Chapter 34 Chapter 34: Moonless Night

When Chang Gong returned to Yecheng, summer had already arrived unknowingly.Large patches of dark green leaves shone brightly under the bright sunlight, and the wind was so strong that it seemed to blow the sky high and far. When there were no clouds, the color of the uppermost layer of the sky turned into a thick blue-purple. The Battle of Mang Mountain this time made Lanling King even more famous, and everyone in the Qi Kingdom celebrated together, and the people in the market also took the opportunity to add fuel and jealousy, portraying Lanling King as a god of war who descended from the sky.

After Chang Gong came back, he took a few days off with the excuse of being sick.It's not that she doesn't want to see Uncle Jiu, it's just that after going through such a night, she doesn't know how to face Uncle Jiu.Although she knew that it was because of Mixiang that Uncle Jiu made such crazy actions and said such crazy words, but—for some reason, at that moment, she could feel that Uncle Jiu was in pain, very painful... It was a pain that could drag her into the dark abyss together... Maybe it would be better for both of us not to face him for a while.At least, it won't make her feel so embarrassed...

Gao Zhan immediately approved her performance, and sent someone to ask her to rest for a while. At the same time, a lot of rewards and precious medicinal materials were continuously transported to Gao's mansion.These days, Chang Gong has nothing to do at home, sometimes he goes out to drink with Hengjia Xiaowan, sometimes he goes to Zheng Sikong's mansion to visit Xiaotie, the days without doing anything go by quickly. Until one day, after Xiaowan came down to the court, he brought the news that the emperor would come to the court due to a gas attack. Hearing this news, and thinking of Uncle Jiu being tortured and suffocating, Zhang Gong suddenly felt a sharp pain in her internal organs, and the pain and anxiety surging from the depths of her heart seemed to oppress every nerve of her.

The blurry reflection in memory suddenly became clear, reflecting a soft beam of light. The already yellowed past was re-washed, gradually showing its outline, as fresh as yesterday. The fear and unhappiness of that night were almost covered by the gentle smile in memory. What happened to her?That person was Uncle Jiu... the Uncle Jiu who had doted on her since she was a child, and the relative she relied on most in this world. What's more, it wasn't entirely his fault that time, it wasn't... No matter what he did, she will forgive him, won't she? "Third brother, I'm going to the palace." She put down the cup in her hand, stood up and stood up.

"What? But it's already so late... If you want to visit the emperor, you can have it tomorrow." Xiao Wan frowned displeased.Although he didn't know what happened that night, he was always on guard against Gao Zhan. "I want to go now." Chang Gong ignored him and walked out. Xiao Wan lowered his head silently, and the thin stream of water was quietly folding over the cracks in the blue bricks and stones under his feet.Along the ripples of the water, countless shades of green are intertwined with each other, just like his mood at the moment. The night sky in summer is also extraordinarily clear, with a bright yellow moon, bright yellow light, and faint frost floating in the bright yellow night.The moonlight and frost lightly shrouded the entire Zhaoyang Palace in it.

Gao Zhan's qi disease has been very serious for the past few days, and he really can't go to court today.This problem is happening more and more frequently now.Each new round of seizures lasts longer than the previous round.Every attack is accompanied by endless dry cough.If you cough for too long, you will have difficulty breathing and chest tightness.Sometimes, his chest seemed to be pressed by a heavy stone.Fortunately, He Shikai did everything possible to find the famous doctor Xu Zhicai, and prepared a new dose of medicine for him, and now he is much better.As soon as he got better, he asked everyone to retreat, so many people gathered here, which made him feel a little upset.

Sitting quietly in the room alone, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, my heart is like a breeze blowing across the lake, causing ripples after waves.It has been many days since Chang Gong returned to Yecheng, but she has never come to court.Of course he knew that the so-called illness was just an excuse, she was just escaping... What happened to him that night... He has never been so out of control, never been so crazy, is it purely because of alcohol?still-- He only knew that at that moment, ethics, gender, rationality, everything had been thrown out of the sky by him. It's not that he likes men, it's not that he likes to violate ethics, he just likes Chang Gong.

Thinking of that night, he couldn't help reaching out and touching his lips. The feeling like touching flower petals still remained on his lips. Every time he thinks about it, it makes him feel excited and intoxicated... Obviously this is not What is allowed is forbidden love, but why is it like moths flying into a flame, unable to turn back... But at the same time, what came to his mind was the trembling body under him that night, the frightened expression... He, after all, still hurt her... Just when he was in a trance, a burst of familiar white plum fragrance hit him, disturbing and enveloping his whole body.

This scent...his heart moved, could it be—— "Your Majesty..." The footsteps coming from behind were chaotic and disorganized, and the soft voice seemed to seep in from a distance, but it made his ears buzz. It was Chang Gong... He could feel her standing behind him, that breath was so clear and so familiar, but he——did not turn his head.She didn't call him Uncle Jiu...no... "Your Majesty, are you better?" She repeated. "I..." He just said a word, but he coughed a few times because of his fluctuating emotions. "Uncle Jiu, what's the matter with you!" She rushed over and quickly supported him, her face was filled with unconcealable worry and heartache, and she gently patted his back with her hands very naturally, to relieve him.

A trace of inexplicable joy surged in his heart. Just now she called Uncle Jiu without thinking, Chang Gong, she will forgive herself after all. Turning his eyes, he suddenly landed on the little tiger sachet tied around her waist. In an instant, his heart was filled with happiness, which was so happy that he felt a slight pain, and the pain caused a slight sour taste in his eyes. It turned out that what he was most afraid of was losing, losing the position he had firmly held as her most important relative. That no one can replace, no one can surpass the position. "I'm much better." He raised his head and rolled up a faint smile.

When he was smiling, Chang Gong saw two shallow lines appearing on both sides of his mouth. Is this a sign that a person is starting to age?Will they grow into dense wrinkles one day in the future? In the dim yellow light, she suddenly felt extremely sad. He is only six years older than her. Is it really so hard to sit in this high position?Why, she would feel so clearly, heartache and sorrow. She wanted to fight back the pain, so she closed her eyes. "Chang Gong, you really don't blame me?" He asked tentatively. Chang Gong was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "No, Uncle Jiu. Now besides third brother, you are my closest relative. Have you ever seen your nephew blame uncle? What's more, Uncle Jiu, you drank too much that day Wine, plus that scent..." "Mixiang?" Gao Zhan's face changed slightly. After Ye Changgong left, he fell unconscious, and he didn't know what happened after that, so he didn't pay attention to Mixiang at all. "Uncle Jiu, you don't know, I don't know who is so odious to release this kind of thing..." She said bitterly. Gao Zhan's eyes darkened and he didn't say anything. "Chang Gong, you made great contributions in the battle of Luoyang this time," he changed the subject, "With you here, Zhou Guo and the Turks will not dare to invade for the time being." Chang Gong nodded, his bright eyes seemed to be burning in the dark night, "Uncle Jiu, as I said, I will guard this country for you." Gao Zhan looked into her eyes, his valiant figure on the battlefield appeared in his mind, and his heart throbbed for no reason. If she was a woman, maybe he would try again desperately.But Chang Gong is a man. Such a formidable King of Lanling should make contributions on the battlefield and become a hero. How could he have the absurd idea of ​​taking this young man as his own, and even imprisoning him by his side forever... The moonlight disappeared into the floating clouds at some point. A moonless night is a deep blackness, with neither hope nor future. This blackness that seems to devour everything has accumulated into an unbreakable wall, separating him and her on both sides, powerless... to surpass. The two of them were like this, exhaling and inhaling quietly in the darkness. Just bury all the emotions.
When we left Zhaoyang Hall, the sky had already turned white.Chang Gong was surprised to find Xiao Wan at the gate of the palace. "Third brother, why are you here?" She hurried forward. Xiao Wan didn't speak, and pulled her up and down with a serious face for a long time, before she burst out, "Are you okay?" She smiled and laughed, "Third brother, what you said is really strange, what do I need, I just went to see the emperor." Only then did Xiao Wan smile reassuringly, "That's good, that's good!" "Okay, third brother, don't worry about it. I'm not a child. Isn't it a joke that you have to come and pick me up? Let's go back quickly, and I will go to court with you tomorrow. "She said as she walked towards the cart. "Of course, you will always be my fourth brother in my eyes," he lovingly rubbed her hair. "Hey, third brother, I'm the majestic King of Lanling, the current chief Sima, and I'm still your boss. How can you be so rude!" "Rude? I can be even more rude!" Xiao Wan stretched out his hands and pinched her cheeks lightly, and said with a smile, "I don't care if you are Sima or Sima, I know you are my younger brother." !" "Wow, third brother, let go..." The two of them were laughing and joking, when they suddenly saw a figure hurrying towards this direction. When passing by them, the figure stopped and greeted them calmly and politely, "Lanling King, Hejian King ,So early?" When Xiao Wan saw clearly that the person in front of him was He Shikai, his face suddenly sank, and he snorted and immediately turned his head away.Although Chang Gong hated him to the bone, but seeing him heading towards the Chaoyang Palace, he still couldn't help saying, "The emperor has already rested!" He Shikai smiled slightly, "Oh, I've been waiting all night for Xu Zhicai to concoct a newer prescription, so I just prepared it now, and it should be more effective than the previous one. So I want to wait in front of Zhaoyang Hall, and then the emperor will prepare it in the morning." Get up and drink." An indescribable feeling surged in Chang Gong's heart, and he smiled coldly, "Your Excellency is very kind." He Shikai didn't take it seriously, he smiled and said, "Then I will take my leave first." "Wait a minute." Xiao Wan suddenly stopped him, staring at his eyes with piercing eyes, and said word by word, "He Shikai, please remember this king, my brother's revenge, I won't just leave it like this Forget it, do it yourself!" He Shilai narrowed his eyes slightly, turned and walked towards Zhaoyang Hall. "Third Brother, it's better not to offend such a treacherous villain." Chang Gong raised his eyebrows, "I don't know when he will come up with another bad idea." "But the elder brother's death has nothing to do with him, I..." Xiao Wan's eyes flashed with anger. "Third brother, I will definitely deal with him in the future, but now is not the time." Chang Gong lowered his voice, "There will definitely be a chance." He Shikai sat in front of Zhaoyang Hall until dawn, and when the emperor woke up, he immediately ordered the maid to reheat the medicine.Gao Zhan was quite touched when he saw that he was so caring.No matter whether this person is sincere or not, no matter what his thoughts are, at least, he is trying his best to play this role well. "Shikai, you don't have to go to court today, go back and catch up on sleep." Gao Zhan shook his hand, indicating that he could step back, but he didn't hear He Shikai's voice for a long while.He raised his head slightly in surprise, but saw that his eyes seemed to be filled with mist. "What's the matter, Shi Kai?" "Your Majesty, I am really worried that one day I will die on the street, and I will never be able to serve the Emperor again." "What?" Gao Zhan raised his eyebrows. "When I just entered the palace, I happened to meet the king of Hejian. He seemed to believe that I was the murderer of the king of Henan. He not only insulted me, but also threatened to kill me." He lowered his eyelids, "I am indeed a little scared. , it’s not because I’m afraid of losing my life, but because I’m afraid that I won’t be able to serve the emperor anymore.” Gao Zhan frowned slightly, "You don't have to be afraid, the King of Hejian is not so bold yet." "But your majesty, it's not like you haven't seen his various behaviors before. Besides, he has always been arrogant. Relying on his noble blood, he doesn't even look down on you, and he often insults other colleagues. It's really insane. Extremely, and," He Shikai lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, King Hejian is also suspicious of you. After the death of King Henan, I heard that King Hejian shot straw people with arrows every day at home. On the front, write your name, the emperor." Gao Zhan's tea eyes faintly flashed a touch of coldness, "I have said that, sooner or later the king of Hejian will suffer a lot."