wind to check Fletcher Shen's condition. He raised his fingers to cover his lips, coughed a few times, and said softly: "You are so young and so courageous that you dare to make a show of yourself in front of the emperor. You If Marlon Shen's treasonous crime is truthfully confessed, there may be a chance of survival. "

Fletcher Shen closed his eyes tightly, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

Winston Pan stood up and said, "Put down the stick."

The captains of the Jinyiwei on both sides shouted in unison: "Put down the sticks!" Then there was another thunderous roar, "Hit!"

Before he finished speaking, the iron-wrapped, barbed stick came flying down and hit Fletcher Shen hard.

After three sticks, another voice was heard: "Hit us really hard!"

The pain in his flesh burned his body like fire, making Fletcher Shen unable to move and could only bite the blockage in his mouth. I couldn't swallow the blood, and it was all salty and astringent between my teeth. Fletcher Shen was still breathing heavily, and his eyes were stinging with wet sweat.

The sky is overcast and the snow is heavy.

The caning of the imperial court is not a job that everyone can handle. As the saying goes, "A man is faint at twenty and a cripple at fifty." There are many ways to beat someone with a stick. It is usually a family skill, and it is no easier to practice than to learn a craft. Moreover, to do this job, one must not only be good at it, but also have good eyesight. After doing this for a long time, they can tell who is more serious on the outside and who is more serious on the inside. They can tell by looking at the faces of the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

Today, Emperor Clement's order is to kill him with a stick, and Winston Pan has no intention of cherishing him. That means that there is no chance of improvement and he must die. These Jinyi guards showed their special skills, and within fifty sticks, Fletcher Shen would die in the West.

Winston Pan counted the time and saw that Fletcher Shen had lowered his head and remained motionless. He raised his hand to hug Yupo, and was about to give some instructions when he saw an umbrella floating on the road, with a beauty in palace clothes covered under it.

The gloom on Winston Pan's face suddenly dissipated and turned into a smile. Although he did not go forward to greet him personally, the eunuch beside him had already cleverly gone over to support him.

"We would like to pay our respects to Miss Third. It's such a cold day. If the Queen Mother has any instructions, you can just send someone to convey them." Winston Pan said, taking two steps closer.

Hua Xiangyi gently raised her hand, signaling the Jinyiwei not to move. She was born beautiful, and had been raised by the empress dowager for many years. Her eyebrows were somewhat similar to those of the empress dowager when she was young. Although she was called the third daughter of the Hua family in Dicheng in this city, she was a well-known noble lady in the palace, and even the emperor treated her as his own little sister.

Hua Xiangyi said slowly and softly: "Father-in-law, is this Zhongbo Shen's son Fletcher Shen lying on the ground?"

Winston Pan followed the steps of the flowers and replied, "That's it. The emperor just issued a decree to kill him with a stick."

Hua Xiangyi said, "The emperor was very angry just now. If Fletcher Shen died, Marlon Shen's treason case would be unclear. The queen mother came to Mingli Hall half a minute ago, and the emperor listened to her advice and calmed down a little."

Winston Pan cried out, "Your Majesty, just listen to the advice of the Empress Dowager. I was so angry just now that I didn't dare to speak."

Hua Xiangyi smiled at Winston Pan and said, "The emperor said 'Tingzhang', didn't my father-in-law just obey it?"

Winston Pan took a few more steps and said with a smile, "Yes, I was in a hurry just now. I heard the word 'stick' and beat this kid up. I wonder what to do with this guy now?"

Hua Xiangyi glanced at Fletcher Shen and said, "Your Majesty, please drag me back to prison before interrogating him again. This son's life is of great importance. I hope my father-in-law will tell Mr. Ji to take good care of him."

"Of course." Winston Pan said, "How dare Ashton Ji ignore the Third Miss's instructions? It's cold and the ground is slippery, Xiao Fuzi, hold the Third Miss steady."

As soon as Hua Xiangyi left, Winston Pan turned around and said to the two rows of imperial guards: "Your Majesty said that the man was almost beaten with the imperial staff, so he dragged him back. He heard what the third lady just said, that was what the Queen Mother meant. Go back and tell Ashton Ji , there are gods in this case, if something goes wrong under his hands."

Winston Pan coughed slowly.

"Even if the King of Heaven descends to earth, I can't save his head."

Xiao Fuzi came back to help Winston Pan. The long road was empty. He asked in a low voice: "Old ancestor, if we let him go like this, will the emperor really not blame him if we turn back?"

Winston Pan stepped on the snow and said, "The emperor knows that this matter will not happen to us."

He took a few steps, and the snowflakes squeezed into the wind collar.

"A promise is worth a thousand gold. The emperor is most afraid of changing his mind overnight. The emperor has fallen seriously ill again because of the invasion of the twelve tribes of Biansha. In the past few days, he has been thinking about giving the third young lady a princess title to please the queen mother. Let alone saving her life at this time, even if it is something else, as long as the queen mother asks, the emperor will agree."

Winston Pan said, turning his head to look at Xiao Fuzi.

"When did you see the Queen Mother change her decree?"

No matter what the case is, the one who has the final say is the real master.

Fletcher Shen was so burned that he was delirious. One moment, he saw Theo Ji's appearance before his death, and the other moment, he was still living in Duanzhou.

The wind in Duanzhou blew the flag, and the mistress came out from behind the curtain, holding a white porcelain bowl filled with dumplings with thin skin and large fillings.

"Tell your brother to come back!" the mistress called out, "He's been restless for a while, tell him to come back for dinner!"

Fletcher Shen climbed over the railing of the corridor, walked a few steps to the side of his master's wife, picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and ran. The dumpling was so hot that he gasped. When he went out and saw his master Sylvester Ji sitting on the steps, he squatted beside Sylvester Ji.

Sylvester Ji was polishing a stone in his hand. He turned his head and snorted at Fletcher Shen, saying, "Silly boy, how much are dumplings worth? Look how much you love them! Call your brother back, and the three of us will go to Yuanyang Tower for a big meal."

Before Fletcher Shen could reply, his mistress had already grabbed Sylvester Ji's ear and said, "You look down on dumplings? You are so capable, if you really have money, why would you marry a wife? Just take these two silly boys with you and go there by yourself!"

Fletcher Shen laughed out loud, jumped down the stairs, waved to his master and mistress, and ran out of the alley to find his brother Theo Ji.

It was snowing heavily on the road, and Fletcher Shen could not find anyone. The further he walked, the colder he got.

"elder brother."

Fletcher Shen shouted in all directions.

"Theo Ji! Go home for dinner!"

The sound of horse hooves gradually surrounded him, and the heavy snow blocked his vision. Fletcher Shen was deeply immersed in the sound of horse hooves, but he couldn't see anyone on either side. The sound of fighting broke out in his ears, and hot blood splashed on his face. Fletcher Shen's legs hurt, and he was pressed to the ground by an irresistible force.

He saw the dead man close at hand again, the arrows whistling in the wind, the man on his back heavy, and the thick and warm liquid dripping down his neck and cheeks.

This time he knew what it was.

Fletcher Shen woke up trembling, sweating profusely, and shivering from the cold. He lay on the bed, his eyes barely adjusting to the dimness.

There were still people in the cell. The servants were cleaning up the dirt and lighting the oil lamp.

Fletcher Shen's mouth was dry, and the handyman seemed to know it, so he poured a bowl of cold water and placed it on the bed. Fletcher Shen felt cold and hot, and slowly moved the bowl in front of him with his fingers, spilling half of the water.

No one in the prison spoke. After the servants left, only Fletcher Shen was left. He was sometimes awake and sometimes unconscious. The night seemed endless and he could never wait for the dawn.

When the servant came to change Fletcher Shen's dressing, he was much more awake. Ashton Ji looked at him through the fence and said coldly: "You are lucky this time. You will be a disaster for thousands of years. The Queen Mother spared your life, but you probably don't know why."

Fletcher Shen remained motionless.

Ashton Ji said: "I know that your master is Sylvester Ji, a rogue. He and I were brothers twenty years ago, and we served together in the Jinyi Guards in this Qandu Forbidden City. I'm afraid you don't know that he was once a member of the Jinyi Guards. A third-level commander, I know how to use the Ji Family Boxing."

Fletcher Shen raised his head and looked at him.

Ashton Ji opened the door, and when the handyman went out and there was no one around, he sat next to Fletcher Shen's bed.

"Later, he committed a crime that cost him his life. But the late emperor was kind and didn't kill him. He exiled him outside Guanma Road." Ashton Ji supported himself on his knees and grinned at Fletcher Shen in the backlight. "Your master is a man of few abilities, a loser with good luck. Guess how he survived? Just like you today, he relied on your master's wife. You probably don't know who your master's wife is. I'll tell you, your master's wife is Hua Pingting. There are eight cities in Cennan, and the Hua family in Dicheng is the main family of the current empress dowager. So the empress dowager kept you here today for your master's wife."

Ashton Ji bowed his head and whispered.

"But who knew that your master's wife had died in the chaos? I said Sylvester Ji was a coward. His father died 20 years ago, and his wife and son died 20 years later. Do you know who the culprit is? You know best in your heart that the culprit is Marlon Shen!"

Fletcher Shen's breathing stagnated.

"Marlon Shen opened the tea stone river defense line, and the Biansha cavalry rushed in. The scimitar cut your master's wife's throat. Before she died, what happened would make Sylvester Ji's life worse than death."

"Duanzhou fell, and you said it was your brother who saved you." Ashton Ji leaned back in his chair, looked at the back of his hand, and said, "Theo Ji, you have been raised by Sylvester Ji, and Theo Ji is your brother. He is Sylvester Ji's only son, the only blood of Sylvester Ji, and the only continuation of the Ji family. But because of Marlon Shen, because of you, he also died. Thousands of arrows pierced his heart, and his body had to be left in the tiankeng to be trampled by the horses of the Biansha cavalry. If Sylvester Ji was still alive, I don't know how he would feel when he went to collect his son's body."

Fletcher Shen suddenly raised his body, but Ashton Ji pushed him back with ease.

"Marlon Shen, he is a traitor to the country and collaborates with the enemy. You must bear this debt. If you survive today, tens of thousands of innocent souls in Zhongbo will cry loudly. You fell asleep at night and slowly distinguished who was your master and who was your master! You are still alive. , but this life is already more painful than death. Can you forgive Marlon Shen? If you forgive Marlon Shen, you are sorry for your master's family. After all, you have received the kindness of Sylvester Ji. How can you do this? Things that are unfaithful and unfilial."

"Besides, even if you linger on, no one in this world will understand you. When you come to Qudu, you are Marlon Shen. Now the people are angry and there are countless people who hate you to the bone. You are bound to die, and it is better to die than to die inexplicably. Speaking frankly to the emperor and explaining Marlon Shen's crimes can also be regarded as comforting your master's spirit in heaven. "

Ashton Ji suddenly stopped talking and saw Fletcher Shen, who was pressed on the bed, smiling. A cold expression appeared on the young man's pale face.

"Marlon Shen did not collaborate with the enemy."

Fletcher Shen bit his lips on the words one by one.

"Marlon Shen did not collaborate with the enemy!"

Ashton Ji lifted up Fletcher Shen and hit it against the wall. There was a "bang" sound, and some soil crumbs were rubbed off, making Fletcher Shen cough.

"There are so many ways to kill you." Ashton Ji said, "You ungrateful little B@st@ard, you just stole a life this time by chance, do you really think you can survive today?"

He turned around, dragged Fletcher Shen past, kicked open the cell door and walked out.

"I act impartially and obey the Queen Mother's will. But there are many people in Zhou Dynasty who can do whatever they want. You are so stupid, so I will follow your wish. You want someone to kill you, and this person is already here!"

The city gate of Qudu suddenly opened wide, and a column of dark heavy horses rushed in from the outside like driving thunder.

Fletcher Shen was dragged in the road, and the Jinyiwei suddenly dispersed. The dense crowd also split into two to make way for the heavy cavalry column.

The raptors from the north circled in the sky, and the sound of the armor shaking hit his heart. The sound of horse hooves approached, and Fletcher Shen opened his eyes and saw the heavy cavalry leading the charge.

The horse under heavy armor was like a ferocious beast, panting and running a few steps away. Just when it was about to collide with the man, it suddenly reined in. The horse's hooves were raised high, and when it stopped, the man on the horse had already rolled off.

Ashton Ji stepped forward and said loudly: "Xiao..."

The man didn't even look at Ashton Ji, and walked straight to Fletcher Shen. Fletcher Shen just moved the shackles, but the man kicked Fletcher Shen in the chest with lightning speed!

The force of this kick was so strong that Fletcher Shen could not even endure it. He opened his mouth and saw blood. His whole body was already tumbling out, and his internal organs were about to be vomited out.