Bai Fanlu vaguely heard a voice, a very strange but somewhat familiar voice.
Vaguely saying... I will find you.
He woke up suddenly, only to realize that he had fallen asleep unknowingly.
I don't know how long it has passed, he can neither see the rising sun nor the setting sun, since he arrived at this unknown place, he has been drawing this picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains without sleep.
Fortunately, the pen didn't land on the painting just now, otherwise it would be ruined.
Bai Fanlu breathed a sigh of relief, felt his brows sour, rubbed his fingers, and planned to pick up his pen again.
But the voice just now made him faintly concerned, always feeling uneasy, who would look for him? Mu Yunhe
That voice... doesn't seem to be him...
Bai Fanlu suddenly became uncertain.
Recalling that day, he was decocting medicine in the military doctor's tent, when someone came in suddenly, he thought it was a soldier, and asked if he was feeling unwell, the man answered and walked over.
Bai Fanlu was about to take his pulse when the back of his neck suddenly hurt, and then he didn't know what to do.
When he woke up again, he was in this place, served by servants every day, food and clothing were arranged properly, and all the clothes he wore were silk materials that could only be found in rich and prosperous places.
So who attacked him? Where are you now? None of this is known.
The only thing I was told was when the "Master" would come to see him when the painting of the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains was finished.
Moreover, this picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains was half painted by Bai Fanlu in Prince Mu's Mansion before joining the army. In order to continue with the original picture, the "master" they called specially asked the painter to assist him for two days.
This made Bai Fanlu very surprised. The other party knew that he drew this picture in Mu Wang's mansion. Who was it
The person who served him was tight-lipped and couldn't ask anything.
And when Bai Fanlu was thinking about whether he could use some method to force the people behind the scenes to show up, he would receive a warning immediately if he made a small move. Obviously, there are many people around here watching him.
The "master" even emphasized that the Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains must be completed with the attitude of painting this painting in the first place, but if you cut corners, you have to start all over again.
Bai Fanlu had no choice but to finish the painting as soon as possible.
It has been so many days, he will only take a nap when he is extremely tired, painting day and night, his hard work pays off, and now it is finally coming to an end.
It was just a moment of dozing off, and when he heard the crying call, Bai Fanlu felt inexplicably depressed. He couldn't feel the gist of writing and writing on the manuscript paper several times, so he decided to go outside the house to catch his breath.
Since coming here, he has never been outside. Although the servant girl told him that there is a bamboo forest in the courtyard, he can relax in his free time, and the "master" doesn't want him to be bored in the house all the time, but he hasn't been there once.
The courtyard under the moonlight at night was extremely deserted. There really was a bamboo grove, and there was a rustling sound with the breeze. After walking on Baifan Road for a while, he groped for a stone bench and sat down.
It must be winter, and even the air is obviously much colder.
But the bamboo has not withered yet, and the fresh smell of fresh bamboo lingers all around. There is neither noisy cicadas nor birds in the forest, so quiet that one can hear the voice of one's heart.
It's not that Bai Fanlu didn't think about Muyunhe, but he was eager to paint and suppressed all these thoughts, because he knew it was useless to think about it.
But at this moment, I still think about him, thinking that if he finds out that he is missing, how to be anxious, will it affect the battle situation in Nanban
Bai Fanlu shook his head, Mu Yunhe is not such a ignorant person when it comes to major matters, he believes in him.
Suddenly there was a gust of wind, and the bamboos were swept and rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound. A bamboo leaf fell in front of him. Bai Fanlu felt it and grabbed it.
Then he felt something, and he turned his head slightly.
At the angle he was looking at, there was a person standing in the darkness, who had been there for an unknown amount of time.
The man was half hidden behind the shadow of the bamboo grove, and the short jade flute in his hand shone brightly under the moonlight. He raised the flute and stroked it a few times, and immediately played it near his mouth.
The sound of the flute is clear, flowing slowly among the bamboo forests, like a stream of spring water.
Singing softly with the breeze of bamboo leaves, it was like falling pearls and jade at the beginning, and there was a sense of loftiness in the crisp and bright.
Afterwards, the tone suddenly changed, suddenly high-pitched, like a battle song soaring into the sky, which startled the birds in the bamboo forest into restlessness.
This is a very tragic "Broken Cauldron".
The three armies lined up, sinking the boat and breaking the cauldron. Under the setting sun like blood, the soldiers embarked on a bloody road with the determination to see death as home, and faintly sang to the sound of the flute
Jun Moxiao, who is drunk on the battlefield, how many people have fought in ancient times!
Bai Fanlu didn't know how he could recognize this extremely difficult ancient song, but suddenly those scenes of desert dusk and the confrontation between the two armies appeared in his mind, and he recognized this soul-stirring battle song .
There are thousands of troops and horses, strong and fierce. The sound of the flute is shrill and bleak, but it is clearly sonorous and powerful, with one fold, two folds and three folds, as if through the sound of the music, you can see the figure of the general's horse collapsing one after another.
The further the pitch goes, the more continuous and low it becomes, to the extreme, it seems to be mourning and weeping, faintly exhausted.
The person behind the bamboo forest seemed to be tense all over, and he saw something in his long and narrow eyes, showing a deep killing intent. Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead, but he didn't notice it at all. In the end, even the fingers holding the flute trembled slightly.
The tone is broken, but still struggling to make a sharp turn, as if desperately trying to find a way out.
Rush left and right, just like a demon.
At this extremely critical juncture, there was a long and clear sound suddenly piercing through the sky, resounding to suppress the clouds, and suddenly cut into the low flute sound, like an eagle hitting the sky, and it melted instantly.
Start and transfer.
It is still the song "Broken Cauldron", but the sound of the flute gradually becomes clearer, more open, and finally enters a better state.
until the end...
In the darkness, a figure in white walked out slowly. Gently twirling the slender bamboo leaves in his hand, put them on his lips and played two clear and shallow syllables.
The person who played the flute just now was Bai Fanlu.
He didn't know how he could blow out the music with the bamboo leaves, but he couldn't help but follow along when he heard the sound of the flute, especially when the sound of the flute had an uncontrollable tendency in the middle, he was pulled back abruptly.
After blowing, I was also in a cold sweat.
Recalling carefully, the original owner seems to really know how to blow bamboo leaves. There was a description in the novel that the original bishop, Xiao Yunzhan, could not teach how to blow bamboo leaves, but Yun Zhan learned how to play with bamboo leaves. extremely fast.
Then who taught the original owner the skill of blowing bamboo leaves
Bai Fanlu was puzzled, but he didn't forget that the most important thing to pay attention to right now was the person hiding behind the bamboo forest, "Who is your Excellency?"
The man took the jade flute, seemed to look at him for a while, and then said, "Meet you again."
Bai Fanlu recognized this voice, it was the voice that asked him "Do you still remember Xiao Liu" that night!
"You... it's you! Why did you kidnap me here?"
This man had seen him draw a picture of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in Mu Wangfu, and Bai Fanlu immediately thought that he was the one who kidnapped him here!
He only heard the man smile slightly, "Are you asking... why did I want to kidnap you?"
I
Bai Fanlu was taken aback, he is... the emperor
Nanban has no emperor, only tribal leaders. They are called kings, so this emperor can only be the newly enthroned emperor in Hengchang County, the former fifth prince, Han Ling!
Thinking that Han Ling seemed to be staring at him when he first entered the chess game, Bai Fanlu was not surprised.
It's just that he still hasn't figured out why it took so long for this character to arrest him again. He already knew where he was hiding in Prince Mu's Mansion before.
Bai Fanlu thought in his heart, in terms of status, should he kneel down and pay homage to this emperor
"I will come back after you complete the map of mountains and rivers. I will give you the answer then."
After saying this meaningful sentence, Han Ling left.
Subconsciously, Bai Fanlu felt that the reason why he kidnapped him was not as simple as a picture of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, but after Han Ling left, he really never came again, so he could only focus on finishing the picture as soon as possible.
When it was finally completed, Bai Fan Road sent someone to report immediately, and Han Ling came in person.
He carefully observed the long scroll on the table for a long time, and finally said, "That's right, it's what I want."
Bai Fanlu felt relieved and was about to speak.
Suddenly the eunuch's shrill voice came from outside, "Your Majesty, it's time for early morning."
It's morning? Bai Fanlu thought to himself, if he didn't sleep, he would almost lose track of the time.
"I'll be back tonight."
Bai Fanlu heard the bead curtain being lifted and lowered, and a maid stepped forward and said, "My lord, this servant serves you for breakfast."
He didn't sleep for a few days, and finally he didn't need to draw any more. Bai Fanlu ate something casually, then fell on the bed and slept until the afternoon.
It's just that in the evening, Han Ling ordered someone to bring a message, saying that he had some important matters to deal with at the moment, and he would not come over for a few days, so that he could rest himself.
Until one day, Baifan Road heard the faint sound of silk and bamboo music, and asked the maid beside him, only to find out that many wars had been won, and the whole country celebrated with joy.
It turned out that the picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains was Han Ling's ambition.
Bai Fanlu realized something, but hearing the triumphant return of the soldiers, he couldn't help but think of Mu Yunhe. Could it be that he was also at the banquet
But the war in the Southern Barbarians was not that easy, and the journey was far away. Even if they won, it didn't necessarily mean it was over. Mu Yunhe probably wouldn't come back so soon, so this idea was dismissed again.
But Bai Fanlu still deliberately wandered around the courtyard wall for this reason, trying to hear something.
However, the location of this courtyard is too remote, and even the music can't be heard clearly, let alone people talking. Even Baifan Road has a sensitive hearing, so I can only know about the excitement of the banquet from the maids who occasionally pass by outside the courtyard wall. scene.
"Master Meng." The guard at the gate suddenly said.
Bai Fanlu turned around, and someone came towards him.
"Brother Lu, are you safe?"
Hearing this voice at first, Bai Fanlu almost didn't realize that it was Meng Qi and Meng Sanshao.
By the way, he should be Han Ling's staff.
"The palace is quite lively today. Your Majesty is afraid that you will be bored here alone, so he asked me, an old friend, to talk to you."
Bai Fanlu said, "I don't know why there is a relationship between me and Meng Sanshao?"
Meng Qi smiled and said, "That's right, you and I have nothing to do with each other, but there is one person in the celebration banquet now, who probably has a close relationship with you."
Bai Fanlu frowned, "..."
"About the little prince Namu, I think you will be interested and willing to hear about it?"
Bai Fanlu was startled at first, and then became wary. Meng Qi knew about his relationship with Mu Yunhe
Seeing his indifferent expression, Meng Qi deliberately said, "Speaking of him, he is the most 'eye-catching' hero at today's celebration banquet!"
Although Bai Fanlu couldn't see Meng Qi's expression, he could hear a trace of malicious intentions from his eccentric tone.
At the same time, he also got important information. As expected, Mu Yunhe took care of the overall situation and came back safely after winning the battle.
Thinking that the man was in the palace right now, not far away from him, even though Bai Fanlu remained calm and restrained, his heartbeat still involuntarily accelerated.
Meng Qi was still "praising", "Although the records in the west and the north are good, they are still unresolved. Only his vigorous efforts are really impressive."
Said, Meng Qi slightly lowered his voice, and continued, "Your Majesty gave him three years to destroy the Nanman, but he only took less than one month to complete this task. Can you guess the reason?"
Mu Yunhe destroyed the Nanman? So fast
Bai Fanlu originally thought that he had returned from a small victory, so he couldn't believe it, but at the same time, he also noticed that there was something in Meng Qi's words, "... what do you mean?"
Meng Qi approached him and said slowly, "He thought... you were dead."
"What?" Bai Fanlu was shocked.
Meng Qi was finally satisfied to see a rare touch of emotion on that calm face.
"He thought you were burned to death, and the fire was made by the Southern Man."
Bai Fanlu's heart was suddenly like a mirror, and he vaguely understood something.
"Actually, I have known Muyunhe for many years. This person is a talent, but his heart is not on the right track. He needs some encouragement to succeed. So think about it, under what circumstances, he can become His Majesty's A knife, to concentrate on conquering the world for His Majesty?"
"... Heh," Bai Fanlu understood completely, "It's such a trick to use a knife to kill people and bring trouble to the east."
Meng Qi sneered, "Your Majesty has long wanted to attract people, so who told him that he is ignorant? You don't want to eat a toast and you're fined."
"But His Majesty sent him to the battlefield, and he never retreated!"
"That's not enough."
"Oh, by the way, I forgot you couldn't see it," Meng Qi pretended to be mysterious, "Do you know what the Muyun River looks like now?"
Bai Fanlu opened his eyes slightly, and involuntarily clenched his fingers.
Meng Qi clicked his tongue twice, "He, in order to drag your 'corpse' out of the fire, almost his entire face was destroyed, and his hands were also burned, but he was very vicious in killing people, you Do you know what name he has now?"
Hearing Meng Qi's description, Bai Fanlu felt the turmoil in his chest, and his shoulders couldn't help trembling slightly.
Lowering his voice, Meng Qi said, "General Ghost Prison."
"..." Pinching his fingertips into his palm was far less painful. Bai Fanlu could fully predict what kind of blow Mu Yunhe would receive when he heard the news of his "death", but he didn't expect it to be like this!
He always thought that he was just missing, but he didn't expect to be "dead".
But before the catastrophe came, had Muyunhe reached this point
"After listening, you have nothing to say?" Meng Qi seemed to feel that Bai Fanlu's reaction was too light, which made him unhappy.
Bai Fanlu gritted his teeth secretly, "I've already finished the picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains that I was asked to draw. If you want to force Mu Yunhe...then the goal has been achieved..."
Meng Qi smiled, "You are calm, you want to say, His Majesty should let you go? And then? How about you go find him?"
Shaking his head helplessly, Meng Qi said, "To tell you the truth, I originally thought that with the sword of Muyunhe, sooner or later the country will belong to His Majesty. What's the use of him keeping you? It's better to kill you directly." , there will never be future troubles, but it's a pity..."
Meng Qi looked wildly at Bai Fanlu, "You look even more beautiful than when I first saw you. No wonder Your Majesty never forgets you."
Feeling that Meng Qi was too close to him, Bai Fanlu took a step back, "Your Majesty has just inherited the throne, so he will definitely not do such a thing that is cast aside by the world."
"You mean to say that you are the princess that Mu Yunhe Mingmei is marrying?"
Meng Qi laughed, "Mu Yunhe married Lu Lin, the daughter of an aristocratic family. If people find out that he married you... this is a crime of deceiving the emperor, and everyone will be executed."
"..." This is what Bai Fanlu was worried about. If Han Ling wanted to deal with Mu Yunhe justifiably, it would be a breeze.
"You'd better obey His Majesty's wishes obediently, otherwise, there are now three thousand forbidden soldiers in the imperial city, and at that time, with any imperial decree, his reputation will be ruined, and he will die without a place to bury him."
"Think about it, who owns this world."
Meng Qi's visit this time, being able to enter the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, and having the courage to say so much to himself, was by no means a whim during the banquet.
Except for Han Ling, no one could acquiesce in his doing so.
Bai Fanlu had already guessed that this was just a lobbyist before the main battle to teach him to recognize the reality and be prepared.
After Meng Qi left, the sound of silk and bamboo at the banquet gradually faded away as time passed. Bai Fanlu hadn't figured out what to do if Han Ling really asked him, how to deal with it, or what bargaining chip to use to negotiate with the other party.
The maid came to ask twice if he wanted to take a bath, but Bai Fanlu didn't want to go back to the house, so he just sat by the bamboo forest.
Not long after, there was movement.
"Waiting for me?"
Hearing this, Bai Fanlu turned around and saluted, "Your Majesty."
Han Ling glanced at him, raised his hand to beckon the waiter behind him, and said something to him.
Then a court lady came out with a snow fox fur jacket and put it on Bai Fanlu's body.
After that, Han Ling waved away the others, and Bai Fanlu waited quietly, intending to listen to what he would say first, and then take the opportunity to act on his own.
He didn't take the initiative to mention Mu Yunhe, fearing that Han Ling would be angered. After all, the king's will is unpredictable, and Meng Qi's one-sided words cannot be easily trusted.
Bai Fanlu's heart turned a thousand times, but the emperor only said, "Listen to me playing the flute again."
It was still the song "Broken Cauldron" that night, which sounded so heroic, and this time I didn't hide my ambition for thousands of miles, and put it all in it.
But Bai Fanlu didn't want to listen to the music, so he finally waited patiently for him to finish playing.
Han Ling was quite able to read words and expressions, so he took the initiative to say, "You don't have to worry, I have already sent him back."
"..." Bai Fanlu didn't answer, trying to pretend not to care.
But Han Ling said, "Your thoughts for him are written on your face."
Bai Fanlu frowned slightly, he is not an emotional person, how could he write his thoughts on Muyunhe on his face.
Could Han Ling be tricking him
"You stay here well, I won't embarrass him."
Bai Fanlu was silent for a while, and said, "Isn't it embarrassing that he has made great contributions to His Majesty, but he has become like this?"
"He's not strong-willed and easily deceived by appearances, so he can't blame me." Han Ling seemed to smile, "Besides, he doesn't believe that you are dead now."
"I have left thoughts for him, it is kind enough."
Listening to the gentle voice, the words that came out made Bai Fanlu feel bone-chilling cold.
That night, the emperor stayed in the courtyard of Baifan Road, but he just rested in another room separated by a wall.
Bai Fanlu stayed awake all the time, and didn't really fall asleep.
But after waiting for an unknown amount of time, he felt that someone had come in and walked to his bedside.
It was Han Ling, but he just stood still for a moment, and whispered something strange, "You really don't remember Xiao Liu?"
"Are you so sure...he's the one you're looking for?"
Bai Fanlu was confused.
It should be said that Han Ling is a good emperor, he is not the kind of person who is so obsessed with lust, even if Meng Qi hinted like that, Bai Fanlu couldn't detect that this person had any other interest in him.
It seemed that he just wanted to imprison him here, manipulate the general outside, make that person hold hope, but not forget hatred, completely turning into a sharp knife with no emotion but weakness.
Afterwards, Bai Fanlu slowly discovered that the young emperor didn't even have the Sangong Sixth Courtyard. If he wanted to come here by himself, he would be notified in advance. .
And even if I come to my place, it is only once every few days, and it is limited to playing the flute or drinking tea, talking about people's livelihood or poetry, calligraphy and painting, and sleeping in the same courtyard and different rooms.
The strangest thing is that for a while, Han Ling was particularly obsessed with rewarding Baifan Road with some folk things, especially various straw trinkets.
Once I asked him suddenly, "Do you like rabbits?"
Bai Fanlu was puzzled, and casually said, "That's right."
Who would have thought that Han Ling would actually order someone to bring a pair of live rabbits later, saying that Bai Fanlu would raise them to relieve boredom, which really shocked people.
Han Ling occasionally mentioned Mu Yunhe, telling him that he was fine now, but he still didn't give up looking for it.
This is a hint that he will stay here steadily, Bai Fanlu understands.
Unknowingly, the whole harsh winter has passed, and in a blink of an eye, it is the season of warm spring and flowers blooming again.
Bai Fanlu counted the days, and it was one month before Mu Yunhe's 22nd birthday.
It is also time to seriously consider how to get out.
Bai Fanlu is now blind and has no martial arts. He is surrounded by Han Ling's people, so it is difficult for him to fly by himself.
But he has been paying attention to exploring the environment of this courtyard. The artificially dug Jinghu Lake next to it is running water, and Bai Fanlu speculates that it may be connected to the outside of the palace.
It's just that there are hidden guards watching in the yard, so he can't go into the water for a try, and his water skills are not good enough to be sure, so this road may only be used as a last resort.
When he was at a loss, Bai Fanlu heard about the incident. After one month, the awn plant will be planted, and a blessing ceremony will be held in the palace. At the same time, in order to let the people feel at ease about farming, some minor crimes and those who have no labor at home will be pardoned. At the same time, the emperor will personally Go out of the palace to the National Temple to pray for blessings.
Bai Fanlu calculated the time, three days before and after the sacrifice, the next day happened to be Muyunhe's birthday.
So he took the opportunity to propose to Han Ling that he hoped to go with all the officials on the day of the sacrifice and go to the national temple to pray for the people.
This reason is very legitimate, Han Ling did not refuse him.
"I want to donate a few meaningful treasures to the National Temple, but I don't want to fall into the cliché. What do Lu Qing think is good?"
This question caught Bai Fanlu's heart, he pretended to think for a moment, and said, "If Your Majesty does not think the clumsy and crude brushwork, the meaning of the picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains should be the best."
Han Ling stared at him for a while, then curled his lips slightly, "Impeccable."
Bai Fanlu was still a little apprehensive, afraid that Han Ling would find out something, but he did not expect that he readily accepted the proposal.
"It's just that I look at that picture every day. If I donate it, I won't be able to see it... Lu Qing, why don't you draw another one for me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Bai Fanlu agreed with a low eyebrow.
"You don't need to draw the same one again, I don't want you to be too tired, so just draw a small picture..."
Han Ling looked down at the jade flute he was playing with in his hand. There was a crack winding on the sapphire, which seemed to be broken and rejoined.
He said, "Let's just draw a 'folding flute'."
"Scatter into the spring breeze, fold the flute on a moonlit night, and draw the image of me playing the flute in your heart."
"This..." Bai Fanlu wanted to say, he had never seen the Emperor Longyan before, how could he draw it.
And Han Ling seemed to understand him, and said, "Don't worry, draw when you want to draw."
Naturally, Bai Fanlu didn't seriously think about how to make a portrait of Han Ling. What he focused on was the picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains that was about to be sent to the National Temple.
Together with other ceremonies, it will be displayed publicly for many days, and it will be seen by all civil and military officials who go to the temple to participate in the ceremonies and ordinary people who offer incense.
However, Han Ling's suspicion was more serious than Bai Fanlu expected. On the day of praying, there were always guards around him, and Bai Fanlu didn't find the slightest chance to escape until he returned to the palace.
As soon as this night is over, it will be Muyunhe's birthday, and he doesn't know when the calamity of life and death will come.
Bai Fanlu was secretly worried, they were already married, they had done everything they should and should not have done, and it was worthy of the name, if according to the prophecy Muyunhe should be able to survive the catastrophe safely, but he was still inexplicably uneasy.
The banquet in the front hall was still going on, and Bai Fanlu never gave up looking for an opportunity, but at a certain moment he suddenly felt that the hidden guards who were watching him were gone.
Although this situation was obviously weird, Bai Fanlu did not want to let any possible opportunity slip away, after all, on the last day, you have to try if you don't try.
Making a quick decision, Bai Fanlu walked to the lake and was about to enter the water for a try, but just as he dropped a leg, someone grabbed his arm.
Han Ling, who was supposed to have a drink with the officials in the front hall, appeared behind him at some point, and that hand almost cut off Bai Fanlu's forearm.
His voice was not as gentle as it used to be, it was colder like ice, "You can't wait to see him so much?"
The author has something to say: Yungou Zhan: It's another day when I don't see my senior brother, and I have nothing to love in life.
Bai Xiaolu: It's another day of leisure and carefree, spring is warm and flowers are blooming.
Yungou Zhan: Brother, just bully me, I will bully back.
Bai Xiaolu: People who are still lying dead are not qualified to speak.