broken night

The last words heard——

Green Zijin, Youyouwoxin!

Yexian couldn't control it anymore, and stood up abruptly. The officials were startled, and the whipping hand stopped. He reached out to touch Shen Yingchi's nose, rolled his eyelids, and shouted : "Your Majesty, he is out of breath!"

"Yingchi!" Zhu Jinwen also stood up and rushed up to the high platform impatiently. He lost all the demeanor of a prince and shook his shoulders in a panic. Looking at his lifeless face, Zhu Jinwen With grief and indignation, he turned around and rushed towards Yexian.

"Your Majesty Yexian!" He was stopped by the guards, struggling and screaming, "He has already gone, your wish has been fulfilled, please leave his whole body, let me take him back to his hometown for burial!"

Has he... gone?Yexian was in a trance for a moment, and the tense nerves in his mind suddenly relaxed, and he felt a kind of bewildered daze.

He signaled the guard to let go of Zhu Jinwen, who slowly walked in front of him, with deep grief in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "You won, can you leave him with the last bit of dignity?"

Ye Xian looked at him seriously, with a thoughtful expression, but seemed to be thinking about nothing, his mind was scattered and blank like fluttering snowflakes.

"He's not a god, he's just a human being." Zhu Jinwen lowered his voice, so low that only the two of them could hear, "Don't you think that no matter how you treat him, he won't get hurt or die?"

No matter how strong a life is, it will pass away, just like no matter how deep a love is, it will die one day, so what about hate?Can hatred be taken away by death?

"I've never thought about it that way." Yexian answered him blankly, "Pass down the decree and leave him with a whole body."

After returning from the execution ground, he sat alone in the bedroom, sent out all the servants and maids, and sat motionless until it was time to light the lamp.

When Chi Yue heard about what happened in the morning, she was shocked but also somewhat terrified, she poked her head outside the hall, not daring to rush in.

It wasn't until Yue Chenglin arrived with a team of maids that Chi Yue breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed his arm and whispered, "Brother Huang is in a daze, I dare not disturb him."

This little ghost who has always been the most loved and fearless, sometimes dare not, it can be seen how gloomy the atmosphere in the room is, Yue Chenglin sighed, clasped his hands outside the hall and said: "My subject, Yue Chenglin, begs to see Your Majesty."

"Come in." Yexian's voice was flat and gentle, with obvious tiredness, Yue Chenglin waved his hand, and Chiyue ran in in a flash, pounced on Yexian: "Brother Yexian, you have eaten dinner ?"

Ye Xian flicked his forehead, but didn't feel the slightest bit about this eccentric little ghost. The maids followed in and set out the dinner. Yue Chenglin saluted and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness Chi Yue is very worried about you. He doesn't think about eating and drinking all day long, so you can eat with him."

Although he had no appetite, but couldn't bear to worry about his beloved younger brother, Ye Xian nodded, picked up the chopsticks, and said softly: "Cheng Lin, you sit too, today you don't have to abide by the etiquette of a monarch and a minister."

Yue Chenglin sat down in response, observed Yexian's face carefully, and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to drink?"

He could feel what he had been suppressing, maybe he should get drunk at this time, so that he could temporarily forget the pain.

"No, I'm fine." Yexian mechanically took a chopstick into the mouth of the dish, unable to taste it, "This matter is over, and a stone in my heart has been let go."

He didn't know how sad the expression on his face was, the love was gone, the hate was paid off, and in his dark eyes, there was only empty loneliness.

Yue Chenglin lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Zhu Jinwen requests to leave early tomorrow morning to return home."

"Allowed." Ye Xian thoughtfully picked up his favorite dish for Chi Yue, and said lightly, "Go and prepare, and you don't need to report these small things."

Yue Chenglin gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice: "Then tomorrow's occasion, His Majesty doesn't have to attend, I know..."

"I know what you're worried about." Yexian glanced at him calmly, and said, "It's over, there's nothing to be sad about."

He has always been very calm, as if nothing had happened. All those who have witnessed this love-hate entanglement are afraid that there is a torrent buried deep under this calm appearance, and everyone is cautious. watching.

But Yexian knew that he was calm because he had no strength to react otherwise. He was very tired, very very tired, so tired that even his senses were dulled, he couldn't laugh or cry, and there were so many colorful things in his life. A stroke was washed away by him abruptly, and the rest is a dull, calm time, until the old age, until the passing away, maybe this feeling of loss will disappear.

"What a cruel heart!" Zhu Jinwen cut off the blood-soaked clothes, and carefully wiped Shen Yingchi's bloody back with a white towel soaked in medicinal wine, "You monarchs and ministers really look the same!"

The departure was imminent, and they were placed in a side hall. Yue Chenglin came to visit, bent over and looked at Shen Yingchi's wound, and said, "The wound is still bleeding, he is still alive."

"Nonsense, nonsense! He's dead!" Zhu Jinwen stretched his arms in front of Shen Yingchi like a hen guarding its cubs, staring at him warily.

Yue Chenglin took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve pocket and said, "Take it, if you drag it on, he will really die."

"Tranquilization Pill?" Zhu Jinwen took it half-believingly, squinting at him from the corner of his eyes, and said, "Don't you want to kill him for reward?"

"In His Majesty's mind, it doesn't make any difference whether he is dead or alive." Yue Chenglin waved his hand casually. He is not stupid, knowing that Shen Yingchi was only relieved for a while after being severely punished, but since His Majesty let go , He also simply opened his eyes and closed his eyes, the new king succeeded to the throne, and the state affairs were complicated, so he really had no time to take care of such trivial matters.

Zhu Jinwen pried open Shen Yingchi's teeth, poured down the tranquilizing pill, and said, "Just treat him as dead."

"Exactly." Yue Chenglin got up and walked out, Zhu Jinwen stopped him, his eyes faltered, and said, "You seem to have suddenly become a little human, did I misread you earlier?"

The anticipation in his eyes made people's chest tighten, Yue Chenglin took a deep breath, and replied: "No, you read it right."

In the early morning of the next day, on the palace wall, Ye Xian watched a group of chariots disappear at the end of his field of vision. His handsome face was calm and serene. The thin winter sun shone on his face, fading away the deep melancholy between his brows.

"Why don't you send him off?"

Yue Chenglin's voice came from behind, Yexian turned around and said calmly: "Why add more sadness, how about you?"

Yue Chenglin touched the swollen half of one of Wuzhishan's cheeks, his eyes were filled with annoyance, and he said, "One more thing is worse than one less thing."

The ruthless man who always had a serious face had a mixed expression on his face at this moment, Ye Xian shook his head and smiled, and said: "The trivial matters are over, let's go down, I haven't greeted the Queen Mother yet."

Ye Xian quickly showed his tough and stern side, reformed the official law, strictly tested merits, reduced and exempted taxes, dismissed a group of mediocre and incompetent officials, and demoted several veteran and important officials who relied on their seniority to disobey the new emperor. After punishing Uncle Wang who tried to rebel, no one dared to underestimate the young emperor.

The empress dowager saw it in her eyes, and the hanging heart finally returned to its original position. When she looked at Ye Xian, her eyes were kind and gratified, but there was only one thing that made her feel uneasy.

Ye Xian has never been close to women. For several months, she has not accepted a concubine, and has never been lucky with a court lady. How can the Queen Mother be in a hurry?So I personally selected more than a dozen beautiful noble girls and sent them to the harem to serve the emperor, but Ye Xian lukewarmly rejected them all. She waved them away without even looking at them, causing the queen mother to have a terrible idea, and she felt like boiling oil, restless, and afraid that she would hurt the emperor's heart if she pointed it out, so she took advantage of dinner one day. Carefully tested Ye Xian for a while, but Ye Xian took a sip of wine on the spot, his face turned red and white, and after recovering, his face was a little embarrassed, and said: "The mother is worrying too much, my son has no hidden illness .”

The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief, and her worries increased instead of diminishing: since there is no hidden disease, why did you keep the nephrite jade at the door?

Reluctant to disturb the emperor's son, the queen mother called the prime minister, Yue Chenglin, and asked him quietly: "What happened to the emperor during those three years in the Central Plains?"

How dare Yue Chenglin tell the truth?After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't push it any longer, so he vaguely made up a set of nonsense such as "Yexian has a sweetheart and loses interest in carnal pleasure", half-truth and half-false, and get away with it.

It turned out that her emperor's son was an infatuated seed. The queen mother was half happy and half worried, guessing and guessing, she guessed Ruixue.

Their childhood sweethearts have always been close and have a marriage contract. Ye Xian's sweetheart is most likely to be her.

Silly child, why don't you tell her mother?The Empress Dowager hurriedly called Ruixue into the palace, hoping to make something good come true, but the girl said that things were not harmonious, and went back to beg her father to write a book asking for a divorce, and what was even more surprising was that Yexian agreed—what kind of dignity is this... Does the king of a country want to die alone and have no heirs?

"My son has his own measure." Facing the Queen Mother's questioning, Yexian lowered her eyebrows and answered respectfully, which made her anxious, angry and helpless, and asked: "You have been seduced by a seductress, even Do you want a beauty like Ruixue?"

Ye Xian smiled but did not answer, a touch of sadness appeared in her dark eyes, which once again softened her mother's heart.

"Forget it, you're still young, and it's human nature not to see through some things." The Queen Mother sighed, "After all, you and Ruixue grew up together, even if we don't have a marriage contract, it's good to be as close as possible."

She still held some hope that the old relationship between them would be revived.

"It's a pity that elder brother is stubborn. I'm afraid the queen mother will miscalculate." Chi Yue peeled off an autumn orange, broke off a petal and brought it to Ye Xian's lips, saying: "What is love that can make people like this incoherent?"

Ye Xian tapped his forehead and said, "When you grow up, you will understand."

Chiyue pillowed on his lap, turned to look at the person playing the piano next to her, and asked, "What about you, Sister Ruixue?"

Ruixue plucked the strings a few times, and said: "It's hard to get rid of the water, it can only be said that good fortune tricks people, it's God's will."

"By the way, last time I heard Brother Yue ask about that Shen..."

Which pot of Chiyue does not open and which pot is lifted, but Ye Xian interrupts: "There is no need to mention the past."

After a moment of silence, he turned to Ruixue and said, "I am the one who is sorry for you, Ruixue."

If he hadn't met Shen Yingchi, hadn't tasted the obsession and pain engraved in his bones, then he would have married Ruixue, loved and doted on her, and taken good care of her for the rest of his life.

Even if it is just the intimacy and pampering accumulated by childhood sweethearts for more than ten years, it has nothing to do with the relationship between men and women.

"Your Majesty, don't blame yourself." Ruixue said softly, "Ruixue's admiration for His Majesty is undiminished, but after all, a woman wants to marry a lover who treats her wholeheartedly. Your Majesty's heart belongs to others. Ruixue no longer wants to .”

Yexian looked a little uncomfortable, and smiled wryly: "Even you are so born, I treat you as my own sister."

Ruixue raised her head to meet his gaze, and read that there was a bit of bitterness and sadness mixed with it, and a bit of helplessness. She sighed. To him, why didn't she yearn and respect him like an elder brother?

It was the man who deserved to be hacked into pieces that abducted her majesty, and when Ye Xian returned to them, the love was so deep that it was too late.

The matter has come to this point, it's hard to force, she also looked away, slender hand across the strings, with a bright and charming smile, said: "Brother Yexian, can you listen to me play the piano again?"

It was winter again, after a snowfall, the moonlight became brighter and clearer, Ye Xian finished grading papers, returned to the bedroom, still unintentionally sleeping, waved away the maids, sat alone by the window, and spent time facing the chessboard.

Unconsciously, it was late at night, everything was silent, suddenly something knocked on the window frame, and there was a soft "pop", Yexian was disturbed from thinking, put down the chess pieces, and listened quietly, a moment later, there was another soft sound ring.

Who has the courage to knock on the window of the king of a country, are the guards in the palace just for display?

Ye Xian got up and pushed open the window, the cold air hit his face, a small snowball flew across the sky and hit him right on the chest, he took a closer look, a few steps away, stood a tall and handsome man with a gentle look on his face Smiling, he said: "I was relegated to Qizhou, which is close to the border of Li Kingdom, to be an official. I took the liberty to come here to visit my old friend tonight. If I disturbed you, please forgive me."

As he spoke, he jumped into the bedroom, hugged the stunned Yexian into his arms, and asked with his ear: "Did you miss me, my Yexian?"

It's like an eternity.