Chapter 169 Chapter Thirteen

As night fell, the banquet outside had not yet been withdrawn, but the banquet inside was spread out again.Even though Bian Tang was warm, the winter in the first month still felt a bit chilly. When the night wind blew, even wearing a cloak, he could still feel a trace of cold air coming up from his feet, causing chills in the spine of those who were cold. There was a light rain at noon, and it didn't stop until the evening, which added a bit of chill to the dark night. However, the ladies in gorgeous dresses still openly reveal their chests piled with frost and snow, their eyes are like silk, and their jade arms are vertical and horizontal. Occasionally, a bold lady will come forward to toast, and if she is not careful, she will reveal a small section of smooth and exquisite calf.

Li Ce drank a lot of wine, squinted his eyes and leaned on the soft chair, the door of the Roufu Palace was wide open, and there was a beautiful and bright palace lantern in front of him, and the painted boats carried musicians playing and playing in the middle of the lake, soft and luxurious. The tune was blown all the way into the hall along the cold night wind. The waist swaying like a water snake danced flexibly in front of the eyes, and a pair of slender legs danced lingering and provocative dance steps from time to time. The honey-colored skin was stained with a little sweat, and a bold dancer spun lightly and lay down Entering Li Ce's arms, the tip of the eyes is slightly raised, and the gold powder is used to draw the spiraling cloud patterns along the corners of the eyes. The lips are plump, the neck is slender, and the round breasts are wrapped under the thin fabric. Through the silk fabric, You can even see the tenderness inside.

The dancer girl held up a glass of mellow grape wine, raised her snow-white arms high, then flipped her wrist, and it poured out immediately.Along her graceful neck like a swan, it slides all the way down and flows into the two greasy snow hills. "Your Majesty, are you drunk?" Sure enough, she was a rare stunner, her vermilion lips parted lightly, her voice was lingering, the dancer rubbed her bare shoulders lightly against Li Ce's chest, and then slid in along his slightly open skirt, her white and tender hand went all the way. Going down, but stopped at a critical moment, and looked at him provocatively.

This is Mrs. Ziming who has been favored in the Jinwu Palace for the past year. Li Ce is very romantic and rarely dotes on a woman for a month. Years, it can be seen that it must have a unique charm. Li Ce's slightly drunk eyes looked down lightly. He was dressed in a gorgeous blue-purple brocade robe with a black mink hair on the neckline. The collar was slightly open, revealing a winding gap. The man's fit body was under the confused light It seemed a bit tempting, he squinted his eyes habitually, there was a playful frown between his brows, and a quiet stream of light surged in the depths of his eyes, like a fox thinking.

The few young dancers in the hall were still dancing fiercely. They danced the Donghu dance, bold and unrestrained. They only wore a light gauze on their bodies, and their breasts were laid out, dripping with sweat. "Your Majesty, you haven't entered the Roufu Palace for half a month. Did you forget about the servant's house so quickly?" Mrs. Ziming leaned forward gently, her eyes were watery, and she stared at Li Ce softly, like a greasy fairy. Li Ce's eyes were drunk, even his hands and feet seemed to be drunk, but there was always a sober spot between his brows.

The woman's scarlet nails crawled up from his lower abdomen, and gently rubbed the center of his brows all the way, exhaling like blue, leaning against his ear, and said in a long tone: "The emperor is not happy, because of whom?" Li Ce pulled the corner of his mouth, smiled quietly, put one hand around her slender waist, stroked the intoxicating smoothness with his fingertips, and said with a light smile, "You little fairy." "Will the emperor be so cruel tonight and let Ming'er stay alone in the empty boudoir?" Li Ce's expression was in a trance for a moment, and a figure quietly appeared in his mind. He frowned in annoyance, because he couldn't maintain his usual peace of mind.

I have been crazy for half a month, do I still want to go crazy? He turned his head to look at Mrs. Ziming's charming face, a trace of turbidity rose from the bottom of his heart, as if he had suppressed something, it seemed bitter, but also longing. With a charming smile, he returned to his usual normal state, and said with a light smile, "When did I not take pity on flowers and cherish jade?" "emperor." A calm voice suddenly sounded outside the hall, Li Ce raised his head, and saw Tie You standing outside the door, he greeted him with a smile, and the guards in leather armor went up to the hall with their swords in their hands, regardless of the expressions of the women around , knelt on the ground and said in a sonorous tone: "Your Majesty, Miss Chu is back."

Li Ce was stunned for a moment, his face remained calm, but the fine wine in the glass was shaken slightly, almost spilling out. An actor's singing sounded in the distance, with a long tone, like a melodious song.The wind on the lake was cool, with a few traces of fragrance. Li Ce was tall and slender, with thick black hair, standing in the brilliant lights and looking very handsome. "When did this happen?" "just." "Where are you now?" "I've already returned to Mi Heju." "Walk." Li Ce stood up and walked out, Tie You was taken aback, and quickly asked, "Where is the emperor going?"

"Mi Heju." In the distance, Li Ce's voice drifted into the night where the gold powder was extravagant, and Tie You quickly followed with his guards. Mrs. Ziming stood up slowly, a tulle gauze was quietly swaying in the night wind, but she no longer had all kinds of amorous feelings just now, she looked at Li Ce's receding figure indifferently, her eyes were cold and joyless No sorrow. "lady." A maid came over carefully, she took a cloak and put it on her shoulders, she waved her hand quietly: "Let's go." The palace people dispersed like water, and amidst the vast fragrance of Zhilan in the wine cauldron, only the actors by the lakeside were still singing melodiously.

The flowers on the lotus pond have long since faded, and the sycamore trees in front of the door are also in ruins. The moon is just a crooked hook, shrouded in ignorant brilliance, quietly sprinkled on the white stone steps. The bead curtains touched together lightly, making a small sound, and Qiu Sui, who was watching the night in the outer room, was awakened. Li Ce made a gesture of silence, and the little maid immediately lowered her head and knelt on the ground, not daring to make another sound. The weather is cold and the windows are closed, but there is still a faint moonlight shining in through the white window paper.Chu Qiao was sleeping, Yuebai Jin was covering her body, only a small head was exposed, the brows were very clear, and her expression was rarely serene. Li Ce leaned against the door frame, tilted his head slightly, and for a while, Then stand there, motionless.

Presumably, that person is really her best choice. There is no such deep burden and responsibility, nor such heavy hatred and obsession, so you can walk away freely. He stared at her intently, his eyes were smooth and smooth, the surrounding was so quiet, the thin light fell on the hair at her temples, which had a bright and cool luster.The wind passed through the outside, and the shadows of the trees outside the window were vaguely swaying, like a woman's lingering hands, gently stroking the cold and lonely palace. "The girl fell asleep when she came back, she seemed very tired." Qiu Sui whispered to Tie You outside, but the voice was thin, but it still reached Li Ce's ears. Standing there, Li Ce seemed to understand something. The charcoal fire in the corner gave off a faint heat, and the nightingale perched on the tree outside the window uttered a cry, the sound was very clear and sweet. "No matter what, take a rest when you're tired." Then, the man turned around and walked out of the hall. His footsteps echoed in the empty hall, so empty. bang, bang, bang... As the night grew cooler, Chu Qiao slowly opened her eyes. In the darkness, her eyes were like pitch-black stones, and her light-white fingers grasped the brocade quilt with such force. After a while, the song and dance of Roufu Hall sounded again, even more grand than the previous one. The night was as cold as water, she slowly closed her eyes, really tired. Three days later, she decided to leave Tang Jing, without alarming anyone, she just brought Mei Xiang and greeted Li Ce. At the beginning, Li Ce didn't say that he wanted to see her off, but when her carriage walked out of the gate of Tang Capital, under the phoenix tree forest in the distance, there was a clean and refreshing tea shop. Behind Li Ce stood Tie You, Sun Di and others, Seeing her coming, several people greeted her with smiles. The crowd dispersed, and Li Ce and Chu Qiao sat in the teahouse, finally having their first conversation since they came back. "Where to?" "have no idea." Seeing Li Ce's skeptical eyes, Chu Qiao suddenly smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that, I'm not perfunctory, but I really don't know where to go?" "Then go?" "Want to go out and have a look." Chu Qiao took a deep breath, looked at the beautiful scenery around her with a smile on her lips, and said in a crisp voice: "Look, the weather is about to warm up. Simon is so big, but I never Take a walk without relaxing, this time, treat yourself as a vacation." Li Ce was cooking tea very seriously, skillfully, and asked as he spoke, "How long do you plan to keep it?" "I don't know. It depends on my mood. Maybe one day I will come back to cheat you for food when I am poor. So you have to be the emperor well, and don't wait for me to come back and lose your family." Hearing this, Li Ce quickly picked up an envelope on the table, took out a stack of banknotes inside, took more than half of it and put it in his arms, muttering: "I came back because I was poor? Then I can't give you more money, otherwise who will know?" Did she become a toothless old lady when she came back?" Chu Qiao couldn't help laughing: "Look at your virtue, how can you look like an emperor?" "Who stipulates that the emperor is not allowed to be stingy? You don't know how poor my life is. If I want to spend a little more money, those old men cry with me all day. They say that there is a severe drought in the east and people starving to death in the west. I eat cabbage gangs every day, and I don’t have a single good thing. I saved this money from my teeth. You don’t know the gratitude picture, and you’re still laughing at me here?” The sky in Bian Tang was extremely clear and cloudless, and the sun shone on Li Ce's fox-like eyes, making him look even more cunning. She sighed in place of Bian Tang Manchao civil and military: "Meeting an emperor like you, I don't know how many lifetimes of misfortune they have suffered." Li Ce sighed and shook his head: "Qiao Qiao is so cruel, if you leave without saying a word, He Xiao and the others will fight me desperately." When He Xiao was mentioned, Chu Qiao was stunned. After thinking for a long time, she slowly said, "Li Ce, the soldiers of the Xiuli Army will be entrusted to you." "They are all men, what did you entrust me with?" Chu Qiao ignored his nonsense and continued: "In the past few months, I have been thinking, am I wrong? I am too naive. I thought I could change this society and build a relatively civilized society. The social system. It’s not like the Great Brothers Association said that the world is for the public. I just want the poor to have a bite to eat and don’t have to be slaves. I hope that you who are in power can formulate a set of laws for those lower-class people, no matter what People, don't kill people casually. I know that society will not advance rapidly by leaps and bounds, but there must always be someone who tries hard to guide it to take a small step. A big step forward. At the beginning, I didn’t have such a great ideal. I just wanted to escape and live a good life by myself. But I met Yan Xun, and when I heard him talk about Yanbei, my heart gradually became alive. Come here, I think, I came to this world, maybe it is also valuable, maybe it is also God's will. However, my wish is still shattered, because I am too arrogant, I think my strength It is very big, it can change a lot, and it can protect a lot of people, but in the end, I realized that my power is very small, and my relatives and friends have left me one by one. Not only can I not protect them, but I also killed a lot of people people." Li Ce frowned and wanted to speak, but was stopped by Chu Qiao. She looked at him and said quietly: "Li Ce, I am not a good leader. The soldiers of the Xiuli Army have no beliefs. Their belief is Believe me. But my existence has caused them to fall into danger and war again and again, causing them to bleed to death. However, the system and life I promised cannot be realized by me. I only saved them once, I They shouldn’t be so selfish and let them charge into the battle with me, with scars. I think now, if I obeyed Yan Xun and disbanded the Xiuli Army, then maybe many of them would not die, would marry and have children, and live well .” Chu Qiao's voice was a little choked up, she pursed her lips, her eyes were slightly red, but she still smiled and said: "People don't have to do big things to live, marry a wife, have a child, be happy Getting old is also a way. It's a pity that I wake up too late, they are dead, no matter what, they will never live again, my hands are bloody, and I can't wash them clean." "Qiao Qiao?" Li Ce frowned, and said in a deep voice, "This is not your fault." "But I have a responsibility that I cannot shirk." Chu Qiao whispered: "They believed in me and followed me, but I couldn't protect them. They died one by one, and I couldn't even bury their bodies properly. Do you know? Every night, I can hear Seeing them crying in the cold wind, they said that they want to go back to their hometown and meet their elderly parents. They are still so young, some are only fifteen or sixteen years old. They should be the age to act like a baby in front of their parents, but they For me, died on a barren ice field." There was no trace of joke on Li Ce's face anymore, he looked at her worriedly, feeling pain in his heart. "Li Ce, help me and take good care of them. If you are worried, break them up, give them some leisure work, let them marry wives and have children on your land, and live a good life. Don't go to the battlefield again, For soldiers, there is no victory on the battlefield, victory belongs to the generals and soldiers, it is just killing and death." Li Ce nodded with difficulty. Looking at the pale and thin woman, he asked softly, "What about you? Do you still hate Yan Xun? Will you come back to him?" "I don't hate it anymore." Chu Qiao shook her head slightly, and smiled calmly, like the breeze by the lake in March. "Actually, you all don't know that he is the most miserable person. I have seen his hatred and pain with my own eyes, and the humiliation he suffered. Those things cannot be understood by bystanders. There is something in his heart. How much hate I can't measure. Now he has come to this step, although the way is wrong, it is fate that forced him to this step. Everyone has the right to choose the path they want to go, that is his path, I Although I can’t agree with it, I respect his choice. In this world, who can be truly right, and who can say who is completely wrong? It’s just that we all have our own persistence and bottom line. It doesn't mean that you must go against the road and turn against the enemy." "What about Zhuge Yue? Why don't you stay with him, he does so much for you? Don't you love him?" "Love? Maybe." Chu Qiao smiled lightly and said, "Actually, I don't know what true love is, but being in love doesn't necessarily mean staying together. Sometimes, letting go is also a kind of love." Chu Qiao raised her head slightly, and the wind blew on her smooth forehead. At that moment, Li Ce seemed to see a magnificent light flashing through her calm eyes, so dazzling and fascinating. "After all, he is the elder Sima of Daxia. He is equivalent to the Minister of Defense. How can he be with someone like me?" She murmured: "I know, as long as I am willing, he will give up all these honors for me. But Li Ce, if that is the case, is it really okay? He suffered a lot, went through all kinds of hardships, and finally broke those imposed The shame on his head, he got everything today. He is different from me. Even if the country is corrupt and the family is cold, he is always a person with a family and a country. I understand the sense of responsibility, the kind that overrides the freedom of love If it is just for me now, let him abandon all this and wander the world with me, do you think he will really be happy in the future? No, he is a man, and a man should have his own sky. As he matures and grows old, he will understand all of this and be grateful for the choice he made today." "Besides, I'm tired too." Chu Qiao lowered her head and looked at Li Ce with a smile: "I have worked hard for more than ten years, and I don't have the courage to continue on a path I can't see clearly. I am also a woman, and I sometimes want to rest." "Jojo," Li Ce sighed, and said helplessly, "I can't stop you, can I? You are determined to leave, aren't you?" "yes." Chu Qiao said very seriously: "Don't worry about me, I will live a good life. In this world, not only the royal family and nobles who hold great power can live, I will be a commoner, living without burdens and responsibilities. Life will be easy, I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want, I have been yearning for this kind of life for many years." "Then will you come back? Come back to see me once in a while?" "Of course." Chu Qiao laughed and said as a matter of course, "You are my most important friend." Li Ce smiled bitterly, reached out and rubbed her hair indiscriminately, and said with a wry smile, "You bastard, you made me feel sad." Chu Qiao stood up and walked to Li Ce, Li Ce also stood up, Chu Qiao hugged him with open arms, and said softly: "Li Ce, I'm leaving, the situation in Simon is getting more and more chaotic, you have to take care of yourself , don't make me worry." Li Ce was very blocked, but he still said in a brisk tone: "What can I do? I am the great emperor of Bian Tang, who can do anything to me? Besides, I am so handsome and handsome, who would dare to bully me?" I, you are the only ignorant person in the whole world." Chu Qiao couldn't help laughing and said: "Okay, you Fengshen Yulang is so handsome, Leonardo would be ashamed to commit suicide after seeing you." "Who is Leonardo? What a strange name, fan?" Li Ce frowned and asked. Chu Qiao couldn't help laughing: "It's a fan, a very handsome fan." "Nafan compares me with you, and you are out of place." Chu Qiao laughed haha, the laughter echoed in her chest, echoing back and forth. "It's getting late, I'm leaving." Chu Qiao no longer rode a horse, but rented a carriage with Mei Xiang. Li Ce stood under the sycamore tree with a smile. He was dressed in a red robe, and he looked exactly like what he said, a different kind of Fengshen Yulang, who was extremely handsome. "Qiao Qiao, be careful on the road, you can come back to me if you don't get married before the age of thirty." Chu Qiao got into the carriage, opened the curtain and waved to him, "As you say, I will marry myself before I am thirty." The carriage gradually drifted away, and the green curtains were finally closed, gradually disappearing at the end of the withered Wutong Road. "Your Majesty, do you need to send someone to protect Miss Chu?" Sun Di pondered for a while, before asking in a deep voice. "No." Li Ce shook his head slowly, turned around and walked towards the city gate. Everyone has the right to choose the life they want, Jojo, let's go.