Your Majesty, come back

Recently, rumors have been raging, and even Chu Xiao, who is in the deep palace, was unfortunately tricked. The wind of gossip was like a tiger, and it rushed into his ears round after round, and the roots of his ears followed the fire every day. Just after it died, it was blown by the spring breeze again, and it grew up endlessly.

Chu Xiao's face collapsed, and he slowly cut off the bloody raw meat with a small golden dagger, and then fed it to the goshawk on his shoulder little by little.

The noise in the ear was endless, Chu Xiao and Goshawk glanced coldly at the left, hoping that this person would shut up in time, but it is human nature to love gossip, even if it looks so good on weekdays Once a modest and gentle person likes to play, his power is even better than that of the three aunts and six women on the street.

Zheng Yixiu took a sip of tea, wiped his mouth, and continued to say in a sonorous and forceful voice: "Hey, you don't know, Your Majesty, now that the capital is expensive, Duan from the Imperial Academy is really good at returning literary talents. It makes me feel sad after reading it, let alone my wife, who kept clamoring for the original handwritten copy of "Jin Entangling"—"

The emperor turned his back to the prime minister, and couldn't see his expression clearly, but the goshawk squatting on the emperor's shoulder suddenly turned around and screamed fiercely, his eyes showed fierceness, his wings spread out, and the sharp and loud voice immediately shut up Zheng Xiang and took three steps back .

"Ah, Your Majesty, this humble minister is just a scholar, you can't bear this fierce general..."

Chu Xiao also spun around, and the eagle immediately retracted its giant wings, bent down meekly and brought its head to Chu Xiao's chest, and shook it honestly a few times.

Everyone knows that Duan Jinrong, a talented scholar from the Imperial Academy, and Yue Wangnai, the sixth younger brother of the current emperor, are a couple who love each other. However, the current emperor is overbearing and obstinate. According to what the hundreds of guards in the palace saw with their own eyes, the talented man braved the storm and knelt in front of the palace to beg the emperor to be fulfilled, and the king of Yue also came to see him risking his death.

But the gifted man knew that there was no hope for him to be bedridden at home and was seriously ill for three days, so he worked hard to write a tragic work "Brocade Entangling", which is rumored to be touching, with sentimental lines and lingering paragraphs. Once he was born, he instantly captured the people of the capital. An empty yet loving heart.

The emperor tilted his body slightly and stood in a chic posture. He continued to cut the raw meat bit by bit with the knife, picked up the bloody piece of meat with his fingertips, and sent it to the goshawk's mouth.

Zheng Xiangwen was about to faint when he heard the blood, and he couldn't cover his mouth with his sleeve, so he felt that His Majesty's sword was actually aimed at himself.

Zheng Xiang buried his head in deep thought, but still couldn't think of what he said wrong.

"The manuscript, here it is." Chu Xiao finally moved his mouth.

Zheng Xiang hastily took out the paper manuscript written by a gifted scholar, and handed it over respectfully. Seeing that the emperor still had blood on his hands, Zheng Xiang was waiting for the maid to come up to clean the emperor's hands. The thin tissue paper was caught in his hand.

Immediately there were five bright red ostentatious fingerprints on the paper, and the corners of Zheng Xiang's mouth twitched, feeling distressed that the manuscript he had spent a lot of money and painstaking efforts on was ruined by the emperor so easily.

Chu Xiao roughly scanned the ink marks on the paper. What he hates to read the most on weekdays are these groaning, romantic poems and poems.

So he shook the thin paper in his hand without being angry or annoyed, and said, "Is this the shocking work that has been hyped up recently?"

Zheng Xiang nodded: "That's right——"

Before he could boast a few words, the emperor sighed sadly, "Yixiu, there must be no ambiguity in running a school in the capital. I am very disappointed with the current level of academic research. This kind of stuff has become an astonishment." A masterpiece of the world is simply an insult to the national style."

The goshawk on the shoulder seemed to understand its master's thoughts, and after wailing a few times, it poked down with its beak and immediately tore the paper.

The emperor slowly handed the manuscript that had turned into a pile of waste paper back to the prime minister with his own hands, and said with disdain, "But since the prime minister admires it so much, I will go back to the house and put it away. This bastard is not sensible, and the prime minister will not take it to heart." Bar?"

The prime minister coughed: "No, no, little animal, it's... a little naughty."

The emperor showed a gratified smile, and then put his hands into the copper basin brought by the maid, washed his hands, and then wiped the water with a handkerchief comfortably, "Since you all said that the editor of the Imperial Academy is a rare talent , then I can also give him a chance."

Zheng Xiang was puzzled: "The emperor means..."

Chu Xiao flicked the hair on the goshawk's head a few times in good spirits, raised his eyebrows and smiled and said: "A man's ambition is damaged by the love of a son and a daughter, so let's ask editor Duan to go with the army, don't waste your talents on these winds and snows , After feeling the life in the army, I will naturally be able to write heroic poems worthy of being sung.”

"Uh... so I don't know where it should be placed?"

"There seems to be a lack of a civil position in the place of escorting death row prisoners. In my opinion, let editor Duan go to experience it. What does the prime minister think?"

Zheng Xiang was stunned on the spot, and responded after a long time: "Your Majesty...you are really wise."

Chu Xiao accepted this sentence with great enjoyment. One monarch and one minister stood in the imperial garden and looked at each other and smiled. Chu Xiao knew that Zheng Xiang was afraid of eagles, so he asked someone to put the eagle on his shoulder back into the cage, pretending He couldn't hear the person next to him sighing secretly.

"Yi Xiu, do you still remember Chu Qian?"

Zheng Xiang was obviously taken aback, his eyes fell in mid-air, his expression was confused, and he said calmly: "I naturally remember Qian Wang."

Chu Qian, posthumously titled King Qian, is now buried in a mausoleum in the eastern suburbs.

Zheng Xiang secretly observed the expression on the emperor's face at this moment, and couldn't help secretly guessing why he mentioned King Qian at this moment. King Qian had been dead for many years and was worthless. Probably the only thing related to the present was King Yue who was still alive and well.

Zheng Xiang's heart trembled, he didn't dare to make any more guesses, he just silently expected the emperor to continue talking with his eyes, otherwise he still couldn't figure out the emperor's intention just based on the words just now.

Speaking of Qian Wang... the face that had been buried in his memory for many years gradually became clear in his mind.The men of the Chu family are born with a good appearance, and Zheng Xiang couldn't help but look up at the man in front of him. The emperor's thin lips were tightly pursed, and his eyebrows were slightly frowned. Just a side face is handsome enough.The person in front of him had facial features that were still fierce even in silence, and his sharpness was extraordinary. Even in the most difficult situation at the beginning, in these eyes, there was always determination, clarity and indomitable will to move forward.

There has never been... such an almost confused look like now.

Zheng Xiang didn't know what it was that caused the person he had followed for more than ten years to show such a troubled expression, so he said softly, "Your Majesty?"

Chu Xiao came back to his senses. In fact, what he said just now was purely unintentional. He didn't even know what he was going to say to his friend next.

It's just that the idea of ​​wanting to confide suddenly arises.

"You said that back then he..." Chu Xiao pursed his lips again, and after a long time of deliberation, he still couldn't form a word, so he waved his hand to signal for it to go: "Forget it, I thought too much, so I won't mention this matter. "

"Your Majesty... but because of King Yue?"

Chu Xiao's face remained unchanged, he smiled without saying a word, Zheng Xiang understood that this silence was actually not denying it.

In the past, His Majesty never really trusted King Yue, but now he actually let King Yue lead an army of [-], and these [-] are not remnants and defeated generals, so they can be regular Royal Forest Army. Xiang Zheng couldn't figure out what happened to this sudden change. for what.

It's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse... Of course, it's even more difficult to say what happened between the royal brothers.

"Although King Yue has no experience in leading an army alone, King Yue has been with His Majesty for many years, and he has learned a lot. Going to experience it now will be beneficial to the court."

This was not what he was worried about. Fifty thousand soldiers were not enough to make him feel worried, and he never regretted giving Chu Yue this right.

Chu Yue would not betray him, not before, and even more so now.

But what is the reason for the lingering gloom in my heart?

After Zheng Xiang left, Chu Xiao and the prince had lunch together, and the two father and son played and played for a while before taking a nap.Chu Xiao had something on his mind, but he didn't say what it was. He tossed and turned for a while, but finally lost to his irritability, turned over and called A Wu to the bed.

"Go and check immediately, it's the memorial day of the potential king."

Awu's mind is not only bright, but also has an extraordinary memory. As a capable chief executive, he can always answer the emperor's sudden question in the shortest time, "Return to your majesty, the day of the emperor's sacrifice is on the eighth day of February. "

This answer made Chu Xiao slightly startled: "Isn't that..."

"It's the day after tomorrow."

The room was as warm as spring, but Chu Xiao couldn't help but shudder. If he hadn't left his soul, he wouldn't have taken these days to heart, but since he returned to his soul, he can no longer take these days Strange things were treated as jokes.

Chu Xiao immediately ordered: "Okay, I'm going to the tomb of King Qian that day, you go and prepare."

"Your Majesty, do you want to speak to the Minister of Rites?"

Awu thought in embarrassment, in such a short period of time, how rushed the adults in the Ministry of Rites are.

Fortunately, Chu Xiao didn't want to bother his teachers, "No, just bring a few guards, don't let others find out."

Two days later, in the outskirts of the capital.

On the sparsely populated stone road, the figures of a master and a servant were drawn long by the sunlight. Chu Xiao was dressed like an ordinary man with a black robe with wide sleeves and a slanted lapel with a tight waist. He was scanning the scenery along the way at a slow pace.

The road is wide and clean. Looking up, the faintly visible mausoleum is also majestic. Chu Xiao said: "This place is very well done. It can be seen that it has been put into consideration. I want to reward it."

Awu wrote down, "I will do it when I get back."

It was the first time for Chu Xiao to come here, and he would never belittle his opponent to nothing like the previous emperor once he settled down.

He respected his former enemies, that is, he respected his past self. Someone who is worthy of being Chu Xiao's opponent must be a rare character.

So back then Chu Xiao gave an order that Chu Qian's mausoleum should be built according to the highest standards, and there must be no less things to be buried with him. Even if his Chu family lost, they would lose with glory.

Awu took out an umbrella to cover Chu Xiao's head, looked at the sky, and reminded: "Your Majesty, I think it might be raining lightly, what do you think? Do you want to come back tomorrow?"

Chu Xiao walked up the steps, "Take it as if I haven't been drenched in the rain, why don't you make a trip in vain now that I'm here, by the way, you just wait here for me, and I will go up by myself."

At the end of the stairs, there was still a straight road. Chu Xiao didn't feel tired. The air on the mountainside was much fresher than in the palace. Walking along the way made people feel refreshed, and the exhaust gas in the chest was swept away.

Stepping into the cemetery, before Chu Xiao took a few steps, he was slightly surprised and stopped.

In front of the tombstone not far away was a person kneeling, dressed in plain clothes, with a tall and straight back, and he didn't think of anything else except Chu Yue.

The gloom in my heart is like a thick fog on the edge of a mountain, which lasts for years, and the moment I see the young man, it instantly drowns the capping of my own reason.

Isn't this a very normal thing, how reasonable and reasonable it is for a young man to come to pay homage to his own brother——

Yes, there is no need to panic at all.

Chu Xiao straightened his mind, and strode over. The young man kneeling there turned around vigilantly. After seeing clearly that it was Chu Xiao, surprise flashed in his eyes. Trembling slightly.

"Brother Huang, you... why are you here today?"

The young man who used to follow behind him was taller than him. Before Chu Xiao had time to look back, his eyes were stunned by the eye-catching big characters behind the young man.

The tomb of Chu Qian, the king of Qian.

These big characters seemed to be carved with blood, which made Chu Xiao's eyes turn red instantly.

Chu Yue boldly took a step forward. The two of them were separated by an arm's length, and their concerns were chaotic. The young man's expression was also very bad at this time, and he said softly, "Brother Huang, are you feeling unwell? There is no one else to accompany you Is it?"

He stared at Chu Yue intently, why did he realize just now how similar the two brothers are, the same handsome and handsome, the same elegant demeanor, and the occasional look between the brows is also so similar.

This similarity made Chu Xiao feel unacceptable immediately. He put himself in the shoes and thought about what would happen if he were Chu Yue, and if he had the notoriety of murdering his brother.

Will he resent him... the instigator.

He spoke with difficulty, but found that his voice was hoarse, "Do you hate me? Do you—do you hate me?"

Chu Yue didn't understand for a while. He noticed Chu Xiao's abnormality, and he was flustered: "What did you say? What do I... hate you for?"

This is a knot, and Chu Xiao can't sort out the myriad of threads in it. His eyes became brighter, and he said angrily: "I killed your brother! Don't say that you don't hate me at all in your heart! "

The blood on Chu Yue's face faded in an instant.

Chu Xiao took a deep breath, walked past the young man to the tombstone, his face was flushed with anger, he still remembered every scene of that dream, as if it happened yesterday, he had nowhere to vent, so he slapped the tombstone with his palm: " I can't help it—if he doesn't die, I die—do you understand? Do you want me to be the one lying here? He was the one who betrayed me first, and I—I, I can't help it. "

He finally understood what he had been worrying about.

Chu Yue was loyal to him, but being loyal didn't mean he didn't blame him. In contrast, Chu Xiao felt even more ashamed when he was always gentle and considerate before the young man.

He didn't need to feel guilty, in fact it was like this, if it wasn't Chu Qian's death, then he was dead. Since Chu Yue was on his side, he should have expected the result of Chu Qian's failure.

"It's your brother—the one who wants to betray me."

Chu Xiao's attitude is tough, and only he knows that he is weak and weak inside.

He understood that he was just looking for excuses now, to find reasons for the inexplicable apology in his heart.

There was muffled thunder rolling in the sky, and the damp and cold air from the mountain surged towards the two of them together. Chu Xiao's sleeves fluttered, he and the young man looked at each other, Chu Yue's black hair swayed slightly in the wind, and at this time his eyes returned to the clear and bright .

"Ayue, talk to me."

Chu Yue's face was slightly pale, his smile froze, and there was sadness in his eyes: "What do you think I should say, Brother Huang?"

"..."

"Second brother has gone, gone for many years... I can't remember what he looks like, and brother Huang must not remember either."

"..." Chu Xiao clenched his fists tightly, his brows were cold.

"Whether it's repentance or sadness...it's been so long, it's useless."

"You're blaming me."

Chu Yue shook his head, then immediately vetoed: "No, I don't blame Brother Huang."

The young man still called him Brother Huang, no matter what he asked, Chu Yue insisted on refusing to call him Third Brother.

Something suddenly flashed through Chu Xiao's mind. Yes, the reason why the young man didn't want to call him third brother was probably because the word 'three' would become a bayonet that opened up the scars of the past.

"That arrow was shot by me." When Chu Yue said this, his expression was resolute, and he didn't mean to escape: "Even if I do it again, I will do it again."

Looking at the young man's face for a long time, Chu Xiao hoarsely asked again: "Even... the second brother will still die?"

This question is too difficult to answer.

Everyone on both sides of the scale has weights of one kind or another. Once Chu Xiao puts himself on it first, he becomes the passive side, rising and falling as the weights on other people's plates increase and decrease, just like his chest cavity now. heart beating wildly.

Chu Xiao was waiting for the young man to answer him and give him an accurate answer. He wanted to make sure that he was unique in Chu Yue's heart. Even Chu Qian had no way to compete with him——

He almost forgot that once people start waiting for something, the battle is doomed to failure.

Because putting your hopes on others can probably be called resignation.

The waiting process was long and tormented, the thunder seemed to be getting closer and closer, followed by a feeling of sultry heat, the mountains were empty, and the raindrops fell silently on Chu Yue's cheeks.

Tortured by anxiety, he walked back and forth, and finally took the young man's hand and held it tightly, as if the young man would abandon him if he lacked strength, "Ayue, you talk—I won't blame you, you have something to say Just say, I will never blame you."

Chu Yue's stare back made him feel his heart swell. Apart from the gentleness in the past, there seemed to be many things that he couldn't see through such deep black eyes.

The young man didn't break free from his hand, but knelt down towards him, but Chu Xiao was stunned, and wanted to pull Chu Yue up full of annoyance.

The young man remained motionless, and said slowly, "I don't know."

The raindrops slapped Chu Xiao's face mercilessly. He wiped it with his hand, and his cheeks were moist and icy cold: "What do you mean you don't know? Do you... want me to lie down in this place?"

The finger holding the opponent's wrist was also shaking, Chu Xiao pointed the other finger fiercely in the direction of the tombstone, his eyes were full of hostility, "Speak up!"

"I'm sorry for the second brother, the emperor... I'm already sorry for the second brother, this question, I..."

Chu Yue's head was almost touching the ground, such a humble posture made Chu Xiao confused, and blurted out: "Don't you like me?"

The young man raised his head, with the rain running across his face, he couldn't hide his panic.

Now that he said it, Chu Xiao didn't intend to swallow it back. His eyes were sharp like eagles, and he seemed to be breaking the boat. He asked forcefully, "Do you—do you like me?"

What answer do you get, and what should you do after you get the answer?Chu Xiao didn't think about these follow-up questions at all.

Chu Yue's face was slightly blue, the rainwater dripped into his eyes, and the rims of his eyes turned red. He gritted his teeth and said, "My brother... I don't know what the emperor means."

Chu Xiao repeated the same question three times today. He was so eager to know the answer that he didn't care about the emperor's demeanor. He wanted to mention the young man's slap and beat him to get the answer out of his mouth. .

With the sound of thunder in the sky, the raindrops changed from small to large, and fell like a broken thread. Chu Xiao was already soaked, and the water on the long sleeves of the black robe fell to the ground.

"Brother, respect the emperor."

"..."

Accompanied by the sound of rain, he heard the young man saying intermittently: "My brother is willing to die for the emperor's brother."

"Other than that...my brother has nothing else to think about."

Chu Xiao's face turned cold, and he murmured, "I want you to die, what are you doing?"

He touched the young man's face with a complicated expression, but he didn't see the other party being shaken by it. He withdrew his hand and stabilized his mind with difficulty.

It turns out that it's such a taste to be passionate.

He is taught.

"Then I... look forward to Sixth Brother's performance on the battlefield this time."

Chu Xiao threw down these words, and before Chu Yue could speak, he flicked his sleeves and strode away. His steps were chaotic, as if he was on the run, but his back was still straight. It was just that the rain was soaking in his robe, which seemed to be stronger than the armor he remembered. Still heavy.

It was so heavy that it was difficult for him to move.

Chu Yue was still kneeling at the other end, uncontrollably calling out to his back, Brother Huang, Chu Xiao no longer softened his heart, stepped on the rainwater on the ground, his eyes gathered, the coldness was frightening, A Wu followed with his umbrella up Beside Chu Xiao, the worried face turned blue: "Your Majesty—the servant will find you a clean change of clothes immediately!"

Chu Xiao quickly got on the horse, pulled the rein of the horse, and said two words: "Go back to the palace."

He thought that the young man was absolutely infatuated with him without reservation, but in the end it was in exchange for these few words. There are too many people who admire him, and there is no shortage of people who are willing to die for him. Since this is the case, What would happen to him without Chu Yue?

That night, Chu Xiao stayed in Yuxiu Palace.