It was already winter, and the fierce wind whistling on the ancient road swept away all obsessions, hurriedly fled from such a desolate and deserted wilderness, and disappeared without a trace. A red horse appeared on the horizon with its hooves spread, and then blurred on the other side of the horizon.
When Yuwen Tai saw the secret letter from Jiangling, Zhao Pei's coffin had already been sent out of the palace. He sat at the table and pondered silently for a long time. Suddenly, he laughed out loud, and brought the letter close to the candlestick. The flame stretched out its tongue greedily and swallowed it into its stomach, leaving nothing behind. "I never thought that Xiao Yi was so cruel. I never thought that he would really kill her. It seems that I underestimated him." Yuwen Tai paused and said, "That woman died just like that? It's a pity that she was so beautiful and smart. I was thinking about breaking into Jiankang and bringing her back one day. What a pity..." Yuwen Tai muttered to himself. He glanced at Li Xiao beside him and asked, "How is Xiao Yi now?"
Li Xiao replied: "The secret report said that Xiao Yi seemed to be affected and even coughed up blood in the past few days. Master, it's time to take action."
Yuwen Tai narrowed his eyes and said: "There is no need for me to do it myself. I think Xiao Yi must miss his nephew. Let Xiao Zha go to welcome his seventh uncle on my behalf." After saying that, he laughed deeply.
When Li Xiao heard this, he laughed and agreed, "Master, you are wise."
"Li Xiao, pass on my order. After watching this play for so long, I am very dissatisfied with this ending. Lead the troops to denounce it together." Yuwen Tai laughed again, stood up and walked out of the room first. The heroic figure was full of self-satisfaction and arrogance. Li Xiao followed behind him, thinking more than once that such a person is a natural king.
He laughed loudly and strode into the inky black sky. The moment the darkness engulfed his expression, the smile on his lips gradually disappeared.
I kept asking myself, is that woman... really dead
I don't know why, but I feel a strange sense of loss.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jiangling City.
It started snowing after nightfall, and goose-feather-like snowflakes were torn off and hit the building. Qiao Yu walked around the imperial study but couldn't find Xiao Yi. After asking, he found out that Xiao Yi had gone to the library. He was stunned, thinking that he hadn't seen him go to the library for nearly half a year, so why did he go to the library at this time? But the matter was urgent, and he didn't have time to delay any longer.
Xiao Yi hadn't been to the library for a long time. He pushed open the dusty door and walked in gently. Rows of bookshelves were neatly stacked with piles of books, most of which had been idle for a long time. The air was filled with an old smell, but it made him feel at ease. The collection here... far exceeds that of the East Palace. He walked slowly among the bookshelves, reaching out to touch the rows of books, feeling cold to the touch but then giving rise to warmth.
It feels like a long time ago, as if time has gone backwards.
At that time, she was still by his side. At that time, she seemed to have a habit of reading here for a while every afternoon, but she didn't want to be seen, so she hid in the corner of the last shelf. Sometimes she fell asleep here while reading, and slept for the whole afternoon.
Sometimes, if he was free, he would come to the library and flip through some books. But his movements were so quiet that Zhao Pei didn't even know he had been there. It was because Xiao Yi knew that Zhao Pei would leave as soon as he showed up. It was better not to let her know. In this way, one was at the front of the bookshelf, and the other was at the back, reading books together quietly, which was also peaceful and harmonious.
He could hear her sighs and discussions about the things in the book, as well as her even breathing as she slept.
It was as if the two of them were very close. Xiao Yi suddenly had this illusion again, and he had an urge to go and see if she was still sitting in the corner of the last row, reading quietly. This thought was immediately ridiculed by himself.
I felt depressed, so I asked someone to bring me a small jar of wine. Then I leaned on the couch and drank one cup after another by myself, aimlessly and empty. The sweet and spicy taste in my throat made my whole body burn. What was annoying was that I kept thinking of someone and couldn't get rid of him. Damn it...
There were hurried footsteps at the door, and then Qiao Yu called out anxiously: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you in there?"
Xiao Yi raised his voice in a muffled voice: "Come in."
Qiao Yu smelled alcohol as soon as he pushed the door open. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you are not well yet, how can you drink?"
Xiao Yi ignored him and saw the snow on his body that had not yet melted. He half-closed his eyes and muttered, "What happened?"
"We just received a report from the front line saying that the Wei army has moved south and is heading towards Jiangling! Your Majesty, we must fight!" Qiao Yu gritted his teeth and said, "That Yuwen Tai is such a cunning villain. Your Majesty, only when he is gone can Daliang be safe."
Xiao Yi said mockingly, "That old fox... must be very disappointed. It seems that my reaction surprised him. Hehe..." He smiled and drank another cup, then looked up at the anxious Qiao Yu and asked something else, "Where are Zhen'er and the others now?"
Qiao Yu was slightly stunned, but still replied: "I will stay in He Hui's house for the time being."
He nodded and said, "Go right away and escort them out of the city, and... take her with you." Xiao Yi added with difficulty. After a long time, he raised his eyes and looked at Qiao Yu, who was in surprise. He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to him, "Give this to Zhen'er, and then you can leave. You don't have to come back."
After hearing the last sentence, Qiao Yu knelt down with a thump and kowtowed heavily, saying: "Your Majesty! You..." He was so shocked that he couldn't utter a word.
"This is my order, how dare you disobey it?" Xiao Yi glanced at him coldly, his face full of anger. Qiao Yu held back her tears, not daring to look at Xiao Yi's expression at the moment, but kowtowed three times and then rushed out without saying a word.
Xiao Yi saw his staggering back disappear into the vast chaos and laughed softly. (To be continued)