Chapter 432: Your Majesty! Mr. Zhao... died in Fengcheng! (Big Chapter)
In the court hall.
As Zhao Duan finalized the details, everyone in the hall stood up. Gongshu Tianyuan took out the red hijab again and said with a smile:
"Let's go, we have to do a full show, and the three of us have to come in openly from the outside."
Jin Jian rolled his eyes, while Lang Shiba walked over in silence, a typical ruthless person who didn't talk much.
According to Zhao Duan's arrangement, the three of them need to come back from outside and report the situation in the Forbidden Mountain Villa to Magistrate Luan.
Magistrate Luan looked at the three people who had disappeared, stood up and walked out:
"Zhao Shaobao will rest in the house while I go out to deal with the follow-up."
Lihuatang Jinyi also walked out.
In the house, only Zhao Duan, Zhuang Xiaocheng, Yun Xi, Ji Yue, and Haitang and Zhang Han who "died under the cliff" were left.
Coupled with the two brothers and sisters from the Tianshi Mansion who later had to leave "disheartened", the size of the entire "Secret Chencang" team reached an astonishing eight people.
"There are a lot of people. I wish I could have taken less people up the mountain." Zhao Duan sighed softly.
Haitang, who was about to be "fake death", sneered:
"Aren't you satisfied that we are going to fake death with you? Or you can treat me and Zhang Han as corpses, throw them in the coffin, and transport them back to Beijing with the army. It's better to lie down and go back to Beijing than to sleep in the open air with you. I'd rather Happy.”
Zhao Duan couldn't laugh or cry: "It's okay if I said something wrong."
He turned to look at Yun Xi again and said:
"By the way, I also need you to make a list, that is, which of the Kuangfu Society members captured today do you think can be won over and are worth saving."
Yun Xi was stunned for a moment and couldn't believe it: "Are you still willing to forgive some people who rebel against the party?"
She felt that she could not understand this traitor more and more.
Zhao Duan smiled slightly:
"I am not a devil, but I have a condition. Those people you think are deceived by Zhuang Laogou and are worthy of saving must accuse Zhuang Xiaocheng in public and serve as witnesses to convict him."
He sighed: "How can a grand trial lack witnesses?"
……
On this day, too many things happened in Fengcheng.
First, the "immortal master" Lu Zhengchun was beheaded, and the execution ground was "robbed" twice. In the end, his head fell to the ground. It is said that he died in a miserable state.
He was pierced through the buttocks with a sharp knife and died... all the viewers were amazed.
Then, the officers and soldiers searched the whole city for those who rebelled against the party. They were only allowed to enter the city but were not allowed to leave. The arrests continued until night.
However, the most sensational thing was that Gongshu Tianyuan and his three men rushed back to the city, looking sad, and reported to the prefect Luan Cheng:
Zhao Shaobao led a group of elite soldiers to raid the rebels' lair and died together with the "bandit leader" Zhuang Xiaocheng.
As soon as the news came out, the whole city was in an uproar.
Lieutenant General Yuan Ji's face turned pale, and cold sweat immediately soaked his armor. Luan Cheng immediately appointed the county magistrate to take charge, and he personally led a large number of officers and soldiers straight to the Forbidden Mountain Villa.
They detoured to the bottom of the cliff and valley, and sure enough they found that the entire mountaintop collapsed, almost forming a hill. Officers and soldiers were stationed here, digging and searching all night.
Countless torches were burned in one night.
In the end, only a dozen obscure and smashed bodies were dug out from the rubble.
It is said that the death of Zhao Duan, his party, and Zhuang Xiaocheng were determined based on the corpse's clothes and scattered accessories.
Then, Luan Cheng, the prefect, returned to the city almost like a ghost, and personally ordered a convoy of prisoners to arrest the rebels in the city. He would personally lead the convoy of prisoners, escorted by Yuan Ji and other officers and soldiers, and go north to Beijing to plead guilty.
Two disciples of the Tianshi Mansion left in the name of traveling. When they left, they were said to be in low spirits and shed tears on the spot.
The surviving Lang Shiba followed the team and personally escorted Zhao Duan's "Comb" back to Beijing.
On that day, the sky was covered with thick clouds, and scattered snowflakes fell down. The escort team was all wearing sackcloth and mourning.
Before that, in order to perform a complete drama, the news about Zhao Duan's death was also conveyed northward to Beijing via military falcons.
……
A few miles west of Fengcheng, in a tea shop in a small town.
"Woo--"
The cold wind was blowing the thatch on the roof. Qi Yuchun's face was expressionless, feeling the snowflakes mixed in the cold wind hitting his face. His tired and numb face was covered with dark bags under his eyes that had stayed up all day and night.
"Close the window. You are not too cold, but I am too."
In the room, next to a red-burning stove, Ren Kun, wearing a khaki robe, sat in a chair that was falling apart, rubbing his hands to warm himself up to the fire.
A face flushed by the fire.
Qi Yuchun did not look back and said in a hoarse voice: "The convoy escorting the prisoners has left the city."
Ren Kun said angrily: "So? What? You still want to rob the prison car? You have to go by yourself. I have no interest in that."
With their strength, it's okay to kill people, but saving people is another matter.
There were hundreds of prisoners in the entire escort team, and they were all prisoners whose cultivation had been destroyed, or who had been injured and had lost the ability to move for a short period of time.
The two of them couldn't leave with so many burdens. Rescue means saving in vain.
What's more, these people were carefully selected by Zhuang Xiaocheng, and he was ready to take the opportunity to kick out the Kuang Fushe team and sacrifice them.
Ren Kun had no motivation to risk his life to save him.
Qi Yuchun said in despair: "It would be great if we could retrieve Taifu's body."
Ren Kun glanced at him coldly and said sarcastically:
"You are selling your loyalty when someone is dead. Do you think those officers and soldiers could really dig out any corpses from the bottom of the cliff? They are just broken limbs that cannot be identified at all."
Qi Yuchun was convinced. He sighed bitterly, turned back and looked at Ren Kun:
"I'm not loyal...but I don't know what to do next. My current idea is to slowly gather the remaining members who fled that day and are still hiding in the boundaries of Fengcheng, and then go find the princess and the young prince.
Although we suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Fengcheng, His Highness Jian Wen's widow is still there, the flag of Kuangfu Society is still there, and we still have some manpower scattered around the helm...
However, without Taifu Zhuang, who among the remaining people in the society can convince the public? Are you qualified to carry the banner again? Is it you? Or me? ”
He shook his head and said dejectedly:
"You and I are only good at fighting, but we can't win over people at all, and others in the society have no qualifications.
In this case, doesn't it mean that there is only one way left to scatter and flee? Perhaps we should take the princess and the prince away from the Yu Kingdom and go to a more remote place to hide. ”
The commander-in-chief seemed to have lost his temper and had the idea of disbanding.
Ren Kun was silent for a moment and said:
"Actually... there is something I haven't told you. Before his death, and before he ordered the assassination of traitor Zhao, Taifu gave me a tip bag in private and told me that if something unexpected happened, it could only be opened after three days.
But I didn't expect at the time that the 'accident' he mentioned was actually a mountain explosion, killing both of us. ”
"Tips?" Qi Yuchun was stunned, his breathing tightened, and he stepped forward: "Where is it?"
"Today is the third day after the assassination, and I have secretly opened it."
Ren Kun took out a tips bag from his arms and threw it to him: "There is an address inside."
Qi Yuchun hurriedly took out a piece of paper. There was nothing else on it, only a line of address. The location was west of Fengcheng, at the junction with Linfeng.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Qi Yuchun seemed to have a backbone, his eyes lit up:
"Yes! I was stupid. With the wisdom of the Taifu, since I have already thought of dying together, how could I not think of arranging the funeral arrangements? He must have figured it out, and it is only reasonable to make arrangements! Let's leave quickly."
Only then did he finally understand why Ren Kun looked like an old god and was not confused.
"What's the rush? Let's have lunch first..."
"I'll give you a big gun, will you eat it?"
"..."
The charlatan Ren Kun had no choice but to be pulled out of the teahouse by the impatient Qi Yuchun. The two of them wrapped themselves in cotton-padded clothes and rode towards the west.
After walking on the road for another day, we arrived at the junction of Linfeng and Binhai at noon on the second day, at an inn next to the official road in the forest for people coming and going.
"This is it! Go in and take a look."
Qi Yuchun looked up at the inn's sign, got off his horse, and entered the inn's courtyard with Ren Kun. A waiter greeted him with enthusiasm: "Are you two staying at the inn?"
"Yes, two rooms." Qi Yuchun pretended not to care, opened the room slowly, and then casually asked the store:
"Is room A gone?"
The store owner said: "I'm sorry, room number one has been reserved by a guest officer, and I have stayed there for seven consecutive days."
The two looked at each other, paid, and then settled their luggage before knocking on the door of Room 1 when no one was paying attention.
"Come in."
A man's voice came from inside the room.
The two talented people were brave and opened the door immediately. The furnishings in the inn were simple, the stove was burning in the room, and the doors and windows were closed.
A figure in a black cloak was standing by the window with his back to the two of them, looking out at the pale winter day.
Qi Yuchun closed the door behind his back, stared at the mysterious man with Ren Kun warily, and said:
"Your Excellency, you are waiting for someone?"
The cloaked man said: "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Is Zhuang Xiaocheng dead?"
Their hearts skipped a beat: "Dead, together with Zhao Duan."
Ren Kun hesitated and said: "The Master asked me to come here three days after his death. I think I came here to see you. I wonder what the Master's arrangements are? Please let me know."
Qi Yuchun secretly warned: "Can you turn around and speak face to face?"
The man by the window turned a deaf ear and just chewed the word "dead" for a long time before letting out a long sigh.
Immediately, he slowly turned around, facing the two of them, and poked out two well-proportioned hands from the cloak. At first glance, they were the hands of a wealthy family.
He slowly took off his hood, revealing a face that was very noble, but should have long since ceased to exist in this world.
Ren Kun was stunned.
Qi Yuchun's eyes widened, as if struck by lightning. He opened his mouth and said in disbelief:
"Second...Your Highness?!"
The culprit who launched the Xuanmen coup and bloodbathed the palace, Xu Jianwen, the second prince of the Yu Kingdom who died outside the Meridian Gate three years ago, stared at the two of them calmly:
"We meet again."
……
……
Beijing.
Outside the Meridian Gate of the palace, officials gathered again to prepare for their daily court appearance.
Zhao Duan came and went again and again. The mountains were high and the roads were far away. In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed since the New Year.
At the end of winter, the capital is no longer so cold, and spring is not far away.
A group of veteran ministers also seemed much more relaxed when they went to court, as they did not have to brave the wind and snow.
Moreover, starting from the end of the year, a series of reforms led by the New Deal began to take effect.
After the treasury recovered, the cold body of the 600-year-old giant of Dayu Dynasty regained its warmth. The faces of civil and military officials in the court became more and more happy, and the frost-covered face of Empress Xu Zhenguan also had the look of the God of Spring. angry.
As the bells rang, the officials entered the palace.
Xu Zhenguan, wearing a dragon robe and a beaded curtain crown, sat on the dragon chair, and the ministers played in turn.
The process was uneventful, just routine matters
——Most of the time, going to court is all about trivial matters, and few major events happen.
Just like what Zhao Duan knew in his previous life:
Only small matters, and matters that have been discussed by all parties and come to the Jinluan Palace to go through the process, are often the mainstream in the morning.
And big things are decided by a small group of people in private meetings.
And big things often only exist in the hearts and secret meetings of a very few people.
When the morning session was coming to an end, Li Yanfu suddenly walked out and said:
"Your Majesty, Zhao Shaobao has been away from Beijing for a long time. I don't know when he will return to Beijing?"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the ministers changed slightly, and the old enemy Yuan Li even glanced sideways at the old immortal.
Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting on the dragon chair behind the beaded curtain, had a pair of bright eyes with a cold light.
Li Yanfu, who had gray beard and hair, a face full of wrinkles, and stubble connecting his temples, seemed completely unaware of the many sights. Seeing that the empress did not answer, he continued:
"During the New Year's Eve banquet, Zhao Shaobao issued a military order in public to arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng and bring him to justice in three months. Now it is more than February...
The old minister did not deliberately embarrass Zhao Shaobao. It is just the matter of rebelling against the party and the bandit leader. The interference is very serious and should not be careless. The old minister is also worried that Zhao Shaobao has gone and has not returned. No letter has been sent back. Is there any accident..."
"Prime Minister be careful what you say!"
On the dragon throne, the majestic and graceful empress interrupted him and said coldly:
"The matter of arresting those who rebel against the party is a top secret. How can the news leak out because of letters? Since it is not even March yet, the Prime Minister should put away his thoughts and do things calmly. Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."
< br>
This is quite rude.
Li Yanfu immediately bowed and bowed deeply: "Old minister... I understand."
Xu Zhenguan was unhappy, stood up and brushed his sleeves and said: "If there is nothing else, then retreat..."
He was about to spit out the word "retreat from the court".
Suddenly, a long "urgent call" came from outside Jinluan Hall.
Even if the palace door is closed, you can still hear it. The officials were startled, and Xu Zhenguan also frowned.
Unless there is something urgent, the palace attendants will never come to report the news during the court session.
"Go and have a look." The empress ordered the "female prime minister" standing next to her.
Mochou said "Yes", immediately walked down the steps, and quickly walked out of the palace from the side door. After a while, Mochou returned and said:
"Your Majesty, this is an urgent military report sent from Binhai Road!"
Coastal Road? Urgent report from the army?
Xu Zhenguan changed color slightly and said hurriedly: "Xuan!"
The palace door slowly opened, and a forbidden army guard entered the palace wearing armor, kneeling on one knee, not daring to raise his head:
"Your Majesty! The Binhai Road Military Mansion's deputy general Yuan Ji and the prefect Luan Cheng signed it and sent it back to Beijing to report urgently, involving Zhao Shaobao's arrest of the rebel leader!"
Xu Zhenguan's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously took a few steps forward, with joy in his eyes. He glanced at Li Yanfu below, and saw that the old prime minister was obviously stunned, as if he had not expected such a coincidence.
I just asked, and the result was there.
And since he sent the urgent report back from thousands of miles away, he must have gained something.
The ministers were slightly disturbed and all looked at him curiously.
A smile appeared on Xu Zhenguan's lips. Logically, she should take a look in person first, but thinking about Li Yanfu's complaint just now, she felt a bad taste in her heart and said:
"What is the content of the urgent report? Read it in public to all the ministers."
"Yes!"
The forbidden soldier responded, tore open the secret report envelope, took out the contents, and browsed it quickly. He was obviously stunned for a moment, but he didn't dare to look up, so he had to bite the bullet and said:
"Luan Cheng, the prefect of Binhai Road, and Yuan Ji, the deputy general of the military government, reported to your majesty."
"Zhao Shaobao entered Fengcheng, found out the purple-shirted Taoist Lu Zhengchun... and beheaded him... used him as bait to launch a surprise attack on the main altar of the rebel party..."
"...the Forbidden Mountain Villa collapsed, and the rebel leader Zhuang Xiaocheng, Zhao Shaobao and their men fell off the cliff...no bones were left..."
"...Later, stumps and objects were excavated... together they arrested more than 100 people who rebelled against the party and escorted them to Beijing. They will arrive soon..."
quiet.
The Jinluan Palace suddenly fell into deathly silence.
There was nothing wrong with the report at the beginning, but when it was heard that Zhao Duan and Zhuang Xiaocheng fell off the cliff and were buried in the collapse of the rocks, only their stumps and broken arms were found.
The civil and military officials in the court seemed to be under a restraining spell, and everyone was stunned on the spot.
Yuan Li opened his lips slightly and seemed not to hear clearly.
Master Dong seemed to be distracted and his eyes lost focus.
Li Yanfu's eyes widened a little and his pupils narrowed. He was also shocked by the news.
"Zhao Duan...died? Died together with Zhuang Xiaocheng? Buried on a cliff?"
At the entrance of the hall, Mochou, who was standing near the Forbidden Army, also froze. She felt her head buzzing, and a strong sense of unreality and absurd emotions arose in her heart.
That annoying guy...is dead? Just die?
Mochou suddenly felt something bad. He raised his head suddenly and looked towards the end of the ministers, in front of the dragon chair on the high platform.
The figure of the empress wearing a dragon robe.
Visible to the naked eye, Xu Zhenguan's whole body was stiff, and the smiling face behind the bead curtain turned pale in an instant, as if his essence had been drained.
Then...
This powerful man in the Heavenly Realm suddenly... staggered...
Unable to stand firm!
Xu Zhenguan took a few steps back, feeling dizzy and spinning. Her whole body was weak and she subconsciously held on to the armrest of the dragon chair. In her eyes, a teardrop fell almost instinctively and unconsciously.
Then, Empress Dayu used her last bit of reason to suppress her chaotic emotions and uttered two words:
"Retreat...retreat from the court."
……
……
The ministers dispersed.
When the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty walked out of the palace in a hurry, with expressions that may be sad, angry, hollow, or hidden with joy, the news that Zhao Duan and Zhuang Xiaocheng died together spread wildly in the official circles at a terrifying speed.
Zhaoyamen.
In the Governor's Hall, Ma Yan did not go to court today. According to his daily habit, he sat in the hall and reviewed the reports of each hall.
Suddenly, a figure hurried over outside the hall. It was Zhoucang from Baihu who had dealt with Zhao Duan before.
Panting and with a solemn expression, Zhou Cang ran in three steps at a time, almost tripping over the threshold in the process.
"The Governor! The Governor! Something big happened!"
Ma Yan heard the shouting through the door, put down the pen and paper in his hand, and saw with confusion that Zhou Cang barged in without even knocking on the door.
"What happened? Are you so panicked?" Ma Yan stood up and asked with a frown.
Zhou Cang took a few breaths before saying: "This morning..."
"Morning? Nothing major happened in the court today. What makes you so rude?" Ma Yan was confused.
Zhou Cang shook his head, waved his hands and said:
"No, it's not a morning court... Oh, it's a morning court... It's not important! It's an urgent report from Binhai Road. Zhao Duan, Zhao Shaobao and Zhuang Xiaocheng died together. They are dead!"
Dead...dead...Zhao Duan is dead...
Ma Yan was confused for a moment and was in a daze: "You said...what?!"
……
……
Zhao Zhai.
Early this morning, Mistress Eugene Hua dragged her daughter out of bed and directed the servants to clean the house.
Well, the main thing is to dry all the bedding and towels in the house in the courtyard according to custom.
"Mom, what kind of quilt should I put on in this winter?"
Zhao Pan hugged the little Pekingese and pouted under the eaves.
In front of her, long bamboo poles were set up in the entire yard, and the servants were walking through them, placing their quilts on them.
Eugene Hua was directing, and he came over and poked his daughter on the forehead with a finger:
"It's such a rare day. If you don't dry the quilt in the sun, insects will grow on it. Besides, when your brother comes back, you must have a warm quilt to cover him."
"...It's better to buy a new bed..." Zhao Pan retorted weakly.
Eugene was very angry: "After two good days, you don't know how to be frugal and manage your family? Is your eldest brother easy to make money? Don't you still have to travel so far for business? Work hard to make a living?"
"I didn't mean that..." Zhao Pan sighed and was about to turn around and leave.
Suddenly, a heartbreaking cry came from outside the yard:
"Madam! Miss, it's bad! The big man is gone! The big man is gone!"
Everyone in the courtyard was startled, and looked around at the same time, only to see the old steward of the Zhao family stumbled in at the door, with tears on his face, and fell to the ground with a plop.
Through the colorful sheets and covers flying in the sky, I cried out the news I heard.
Zhao Pan was stunned. The puppy in his arms slipped and fell to the ground. The Pekingese cried out in pain, but seemed to sense that something was wrong in the atmosphere, so he tucked his tail and did not dare to call out.
The eldest brother is gone... gone... The girl's mind was buzzing, and she felt that the sheets in front of her instantly lost their color and turned into black and white.
She turned her head and subconsciously looked at her mother, but she only saw Eugene Hua's face as pale as paper, falling softly to the ground.
"Mother!"
"Call the doctor quickly!"
The Zhao family was in chaos.
……
……
Tianshi Mansion.
Deep in the small courtyard, the big banyan tree is still green in this winter, and the flowers and plants in the entire courtyard are fragrant, as if they are not in the same season as the outside world at all.
The old Heavenly Master Zhang Yanyi, who is tall and has narrow eyebrows, is sitting in a wicker chair, flipping through the Jade Slip Heavenly Book in his hand.
Suddenly something moved in his heart and he looked towards the courtyard door.
After a while, the courtyard door creaked open on its own, and a priest trotted in and bowed respectfully:
"Celestial Master, we have just received news that Zhao Duan and Zhuang Xiaocheng fell off a cliff in Fengcheng, Binhai Road... There are no bones left..."
Zhang Yanyi frowned, his face showing confusion.
His right hand slowly covered the jade slip in front of him, and his eyes were closed.
Then, the golden words on the jade slips broke free from the shackles of the heavenly book, and the people stood up, running like a group of villains on the "earth" paved with jade slips, cheering and quarreling, changing positions with each other.
The chaos lasted for a while, and then the villain-like characters finally found their "new home" and merged into the jade slips one after another.
The Heavenly Book turned into a new article through the rearrangement and combination of words, which was the result of divination on this matter.
Zhang Yan opened his eyes, scanned the text in the heavenly book, raised his eyebrows slightly, seemed to smile, and muttered:
"Slippery."
Immediately, he waved his hand nonchalantly: "I know."
The priest who reported the news did not dare to ask any more questions and was about to retreat when he was suddenly stopped by the Heavenly Master.
Zhang Yan thought for a while and said: "When your Majesty comes, tell me that I am sleeping and don't see anyone else."
The priest was stunned for a moment, nodded and said: "I will obey the law."
……
……
The Royal Palace, outside the Queen's chamber.
Mochou held the hem of her skirt in both hands and ran quickly along the long corridor. Along the way, female officials saluted one after another without stopping.
She didn't stop until she reached the door of the bedroom and knocked carefully and gently.
"Come in."
Hearing the sound inside the house, Mochou breathed a sigh of relief, pushed open the door with both hands, and stepped in.
After closing the door, he took two steps forward and opened the curtain to block the cold wind.
In the warm small hall, ancient bookshelf, calligraphy and painting, bonsai, and green plants decorate everywhere.
The empress changed out of her dragon robe and returned to her white clothes with flowing black hair. She was sitting quietly in front of the coffee table, looking at the beautifully trimmed green plants in the large vase opposite.
She is fair and beautiful, and her face is as expressionless as a fairy in the sky, and is extremely calm.
Only the slightly red eyes revealed that the empress was far less calm on the inside than she appeared on the outside.
"Your Majesty?" Mochou asked cautiously:
"Can you return your dragon body..."
"I'm fine." Xu Zhenguan's voice was also very calm, as if he had really recovered from his grief.
But Mochou did not dare to take it lightly. She clearly witnessed how the empress lost her composure in the Jinluan Palace. In her memory, the last time she lost her composure was after the Xuanmen coup three years ago.
"My servants have sent people to warn all the major government offices not to spread rumors or discuss... about the matter in Fengcheng. The military report was too brief, and we don't know whether it is true or not. If it spreads, I'm afraid it will make people uneasy... …”
Mochou said cautiously: "I dare to make this arrangement. If Your Majesty feels that something is wrong..."
"You are determined."
Xu Zhenguan withdrew his gaze, turned his head, nodded towards her, and showed a shallow smile.
Mochou was stunned for a moment. She walked carefully to the empress and said tentatively:
"Your Majesty..."
Xu Zhen watched her thoughts and said softly:
"Do you think Zhao Duan is a person who can die easily?"
"Uh..." Mochou hesitated for a moment and said: "Master Zhao and good people have their own destiny, and there may be false alarms in the army..."
Xu Zhenguan shook her head, her eyes wandering, as if looking towards the south:
"Before he left the capital, I gave him a teleportation orb for self-defense. If he is in danger, he can just crush it and move it thousands of miles away.
I'm wondering, as Luan Cheng's letter said, would he have a chance to crush the orb in the Forbidden Mountain Villa?
There should be, after all... The last time he left the capital and was attacked by a ghusl monk, he knew how to store the teleportation weapon close to his body... How could he be so unprepared for someone who is so afraid of death? ”
Mochou was stunned for a moment, and she finally realized that the empress was not overly sad:
"Your Majesty means... Mr. Zhao... faked his death?"
——
ps: 7,000-word chapter, I will continue to try the big chapter tomorrow.
Thanks to the 500 bounty of the most beautiful blue ball, and the 500 bounty of Kenshin Kyoto Fire~
(End of chapter)