Fletcher's Descent into the Abyss Chapter 6

The day Fletcher Shen entered Zhaozui Temple, it was a rare sunny day in the capital. White snow covered the palace tiles, and the red walls reflected the green plums. The sunlight shone through the eaves, slanting out a yin-yang line in front of his feet.

He was recovering from a serious illness and was so thin that he was bone-destroying. The old dreams of the fifteen-year-old were like ashes, blown away by the cold wind after opening my eyes.

Ge Qingqing went down the stairs first, looked back at him, and said, "It's getting late."

Fletcher Shen held onto the pillar and walked down the stairs slowly. He was exposed to the sunlight, neither comfortable nor frightened. The boy's childishness seemed to be crushed in the paleness, and nothing else could be seen except sickness and weakness.

Ashton Ji waited at the gate of Zhaozui Temple, accompanied by Xiao Fuzi. Xiao Fuzi looked up at the ancient temple and said in amazement: "What a magnificent and strange temple. It doesn't look like a place to imprison people."

"You don't know its past." Ashton Ji said, "Zhaozui Temple was originally a place for the royal family to burn incense. It once housed the handwritten instructions of Emperor Guangcheng. During its heyday, all the eminent monks in the world gathered here, and the grand discussions were all the rage."

"Why haven't I heard you mention it in recent years?" Xiao Fuzi looked at the temple gate, "It looks quite dilapidated. Hasn't it been repaired for a long time?"

Ashton Ji calmed down for a while and said, "It's been twenty years. The Crown Prince instigated the eight camps of the capital to rebel. After the defeat, he retreated here and fought hard in the temple. In the end, his blood splattered on the Buddha statue and he committed suicide. After that, the late emperor never set foot here again, removed the name of the temple, and mentioned the word Zhao Zui again."

"Twenty years." Xiao Fuzi pinched her throat as if she was surprised by what she had seen before. "I haven't given birth yet! Lord Ji has just joined the Jinyiwei, right?"

Ashton Ji did not answer this, turned around and asked, "Why haven't you arrived yet?"

Xiao Fuzi was still circling around the stone tablet with the inscription "Zhao Guilt". Finally, he asked Ashton Ji, "But I've never heard of anyone being imprisoned in there before?"

Ashton Ji seemed annoyed and said, "All those imprisoned were ministers implicated in the Crown Prince's crime. All civil and military officials were executed along with their entire clans. Very few were left. It's been twenty years, who would remember it?"

As the prisoner car approached, Ge Qingqing saluted Ashton Ji and said, "Sir, the person is here."

"Send it in." Ashton Ji said to Fletcher Shen, "If we say goodbye today, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to see him again. The emperor's kindness is so great that you should appreciate it for the rest of your life."

Fletcher Shen turned a deaf ear. He entered Zhaosu Temple, and the painted red door moved with a roar. He stood among them and looked at Ashton Ji. Ashton Ji was surprised by this gaze and was about to get angry when he saw a smile on Fletcher Shen's clean face.

crazy.

Ashton Ji thought subconsciously, but heard Fletcher Shen talking.

"Master Ji." His voice was calm, "See you someday."

The red door slammed shut, stirring up a cloud of dust. Xiao Fuzi covered her nose and coughed, backing away, only to see Ashton Ji standing there, motionless.

Ashton Ji was called several times before he came back to his senses. He quickly mounted his horse, his back was being scorched by the sun, and he just said: "...Bah, bad luck!"

Casper Xiao rode across the street and bumped into Ashton Ji. He reined in his horse and laughed, saying, "Old Ji, aren't you on duty in front of the emperor?"

Ashton Ji looked at Casper Xiao's horse with envy and said, "Today, we are taking the remnant into the temple and heading to the palace. Second Master, what a great horse! I heard you trained all of them yourself?"

"I have nothing to do." Casper Xiao cracked his riding whip, and the sea green in the sky suddenly fell on his shoulder. He said, "That's all I can do."

"After the New Year, when you start your duties, you will be busy." Ashton Ji said, "New noble in the capital! I won't be on duty tomorrow, shall we go out for a drink together?"

Casper Xiao said: "The wine is not good, I won't go."

Ashton Ji laughed and said, "Good wine, it must be good wine! If it's not good wine, who would dare to invite you, the second young master? I will go to invite you later. Do you have time to go and play with me?"

Casper Xiao stroked his bone ring and said, "My eldest brother doesn't care about these things. Why, if I go alone, it's not considered a big deal?"

Ashton Ji quickly said: "I didn't say these words! Second Young Master, it's settled."

Casper Xiao agreed and was about to leave. As if he remembered it before he left, he asked, "How does that remnant look? Can his legs and feet be able to walk?"

"He can walk," Ashton Ji said, "but he doesn't look very flexible. Few people are left unscathed after being beaten with a stick in the court. He is lucky to be able to walk."

Casper Xiao didn't say much, and rode away.

Later in the evening, the servants of Zhaozui Temple brought food. Fletcher Shen lit the oil lamp but did not touch the food. He held the oil lamp and walked along the small corridor beside the main hall.

This place has been gathering dust for a long time, some of the rooms are dilapidated, and the doors and windows are broken. When Fletcher Shen saw several corpses, they fell down as soon as the wind blew. Since he found no living creatures, he returned to the main hall.

The Buddha statue has collapsed and the incense table is old, but very strong. The bottom was of a suitable size. Fletcher Shen hung up the tattered curtains and lay down underneath with his clothes on. His legs hurt from the cold, but he endured the pain and counted the hours with his eyes closed.

In the second half of the night, there was fresh snowfall, and Fletcher Shen heard two night owl calls. He sat up and lifted the cloth and saw Sylvester Ji stepping in in front of the door.

"After dinner." Sylvester Ji opened his bag, "Let's practice boxing. It's too cold to be blocked by the wind at night. Master is afraid you'll get sick if you fall asleep."

Fletcher Shen looked at the roast chicken wrapped in oil paper and said, "You should avoid eating meat when you are sick. Master, you can eat it."

Sylvester Ji tore up the roasted chicken for him and said, "BullSh!t! It's time for you to have a full stomach. Master likes to eat chicken B*tts, and he also likes to eat them at home. You leave it to me."

Fletcher Shen said: "I will follow you, and I will eat whatever you eat."

Sylvester Ji looked at him, laughed a few times, and said, "You little B@st@ard."

The master and the apprentice shared the roast chicken. Sylvester Ji seemed to have a strong temper and chewed the chicken bones into pieces. He handed the gourd to Fletcher Shen and said, "If you really can't stand the cold, drink some wine. But don't drink too much, like your brother, sip according to the amount."

They have not mentioned Zhongbo, Duanzhou, or Chashi Tiankeng these days. The master's wife and Theo Ji were like master and disciple's tacit wounds. They both thought they were hiding it, but they didn't know that the blood had already flowed out and the pain coexisted.

Fletcher Shen took a sip and handed it to Sylvester Ji.

Sylvester Ji didn't answer, he said: "Quit drinking, Master won't drink anymore."

There was silence in the palace, and without the obstruction of the door, the fine snow fell in front of us, becoming the only scenery in the long night.

Sylvester Ji said: "Why are you so stunned?"

Fletcher Shen said: "Master."

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"sorry."

Sylvester Ji was silent for a while and said, "It's not your fault."

Fletcher Shen clasped his fingers tightly and stared at Xue, as if he would shed tears if he blinked. His voice was hoarse and he said, "Have you gone to Tea Stone to find us?"

Sylvester Ji leaned against the incense table, his body buried in the shadows. He seemed to be searching for his own voice, and after a long time he said: "I went there and found it."

found it.

Sylvester Ji found his son lying in a deep snow pit, covered in arrows. He jumped down, stepped over the thick pile of corpses, and dug out Theo Ji's body.

Theo Ji was only 23 years old and had just been promoted to the small flag of the Duanzhou garrison. The armor was new. On the day he put it on, Hua Pingting hung a peace charm in the lock for her son. When Sylvester Ji found him, he was frozen blue and frozen together with his colleagues.

Fletcher Shen raised his head slightly and said, "Master, I'm sorry."

Sylvester Ji was already old. He rubbed his gray hair and said, "He is an elder brother. He should be. It's not your fault."

The snow continued to fall for a while.

Sylvester Ji curled up his hands and feet and said, "Who knew that Baldy Biansha would come? He became a soldier and rushed to the front. There was nothing we could do about it. I taught him boxing, but he got that temper again. You let him run away. It's better to kill him. He can't bear to see people suffer. How could he run away?

"It's not your fault, it's Master's fault. I was an alcoholic. Your Master's wife scolded me for so long, but I didn't stop. When the cavalry came, I couldn't even punch well. At my age, I'm old and useless. I've long been useless."

The gourd was wet, and Fletcher Shen held the gourd without saying a word.

"I'm old and useless." A head suddenly popped out from behind the Buddha statue and said with a smile, "I'm old and useless!"

Sylvester Ji jumped up like a leopard and shouted: "Who!"

The man, unkempt and disheveled, gradually leaned out and imitated Sylvester Ji and said, "Who, who!"

Sylvester Ji heard this clearly, pressed Fletcher Shen down, and said in shock: "...Master Qi!"

The man suddenly drew his head back, kicked the Buddha statue, and shouted, "No! Not the Master!"

After Sylvester Ji caught up with the Buddha statue in a few steps, he saw that he was trying to escape through a hole, so he couldn't help but grab the man's ankle. The man immediately let out a cry like a slaughtering pig, and shouted: "Your Highness! Your Highness, leave quickly!"

Fletcher Shen covered his mouth and worked with Sylvester Ji to bring the man back.

"Who is this?" Fletcher Shen asked.

"You are young and have never heard of it." Sylvester Ji said in an unsteady voice, pressing the person, "Master Qi, good! You are still alive! Where is Lord Zhou? Is Lord Zhou here too?"

Taifu Qi was so thin that he could not move anyone, so he stared and whispered: "Dead, dead! I am dead, Your Highness is dead, everyone is dead!"

Sylvester Ji said in a deep voice: "Master, I am Sylvester Ji! I know Sylvester Ji from the Imperial Guard!"

Master Qi was still in shock. He hesitantly raised his neck, looked at Sylvester Ji's face, and said, "You are not Sylvester Ji, you are an evil ghost!"

Sylvester Ji said sadly: "Grandmaster! In the 23rd year of Yongyi, I escorted you to the capital, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince welcomed you here. Have you forgotten too?"

Master Qi's eyes flickered, and he said frantically, "They killed the prince... Your Highness!" He sobbed, "Sylvester Ji, Lord Ji! Take His Highness away! The East Palace has become the target of public criticism, what has His Highness done wrong!"

Sylvester Ji let go of his hand dejectedly and said, "Grandmaster... In the 29th year, Ashton Ji recognized the thief as his father, and I was kicked out of Qudu. For the past 20 years, I have become a fugitive in the rivers and lakes, and married and had children in Zhongbo Duanzhou."

Taifu Qi stared at him blankly and said: "...His Highness just went, the emperor's grandson is still here! Take him away, you, take him away!"

Sylvester Ji couldn't help but close his eyes and said: "In the 30th year of Yongyi, the prince committed suicide here, and no one in the East Palace survived."

Taifu Qi leaned up and murmured, "Yes, yes..." He burst into tears like a child, "How did it become like this?"

Sylvester Ji was exhausted both mentally and physically that night. He said: "After the clouds parted, the water flowed for ten years [1]. How could I have expected that we would meet again in this life in such a situation."

Master Qi turned over and covered his face, saying, "Are you imprisoned too? Imprison them! Let them kill all the scholars in the world."

Sylvester Ji said: "My disciple took the responsibility for his father."

Taifu Qi said: "I have suffered for my father... OK, who is his father, and he has angered the emperor?"

Sylvester Ji sighed and said, "Last year, Marlon Shen was defeated..."

Unexpectedly, when Master Qi heard the words "Marlon Shen", he suddenly turned around, crawled towards Fletcher Shen using his hands and feet, and asked: "Is this Marlon Shen's son?"

Sylvester Ji sensed something was wrong and was about to make a move, but Master Qi had already rushed out first. He grabbed Fletcher Shen with his dry fingers and said fiercely: "Marlon Shen! Marlon Shen killed His Highness!"

Fletcher Shen was quick to grab Master Qi's wrist. Sylvester Ji immediately grabbed Master Qi and said, "Master! Why did the emperor's grandson die? Do you want my disciple to die today too? No matter how evil Marlon Shen is, it has nothing to do with my disciple!"

Master Qi panted heavily and said in a trembling voice: "He is Marlon Shen's son, Marlon Shen's son..."

"He was Marlon Shen's son when he was born." Sylvester Ji grabbed Taifu Qi, kowtowed violently, and said, "But he later became my Sylvester Ji's son. If I tell a lie tonight, I will die badly! Mrs. Fu, do you want to kill my son?"