Chapter 52 Four Quiet Falls

Xiao Huan left in the winter of the second year of Dexin. Nineteen years after Deyou, the empire continued to prosper, until the autumn of Deyou's twenty-eighth year, Xiao Huan in the palace vomited blood on a memorial that was being reviewed. Cang Cang, who was sitting with him, watched him cover his mouth with his hands, but the bright red blood still slipped through his pale fingers, dripping onto the rice paper in front of him, staining the letter about Liaodong governor Liu Shi. The impeachment of the general who was good at beheading before the security. Just like how he punished Qi Chengliang ten years ago, he punished this important minister he had single-handedly supported, but when he came to the execution ground where Liu Shian was beheaded for public display, he coughed up blood again and fell into the arms of Xiao Qianqing who was beside him.

In an emergency, the prince Xiao Lian took over the power of supervising the country alone for the first time, and was in charge of the government. Years of hard work exhausted his already weak body. In the spring of the twenty-ninth year of Deyou, when Xiao Huan's condition improved slightly, he appeared for the last time in the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden Palace. Since then, he has retired to the palace and no longer manages politics in person. For the last three years of his life, he spent with Cang Cang who also lived in seclusion in Daiyu Palace. Lian'er's ascension to the throne was not smooth, natural disasters occurred everywhere, and border disturbances continued. At an age that was not weak enough, he took on a burden that was not inferior to that of his father. Although he had the help of Uncle Wang and the chief assistant, it was not easy.

In the first two years, Xiao Huan would teach him from time to time as he did before he took the throne. Until one day, Lian'er rushed to Daiyu's palace with a thick stack of memorials as usual, and left the most difficult problem to his father.Xiao Huan leaned on the couch and carefully criticized him until late at night. Lian'er got up and said goodbye, but there was no response after a long time. Only then did he find that his father was leaning on the soft couch with a pale face and unconscious. Up to this moment, Lian'er anxiously picked up her father and called to the imperial physician, and finally understood why Li Mingshang insisted on abdicating his father to recuperate, his body was indeed exhausted to this point.

It was also from this day that Xiao Lian truly became an emperor. He no longer relied on the strength of his father's generation, no longer doubted his own judgment, and became firm and resolute, wise and true. After waiting for many years, he created his own dynasty. Under the prosperity and peace, he remembered the night when he saw his father fainted, and suddenly burst into tears. He knew that his father not only entrusted him with the future of this country, He also devoted his whole life to him. However, after the first year of Dexin, Xiao Huan's body continued to weaken. He began to fall asleep suddenly. One moment he was chatting with Cang Cang, the next moment he would lose consciousness, and he would not wake up until several hours later.

This situation did not disappear until the autumn of the second year of Dexin. Cang Cang was rejoicing that his condition had improved, but one morning he found Xiao Huan coughing up blood, suppressing his voice and covering his lips by the bed. That kind of fainting symptom may prevent him from waking up every time, but in order to avoid it, he must take a poisonous drug to suppress it. Xiao Huan spends every day coughing up blood and body In exchange for severe pain. Holding his body that day, Cang Cang cried for the first time in two years, but Xiao Huan only smiled silently, and gently wiped away her tears: "Cang Cang, as long as I can be by your side..."

Cang Cang shook his head, holding him and weeping silently. The weakened heart vessels are under the erosion of drugs, and the symptoms of palpitations that existed many years ago recur frequently.Even Li Mingshang had no choice but to watch him cough up more and more blood as his heart throbbed from autumn to winter and his face was as pale as snow. Finally, when the second heavy snowfall fell, Li Mingshang looked at the gloomy sky and said, "Let Lian'er and Kid Qing come over." When he said this, Cang Cang was standing in the corridor with him, the world in his eyes suddenly blurred, and after a while, he softly agreed: "Okay."

As a result, one day later, not only Lianer and Xiao Qianqing came, but also many people, Hong Qing and Ying, the newly married Shi Yan, the gray-haired Feng Wufu, the chief assistant of the cabinet Zhang Zhuduan, and the last person walked into the courtyard slowly. Su Qian who is all in white. Looking up, Su Qian smiled: "I'm here to send off the master of the White Pavilion for everyone in the Fenglai Pavilion." At the same time as the words fell, a crystal light flashed from the corner of her eyes and disappeared into her white clothes . Cang Cang smiled: "Okay, but he is not in good spirits, take your time."

There was also a fire in the outer hall, Jiao Yan served freshly boiled tea, Cang Cang left the waiting people and went to the inner room. Xiao Huan had just had heart palpitations in the morning, and was resting on the brocade mat with his eyes closed, when he heard a voice outside the door, he opened his eyes and smiled at Cang Cang: "Who's here?" Cang Cang made an angry look on purpose: "It's not the group of people who always miss you, they still don't give up, it's really annoying!" Laughing lightly, Xiao Huan also shook his head in embarrassment: "That's it, I can't help it."

Cang Cang walked over with a smile, sat on the edge of the bed, hugged him and let him lean on his shoulder, so that he could talk a little more comfortably. The first to enter were Hong Qing and Ying. Although Ying was ignorant, she knew it was time to say goodbye this time. She walked over silently and put her arms around Xiao Huan's waist: "Brother." Xiao Huan raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder, and smiled lightly: "Xiaoying." Hong Qing held Ying's hand and tried to smile: "Long live, I will take good care of Ying." After that, Shi Yan and Su Qian came in alone, and the children in the palace were also called to the outer hall. Feng Wufu led them in, Xiao Yan was still calm, but Xiao Xie had a pair of eyes swollen from crying, Ran and Can were still young , squeezed together on the head of the bed with tears in my eyes.

Xiao Huan lightly coughed to comfort them one by one, Cang Cang feared that he was working too hard, so he asked Xiao Yan to take his younger siblings out. The last ones to come in were Lian'er and Zhang Zhuduan. Lian'er was still wearing the court clothes she had changed in the future, walked to the bed, lifted her clothes and knelt down: "Father." Xiao Huan smiled at him, and looked at Zhang Zhuduan who was following behind him: "Zhuduan, Lian'er is still young, and Jiangshan Sheji will trouble you from now on." Kneeling in front of the bed, Zhang Zhuduan kowtowed: "I know."

Smiling, Xiao Huan coughed lightly, Cang Cang heard his tiredness, and quickly held his hand: "Brother Xiao, do you want to rest?" Xiao Huan shook his head lightly, smiled at Lian'er, his voice was weak, but his tone was firm: "Lian'er, always remember that you are the Great Wu Emperor." Lian'er has been kneeling since she came in, bit her lip to suppress the grief in her heart, and nodded vigorously. Xiao Huan smiled approvingly at him, but Xiao Huan coughed, and blood gushed from the corner of his lips. Lian'er was shocked, and hurriedly called "Daddy", rushed over and raised his sleeve to wipe the blood, but the blood could not be wiped away, Xiao Huan tilted his head and took a light breath: "Lian'er, you go out..." Knowing that he was already tired, he insisted on holding back the painstaking effort to vomit for so long, Cang Cang motioned to Feng Wufu, who hadn't walked away, to help Lian'er to pull him out, and asked him to invite Zhang Zhuduan out as well. Feng Wufu wiped away his tears, went to the door and bowed, then went out and closed the door, leaving only her and Xiao Huan in the room. Putting the cold palm on her hand, Xiao Huan coughed lightly and smiled: "Cang Cang, I'm sorry..." Holding his hand and rubbing it against his cheek, Cang Cang smiled: "What are you sorry for, so you promised me ten years, and now it has been thirteen years... I am already satisfied." With his eyes fixed on her face, Xiao Huan coughed softly. Raising his hand to gently wipe away the blood on his lips, Cang Cang bowed his head, kissed his blood-stained thin lips, and smiled: "Brother Xiao, I will go with you." She said this sentence thirteen years ago, and now she said it again, but still without any hesitation, her tone was extremely calm. His eyes flickered slightly, Xiao Huan coughed lightly, and finally smiled: "Cangcang..." Cang Cang lowered his head and blocked his cold thin lips with his lips. This kiss had a faint smell of blood, and was exceptionally deep. After meeting this time, Xiao Huan survived for another month. He coughed up blood every time he had palpitations, but he persisted in swallowing the soup without showing a trace of pain, and looked at Cang Cang with gentle eyes as before. One month later, it was almost the New Year, and it snowed heavily again on this day, and the earth was silvery white. Xiao Huan started coughing up blood intermittently the night before, and the blood he coughed up the next morning was already stained with the white brocade handkerchief in Cang Cang's hand. Helping him to sit up, he groomed him with his own hands. Cang Cang brought him the warm water he had prepared to rinse his mouth. As soon as the water entered his body, he threw it out, and the bright red blood in the celadon bowl dissipated. Jiao Yan, who was on the side, looked at it, then turned her face away, and quietly wiped away the tears on her face. He couldn't eat, so Cang Cang stopped persuading him, and found a snow fur to cover him, carried him into a wheelchair, and took him to the small pavilion in the middle of the lake to watch the snow. The ponds in the palace are all connected to hot springs, and they don’t freeze in all seasons. The kang is burned in the pavilion, and the wind on the lake is not too cold. Xiao Huan had no strength left, so Cang Cang carried him down and put him on the blanket laid out in the pavilion, put his arms around his waist, let him lean on his chest, and watched the snowflakes in the sky fall onto the foggy lake with him , into the water, disappearing. Lying in her arms and coughing softly, before Xiao Huan raised his hand to cover his lips, bright red blood gushed out from the corner of his lips and slid down on the snow fur. Wipe off some for him with the brocade handkerchief in his hand, knowing that he is used to enduring it, Cangcang put the handkerchief under his lips, smiled: "Brother Xiao, don't press it, just spit it out." He raised the corners of his lips at her, Xiao Huan coughed lightly, blood gushed out from between his lips, and within a short time, the brocade handkerchief he was holding was soaked, but he still didn't finish coughing, bright red blood flowed down his jaw placket. Cang Cang didn't know how hard he had endured, so he hugged his body, heard him cough softly, and rubbed his face lightly on his face: "Xiao Brother, don't bear it any longer, okay?" The blood-stained lips curled up, and he held her hand very lightly. Xiao Huan looked at her and smiled lightly: "Cang Cang..." Cang Cang bowed his head and kissed his eyebrows lightly, and laughed: "Brother Xiao, that's enough..." She gently picked him up and continued to smile, "It's alright...Brother Xiao..." Xiao Huan didn't speak any more, just looked at her with softness in his deep pupils. She had been sitting in the pavilion for a whole day, she hugged him lightly, he leaned on her shoulder, and coughed very lightly, in those bright deep pupils, the light flowed, but it always stayed on her face, unstoppable. Ken leaves. From dawn to dusk, they cuddled together, Xiao Huan lay in her arms, breathing weakly. When the twilight was getting thicker, Cang Cang stroked his long black hair, wiped away the remaining blood on his lips with his fingers, and lowered his head to kiss the cold thin lips: "Brother Xiao, why don't we go to the beach?" Smiling slightly, Xiao Huan slowly held her hand, his voice was soft but clear: "Cangcang..." A light slowly approached from the shore of the lake, and the person holding the light was Xiao Qianqing, who couldn't see his eyebrows clearly in the heavy snow, standing quietly outside the pavilion. Cang Cang smiled at him, moved his sore legs and waist, let Xiao Huan lean on his shoulder, hugged his body horizontally, stood up and nodded: "We are going to the beach." Silently, Xiao Qianqing looked at Xiao Huan who was held in her arms, the blood-stained skirt was so shocking, but that snow-like face was still calm and serene. It took him a while to speak: "I'm ready for the boat." When Cang Cang nodded and was about to pass by him, he suddenly said, his voice was unprecedentedly low, and there was no trace of frivolity: "Brother Huanhuang, the children still have me." There was no answer, but Xiao Huan smiled, raised his pale hand, and reached out to him. After being in a daze for a moment, Xiao Qianqing also raised a hand to hold his cold hand. There was a faint sound of wind in the snow, and the world was silent for a while. This is the first time that the grown-up Emperor Deyou and the Prince Counselor hold each other's hands, just like the unspoken tacit understanding between them, this is the first and only time to hold hands, promising the next decades Entrust. Smiling and closing his eyes, Xiao Huan leaned gently on Cang Cang's shoulder, Xiao Qianqing took a deep breath, let go of his hand, and placed it by his side. Cang Cang smiled at him, hugged Xiao Huan and walked towards the carriage parked by the lake. Beihai was not far away, but the carriage was moving slowly in the heavy snow, Cang Cang hugged Xiao Huan in his arms, bowed his head and kissed his closed eyes. For two days and two nights, every bump in the journey was harmful to Xiao Huan's body, but he never fell into a coma, and gradually weakened to the point where he no longer had the strength to speak. Those deep pupils just looked at him gently. gray. The heavy snow didn't stop, and the sky and the earth were all silvery white. Finally, there was the sound of waves beating outside the window.Cang Cang bowed his head and kissed Xiao Huan's pale and colorless thin lips, and smiled slightly. After many years, her smile was still bright like a girl: "Brother Xiao, we are coming." The hard ups and downs of his chest were weak, Xiao Huan held her hand gently with a smile on his lips. The body that was always cool in his arms has become icy cold, and the charcoal fire and body temperature can no longer take away a trace of warmth. Cang Cang opened the leather curtain of the carriage and looked out the window. landed. She lowered her head with a smile, kissed his stretched brows, and smiled, her eyes seemed to be looking at the begonias in the sky in Daiyu City back then: "Brother Xiao, we are here." Empress Ling of Dawu chose a special way to bury her lover and herself. She hugged the dying Emperor Deyou in the snow, and it took her two days and two nights to drive to the seaside in a carriage, and then put down a large ship full of fuel and dry wood in the unfrozen North Sea. In the heavy snow by the sea, Emperor Deyou passed away peacefully in her arms. She picked up her lover, boarded the big boat, and lit the dry firewood doused with kerosene beside her. The hull of the ship ignited a fire that soared into the sky, and the raised sails brought the fire ship deep into the sea. On that day, everyone who saw it said that the flames rolled up in the wind and snow were as brilliant as flowers, reflecting the sky and sea red.