Chang'an ancient meaning

Li Dan has seen Xue Chongjian almost every day in the past year, and it was the first time he heard that Feiyang escaped from the young man's words so tired, he felt sour, and called a servant to come up, and he personally helped Xue Chongjian out of the car.When they entered the house, several medical officers who had been waiting in the mansion were already treating Li Chengqi's injuries.Through the bead curtain, Li Chengqi's bedside was crowded with people. Those who served tea, those who held towels, those who delivered medicine, those who fed water, those who checked the pulse, and those who applied medicine, the servants and maids surrounded three or four floors. Renshang wandered outside the circle of people with a concerned face.

Xue Chongjian smiled wryly, and sure enough, when he got out of the car, there was not even a gap for him around Li Chengqi.Although he wished to drive all these people out, he didn't want Li Longji and others to see him in a weak state and hide himself behind a sitting screen with difficulty. He was really powerless to stand, so he knelt down slowly while supporting a hidden table, and asked Li Dan said softly: "I'll take a rest here." Li Dan knew what he meant, sighed and said: "You wait a moment." He patted him lightly on the shoulder and went into the inner room alone.

Xue Chongjian heard the faint groans, and felt pity and pain in his heart, but also indescribable anxiety and loneliness. He didn't know whether he was jealous of those who could stay by his side, or resented himself for not having the courage to leave these idlers behind. drive away.He knew that Li Chengqi didn't want to, and he didn't want to, but after all, there are so many gaps in the world. The bead curtain nearby and the Huixinyuan, which has no trace, are no different. It is as insurmountable as the sea.

When Li Dan entered the inner room, several young county kings and medical officials bowed down one after another. Li Chengqi barely raised his head with sweat on his forehead, and asked in a low voice, "Where is the flower slave?" Jinpa, ordered to his sons: "Let Feng Nu rest for a while, here are me and a few worshippers, and when he gets better, come and talk to you." Li Chengyi and others agreed, got up and was about to leave, Li Chengyi Dan suddenly stretched out his arms to stop him, and said, "You go from behind the warm pavilion." Li Chengyi was startled, Li Longji looked out of the bead curtain, frowned and tugged at Li Chengyi's sleeves, implying that he didn't need to ask more questions, and brought a group of servants with him. Yuguan went out through the back door.

Li Dan hurried to the outside of the curtain and helped Xue Chongjian in. After Xue Chongjian walked a few steps, his legs softened and he knelt down beside Li Chengqi's bed. The room was bright, and Li Chengqi saw that Xue Chongjian's complexion was unusually pale, and he said in surprise: " What's wrong with you?" Xue Chongjian first went to see Li Chengqi's injuries, and saw that his buttocks were bruised and mottled, and several places where the skin was broken had already developed sores and ulcers, but it was red and swollen as bright as peach blossoms.He forced a smile and said: "I robbed your daughter-in-law, grandma hit me twice—it's okay, it's much lighter than you."

In Li Chengqi's drowsy mind, he can no longer think about the twists and turns in this sentence. He is most familiar with Hua Nu's laughing demeanor, as if he was talking and laughing in the judge's court. An understatement of happy grievances.Only the sorrow hidden in Xue Chongjian's clear eyes made him so shocked that he couldn't say a word.

Li Dan realized that Xue Chongjian hadn't told Li Chengqi the ins and outs, and sighed: "The house has already been married to Hua Nu by the county lord of Fangcheng. Your aunt and I have chosen the daughter of the Yuan family as your concubine. Your marriage is not far away. It's not as good as when you were a teenager, you can't do anything reckless anymore."

It took Li Chengqi a long time to understand the meaning of his father's words. The reason why he came out of the Huixinyuan alive was that he was unable to ask in the car just now. Now that he was thinking about what happened in the past few days, his breathing suddenly became stagnant, and his heart felt a sharp pain. The several sips of the medicine that Fang swallowed were reversed, causing a colic in the abdomen.He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands, but his body couldn't help twitching, and the cold sweat that had just been wiped off his forehead slipped down again.

Seeing his son's expression, Li Dan became even more worried. He quickly looked at the medical officer. The medical officer brought a cup of honey water and asked Li Chengqi to take a sip. Then he pressed an acupuncture point on Li Chengqi's tiger's mouth, and bowed slightly to Li Dan. : "Your Highness has not eaten for a few days this time, and your stomach qi has been greatly damaged. You need to take care of it slowly. You can only eat dried rice porridge within ten days." He pondered for a while and said: "If you are weak, you can use some fish instead of spicy food. "

Xue Chongjian said bitterly: "That face..." Li Dan hurriedly pressed Xue Chongjian's shoulder, forbidding him to continue, saying: "You are not seriously injured, go to bed and let the priest take a look." Several medical officers hurriedly Covered Li Chengqi with a thin quilt, helped Xue Chongjian onto the bed, and took off his coat, revealing the blood on his buttocks and back, the medical officer frowned, and asked the student to fetch another basin of warm water, Lift Xue Chongjian's coat to his shoulders.

It was the time when the sun was at its strongest in the summer afternoon, and the curtains were not drawn in the room. For the convenience of the medical officers, even the screen was removed. The warm sunlight shone directly on the bed through the tissue paper window, and the young man was crystal clear. Beads of sweat still hung on the white back, and the skin was steamed by the moist water, almost making people mistake it for warm jade and smoke.It's just a few crimson whip wounds staggered across, and several fist-sized bruised blood spots have been slightly swollen, which is set off by the uninjured skin, making it look even more frightening.

Li Chengqi never imagined that Xue Chongjian was whipped in addition to receiving a stick, trembling: "What's going on?" Xue Chongjian smiled and said: "I was taken back to the palace by Wu Dalang, and I will take my sister's place. I'm venting my anger." Only then did Li Dan realize why it was a romantic affair, and suddenly everyone in Chang'an knew about it in one morning, thinking that he had arranged it so carefully that he didn't leave any leeway with Prince Liang's mansion, he was at a loss for words, so he sighed again tone.The medical officer frowned, pressed lightly on a blood spot and asked: "Is the pain still severe?" Xue Chongjian gritted his teeth secretly, and said: "It's okay." The medical officer said: "Fortunately, no bones and muscles were injured."

The priest brought hot water, the medical officer changed a new veil, added a little medicinal wine, moistened the veil until it was six to seven cents wet, and said: "Your Majesty, please be patient." Xue Chongjian smiled wryly, nodded, and finally Not knowing what to do, he quietly grabbed the rhinoceros horn and the white jade mountain pillow with both hands.The medical officer applied the veil to his buttocks, as soon as he touched it, Xue Chongjian let out a breath of air, only to feel the pain on his buttocks as if it was about to burst, the hands that were clasping the corner pillow suddenly increased their strength, fingers Straight into the incense hole on the side of the pillow.

He was shaking in pain, when suddenly the back of his hand became hot, and it was Li Chengqi who held it.Xue Chongjian smirked slightly in his heart, he knew that in front of all the medical officers and his father, the tenderness of holding hands was already the deepest concern and intimacy that Li Chengqi could express.Holding back his trembling, he pulled out his fingers, held hands with Li Chengqi, grinned and forced a smile and said, "I'm going to lie side by side with you again." Li Chengqi recalled the past, and a line of tears slid down.

The medical officer melted away the dried blood from the wound before slowly taking off his pants.Xue Chongjian just came back from sitting all the way, the wound was crushed several times on the way, the blood was stuck to the jacket, when it was taken off, it was as if a layer of skin had been peeled off.Even though the medical officer's attack was extremely light, Xue Chongjian was still in pain with cold sweat dripping from his forehead.Li Chengqi couldn't imagine how Hua Nu, who usually cried and begged for mercy after being hit twice by himself with a fan, carried him back with such an injury.Now Hua Nu is in such pain, but I dare not hug his trembling body, dare not coax him, dare not say a word, how much my cousin feels sorry for you.Although he knew that these were the only good medicines that could alleviate Hua Nu's pain, he dared not give them to him.All he could do was useless things like holding Hua Nu's hand and wiping the sweat off his forehead one by one in vain.

As soon as the medical officer applied the medicine to Xue Chongjian, a servant hurried in and said, "Princess Taiping's car has arrived at the entrance of the square." Xue Chongjian heard his mother's arrival, and immediately raised his heart again.The muscles and bones of his body were sore and limp as if someone had smashed them into pieces, and the wounds all over his body were screaming and aching. He really didn't have the energy to deal with his mother's questioning.He had no choice but to raise his head and beg: "Uncle, block Grandma for me."

Li Dan looked at his pale face, sighed and said: "It's okay, you just rest." He personally shook off a thin quilt cover for Xue Chongjian, got up and said to the medical officer: "Please enshrine the outer room Prescribe." Leading several medical officers out of the inner room.

After Li Dan and the priest's footsteps could no longer be heard, the room finally had a moment of peace.Seeing Xue Chongjian's face buried in the crook of his arms, Li Chengqi didn't know whether he was too tired or suffering pain, so he didn't look up at himself.He lay down quietly for a moment, struggled to move his body towards Xue Chongjian, and moved his body into his quilt. His high fever did not subside, and his body temperature was higher than that of Xue Chongjian. Xue Chongjian felt that his heart was scalded by him.Since he was a child, this is the first time Li Chengqi took the initiative to get him to be hit, he should be happy, but so many things have happened, with Wu Linglan, with that daughter of the Yuan family who doesn't know her appearance but can't be ignored .

How similar this bed is to the one that fulfilled their long-cherished wish in the palace of Shouchun County, the capital of God. There is also a hazy moon-like cloud screen on the head of the bed, and golden incense with continuous water cloud patterns on the four corners of the bed curtain. There is also the fragrance of ice musk musk in the air, and under their bodies, there are also quilts embroidered with the pattern of playing with water.But Xue Chongjian seemed to see the cloud of mist in Gaotang slowly dissipating under the bright sun, and the flowing water under the blue bridge was rising violently. He clung to the pillar in vain, trying to save his Yunmengze.

Li Chengqi gently embraced Xue Chongjian's shoulder, and stroked a bruise on his shoulder with his fingers.He was powerless to ask in detail what Xue Chongjian had done to bring him out of the Huixinyuan, which would forever become a scar between them.He wept for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Huanu, it's my cousin who is sorry for you." Xue Chongjian heard his words, and felt that the grievances and resentments accumulated in the past few days suddenly rushed to his heart. He wanted to hit Li Chengqi hard twice, but he couldn't do it after all, so he punched hard on the mountain pillow.

For the first time, Li Chengqi saw resentment and anger towards himself on Xue Chongjian's face, and then the resentment turned into deep helplessness. In his heart, regret and guilt were mingled together, as if he wanted to wring that heart to pieces.He said in a low voice, "Go for it." Xue Chongjian said: "I told you, you came out of the palace to discuss something with me, why didn't you listen?" Li Chengqi bowed his head and said, "It's my cousin who made a mistake." Said: "You are wrong? You admitted your mistake this time, if you do it again next time, you will still go to die without saying a word, right? I know that you don't want to marry Wu Sansi's daughter for the sake of your aunt, and you are afraid of going out. Gong Lai's refusal to marry again would hurt my uncle, so I resisted the order face to face. You are afraid of hurting this and that, but you never put your life against..."

Xue Chongjian choked when he said this, since he was a child, he had begged Li Chengqi to be beaten several times, but he had never begged for Li Chengqi's care, because he knew that Li Chengqi had already given what he could.If there is a real crisis, although Li Chengqi may not be able to save himself, he will not hesitate to give up his life for himself.But he doesn't want Li Chengqi's life, why does he want his life?As long as they live well, they are long and healthy, like the swallows on the beam, no matter whether they go to Luoyang in the east or Chang'an in the west, whether they go north to the Great Wall or go to Baimen in the south, they can walk hand in hand and see each other every day. The day he wants.With a sore nose, he said in a low voice, "...and me, take it to heart!"

Li Chengqi looked at Hua Nu with a bit of resentment on his face, his aggrieved expression was exactly the same as when he was spanked by Song Shoujie when he was young.Li Chengqi knows that he will never meet someone he loves more in this life, although he doesn't know how to love Hua Nu.Whether it is the girl from the Yuan family who is about to become the concubine of Shouchun, or the seat reserved for Shouchun County King Li Chengqi in the court, they are all the chains that are handcuffed to him by the mortal world. He can't break free, he can only drag them Stagger forward.So this moment is his last freedom, they hug each other naked, like two souls in hell with nothing and no restraint.Li Chengqi embraced Xue Chongjian, tremblingly kissed the whip wound on his shoulder.His tears slid down to the wound, and there was a tingling pain. Xue Chongjian seemed to understand his intention, smiled lightly, took Li Chengqi's hand, and gently rubbed it on his face.

Taiping hurriedly got off the car in front of the palace of Shouchun County. Seeing that the person who was greeted by the door was King Xiang himself, he was startled and asked, "Is Hua Nu here?" Li Dan said, "Yes, I will lead you in."

The five kings' mansion in Longqingfang was originally shared by the five brothers Li Chengqi. Even the largest mansion in Shouchun County is less than one-fifth of the mansion of Princess Taiping.Taiping didn't need to sit in a chariot, he just walked in with his elder brother, passed the second gate and came to the inner courtyard, but Li Dan stopped still in front of a small lotus pond, Taiping was so anxious that soup was pouring on him, he said anxiously: "What happened to fourth brother?"

Li Dan turned around and said with a wistful smile: "Huanu just took the medicine and fell asleep, he dare not see you, let me ask for him." Taiping immediately said angrily: "You know what he did this time is What kind of thing, come to intercede for him?" Li Dan sighed: "Hua Nu is ridiculous this time, but it is also to save Feng Nu to make such a bad plan. He is injured now. If you want to punish him, you have to wait for him to recover from the injury. Isn't it?" Taiping said anxiously: "I didn't intend to beat him! I have something urgent to ask him..." She suddenly saw the shameful look on Li Dan's face, she was shocked, covered her mouth with a round fan and said, "Is it possible that ? Did you already know, fourth brother!"

Li Dan hardly dared to look up, Taiping took a step back subconsciously, standing still with her hands on the white jade fence beside the pool, she looked at her brother for a long time without saying a word, and said in a low voice: "When did the fourth brother know? Li Dan said: "Last October, when Feng Nu went to the Jiaofang Division, it was also because of the jealousy between them." Living in the scorching sun above his head, he walked slowly to the shade of the pool by the pool, sat down on a bed made of bamboo and rattan, and said in a low voice: "Fourth brother, you are also a person who reads sage books."

Li Dan sighed softly and said: "It's always my selfishness, thinking that our generation is too difficult, so I want them to have a little bit of happiness." Taiping was slightly sullen, it was the first time she spoke to Li Dan with a slightly heavier tone , Said: "Fourth brother! Who are you and I, and who are Feng Nu and Hua Nu? You indulged them to enjoy this happy time, what will you do in the future! When the second brother had an accident, you didn't miss me. Pass!"

Li Dan looked at the budding lotus in the pool, which was clean and bright as if washed by rainwater. Under the lotus leaves, there were a few mandarin ducks hiding from the scorching sun. The literary talent all over his body made the two clusters of white feathers stand out. .He thought of the sentence in the Yuefu that "there are two flying birds in the middle, and they call themselves mandarin ducks", and his heart ached. How many people in this world are attached to each other, such as him and his wife, the second brother and the boy, the third brother and her The concubine Yuan, younger sister and Xue Shao could not live together and die together, and they could not be buried in the same coffin when they died, not even this pair of birds.He was stunned, and said: "I don't know, but I can't bear to cut off their hope. It's my negligence as a father all these years. Feng Nu took Hua Nu as her only support in the lonely and helpless, and gave birth to such Come on, it’s my brother who’s sorry for you.” As he spoke, he gave Taiping a deep bow to the ground.

Taiping's eyes were sour, and he smiled shyly: "Fourth brother, you and I don't have to be so divided. I know the son I gave birth to, and Hua Nu is not easy. Don't talk about what happens, don't advise when things happen, this group of young men I don't want to point out some scandals about splitting peaches and breaking sleeves. But fourth brother," she raised her head and held Li Dan's hanging hand, and said, "I don't want my son to be sad in ten or twenty years. "

Li Dan nodded and said: "I understand. When Feng Nu gets married, I will ask for an order to take Feng Nu out of Chang'an." Taiping shook his head sadly and said, "Fourth brother! You have retired all your life, and you have to retire now." Do you know why Mother is willing to forgive Feng Nu this time?" Li Dan was startled and said, "Isn't it because of Hua Nu and Fangcheng County Lord?" Taiping smiled sadly and shook his head and said, "If you go back ten years, Alan Even if she really hit her head to death, Mother might not spare Feng Nu. Fourth Brother, Mother is getting old..."

Li Dan trembled and sat down beside Taiping.Taiping leaned on his elder brother's shoulder, and said in a low voice: "After returning to Chang'an, mother is willing to hand over the government affairs to third brother and to those two male favorites. She is no longer as discerning as she was ten years ago, and no longer kills and makes decisions. Four Brother, I may have made a mistake in sending the Zhang brothers into the palace. These two people are educated, and what they want is not the idea of ​​glory and wealth. The third brother is cowardly and incompetent, and he is being stared at in that seat, you and I are the only ones who can guard the Li Family Ancestral Temple, do you want to leave your sister behind?"

Li Dan looked at his younger sister, and behind him the green phlox was in full bloom, and a tree full of heavy flowers was blown off by the wind from time to time.Li Dan stretched out his hand to pick off the petals that fell on Taiping's hair, feeling in a trance that what fell was the smile on the cheek of the little princess 20 years ago.He sighed and said: "I thought that when the third brother came back, you and I would have peace and freedom for a moment." Taiping smiled and said: "Look, there is no wind at this moment, and the water surface will be quiet for a moment. But people's hearts are different. , even if there is no wind, there will be turbulent waves. With this surname, you and I will not be able to find peace and freedom in this life."

Li Dan sighed: "You tell me what to do, brother is up to you." Taiping said decisively: "Quickly hire Feng Nu, let him get married quickly, they each have a married family, this idea is absurd The thoughts gradually faded away. During these days, we all need to restrain our sons and daughters, and we can’t give others a handle! The Zhang brothers have turned against me. I don’t think they have any ambitions for Liang Wang. This time, I will marry Liang Wangfu. It may not be a bad thing. You might as well let go of the old things first, and settle your suspicions with Liang Wang. If Li Wu can join hands, you won't be afraid of that pair of male favorites. " Li Dan nodded and said: "Okay."

He knew that he would not be able to protect the pair of teenagers after all, he raised his head, wanting to see the sky as calm as water, but the scorching sun stung his eyes.