twin moon

Chapter 161 Scene No.20

Half a month later, the majestic "No. [-] City in the World" finally gradually revealed its true face from under the western horizon.As the saying goes, "you buy wine every day and night, and you don't return home when the moon sets." The size of Yujing is unimaginable for people who have never seen it with their own eyes.

The outer wall of the city is more than ten feet high, nineteen miles wide from east to west, and nearly seventeen miles from north to south.Just walking around the city for a week would take a whole day.The inner city was built when Bai Jiangxi was promoted to Taizu, and it was added many times during the [-]-plus years, and the scope of the city continued to expand.Today, it has expanded more than three times compared to when it was first built, and it has left a grand pattern of five floors inside and outside surrounded by city walls.

The layout of the whole city is rigorous, carefully designed by countless skilled craftsmen, with the Yongyang Palace where the Baijiang royal family lived as the first inner wall, which is called the palace city.There are Baijiang's ancestral temple and Baiguan office, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter.During the Yuanzheng Festival, or when meeting with princes and kings, Chen Le will also hold a banquet here.

The palace city is more than six li from east to west, more than half a li from north to south, and the wall is three feet five feet high.With it as the center, a total of 24 arterial roads stretched in four directions, passing through five city walls, a total of 24 gates, large and small.Among the [-] arterial roads, the east-west Sun Moon Street and the north-south mountain and river road are the widest, covering nearly a hundred steps, leading to the four main roads of Zhengdong, Zhengxi, Zhengnan and Zhengbei in the outer city. The gates are called Cangzhi, Baiyin, Chiwu, and Xuanming respectively.

Two main streets, one horizontal and one vertical, divide the whole city into four domains, left, right, upper and lower, with [-] squares under its jurisdiction.There are also [-] east-west avenues and eleven north-south avenues in each workshop.The trees beside the road are shady and evenly planted, and the streets are straight and row upon row.

In addition to the palace city and the outer gate, there are dozens of large and small wooden compound roads across the other three walls in the city.There are steps connecting the roads with the streets and alleys of each square city, which can allow several people to pass through at the same time.Craftsmen deliberately built these complex roads into semi-enclosed corridors, with small windows on both sides, which look like pavilions spanning the air from a distance, so they are also called "pavilion roads".

It was noon, and the prison car escorting the girl finally drove slowly into the city from the Cangzhi Gate.The sun was shining brightly in the sky, casting a large dark shadow behind the gate.The rainy season had just passed, and the gutters on both sides of Sun Moon Street were clogged with silt and blades of grass washed by the rain.The sewage overflowed from the ditch and flowed onto the streets paved with bluestone slabs, but no one cleaned it.

There were quite a few merchants hawking along the broad street, but their voices were not as melodious and forceful as Ning Yue had heard in Mulu City, but instead seemed to carry a hint of worry about the future.Suddenly, there were a few noises from inside a door with a wine flag hanging, and some of them started arguing.Then the half-covered door panel was knocked open with a bang, and a person flew out of the shop, and fell heavily on the flooded street, causing several good horses tied outside the door to neigh.

Afterwards, several armored soldiers wearing gold and white iron armor also rushed out from the store, holding long knives and slaying towards the man.The man didn't even hum, he was beheaded on the spot, and blood flowed all over the ground.

In the blink of an eye, a young girl rushed out of the store screaming, she looked not much younger than Ning Yue in the prison car.The girl's face was full of tears, and she threw herself on the bloody man, crying loudly:

"Which law did my father break? Since you are officers and soldiers, how can you know how to break the law and kill people in the street!"

"Xiao Nizi, your father owed a total of [-] gold baht in taxes this month, and he refused to plead guilty. Just now in your shop, he dared to arrest you with a knife. Today we will execute the criminal in the street, but It’s to punish one policeman, and to make an example to everyone else!”

Unexpectedly, it was the owner of this restaurant who was hacked to death in the street.

The soldier's face was full of cannibalism, and he rubbed the sharp knife that had just licked the blood on the girl's body.But the girl was not intimidated by the other party, but raised her voice even higher:

"My family pays all taxes on time every month, and there are records in the store's account. How can you allow such false accusations!"

Unexpectedly, the officers and soldiers were not only not afraid, but laughed instead.One of them took out a small book from his pocket, lit it up in front of the other person, and burned it into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye:
"The ledger you mentioned—where is it now? All the troublemakers on this street listen carefully. If there are any more tax evaders, they will be fined a thousand baht at the least, and executed on the spot at worst. Acting as a military prostitute! Why are you still standing here, go back and prepare money!"

The officers and soldiers grinned grinningly, like wolves in groups in the wilderness, chewing their bones and sucking their marrow, which made people's scalp numb.The merchants who were standing in front of the halls on the side of the road to watch the excitement immediately hid back in the house as if they saw the sparrows of the mountain eagle. Observe the movement outside.

"They are all neighbors on the same street. Uncles and uncles, are you going to let them bully my father and daughter today and remain indifferent? Although my father was killed right now, it may be you, you, and all of you in the future !"

The daughter of the restaurant owner was completely desperate. She pointed at the shops on the side of the street with half-hidden doors and cursed loudly, then suddenly jumped up from the ground, snatching a long knife from the waist of an officer and trying to kill herself.However, she didn't get what she wanted. Instead, she was subdued by the soldiers, her mouth was gagged, her hands were tied, and she was thrown on the horse's back like a sack.

Although Ning Yue couldn't bear to see what was happening before her eyes, she had nothing to do - she didn't know what tricks the guard of Suoyang Pass Zhu Ren had used on her. Ever since she was locked in the prison car, her strength It was as if it had been sealed, completely silent.Along the way, she tried countless ways to take the opportunity to escape, but all failed.

Ning Yue understands that even if she helps the girl right now, it is just a drop in the bucket for that girl who has been abandoned by fate.But she still exerted all her strength, and shouted at the back of the team of soldiers who were escorting the owner's daughter, who was gradually going away, hoping to turn things around a bit:
"Those who do all kinds of bad things will be punished one day!"

The girl's shout attracted the opponent back again.The five big and three rough men looked at Ning Yue like a group of wolves who saw raw meat.However, they seemed to recognize that the person escorting the prison cart was the defender of Suoyang Pass, so they didn't dare to rush forward easily, they just stood there from a distance and asked:
"It's really new today. A mere prisoner dares to challenge him in the street. Who is the woman in this car?"

"It's a gift from General Zhu Ren to Mr. Gao Ligao. Don't ask more questions if it's none of your business!"

The captain in charge of escorting the car responded loudly, with an irresistible force in his tone.Then he slammed the red-haired girl on the back with the scabbard, and cursed viciously:

"It's already hard to protect yourself, and you still have time to meddle in other people's business? If you dare to make noise again, I will order someone to chop up the shop's daughter and make stuffing for buns, and feed you with my own hands!"

Ning Yue shuddered suddenly, and suddenly remembered the tragic death of the old peasant couple, knowing that the other party was definitely not joking, she dared not act impulsively.A group of soldiers on the opposite side also walked away with their prey knowingly, and soon disappeared at the end of the long street.

Ning Yue's eyes crackled, and big tears fell down.All kinds of grievances suddenly surged in my heart, lamenting the misfortune of the owner's daughter and regretting my incompetence.If I could have practiced the method of using the strength in my body earlier, if I hadn't collapsed due to exhaustion before, if I hadn't been on the same side as Jiang Yan and Qi Ziyin, maybe everything that happened in the past few days would be different...

Once upon a time, the girl had been dreaming that one day, if she and her companions could come to this long-awaited "No. [-] city in the world", what a magnificent scenery, what kind of anecdotes, what kind of strange things would be seen. .However, she never imagined in her dreams that this place, which she had longed for so much, would come to her like a nightmare in this hideous and terrifying appearance.

The heart-piercing cries of the owner's daughter still wafted into her ears from a distance, but the girl didn't look up again.Now, she finally realized that both Suoyang Pass and this place have become a lawless place for the strong to bully the weak.And the Dasheng Dynasty, which has lasted for thousands of years, is now like a withered old tree, gradually decaying from the root of the tree.

Ning Yue couldn't help but worry about her future fate.However, a strong arm behind her suddenly stretched out from the prison car, tightly wrapped around her neck, and put a burlap bag on her head, completely blocking her view.

I don't know how long it took before the bumpy prison car stopped again.Someone grabbed Ning Yue's arms from left to right, and dragged her out of the car.The moment she took off the burlap bag on her head, she suddenly realized that she was not imprisoned, but instead stood in the Wannian Palace of Yongyang Palace!

The civil and military officials around seemed to have learned about this red-haired demon girl in advance, and all of them stared at the girl in shackles and handcuffs with fear on their faces, as if they were looking at a monster, so they dared not rely too much on it. close.

Suddenly, one of them strode forward and said loudly:

"Your Majesty dares to ask Your Majesty that this girl is so thin and young, how could she be a murderous witch?"

He was wearing a white silk official robe, embroidered with a peacock with an open tail on it. He was the prince Taifu who was second only to the prime minister, and Ren Zhongfei, a scholar of Changhuadian University.

This person is one of the few admonishment sects left in the court today, and he is even more displeased with Gao Li's domination of the court, a representative of the tough old officials.

Because I learned from ancient books that it takes a long time to practice the art of witchcraft before you can achieve a small success.At this time, Ren Zhongfei firmly believed that after the Bai Jiang clan spared no efforts to exterminate witches hundreds of years ago, it was absolutely impossible for this little girl in the palace, who looked like only a teenager, to master any murderous spells.

As soon as this remark came out, even a few people in the hall came to his side to show their support.

"Scholar Ren, you have studied the classics of sages and sages in the Changhua Palace for so many years, but you still haven't made any progress. As the saying goes, knowing people, knowing the face, not knowing the heart, and the so-called demon girl, how can ordinary people like you be able to tell the difference? ?”

The person who answered the words was Gao Li, the chief internal officer who always followed the little emperor Bai Jiangxing.At this time, he had already given power to the government and the public, and he didn't put anyone in his eyes.

"Since the old man can't see it, can Lord Gao see it? If it is true what the Lord said, this woman killed hundreds of soldiers in Suoyang Pass by herself, and now she is brought to the palace like this. How can ordinary people survive to fight here?"

Ren Zhongfei sneered and continued to put pressure on the opponent.Now the days when the important officials could see the emperor were not many, now he had finally seized an opportunity to shake Gao Li's position in the heart of the Holy Master, he wished he could hold on tightly, and dared not relax for a moment.

However, he didn't know that on the surface today, it seemed that Zhu Ren, the guard of Suoyang Pass, was rushing to Beijing, and all the officials were rushed to the court because of the misfortune of the witch, but behind the scenes, it was a good show arranged by Gao Li.

Hearing what Ren Chongfei said, the eunuch on the opposite side pretended to be taken aback, and immediately bowed to the little emperor seated and said:
"Your Majesty, since Grand Master Ren doesn't believe in your minister's words, can you untie the shackles on this demon girl and let him personally test it?"

"What are you going to do—how do you plan to test?"

The newly enthroned Bai Jiangxing has just turned ten years old. He was born with a deformed appearance with wide eyes and a flat nose, and his mind is like a three-year-old child.Hearing what Gao Li said, he raised his head and asked puzzledly, but a drop of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.The saliva fell on the brocade robe embroidered with gold thread, leaving dark traces.

"Your Majesty, Lord Gao thinks that this enchantress can perform tricks. If you agree, then order her to be untied to see if she can escape from the guarded Yongyang Palace."

Bai Jiangxing immediately clapped his hands: "Okay, okay, let's watch the trick, let's watch the trick!"

However, after the sergeants untied the iron shackles on Ning Yue, the girl didn't make any movements, she still stood there with the same expressionless face as before.

"Girl, why are you so unresponsive? Don't you want to go out from here?" Gao Li asked hypocritically.

"I'm just an ordinary person. I was caught here for no reason, why don't you let me go!" Ning Yue knew in her heart that she must not show her feet, and she denied it on the spot.

"Master Gao, have you heard it? I don't know if the Suoyang gatekeeper made such a trick for Zhu Rian. Is he trying to prove his stupidity, or is he trying to take this opportunity to mock the ignorance of the sage? Please check it out!"

A slight smile appeared on the corner of Ren Zhongfei's mouth, thinking that since Bai Jiangyou's death, he had finally won a victory in the struggle against this powerful chief executive.

Unexpectedly, Gao Li suddenly asked in a strange way:
"Scholar Ren is really good at joking. How could the demon girl commit suicide in this hall if she knew that she would be sentenced to death if she confessed? If you want her to show her original shape, you need external help!"

Before he finished speaking, he saw two inner eunuchs who had been arranged earlier carrying a wooden bucket into the hall.The stench in the barrel was unbearable, and it was actually full of blood.Before Ren Zhongfei could react, the two had already poured the dirt in the bucket on the red-haired girl.

Ning Yue didn't understand what kind of medicine was sold in the gourds of this group of people, so she just subconsciously avoided it.However, it was okay if she didn't hide, the bucket of blood she spilled turned into a bright red poisonous snake in mid-air, and it rushed up from an extremely strange angle, still pouring water all over her body. It's clear.

The moment she was stained with blood, the girl's body changed.It feels like countless steel needles piercing the skin and flesh, and it feels like there are thousands of ants eating away the bones and sucking the marrow.In the blink of an eye, she couldn't bear the severe pain anymore, and she curled up on the ground, and then she only heard a scream, and she showed the original shape of the sea person in full view!

Bai Jiangxing was already insane, but at this moment he was suddenly frightened by this, and passed out without even humming.Gao Li immediately ordered his attendants to escort the little emperor back to his bedroom to rest.On the other hand, the officials in the hall also panicked and fell into chaos, but no one dared to step forward to grab someone rashly, they were all afraid that Ning Yue would hurt themselves.

"A group of cowards! This demon girl must have accomplices. Since you are so afraid, then Gao will take her down personally, and must ask one, two, three, four from her mouth!"

After a bit of pretentiousness, Gao Li watched Manchu civil and military rush out of the hall in a panic, as if he had just watched a good show, and laughed wantonly.Until this moment, only Ren Zhongfei, who was left alone, realized that he underestimated this formidable enemy too much, and was put together by him. Although he was unwilling, he was helpless and had to leave the palace angrily.

"This group of people actually don't know how special your identity is. Right now, in Yujing City, the only person who can continue to keep you alive is me. From now on, if you don't want to be burned alive, you can Obediently obey my arrangement. I will come to you again soon."

Gao Li took square steps, walked up to the red-haired girl who was still panting, and whispered in his ear.Ning Yue never expected that the other party knew her true identity for some reason, but she couldn't guess what her purpose was for a while.Under the strong dizziness, he could only nod weakly, and then was dragged down by the soldiers surrounding him, and locked into the dark prison.

　The starting point is not the starting point, and the whole book is free.

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(End of this chapter)