snowstorm

The hibiscus tent is warm, and it's a spring night.

Xie Qiao woke up the next day, her side was already cold, the madness and lingering last night, whether it was rubbing hands together or lying on the neck, all seemed like a distant dream.

It was still early in the morning, and the morning light was already waning outside the hall, and the cicadas were singing.Xie Qiao called Xu Lai, seemingly unintentionally asked: "Yesterday, Lu Jue, when did you leave?"

While helping the emperor tidy up his clothes, Xu Lai secretly saw the satisfaction in the corners of the emperor's eyes and brows, but there was no joy in his eyes, so he lowered his head and answered carefully, "Master Lu, he left the palace in the middle of the night yesterday." After all, I didn't dare to add the sentence "Your Excellency is going out today, maybe he went to the barracks early."

"That's it." Xie Qiao lowered his eyebrows expressionlessly, covering his eyes full of thoughts.

In the midsummer of Jinling, the sky is bright and the sky and earth are clear.

On the general stage, Lu Jue was dressed in military uniform, majestic and heroic.He half-kneeled on the ground, took the emperor's strong wine, offered one bowl to the ancestors of heaven and earth, one bowl to the emperor, and the other bowl to the soldiers who were waiting in full force below the stage:

"The ancestors have spirits, bless me with great prosperity! The late emperors have spirits in the sky. Today, Lu Jue swears in front of His Majesty that he will go on a trip, and if he does not take Yanguan, he will not return alive!"

The drums were beating, the flags were fluttering, and the soldiers shouted loudly.

"The ancestors have spirits, bless me with great prosperity!"

"If you don't take Yanguan, you won't come back alive!"

……

"it is good!"

Xie Qiao helped Lu Jue up, handed him a long sword with a jade pendant on it, looked into his fighting eyes, and said, "Gu, wait for Qing to return from victory."

Lu Jue saluted and thanked him again, then turned and left.

Xie Qiao stood on a high platform, with all civil and military officials lined up beside him.He watched the soldiers in armor converging into a black long river, flowing out of the city.Lu Jue was riding on a tall horse, with a red cloak fluttering with the flag, and his back was decisive and sharp.

This is Lu Jue, the real Lu Jue. His lifelong obsessions are first in Yanguan and second in the Son of Heaven, both of which are related to the late emperor Xie Zheng.

Yanguan is the common dream of Xie Zheng and Lu Jue, and he, Xie Qiao, took over the throne from his elder brother Xie Zheng.

Solitary is the Son of Heaven.Xie Qiao said in his heart.Gu is now the emperor of Dasheng. You once taught Gu that the lord of the world occupies a high position, so he should lower his eyebrows and bow his head to see the common people.So Lu Jue, you know that Yanguan is also a lonely dream.Gu wanted to be a good emperor.

It's just that he is a human being alone and has selfish intentions after all.Gu will not kill Lu Zhao just because of that incident, Gu just wants to see you before you leave.

Gujin Japan wanted to say something selfish to you, but he couldn't say it after all, and Gujin didn't want you to look down on him.

……

All along the roads in Jinling City, people came to see them off, many young girls, old people and old people followed the procession out of the city, their eyes were red from crying.In that team were their husbands and next of kin.

The general died in a hundred battles, and the body was shrouded in horse leather.

Naturally, the battlefield is not a good place to be close to death.

Looking at this scene, the old prime minister couldn't help but sighed, Xie Qiao said: "This battle is related to our Dasheng country, and it is also related to the life and death of my Dasheng's hundreds of thousands of sons and daughters. Their military supplies will all be provided by orphans in the future. I have seen it myself. Once the midsummer is over and the new food is available, I will ask the boss to supervise the household department to raise winter clothes and food for them."

"The old minister obeys the order." The silver-haired old minister replied with a sob.

Lu Jue left for several months.The fragrance of lotus in Jinling City is gone, and the fragrance of cinnamon is floating again.

The young Lu Jue seems to be a natural general, and the news of success has been reported frequently in the past few months.By early winter, the four counties had been recovered, only Yan and Xu counties were still in the hands of the enemy.Everyone in Dasheng is full of joy, and they all feel that the soldiers who fought abroad are about to return in triumph, and maybe they can come back before the Chinese New Year, so that they can reunite with their families.No one is looking forward to the reunion on that day.

Xie Qiao stood on the high platform in front of the main hall with his hands behind his back, looking to the north, with secretive eyes.

"Your Majesty?" As the weather was getting colder, Xu Lai put on a cloak for the Son of Heaven.

"Xu Lai, Lu Jue will definitely return victorious this time, and regain my lost ground for a hundred years for Dasheng, and Yixue's shame of fleeing south in all her clothes." Xie Qiao said.

"So, His Majesty should be happy."

"Gu is naturally happy." Xie Qiao squinted his eyes at the setting sun, and said, "However, Lu Jue's contribution is really too great, bigger than the sky. I'm afraid everyone in Dasheng will know it Lu Jue is no longer alone."

"Your Majesty..." The words were too sensitive, Xu Lai didn't dare to answer.

"Lu Jue used to be a thorn in the side of many people in the court and the public, but this time he came back, he made more enemies." Xie Qiao didn't care about Xu Lai, and just said to himself: "For Lu Jue, and also for the sake of loneliness, this Gu must ask someone to share the credit. You go and call Zheng Fei, and then tell Chen Ling to enter the palace to see Gu."

Zheng Fei is the inner eunuch next to him, and Chen Ling is the young general of the upstart Chen family, who was recently transferred back from the southern border.Beiguan is about to win, Xie Qiao sent two people at this time, one is to reward the army to supervise the army, the other is to want Chen Ling to share a share of Lu Jue's credit, and the third is to give Chen Ling a share of grace this time, and it will be good in the future for his use.

Although Lu Jue didn't like the art of the emperor and the art of check and balance, he taught him with all his heart when it was time to teach him.

But he never expected that the accumulation of his usual jealousy and defense against Lu Jue would cause Zheng Fei to misunderstand him, and Chen Ling would dare to shoot that cold arrow in the back of that person.It was the last battle, the last battle before victory.After that battle, Lu Jue could go home.

If he made a wrong step, there would be no turning back. Since then, he would lose his beloved, and he would never find another Lu Jue when he went up to Qiongbi and down to Huangquan.He will bear the crime of indirectly killing Dasheng's hero and the punishment of killing his beloved in this life, and he will never be freed for eternity.

……

"Brother," Xie Qiao knelt alone in the brightly lit Taimiao, with snow still flying outside the temple, "Perhaps, you shouldn't have passed on to me in the first place. You have no heirs, but the Xie family's clan has never been short of children."

"Xie Qiao didn't have enough to eat before he was nine years old. It was my elder brother who sent Lu Jue to take Xie Qiao back to the royal family out of brotherhood. Xie Qiao's kindness to his elder brother will never be forgotten."

"Brother, I have gained a firm foothold all these years thanks to Lu Jue. Without him, I would not be where I am today. I like Lu Jue, but he only has you in his heart. I killed him and killed the great hero in the world."

"Brother, tell me, did Lu Jue think that I was going to kill him... how disheartened he must have been when he was about to die... Brother, but I really didn't want to kill him. But I never wanted to hurt him..."

"Brother, Xie Qiao is guilty. If you really can't stand it, take Xie Qiao away quickly. At that time, brother and him can do whatever you want with Xie Qiao. Xie Qiao will never complain."

……

"...Brother, if you don't pick me up, I have to live...Brother, I have to live..."

Outside the temple, Xu Lai knelt in front of the closed door, his eyes were red.

Thousands of miles away in the snow field, returning soldiers escorted a coffin towards Jinling City.

In Dasheng, there is rain and heavy snow in the north and south, and it is white for thousands of miles.It seems to be mourning the countless lost spirits.

The author has something to say: Spoiler alert, Xie Qiao and Lu Jue are actually double arrows, and Lu Jue and his brother are just confidants.Xiaoxie should be able to be reborn in the next chapter.

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