At the dawn of dawn, the south gate of Zhezhou City Palace had just opened, and people waiting to enter or leave the city lined up. Under the gaze of the gatekeepers, they began to enter and exit in an orderly manner. And at this moment,
The sound of horse hoofbeats was extremely eye-catching, and a group of officers and soldiers were seen driving a prison car, crushing the morning wind between heaven and earth, and slowly driving out of the city.
There were about thirty officers and soldiers, all dressed in bright armor. The leader was a tall horse. The knight on the horse was carrying a sharp knife. He was the black-shirted guerrilla general Jiang Yu. He was clear-eyed, riding his beloved horse, and opened the door at the lead.
The policemen and soldiers rushed out from the side door of the south gate. Then came the prison vans of the officers and soldiers.
The prison car was made of solid cedar wood and was like a cage. The prisoner was chained by hand, just enough to sit in it. The neck was tightly tied, and it was difficult to twist his head out and even look left and right.
The prisoner's hair was disheveled and he seemed to be quite old. His hair was white and it looked like frost on his head. He was so white that he felt panicked.
The common people entering and exiting the city gate looked at him curiously, but they did not recognize the prisoner in the prison car. They were just guessing in their minds, what crime did this person commit? And where will he be deported?
A temple is too high and too far away. There are no TV stations or newspapers in this world. There are countless things that the people below cannot access or understand.
Nie Zhiyuan was demoted from Jiangzhou to Jinhua as the county magistrate. He came to power in such a short time that not to mention the people in Zhezhou City, even the people in Jinhua County knew him. Therefore, after Nie Zhiyuan became a prisoner, how many people knew him?
Does a common person care about him? Others can't find out his identity at all. So under the eyes of speculation and doubt, Nie Zhiyuan sat in a prison car and was escorted out of Zhezhou.
The weather is not good today, the wind is a bit strong and howling.
Jiang Yuyang spurred his horse and took the lead, paying close attention to the surrounding environment, but it seemed that his vigilance was a bit unnecessary at the moment. On the road, ordinary people walking on the road retreated to the side when they saw the team coming, and stood at the roadside.
, some timid people dare not look further.
The prison car was an awkward car, and the speed was a bit slow. Fortunately, it was a gloomy day today, and there was no sunshine, so it saved a lot of trouble. At dusk, the wind suddenly became stronger, and a large dark cloud rolled in from the west, covering the sky.
It seems a little dim.
Jiang Yu reined in his horse and looked up. It was a sign of the coming mountain rain. He frowned and asked a deputy general next to him: "Vice General Zhu, a heavy rain is coming. Is there any shelter nearby?"
Lieutenant General Zhu is a native of Zhezhou. He is familiar with the geographical conditions near Zhezhou and is equivalent to a guide. He is thirty-five years old and has a strong appearance. He is a standard soldier. When Jiang Yu asked questions, he did not dare to neglect them.
Holding a riding crop in hand, he pointed to a dense forest ahead and said: "General, there is a righteous village there where you can take shelter from the rain."
The so-called Yi Zhuang is a place where dead people are stored and coffins are stored. These dead people may be those who died in a foreign land, those who were poor and had no land to bury, or those who died in a special way, so their corpses are put into coffins and transported.
Put it into the yizhuang. Such a place has always been regarded as a forbidden area, and most people would never want to enter it.
When Jiang Yu heard that it was Yizhuang, he was unhappy and asked, "Are there any other places besides this?"
Vice General Zhu shook his head and said: "This section of road is very remote. There were one or two small villages in the past few years, but they all moved away later."
"Moved?"
Jiang Yu became suspicious: "Did they move away because of a natural or man-made disaster?"
Ordinary people have a strong attachment to their hometowns and would not leave their hometowns under ordinary circumstances. Moreover, there are also government jurisdictions, so moving away is not something you can do casually.
Speaking of this matter, Vice General Zhu suddenly had a strange look on his face and shook his head: "It's not a disaster..., it's actually because of the haunting..."
Haunted?
Jiang Yu became even more puzzled and asked: "What's going on?" Lieutenant General Zhu pointed the whip in his hand at a tall and spreading mountain range in front of him and said: "General, according to our itinerary, we will reach the mountain over there at noon tomorrow called Zhuyan Mountain.
, there is an ancient temple in the mountains called "Lanruo Temple". The haunted one is Lanruo Temple. According to legend, hundreds of people have been killed by ghosts in recent years."
Jiang Yu looked in the direction he pointed, and when he heard about the ghosts, he felt inexplicably angry and shouted: "Nonsense! Today's sage is wise, ruling the world, and the world is at peace. How can there be any ghosts!"
When he shouted at him, Lieutenant General Zhu only obeyed and did not dare to say a word. Jiang Yu was a black-shirted guerrilla general with great authority and accumulated prestige. Not to mention that he was a small officer and deputy general, even the Zhizhou governor faced Jiang Yu.
, are all polite. However, the fact that Lanruo Temple is haunted has long been spread in Zhezhou, especially in Jinhua, and it is known to everyone. However, because the matter is too absurd, the story in Jinhua and Zhezhou
You can't make any news to anyone, let alone report it to the court.
The place under your jurisdiction is haunted, and countless people have died. Reporting such a thing to the imperial court is not tantamount to asking for death? I am afraid that the censors will immediately become angry, and the impeachment memorial will fly up like snow flakes to greet the leaders of Zhezhou. In addition to deposing,
There will be no second result. It’s all because some things cannot be put on the table.
Lanruo Temple is haunted, with ferocious ghosts harming people and making people panic. Of course, the government cannot sit idly by and ignore it, but since the three batches of officers and soldiers sent out in succession entered Lanruo Temple and disappeared into the sea, and no bones were left, no one dared to go in and search again. Over time,
, the people in the villages hundreds of miles away from Lanruo Temple were frightened, and those that were closer were moved away. Now, in such a huge place, there are only a few small towns left, very sparse.
When Chen Jianchen and his party came from Jiangzhou, they passed through the south of Lanruo Temple, and there was Qingtian Town in the south. But now Jiang Yu and his party are heading north from Zhezhou, and they have to pass through the area to the north of Lanruo Temple. One Temple
It exists like a transportation hub. Only because the Buddhist disciples who built Lanruo Temple were very unique in choosing the site, they were able to make Lanruo Temple prosperous and become one of the three famous temples in the world.
one.
Unfortunately, it is all gone now.
At this time, the dark clouds in the sky were thicker and heavier, the wind was blowing, and a heavy rainstorm was about to break out.
Jiang Yu had no choice but to order his team to go to Yizhuang to avoid the heavy rain first.
Xiao Qi, the prison car, couldn't help but move a little faster. But no matter how fast they were, they couldn't compare to the speed of the wind and rain. Lightning flashed... like a silver snake, and then there was a roar, and raindrops as big as soybeans covered their heads and covered their faces.
The blow fell and hit the person's face, causing a burst of pain. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers were well prepared and took out their raincoats and bamboo hats from their bags and put them on.
Jiang Yu suddenly turned his horse's head, ran to the prison car, took his bamboo hat, helped Nie Zhiyuan put it on, and said: "Master Nie, the wind and rain are unexpected, I hope you can hold on."
Nie Zhiyuan said in a deep voice: "General Jiang, Nie is now a prisoner. How can we be called a lord?"
Jiang Yu said loudly: "When I was in the capital, Jiang had heard your name and admired me.
I believe that after arriving in the capital, the Holy One will definitely restore Mr. Nie’s innocence."
Regarding Nie Zhiyuan's case, Jiang Yu also knew something about it. He was not a fool, and he quickly understood that Nie Zhiyuan had become a victim of partisanship. But he believed that as long as he arrived in the capital, Nie Zhiyuan would have a chance to make a comeback. In other words, he always believed that
With Nie Zhiyuan's previous reputation, the Holy Emperor would not execute him.
Although the emperor is young, he is by no means confused. Instead, he is quite wise and powerful, and has the image of an outstanding emperor. This was the impression Emperor Zhengming gave Jiang Yu.
In the capital, Jiang Yu had been interviewed once three years ago.
Hearing Jiang Yu's consolation, Nie Zhiyuan couldn't help but have a glimmer of hope in his heart. In his mind, going to Beijing and getting the chance to meet the saint was his only life-saving straw, so he always had this thought. As usual,
According to Nie Zhiyuan's status, escorting him to Beijing would have given him a chance to meet the saint.
but……
But will this opportunity really follow normal procedures?
Nie Zhiyuan was really not sure. He was well aware of the dangers in the official career. There were many unpredictable changes in the development of the situation. However, he did not have too much fear or worry. He was worried about his daughter Nie Xiaoqian.
Knowing his daughter's temperament, Nie Zhiyuan is worried that she will hijack the prison car midway. This is very likely to happen, and if it happens, there will be no room for maneuver in the whole matter. At that time, not only himself, but also
All daughters will become prisoners of the imperial court and have no place in the world.
"Qian'er, you must not act impulsively and do stupid things. Going to the capital for your father will probably lead to death... Why should a man be afraid of death? As long as he dies in a proper place, is worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth, and is worthy of all the people in the world, what's the harm in dying?"
Nie Zhiyuan looked at the white rain curtain and prayed silently in his heart.
This storm came quickly and violently, but within a short time, it fell like a pouring basin.
"Hurry up!"
"Follow up!"
"The prison car is stuck, come and help quickly..."
The shouts and shouts were mixed together in the rain. Even though they were well-trained, they were still caught off guard when they encountered such a heavy rain on the way. It only took half a cup of tea to reach Yizhuang, but it took a long time.
It took nearly half an hour to arrive.
At this time, many people in the team were soaked. It was raining so heavily that even coir raincoats and bamboo hats could not protect the whole body. Jiang Yu tied the horse to a tree outside the gate of Yizhuang and looked up at the square building.
It was a square house with earthen walls and gray tiles. After a slight hesitation, I walked forward and took a closer look. Only then did I realize that the village seemed to be in disrepair for a long time. No one had taken care of it for a long time.
He pushed the two covered wooden doors. The first push failed, so he put more force on his arm and pushed hard. With a crackling sound, the entire wooden door on the left fell to the ground and broke into pieces.