The messenger wore silver armor and a red robe, rode a fast horse from Chengming Gate to the south, passed through the long street, and rushed into the Taishu Palace accompanied by deafening cheers.
His appearance was like a drop of water splashing into an oil pan, causing oil to splatter in an instant, and the world around him began to boil like a frying pan.
Wearing a red robe symbolizes great victory in the Wei Dynasty.
Even though they had not yet heard the battle reports passed down by word of mouth, the people of Yongdu knew that Xie Bufeng had won a great victory when they saw the red figure from afar.
The capital of the Wei Dynasty was completely plunged into madness.
The people who saw the messenger on the long street were still loudly spreading the good news.
Elsewhere, spontaneous celebrations have already begun.
Many doors were hung with red silk and lanterns, and the atmosphere was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.
Influenced by this sentiment, many businesses closed on this day.
The medical clinic in the corner of Yongdu also quietly hung a "Closed" sign in broad daylight and closed its doors and windows.
All of this is so common today.
No one thinks there is anything wrong with a small clinic closing.
In the entire Yongdu, the only place that is silent and without excitement is perhaps Taishu Palace.
"Chuan Heng Xin Wei—"
"Send Heng Xinwei into the palace!"
"—Your Majesty summoned the Hengxin Guards to enter the Ninghe Palace!"
The eunuch's sharp voice echoed again and again in Taishu Palace, spreading the news all around.
In a short while, even the Imperial Medical Office where Wen Qingci was imprisoned was left with only two people guarding it. The rest were all called to the Ninghe Palace and waited outside.
The messenger from the north held up the battle report in both hands.
The emperor did not receive the battle report immediately, but stared at the thing in the man's hand. Finally, he suddenly laughed. His voice was hoarse and low, echoing in the empty hall over and over again, making people feel cold in their hearts.
"Okay, okay—"
"... He is indeed my good son." He muttered softly.
In a trance, the emperor seemed to have hallucinations before his eyes.
I don't know when the cold tiles on the Ninghe Hall turned into rolling waves on the canal.
Countless corpses were floating and sinking, and hands were reaching out from the water, trying to pull him into the river.
It is true that you have to uproot the grass... Xie Bufeng should have been killed immediately after he was born.
My momentary kindness at that time actually led to such a disaster.
He told himself repeatedly that everything before his eyes was an illusion and he must not make a fool of himself in the hall.
The emperor finally took a deep breath and looked forward.
He pressed his fingers heavily against his temples, and when the messenger's hands became numb and trembled from being raised for so long, he finally took the battle report, flipped it open, and glanced at it hastily.
According to the regulations of the Wei Dynasty, the summary battle report after a great victory should be completed by the general himself.
The battle report that the emperor held today was completed by Xie Bufeng.
The handwriting on the parchment scroll is strong and powerful, and it seems like dragons and snakes flying.
At that time, the emperor's attention was not on the content of the battle report, but on the structure of Xie Bufeng's writing.
—It would take at least ten years to develop such beautiful handwriting.
Although during this period, the war reports coming from the north had already made him realize that Xie Bufeng was not the prince who was raised and abandoned in Suzhou as he had originally imagined.
The boy has been hiding his strength.
But when all this was intuitively expressed on the parchment scroll, the shock it brought to the emperor was particularly great.
Xie Bufeng had been deceiving himself since he was in Suzhou.
All of this was definitely the work of Concubine Lan.
"Summon Concubine Lan. From today on, she no longer has to live in Huixin Palace. She must move directly to my palace!"
Eunuch Zhao, who was standing by, paused for a few seconds, then bowed and said "yes".
Letting a concubine move into the emperor's palace may seem like giving her unlimited honor and favor at first glance, but in today's strange environment, the meaning is different.
She is a hostage.
"Okay, all of you leave, and leave Heng Xinwei here." He said to the eunuchs and palace maids around him.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I sent Xie Bufeng to the battlefield in the first place to let him die there, and Xie Bufeng definitely knew this better than anyone else.
Not to mention that he is the reincarnation of Hanoi's vengeful ghost...
Now that he's back in Yongdu, how could he not seek revenge on me
The emperor's eyes slowly swept over the Hengxin Guards standing in front of his highness.
Xie Bufeng might fight.
But when it comes to seizing the throne and becoming emperor, he may not be better than himself.
At this time, Xie Zhaolin already had a plan in mind.
Xie Bufeng must be eliminated.
And he must be eliminated before he can fully gain influence in the court.
Although the emperor wished that Xie Bufeng would die on the road, he also knew that the people of Wei Dynasty were now on Xie Bufeng's side. The only thing he could do was to continue pretending to be a wise and loving "father" as usual.
There is not much time left for myself.
Heng Xinwei stood below and looked at the emperor cautiously.
I saw the other person squinting his eyes and looking out the window, tapping his fingers on the table from time to time, making a faint sound.
It would be too stupid to take action at a celebration banquet.
It is true that the Hengxin Guards who are responsible for the security of Taishu Palace are all their own people.
But there will definitely be soldiers and generals attending the celebration banquet, and they will definitely stand on Xie Bufeng's side. It is not certain who will be able to defeat whom by then.
But things were different after the celebration party.
Thinking of this, the emperor smiled slowly.
Although Xie Bufeng was an adult, he had no residence outside the palace.
According to the rules, after he returns to the court, he will have to temporarily live in the former Yuguang Palace.
Xie Bufeng was not allowed to bring servants into the palace.
At that time, wouldn't his life and death be entirely up to him
In any war, injuries are inevitable.
After Xie Bufeng dies, you can keep the secret for a few days and then make up a random excuse, saying that his old injury flared up and he died.
The emperor finally stopped tapping the table. He slowly glanced at Heng Xinwei who was standing in the palace and gave orders in a deep voice.
On that day, the sounds of celebration in Yongdu rushed into Taishu Palace like waves.
But the palace remained in deathly silence.
Heng Xinwei was everywhere, very busy, and seemed to be planning something.
The emperor knew very well that he should not alert the enemy, so he changed his plan slightly and kept Concubine Lan, the little princess and Wen Qingci temporarily.
But they can't stay for long... especially Wen Qingci.
The emperor decided to make medicine by bleeding immediately after the celebration banquet, without wasting a second.
The number of guards around Wen Qingci doubled.
They no longer stood guard outside the courtyard as before. The emperor let half of the Hengxin Guards in, who squatted behind him and kept a close eye on his every move.
Wen Qingci ignored this group of people as if he didn't notice their existence and continued with his daily life.
—
Can't wait to go home.
As soon as the heavy snow in the north subsided, Xie Bufeng took thousands of personal guards and rode fast horses to Yongdu in the shortest time possible.
When the team reached the outskirts of the city, they suddenly stopped.
The young man bathed and changed his clothes in the inn and put on a brand new set of black armor.
Even the black hair that used to stand loosely on the back of his head was neatly combed and tied up with the string of clear blue medicinal jade that he treasured most.
On the battlefield, Xie Bufeng used offense as defense and was never afraid of fighting.
The armor he wore was also different from the others.
The defensive function of the Black Armor is not actually very good, but it can protect the vital points while giving the wearer maximum flexibility.
The only difference is the left wrist.
Unlike the easy-to-move hard leather wristband worn on his right hand, Xie Bufeng wore a wristband made of thick black iron on his left hand.
This thing is sturdy, but very heavy.
Wearing something weighing several kilograms on your hand is not very convenient for daily activities, let alone going to the battlefield.
Xie Bufeng is a god on the battlefield, and his every move is watched closely. People often privately speculate what must be hidden under his wristband.
Today that thing finally came out.
—Completely different from the royal heirlooms, gold, silver, jade and precious stones that everyone imagined, what Xie Bufeng carefully hid under the black iron wristband was actually just a beige wool bracelet.
While stopping in the rest room, the soldiers finally gathered together and relaxed for a moment.
"Hey, were you a garrison soldier in Yongdu before?"
"Yes, I was transferred from Yongdu to Beidi. What's wrong?"
Hearing this, several people came over. One of them winked at him a few times, then lowered his voice and asked, "Then do you know that the general has a lover in Yongdu?"
"Ah... I'm not too sure about this," the man thought for a moment and replied, "When I was in Yongdu, I heard very little about the prince. I only knew that he was born without the ability to feel pain, so he was regarded as a monster."
What he said was already known to everyone in the army.
But in the face of the absolute strength demonstrated by winning one war after another, no one cared whether Xie Bufeng had no sense of pain, or whether he was born a monster as the legend said.
On the contrary, this "specialness" became a symbol of his natural talent as a general or prime minister, and he was envied and admired by countless people.
However, when the word "monster" was mentioned, the soldier subconsciously lowered his voice.
He seemed to be confused about what his comrades said: "Why do you say that?"
"You may not have noticed that the general has been smiling all the way back from the north! He is usually very particular about his appearance, but he has never paid so much attention to his appearance as he does now... He looks like he is going to meet his sweetheart! And I can guarantee that the jade necklace the general has was given to him by his sweetheart."
"How about it? Do you want to bet? How about a penny?"
The man became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice became louder.
But unlike what he thought, after he finished speaking, his companion did not respond excitedly, but instead looked strange.
“Ahem!!!”
"cough-"
"Why are you coughing? Did I say something wrong?" he asked with a frown.
As he was speaking, someone threw a piece of silver from behind him, and it landed steadily in his palm.
But the soldier not only did not look excited at all, but his heart even sank in an instant along with the silver coins thrown at him.
"Greetings, General!"
Everyone knelt down in unison and saluted the visitor.
The general in black armor glanced at them with a half-smile, and said as he got on his horse, "That's true, but gambling is prohibited in the army. When you get to Yongdu, you can accept the punishment yourself."
Soldier:!!!
No one present paid attention to the "penalty".
They stared at each other with wide eyes.
What did the general just say? Did I hear it correctly
He actually has a sweetheart in Yongdu!
*
The Wei Dynasty followed the old system of the previous dynasty. The previous dynasty, which established its kingdom through war, not only left behind a military merit system, but also left behind honors unique to soldiers in Yongdu.
It can only be opened after the emperor ascends the throne, gets married, or the general achieves a great victory.
At this time, more than twenty years have passed since Chengtian Gate was last opened.
The news that Xie Bufeng was about to return to the court spread throughout Yongdu in the early morning.
Even though it was still snowing in Yongdu today, tens of thousands of people still gathered outside Chengtian Gate early in the morning.
The sound of horse hooves rang out, echoing over and over again on the long street.
"Chengtian Gate Opens—"
In an instant, drums roared and bells rang.
With a loud "creak", the huge vermilion city gate, three stories high, was slowly pushed open from the inside.
Revealing the newest long road in this century-old capital.
The silver saddle shines on the white horse, which gallops like a meteor.
The young general in black armor pierced through the snow like an arrow, and came galloping with thousands of cavalry. Like a flash of lightning, he crossed the Chengtian Gate and rushed towards the streets of Yongdu.
Less than two years passed, but it felt like a long cycle.
The last time he walked this road, he was a "monster" who was locked in the back of a carriage and forced into Yongdu in a desperate situation, waiting for others to decide his fate.
But this time, he rode on a war horse and became a general who controlled life and death and could change the fate of countless people.
"Your Highness is brave!!!"
"Long live the general—"
I don't know who started shouting like this first.
"Long live the general", such a treasonous slogan, suddenly echoed again and again.
The soldiers responsible for security along the street turned around and glared at them, asking them to shut up, but the law does not hold everyone responsible, and they were powerless in the face of the cheers of tens of thousands of people.
On the long street, the corners of Xie Bufeng's lips slowly rose.
I wonder if Wen Qingci heard the noise outside the palace
A strong sense of anticipation arose in the young man's heart.
The words he had just heard at the post station once again came to Xie Bufeng's mind.
Is it really that obvious
Xie Bufeng realized belatedly that he had started laughing again without knowing when.
He coughed lightly, lowered his head slightly and forced the smile on his lips to disappear.
Keep calm and hold yourself. Keep calm and hold yourself.
Xie Bufeng is still just a teenager after all.
Although he is good at fighting, apart from his "evil" side, he still lacks understanding of the ways of the world.
Facing the cheers from the long street, Xie Bufeng's childishness, pride, and even aggrieved emotions surged up.
He greatly hoped that Wen Qingci could see this scene with his own eyes and see himself now.
The young man slowly closed his eyes. Apart from the sound of the strong wind, he seemed to hear again what Wen Qingci said to him on the Yinchuan Grand Canal - I believe that Your Highness will be able to achieve great things and return to Yongdu with a lot of achievements.
Regardless of whether Wen Qingci was serious or just being perfunctory at the beginning, Xie Bufeng turned his words into reality.
At this time, he had made great military achievements and was admired by countless people.
There are also countless new scars.
Taishu Palace was getting closer and closer.
On the other side of the cheering crowd, the red walls of the imperial palace were faintly visible.
Xie Bufeng's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
He suddenly felt a little timid and even slowed down his riding pace.
Accompanied by the sound of bells, Xie Bufeng finally arrived outside the gate of Taishu Palace.
The palace gate slowly opened, and a bright yellow figure appeared on the other side of the door.
There were countless people following behind him.
Xie Zhaolin has always been good at acting.
Determined to pretend to be a benevolent and wise king for one more day, he was extremely patient at this moment.
The warhorse that Xie Bufeng was riding was as tall as a man. He had not yet had time to dismount and was sitting on the horse's back, looking forward with his eyes lowered.
The oppressive feeling of being looked down upon suddenly came over me.
At this moment, the emperor was like a prey targeted by an eagle. He stood there, not knowing how to move.
There was another sharp pain in his forehead.
Standing outside the palace gate, facing countless people, the emperor naturally could not just take out the Fuxuanhua Pill and pour it into his mouth as he did in Taishu Palace.
The pain finally awakened his mind which was heading towards chaos.
He cleared his throat, stepped forward and spoke the words he had prepared.
At this time, Xie Bufeng finally got off the horse and stood opposite the emperor.
His gaze passed the bright yellow, obstructing figure and fell behind the emperor.
He wasn't listening to what the person in front of him was saying at all.
—All civil and military officials, concubines and ladies in the palace were here.
Concubine Lan, dressed in a light red palace dress, was holding the little princess Xie Fuyin's hand tightly, looking in the direction of the young man with tears in her eyes.
The moment their eyes met, Xie Fuyin suddenly waved at him excitedly and called him "brother" with his mouth.
Xie Bufeng was a little surprised.
Xie Fuyin had been fighting in the north for quite some time, so it was impossible for him to still remember things from his childhood.
Given my mother's cautious character, she would most likely never mention herself in front of Xie Fuyin.
But why was she so excited when she saw me today
Xie Fuyin's appearance also frightened Concubine Lan. She quickly pulled her little daughter beside her and whispered something to her. Xie Fuyin pursed his lips and finally calmed down.
Civil and military officials stood behind the royal family.
Xie Bufeng's gaze lingered for a long time before finally looking in that direction.
He slowly clenched his palms and touched the wool bracelet on his wrist with his fingertips.
The snow in Yongdu gradually became heavier.
It's like smoke, hiding everything behind it.
Xie Bufeng held his breath.
His sight passed through the snow and fog, and finally fell on the familiar moon-white figure.
After not seeing each other for a long time, Wen Qingci looked much thinner and his face was paler than before, as if he was about to melt into the snow.
Like a petal of magnolia, falling there quietly.
As if he noticed that he was looking at him, Wen Qingci raised his eyes and smiled slowly.
His eyes were still so gentle.
Xie Bufeng's heart, which had been uneasy and restless just now, suddenly calmed down.
Then the young man couldn't help but frowned.
It’s snowing so heavily today, why doesn’t Wen Qingci put on another cloak
The next second he realized that welcoming him at the palace gate today was a formal court event and everyone had to wear formal attire and were not allowed to add or take off clothes at will.
"Can I enter the palace now?" Xie Bufeng suddenly asked, interrupting the emperor without any courtesy before he could finish his words.
"… "
The emperor suppressed his anger and dissatisfaction and forced a smile: "Of course."
As soon as he finished speaking, the royal family members and officials behind him slowly separated into two lines and made way for him.
The emperor walked forward before Xie Bufeng, surrounded by eunuchs and a bright yellow canopy embroidered with dragon patterns.
Although he was wearing gorgeous clothes and walking in the front, his aura was completely suppressed by the young man behind him.
"I wonder how long you can be so arrogant."
The emperor's voice came from not far away.
Xie Bufeng slowly raised his eyebrows.
As if noticing that Xie Bufeng was looking in the direction of Concubine Lan and Xie Fuyin, the emperor could not help but sneer: "Xie Bufeng had better pray that Wen Qingci's blood is really useful, otherwise, even if Concubine Lan and Xie Fuyin don't die tomorrow, they will be buried with me soon... Hahaha, they really deserved to die."
Xie Bufeng's eyes suddenly darkened, and the expression on his face gradually turned cold, and was instantly filled with murderous intent.
Outside the gate of Taishu Palace, Wen Qingci, like everyone else, bowed and saluted the emperor and the young general.
Snow flakes fluttered down, and Wen Qingci couldn't help but think of the scene he saw from afar in the north... Xie Bufeng was admired by thousands of people and was shining brightly.
Once the legendary story begins, it will never end.
The gate outside Taishu Palace is also paved with blue bricks.
The cold air rose from the knees and enveloped Wen Qingci in an instant.
He couldn't help but cough twice, trying hard to suppress the bloody smell.
Seeing the young man approaching him from afar, Wen Qingci's heart suddenly became confused.
Although Xie Bufeng had made great military achievements, he had no foundation or spies in Yongdu.
After Eunuch Xian was suspected, he no longer dared to send anyone to the North.
Therefore, Xie Bufeng may not be very clear about what exactly happened in the palace until now.
He didn't even know that his mother and sister were facing huge threats.
Thinking of this, Wen Qingci couldn't help but become nervous.
The dark black combat boots suddenly stopped in front of him.
Xie Bufeng no longer moved forward, but stood here and stared quietly at the person opposite him.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a few seconds and slowly raised his eyes.
He saw that the boy's skin had become darker, his facial features had become more profound, his temperament was as sharp as a sword, and he carried with him the murderous intent borne from the battlefield.
There was still a hint of coldness in those amber eyes that had not yet dissipated.
What is Xie Bufeng going to do
Before he had time to think about it, the boy slowly extended his left hand to him.
The beige wool bracelet caught Wen Qingci's eyes in an instant.
"Doctor Wen, please stand up."
Before he could react, Xie Bufeng grabbed Wen Qingci's wrist and pulled him up from the ground.
The young man used all his strength this time, and Wen Qingci felt a sudden pain in his wrist.
The warmth of the boy's palm also warmed Wen Qingci's cold wrist bones at this moment.
Wen Qingci was startled: "Thank you, Your Highness..."
"Yeah." Xie Bufeng nodded, but still had no intention of letting go.
He even exerted a little force to close the distance between them.
The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.
Wen Qingci finally raised his head and looked at the boy who had grown almost a head taller than him.
A ray of sunlight penetrated the thick clouds and fell on the top of Xie Bufeng's head, and the string of blue-green medicinal jade began to emit a faint light.
Wen Qingci saw his own reflection in those amber eyes.
His breathing became disordered.
Outside the Taishu Palace, the advancing team suddenly stopped. The people around looked at each other, not daring to make a sound.
(End of this chapter)