Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Willow

When I woke up, the sky outside the window was a little drowsy, and I couldn’t tell whether it was morning or night. It was very noisy outside the window, and the shouts of various small businesses were mixed together. I saw that I was in a rich and gaudy room, and the tip of my nose was filled with a very powdery aroma, this decoration, this aroma—am I in a brothel in the middle of the city? Sitting up with my heavy head supported, I saw Xiao Qianqing sleeping on the table not far away, moved his limbs, felt no discomfort, so I got out of bed and patted him on the shoulder: "Haven't you slept enough?"

Xiao Qianqing raised his head with some difficulty. To my surprise, his face was pale and frightening, and there was no blood on his thin lips, as if he had been seriously injured. He rubbed his chest and stood up. There were sporadic blood spots and wrinkles on his white clothes. He seemed to no longer care about these small details, and said vaguely: "Have you slept enough? Then let me lie down for a while..." He shook his head as he spoke. Staggering towards the bed. I quickly supported him: "What's wrong with you? Are you injured?" He turned his head and smiled lightly: "Miss, look up, we are no longer in the Forbidden Palace, do you think the Queen Mother and that old man surnamed Gui will obediently let us out? Keeping alive is already a blessing from the gods."

"Thank you." I hurriedly thanked, then remembered to ask, "Where are Hong Qing and Ying?" Xiao Qianqing stopped in his tracks amusedly, and looked at me with a smile: "You don't even ask about my injury, but you ask Hongqing and Ying? It's really chilling." After complaining, he still replied, "They didn't come out, they were arrested. Get up, but it shouldn't be dead immediately." I saw that he could not stand still, so I hurriedly said, "Go to bed and lie down for a while, would you like me to get you some medicine?" As I said this, I was about to open the window to see the scenery outside.

Seeing that I was going to open the window, Xiao Qianqing stepped over anxiously and said, "Don't..." Before he finished speaking, I opened the window and saw the scenery outside the window. On the street outside the window, white cloths are hung on the doors of wine shops, inns, shops and residential buildings. The crowds are passing by, and it is still lively as usual, but the passing people, the men's heads are covered with white cloth strips, and the women's hair buns are covered with white cloth strips. Hairpin with white paper flowers. I understand why he is afraid that I will open the window. This is a national funeral, and the emperor has passed away.

The clean and cold wind hit my face, I turned my head and smiled at Xiao Qianqing: "What? There are ghosts outside the window who want to eat people? Or can't you see the wind?" Xiao Qianqing also smiled, turned around and lay down on the bed: "Just pretend I didn't say anything." I went to the table and sat down, smiled: "Xiao Qianqing, what time is the twelfth lunar month?" He paused: "Twelfth lunar month twenty-three." "It's only been a day," I smiled, "Xiao Qianqing, I didn't remember it until yesterday, so we met each other when we were young."

I didn't say who, and he didn't ask, so I continued: "I was only five or six years old at that time, and my father had just brought me to the capital from the countryside of Henan, and I still had a rustic accent, and other officials looked down on me." , don’t play with me. I had to follow my brother around, like a tomboy all day long. Once the late emperor was hunting in the Hailuo paddock where he accompanied Du Daiyu, and I asked my brother to disguise me as a little follower, and followed him .” "Brother went hunting with the older kids, and I hung out with the little guys. The kids started arguing for some reason when they were together, and they said a lot of things that looked down on me. Whenever I got angry, I jumped on them and started fighting. I How can a person beat such a child? As a result, he was pressed to the ground and beaten severely. At this time, a very handsome boy who looked more like a girl than me came over. I don't know who called him "His Royal Highness", Those people all ran away.

"It was a bit cold that day, and the boy's face was very pale. He came over and handed me a handkerchief, smiled and said: 'Girls can't make their face so dirty, wipe it off.' I took the handkerchief bluntly, Ask him: "How do you know I'm a girl?" He smiled: "If you know it, you know it." I thought this person was glib, so I turned my face away and ignored him. "That boy seems to be physically weak, and he can't ride a horse and hunt like other boys. We sat on the grass and talked. We talked a lot that day. We liked to eat the snacks in that snack shop, and hated the class taught by that gentleman. We were talking. As he said that, he said, it is better for a girl to be more elegant and quiet, otherwise she will be easily bullied if she causes trouble. I said what to be afraid of, there will be a boy to protect me. When I was young, my father always told me, It is said that girls are born to be protected by boys. I have heard a lot, and I really think so.

"Listen to me, the boy smiled happily and asked me: 'Then you found someone to protect you?' I shook my head and said: 'Not yet, one day there will be.' I read Seeing him say again: "I think you are very good-looking, or else you will protect me." He actually agreed very readily: "Little girl, it is agreed, I will protect you in this life." "That's the sentence, he has been remembering it for so many years." I smiled, "I have forgotten it a long time ago, if he hadn't said this sentence again today, I might never remember it again in my life. A young man once told me...to protect me for the rest of my life."

I smiled, my eyes were dry without a single tear: "It's only been thirteen days since he came back from Shanhaiguan, thirteen days...why is the time given to us always so short?" Xiao Qianqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Don't think about it any more." I smiled: "Are you afraid that I'm going crazy? Don't worry, I'm just talking casually. After all, there are so many things I haven't done." I smiled and looked at him, "Xiao Qianqing, you want to be the emperor, right? I'll help you. " He looked into my eyes, smiled for a while, and began to explain the situation in the court to me: "Your father, Ling Xuefeng, has been placed under house arrest by the queen mother after the funeral. I don’t agree.” He said with a smile, “They all recommended me.”

"Xiao Qianhong, Prince of Yu, who is only eleven years old?" I sneered. You, you have quite a lot of people in the court, don't you?" "Where." Xiao Qian smiled leisurely, "Don't always think I'm so cunning, my reputation is pretty good." "Come on, meeting is worse than being famous." I shook my head, and then asked, "Do you still have the imperial edict he gave you?" Xiao Qianqing nodded: "Of course." "That's easy." I smiled, "I'm sure to convince my father that if we work together, we will be sure to deal with the Queen Mother."

Xiao Qianqing raised his eyebrows: "Okay, tell me about your conditions?" It is convenient to talk to such a smart person, and I am not polite: "First thing, after you ascend the throne, my father will still be the chief assistant." Xiao Qian nodded quickly: "There is no one in Chaozhong who is more suitable than Ling Xuefeng to be a prime minister, I agree." "Second," I paused, "I want you to be the assistant king for a year first... I will announce to the world that I am pregnant with the blood of the Suzaku branch of the Xiao family, and you will be the assistant ruler before the prince is born." , Deyou's reign remains unchanged." "That's a bit outrageous," Xiao Qianqing mused, "So if you give birth to a son, I'll make way for him?" "It's a lie..." I braced my chin and laughed, "I'm not pregnant, and the co-government is just a cover, and the throne will still be yours in a year... In a year, you'll be full-fledged, and you're still afraid that I'll break the contract?" Xiao Qianqing nodded helplessly: "I would like to obey the Queen's order." After he finished speaking, he suddenly raised the corners of his lips and smiled, "You should hate me very much, why do you help me?" "Who knows?" I smiled, got up again and walked to the window, "Maybe I just don't want to make the queen mother too comfortable." The flow of people outside the window is endless, and those white hairpins and filial scarves are also shaking. It stands to reason that all transactions are prohibited during the national mourning period, but as the new year approaches, the common people have been busy for a year, and if they want to have a good New Year, they probably cannot be banned, right? In fact, this is the best way, so they are still so busy and happy, no matter whether it is a national funeral or not, the living still have to live. I stretched my hand out of the window and caught a snowflake that leaked from the eaves. I don't know when it started snowing again. Today is the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, and there are still seven days before New Year's Day in the ninth year of Deyou. On this day, which is called Xiaonian in the folklore, the situation of the empire followed a great change in the court, and moved in a direction that no one expected. On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighth year of Deyou, the third day of the great funeral, the ministers advised the empress dowager to choose a new monarch on the grounds that the throne should not be suspended for a long time. On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Yu Wang Xiao Qianhong was hastily invited from the fief to the capital by a special envoy. This eleven-year-old prince was hastily pushed to the power center of the empire. On the same day, five princes from the Xiao Clan's clan led Qin Wang's army to the capital successively. They were stationed outside the capital and asked to go to the Fengxian Hall where the coffin was parked to pay homage to the late emperor's heroic spirit. On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the princes of the clan and the empress dowager fell out with each other after a long discussion. The army of King Qin and the ten guards guarding the capital confronted each other outside the city, and the battle was imminent. On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kingdom of Chengjin, which had just surrendered to Dawu for less than a month, once again dispatched iron cavalry to approach Shanhaiguan, and the crisis shrouded the empire again. Also on this day, Yu Wang Xiao Qianhong's enthronement ceremony was hastily held in the Forbidden Palace. The child was wrapped in a crown that had obviously been temporarily changed to a small size, and received congratulations from all the officials in the Zhongji Hall. However, before the salute and music sounded, a group of unidentified guards rushed into the Forbidden Palace. When the courtiers were shivering in a corner by the shining sharp weapons, they finally understood the essence of the so-called power. the weapon. Leaving Xiao Qianqing behind, I walked up to the Empress Dowager step by step with the knife in hand. The armor on my body rattled, and the leather boots on my feet knocked on the royal road, and the sound was dull. I put the knife on the empress dowager's fair and plump neck: "You lost." My voice is a little hoarse because of the days of galloping on horseback. I just came back from Shanhaiguan, where I not only borrowed Kummer’s 100,000 cavalry, but also obtained Qi Chengliang’s support by virtue of Xiao Huan’s personal edict. With one order, Qi Chengliang will open the door and lead the 100,000 Jurchen cavalry straight to the capital. I know I'm crazy, but at this moment, I can really dominate everything without fear, even if it means destroying the empire. The Queen Mother's face was very pale. She stared at my face without saying a word. I put away the knife, left her behind, walked over Xiao Qianhong who shivered and shivered, and went straight out. There were still sporadic fighting sounds in the inner palace, it was the elder brother and his subordinates entangled with the two battalions of imperial guards. The snow had just fallen, and there was still some snow piled up on Qianqingmen Square, and Nuoda’s square was empty. I walked across the square and walked towards Fengxian Hall. In the majestic Fengxian Hall hangs a huge spirit banner, behind the spirit banner, a tall black coffin is parked, and hundreds of ever-burning lamps beside the coffin sway slightly in the cold wind that seems to be nothing. The hall was very quiet, most of the people had gone to the outer court to participate in the festive canonization ceremony, and only a few young maids stayed in Zi Palace to guard the spirit. I walked a few steps further in, and vaguely heard someone weeping softly in the corner of the hall. I turned around the coffin and saw a little palace maid huddled there crying softly. The hoarse echoed in the hall. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, the little maid quickly touched her tears, stood up in a panic, and was stunned when she saw it was me. She is Wu Lianming, the Wu Lianming I teased, after Xing Yiyong framed her that time, she was deprived of her title and has been working as a maid in a remote palace. She finally came back to her senses, and blessed in a panic: "This servant has seen the empress." I smiled, raised my hand to signal her to get up, and touched the cold coffin beside me: "Everyone else has left, why are you crying?" Wu Lianming shook her head, tears slid down her face, she choked with sobs: "Everyone is busy with other things these days, there is not enough manpower here, servants are here to add lamp oil, to accompany Long Live Lord... ..." "Thanks for your hard work." I said to her with a smile. Wu Lianming wiped her tears and shook her head: "The servant is willing. Long live God has no one to accompany him, so he must be very lonely. The servant is dull. When Long live God was alive, he didn't take good care of him. Now he is doing his best to look forward to Long Live The spirit of the Lord is in the sky, so you can not be alone." "Stupid girl," I smiled, "When a person dies, there is nothing left. The spirit of heaven is nothing but nothing, as long as you can remember the Lord Long Live in your heart." Wu Lianming nodded while sobbing, I paused and asked her: "Do you want to leave the palace?" Wu Lianming was stunned for a moment, then raised her head to look at me without knowing why. "Concubines who haven't given birth in the harem are all sent to the cold palace as a rule, but I can let you out of the palace, do you want to leave the palace?" I asked. Wu Lianming stared blankly at me, her tear-filled eyes slowly glowed, she asked cautiously: "Empress Empress, can you really... go out?" "I mean what I say." I laughed, "Go to the wider world outside the palace, meet more people, go to more places, maybe you can meet another person you like? Okay?" Wu Lianming nodded vigorously, the tears in her eyes stayed faster, dripping down on her skirt. She wiped the tears from her face, and suddenly said: "Empress Empress... Long Live Lord has never been lucky enough to visit me." I paused, stopped and looked at her. Her face was full of tears, but she still said: "I know, among the concubines in the harem, apart from the empress and concubine Du Gui, the Long Live God only favored me. But when I went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Long Live God had nothing Do it, just let me rest for a while, and then order someone to send me back. "I've never told anyone... The first time Long Live God recruited me was because I was in the Imperial Garden that day, and because of a quarrel, I got into a fight with a few other regular servants. They wanted to bully me because of their family background being more prominent than me. Me, of course I pushed back unceremoniously. We were talking when we were bumped into by Long Live Lord. He didn't say anything, just stared at me for a long time, and he was lucky enough to attract me that night. "Long live God didn't do anything that night, but before I left, he said to me, 'be calm in the future and don't be bullied'." As she spoke, tears fell down again: "I was so stupid at that time, I didn't listen to the words of the Lord Long Live, and instead relied on being recruited, I became more arrogant... Until now, I want to understand that the Lord Long Live didn't If you want me, you are leaving me a way out. Lord Long Live... Did he expect this day long ago?" I smiled and looked up at the empty palace. This is really Xiao Huan's temperament. No matter what he does, he always thinks far away. No matter what he does, he will leave people with a way out. Maybe it's not just Wu Lianming, even Du Tingxin... Thinking of the way she talked to me, maybe Xiao Huan never touched her. I leaned over and hugged her, turned around and walked out of the palace gate, never looking back at the huge coffin. After going out, the Empress Dowager stood outside the door, followed by the guards escorting her, and Xiao Qianqing. The Queen Mother looked at me and sneered: "The Empress Dowager is really calm, she can still talk and laugh without restraint in front of her husband's spirit." Xiao Qianqing chuckled at the side and said to me: "I think you should have something to say to the empress dowager." I breathed a sigh of relief and raised my hand to signal him, and he smiled and led the two soldiers back to the side. When they walked away, the queen mother sneered: "In front of Huan'er's spirit, what do you still have the face to say to me?" I smiled and looked up at the gloomy sky under the eaves: "You must be thinking, although I didn't do anything, I killed him, right?" The queen mother snorted coldly, but did not answer. "When you know that we are captured by Xiao Qianqing and he won't live for a few days, you simply don't care about his life and death, and just let people rush in and kill me and Xiao Qianqing to vent their anger." I said, turning my gaze from the sky Take it back and look down at her, "You just thought at that time that I killed him, you hated me and wanted to kill me. But you didn't think about it, even if you were going to die, but he was still alive, and you would be happy if you lived." Sadness, anger and sorrow, seeing his own queen mother pointing at him, telling others that your emperor is dead, and being forced to attack his most trusted subordinates, will he feel sad? "You told me that his thoughts are always hidden too deep—is it because his thoughts are always hidden too deep, and you have taken him for granted as a person without blood and tears, just for you Your country exists. Once something happens to him one day, the first thing you think about is not what will happen to him, but what will happen to your country... Can you tell me clearly that when he dies, Are you more distressed that you have lost a son, or that you have lost an emperor?" The queen mother crossed my shoulder and slowly shifted her gaze to the coffin in the hall, without opening her mouth for a long time. "Let me tell you, your country is not worth a penny in my eyes." I looked at her and sneered slightly, "I pulled you down from the enthronement ceremony and made you stand here, just to think Let you understand that some things, no matter how insignificant you think they are in your country's righteousness, must not be taken lightly." The queen mother was silent, closed her eyes gently, and did not speak again. I walked to the door and beckoned Xiao Qianqing to come over: "Put the Empress Dowager under house arrest in the Compassion Palace." Xiao Qianqing signaled the two soldiers to take the queen mother away, and smiled: "You can stay here for a while, and I will deal with other matters." I shook my head: "No need." Xiao Qianqing paused for a moment, looked at the dark hall, and smiled: "He fell from the guardrail that day and lost his breath. I wanted to take him out together, but Gui Wuchang snatched his body away, Queen Mother I probably looked for it, but I haven't found it yet." So what is here now is an empty coffin? I lowered my head and smiled, this is also good, so that I don't need to see a cold corpse, and then look for traces of the young man from the body that has long lost its temperature. These days, there will always be astringent pain in the eyes, but no more tears will come out. I didn't say anything more, just walked down the steps and walked out. A lot of affairs were handled indirectly in a hurry, not to mention that there was a complicated funeral ceremony that had to be carried out according to the procedure. It's manageable. Due to the persistence of the imperial guards in the harem, it took my brother a lot of effort and lost many good players. However, the absence of the two commanders of the accompanying battalion greatly reduced their strength. In addition, many people still have loyalty to Xiao Huan. Heart, I don't really want to work for the queen mother, so it's not too wasteful. After breaking through the inner palace, the elder brother found Ying and Hong Qing in a side hall. Hong Qing was wounded by Gui Wuchang, and Ying took care of him. Shi Yan was also found, and Xiao Huan's sword only cut his chest. The blood vessels did not really hurt the vitals. Although he bled a lot, his life was safe. What I didn't expect the most was that my brother actually found Xiaoshan and Jiaoyan in Chuxiu Palace. Hongqing didn't kill them that day, but just stunned them. I called all the concubines in front of me and told them that if they wanted to leave the palace, they could leave on their own, and those who wanted to stay would have to move to the cold palace, but they could receive their salary according to their original rank.Many concubines were still young, unwilling to stay in the cold palace for the rest of their lives, and petitioned to leave the palace one after another. Only a few who could not find a home stayed behind. As for Du Tingxin... I haven't seen her since I came back, but she's such a girl, maybe it's not my turn to worry about her. After finishing all this work, I went to visit Hong Qing and Shi Yan. Shi Yan was in a bad mood, sitting on the bed almost like a stone sculpture, not moving at all. Hong Qing was better, seeing me go, and smiled at me, like a kitten, obediently sitting on his bedside, helping him fetch some things from time to time, and helping the pillow. At the end of the day, I was also a little tired, so I went back to Chuxiu Palace to rest at night, and slept until the sky was clear, it was already the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the last day of Deyou's eight years. Just in time for the national funeral, there will be no new year celebrations in the palace this year. I asked Xiao Qianqing to issue an order to allow the people to celebrate the new year on their own, but it should not be too noisy. On the last day, the father who helped Xiao Qian clean up the government in the previous dynasty came to the harem. He stood beside me, calmed down for a while, and said slowly: "It's going to snow again." The sky is gloomy, and lead clouds are heavy on the top of the head. On the first day of the new year, another heavy snow is inevitable. I nodded: "There is a lot of snow this winter." "The winter your mother left...was so snowy." Father suddenly said, "I met your mother when I was just over 20 years old, an arrogant and poor man, but your mother has already become famous in the world." She is a female swordsman. When she married me and quit the arena, many people said that your mother was stupid. Is it possible that you want to guard this useless scholar for the rest of your life? But your mother said that she is very happy, and I am also very happy. We We have been married for five years, your brother was born, and your mother conceived you again. Our family has always been happy. "But in the fifth year, it was snowing on the 30th of that year, and you were not yet full-term, but your mother suddenly said that she was leaving and would never come back. I asked her why, and she told me that I was so useless , she can't spend her whole life with such a wimpy man. "I was going crazy that day. Your brother was screaming around the cold stove. With all my strength, I pulled your mother's sleeve and asked her what she wanted to do to stay. Her eyes were so cold and hard at that time. To put it bluntly, if she wants to come back to see me, unless I can be a very powerful minister. "She was sure that I would never be able to do it. At that time, I didn't even have an official position, and I didn't know anything about officialdom. Wanting to be an extreme minister was nothing but a dream. That's how your mother left, like her As said, never came back." There was some confusion in the father's eyes looking into the distance, "It was that year when I took your brother to Beijing to rush for the exam. At that time, I hated your mother to death. Apart from cursing her day and night, I tried my best to get up. Crawl. I swore that even if one day I become an extremely human minister, I will never recognize this flirtatious woman again. "When I was really appointed as the chief assistant of the cabinet, on the day the edict came down, I set up a banquet in the courtyard of the mansion, prepared two pairs of bowls and chopsticks, and sat down alone. I thought the news was known to the whole country, you Mother will hear it no matter where she is, and she will definitely come to see me according to the agreement. I thought about countless words of humiliation and abuse for her, and put her favorite wine on the table... That night, I waited until dawn, When it was time to go to the morning court, I finally realized that I have waited for so long, with my hands full of blood and smears, and I just wanted to see her again, even if it was just for one time, that's fine." Father's voice trembled suddenly , he stopped, and the arms hanging by his side trembled slightly. From childhood to adulthood, I never heard my father mention my mother. He just asked my brother and I to go home to worship my mother on the 30th of the twelfth lunar month every year. "What happened later?" I paused and asked, "Mother hasn't been to see you all this time?" "Your mother is dead." The father had already calmed down, and said slowly, "Shortly after she left home, she gave birth to you in the countryside. Then she went to die alone. At that time, your mother was found by her former enemies Traces, your mother can't beat them, in order not to implicate us, she will run away alone. "After she was caught by those people, she begged them not to seek revenge on her husband and children. Those people agreed to her request, but nailed her to the entrance of their sect with bone-eating nails. Her body After hanging on that gate for half a year, she was finally thrown into a deep valley to be eaten by vultures, and now even the bones cannot be found. This incident was widely circulated in the Jianghu at that time, and she earned a lot of face for her enemies .” My fists were already clenched, and my nails pierced into my palms: "Where are those bastards now?" "They are the fourth masters of the Tang Sect. They died eight years ago, and the Tang Sect in the middle of Sichuan no longer exists." Father said lightly, as if he was talking about a very ordinary thing, "I wiped out the Tang Sect There are many doors, and power can be used very well sometimes." So it turned out that eight years ago, the Tang Sect, which was at its peak in central Sichuan, was massacred, and the Tang Sect was wiped out since then. My father went on to say: "Later when I found out the truth, I often thought, why did your mother say such cruel things, why would you rather I hate her than tell me the truth? Then I thought about it, five years of husband and wife, she is the one who understands me best , she knows the aloofness in my temperament, and knows that if I don't say that, I will definitely not let her go. She is also afraid that after she is gone... I will let her go. " As the father said, he paused: "Hatred is the most lasting. Your mother would rather I hate her, and hope that I can go on through hatred." My father turned his head slowly, looked at me and smiled: "Cang Cang, whether it's life or death, the person who stays needs more strength than the one who leaves. From childhood to adulthood, you are always in front of me. You are very courageous here, you won’t cry when you sleep alone in an empty house, and you dare to walk a long way to pick me up at night to pick me up, this time you can do it too, no matter how difficult and long the road is, I can walk alone." I wiped the tears from my face and nodded with a smile: "I will." My father also smiled, and patted me on the shoulder in relief: "Next, do whatever you want, as long as you are happy." I laughed, and after thinking about it, I said, "Father, since you know that your mother is no longer here, why are you still clinging to the position of the first assistant? Do you still feel in your heart that as long as you are still the first assistant, you can still wait for your mother?" My father's hand on my shoulder froze suddenly, and he said half angrily, "What nonsense..." "Ah... Dad is still a seed of infatuation." I laughed, and took my father's hand to hide behind him. My father couldn't catch me, so he could only smile and sigh: "You, you girl..." There was nothing to look forward to on this day. In the evening, I took off the queen's gown, put on light half-arms and skirts, and walked out of Chuxiu Palace. On the corridor outside the imperial garden, I bumped into Xiao Qianqing head-on, his smile was faint: "Going out of the palace?" I nodded, didn't stop, and walked straight out: "Miss, I'm going to wander the rivers and lakes..." He smiled softly, and the moment I was about to brush his shoulder, he suddenly said, "Is it just wandering around the rivers and lakes?" I laughed and walked straight forward without looking back. Passing through the bleak imperial garden in winter, through the long and dark doorway, you can already see the hazy sky outside the Xuanwu Gate, gloomy and cold, like a divine eye that sees everything. It's not over yet, I know it. The cold wind of the twelfth lunar month was blowing on his face like a knife. Xiao Qianqing, who was left behind by me, was holding a cloak that I hadn't handed out in the future. He stood sideways, dressed in light fur like snow, and said nothing. On the streets at dusk on New Year’s Eve, the number of pedestrians gradually decreased. Occasionally, there were shops along the street that were not closed yet. White gauze watermelon lanterns with the word “Dian” hung on the doors, and the lanterns swayed and swayed in the cold wind. I strolled to the Fenyang Teahouse in the West Market. This small teahouse is quite famous among those who have traveled all over the rivers and lakes. All the news of the three religions and nine streams are collected here, but no one came to collect information tonight. Those who gather here at this time are all those who can't go home for the New Year, there are entertainers who sell singing, there are also businessmen who sell medicinal materials, and there are prodigal sons who are wandering in the rivers and lakes. The owner of the teahouse erected a stove in the middle of the room to boil a pot of steaming millet wine.Guests use wooden spoons to scoop wine into large celadon cups, hold them to the table, and then serve a few small dishes. Those who are acquainted with each other sit at the same table and chat with each other. I ordered a few dishes and sat in a corner by the window with a mug of hot wine. I don't drink much, after two glasses of wine, the tables and chairs in front of me are a little blurred, and I vaguely heard the people sitting next to me talking about the past few days, some people said that the emperor passed away too suddenly, some Strange, another person said that the emperor had been ill for a long time, and it was not surprising that he would die, but the timing was a bit strange. Several people talked and talked about the queen.One said that the empress and the assistant king were sympathetic to the people's sentiments and allowed the people to celebrate the New Year, which can be called virtuous and benevolent.The other said that the queen joined forces with the assistant king to bring down the queen mother, she was very cunning, she was a strange woman, and several others agreed that it was good. I sneered from the side: "What strange woman? She is happy to do this and that after her husband is dead. If you want me to say, she is a heartless woman!" Those few people all looked at me sideways. I was wearing men's clothes at this time, and coupled with my drunken eyes, a big man with a beard smiled: "Little brother, we brothers are joking, the empress is not in your way, right?" ?” I raised my eyebrows and stood up: "The queen is not in my way, but you are." The bearded man rolled up his sleeves: "Are you looking for fault?" I lifted the bench under his buttocks and saw the big guy sitting on the ground unexpectedly, laughing loudly: "I'm just finding fault, what's the matter?" It is conceivable that I had a serious fight with those three big guys until the owner of the teahouse came forward and cleared the four of us out. Those three big guys don't know much about martial arts, although they are strong, they didn't take advantage of it. I took advantage of martial arts, but my fists couldn't match four hands. I punched them twice in the face, and my nose was bruised and my face was swollen. A few people left the teahouse and scuffled for two more streets. Finally, I leaned against a willow tree by the street and couldn't help laughing. The three big guys were standing or sitting, and they all laughed, and the one with the beard patted my shoulder: "Little brother, if you have something to worry about, just start a fight." The other also smiled: "Speaking of which, we fought together on New Year's Eve, so it's fate." I laughed enough, raised my head and pointed to my nose: "Could it be that my thoughts are written on my face?" Although they were drunk, their words were reliable, and they laughed: "They are full of bad luck, don't they have something on their minds?" I laughed too, and they laughed too. After laughing enough, a few people chatted without saying a word, and snowflakes began to fall in the sky. Those big men said they had to go back to the inn quickly, or they would freeze to death on the street tomorrow morning.Before I left, I asked if I had a place to go. I said that I was from the capital and my home was nearby.They joked that their home was in the capital, and they ran out to drink and fight on New Year's Eve. It seemed that they really had something on their minds. After the three of them finished speaking, they hugged their shoulders and sang hometown ditties, then swaggered away. I ran to the corner and vomited out all the things I ate, and the wine finally sobered up to 70%. At this time, someone lit firecrackers on the corner of the street, and amidst the crackling sound, a group of children were laughing and clapping their hands. Zi Shi has passed now... It is now the first day of the first month of the ninth year of Deyou, not the first year, but the ninth year of Deyou. Let Xiao Qianqing be the auxiliary king for a year first, and issue an edict to lie about my pregnancy... These are actually just because I hope the new year will be the ninth year of Deyou. It's not someone else's era, it's still Deyou's era... like a fool. Like this, nothing has changed, like this, whenever I look back, I can still find that young man, just like I never lost him. I laughed out of nowhere, and sat down against the wall, feeling drowsy. There seemed to be something suddenly added to my hand. I touched it and held it in front of my eyes. It turned out to be Yang Liufeng. After being taken away by Gui Wuchang, I never saw it again. The willow wind that has lost its trace. I raised my head, and the heavy snow was still falling all over the sky. People's laughter came from far away, and there was nothing in front of me, and no one passed by. I lowered my head and slowly pulled out the willow wind, a sword that was white and shiny, but it has already gone through the years and witnessed the rise and fall of separation and reunion. I lightly stroked the inscription on the blade with my fingertips: What I hate is bestowed parting every year. The first heavy snow in Deyou's nine years, fell on this rumored ominous and famous sword, gradually covering the line of inscriptions, holding the hilt of the sword, I laughed. The New Year's Day of Deyou's ninth year is no longer the Longevity Day of Emperor Deyou, but it will still be the beginning of a new year.