Emperor Que Shaohua

Due to the suzerain's order, Lang Huan and his party did not enter Hangzhou City after disembarking, but immediately went to Beifeng Mountain. On the way, they met two thousand officers and soldiers dispatched urgently by Shen Ling.

Miyun Valley was blocked, and there were explosions in the valley, but the fifth prince was inside, and Deputy Commander Shen would go crazy no matter how honest he was.Fortunately, two Jingyu guards with good lightness kung fu crossed the chaotic rocks with ropes and scratched the hook, went inside to check around, and reported that His Royal Highness Ning Wang was safe, but because the robbers were not cleared and the person he was looking for had not been found, they refused to leave the valley and evacuate , all the subordinates heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling that the three souls and seven souls that had been frightened flew back to their original positions.

At the same moment, Guan Chan sent a signal and found the fleeing enemy.Just as Luo Pingyuan thought, there is an exit mechanism on the side of the mountain wall facing outwards, but it is not near the stone wall where he stayed, but in another direction far away. Lord Guan spent a lot of time looking for it.

Shen Ling didn't dare to be careless in the slightest. On the one hand, he assigned Jingyu guards into the valley to protect King Ning, and went up the mountain to reinforce Guan Chan. At the same time, he sent out liaison fireworks, and asked his subordinates guarding outside the mountain to dispatch reinforcements to the nearest Bing Ma Si.He had some friendship with the generals of the western barracks, and he had greeted them in advance, so the officers and soldiers came quite quickly, and they met everyone in Langhuan.

The incident happened suddenly, and the general in charge of the army didn't understand the specific situation, he only said that the situation was urgent, and His Highness the Fifth Prince was trapped in Miyun Valley, so he rushed away in a hurry.

Five miles away, Luo Yanhua drank two sips of water, leaned his head against the wall of the car, and felt dizzy all over.Maybe the fever came up again. He was no stranger to illness, but every time he felt his weakness and powerlessness, he would still feel momentarily at a loss.After all, he used to be so healthy, so full of life, as if he could do it all.

"My lord, my subordinates have ordered people to go into the mountain first to inquire about the news." Bai Qingyou rode his horse to the side of the car, and asked softly, "It's better to rest for a while, your body is important."

Under the shade of the trees beside the road, there is a tea shed for pedestrians to rest.Luo Yanhua understood what his subordinates meant, that Beifeng Mountain would soon be blocked by soldiers and horses, and there were many twists and turns to enter, but the mountain road was rugged and the carriage was inconvenient, so it would be better to wait for the return nearby.He thought for a while, although he was anxious in his heart, he was really not sure whether his physical strength could support Miyun Valley, so he nodded in agreement: "Alright."

The most important thing is that there is so much movement, no matter what arrangement Wei Wuze made, it is over.

The tea shed is very simple, except for the herbal tea and marinated eggs in rough clay bowls, there is no other food and drink, but it can still provide a shade in the hot summer. The owner is an old couple, watching Langhuan's subordinates wipe the tables and chairs by themselves, In an instant, the shed was cleaned to be spotless, and he knew that the guests were either rich or expensive, so he hurried to boil water.

According to the old woman's later recollection to the passing merchants, the leading young man in Tsing Yi was elegant and out of dust, he looked as good-looking as if he had stepped out of a painting, but unfortunately his complexion was too bad, as if he was sick.He should be waiting for someone, he could see that he was very tired, but he had been waiting for several hours.

The subordinates sent to the mountains reported one after another:

Mr. Lu is fine, but he refuses to withdraw first, and stays in Miyun Valley;

Soldiers have begun to clear the chaotic rocks at the mouth of the valley, but due to the lack of equipment, the progress is relatively slow;

With the help of Vice Commander Shen, Commander Guan captured several bandits, escaped as the leader of the rudder, and was searching for them in the mountains with all his might;

After Ling Xu's investigation, there are some stone chambers hidden in the belly of the mountain. Although they are not spread all over the organs as expected, the fire explosion has caused some passages to collapse, and there is still danger;

Jing Yuwei searched inside and found more than a dozen dead and wounded, as well as the bodies of four young women;

……

Luo Pingyuan learned that King Jing had arrived, but he didn't hear a single word.

As dusk approached, Gu Yu and Xi Guzhu's medicine boy drew water from the well and squatted behind the tea shed to brew medicine. A withdrawn hidden guard narrated to the suzerain how he had entered the mountain and valley since last night. After listening silently, Luo Yanhua asked: "Have you ever confirmed the identities of the four women? Are there any other female relatives in the mountains?"

The dark guard replied: "Mr. Lu has personally identified them, but each of them has many wounds on their faces, and they can't see the original appearance, so..." He shook his head, showing a look of unbearable, "The leader The helmsman fled with a few accomplices, and the rest of the dead men were transferred to the valley recently, and they only knew how to act according to orders. When asked the name of the woman they killed, they couldn't answer at all. But according to the confession, all of them died Of these four, there are no more female relatives."

He paused for a moment and continued: "Young master Lu didn't believe it, so he insisted on going into the cave to search for a while, but he didn't say a word when he came out. His subordinates saw him hitting the rock with his palm, and his hands were covered in blood."

Luo Yanhua's heart tugged slightly, life and death were uncertain, and hope was slim. He could imagine Luo Pingyuan's despair and anger at the moment; however, from the scattered news and narration, he believed more and more that Qingluan was still alive.If Wei Wuze wanted Qingluan to die, there would be no need to destroy the faces of the four women.The more mysterious it is, the more it means that Qingluan is only used as a cover to stir up Luo Pingyuan's emotions, making him lose his position, and caring about it will cause chaos.

"Xiao Ling made a hard trip, and went to the mountain to tell Mr. Lu," he said, "There is someone around me who can identify the identity of the dead female relative, please return as soon as possible."

Luo Pingyuan stood in front of the Miyun Valley cave. He had not rested for a day and a night. His eyes were bloodshot, but he didn't feel tired. His mind was full of the scene of the woman's corpse being dragged out of the mountain. They were not like those dead Soldiers usually died of explosions and collapses, but were hacked to death by weapons. Each of them was hit by many knives, and his face and body were bloody and covered with dust.The conversations and screams heard by Houshan alternately echoed in his ears. He couldn't accept that Qingluan was not far away, and was killed when he was finally within reach. significance?

He watched his subordinates and soldiers busy in and out, but he felt that anger was filling his chest, pain and unwillingness were mixed with deep frustration, and it turned into a cavity of hostility, unable to vent.Brother Huang repeatedly warned Beifeng Mountain that it was dangerous, but he came and went, and did not see any great ambushes in Miyun Valley. There were twenty or thirty dead soldiers in total. Not a threat.According to personal observation, this place is not enough to reach the lair, it is just a place where You Mingdao temporarily hides before withdrawing, and even the gunpowder that seems to be quite powerful is just used to delay time, so as to silence the mouth and escape.I came here starry night, and even learned the information in the mountain belly by chance, and I was only one step away from saving people, but because of King Jing's order, I was blocked outside by Lang Huan, and nothing could be saved.

From yesterday until now, everything he encountered touched the most sensitive nerve invisibly. Wei Wuze never appeared, and he didn't even meet a decent opponent or resistance during the whole process, but he felt an indescribable provocation Contempt and contempt, as if mocking his own powerlessness, just like the other party's comment: "Little Highness, you are still very young!"

It seems that before, someone had said similar words in my ear: "Your Highness Fifth, you are still far behind the current Crown Prince and His Royal Highness King Jing." It was from the main hall of Huangjue Temple soaked in a pool of blood, sitting facing him The Sanskrit sound of monks and demons.Who else is there, Luo Wenxiao?Ji Wuya?The voice of ridicule or bewitchment was just a laugh at the time, but it came to mind when it failed.Are you really incompetent?If he rushed in earlier, would Qingluan's life have been saved?

Guan Ling came to deliver a message, and Luo Pingyuan heard the young man convey the meaning of King Jing in a clear and cold voice, and found that the guards around him were looking at him eagerly.That's right, people are tired and horses are exhausted, and all the subordinates want to leave the barren mountains as soon as possible. As for Qingluan's life and death, who cares?He nodded stiffly: "Brother Huang is really considerate, let's go."

The Jingyu guards have been tossing with their hearts hanging down until now, hearing the words as if they had received an amnesty, they secretly thanked His Royal Highness Jing Wang, but they did not notice the backlog of the storm under the fifth prince's cold expression.

The full moon was passing through the clouds. The old couple who opened the tea shed lit candles and hung the only lantern on the tree. They saw a group of people and horses holding lantern balls and torches coming from the direction of Beifeng Mountain. Reining in the reins, he turned over and dismounted neatly.A group of knights dressed well, but they were all covered in dust, surrounded by an extremely tall and handsome young man into the tea shed.

"There are a lot of things in the valley that need to be finished, and the emperor has been waiting for a long time." Luo Pingyuan walked to the table where King Jing was sitting alone, but did not sit down, "The journey is tiring, the emperor should go to the city to rest, why bother?" Come to the suburbs."

The way of greeting was the same as usual, but Luo Yanhua still noticed the slight difference in tone, he raised his head, and saw a trace of alienation in King Ning's eyes that hadn't appeared for a long time.

"It's okay," he said after a pause, "I've already heard about the specific situation, Ping Yuan, don't worry."

"I'm no better than Brother Huang. I can predict the enemy's plans first and act after making a plan. Naturally, I am very reckless!" Luo Pingyuan took a breath, trying to suppress his emotions that were on the verge of eruption, "But Brother Huang is so capable. After all, didn’t you fail to find a Qingluan? That’s right, at the critical moment, your Xuanshuang just stood by and watched, and only did one thing, and that was to stop me under orders!”

As soon as he said a word, the air suddenly froze. The subordinates on both sides did not expect that he would lose his temper as soon as they met, and the anger was directed at King Jing, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

But seeing the fifth prince's face covered with frost, he pointed out coldly: "Of course they were killed by Wei thieves, but they refused to save them. Could it be that the emperor's brother can feel at ease?"

Following his gestures, several soldiers walked over with rolled up reed mats. Four female corpses were lying side by side in front of the tea shed.

In this situation, everyone felt a little sympathetic. With Luo Pingyuan's status, he should never be in danger. Even if he wanted to show off his blood and courage, his subordinates had to try their best to dissuade him.It's just that once the girl in my heart is involved, the reason is hard to explain.

In the silence, a girl in a moon-white dress walked forward slowly, holding a candle, inspecting the faces of the corpses on the ground one by one, took out a handkerchief, and dipped in tea to wipe the blood on each face.Her movements were calm and meticulous, as if she was not facing a dead person, but a pile of utensils waiting to be cleaned up.Luo Pingyuan's attention was attracted to him unconsciously. He hadn't seen Qingluan for too long. Among the four women, three had the same melon-seeded face as Qingluan. In addition, the wound was ferocious and the eyes were closed tightly. The bottom of my heart was trembling, and I really couldn't and didn't want to connect what I saw with the girl who accompanied me in my memory.

The girl in the moon white dress checked the teeth of the four corpses, and finally opened her eyelids to look at them, and then said calmly, "Reporting to the suzerain, the maidservant knows two people, one is Liuxu and the other is Xianhong, they are all given by Venerable Wei. Miss Qingluan's maid, I don't recognize the other two, but Miss Qingluan is not among them."

After the last word fell, the cold atmosphere in the tea shed eased, and most people let out a sigh of relief in unison.Luo Pingyuan felt at ease, and faintly felt that something was wrong, but in the past two days, accidents continued, and his mood was boiling, ups and downs, and he couldn't figure it out in an instant.He didn't have much joy in his heart, even if it was a fluke and the catastrophe didn't fall on Qingluan, as long as she was still under Wei Wuze's control, she might face the same fate at any time.What's more, knowing that killing is close at hand but being helpless is nothing less than a great shame.

"You've seen Qingluan and these two girls, are you sure you can't tell the difference?" He looked at the girl in the white dress who was talking, and found that she was very unfamiliar, and he became more puzzled, "Who is the girl?"

"Your Highness, my name is Huo Yan, and I belong to You Ming." The young woman was blessed with a blessing, and her expression was still calm, "Wei Yin envoy just arrived in the south of the Yangtze River four years ago, and ordered me to serve Miss Qingluan for a period of time. would be mistaken."

She hesitated for a while before continuing: "Besides, Miss Qingluan has lost her eyesight due to an early illness. The few people who died today had no problems with their eyes during their lifetime, so they can tell just by looking at them."

Like another thunderbolt in his ears, Luo Pingyuan was stunned by the news she revealed before he had time to pay attention to Huo Yan's name.

"You said that Qingluan's eyes are blind? Why, how?" He asked in disbelief.

"The maidservant doesn't know the specific reason." Huo Yandao, "It was the Yin envoy who wanted to find someone to accompany and tell about the customs of the south of the Yangtze River, so that Miss Qingluan could adapt to the environment as soon as possible, so she called me. After staying with her for a few days, Miss Qingluan was taken to another place, and it is said that she never saw her again when she arrived in Suzhou and Hangzhou."

Luo Pingyuan slowly sat down on a wooden bench. Qingluan was still alive, but she was blinded four years ago, or even earlier. Where is she and what kind of life is she living?

He suddenly turned his head and looked directly at King Jing: "Brother, you mentioned that three or four years ago, some subordinates saw Wei Wuze appearing with Qingluan by the West Lake, and you already knew that there was something wrong with Qingluan's eyes." , yes or no?"

This question came suddenly, and all eyes were cast on the corner where King Jing was sitting alone. Luo Yanhua did not avoid King Ning's gaze, and nodded slightly: "Yes. I never told you."

Luo Pingyuan gritted his teeth unknowingly, he wanted to ask why, but what's the use of asking, Brother Huang could easily answer: Since Qingluan is hard to find, why make you anxious and distracted?No one would think it was inappropriate, just like Bai Qingyuan ordered the Langhuan dark guards to hold him back in the valley, and even the Jingyu guards acquiesced that in order to protect the safety of His Highness, they had to make such a bad move, and it was not his fault.

At other times, Luo Pingyuan would definitely stop, wait until he regained his composure, and then make a theory. However, at this moment, the words of the conversation he heard at the side of the stone wall flowed through his mind, seeping and eroding like poisonous juice. Passing letters and orders corresponded to the repeated dissuasion of Lang Huan's subordinates, and his doubts were solidified. King Jing admitted it lightly. It was like a fuse was ignited in his heart, and a gap was cracked like a strong dam. The rage full of anger finally found an outlet, and it could no longer be suppressed.

"Brother Huang, what on earth did you take Qingluan for?" His voice was as cold as ice, and he asked word by word, "Back in the palace, you couldn't protect yourself, and it was imperative to exchange her with Wei Wuze. Blame you; after ten years, Lang Huan tried to find Qingluan, so I can't say anything; but I rely on my own strength to find someone, you don't have to help if you don't want to help, what's the point of blindly obstructing? !” The air suddenly became tense, and no one expected that King Ning’s reaction would be so strong. Langhuan’s subordinates who were used to him getting along well with King Jing were even more astonished, and needles could be heard in the tea shed.

"Just obstruct?" Luo Yanhua frowned, he was already very tired, facing the emperor's indifferent gaze, he felt his heart sinking, empty and cold, "Ping Yuan, this is how you treat me ?Sacrificing Qingluan for self-protection, even unwilling to save him?"

In the dim candlelight with uncertain brightness and darkness, his face was strangely pale. Luo Pingyuan felt that somewhere in his heart was inexplicably tightened, but the unwilling hostility accumulated in Miyun Valley was still rushing left and right, clamoring and voicing, those people Discussions that are both false and true, unscrupulous chatting and laughing burned the bottom of my heart, and it was difficult to calm down.

"I don't know what to think," he said bluntly, "I only know that there are no so-called ambush traps in the valley. I could have saved a few innocent women, but I can only let the thieves go wild and carry back the corpses; dare to ask Brother Huang, if there is another time, will Qingluan still be alive?"

"Mr. Lu, I couldn't find Miss Qingluan. Everyone understands that you are in a bad mood, but talking like this is going too far." Bai Qingyuan stood aside and couldn't help it anymore, "In the Miyun Valley, the truth is unclear, and there are explosions. If you are allowed to enter the mountain without permission, who can guarantee that you will not be buried in it? The Lord is worried about your safety, why are you so unreasonable? Is it because you are deliberately obstructing the Lord by making the Lord rush back and forth?"

"Mr. Bai, I don't care too much about your orders, but it's not up to you subordinates to intervene in the matter between me and the emperor!" Luo Pingyuan said coldly. Bai Qingyuan didn't refute, and he could still maintain A sliver of reason, now thinking of being pinned down at a critical moment, he couldn't help laughing angrily, "I don't want to listen to the big truth, yes, there are so many big things waiting to be planned, whether Qingluan is alive or dead, whether he is persecuted or not, it matters to Langhuan." It's a thing as light as a feather and insignificant! You are all right, I am Luo Pingyuan who is stupid! No matter how talented the emperor is, how could he spend it on a little maid who gave it away with his own hands? Am I wrong? ?”

Luo Yanhua was silent, he vaguely felt that the scene in front of him was a bit familiar. Once upon a time, for their own reasons, how many people were angry, or spoke harshly, and finally turned around and left. Mu Shaoqing, Nan Gongchen, and those who lived longer and earlier those figures.They are not bad people, they are good-natured and talented, and because they are suffering, they take it for granted and have no scruples.But he always thought that Luo Pingyuan would not do this, because Pingyuan was always by his side.He felt that somewhere in his heart was getting colder inch by inch. The emperor's brother's voice was still clear and clear, but it no longer brought the usual warmth and concern. Instead, it was like ice skates, and every word seemed to be tearing and splitting.

When he heard Qingluan's name from Huo Yan's mouth, he understood Wei Wuze's intentions, because losing Qingluan was a pain that Luo Pingyuan couldn't let go of, and it was the bait that Luo Pingyuan chased after knowing the danger.Wei Wuze sent the news to himself. It was a blatant threat, and it was also a topic he had to choose: stay out of the matter, and let King Ning rush into the enemy's territory, and he may encounter murderous intentions every step of the way, because You Ming is good at sneak attacks and assassinations; However, once Qingluan has an accident because of this, what awaits him may be the emperor's younger brother's misunderstanding and blame, no matter how difficult it is to get rid of.

In Beifeng Mountain, there is nothing but reality. If you choose the former possibility, the unexpected danger will be launched on King Ning;

"Pingyuan," Luo Yanhua stared at King Ning's face full of indifference and anger, and said quietly, "I only have two words. First, to Wei Wuze, Qingluan is not insignificant. Second, even if it is confirmed that Qingluan is one of the four women in the middle of the mountain, I will still order someone to stop you."

He can't bet on his brother's safety.Maybe Miyun Valley has many traps and murderous intentions everywhere, or maybe it's just an empty plan, but he didn't have time to confirm it, even if he knew it was a trap, he still had to step in.

He has no doubt that as long as he chooses to stop Luo Pingyuan, nothing will happen to Luo Pingyuan, because in Wei Wuze's eyes, he has single-handedly created a gap between himself and King Ning, gradually deepening the conflict, and planting hidden dangers that are difficult to eliminate. The fun is far better than harming King Ning himself.

On the passenger ship from Jinling to Hangzhou, on the way to Beifeng Mountain, during the interval of fever and drowsiness, he tried his best to speculate on every possibility.However, when the expected situation really became a reality, and Luo Pingyuan, who had only been separated for more than ten days, cast a look full of grief and suspicion, Luo Yanhua suddenly realized that he had forgotten to think about how to resolve it along the way.Perhaps deep down in his heart, he always subconsciously believed that Luo Pingyuan trusted him, no matter what happened, he should not and should not be shaken, let alone speak harshly or hurt others.Or maybe it's because of illness, so uncomfortable that I don't have the energy to think about it.

The beautiful face of the girl who couldn't stop crying flashed in the memory, and she rushed into the Changning Palace in the blurred night, her eyes were full of fear.If Qingluan is Luo Pingyuan's weakness, then could Pingyuan be his own weakness, that's why he rushed here and waited until now, which is as absurd as a moth to a flame.

King Ning's cold voice came from next to his ear: "So it turns out that it was for Qingluan's sake that he refused to work hard to find her. Why didn't the emperor tell her earlier? That's right, Qingluan doesn't have the sword skills of Master Mu Shaozhuang, doesn't it?" The prince and minister who can speak before the king are involved in the disgraceful past, no wonder you don't even want to bring it up. For the sake of the overall situation, the emperor even took himself into account without hesitation, and gave up a ten-year-old What is an abandoned child!"

As he said that, he said coldly: "But Qingluan is my maid, I will not sit idly by! From now on, please don't worry about it, Brother Huang, and don't interfere!"

Before the people inside and outside the tea shed could react, King Ning had already stood up on his own, stepped out of the shed quickly, followed the sound of a horse neighing outside, the sound of hooves rising and falling, and walked farther and farther in the blink of an eye...

The Jingyu guards were very embarrassed. After all, His Royal Highness was young and energetic, and he failed to find his sweetheart as he wished. His usual calmness was gone, and he turned his anger on His Royal Highness Jing, which is too capricious.At the moment, I had no choice but to salute in a hurry, say a few words of kindness, and quickly mounted my horse to chase after him.

A group of people came and went quickly, and the silence in the tea shed was restored. Langhuan's subordinates felt depressed and uncomfortable, and they were relatively speechless for a while.The shadow of the candle flickered and gradually dimmed, Luo Yanhua was stunned for a while, only to feel that the scene just now was in a trance, as if in a dream.

"Go back," he stood up slowly, suddenly his eyes darkened, his body swayed, and he almost fell down.

"My lord!" "Sovereign master!" Several exclamations came, and someone supported his shoulder with steady and firm strength. It was Qin Su.

"It's okay, it's just that I've been sitting for a long time." Luo Yanhua supported the table to gather his mind, and when the dizziness passed, he slowly walked away with Qin Su's arm.A fishy sweetness welled up in his throat, and he swallowed it back calmly.