Ping An Biography

Yao Ji and Zhang Ning met again, still in the study in the small courtyard of the main altar. .. The sound of the waterfall, the water mist it breaks, the humid air, the bamboo curtains, everything remains the same. She is so familiar with this place, so familiar with the small damage on the door.

Zhang Ning put a large stack of papers on the desk and began to describe what he did in Fengxia Mountain.But in Yao Ji's point of view, the main point is not mentioned: the imperial court listed the evil cult as a rebellious party, and the government wanted to arrest him.Maybe I will talk about it later, but I just follow the chronological order of things, and I haven't talked about it yet.

He has nowhere to go, lost his job.Yao Ji originally hoped that he would have a stable and happy future that was not very glorious, but now this wish has come to nothing; without the identity recognized by the mainstream society, many wishes will become impossible.

But for some reason, Yao Ji concealed a trace of joy in her heart.He has no place to stay, he can only rely on her, and he will be by his side for a long time to come.

...Although it is a hopeless joy.The evil sect was listed as a rebellious party by the court, and its involvement with Jianwen, whether large or small, poses a threat to the current emperor, and it will be encircled and suppressed sooner or later.She wasn't worried about what to do with the Cult, the people above would come up with a decision; when the Cult ceased to exist, her situation would be very pessimistic.First of all, she has no way to leave Jianwen's sphere of influence, otherwise there will be no place for her in the world; if she leaves the evil cult and returns to the place arranged by Jianwen without power or influence, Empress Ma will not let her go.

Human beings have only a process but no results, and the result is a handful of loess.Just like this main altar hidden in the deep mountains, there are many people full of loneliness and lifelessness; like a tomb, they are locked here and slowly rot.And just like those petals that once bloomed, they are slowly withering, and I am also growing old in a boring grave.But this is all for the future, and now Zhang Ning is by his side, talking.

No despair or decadence could be heard in his tone, in fact, there was depression in his light and low voice, suppressing a kind of passion, the excitement of something that seemed absurd to Yao Ji. {.

His voice is very soft and deep, and he speaks in a straightforward manner, but there is a slight cadence between each sentence, as natural as a rhyming poem.If you are not serious, the impromptu words will not be so smooth and appropriate.Yao Ji could still see such emotions in his eyes, the eyes in the eye sockets revealed something calmly, as if reserved and affectionate, which made people feel a little uncomfortable and sympathetic.

Yao Ji seemed to be listening to him intently, but her eyes flickered across the bridge of his nose, mouth, and chin, looking at his Adam's apple and collarbone protruding from his collar from time to time.

Gradually, she didn't know what Zhang Ning was talking about. There seemed to be a panting sound in her ears, and she returned to the moment of "it didn't happen". His trembling body, pious eyes, his fiery Lips make it impossible to breathe.It was obvious that he was holding him hostage and holding the initiative, but there was a slow pleading in his eyes.The moment she entered her body, she felt shame and expectation coexisting, panic and anticipation, fearful guilt...

During the long days without surprises and hopes, Yao Ji would sometimes fantasize about what to expect to stimulate this numb suffering.But in the end he even put the smelly thing on her face. This kind of humiliation made her very uncomfortable, and she even didn't want to think about it, but it was this memory that she lost as an elder. His dignity and feeling are subtly changing.

"Mother, are you listening?" Yao Ji cheered up in a trance.

"I'm listening." Yao Ji found that her voice became lighter, perhaps influenced by Zhang Ning's tone, which was restrained, patient and very gentle.The unknowing effect is as if you originally spoke Wu dialect, but the person you are talking to speaks Nanjing Mandarin, and you also know it.

Zhang Ning's eyes moved slowly on her beautiful face: "What do you think of me?"

Only then did Yao Ji realize that her lips were a bit dry, so she lightly pursed her vermilion lips, and said casually, "Very good, but it's just very risky and not easy."

Zhang Ning looked into her eyes: "The evil cult is facing a catastrophe. As long as they see hope, people are willing to give it a go. This is our chance. We have no other way out. There are only two other ways. Retreat: First, find an unknown place to hide, but this will also cause a lot of troubles, the people around will doubt us, and there may be some unpredictable dangers. Second, defect to Emperor Jianwen, but he also has his own It’s hard to guarantee that Empress Ma will even get in the way and plot tricks, where we have nothing to gain and no hope, but we have to worry about it.”

"... What I don't want to see is that without all of this, my mother can only live in a dusty house, without serving servants, without soft clothes that suit you, with a lack of daily use and cumbersome clothes. The sun will quickly eclipse your brilliance." Zhang Ning looked sad, "I should go to fight, occupy a large area, let you live in a spacious and clean palace, with curtains hanging from the floor, They are in contact with the ground like long skirts, but the floor is spotless and will not be stained; there are a large group of maids and servants serving your daily life, so as to match your elegant and refined temperament; there are many luxurious clothes and jewelry. You choose, but you only see what you like..."

"Will you come to greet me?" Yao Ji laughed.She found that Zhang Ning also loves to imagine, fantasizing about those possible and impossible hopes, but there is nothing wrong with this, it makes Yao Ji happy for a while.One needs to have some hope and a little desire to live, and she has already felt numb in the dull environment.

Zhang Ning nodded seriously.

Yao Ji said again: "You will be very polite and come to greet me, or accompany me to relax in the garden where the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, and there will be mountains and water. Many people will follow carefully behind. No one dares to speak ill of us. You don’t even dare to plot against us behind your back, because you can execute them at any time, and you can also give them favors... Tolerance and gifts will make people grateful. Again, I don’t worry about doing something wrong and falling out of favor, because You are my flesh and blood, so I have everything at ease..."

"I can get more." Zhang Ning's eyes gradually burned, and he didn't know how his hand slowly moved forward on the table.

Finally, there was a slight touch. It was too light and too short for a moment, and he didn't even realize what kind of touch it was. Yao Ji withdrew her hand and put it under the table.

She looked down at the dossier in front of her and said, "I have to take a closer look at what you wrote. There are so many, I'm afraid it will take some time. I don't need to meet in these two days. The people in the yard will take care of your daily life."

The illusion came to an abrupt end, shattered by her withdrawal.Zhang Ning also understands her feelings. A mature Ming Dynasty woman understands many principles and rules of life, and also has her own ideas.Those ideas are deeply rooted in her heart, and it is difficult to change.

Besides, even if he was not from the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Ning, who has modern concepts, suddenly realized that some things were wrong.

He became a little irritable, and said in a blunt tone: "I have plenty of time to read these files when I leave."

"Where are you going?" Yao Ji asked in surprise.

Zhang Ning said: "I have to go to the capital. I'm not going back with Jin Yiwei, and I won't have contact with the government...I want to see the situation of King Han, and try to help him if I can find the opportunity."

"King of Han?" Yao Ji frowned slightly, thinking about something.

Zhang Ning pretended to be calm: "The existence of the King of Han is an important reason why we are not facing an immediate catastrophe. He will soon be destroyed. The next thing is to uproot the cult and Jianwen party members. Another reason is that Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji has just ascended the throne, and his prestige is not enough and his foundation is still unstable. Putting down the rebellion of the King of Han is an experience to increase his strength and prestige; getting smaller."

"They are arresting you, and they may be wanted everywhere in the near future. If you go out now, you are throwing yourself into a trap. I have also heard about the King of Han. He has no chance, and it will be useless if you go." Yao Ji said, " Why do you take the risk of doing something useless? I don't agree with you going."

"Don't you look for opportunities?" Zhang Ning didn't know why he was inexplicably angry, "There is no chance in this deep mountain... Do you know what the main altar of the evil spirit sect looks like to me? It's like a tomb! A cliff cave , the mausoleum where the coffin is placed!"

Yao Ji raised her head: "I think so too, but I've been here for several years."

Zhang Ning put his hand on the table: "Then you still want to sit here and wait to die? Are you still hesitating? Now we have something to lose, something to miss, why don't we give it a go... and why should I?" Make yourself lose your official position?"

Yao Ji hurriedly asked: "Why did you say that just now? Could it be that you submitted Wu Yong's secret letter?"

"It's me." Zhang Ning said, "If it's not me, who else can it be? There is no one around Wu Yong. Changde's interview envoys are all staffed by me; Wu Yong and Zhan Zhuli were both killed by me, and they have no information at all. There was no chance. I burned some of Wu Yong’s letters, sent the contents of the whistleblower to the capital, and sent my confidants directly to Hu Ying.”

"You..." Yao Ji looked at him incredulously, and then sighed.

After a moment of silence, she said again: "Why did you do that, regret it?"

"I never regret it." Zhang Ning clenched his fists, "Why did you do that? Because you are waiting to die in a tomb, and I am doing inexplicable things in front of an official with the possibility of revealing my identity at any time. We guard Unreasonable rules, waiting for hopeless results."

Yao Ji said suddenly: "Zhang Ning, take me away!"