[Rebirth] The wind enters the forest

Chapter 20

Cao Jixia walked into the dark torture room, and the guard guarding the door looked up. The man in front of him was a little thin, his hair was combed up meticulously, and he was covered with an official hat. His skin was pale as if he had not seen the sun for a long time. Feeling a little unfamiliar, and not sure which lord it is, the man beside Cao Jixia frowned and said, "Is that a decoration on your neck?"

The jailer hurriedly knelt down: "I don't know if it's Mr. Cao who came, but the little one is convicted."

Cao Jixia didn't even look at him: "Go out."

The jailer was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and went out backwards.

Cao Jixia was wearing official boots. He was a bit of a clean freak. He had to change his clothes and pantyhose every day. Now that he stepped into this dark place, his face was displeased. He took two steps forward and looked down at the blood-stained person on the ground. The person's back was covered with welt marks, his ten fingers were pinched and deformed, and his nails were all pulled out by the roots. He sensed that someone was coming and scratched the ground a few times in vain, leaving a few blood marks.

Cao Jixia knelt down, pulled his hair with one hand and asked him to look up, and smiled sullenly: "Is Doctor Chang satisfied with the hospitality you receive?"

Physician Chang gasped for breath, and looked at him with half-closed eyes: "Now that I have reached such a point, I don't dare to hope that I can get out alive, and you don't ask any questions, just use torture blindly. I only hope that Mr. Cao can Give me an accurate word, what is it for? Or let me die to understand."

Cao Jixia let go of his hands and wiped the veil in distaste, then turned around in front of the instruments of torture hanging on the wall, picked one and weighed it in his hand, and said calmly: "The superior means, how dare the inferior official Guessing randomly? I am just a matter of eating the king's salary and acting as a minister, and the imperial physician Chang is also considerate and considerate of me, there is nothing I can do about it."

Physician Chang sneered: "It is said that the people who get stabbed down here are the most cruel. I didn't believe it before, but now it seems that Mr. Cao is really like a bee-tail needle."

Cao Jixia narrowed his eyes: "Hey, Imperial Physician Chang is very well-informed, since you've heard the first half of the sentence, you probably know the second half of it... Those who have been stabbed are not only the most cruel, but also the most favorite." As for oppressing people, it is said that this will allow them to taste a little bit of pitiful pleasure." He glanced at Chang Yuyi, squatted down slowly, and slowly inserted the silver needles in his hand into him one by one. abdomen: "Physician Chang, guess, is this statement true or false?"

Physician Chang has also heard of these insidious methods in prisons. The fine needle is inserted into the body and nothing can be seen outside, but with a little force, the tortured person will feel severe pain in the internal organs, but the wound is small, dragging For several days, he could not survive but could not die. The tendons in his hands had been severed, and he just stared at Cao Jixia with hatred: "Your methods are so vicious, aren't you afraid that you will die!"

Cao Jixia suddenly laughed out loud as if he had heard some joke, and tears flowed from his laughter: "A terrible death? Doctor Chang, do you think I'm still alive?" He stepped forward and stepped on Doctor Chang He stooped down to look at him: "Look, look carefully, am I still alive?" Chang Yuyi was stepped on by him and spat out a mouthful of blood, and Cao Jixia's face was half drenched. His face was gloomy, and at first glance, he felt hideous and terrifying, like a ghost crawling out of the underworld.

The door was knocked lightly twice, Cao Ji Xia Shi suddenly stood up, took out the handkerchief, wiped his face slowly, straightened his robe and went to open the door, the people outside stood in the shadows and could not see their faces clearly, followed by He said a few words, Cao Jixia nodded and went out, the man came in and closed the door, holding a teacup in his hand, walked over slowly, lifted Doctor Chang's chin, and put the bowl of something Spoonfuls of food were poured into his mouth. Physician Chang had a keen sense of taste, and he tasted what it was at once. His heart became clear and he didn't struggle. He just closed his eyes and gritted his teeth and swallowed it into his stomach. His throat was full of blood. Wei Er, after finishing drinking, he smiled sadly and said, "The prince is doing well these days? You should pay attention to nourishing in winter."

The prince's face was light: "Yes, but you should pay attention, I think the fritillary mother's loquat cream is good, would you like to have a cup of doctor Chang?"

Doctor Chang sighed: "I've done this one heartless thing in my life, and now I'm going to die on it, and it's my destiny."

The crown prince stared at him, without a trace of ups and downs in his tone: "Naturally, Imperial Physician Chang feels that it is not a loss. After all, he also pulled my mother and concubine as a backing. How can I lose?"

Doctor Chang raised his head. His left rib was very painful. He knew that his spleen was probably damaged, and blood slowly overflowed from the corner of his mouth: "I know the prince blames me and thinks I killed the empress, but you must I also know in my heart, how can there be any innocent people in this palace? They are all prey to the strong."

The prince sneered and stood up: "It's very good, since you said that, now I'm a knife and you are a fish, and there is nothing to entangle. Don't you care about the queen? Don't worry, I will ask her to come down to accompany you soon." Ah, speaking of which, you still have a daughter... Physician Chang, what do you think I should give her when I go back?"

Doctor Chang straightened up abruptly, his chest panting like an old bellows: "His Royal Highness, please, I beg you, I did all those years, please don't involve others!"

The crown prince walked out slowly, and upon hearing the words, he said indifferently: "Doctor Chang is so confused, shouldn't you be prepared to bear the consequences when you did these things back then? Tell me these things now What is it?"

Doctor Chang stared at him with tears and blood streaming down his face. He knelt down to him and choked with sobs, "Your Highness, do you know why the Empress has not had a child of her own for so many years?"

The prince didn't turn his head back, he just twitched the corners of his mouth into a smile: "I don't want to know."

The case would not be settled for a while, the queen mother was in a panic, the emperor and the queen were not in the mood, and they went back after a little meal.

He Guang got some wind and came to Fenglin Palace early to wait. Seeing the queen coming, the two hurried into the palace.

The empress was so anxious that the corners of her mouth became a little angry. She didn't dare to say anything in the Empress Dowager's Palace before, but now she poured out: "Chang Yuyi is an old man in the Taiyuan Hospital, and he can be regarded as an upright person. How could he commit such a thing?" What did you say about the royal blood, it must be instigated by someone, I was wrong to look at that Lin Gantang before, this time it must be related to him! My right eyelid keeps twitching, I am afraid it is not a good sign, don’t it Aiming at the Fourth Prince, right?"

He Guang frowned: "Now the emperor has entrusted the case to Cao Jixia for special trial. Right now, the empress can't help by making random guesses. Why don't you go find him and talk to him? I heard that he is not a whole person, so I want to talk to the outside world." Those pickling slaves are the same, if they just took money and threw it in, I don't believe he won't be tempted!"

The queen was anxious: "This matter cannot be delayed, there is no need for someone to preempt and mix the white into black, I will go to him right away." Then she called the woman beside her to prepare a sedan chair and hurried to the place. The Ministry of punishment went.

When the people from the Ministry of Criminal Justice heard that the empress was coming to find Cao Jixia, they hesitated a bit. The new servant of the Ministry of Criminal Justice was originally from Dali Temple. He heard that his temper was very unpredictable, moody, and he was trying an important case personally ordered by the emperor. He didn't dare to lead the queen in directly, so he asked the people below to quickly invite Cao Jixia over.

The empress poked her eyes out at the door, feeling anxious, wishing she could just rush in, and finally caught sight of Cao Jixia, seeing that he was walking slowly again, and gritted her teeth to meet him. Carrying the scent of powder and fragrance, she rushed over like a hydrangea, took a step to the side, and said: "Why did the empress come to this place, but be careful, go out with the minister and talk, there is no need to call it a collision."

The queen was looking for a place where no one was around, and hearing what he said was just what she wanted, so she hurriedly followed and walked outside until she reached a resting garden nearby, then covered her mouth with a veil and said: " Ben Gong rested with the emperor at the Empress Dowager's place at noon, listening to Mr. Cao imprisoning an imperial doctor here, and talking about things that are made out of nothing, you have to carefully interrogate, don't let him deceive you."

If ordinary officials heard that the queen moved out of the emperor and the queen mother in such a way, they would definitely be bluffed for a while, and the timid ones would say it like beans in a bamboo tube. Cao Jixia was different, he knew what was going on in his heart , only responded: "Thank you, Madam, for your reminder, I will do my best to serve the emperor with all my heart."

The queen saw that although he was biting his lips tightly, he was still submissive after all, and with some confidence in his heart, he gradually showed some style: "The Cao family is counting on you, Mr. Cao is not like the Cao family." One prospers all prospers one loses all.”

Cao Jixia lowered his head slightly: "Your servant is awake."

The queen glanced at the woman next to her: "There is no peace in this palace all day long. I know that some people don't like me, and they always want to trip me up behind my back, but I am the queen after all. , there is the Gu family behind him, so it's so easy to shake, Mr. Cao, if he hears some gossip, he can figure it out clearly." The woman next to him gathered up a stack of bank notes and handed them over, the queen smiled and said: "My palace It doesn't mean anything else, just looking at Mr. Cao is working hard. Now Mr. Cao is new in office. Although he has a bit of foundation, he has to take care of everything..."

Cao Jixia didn't speak, just raised his eyes slightly, staring at the necklace hanging on the queen's neck, intentionally or unintentionally, glanced at it. The string of beads on the queen's neck was made of high-quality emeralds, inlaid with pearls and pendant with opals, extremely luxurious , but I don't care about these at the moment, I took it off with a gritted teeth, and said with a smile: "Master Cao also has a Buddhist bead in his hand. I think he is destined to be a Buddha. This string of my palace was consecrated by an eminent monk. Now that I meet Take it to your lord, and give it to your lord."

Cao Jixia smiled and took those things and stuffed them into his sleeves: "Ma'am, I'm afraid this is inappropriate?"

Seeing his money-loving face, the queen felt disgusted, and smiled slightly: "It's fate, there's nothing wrong with it."

Cao Jixia cupped his hands at the empress: "I have to go back to try the case. If your majesty has nothing to do, I won't accompany you."

The queen waved her hands and watched Cao Jixia go away, frowned in disgust and said, "Go back."

The old woman helped the queen to get on the sedan chair slowly: "Your Majesty, those pearls are very rare, it's really cheap for him."

The queen leaned back slightly on the chair and said with a sneer: "The things in this palace are not so affordable for him, let's just spend money and keep safe, and then we will slowly settle the accounts with him in the days to come."

The author has something to say: When I re-read the manuscript the next day, my heart always breaks down: Oh my god, I wrote this?This is written by God horse stuff!fall!