Chang'an ancient meaning

Thinking that the emperor was impatient, Gao Lishi first sent someone to go back to report quickly, but felt that the carriage was not as fast as the horses. After leaving Puzhou, he asked Li Chengqi to ride with them, and finally passed Tongguan in the afternoon of the second day.It turned out that it had been raining for several days in Guanzhong, and none of the people had brought anything to cover the rain. Although the autumn rain was not very fast, they were thoroughly drenched after running all the way.Moreover, there are many mountainous roads in Tongguan, and the horseshoes are struggling to move forward in the muddy ground, slipping from time to time, and the mud splashes make everyone's clothes filthy.Gao Lishi was cold and anxious, and he couldn't help complaining to God with several servants.

Li Chengqi didn't talk to anyone along the way, and turned a deaf ear to the accusations and scoldings of the servants.He spent the past three days on the horse, exhausted to the extreme mentally and physically, and seemed to have no strength to even wipe the mist from his eyes. Dizzy and fell off the horse.He really didn't dare to think about other things other than concentrating on trudging through the muddy water. Passing by the gate of Biejia Mansion in Puzhou, his soul seemed to have been pulled out of his body, leaving only a walking corpse, being at the mercy of others Struggling in this quagmire.

At this time, it is mid-autumn, and it is not yet the time when the bleak grass and trees are shaking.The cold rain is zero, and the mountains are dimmed by the misty water mist, which is completely different from the green and lovely in the spring rain.If you are traveling far away, climbing mountains and facing the water to see you off, sure enough, autumn is the most inappropriate time to travel. The drizzle penetrates the cold and brings all the warmth, joy, and reunion in the past to the front of your eyes. With cold clouds and decaying grass, I feel unable to bear the loneliness along the way.It turns out that the word "worry" is just the autumn feeling in Liren's heart.

Entering the customs in such a slippery manner, it was already evening when entering Xinfeng County[1], a servant waited at the gate of the city with an umbrella. At the hour, I have been waiting in the post house since the time of application." Busily handing over his umbrella again, Gao Lishi scolded: "I am already like this, is it useful to have an umbrella! Tongguan is not a way for people to walk when it rains , We actually crawled out of the mud. Hurry up and lead the way!"

Seeing that Gao Lishi didn't want an umbrella, the waiter didn't dare to use it anymore, so he hurriedly got on his horse.Finally, the roads in the city were neatly repaired, everyone held back their anger for a long time, at this time they frequently waved their whips, the horses spread their hooves and galloped as hard as they could, and within a moment they came to the gate of the post house in Xinfeng County.Several servants helped Gao Lishi and Li Chengqi off their horses, and said, "Your Highness, please enter the house." Li Chengqi had lost consciousness in his legs for a long time, and was helped into the courtyard. For officials who come and go from west to east, the post houses are built with high gates and deep courtyards, which are very spacious.He walked through the two-story outer courtyard, and saw that the front hall door was open, and the emperor was sitting cross-legged on the couch reading a book in the bright lights, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Li Chengqi didn't know why the emperor didn't see him on Mount Li, but he wanted to come here in person, he didn't want to think too much, he stood outside the door and took a breath for a while, raised his arm and gently pushed away the supporting servant, enduring the soreness in his leg Stepping into the hall, he knelt down and said, "The guilty minister kowtows to His Majesty."

The emperor turned his head and saw that Li Chengqi's robe was completely soaked, and the hem was covered with mud, which had completely covered the original blue color of the robe, and at first glance, it seemed that a patch of ocher was added.He smiled slightly and said, "Why are you in the mud?" Li Chengqi knew his sarcasm, but his heart was cold and numb from the autumn rain all the way, and he no longer felt sad or happy. He was not as careful as he used to be, so he replied casually : "The humble body of a criminal minister should be painted with tails." The corner of the emperor's lips twitched slightly, and said: "It turns out that elder brother has this ambition, but it is a pity that he was born in the wrong family." : "The person who accompanied the eldest brother out of Beijing, brought back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and killed him."

Just as Gao Lishi responded, Li Chengqi raised his head and said, "Your Majesty! This matter has nothing to do with him!" Seeing that his face finally showed anxiety, the emperor smiled lightly and said, "Who is it related to, the Supreme Emperor?" Li Chengqi refused Let the father and younger brother have another quarrel, and said: "The guilty minister went down the mountain privately, and the emperor did not know. All the crimes belong to the minister, but please punish him severely and don't implicate others." The emperor laughed and said: "I ordered foreign officials not to pay private visits The clan's son-in-law, the imperial court's laws, elder brother Yu is a cloud outside his body, without any fetters, I can only send Xue Chongjian away."

Li Chengqi trembled again, and said in a low voice: "He didn't see the minister, and he didn't know that the minister went to Puzhou. It is not at fault." Li Chengqi had never met Xue Chongjian, but the emperor had not heard anyone's report, so he couldn't help being surprised and said: "Then why did brother go to Puzhou?" Li Chengqi only felt that the wound in his heart was soaked in the rain and festered and numb, and he didn't feel any pain after being torn open the scar to look at the dripping flesh and blood.He said dumbly: "He has never seen the minister, and the minister wants to see him, it is only the matter of the minister."

The emperor never imagined that his elder brother would travel four hundred miles across the country to escape to Puzhou as a dignified prince, just to have a look at that man, such a foolishness, I don't know whether it is ridiculous or hateful.He sneered and said: "If elder brother likes beautiful young people, you can tell me as much as you want. The Secretary of the Jiaofang has selected a group of handsome children, and many of them are better than flower slaves in appearance. How about I send them to elder brother? Isn't it better than waiting for plum blossoms to quench thirst and painting cakes to satisfy hunger?"

Li Chengqi didn't feel ashamed of the emperor's words. He was too tired to deal with such cynicism.Or he saw with his own eyes the love between Hua Nu and Wu Linglan, and he no longer needed his own thoughts.Since the reasons supporting his survival have lost their meaning, he can take a break, let go of those burdens, and say a few words from his heart, right?He slowly raised his head and looked at the emperor. Since the emperor took office, he has never seen such a scene of looking at people. At this moment, seeing his eyes are as cold as the sky outside the door, without the slightest respect, there is a feeling in his heart Anger arises quietly.

Li Chengqi said slowly: "Your Majesty made a mistake. I don't like Nanfeng, but I like flower slaves, just flower slaves. No matter whether you are beautiful or not, high or low, no matter whether it is heaven or earth, blue sky or yellow spring, there is only one flower slave."

Gao Lishi listened to him denouncing the emperor's wrongdoing, and raised his eyes to look at Li Chengqi in surprise, only felt that something was wrong with the prince since he left Puzhou, he must have lost his mind and went crazy.

The emperor said: "Brother is really infatuated. It seems that four hundred miles is still too close. I should send him to Lingnan." Li Chengqi was not flustered, and said calmly: "If I hurt Hua Nu because of my crimes, I will die. "The emperor was very angry and laughed back: "Brother got out of the car and wept for his crimes. He has to suffer on behalf of others at every turn. It seems that I am tyrannical."

Li Chengqi kowtowed and said: "I have no intention of coercing Your Majesty. I have received the grace of my aunt Hua Nu for saving my life several times. This body is no longer my own. I can't repay the favor. I have to die." When the emperor heard him mentioning his aunt, his expression became pale. Yi Hei said: "Brother just told me the truth today, no wonder Taiping wants to protect you as the crown prince, I must be very regretful today." Li Chengqi felt a pain in his heart, his eyes slowly lowered, and said in a low voice: "I am sorry Things are different from what His Majesty thinks."

The emperor had never seen his elder brother being so rude and rebellious, and he was furious immediately, thinking to himself: He just thought that I could do nothing for him.He slowly clenched his hand on the table a few times, looked sideways at Li Chengqi and said, "What's the crime of coercion?" Li Chengqi replied, "Capital crime." The emperor sneered and said, "I dare not bear the name of killing my brother." It's just that this time the elder brother deceived the king and father, I have the heart to worry about it, but the laws of the country and the family can't. I will take responsibility for the emperor today. All the governors, county magistrates, Zhechong, Guoyi, who go out of the world without permission, one hundred rods, and the classics Su Naizuo. Eldest brother will eventually serve as a foreign governor in the future, is it appropriate to use this law to deal with it?"

Li Chengqi didn't expect this result. For some reason, he felt a little disappointed in his heart, and he didn't want to think about it. He kowtowed and said, "Let Your Majesty decide."

Seeing that Li Chengqi still looked calm and unconcerned, the emperor became even more angry, and snorted, "Lishi, go to the back hall to pass the stick." Where did the punishment rod come from? I wondered if I should send someone to the Xinfeng County Government to borrow a few boards. Seeing the emperor's cold expression, he didn't dare to talk too much, so he agreed and went into the inner hall.

Sitting and kneeling, the emperor and Li Chengqi were speechless. They could only hear the light rustling of the drizzle on the doors and windows outside the door, and the tinkling of iron horses under the eaves as the autumn wind swayed. .Li Chengqi suddenly remembered that they stayed in the Furong Garden to take care of peonies that year, and the sound in the Spring Rain Night Garden also made them wonder whether every sound of the golden bell was accompanied by a petal falling to the ground.Up to now, the flowers are gone, the romance is gone, and there are no more worrying things, only the wind and rain are left. He saw the gentleman mentioned in the poem, but he was not happy.

During his thought, Gao Lishi had already turned around, with several servants behind him, holding red and black torture sticks in their hands, and the last two servants were carrying a black torture bed.When the torture bed was placed next to him, he glanced at it and couldn't help but be amazed, it was clearly the same as the one he had been laid down by a stick in the palace before, he never expected to meet the old thing here again.He couldn't think of where they gathered this set of guys in this barren mountain and wilderness. He just thought it was very funny for a moment, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but move slightly.

This smile fell into the emperor's eyes, his eyes turned cold again, and he said: "Serve elder brother and take off your clothes." Immediately, two servants stepped forward, tucked Li Chengqi in his arms, stood up, untied his belt, and took off his robe .Li Chengqi felt a little strange in his heart, he was at the mercy of these lowly servants, and in front of him was the torture rod that was about to be upper body, but he didn't feel the slightest shame or fear.It seems that he is just a cold-eyed bystander, standing aside and watching other people's affairs.After the clothes were stripped off and the filthy shackles of the past few days were removed, he felt a little relieved.

Pain and humiliation, wealth and glory, these sufferings that ordinary people can't bear, and the luck that ordinary people can't hope for, are the homework that he has accompanied every day since he was a child.The pain and joy he experienced were too extreme. Today, the prince, the pain of the cane, has been wiped away into the dust on the moss, the dew on the flowers, which can be wiped away with one's hand, and face each other peacefully.

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Two servants helped Li Chengqi onto the torture bed. Li Chengqi felt that the water dripped from his hair and covered his eyes again. Before the servants held down his arm, he wiped his hand, then lowered his head and closed his eyes and waited quietly.This small movement caught the emperor's eyes, but he was slightly taken aback, wondering if Li Chengqi was crying.This was originally at the turn of summer and autumn, and he was not wearing jackets. Li Chengqi removed his outer robe, leaving only a plain jacket inside, which was attached to his body by the rain, and the court clothes used to hide it were removed. My brother has lost a lot of weight this year.

The emperor sighed silently. With the wooden hairpin and plain clothes, no one could tell that the person lying on the torture bed waiting to be punished was the king of Song, who was second only to the second sage in the world.The emperor couldn't figure out why he would rather suffer humiliation, offend himself, and die when he was given the honor of being under one person and above ten thousand people, and the inexhaustible glory for the rest of his life. .He casually threw the crown prince position to himself, because in his eyes, the temptation of the throne was far less than his unethical love affair with Xue Chongjian, but the people all over the world praised his nobility.

Thinking of this, an inexplicable hatred surged in the emperor's heart. Li Chengqi's infatuation was blaming him for his ruthlessness; Li Chengqi's indifference was rejecting his prosperity.Even if Li Chengqi really coveted the throne, he would not be so disgusted.He could give his elder brother the respect and honor he deserved, but he had to surrender to himself first.He gritted his teeth and said, "Let's fight."

Gao Lishi hesitated, according to the rules of the torture stick, he had to remove his clothes, but the person lying on the torture bed in front of him was the elder brother of the emperor after all. Something is wrong.He hesitated and walked to Li Chengqi's side, folded up the hem of his jacket, put his hands on his waist, but raised his eyes to look at the emperor.The emperor saw that Li Chengqi's hand that was resting on the edge of the torture bed suddenly retracted at this moment, so he was still afraid.The emperor smiled slightly, and was about to speak, when he suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat familiar.He frowned and thought for a moment, the only time in his life he saw his elder brother being punished, and it was because of him saying "this is my court", Li Chengqi was beaten by his grandmother.Because of the pain and shame, he also clings to the edge of the execution bed tightly.

After more than ten years, this court has finally become the court of his Li family, and finally no woman can be above them, but his elder brother still misses that woman stubbornly.The emperor couldn't tell whether he was angry or pitying the elder brother, so he shook his head slightly.

Gao Lishi also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately retreated.

When the servants saw that the emperor had no more words, three of them came up and held down Li Chengqi's shoulders and feet respectively, and the two staff members held up their thorn sticks and thumped heavily on Li Chengqi's buttocks.Because Li Chengqi's clothes were completely wet, the sound of this stick was very crisp, as if hitting the flesh directly.Li Chengqi was in a daze, but he felt a sharp pain in his buttocks, and he was about to open his teeth with a muffled groan. He subconsciously wrapped his lower lip with his teeth, and heard Gao Lishi dryly calling out the number in his ear.

Li Chengqi couldn't tell the difference between sorrow and joy, it turned out that he was still alive and knew the pain, this punishment came too late, he was supposed to take it for Hua Nu two years ago, but unexpectedly it was delayed until today.Because of his fault, Hua Nu has experienced all the sufferings of the world, and he cannot save him by himself, let alone replace him with his own body. The only thing he can do is to accompany him like this.

Gao Lishi wondered what the emperor meant, and he was afraid that Li Chengqi's life would be lost here if he really had to finish his hundred sticks.Zhang blamed him for being rude, and wanted him to learn some lessons. If he begged for mercy, the emperor would naturally have a step down.Therefore, in the back hall, he ordered the servants to just focus on hitting as long as they don't become disabled.Those servants won the words of the emperor and their superiors, even the prince couldn't take care of them, and they used all their strength with each stick, and the sound of the stick resounded throughout the hall.The plain trousers that Li Chengqi was wearing were soaked in water and were almost transparent, after five or six sticks passed, the red and purple color on the flesh was faintly revealed.

The emperor saw that Li Chengqi was clasping the torture bed with both hands, his knuckles were blue from struggling, and every time he dropped a stick, his body would convulse violently. He knew that he couldn't help beating even more when he was exhausted and weak. will cry out.Thinking of this, the emperor secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and weighed it up in his heart. When he hit forty, he pushed the boat to spare him, let him know how to be afraid, and it might not really kill him.

The emperor didn't want to take a closer look at Li Chengqi's embarrassment when he was being blamed, so he got off the couch and walked slowly to the door.Only then, amidst the loud and piercing sound of staff reprimands and counting, could I hear the sound of the pattering autumn rain again.The emperor was a little bit perplexed. If they were not emperors and princes, if they had reversed the order of the family, if they hadn't experienced the chaos of the grandmother, Webster, and aunt, their brothers would be able to cook tea on such a clear autumn rainy night. Recite poems, talk at night together in bed, right?The emperor sighed faintly, Li Chengqi was willing to be smeared in the tail, but unfortunately they have come to this day, no one has the chance to turn back, he would rather hide his bone scarf in the temple than allow him to be smeared in the tail.

The emperor came back to his senses, and when he heard the number, he realized that he had hit fifteen sticks. He turned his head and saw that although Li Chengqi was still bowing his head, his body was trembling under the control, and the two strands were faintly visible. It's all black and purple.During the interval between the falling of the stick, there was the sound of Li Chengqi breathing hard from time to time, but there was not even a groan.The emperor also knew that although his elder brother treated people calmly and gently, he was extremely stubborn inside. It was reasonable for him to cherish his face and refrain from crying out for pain. The emperor was inexplicably worried in his astonishment.

The two servants with sticks beat their arms sorely, but they didn't let King Song say a word. They secretly looked at Gao Lishi's face, and they seemed very displeased when they saw him frown and face when he was counting.They were afraid that the execution would be ineffective and they would be punished later. Seeing that their round was about to end, they didn't care too much, so they slapped Li Chengqi's hips and legs hard with the last few sticks.Li Chengqi's eyes were blackened by this ruthless attack, and he even lost his breath. Only his heart was still beating like endless longing, almost wanting to punish and repay the stick. All the sounds were covered.

Gao Lishi counted to twenty, and the two people walking sticks according to the rules stepped back, and another two came.Gao Lishi also saw the clues, the king of Song, who didn't know what to do, risked his life to fight against the emperor. In his anger, he winked at the two newcomers, implying that they don't need to be merciful.Those two people looked closely, separated by a layer of silk, the skin on Li Chengqi's buttocks was swollen as high as a finger, and it seemed to be shiny, and they knew that the two had exerted all their strength just now.It's just that Gao Lishi's attitude made them feel helpless, so they had to secretly accumulate strength in their arms, raised their sticks, and shot down fiercely.

Li Chengqi was already paralyzed on the torture bed, and he didn't hear the sound of the blow of the torture rod in the drowsiness. He suddenly received this heavy blow, and it hit his already swollen skin, and he felt the severe pain several times more than before.Not only the skin and flesh on his buttocks seemed to be crushed by this stick, but also a lightning-like pain shot straight into the atrium, and rushed to the top door, as if it wanted to drain his brain dry.He had no choice but to bite his lower lip even harder, his mouth was already full of blood, which made him nauseated.

This time, it took only two or three sticks, and the skin that had already been unbearable was pierced, and the blood quickly spread on the pants.Li Chengqi felt dizzy from the pain in his head. He didn't care about his face so he deliberately held back his groans. It was because he had been enduring suffering for the past year. He was humbled and silent by the ubiquitous suffering day after day, lost. The ability to make a sound in pain.He could even bear the pain of losing Hua Nu, so the pain of flesh and blood was nothing at the moment.

Every time the torture rod was dropped, more blood poured out, and after soaking the trousers, it was impossible to see where the flesh was injured.The two servants didn't care about it, they just greeted his buttocks with a cane, firstly, coming here is the least harm to his life, and secondly, they also hope that he will yell out sooner due to the pain, both sides are relieved.However, this pampered prince's ability to endure pain is unimaginable, and he is still dumb after being beaten to a bloody mess.The two servants holding the stick saw the blood on his body being lifted up by the torture stick and splashed on the ground around his body. The thick dark red color infected half of his body. They were anxious, and their hearts were faintly terrified .

Li Chengqi only felt that half of his body had sunk into hell, being tortured by sawing, chopping and cooking.He only felt that the pain was very familiar, the sound of the wooden stick beating, the indifferent sound of counting, and the sound of rustling and rain coming from nowhere, they all matched the overlap of the dream.In the extreme pain, he was actually slightly happy. He knew the ending of the dream, Hua Nu would eventually block all disasters for him, and all the suffering was just an exchange for their reunion.Only this time, he seemed to have been waiting for a long time, why didn't Hua Nu come?

He was afraid that if he couldn't bear it anymore, he would faint first, so anxiously, he tried his best to raise his head, wanting to see where Hua Nu was.The servant who suppressed him didn't expect that he still had the strength to lift his body up, and was startled, fearing that he would fall off the torture bed, he quickly pushed him back down forcefully.At the moment when King Song lowered his head, the servant closest to him seemed to hear a groan, but it was indistinctly soaked in blood and sweat. It was more like a choked sob in despair than a cry of pain.

Gao Lishi counted to forty, the emperor's complexion turned black, and he walked back slowly, looking at this unreasonable elder brother and groaning.The trousers had long been soaked with blood, dripping onto the torture bed, and dripping along the dark torture bed onto the blue brick floor.The emperor took another step back in disgust. Today's troubles have reached such a point that there is no way to end it. Suddenly, a fierce anger rose in his heart. If he killed him like this, and told the outside world about his sudden illness, what could his father do?

The emperor didn't say anything, and two more servants stepped forward to take the stick, and when the stick was knocked down again, there was a puff, splashing a lot of blood, the man holding the stick was startled, and really didn't dare to hit him on the buttocks. , had to slap the stick on his leg.Li Chengqi was stunned by new pain unexpectedly, his body trembled slightly, but at this moment, his strength was exhausted, his throat was congested with blood, and he couldn't scream without gritting his teeth.He only felt that the blood in his mouth was accumulating more and more, and it didn't seep from his lips, but came up from his lungs. He was obviously sweating profusely, but he felt a little cold for some reason.

He sighed softly in his heart, what he prayed for was just a dream, but God refused to even give him a dream.Maybe his life is only between breaths, but he still has regrets in his heart. With so many attachments and regrets, he didn't have time to talk to Hua Nu, or even take a clear look at him.When his mind was completely dark, unexpectedly, a very clear sentence flowed out by accident, "I will give you an arm for the rest of my life and lose it, so I am not sad."He felt sore, there was no other way in this life, only death was left, which could soothe his longing and smooth out such grief.He was sure that even if it was Meng Po Tang, he would not forget Hua Nu, and his soul would definitely float to Hua Nu's side to take a real look at that smile.That smile is the cloud of kindness, and the rain of Dharma will surely wash away his sins and end his wandering and suffering in this life.

When Gao Lishi first saw some drops of water falling on Li Chengqi's face, he thought it was sweat, but he didn't care. When the drops formed a small pool, they never seeped into the ground.He approached slightly in surprise, only to realize that it was a pool of dark blood, he gasped, seeing that Li Chengqi's body was no longer moving, and he didn't know whether he was dead or alive, so he called softly in panic: "Zhaijia ..."

He didn't cry, and the emperor also saw that Li Chengqi had fainted, his hands had already fallen limply, and the cane fell on his body, but he didn't move at all.After the sixty canes were struck, before changing hands, the emperor stepped forward, clamped his elder brother's wrist, and pressed his pulse.He was very annoyed that Li Chengqi passed out without saying a word, and just threw a mess to him, and after thinking about it for a while, he knew that he couldn't really kill him.The emperor threw down Li Chengqi's wrist with a livid face, and said lightly: "Forget it, for the sake of calling him big brother, I will take away forty sticks." He said this, because Li Chengqi couldn't hear it, and no one answered. Xie En, he himself felt that it was very pretentious and boring, so he snorted and said: "Get a car, and send a few people to take him back to the Chang'an mansion. Then go up the mountain and tell Princess Song that the eldest brother will go back to the mansion first when he suffers from the cold, and let her go back to take care of him. "

Gao Lishi listened to the emperor's wishes, but he didn't want the emperor to know about it. Although he didn't know if he could keep it a secret for a lifetime, but at least he could avoid the current conflict between father and son, he hurriedly bowed his head and replied: "No."

The author has something to say: [1] Lintong was named Xinfeng in the Tang Dynasty, and Lishan was in Lintong County. This place produced good wine, that is, Li Bai's "Jonge Yang rebelled, and my concubine persuaded Xinfeng wine".