mountain river road

Chu Yuanzhi stared angrily at Wang Lang who was kneeling in front of him.

"I beg your majesty to think twice! Tuoba Yuan is ambitious, this move must be a way to delay the army, if General Chu is allowed to come back, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Wang Lang's slightly bloated body was lying on the ground, looking funny and pitiful.

Chu Yuanzhi looked out of the window in displeasure.

"To fight against the outside world, we must first settle down inside. I have made up my mind, so I don't need to say much, Ai Qing."

"emperor!"

Chu Yuanzhi waved his hand to signal that Wang Lang could step back.The impatience and boredom in the brows are already clear at a glance.

Wang Lang made up his mind, stood up, and said: "Now that our dynasty is in decline, Tuoba Yuan takes this opportunity to seize the power in Western Xinjiang. Even if the dynasty loses, he will never let go of such a great opportunity. Not only is our dynasty insufficient in military strength, but also natural disasters. It's happening all over the place, and after several years of persistence, Tuoba Yuan will definitely be able to conquer it. Doesn't the Emperor understand?"

This is too cruel to say.Chu Yuanzhi slammed the fold in his hand.

Wang Lang stood upright and didn't hide, and after being hit, he let out a muffled grunt and left.

Speaking of this, the emperor should not understand, he can see that the new emperor is concerned about the Southern Dynasty.

Yan Shigao, who was standing on the side without daring to make a sound, came back to his senses at this time, picked up the folder that was thrown on the ground, and said, "Master Wang is too rigid. That Tuoba Yuan fell off his horse in the chaos. It is said that Broken bones, I can’t even stand up. I can’t lead the army to fight anymore, why are we afraid of him? Besides, the main force is placed outside, so we don’t care about it inside?” Yan Shigao said, pouring tea for Chu Yuanshang .

Chu Yuanzhi glanced lightly at Yan Shigao who was bending over, noncommittal.

The imperial decree of Banshi's return to the pilgrimage was still sent from the capital to the western Xinjiang.

Chu Shu gave a wry smile, and set foot on the journey back to Beijing with Xu Mo.

Chu Shu knew very well that this was Tuoba Yuan's plan to delay the attack.But what can he do?He must obey the emperor. From the generation of his ancestors, the Chu family has been obeying the emperor. While working hard, they can obtain the glory and wealth that ordinary people can't match.

Absolute obedience is an iron rule, and every head of the Chu family has followed this basic rule meticulously.Only in this way will they be trusted and will not perish in the struggle of power again and again.They have been instilled with this iron rule since childhood.

Chu Shu is like this, and so is Chu Xi.

Fortunately, this way we can catch up with Chu Xi's coronation ceremony.

Everything settled down temporarily.

Chu Yuan's dragon heart was overjoyed, and he feasted on all the ministers.Even promoted Chu Xi to a rank.Every household is decorated with lanterns and festoons, extolling the heroic demeanor and strategy of General Chu Shu.

Ye Shangzhu sent her maids to buy new gouache and rouge, and made some new clothes.

In another month, Chu Xi's coronation ceremony will arrive.Chu Yuanzhi specially ordered him to return to the court as soon as possible.

Chu Xi tried on his new clothes, and stood in front of the bronze mirror with full of pride and looked at herself.What a man with handsome eyebrows and imposing manner, he will become a famous player like his father in the future.Nothing would stop him from taking the heads of his enemies.

Suddenly he heard a commotion outside.There was a faint howling sound.

He frowned, he was happy and frustrated.He called the guard: "Liu Muyi, go and see what's wrong."

After a while, Liu Muyi came back.

Liu Mu, who was honest and silent on weekdays, had red eyes—and Xu Zhenqing was following behind.

Xu Zhenqing in hemp and filial piety.

Chu Xi was taken aback, and ran out.

In the courtyard decorated with lanterns and festoons, there were two coffins.

Ye Shangzhu was wearing a lotus root pink chest-length skirt - she always thought it was too tender to wear, so she stood blankly to the side.The maid who supported her was already out of breath from crying.

Chu Xi walked up in a daze.

Trembling, he raised his hand and lifted the white cloth covering the corpse.A faint rancid smell, bluish white and stiff skin, and handsome eyebrows can be vaguely seen under the corpse spots.

It is undoubtedly Chu Shu.

Chu Xi took a step back in disbelief.

The bodyguard of Chu Shu said intermittently in his ear: "My lord and the military adviser were assassinated on the way back... I have written a letter first... who knew we would arrive first..., little lord's condolences..."

"I will definitely be back next year before you and the crown ceremony."

Father's words suddenly reached Chu Xi's ears from the autumn day a year ago.

The leaves rustled in the autumn wind, and Chu Xi felt very cold.He turned around and walked towards the house, only to see Zhenqing standing behind him and looking at him.

Zhenqing's face was like jade, her amber eyes were foggy, and her bloodless lips were pursed.

Chu Xi walked up to Zhenqing silently, and said sullenly, "Zhenqing, I don't have a father anymore."

Zhenqing tiptoed and touched his head.

"I know, I don't have any anymore." After he finished speaking, he walked straight over, squatted beside Xu Mo's coffin, and lifted the white cloth.He carefully looked at Xu Mo's hair, eyes, nose, lips, throat, and fingertips inch by inch.

Then he straightened up, swayed, and fell to the ground with a thud.

A happy event becomes a funeral.Chu Yuan issued an order to posthumously confer the title of Chu Shu as the Great General Protecting the Nation, and to repair the court for one month.

The ornaments that had been hung in the palace to prepare for Chu Xi and the crown ceremony were all put away and replaced with white silk.Chu Xi seemed to have lost her soul, practicing martial arts in the yard all day long.When you can't do it anymore, go to kneel in front of the spirit.

Xu Zhenqing followed him without saying a word.He practiced martial arts, and Zhenqing sat on the side watching the art of war.He was kneeling, and Zhenqing was kneeling beside him.

Kneeling and kneeling, he fell to the ground.

Chu Xi continued to kneel with a sullen face.

It was already late at night, and there was no one else in the mourning hall except the two of them.After a quarter of an hour, Chu Xi finally stood up and dragged Xu Zhenqing back to the room.Throw it on his carved rosewood bed.Then call the doctor.

"Chuxi..."

A weak murmur came from behind.

Chu Xi had no choice but to come back and squat in front of Zhen Qing's bed.

"I, I just fell asleep accidentally..." Zhenqing said cautiously.

Chu Xi's face turned black instantly.Zhenqing climbed out of bed without saying a word, and then took out a jug of wine from the cabinet.

A jar of peach blossom wine, the kind made by Chu Shu for Ye Shangzhu to drink.Chushu brews it every year, and there are rows and rows of peach blossom wine in the wine cabinet.This altar is what Zhenqing asked Ye Shangzhu for.

Zhenqing poured Chu Xi a glass and placed it in front of him.Softly said: "Drink."

The familiar smell of wine, but the person is no longer there.Ye Shangzhu lost her husband and Chu Xi lost her father.The person who was talking and laughing in the private room a year ago, the person who scolded him with a frown a year ago, the person who vowed to come back to attend his coronation ceremony a year ago, has become a cold corpse. A corpse that rots and stinks.

This corpse was none other than his father, the person he most wanted to be.

Tears rolling, Zhenqing slowly moved towards him, gently pressing his head on her shoulder.

Zhenqing was thinner and shorter than him, Chu Xi let herself lean on his shoulder with her head tilted awkwardly, her neck gradually became sore, but she didn't want to move.

The soreness in my heart that couldn't stop for a moment gradually subsided.Chu Xi drank one cup after another, and Zhenqing said to him slowly, "You still have mine."

You still have mine.

A little light ignites in the dark night, I still have yours.Yes

It was like turning on a switch.Chu Xi turned around and hugged him.Soon Zhenqing felt cold on her shoulders, and Chu Xi was trembling slightly.

He said that the general should die on the battlefield... How could he die under the assassination of a despicable villain... He said that I will come back when I win the crown!Zhenqing, Zhenqing...he told me to come back when I reach the crown...

Xu Zhenqing felt that she was almost being strangled in Chu Xi's arms, her arms and back were hurting from the strangling, and there were sobs in her ears.He was being depended on, depended on with all his heart, being held in his hand like a life-saving straw, he gently raised his hand and placed it on Chu Xi's head.

"Don't cry." He opened his mouth and said inaudibly.It seemed as if he had crossed time and hugged himself who was kneeling beside his mother's body and weeping.

The autumn night was deep, and the night sky could not be seen at a glance. Chu Xi hugged Zhen Qing crying out of breath, and then fell asleep unconsciously.