I opened a tea shop in Bianjing

Mo Yunxiao endured a violent cough, and tears flowed from her eyes.But she still tried her best to keep her eyes open, and shook the teapot in front of her, thankfully there was still half a pot of water.

Without thinking too much, she lifted up the long skirt and tore off a piece of the skirt. Fortunately, the dress was made of silk, so it was easier to tear off.

She soaked the rag with water from the jug and turned back.

"Officials! Officials!" Her cough became more and more severe, and her voice became hoarse.However, it was pitch black in front of her eyes, and the thick smoke filled her surroundings, making it difficult for her to tell the direction, and she couldn't locate Zhao Ji's position.

At this time, Zhao Ji was so dizzy from the smoke that he couldn't see things, and couldn't hear the sound, only the sound of his heavy coughing was still faintly in his ears.

At the moment when he thought he was going to die here, he seemed to hear Mo Yunxiao's call, and his spirit was lifted, and he summoned up the last bit of strength and shouted: "He Lu! I am here!"

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and then a cold and wet feeling hit him.

His body shook, and he saw Mo Yunxiao squatting in front of him.Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red and swollen, but she still smiled at herself.

"Officials, this piece of cloth has been soaked in water. You can use it to cover your mouth and nose, and it can last for a while." Mo Yunxiao looked around again, and then said: "The fire is fierce, you'd better leave quickly."

Zhao Ji took a deep breath, and sure enough, the cloth covering his mouth and nose exuded quite fresh air.

"Why is there only one wet cloth?" Zhao Ji asked.

Mo Yunxiao understood what he meant, so she could only smile helplessly, and said, "Only this little water is very precious. Please go, the official, or it will be too late when the water vapor evaporates."

Zhao Ji covered the wet cloth with one hand and Mo Yunxiao's hand with the other, and said, "I will never leave you behind, let's go together."

Mo Yunxiao became more and more anxious, pushed him, and said, "No, the fire will get bigger and bigger. If you take me with you, it will only be... only... a drag!"

Zhao Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help being greatly moved.He covered Mo Yunxiao's mouth and nose with the wet cloth again, looked at her terrified expression and said, "This wet cloth, you and I take turns, maybe we can support it."

Mo Yunxiao's mouth and nose were covered, and she instinctively took a deep breath. She felt refreshed, and her strength and brain power recovered a lot.

"I can't just watch you die trying to save me." Zhao Ji said.

The two looked at each other for a second, and Mo Yunxiao nodded heavily.Feeling relieved in his heart, Zhao Ji held her hand with a smile, and the two walked towards the side door together.

They exchanged wet cloths, supported each other and walked forward with difficulty.They walked through the corridor and the side hall, and as the coughing became heavier and heavier, the wet cloth gradually changed from wet to half wet.

Although thick smoke billowed in front of his eyes, he could barely see through the side door.The fire was raging in front of the door, and they had to stay away.

At this moment, there was a loud noise, and the beams of the side hall collapsed.The two hurriedly retreated, narrowly avoiding being hit.

They squatted down, the cloth covering their mouths and noses was completely dry, and could no longer play the role of isolating the smoke.

"He Lu, it seems that we are really going to die here together." Zhao Ji held her hand tightly, his tone full of sadness.

The fire spread in front of him, and Mo Yunxiao's face was glowing red.Looking at the fire, she seemed to have fallen into an unprecedented calm.

She smiled weakly and said, "The world is really wonderful. I drowned and died, but I will come back to life inexplicably, and today I will inevitably be buried in a fire. Maybe, after this fire, I will return to the world that originally belonged to me."

"If that is really a carefree and peaceful world, then let me go with you." Zhao Ji said.

His voice became weaker and weaker, but it fell into Mo Yunxiao's ears very clearly.She looked at him and said with a smile, "I'm afraid you won't be able to adapt to that world."

Intentionally or not, she also gently leaned her head on Zhao Ji's shoulder.Zhao Ji's eyes were slightly closed, his chest rose and fell, and a severe cough came from time to time.

He seemed to have fallen into a state of near coma, and Mo Yunxiao also felt powerless. He only felt that his five sense organs were all filled with black smoke, and he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't get rid of it.

This gradually spreading sense of suffocation was eroding her life bit by bit.She rested her head on his shoulder and clasped her hands tightly.

This is by no means a caress between a pair of lovers before they die, but an instinctive reliance on each other.

Just when the will of the two of them almost collapsed, there were many figures outside the window and shouts one after another.

"The submerged fire team is here! The submerged fire team is here..." Accompanied by the noisy yells of the eunuchs and maids, bursts of water mist hit the doors and windows, making a "sizzling" sound.With a shout, "Hula", the door and window were broken open.

Mo Yunxiao opened her blurred eyes and saw three or four thickly dressed figures rushing in.Their heads were covered with cloth, with only one pair of eyes exposed.

"Someone!" Greeting each other, two strong men carried them on their backs, broke through the flames and black mist, and rushed out of the hall.

At this time, Zhao Ji was unconscious.Although Mo Yunxiao was not unconscious, she was weak and her eyelids felt very heavy.She just glanced around reluctantly, and saw countless officers and soldiers holding a thick wooden tube, sucking up the water and then shooting towards the fire, just like a large needle tube.

But don't underestimate the wooden pipe, you can see water dragons meandering upwards, and the fire gradually shows its decline under the water mist.

More than a dozen officers and soldiers pulled up the warning strip made of hemp rope and sealed off the entire Zichen Palace.

"Ah! It's the official!" Zhang Di's voice suddenly sounded, and Mo Yunxiao looked sideways, only to see Zhao Ji lying on a stretcher with a dark face and passed out.

Zhang Di was beside him, calling loudly: "Officials! Officials!"

A member of the diving team poured something like a watering can on Zhao Ji's face, and Zhao Ji immediately coughed heavily.

Mo Yunxiao was also released by the members of the diving fire team, but she was unable to go over to check Zhao Ji's situation, so she could only watch from a distance.

Zhao Ji coughed a few times, and slowly opened his eyes.Zhang Di burst into tears of joy, and hurriedly said: "Official, you scared the little slave to death!"

Zhao Ji didn't respond, but gently pushed Zhang Di away.Because he stood between Zhao Ji and Mo Yunxiao.At this time, the two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Mo Yunxiao relaxed, and suddenly felt the world spinning, and then his eyes went dark, and his consciousness was thrown into the abyss.

In the haze, a faint light flickered in the chaotic darkness, like a firefly or a fire butterfly.The light gradually approached and became brighter.

Only then did she see clearly that it was a lamp.A gauze lantern with lavender light.

She opened her eyes, looked around, and saw that she was lying on a bed, which was leaning against the wall, and the curtain was drawn on the other side.Behind the valance is a screen made of walnut.The lights behind the screen were bright, and people could be vaguely seen.

"Where is this?" she asked herself.

At this time, a woman's voice came: "Officials, this fire happened strangely. Fortunately, the officials are fine, but a fire in the palace is a major event, and the officials should not take it lightly."

"Here." Zhao Ji replied respectfully: "I must check carefully."

"Oh?" Mo Yunxiao's heart skipped a beat. Is the woman speaking Zhao Ji's mother?she thought so.

"It's important for the officials to take care of the dragon's body." The queen mother said: "The investigation should be done by Aijia. Bring it here."

Zhao Ji looked up and saw a soldier coming with a weak maid.There was a rope around the maid's neck, and the soldier led her to the Empress Dowager like a dog, then bowed and said, "Empress Dowager, the officials, the arsonist has been caught."

This court lady looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a delicate face, but at this moment her complexion was pale and her lips were purple.

She hurriedly knelt down on the ground, kowtowed continuously, and said: "The Empress Dowager, the official family, the minor crime deserves ten thousand deaths, and the most serious crime deserves ten thousand deaths!"

Sitting side by side with Zhao Ji, the queen mother glanced at him, then unhurriedly took a sip of the teacup, and said, "I don't think you have the guts to harm the officials. Tell me, who told you to do this. "

"Yes... yes..." The palace maid was silent, she just raised her head and took a peek at Zhao Ji before she dared to speak.

"Hmph!" The Empress Dowager dropped the teacup heavily and said, "Could it be that that person can keep you?"

"The Empress Dowager, please spare me!" The maid kowtowed and said tremblingly, "It's Zhu... Concubine Zhu."

"Concubine Zhu?" Zhao Ji was taken aback.But the Queen Mother had already expected it, so she was not surprised.

"You have to think clearly, slandering the court is a serious crime." The Queen Mother said unhurriedly.

The palace maid hurriedly said: "I don't dare to slander you. It was Concubine Zhu who specially asked someone to pass a note to me, ordering me to use lard to burn the Zichen Palace. But I don't know that the official family is inside!"

At the end, the palace maid couldn't cry, so she had to keep kowtow.

Zhao Ji stood up suddenly and said sharply: "Everyone knows that Concubine Zhu is kind. Why did she suddenly want to kill me?"

"Officials, you are still protecting her." The Empress Dowager smiled contemptuously, and said to the maid: "Didn't Concubine Zhu write a note? Show it to the officials."

The maid fumbled in her bosom and took out a small bamboo stick.Zhang Di on the side went over to pick up the bamboo sticks and presented them to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji took a look, and saw the words "Zichen Palace is burned, and there will be rewards for success".

This is indeed Concubine Zhu's handwriting, and Zhao Ji felt lost after reading it.The queen mother also extended her hand, and Zhao Ji handed her the bamboo stick.

"Hmph! What a malicious intention!" The queen mother slapped the bamboo stick on the table, turned her head and said to Zhao Ji: "The official family has all the witnesses and material evidence, and I can't allow that lowly maid to deny it."

Zhao Ji's face was pale, and he said submissively: "It's all up to the mother and queen."

The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction, and ordered: "Come here, put this girl who plotted to kill the king in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, and deal with it after hearing."

The two soldiers responded, picked up the lady-in-waiting and left.

"As for Concubine Zhu? Send troops to guard first, and there is no rush to deal with it." She gave another order.

She took a sip of tea, smiled again, turned to Zhao Ji and said, "Concubine Zhu is the biological mother of King Jian. She is Sima Zhao's heart, don't you understand the official?"

"The queen mother said that she wants to kill me and make her son the emperor?"

"Isn't it?" asked the Queen Mother.

Zhao Ji didn't speak.

The queen mother got up slowly, and said as she paced: "The former emperor Zhezong is the son of Concubine Zhu. Originally, she could enjoy the glory and wealth for a lifetime by her son's side. It's a pity that God didn't bless her, and Zhezong died at a young age. Humph, yes For me, this is a godsend opportunity, how can I miss it?"

"My queen, the emperor is also very grateful for my mother's kindness in helping me ascend to the throne." Zhao Ji said.

The Queen Mother turned around and looked at him, and said, "Don't the officials like paintings? The Ai family happens to have a long scroll at hand, and I invite the officials to comment on it."

"Oh?" Zhao Ji was a little strange, wondering why the Queen Mother would turn the topic here.

Then, the two eunuchs slowly unfolded a long scroll.Zhao Ji came up and looked at it carefully, but only the characters, chariots and horses in the painting.The pavilions and city walls are lifelike.

"Exquisite brushwork and different characters, such a long scroll is really rare." Zhao Ji praised.

"This painting was made by a man named Zhang Zeduan ordered by the Ai family. Fortunately, it was able to enter the eyes of the officials."

Mo Yunxiao's spirit was lifted by the Queen Mother's words. Could it be that this painting is the famous "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"?She really wanted to get up and take a look together.

Mo Yunxiao thought well, this painting is the famous "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in the future.

The Empress Dowager pointed to the Bian River in the center of the picture, and said: "Look at the officials, there is a small boat carrying goods in this river, but this boat seems to be about to crash into the state bridge. The people on the boat shouted loudly, and there were also people running around shouting on the bank. But on the bridge people are still ignorant.”

Zhao Ji took a closer look and found that it was indeed the case.But he still didn't know the meaning of the Queen Mother's words.

The queen mother smiled and said: "Tokyo is prosperous everywhere, but for the people on this boat, this boat is their life. If the boat capsizes, they will fall into the water. The people on the bridge will only watch jokes. Officials, you Am I not the person in the same boat?"

"Ah?" Zhao Ji was taken aback, and looked at the Queen Mother blankly.

"If someone wants to overturn our boat, we must work together and do our best to get rid of this person." The queen mother continued: "Don't let Aijia do all the hard work, otherwise the boat will capsize."

Zhao Ji understood what she meant, so he said: "The emperor suddenly realized, thank you for your guidance."

The queen mother turned around and said, "I heard that King Jian was interrogated by the three judges and he was convicted of a serious crime, but why didn't he pronounce the sentence for so long?"

"King Jian has a lot of power in the court, and the emperor dare not deal with it rashly." Zhao Ji replied.

"You don't deal with it rashly, but some people take risks." The Empress Dowager smiled, sat down again, and said, "The officials have to be careful about this."

"Yes, the emperor understands." Zhao Ji said respectfully.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said: "Okay, the maidservant who risked her life to save you is still sleeping in the back, you go and have a look, Ai's family should go back to the palace to rest."

"Little one... the little one is already awake." Mo Yunxiao walked out cautiously from behind the screen.