On the streets of Wangcheng, the crowd was almost too crowded to walk. The steaming food stalls smelled fragrant, and the little dolls gathered around the candied gourd hawkers, tiptoeing and pinching the copper plates, all wanting the biggest and reddest bunch.
In comparison, the palace was rather deserted. This year, Chu Yuan did not hold a banquet to invite ministers like in previous years, but gave him a reward early in the morning, saying that he did not need to go to the palace to greet him, but to have a reunion dinner with his family.
There was a small warm table, a few dishes and a pot of wine. Chu Yuan sat in the hall and looked at the snowflakes outside in a trance.
Sixi reminded: "Your Majesty, the dishes are going to be cold."
Chu Yuan asked, "Is there still wine?"
Sixi said: "There are other wines, just Feixia... This is the last jar, and it will be gone after drinking."
Chu Yuan raised his head and drank another glass of wine, but did not speak again, but his eyes were a little erratic.
Father Sixi sighed in his heart, why didn't even the Ninth Prince come this year, if there were many people in the palace, it would be a little more lively.
On the first day of the new year, it is necessary to make sacrifices to the sky, and it is not even possible to get drunk. After returning to the bedroom, Chu Yuan leaned on the head of the bed, thinking about whether it would be snowing in the Southwest Mansion thousands of miles away at this time, and if it snowed, would it be colder in the ice room? It is the middle of the night.
The foreign relatives on the coast of the East China Sea are hegemonic, the situation in the South China Sea is uncertain, and even the snowfields in the northeast are not stable.
Chu Yuan smiled, his chin resting on his knees, but his eyes were a little lonely.
After the New Year, there were fewer letters from the Southwest Mansion than before. Chu Yuan put all the letters in the secret compartment as usual, then locked them, turned around and continued to wait for the next month. In the spring, I ate rice with locust blossoms, and in the blink of an eye, peaches in summer filled the streets. After that, in autumn, the crops were harvested.
Everyone is saying that since the emperor ascended the throne, it has really been a good harvest and good weather, and the days have been comfortable.
"It's really cold this year, and it's snowing so much before winter begins." Sixi said fair, "It is said that the bluestone slabs on the long street were buried tightly, and the government was shoveling snow early this morning. Many people's horses have fallen."
Chu Yuan said: "Instruct Gong Fei to send more people, and don't let the people get hurt.
"Yes." Father Sixi agreed again and again, and said again, "The emperor has been busy all day, it's time to go back to the palace to rest."
Chu Yuan said: "It's still early, let's wait for a while."
Eunuch Sixi wanted to say something, but Chu Yuan raised his hand to stop the words before he reached his lips, so he retreated to the side with a shrewd voice, but couldn't help sighing in his heart. It has been four months, and the letter from the Southwest Prefecture to report safety has not been delivered yet. If it is because of the weather, the Guizhou Prefecture’s documents have not been blocked, and they are delivered to Wangcheng one by one as usual, one day after another. There was no delay.
But don't let something happen.
The courtiers also murmured. It has been almost a month. The emperor always seems to be very worried, but no one knows what it is for. It stands to reason that the world has been peaceful recently, so there should be nothing to worry about. Moreover, the emperor is not a gloomy temperament. This time, he must have encountered so much trouble to be so gloomy.
"Old Tao, I'm afraid it won't work like this." Liu Dajiong was worried, "We have to find a way."
"What can I do?" Tao Rende also sighed, "I don't even know why the emperor is like this. If he speaks rashly, I'm afraid it's better not to ask."
"I know for a while, it's better to have a concubine." Liu Dajiong said, "I can't figure out what the emperor means, and there are others who can ask." Where is it like now, there is no crack in the door.
"It's a pity that General Shen returned to Jiangnan." Tao Rende said, "I don't know when I will be back."
This afternoon, the two were still discussing with you and me, but someone else came to report, saying that the emperor announced that the adults would enter the palace immediately.
"Yes." Liu Dajiong said as he walked, "If the emperor is angry, you can block more."
Tao Rende was upset by him. When I entered the palace, I saw that there were already many adults in the side hall next to the imperial study.
"Isn't there going to be another war?" Liu Dajiong asked in a low voice.
Tao Rende asked back, "Where to fight?"
Liu Dajiong was choked by him for a while, and said something old fox in his heart, turned around and walked to the table, and asked the rest of the adults to drink tea with him.
Everyone was at a loss, and it was not until they were called into the imperial study that they learned why they came here today.
"The emperor is going to the southwest?" Tao Rende was startled.
Chu Yuan said lightly: "Yes."
Tao Rende asked, "When?"
Chu Yuan said: "Three days later."
Tao Rende said, "For the King of the Southwest?"
Chu Yuan said: "Yes."
Tao Rende said again: "But the other end of the Southwest House doesn't stop?"
"What else do the rest of Aiqing have to say?" Chu Yuan did not answer him, but looked at everyone.
"Your Majesty." Someone dared to suggest, "If your Majesty wants to ask questions, why don't you call the King of Southwest China into the palace, the same is true."
Chu Yuan looked at him with cold eyes.
The lower head became more and more quiet, and the person who spoke wisely bowed his head and stepped back, and even Tao Rende did not make a sound.
"Very good." Chu Yuan said, "Within three days, I will arrange everything properly. If there is nothing else to be played, then I will retire." At this moment, a fool knows not to talk too much. Everyone took the decree and thanked them, bowed out of the imperial study, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"This..." Liu Dajiong was bewildered, so he ran to the Southwest House for what to do.
"Don't ask me, I don't know if you ask." Tao Rende's head buzzed, and he interrupted before he could speak.
"It's obviously inappropriate to go to the southwest at this time. I don't even say anything about it, and Dali is not a place to stop." Liu Dajiong said, "I see you admonishing the world on weekdays, why didn't you say a word today. "
"The emperor is obviously angry today. I am not afraid of losing my head, but I am afraid of losing my head in vain." Tao Rende said, "At least find out the reason first."
"The king of the southwest, the king of the southwest." Liu Dajiong sighed again and again, but he was really the emperor's nemesis.
Chu Yuan was not in the mood to explain much, and he didn't even bother to perfunctory. After explaining the affairs between the DPRK and China, he set off in the evening three days later, with only dozens of shadow guards accompanying him, smashing the snow and stars all the way, and galloping towards the southwest.
Tao Rende was worried after all, so he wrote a letter and sent it to Sun Moon Villa. If there is anyone in this world who can manage the emperor, except for himself, there is only Ninth Prince left, let him know this. It's a little less dangerous.
The King City was thousands of miles away from the Southwest Mansion, and Chu Yuan was almost sleepless all the way. In order to travel for a long time, it would be fine to sleep in the forest. Watching the snow melt on the branches around the bonfire, before you know it, it is dawn again.
In Dali City, Duan Yao helped Aunt Jin sort herbs in the courtyard. The two seemed to be chatting and laughing, but neither of them were really happy.
Xiaowu brought people home a few days ago, not to mention Tianchensha, and even the location of Emerald and Myanmar could not be found smoothly. It took a lot of hard work to pass through the white fog, but there was only a barren island. The stormy waves beat the black boulders, and there were white waves several feet high.
Only ghosts can live on the island.
Duan Baiyue was not surprised by this result. In fact, he had no hope at all.
The Bodhicitta Sutra has been completed, and the golden silkworm thread has died, which is already a good result. One cannot be too greedy in life.
"Three years." Nan Mo said evilly, "It's been a really fast time."
Duan Baiyue said: "It's been hard work, Master."
"Just get through it." Nan Moxie patted his hand, "Let's go out."
Duan Baiyue stood up and reached out to pick up the mask on the table.
The stone door slammed open, and the sunlight poured in from the outside. Although there were night pearls in the cave, the eyes were still slightly uncomfortable, and they closed for a long time before opening.
Duan Yao, Xiao Wu, Hua Tang, Aunt Jin, and a few mothers-in-law, all of them seem to be missing, but they seem to be missing the most important one.
"Brother!" Duan Yao ran over happily.
"Grow up." Duan Baiyue patted his shoulder.
Duan Yao looked at him with a grin. Compared with three years ago, her brows were less childish and more juvenile, and vaguely had the shadow of the Duan family.
"Big brother." Xiao Wu also stepped forward, "Congratulations."
Duan Baiyue said: "You have worked hard for the past three years."
"It's freezing and snowing, what are you doing standing here." Aunt Jin stepped forward and grabbed him, "Let's go and talk about it when we get home."
Duan Baiyue nodded slightly and pulled her hand back gently.
"Why, I'm afraid it will poison me." Aunt Jin complained.
Duan Baiyue smiled: "It's always right to be careful."
Aunt Jin forcibly pulled his hand back and led him down the mountain.
Everything in the bedroom was the same as before, Duan Yao swept the dried grapefruit leaves to get rid of bad luck, and just said: "Go home, take off the mask."
Duan Baiyue said: "Since you have to wear it for a lifetime, it's better to get used to it earlier."
"Waiting for a lifetime, how can there be so many things at home." Duan Yao said, "Take it off."
Duan Baiyue stretched out his hand: "Give it to me."
"For what?" Duan Yao was puzzled.
Duan Baiyue said: "A letter."
Duan Yao: "..."
"Don't say you've lost it." Duan Baiyue was helpless.
"Naturally I didn't lose it." Duan Yao murmured in her heart, knowing that it was your lifeblood. After returning to the room, he opened the hidden compartment and took out a mahogany box: "Well, the letters for the past three years are all here."
Duan Baiyue said: "Thank you."
Duan Yao sat next to him: "In the past few years, according to what you said, I wrote less and less letters, but the reply from the emperor's side has not been interrupted for a month. I said that the master has a life, and all letters are I'm not allowed to give it to you, but the emperor said it's fine, and it's the same after saving it for three years."
Duan Baiyue smiled: "I see, go back, I'll lie down for a while."
Duan Yao agreed: "Yeah."
Watching him go out, Duan Baiyue took off his mask, leaned on the head of the bed and closed his eyes, pressing his left hand on the wooden box, trembling slightly, but he did not open the box cover for a long time.
Outside the house, Duan Yao squatted at the door holding the knife, eavesdropping nervously, so that she could rush in at any time.