mottled

I didn't expect that there would be so many young people celebrating the sacrificial festival in the city. I climbed up to the eaves and looked around. The ground was covered in darkness and was full of human heads. I couldn't find where the cold blood was, but I saw a small group of cold blood rushing away. The crowd, rushing towards the moat, was obviously subdued by the six doors.

Tie Shou flew over and stopped the woman who led the team.

"What happened?"

"It's cold-blooded." Ji Bingyan frowned, looked around and whispered in Tieshou's ear, "He killed someone."

"What..." Tie Shou thought he heard it wrong, he could only be separated from Leng Xue for a moment, how could such a thing happen, Tie Shou forced himself to calm down, and asked again, "Who did he kill?"

Ji Bingyan gritted her teeth: "He killed the emperor."

(twenty)

Mr. Zhu stood at the door for a long time, the moon kept urging him on top of his head, but he still didn't move.

Pei Donglai quietly walked behind him, just in the middle of the night, the sound of small gongs and hammers hitting was like iron trembling.

"what are you waiting for?"

Young Master Zhu didn't turn his head back, and said in a flat tone: "You see, the street is so lifeless, even at dawn, there is no bustle."

The city had been under martial law for many days, and it was said that they wanted to arrest the accomplices who assassinated the emperor, causing panic for a while, not many people went to the streets during the day, let alone midnight, when the night wind blew, it was extraordinarily cold.

Pei Donglai didn't know what to say, he just stood there quietly.

"Ah...it's already this hour." Zhu Xiaolian suddenly turned his head, reacting slowly, and said to Donglai, "Go back to sleep."

The two passed each other in silence, Pei Donglai felt disgust and ruthlessness from the bottom of his heart, he hated Zhu Xiaolian's indecision and softness, like a bird, he wished he could hold him tightly in his hand, even if It's fine to strangle to death.

Pei Donglai looked at his hand and held it tightly, but in the end he couldn't bear it, he let it go slowly, his heart softened, but his anger went straight to his forehead, and he slammed down the dark green bamboo in the south corner of the yard. Blockbuster, alas, corpses are everywhere.

The blood fell to the ground along the palm of his hand and melted into the ground.

"Donglai." Li Mu called his name from afar, with a panic that could not be concealed in his composure.

Pei Donglai turned to look at him with unfriendly eyes: "Li Mu, what is emotion?"

"I do not know."

Pei Donglai said viciously: "Come here! You are afraid that I will fail!"

Li Mu walked over, Pei Donglai raised his hand and punched him, you come and go, the disturbed person is full of flaws, Li Mu suppressed the person's hands behind him, stood face to face, looked at him: "Donglai, calm down!" , you must calm down."

The blood in Pei Donglai's palm lubricated the palms and entangled fingers of the two of them.

Li Mu slowly opened his hand, picked up the hem of his clothes, and wiped it off bit by bit. A little bit of dryness stuck to his skin, like white jade and red silk, penetrated from the smallest crack, and penetrated deep into the bone marrow. .

Pei Donglai withdrew his hand, he hated everything that made him weak.

Li Mu just smiled.

There is always someone who appreciates that imperfection.

"Why Xiao Leng wanted to assassinate the emperor, I can't figure it out. Apart from being threatened and ordered, there seems to be no other reasonable explanation."

"What did Lord Bao say?"

"That lump of charcoal didn't say anything, and I'm afraid we won't know the exact news until he comes back." Pei Donglai couldn't hide his anxiety, Li Mu put his hands behind his back, and sighed: "It's the emperor who is too impatient, weakening the Grand Master's Mansion, eradicating the Li family army, three How can one be stable without two feet?"

"You said someone wants to take power?"

"The timing is just too coincidental, right when we are at our weakest."

"If they really want to execute Xiao Leng, no matter who's purpose or tricks, I won't just watch." Pei Donglai raised his eyes, "If you stop me, I won't have any friends."

"Friend?" General Li smiled suddenly, his eyes were full of ridicule, and he leaned forward slightly to approach Master Shaoqing, "How can there be friends like us."

"What do you think?" Pei Donglai would never admit that his body was a little stiff.

"I don't want to..." General Li was a little melancholy, but the children on the battlefield immediately felt relieved and smiled happily: "However, if you just die as Pei Shaoqing's friend, it's a little bit unwilling."

Pei Donglai immediately turned his back, his face was tense for a long time, and the corners of his lips could not help but rise.

(21)

Zhu Xiaolian shivered immediately when he entered the room. He stood at the door for a long time, and when he encountered the charcoal fire, he felt a burning pain.

The hot feeling will spread from the fingertips to the heart.

The scholar sat by the bed, unable to control the uncomfortable feeling. Once he was about to lose something, he could only remember the other person's kindness. Mr. Zhu hugged his head to calm down his emotions for a while, then bent down and reached out to take off his shoes Suddenly, he felt something cold and soft grabbing his wrist, and the young master screamed and fell off the bed.

He was usually a very used person, so the scholar tremblingly picked up the stool and threw it under the bed with a cry of pain, a very familiar voice.

"It's... a thief from somewhere!" Mr. Zhu stood up holding the table, knowing that it was a person, he was no longer so afraid, he approached cautiously with a stool, and tried his best to recall where he had heard this voice before.

The person under the bed staggered out, disheveled and barely clothed. When he looked up, the scholar's tears flowed down his face, and he knelt down on the ground, shaking so much that he couldn't even hold the chair: "You...you...you really died……"

"How can I see you?" The man didn't expect the scholar to have such a reaction, his expression was a little subtle, and he sat on the ground leaning against the edge of the bed, facing the scholar.

"I only heard that you were injured, but I didn't expect you to have encountered an accident." The scholar's tears were pattering, like water breaking a bank, he crawled up to the man, stretched out his hands to touch but dared not Touch, "What is your unfulfilled wish?"

The man sneered, and unceremoniously pinched Young Master Xiaolian's face: "Does it hurt?"

"pain."

Only then did Mr. Zhu understand, and he couldn't hide the instant joy on his face: "You're not dead? Why are you here? How did you become like this?"

The man looked at him silently, and the scholar's smile slowly froze on his face. When he came back to his senses, he immediately knelt down and saluted respectfully: "See Your Majesty."

"I look like this now, but you embarrass me by doing this big gift." Zhao Zhen shook his head mockingly.

"I'll go prepare hot water and food for you." Mr. Xiaolian stood up quickly, and just about to walk out of the room, he turned his head, "You cover me with the quilt first, don't go out, and we'll talk about the rest when you come back."

After taking three steps, he stopped and pinched his own face. It was really painful, so he went out in peace.

Zhao Zhen watched his every move with mixed feelings in his heart.

The room was covered by water vapor, which made people's cheeks flushed. The scholar stood neatly beside the hot water bucket, looking at the emperor who had been sitting quietly in the bathtub for a long time. Even though he had thousands of questions in his heart, he I don't know how to speak.

From shoulder to back there was a red fleshy gash, freshly scabbed over, horribly horrific on the pale skin that had never seen the light.

The little emperor turned his head slightly: "Aren't you going to wipe my back?"

The scholar lowered his head and hesitated: "I don't know how to serve others. If it hurts you, I'm afraid you will be angry."

"I know."

The two ended their brief conversation again. Mr. Xiaolian picked up a towel and dipped it in the warm water in the bucket, carefully avoiding the wound and wiping the skin of the man's back. Whenever he touched the turned out flesh, Zhu Xiaolian's hands would tremble non-stop, but the person in the barrel didn't say a word, never cried out in pain.

"You are stronger than I imagined..." Mr. Xiaolian carefully considered his words, Zhao Zhen smiled softly: "You are stronger than you imagined?"

"It's not easy to be an emperor." Zhao Zhen's tone was extraordinarily cool, "I can't do anything else, be patient, I'm afraid everyone is a master."

"It's hard for you."

Zhu Xiaolian's words made Zhao Zhen feel funny, a mere scholar, why should he comfort him, the king of a country, with a sympathetic tone, but these words were said by Zhu Xiaolian, all the shame and resentment in Zhao Zhen's heart were blown away to ashes , His eye sockets gradually turned red, and the indifference and tranquility he had built during the day and night struggles and killings in the palace were seen through, and he felt pity.

Zhao Zhen said coldly in a hoarse voice: "Who allows you to sympathize with me?"

The scholar didn't argue with him, but just quietly wiped his body.

He respects Zhao Zhen's fragility and pretended strength.

22 ~ 24

(22)

The scholar arranged for someone to sleep, thinking to talk to Donglai first, and make other plans when Zhao Zhen regained his physical strength tomorrow, but unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into the door, he heard the door slamming.

The sound of knocking on the door in the middle of the night is either a ghost or a god, and there is always no good thing.

Uncle Fu had already put on his coat to answer the door, and just as he opened the crack, a large number of officers and soldiers rushed in, pushing the old man staggeringly.

"Search!" The leader ordered, before the people behind could move, the shining ax was already on his neck.

Master Shaoqing's face was so pale under the light of the torch: "This is Kaifeng Mansion, those who don't follow the king's law will leave their lives behind."

The leader's face was calm, and he must have known that Pei Donglai would not really do anything to him, so he said in an official tone: "Brothers are all following orders, and I hope you will forgive me, search!"

Pei Donglai kicked him to the ground, and Li Mu grabbed him before he could do anything to anyone else.

The white face and friendly face really acted as a deterrent to other officers and soldiers, and the search movements were restrained a lot. The scholar standing at the door of the room and watching from a distance was already in a cold sweat, and he dared not move his feet. There was nothing in the back room that could hiding place, if found