On the way back to Yongdu, the heavy rain never stopped.
Unlike the lively scene on the way here, the atmosphere on the boat on the return trip was extremely depressing.
The emperor stayed in the cabin all day and did not go out. The smell of incense in the room was enough to make people cough for a long time.
Wen Qingci spent half of the day by the emperor's side.
Ancient emperors always sought immortality while building tombs.
Wen Qingci discovered that apart from handling government affairs every day, Xie Zhaolin's favorite thing to do was to repeatedly look at the construction drawings of Chen Mausoleum, where he would be buried a hundred years later.
There is a whole box of these drawings.
Chenling and the canal were built in the first year of Tianchu. Now it is the twenty-sixth year of Tianchu, and Chenling is still under construction.
It can be seen from this that it should be the most ambitious project since the founding of this dynasty.
There were no windows in the cabin, and the light was extremely dim even during the day.
The emperor leaned back on the bed, looking at the drawing in his hand.
After a while, the virtuous eunuch came forward cautiously and placed a cup of sweet soup on the small table beside the couch.
He was about to go back, but he saw the emperor, who was originally looking at the blueprint, suddenly looked up and looked over here with a frown.
"… Why do you suddenly look so old?"
Wen Qingci, who was writing medical records, couldn't help but look up slowly.
How come the emperor has the leisure time to chat with the virtuous eunuch today
The old eunuch didn't seem to expect the emperor to suddenly ask this.
Just as he was about to say something, the emperor put down the blueprint in his hand, stood up and asked Eunuch Xian: "Where is Yu Zhao? Where did he go?"
Yu Zhao
Hearing the name, Wen Qingci completely stopped what he was doing.
This was the name the emperor recited in his half-asleep state last time!
Just when Wen Qingci was wondering who "Yu Zhao" was, he saw that the eunuch who was smiling just now suddenly turned very ugly.
He put down what he was holding and knelt on the ground with a plop.
After a long pause, he said, "He... he has passed away many years ago..."
"Dead?" The emperor's voice suddenly rose. He turned and looked at the eunuch in disbelief. "How did he die?"
"Yes... he has been dead for many years."
In Wen Qingci's impression, Eunuch Xian has always had a high emotional intelligence and can handle any problem with ease.
To reply to the emperor, of course, this is also true.
But today, the virtuous eunuch just kept kowtowed without saying a word.
The emperor suddenly said that the eunuch looked "old", and mentioned this person who had passed away many years ago. It was likely that his mental problems had worsened, and even his memory had become confused.
The smell of incense in the room became stronger, and the sound of kowtows sounded extremely harsh to the emperor.
"Go, go!" After a few seconds of silence, the emperor suddenly became angry again, "Everyone go out, leave me here alone—"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Xian was as if he had been pardoned. He quickly glanced at Wen Qingci and walked out with him.
The rain hasn't stopped today.
After going out, the two stopped under the eaves for a moment.
Then, blocked by the sound of rain, Wen Qingci finally couldn't help but ask the question.
"Excuse me, eunuch, do you know who the 'Yu Zhao' that His Majesty was looking for just now is?"
Upon hearing this name, Eunuch Xian immediately became nervous.
He instinctively looked around, then finally turned around and said to Wen Qingci in a low voice: "Doctor Wen, remember, don't mention this name again in the future, especially around His Majesty."
Wen Qingci nodded slowly.
The eunuch Xian finally whispered to him: "... Ning Yuzhao is the name of the previous Emperor Ai."
After saying this, his expression immediately returned to yesterday. He took the umbrella from the eunuch beside him, nodded slightly to Wen Qingci, and left.
It's as if nothing had happened.
Wen Qingci: “…”
Wait, “Yu Zhao” is Emperor Ai
All of a sudden, the memory of the first time he heard the emperor mention this name came flooding back to Wen Qingci's mind.
What appeared on the emperor's face at that time was an unignorable fear.
As far as Wen Qingci knows, when the emperor was young, he should have had a good relationship with Emperor Ai.
But why does he feel scared when this name is mentioned
If it were someone else, Wen Qingci might not be able to find the answer.
But now, the impression he had of Xie Zhaolin had already confirmed the four words "cruel and ruthless".
Combining these things together, we can guess that he has probably done something shameful and shameful again.
It is true that the emperor was cruel, but "cruel" and "guilty" have always been two different concepts.
The ships on the southern tour returned to Yongdu.
It had been raining for several days and finally the sky cleared up at this time.
Familiar street scenes passed by the car window.
Affected by the war in the north, the streets of Yongdu have become much quieter.
After getting on the carriage and seeing the familiar scenery outside, Wen Qingci's plan gradually became clear...
In order to prevent any accidents from happening, he had to stay in Taishu Palace at least until the day of the coup.
During this period, the most important thing is to find out what the old grudges are between the original owner and the emperor.
He thought of a place—
The medical clinic in Yongdu that is connected to the Valley of Divine Doctors.
We set out in early summer and when we returned to Taishu Palace after the southern tour, it was already the end of midsummer.
After the rain stopped, the air was filled with hot and dry air.
The lotus in the pond was also wilted by the heat.
When Xie Bufeng was around, Wen Qingci felt nothing, but when he was the only one left in the small courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Wen Qingci finally realized that there were traces of the young man's life everywhere.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, and finally packed nothing away, leaving it as it was.
And carefully placed the fur muff on the top of the closet.
In order to facilitate contact with people outside the palace and ensure that his escape plan is foolproof.
After returning to Yongdu this time, he no longer lived in the Imperial Medical Office every day as he did before, but instead spent half of his time living in his mansion outside the palace.
A few days later, the cotton clothes that Wen Qingci bought in Yongdu were sent to the north along with the medicines he had prepared.
The virtuous eunuch was indeed doing things in secret, and the emperor did not notice the slightest abnormality from beginning to end.
—
The three towns of Changyuan, Yongkai and Xinghu are located at the northernmost end of the Wei Dynasty's territory, but they can be reached in one day by riding fast horses from Yongdu day and night.
Those towns are surrounded by half Gobi Desert and half grassland, with a huge temperature difference between day and night. Even in the hottest summer of the year, the temperature in the early morning is less than ten degrees.
According to the emperor's instructions, Xie Bufeng was taken directly to the nearest station to Changyuan Town occupied by the Northern Di.
Not only did they have to face the possible attacks from the Northern Di at any time, they also lived in danger every day.
And the living conditions are extremely difficult.
Xie Bufeng arrived at the base at 10 p.m.
By then, the sun had slowly set and the temperature in the base was dropping a little bit.
"Your Highness, please wait here. Someone will come to pick you up soon." The messenger dismounted and saluted towards Xie Bufeng.
The road from Yinchuan Grand Canal to Changyuan Town is not easy to travel.
They originally thought that Xie Bufeng could not hold on, but they did not expect that the young man not only did not say a word or complain throughout the whole journey, but even until now, he did not even show any signs of fatigue.
There were heavy rains along the way and we crossed mountains and rivers, so the climate was complex and varied.
The young men seemed to have a special understanding of weather changes. They followed Xie Bufeng's instructions and stopped and walked, without encountering any danger and without wasting time.
Thinking of this, the messenger who had traveled with Xie Bufeng all the way couldn't help but feel a little more respect for the prince.
"Okay." Xie Bufeng also dismounted and looked into the distance with squinted eyes.
Across the vast grassland, streams meander.
Going around this river, on the other side is Changyuan Town which was occupied by the Northern Di...
According to what Xie Bufeng heard along the way, before they came here, the Wei Dynasty's army had already fought several battles with the Northern Di.
But neither side tried their best, so it might be more appropriate to say that it was a test.
The messenger went to the military tent, but after a long while, no one came out to see Xie Bufeng.
According to the rules, the emperor's most important military order this time is to send Xie Bufeng here, but soon someone should come out to hand over Xie Bufeng and formally bring him to the army.
But the boy had to wait an unusually long time here.
I don’t know how long it took, but the sun slowly sank to the other side of the grassland.
The smoke from the military tents rose and fell, and the camp gradually became quiet.
The temperature drops little by little.
The place where Xie Bufeng was waiting was outside the camp. There was no shelter on the grassland and a gust of wind brought a bone-chilling chill.
The wind howled in the boy's ears and the atmosphere was truly terrifying.
He turned around and gently touched the warhorse that had accompanied him all the way north, then he slowly smiled.
Those amber eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.
It is not difficult to see that the garrisoned officers were planning to give Xie Bufeng a warning.
—It rained heavily all the way. Although they did not lose any lives, they still arrived half a day later than originally planned.
After the weather cleared up this morning, they didn't dare to rest and ran all the way to Changyuan without stopping.
Therefore, the water and dry food that they carried with them had long been consumed.
Everyone should be hungry.
Hungry, thirsty, cold, lonely.
These factors combined with the war that could break out at any time can instantly break down people's psychological defenses.
However, Xie Bufeng was not a pampered prince who grew up in Yongdu, so this set of tricks was of no use to him at all.
The boy took the water bag from the horse's back and walked straight to the stream.
Then he sank it into the stream, drew water from it, and drank it in one gulp.
"… Report, the eldest prince went to the stream to get water to drink." The soldier guarding the military tent turned around and said.
"Myself?" The middle-aged man sitting in the main seat couldn't help but frown, "You really don't look like a noble at all." His tone was slightly contemptuous.
He almost forgot that Xie Bufeng, who grew up alone in the imperial mausoleum, might not buy into this.
If Xie Guanzhi was here today, he would die of thirst rather than drink the unclean raw water in the stream.
"General, should we call the Crown Prince in now?" the soldier asked him again.
He chewed it for a while, then said with a smile, "Don't worry, let the eldest prince experience the bitter cold at the border first."
Although he led his troops to garrison in Changyuan, he also had connections in Yongdu. Besides, it was no secret that the emperor did not like Xie Bufeng.
Even if we don't know the previous events, looking at the emperor's action of sending Xie Bufeng here, we can know what he is thinking.
In recent times, Nagahara's battle record has not been good. It can be seen from the military report that the emperor also has some vague opinions about himself.
Xie Bufeng bumping into him at this time was exactly what he wanted.
Not only can you vent your unhappiness, but you can also hug the emperor's thigh appropriately. Why not do it
The stream water on the grassland is actually very clean, the only drawback is that it is too cold.
After taking a sip of ice water, Xie Bufeng's body temperature dropped even lower, and it seemed as if all his internal organs were chilled at this moment.
Xie Bufeng leaned against the horse and slowly sat down.
He was wearing the ordinary military uniform given to him by the messenger.
This military uniform is a spring and autumn style. It is just the right thickness for noon, but at this point, it can't even resist the slightest bit of cold.
After riding fast for several days, Xie Bufeng felt sleepy as soon as he sat down.
The boy's eyelids couldn't help but twitch and tried to close little by little.
can not sleep.
Don't fall asleep at this time.
If I fall asleep at this time, I will probably get hypothermia and freeze to death here.
The boy's teeth were chattering. Thinking of this, he forced himself to stand up.
Although he had not learned any etiquette, he always respected the soldiers guarding the border.
But now, Xie Bufeng's patience has run out.
Xie Bufeng gripped the reins tightly and jumped onto the horse.
"drive-"
He narrowed his eyes, urged his horse to gallop, and after a burst of acceleration, he leaped high and passed the checkpoint outside the base.
From a distance, it looks like a black lightning.
"Wait wait wait!!!" The soldiers guarding outside the base did not expect Xie Bufeng to do this.
They were stunned for a moment, then their eyes widened and they hurried forward to catch up.
However, the speed of a horse is beyond the reach of humans.
The slightly curly black hair rolled like waves behind him, and the boy's aura was unstoppable.
The soldiers stationed there chased after him, but no one could stop him with his superb riding skills.
But in the blink of an eye, Xie Bufeng appeared outside the largest military tent.
Then he dismounted, kicked away the soldier who drew his sword at him, opened the curtain of the tent and walked in.
"You—" The general stood up suddenly, his eyes widened, and was about to scold Xie Bufeng.
Before he could finish his words, he saw the young man standing in the middle of the military tent, looking around coldly: "If I don't come, will the general forget what is written on the military order you just received?"
The young man rarely used the word "this palace", and at this moment his words were full of threats.
Hearing Xie Bufeng's words, the general instinctively felt disdainful, however... Although Xie Bufeng was driven to the border, his status as a prince was not abolished.
And just as he said, the military order he just received was to bring Xie Bufeng to the garrison.
The general gritted his teeth and swallowed.
He turned sideways and was about to order someone to take Xie Bufeng away.
But the young man standing in the military tent raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he suddenly remembered something and asked: "General, don't you even bow when you see me?"
The messengers who had come here with Xie Bufeng looked at each other in bewilderment.
In the past few days, they have felt the young man's compelling aura and have obeyed his decisions wholeheartedly.
However, they had not yet paid their respects to Xie Bufeng along the way. If the young man had not mentioned it, they would have completely forgotten about it.
After hearing Xie Bufeng's words, the general's face instantly turned pale.
The legendary Xie Bufeng was a monster with little presence. He never expected that the other party would choose to use his identity to oppress others.
At this point, this gift must be given.
The general gritted his teeth and walked forward, kneeling on one knee and saluted Xie Bufeng.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you," he said, his heart filled with shame.
Xie Bufeng smiled and did not rush him to get up. Instead, he turned around and studied the various weapons hanging on the military tent.
Kneeling on one knee was not a comfortable posture, not to mention that the general was wearing heavy iron armor.
But after a while his body began to shake.
The armor collided with each other, making a harsh sound.
Now everyone knew that he could no longer kneel.
There have been no major wars in the Wei Dynasty in recent years, and the army has been poorly trained, let alone the level of generals.
Before the war started, he ate and drank excessively every day, and his health was already extremely weak.
The sound of armor colliding in the military tent became louder and louder. The general finally couldn't support his body and fell to his knees on the ground with a thud.
Hearing the voice, Xie Bufeng finally turned around with a smile.
"General, how can you be so polite?" He looked at the other person with contempt, and then said nonchalantly, "Please stand up quickly."
“… Thank you, Your Highness.” The general said through gritted teeth.
Xie Bufeng is not someone who is easy to bully. If others make him unhappy, he will get back at them a hundredfold.
When he was in Taishu Palace, he dared to contradict the emperor casually and completely ignored a general named Xie Bufeng.
The young man originally didn't want to pay any attention to this person, but it was his fault that he didn't send Xie Bufeng directly to the army at the beginning, which caused him trouble.
The general stood up and smiled coldly: "His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness must eat and live with ordinary soldiers during this trip, and no special treatment is allowed."
"Come here, take His Highness to the northernmost military tent. He will live there from now on and eat and train with the soldiers of Guangchi Camp!"
Guangchiying…
On the way here, the messengers introduced to Xie Bufeng the personnel composition of the army and the functions of each barracks.
The three words "Guangchiying" have appeared many times.
It is equivalent to the vanguard in the army, always the first to fight.
Guangchiying has a very long history, dating back to the early days of the previous dynasty.
But at the beginning, Guangchi Camp was the sharpest force in the army.
But now, it's completely the opposite.
Although the messengers did not say it explicitly when they were on the road, the meaning was very clear - the current Guangchi Camp would be the first group of people to die when the war started.
The soldiers didn't want to go to Guangchiying. Over time, the camp was filled with soldiers who had no background and were not liked by their superiors.
There were even quite a few soldiers who were ordinary people who had just been forcibly conscripted and had not yet received training.
They were filled with resentment—especially towards the royal family and the emperor himself.
This group of people was far away from the political center and had not heard much about the rumors about Xie Bufeng.
All they knew was that Xie Bufeng was a prince.
"Okay." Xie Bufeng was not panicked or angry as the general had imagined. Instead, he accepted the matter very calmly.
The soldiers on the side paused for a moment, then hurriedly took Xie Bufeng to the Guangchi Camp in the north.
Bedding and armor were distributed uniformly in the army.
Xie Bufeng, who had lived in the imperial mausoleum since childhood, did not dislike these things. He took them expressionlessly and walked into the military tent.
The general was extremely "considerate" and sent someone to the military tent at the first opportunity to introduce Xie Bufeng's identity to everyone.
Xie Bufeng did not sleep well on his first night in the army.
Perhaps because the soldiers of Guangchiying were going to die, their living conditions were better than those of ordinary soldiers—at least they were not sleeping in dormitories.
But the noise throughout the night still woke Xie Bufeng up from his deep sleep several times.
He couldn't help but miss the small courtyard of the Yongdu Imperial Medical Bureau again.
There is also the faint bitter fragrance on Wen Qingci.
The moon at the border seems especially round.
Xie Bufeng closed his eyes, but his brain was exceptionally clear.
He didn't know what time it was when he suddenly heard footsteps.
Someone tiptoed over and paused for a moment, as if observing whether Xie Bufeng was asleep.
The boy deliberately did not move.
Seeing Xie Bufeng lying here as if he had fallen into a deep sleep, the man finally slowly stretched out his hand and reached for the thing on Xie Bufeng's wrist -
That was Wen Qingci's medicinal jade, and also the only valuable thing on the boy.
Xie Bufeng used it to tie his hair during the day, and at night, he followed Wen Qingci's example and wrapped it around his wrist.
The man was a conscripted soldier. From the first day he arrived in Changyuan Town, he had the idea of escaping.
They had even found the war horses and planned the route.
The only problem was that he lacked the money to escape.
When the man introduced Xie Bufeng's identity just now, he saw the medicinal jade on the boy's wrist at a glance, and he became interested...
The visitor held his breath and grabbed the medicine jade.
However, the next moment, the boy, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
The moonlight reflected in the amber eyes, turning into an icy sharp blade, slashing towards him.
The boy's eyes were like a wolf's.
"ah-"
A scream pierced the military tent, waking everyone up and asking them to look over here.
The young man's hand tightly clamped the man's throat.
Before the man could even utter a word of begging for mercy, he was strangled to death.
"Murder—" Someone shouted first, and then staggered out of the military tent, "Xie Bufeng murdered someone!"
Countless swords pointed towards Xie Bufeng.
He didn't even look at it, but just threw the corpse in his hand aside, and then casually wiped the medicine jade with his sleeve.
(End of this chapter)