Chapter 68 Chapter Twenty-Five

Zhuge Yue was dressed in a deep purple robe, his sword eyebrows were slanting, his lips were tightly pursed, exuding a strange red, his hands were as pale as paper, with cold fingertips, he clasped Chu Qiao's arms tightly, wrapped his robes and knelt on the ground, sinking Said in a low voice: "Please also ask the emperor to complete it." "Fulfillment?" Xia Huang's voice was cold, and he said slowly: "Fulfillment of what?" "Please the emperor give this person to the minister, and let her live." The king above smiled slightly, and turned his eyes to Chu Qiao: "What a face."

Zhuge Yue knelt on the ground, his eyes slightly glanced at Yan Xun's direction, his eyes narrowed slowly, revealing a trace of unconcealable brilliance.Yan Xun was dressed in white, standing among the crowd, with a cold wind blowing from behind him.The sights of the men were intertwined in mid-air, and invisible sparks exploded in the bright hall. This is a huge hunting field, and only excellent hunters can return with full rewards. Since everyone is confident that they are excellent hunters, let's play on the table! "Your Majesty, Yan Xun is not strict with his orders, and he is not good at teaching. I am willing to accept the crime together." Yan Xun strode forward, knelt on the ground, and said in a deep voice.

Zhao Qi sneered, and said slowly: "The woman who was hunted last month has already been released from slavery by the emperor, and she is no longer the slave of Prince Yan. Prince Yan insists on staying in the matter, what is the intention?" "According to what the third brother said, she has been my subordinate for the past month, so I should bear the responsibility for her today?" Zhao Che walked forward coldly in a black robe: "Father, Li The crown prince is unrestrained, even a woman walking on the road may be caught by him at a glance, just because of his likes and dislikes, he will execute my subordinates, and my son refuses to obey."

"What does the Seventh Prince mean by this?" Bian Tang's special envoy Yu Jing said in a deep voice, "Is the Seventh Prince's rudeness to slander the princes of our country is the way of hospitality in the Great Xia?" Zhao Che raised his head: "Zhao Che has absolutely no intention of doing so, he is just stating a fact. Prince Li Ce has been traveling for four months, and the carriage to send the woman back to Tangjing has never stopped. Prince Li It is well known in the world that his character is unconstrained, so could it be that just because of a sudden thought on his mind, he will put people to death? Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a noble status, the women of Daxia are not pigs and beasts, and they can be slaughtered at will! "

"How unreasonable!" Yu Jing said angrily: "The person who wants to kill this woman is the Emperor Xia and not our Crown Prince. The Seventh Prince's words are too strong and unreasonable!" Zhao Che sneered: "Everyone in the world is not blind. It is obvious to all. Prince Li kept saying that he met someone he liked and wanted to marry him, but when he heard his father's beheading order, he didn't look sad at all. Instead, he looked excited. May I ask?" Is this how His Royal Highness protects his beloved? It’s just out of whim, talking nonsense, but if you don’t think about it, someone might lose their life in just one thought of yours.”

"Brother Seven is right," Zhao Song stepped forward and said, "Royal Father, he is simply a disruptor!" "Presumptuous!" Emperor Xia suddenly snorted coldly and said in a deep voice. "Father!" Zhao Che knelt on the ground and took a step forward, knocked his head heavily, and said in a deep voice: "The foundation of my Great Xia's founding is to protect the old and young of the clan from being bullied by outsiders. For hundreds of years The soldiers of my Great Xia have never retreated a step on the battlefield, and have never ceded a single point of territory. Our ancestors of Great Xia have built this foundation from scratch all their lives. Are we going to be defeated by our own negotiators today? ?"

"The more you talk, the farther you go, it's outrageous!" Concubine Shu Gui shouted coldly, and said sternly. "Prince Li Ce," Yan Xun suddenly raised his head, looked at Li Ce and said in a deep voice, "If you really like Ah Chu today, let her live and choose another woman as a concubine. Ah Chu's status is humble and unbearable. The prince is so loving. If you are just joking, please let her go, she has been through hardships since she was a child, and has gone through many twists and turns, please don't drive her into a place of eternal doom just because of your whim!"

"Sure enough, people can't often joke." Li Ce shook his head and laughed: "There are too many jokes, and no one will believe you if you want to tell the truth once in a while." The emperor squinted his eyes halfway, and there were several deep wrinkles on his thin face. He looked at the girl's thin but stubborn back, and his thoughts suddenly whizzed away, thinking of so many pasts that had died in the years, the old emperor Wei Wei sighed, and said something that no one understood: "It really looks like it!" The hall was completely quiet, the bustle just now had long since disappeared, Emperor Zhengde seemed to have suddenly lost interest, he waved his hand, and without the anger just now, said in a low voice: "Go down."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and those potential intentions hidden in the darkness suddenly lost their focus. Emperor Zhengde's moodiness has long been known to the world, and he did not expect him to become so fast. Zhao Song reacted the fastest, and was overjoyed when he heard the words. He knocked his head on the ground and shouted loudly: "Father is wise!" Then he stood up, ran to Chu Qiao, grabbed the woman's wrist, and said: "Ah Chu, come with me." Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows, and immediately exerted force on Chu Qiao's hand. At this moment, another force suddenly came from his side. Yan Xun stood beside him with a smile, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a faint smile. : "Brother Zhuge, can you come over for a drink?"

The sound of singing, dancing, and silk bamboo played again, and the hundreds of seats suddenly became lively. The atmosphere of the state banquet in Daxia has always been relaxed, and you can walk around.Li Ce frowned slightly, and was about to move forward with the corner of his mouth, but saw Zhao Che coming forward, stopping in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "The Crown Prince is coming to the barracks today, I have something to do, I'm really sorry." Seeing the direction of the gate, the figures of Chu Qiao and Zhao Song flashed away, Li Ce's eyes froze, he raised his cup, and said with a chuckle: "It's okay, Li Ce is worthy of being able to appreciate the sharp words of the Seventh Prince today. Row."

It was pitch black at night, and the cold wind blew Chu Qiao's clothes, and she suddenly felt a little cold.Zhao Song took off his robe and put it on her body, and asked with concern: "Ah Chu, are you cold?" Chu Qiao shook her head, looked into Zhao Song's bright eyes, smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Zhao Song." "Are you still telling me this?" Zhao Song said unhappily, "Ah Chu, you don't consider me a brother anymore." Chu Qiao's heart warmed, she stretched out her arms to hug Zhao Song lightly, and said with a smile, "We are good brothers." "Show loyalty." Zhao Song interjected, then burst out laughing, and hugged Chu Qiao with his arms outstretched, and said loudly, "Ah Chu, don't be afraid of that Bian Tang scoundrel, I will help you." The night wind was drooping, and the snow-white robe sleeves danced with the wind, and the moonlight was shining brightly on the man in white on the other side of the flower tree. The fact that several young men of the royal family and nobles competed for a girl was only a small wave in Daxia's unpredictable government affairs, and was regarded as a ridiculous love affair after dinner.Afterwards, the guests and hosts of the banquet had a great time, and Prince Li Ce's tongue was like a flower, coaxing the hearts of the royal princesses and daughters into joy.The Xia and Tang officials were in harmony and talked happily. At least, that's what it looks like on the surface. However, unexpectedly, after the banquet, the emperor issued an order to keep Chu Qiao in the palace and serve as a female official in Shangyifang, under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At this point, Chu Qiao's short military career officially came to an end. Regardless of whether Zhao Che was sincerely dating or had other purposes, the matter had to be stopped. When returning to Xiaoqi Camp to pick up things, Zhao Che didn't see her, she was just outside the tent. Thank you, then turned around and followed the courtesy officer of Shangyifang. No matter what Zhao Che thought, he really stood out for himself in the hall that day. Those words are still like walking a tightrope on a cliff, and if he is not careful, he will cause a huge bloody storm. It was planned that Yan Xun and Zhao Song would save her, but she was no longer willing to speculate about Zhuge Yue's thoughts.She could only stubbornly think that this man wanted to take her back and humiliate her, to take revenge. She always knew exactly what she should do, and she didn't have time to think about the rest. The work of Shangyifang is very simple, just send the volumes sent by the Taixue every day, and then send them to the hands of the tutors in each room. One day, Chu Qiao went to Taixue with a scroll in her hand, just in time for the princes to finish their classes. When passing the corridor, she saw a group of small children forming a circle, laughing loudly. Through the crowd, she saw a A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy knelt on the stone slab of the cloister, with a straight neck, big eyes, and a stubborn look. "Brother Sixteen, go tell your father, you can't read Donglu's books with Hanja blood on your body, and you can't blame you if you can't memorize them!" The children suddenly laughed, and a little prince who was only in his teens said with a smile: "That's right, Brother Sixteen should go back and learn that twisting dance from his mother and concubine. I heard that all men in Hanja can dance Yes. Next time in the exam, Brother Sixteen just needs to dance a dance for the emperor, maybe he won't be punished." The children's ridicule continued, Chu Qiao just glanced at it lightly, then turned and walked forward.She has seen too many such things in this magnificent palace. In the past few years, she and Yan Xun have endured even more rude insults and bullying. Survival of the strong is always the law of survival here. "Oh, sorry." As soon as she turned her head, a figure suddenly bumped into her body, knocking all the scrolls in her hand away.The boy hurriedly said in a humble voice, then lowered his head and picked up the scrolls that fell on the ground. Chu Qiao was taken aback, and also squatted down: "It doesn't matter, it's the servant who is reckless, just come by yourself." The boy's sleeves had been worn to a certain degree of whiteness, but he could still see the tiny golden dragon. He was very thin and smelled like pine branches on his body. He picked up the scroll and handed it to Chu Qiao's arms. The boy stood up, stepped back slightly, and gave way.Chu Qiao thanked her as she passed by, and saw the young man strode into the crowd without saying anything, but knelt beside the sixteenth prince without saying a word. The children seemed to be a little afraid of him, and when they saw him coming, their voices gradually quieted down, and they dispersed after a while. Chu Qiao looked at it twice, then entered Taixue, walked around the wall photo and the five-curved corridor, just in time Zhao Song walked towards him, saw Chu Qiao, smiled and greeted him: "Ah Chu! Come and find me!" me?" Chu Qiao gestured at the scroll in her arms, and said, "I'm here to find Mrs. Lu, is he in there?" Zhao Song hummed in disappointment: "It's inside, Ah Chu, can't you say that you came to find me?" Chu Qiao chuckled and said, "Yes, I'm here to look for you, and I'll give you something by the way." "Haha," Zhao Song smiled happily, "It's the first time in my life that I feel that Father's decision is wise. It's great that you stay in the palace. I always feel that that guy has something wrong with you." While Zhao Song was talking, he stretched out his finger and gestured for the character "seven". Chu Qiao slapped him on the hand and said, "Don't talk nonsense." "I'm talking nonsense?" Zhao Song raised his neck: "Let's wait and see, you'd better be careful, that guy Li Ce is always wandering around the palace recently, don't mess with that lunatic, he will be clean after his father's birthday. I can't accompany you anymore, I have to go to my mother's side." "Oh, by the way, I saw His Highness the Sixteenth Kneeling under the corridor on the way just now, what happened?" "Father came to check the exam today, and he failed to recite one of the sixteen articles, so he was fined. He was fined all day long, what a fool." "Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "Then you go quickly." Zhao Song greeted him, then turned and left.Chu Qiao walked into the teaching workshop of Taixue, but just happened to meet Master Lu who was dozing off, so she couldn't go in to disturb her, so she could only wait outside. After waiting for more than two hours, the old man woke up from his dream. When she came out of Taixue, the sky was already dark, and it started to rain outside. The rain in this season was very cold, and the air was icy cold. Chu Qiao's clothes were a little thin. When she walked out of Taixue, a strong wind suddenly blew up. He hurriedly walked through the corridor with his shoulders in his arms. When the wind and rain hit, the crowd had dispersed long ago. In the distance, two stubborn figures were kneeling upright. A faint, indistinct sound floated along the rain and penetrated into Chu Qiao's ears. "Why are you kneeling here? You are well educated, and the emperor didn't punish you." There was a depressing silence, and after a long, long time, the boy's deep voice came: "I am your brother." "I have too many brothers," the stubborn young man said angrily in a loud voice, "They are all my brothers, but I would rather not have these brothers!" "I am your brother." The sky was dark and the wind and rain were blowing. The boy's voice was stubborn and stubborn. Although it was deep, it carried such an unconcealable heaviness. A piece of tile on the porch was broken, and the cold rain drifted down the hole, hitting the place where the two teenagers were kneeling drop by drop.Stubborn, they did not change places, still kneeling like stones. Chu Qiao's heart suddenly felt a little cold, as if it was colder than the rain outside. Her eyes looked at them, but it seemed that she could see through them far away. She saw two children cuddling together in thin clothes many years ago. Resist each other against the ubiquitous cold. "Hey?" Zhao Xiang frowned suspiciously, raised his head and looked up, and saw that the tile with a hole just now had been repaired by someone at some point, and there was no more raindrops. He raised his head, puzzled Ask: "Brother Fourteen, is there no water?" Zhao Yang frowned slightly, and suddenly heard footsteps, he looked up, and saw the young girl's figure was thin and thin, with a straight back, she was not like ordinary maids who always lowered their heads cautiously, and she was not like those A powerful woman always raises her head, she just walks flatly, very quiet and steady, but there is an inexplicable warmth from her thin back. "Brother Fourteen?" Zhao Xiang's voice sounded from the side, but Zhao Yang didn't seem to hear it. He looked at the girl's neat clothes, clean white shoes, and the corners of her skirt fluttering, and the soles of the boots were actually stained with a few traces of green moss. It was already very late when we returned to Shangyifang, several female officers had already gone to bed, Chu Qiao tidied up and went back to the room, but after a while, the window moved lightly, and a black figure flashed out quickly, a few times Just disappeared into the courtyard. By the Jiuli Lake, a blue painting boat was moored on the shore. The woman opened the curtain, just in time to see the man's bright eyes raised up and looked at her with a faint smile. "Here we come." Yan Xun smiled lightly, stretched out his hand to hold her, and said, "Have a cup of hot tea to warm up your body." "I heard that you and Zhao Chun'er will be married in half a month, so I guess you will be here tonight." Yan Xun nodded: "I've been waiting for you here for three nights, if you still don't come, I'll go to Taixue to find you tomorrow." "That's too dangerous," Chu Qiao frowned. "The emperor sent someone to watch me now just to guard against you. He said he wanted to kill me that day to test your reaction. You must be careful." "Don't worry about what I do." Yan Xun restrained his smile and said in a deep voice, "It's time to settle the accounts." Chu Qiao was taken aback: "Are you ready?" "After fifteen days, the envoys from the Huai Song Dynasty will arrive at Zhenhuang, and the emperor will hold a state banquet. At that time, the envoys from the Bian, Tang, Huai and Song Dynasties will all enter Zhenhuang City. This is our best chance." "After fifteen days?" Chu Qiao frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Isn't that the day you and Zhao Chun'er got married?" Yan Xun nodded: "Exactly." Chu Qiao was speechless for a moment, her brows were furrowed, and she remained silent. "At that time, I will start from Duanmu Pavilion. Ah Jing will be responsible for meeting you. We will meet at Yuechangmen. The musicians will attack Prince Bian Tang in the main hall to create chaos. The hotel, disguised as an envoy from the Song Dynasty, attacked the Zhengxi Gate. We left the palace through the Zhengdong Gate, met with Mr. Wu on the west bank of Chihu Lake, and then the dead soldiers from Yanbei pretended to be us and rushed out of the city through the four gates in the south, east and northwest. Attract the pursuing Xia army. We have to cross Canglang Mountain, enter Xidian Snow Mountain from Wuwang Cliff, bypass Zhu'ao Field, and turn back to Yanbei. During this time, Yanbei Army will take the opportunity to attack Jialing Pass, Baishui Pass, and Wacheng Castle, to make the illusion that I have returned to Yanbei. The support bases along the way have been arranged, and the hidden strongholds you established in Xiye have made great efforts, and will be the first batch of support Miss Yu has made gunpowder according to your plan, although the power is not as powerful as you said, but if it is detonated in the temple, it will definitely cause great chaos." Chu Qiao was a little dazed, and still didn't speak after listening for a while. Yan Xun smiled slightly, and teased her, "What's wrong? I'm too happy to speak?" Chu Qiao chuckled, shook her head, and said, "It's like a dream. After waiting for so many years, suddenly hope is in front of me. I can't believe it." Yan Xun felt a pain in his heart, stood up, walked around Xiaoji, came behind Chu Qiao, knelt down halfway, stretched out his arms and gently hugged her in his arms. Chu Qiao's body froze immediately, and she didn't dare to move at all. Yan Xun didn't use any force, but there was a steady stream of heat coming from his body, the man's voice was low, with an unspeakable hoarseness and depression: "Ah Chu, it's not a dream, we are finally going to get through it Now, I will take you back to Yanbei, and no one will be able to bully you anymore, and no one will be able to snatch you away from me." Chu Qiao was stunned for a moment, she didn't expect Yan Xun to say it so naturally, she suddenly felt a little shameful nervous, the total of her past life and present life is forty years old, she looks like a fifteen or sixteen year old girl Like a girl, her face became hot like a fire.Then, a cold kiss slowly fell on the back of her neck. "Achu," Yan Xun's voice was hoarse and deep, like the waves of the ocean, and said softly, "I've never told you, I'll only say these words once, you have to listen carefully. I want to thank you, thank you You have been with me in hell for so many years, thank you for not abandoning me in the darkest days of my life, thank you for always standing by my side, without you, Yan Xun is nothing, he would have died in eight years It was the snowy night before. Ah Chu, I will not say these words again in the future. I will spend my whole life making up for them. There are some things we don’t need to say between us. We should understand each other. Ah Chu belongs to Yan Xun, but I am alone. Damn, I will protect you and take you away, I held your hand eight years ago, and I never intend to let go." Chu Qiao closed her eyes slowly, the wind at night was like rustling silkworms, her heart was like a mulberry leaf, being pecked at bit by bit. Yanbei, Huoleiyuan, Huihuishan... "Yan Xun, I have never had a hometown. It is because of you that I regard your hometown as my own." The man took a deep breath, and then slowly tightened his arms. There was a large lake in his heart, warm as spring. "Ah Chu, trust me." The man sighed softly, he didn't say what he wanted her to believe in him, but Ah Chu understood, she said to herself in her heart, believe him, who else can she trust if she doesn't believe him?In this world, they only have each other. They may be too young at that time, and they don't know what is the world, what is human nature, what is the benefit, what is the future, what kind of wind and rain will be in the future, what will be the ups and downs on the road, they don't know anything about it.They are like two young hedgehogs, it's freezing outside, they snuggle together to keep warm quietly.But they don't know that as the years go by, they will eventually grow sharp thorns. Those wind and snow hidden in the darkness are finally gradually approaching silently, and will smash everything to pieces on a suitable day in the future. "Ah Chu," the man said softly as he turned his head in the night wind and drizzle, with his belt fluttering. Chu Qiao's complexion was slightly flushed, her eyes were as bright as stars, her lips were tightly pressed, her nose was straight, and she carried a bit of heroic spirit that is rare for women. "Go back and rest well, and wait for my news." Chu Qiao smiled and nodded heavily: "Yes." The future is bleak and windy, and it has entered May, and the winter of Great Summer has passed, and everything is gradually recovering, together with those hidden thoughts in my heart. Men and women, one south and one north, run in opposite directions, hidden in the dark night.