Catching the assassin was a pleasant surprise for the officers and soldiers.
There was no prison van prepared. The imperial guards withdrew their troops in advance and led their men to escort the two assassins all the way to the capital prison. They were thrown directly into the death row without even interrogating them.
It was very cold in the prison, the straw mat on the floor had a hole in it, and the adjacent rooms were separated only by wooden sticks.
After all the imperial guards had left, He Weiyou finally found an opportunity and called out to the jailer outside the door: "Sir, can you ask what happened to the person who was sent in with me?"
The jailer held the knife and sneered: "You probably haven't figured out your current situation yet..."
Before he finished speaking, a small porcelain bottle rolled into his palm.
He Weiyou clasped his hands together and said, "Sir, can you please show some mercy and make this easier for me?"
The jailer took advantage of his sleeves to uncork the bottle and took a look. He then glanced at the shackles on the prisoner's hands and feet and unlocked the door: "Just this once."
※
When Shi Yu opened his eyes, the first thing that caught his eye was the ceiling of the prison cell.
He hadn't had time to change into prison clothes, and the blood on his hands had dried and coagulated into lumps. The metal shackles that should have been tied to his limbs were now piled in a corner against the wall.
...Wait.
Shi Yu stared at the pile of shackles for several seconds, then turned his head away.
He Weiyou was wearing a prison guard's uniform and an official hat. He had just hung the keychain around his waist when he met his gaze: "Awake?"
Shi Yu didn't say anything for a long time.
He Weiyou immediately became nervous and waved a finger in front of his eyes: "Shi Yu? Are you okay? Can you see? Do you remember who I am?"
"…He Weiyou."
The other party instantly breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought you woke up stupid after sleeping."
Shi Yu was still looking at the clothes on him: "Jailer?"
He Weiyou chuckled: "Does it look like it?"
Shi Yu really couldn't answer this question.
He Weiyou said, "I observed it when I came in. This cell is built underground and is very soundproof. No matter how noisy it is, the noise can't be heard outside. It's afternoon now, and no one will suddenly come in to deliver food. It is said that this area is for prisoners with extremely serious crimes. There are few of them, so there are only two guards. I borrowed some clothes from them."
"..." He felt that he should reserve his opinion on whether the word "borrow" was used appropriately.
"I took off all the chains on you. I was so tired when I was picking out the keys. I only have one on me, but why do you have seven or eight? Why do you treat me differently in prison? Let's leave now while no one is noticing. Can you still stand up?"
Shi Yu blinked slowly: "How are you going to leave?"
He Weiyou took it for granted: "You are the prisoner and I am the jailer. I will wrap you up with a straw mat and transport you out as if you were the body of a dead person in the prison, right?"
"…Do you really think that their technology isn't so advanced that they don't even look at the faces of people coming in and out?"
He Weiyou indeed thought so, of course, only before he saw it with his own eyes.
"They not only look at the face, but also the tattoos with the words of sin on the body. They must strip off all the clothes, not even a leaf can be left."
He Weiyou fished the towel out of the basin: "Even restricted films don't peel it so cleanly."
Shi Yu quietly watched the other person put the handkerchief over the wound.
The dust disappeared after being wiped away, but the blood clot had finally coagulated and turned into water again after being wiped away.
He Weiyou even slowed down his breathing, fearing that if he blew, he would tear the wound that had just stopped bleeding again. After finally wiping the exposed part of the person's skin clean, he felt his eyes hurting: "There is a question I have wanted to ask you for a long time."
Shi Yu: “What?”
"Your body is sensing," He Weiyou shook the handkerchief and asked carefully, "Do you feel pain?"
“…”
He Weiyou finally got the answer when the other person looked at him as if he was a mentally retarded patient.
He moved all the handkerchiefs and basins out and dealt with them. On his way back, he saw a team of people wearing official hats and carrying swords walking towards the prison cell. Their direction was exactly the area where the most heinous criminals were held.
The leader of the imperial guards walked all the way down to the prison cell, the metal soles of their shoes making a clicking sound on the bluestone slabs.
Shi Yu was lying on a tattered straw mat. He heard the sound of a fence being pushed open. The sound of unfamiliar footsteps stopped beside his ears, and he looked up.
"Why aren't you wearing shackles?"
The voice of the prison warden seemed to be the voice of the other person, who replied cautiously: "Maybe the people in charge of this place haven't had time yet..."
Shi Yu only had time to catch a glimpse of a blue-gray shadow.
The commander of the imperial guards suddenly raised his foot and kicked him directly in the heart and lungs in front of everyone!
The warden fell silent instantly.
The soldiers all around hung their heads. For a moment, the only sound in the prison was the cough of the man who rolled to the corner. It seemed that his heart and lungs were being torn apart, and the smell of blood was emitting.
The voice of the commander of the imperial guards sounded again above his head: "Why aren't you wearing shackles?"
Shi Yu's vision went dark, and when he opened his mouth, blood gushed out of his throat. He actually lost his voice.
The warden next to him finally had a chance to speak: "Sir, the emperor still wants his life."
What this means is that if someone gets killed here and the higher-ups blame you, it will be your responsibility.
The commander of the imperial guards gave him a sharp look that made him tremble like a sieve, and then he raised his hand and said, "Drag him out."
The guards waiting behind immediately stepped forward.
"Isn't there another one?"
The warden was about to say that he had sent someone to look for him, but at this moment, another jailer came running over in a panic. When he saw them, he knelt down and said, "Sir, no, this is not good..."
"What's up?"
"That, that assassin," the jailer stammered, "No, he's gone!"
The warden's expression suddenly changed: "What do you mean disappeared?!"
"No, he's gone. He's not in the cell. There are still our people lying inside..."
The warden kicked the man to the ground, his face flushed and spitting out saliva: "There are so many people here, and you can't keep an assassin at bay?!"
The commander of the imperial guards watched the two men, one cursing and the other begging for mercy. After a while, he seemed to have had enough and finally called for a stop: "Master Warden."
The warden responded tremblingly.
The commander of the imperial guards said, "Since the evil thief has been lost, I will take him back to report to the emperor. As for what to do with him when he asks about it," he said coldly, "Take care of yourself."
Shi Yu was shackled with layers of iron shackles again. He felt hot and cold, and had no strength to move his feet. He was almost dragged out of the cell by the imperial guards.
It seemed like it was going to rain again outside, but the wind actually made him more sober.
Shi Yu couldn't remember what happened in between. Anyway, when the scene in his sight changed from the streets to the palace, he finally gathered up the strength to speak. His first words shocked the people in front of him: "The emperor only wants me?"
The person in front of him was the commander of the imperial guards.
"The emperor wanted two assassins, but you only brought one. You failed to do your job well. You didn't vent your anger on him, didn't question him, and weren't afraid of the emperor's blame, because the one sitting on the dragon throne originally asked you to bring only one." The voice from the iron shackles fell lightly on his shoulders, low and weak, "Only one person knows that the person sitting on the dragon throne is not the emperor."
A hand suddenly lifted his collar, and the commander of the imperial guards threw him suddenly towards the solid iron cavalry. The shoulder blade under his palm showed the grinding curve of the cloth.
The guards around all lowered their heads and stopped listening carefully.
The imprisoned man showed no signs of change except for coughing, and his lips were pale to the point of breaking. "Assassins broke into the palace walls, the throne was usurped, the true emperor was nowhere to be found, and the imposter was supported by the people."
The commander of the imperial guards pulled him back to the present. The other party's voice suddenly became clearer as he got closer: "The assassins who were tied up by the officers and soldiers were just scapegoats. They were summoned to the palace to confirm the number of people who knew about it. The biggest wish of the one sitting on the throne now is to kill them. You dared to attack the criminal who the emperor had never asked to kill right after you met him, because he had clearly stated that he wanted to kill the people who knew about it. That kick was not only to vent your anger for being punished for your inability to protect the emperor, but also to please the emperor. Otherwise, why didn't the emperor take the opportunity to interrogate the criminals, but insisted on bringing the assassin who had killed him into the palace to meet him. Did you really never have any doubts, commander?"
Shi Yu only felt the force on his shoulders getting heavier, almost to the point of breaking his bones. Then he heard the officer in front of him say, "Do you know what level of crime it is to make irresponsible comments about the emperor?"
"I heard it." He lowered his eyelashes and whispered, "Commander, your heartbeat is quickening."
The commander of the Imperial Guards suddenly heard the throbbing sound of his organs, which was deafening on his eardrums. He loosened his fingers subconsciously, and then realized that the other party was blackmailing him, because it was impossible to hear each other's heartbeats at this distance. Before he could suppress his anger, he heard the other party ask, "What are you hesitating about?"
Shi Yu's tone seemed puzzled: "If you want to know, verify it. If you get the result, take action. Everyone knows that the Imperial Guard is the sword that belongs exclusively to the emperor. Why don't you go to rescue your master when you know that he is in trouble? Are you worried that the verification process may anger the emperor? It should be very simple to ask questions based on the common memory of both parties and then see whether the other party answers or evades. Are you worried that your guess is wrong and you dare not look directly? It is your duty to just have normal suspicion. Are you worried that the emperor will see through your mind and demote you from this position? Then you can just push me out to bear the emperor's wrath. After all, if the one on the throne is fake, the real emperor is still waiting for rescue."
The other party whispered: "Or do you not want to save?"
One sentence tore through the disguise.
"The Imperial Guards are directly under the Emperor, not an individual. The token is passed down from generation to generation as the throne changes, and no one has ever been seen to die with their master. It doesn't matter who is on the throne to you. As long as the other party can give you a monthly salary, you are your bread and butter. The condition of loyalty is that relatives and friends are controlled by the imperial power, and the cavalry will become the emperor's exclusive bayonet only after being restricted. But the person sitting on the throne now is a fake, and no one knows whether the real emperor is still alive. There is only a paper tiger on the dragon throne, but its hands can never reach behind your wings. You can take off his emperor's new clothes with just a raise of your hand."
The honey mixed with drugs was chilly, and someone held it in front of his eyes with both hands, but the handle of a knife was stuffed into his hands.
"If I want to live and escape, I must confront him face to face and tear apart his disguise. His identity was exposed, and the imperial guards led a team to capture him. He committed suicide out of fear of punishment, but no one knows where the real emperor is. The throne is vacant, and someone must take over the power."
No one saw what kind of bizarre things were crushed by the mirror that had long been integrated into the bones and blood. The desire for destruction, which was completely opposite to the lack of joy or sorrow, was implicitly projected by the magic mirror, like two coexisting twin souls, suddenly ignited from each other's dark and clear eyes.
But he only heard the other party say casually: "Kill him, and you will be the Son of Heaven."
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