This feeling is not unfamiliar.

Many years ago, there was a severe drought in Yanzhou, Shandong Province. The fire umbrellas in the territory were high and the rocks were scorched. The once fertile fields and fertile soil were roasted and cracked.

Due to the long-term shortage of water and food, good people were forced to become refugees, scrambling for food everywhere.

In places where the disaster was severe, some people even exchanged their children for cannibalism.

Xu Fu stuffed a bag of steamed buns into his arms and threw him into the group of refugees.

"Yan'er, go. Only after you go will you know why people can't be soft-hearted and kind."

Xu Fu smiled, the smile on his face was gentle and compassionate. She pushed him mercilessly from the carriage with a long hand.

There was a "bang" -

a burst of sand rose up from the dry ground. The moment he smashed into the dust, a group of ragged refugees surged around him. The clear sky that came into view was instantly covered by skinny and black people. Covered by hands.

He was only seven years old at the time, and among a group of hungry refugees whose eyes were green, not only was the bun in his arms food, but so was he.

He had forgotten how long he had been running.

The shoes embroidered with Ruyi gold moiré patterns had long since worn away, and the bare soles of his feet were stained with blood, with blood blisters scalded by the hot ground.

He ran into the dense forest, and the sound of wind blew past him. The wind that poured into his mouth was like a thin blade roasted in the fire, cutting a piece of fishy sweetness in his throat.

A large number of trees on the outskirts of the forest fell, and their leaves and roots all became food for the refugees.

He could only run deeper into the woods where wild beasts were infested.

Gu Changjin has a natural sense of belonging to the dense forest.

When he was young, his father carried him up the mountain to hunt. He taught him how to hunt in the mountains and how to hide his tracks.

"Sui Guan, your feet should be light, your hands should be steady, and your mind should not be panicked."

"Remember, never expose your weaknesses."

"Once exposed, you will not be able to hunt. On the contrary, those ferocious beasts will Treat you as prey and eat you alive."

The trees in the dense forest were still standing, one next to the other, and his father's words guided him through it. Soon he climbed up the branch with all his strength and jumped up into the tree. He quickly climbed up and hid himself in the shadows.

The moonlight that night was like gilded silver, and there were howls of wolves deep in the jungle. Outside the forest, there were the roars of men, the cries of women, and even the sound of ripping silk.

He hid in the tree and never dared to close his eyes.

Three days later, Xu Fu took him back to the carriage and asked him: "Yan'er, aunt asks again, do you want to keep that mastiff's life?"

The young boy was covered in blood, with chapped lips and blood blisters. His feet were bleeding, and there were blood marks every step of the way.

He looked up at Xu Fu and said expressionlessly: "I won't stay anymore."

Xu Fu smiled slowly, took a handkerchief and gently wiped his face scratched by twigs and gravel, and said happily: "Okay, when we go back , you killed it with your own hands."

That mastiff is called A Zhui, and he was Gu Changjin's companion when he grew up.

Gu Changjin pursed his lips, and his heart sank, like falling into an ice cellar.

But his body was scalding hot, as if the blazing sun above his head had lit a prairie fire to his limbs and bones through his bloody wounds.

At this time, in the prison of the Criminal Department, the familiar burning feeling struck again.

It doesn't hurt, he thought.

Gu Changjin bent down, held Jin firmly with both hands, and said warmly: "You don't need to thank me. I just handle the case impartially, and I can't afford your thanks. Just wait." Why are you waiting for

him ? He didn’t say it, but Jin understood.

The woman opened her mouth, and tears welled up in her dry eyes.

"People, people's women...wait," she said softly, as if remembering something, and then said: "People's women--"

Every word she said became so difficult, but Jin still slowly finished the rest of her words. The tip of her tongue came out: "No, I have... admitted... sin."

She had never confessed.

Never.

If she pleads guilty, she will die, and Li'er will never be able to escape that person for the rest of her life.

No matter how much she suffered, she refused to let go. It was those people who pinched her thumb, which was missing both armor and flesh.

Her benefactor avenged her, and she could not let him think that she had confessed her crime.

She wanted to let her benefactor know that the man he saved had never confessed his crime, not even until his death!

Jin's eyes flooded with tears kept looking at Gu Changjin.

Gu Changjin nodded slowly and said solemnly: "I know, you have never confessed."

...

The corridor in the prison was long and narrow, Gu Changjin walked out of it, and the moment the door opened, the thin light was like water. like influx.

Inside and outside the prison, there are two worlds, heaven and earth.

Tan Siyuan looked back at him and said: "Since you have to come to duty, then go with me to try the case of Xu Li'er and Jin. The evidence for them to reverse the case was obtained by you going to Changping for an undercover investigation, and the entire Criminal Department also You know the evidence best."

Gu Changjin was busy in the Criminal Department for five days, and Chang Ji sent him soup and food every day.

On the second day of September, he personally wrote the verdict of Xu Li'er's case, and the verdict was sent to Dali Temple for review that day.

At night, Chang Ji and Hengping drove to pick him up. Chang Ji said worriedly:

"The minister of Dali Temple is a disciple of the chief minister of the cabinet, and the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate has good friends with the chief minister of the ceremonial committee. These two adults Could it be a hindrance?"

Gu Changjin was determined to bring Xu Li'er's case to Emperor Jiayou because of the unclear relationship between Dali Temple, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and the cabinet. .

After the Ministry of Punishment retried the case, it sent the verdict to Dali Temple. As long as Dali Temple delayed it for a month or two and dragged Jin to death, the case would be completely closed and it would be difficult to overturn the verdict.

Gu Changjin closed his eyes and said: "Your Majesty is watching, neither Li Meng nor Meng Zong dare to protect Yang Xu."

Li Meng and Meng Zong are the Dali Temple Minister and Zuodu Censor that Chang Ji mentioned just now.

Chang Ji's shoulders relaxed, "This way, my master's work is not in vain!"

He looked at Gu Changjin and said distressedly: "My master has not had a good rest in the past few days. Let's go back and have a good sleep today." Gu Changjin

did indeed I haven't had a good sleep in a long time, and my heart feels stuffy. It's probably because the internal injury has recurred.

Returning to the study, he briefly freshened up and then lay down on the couch.

However, after sleeping for less than half an hour, a bright light suddenly penetrated his eyes. He subconsciously shrank his eyelids, and then forcefully opened his eyes.

The room was filled with bright light, and in the light stood a young girl.

She was lowering her head, holding a spoon and slowly stirring the dark and thick medicine in the porcelain bowl.

"Lang Jun's medicine is no longer hot." She turned sideways and held a medicine bowl with a green background and white flowers with a smile, "Lang Jun has been busy in the Ministry of Justice for so many days, so he should rest early after drinking the medicine. "

The soft pancreas is like nephrite, more beautiful than the white magnolia on the blue and white porcelain bowl.

Gu Changjin moved his gaze upwards and met her twinkling peach blossom eyes. For some reason, he obediently took the medicine bowl and drank the medicine.

However, when the medicine entered his mouth, he felt strange.

It felt like she shouldn't be here at this moment, and he didn't need to drink medicine.

Just as he was about to think deeply, there was a sudden light on his hand. The girl took away the empty bowl in his hand and handed him a piece of candied fruit.

"Mr., eat a piece of candied fruit to sweeten your mouth."

Gu Changjin was never afraid of bitterness when taking medicine, and he never liked eating sweet and greasy candied fruit.

He felt a little impatient in his heart, but he still calmly took the candied fruit and stuffed it into his mouth, thinking that if she finished it earlier, she could leave the study earlier.

She was indeed ready to leave the study. After packing the medicine bowl, she said a few words of Wen Yan and walked to the door.

However, when she was still one step away from the wooden door, she suddenly stopped again, turned slightly sideways, and asked him, "Why is Mr. Lang so uncomfortable?"

Gu Changjin was slightly startled, and raised his eyes again to look at her carefully.

He knew she was beautiful, but he had been married to her for more than half a month, and he had never really looked at her. To him, she was just someone forced upon him by Xu Fu, no different from a stranger.

He couldn't figure out Xu Fu's intention, so he could only keep her cold from a distance or a distance.

Fortunately, she is not that arrogant and annoying. Although he doesn't like her, he is very satisfied with her rules.

But now, when she asked, "Why is Mr. Lang so upset?", that was out of line.

Gu Changjin's impatience had reached its peak.

Jin's death really made him feel uncomfortable.

But what makes him uncomfortable is that even Changji and Hengping, who have been serving him since childhood, can't see it. Why should she see it?

He leaned back slightly, resting his head on the back of the chair, and scanned her face inch by inch with indifferent eyes.

From her slender eyebrows, clear eyes, to petal-soft lips, it was as if she was taking a serious look at what this life was like for the first time, even the small and faint rouge mole in her earlobe.

He admitted that this girl from the Rong family was indeed as lovely and lovely as a delicate flower.

But what can she know about such a delicate flower raised in a boudoir?

He is just a daughter of a boudoir who is well-dressed and well-fed, and has never suffered any hardship since childhood. What worries her most of the day is how many flowers have fallen, whether it will be a good day tomorrow, and such trivial and boring things as not being able to buy the hairpins and silks she likes. .

Has she ever seen the horror of cannibalism?

Have you ever been pushed into a group of jackals, tigers and leopards?

Have you ever...

plunged a knife into your companion's neck with your own hands?

He knew that she liked him, and her clear and shining eyes never concealed her love for him.

But what does she like about him? Is this a skin?

Or is it his false reputation as a young champion?

Or is it his so-called feat of not fearing the powerful and sacrificing himself for the people?

Does she know what kind of person he really is?

Gu Changjin sneered at her liking.

Seeing her concern for him, he watched with cold eyes, the words "Madam, what do you know?" were already on his lips.

But at this moment, his heart shrank violently, and then it seemed to have its own consciousness, beating wildly, as if it was going to explode in the next moment.

The familiar palpitations made his face turn cold.

Gu Changjin suddenly stood up, raised his eyes, and looked around this familiar room, his eyes suddenly turned violent.

"Wake up!"

He fell asleep again!

"Plop", "Plop", "Plop" -

the heartbeats rang in his ears. Gu Changjin closed his eyes, held his mind in thought, and stopped looking at the person in the light.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, and it seemed that only a moment had passed. The study in front of me finally turned into a ball of broken light like a reflection in the water.

When she opened her eyes again, the girl with peach-shaped eyes and a worried face shook a few times and then disappeared in the broken light.

Gu Changjin relaxed, thinking that he would leave this dream soon. But the next moment his vision dimmed, and he suddenly fell into a dark corridor.

It seemed like I had returned to the long and cold corridor of the Penal Department Prison, which seemed to have no end in sight.

The cold, salty wind blew his clothes.

He frowned and walked forward. He didn't know how long he walked, and finally saw a glimmer of light at the end.

However, before he could get close to the light, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in the darkness.

"Gu Changjin, save her!"

"Save her quickly, Gu Changjin!"

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked towards the light.