Estranged

Chapter 23: The sea of clouds was not originally called the sea of clouds

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The raging flames and heat waves were scorching the sky, but when he really threw himself into it, Chang Ming felt a bone-chilling cold.

The red lotus karmic fire burned the eyes and hurt, but the cold wrapped the flesh and even the bones, and even continued to penetrate.

The bizarre and contradictory two extremes appeared at the same time.

In the beginning, Chang Ming could still use his mind to resist a little with his spiritual power. Later, he found that the stronger the resistance, the stronger the backlash. People kept falling in the endless void, never ending, but their hands and feet had already formed frost. , unable to move, and his brain gradually became drowsy. Even if he subconsciously kept telling himself that he couldn't sleep, he couldn't resist the heavy eyelids and plunged into a deeper sleep.

I don't know how long I have slept.

Chang Ming felt that the more he slept, the more tired he became. His limbs were limp and he didn't want to move.

But he was shaken awake.

The opponent's actions were violent and violent, and it really shook Chang Ming from his chaotic dreamland at once.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something is bad!"

Chang Ming sat up with his forehead on, thinking about the origin of this name, and a sentence popped out of his mouth unconsciously.

"Be quiet, you are making my brain hurt!"

The eunuch stepped forward, his face panicked, and he forced his voice down, but he couldn't help trembling.

"That traitor, that traitor has already taken Yuanzhou and is approaching the capital! The ministers are waiting outside for your old man to speak!"

When did he become emperor

Chang Ming felt a little funny in his heart, looked up and looked down.

There was a dragon tent above his head, a dragon couch under his body, and a white-faced and beardless attendant beside the bed. Behind the heavy gauze tent, the empty bedroom was faintly visible. Chang Ming could even see the two attendants guarding the door, and outside the bedroom, kneeling. several heads.

He was the twelfth emperor of this dynasty. The dynasty was located in the south, also known as the Southern Dynasty, and ruled by a river with the Northern Dynasty in the north. The Southern Dynasties experienced the founding of the country, the prosperity and the decline, and then the ZTE, which turned the tide, to him, it was already a dead end to the downhill.

Reality and fantasy are intertwined, and Changming has a sense of absurdity that he knows he is in a dream, but he can't help but walk along the track.

Are you in the middle of the game, or are you split in two and watch the play finish

"Call them in," he heard himself say.

As if the eunuch had been granted amnesty, he stumbled and stumbled out, and soon a group of ministers filed in and knelt down on his bed again, as if mourning for the concubine, as if the emperor was about to die.

Actually it's almost there.

Changming Suxing sleeps at night, works diligently day and night, and corrects more memorials every day than the previous emperor combined in one year, but still can not change the chronic disease of the dynasty and the fate of Jiang He's decline.

He tried his best to rectify the administration of officials, but in exchange, the court became more corrupt and corrupt officials became more rampant. He reduced or exempted taxes. In the end, the taxation of the imperial court was reduced, but the common people did not relieve their burdens. Instead, the landlords and bureaucrats enriched their own pockets and made a lot of money.

This dynasty is like a huge rotten carriage that is heading for a dead end. He tried his best, but instead made the horse even more crazy and ran faster on the dead road.

On the contrary, the Northern Dynasty is full of vitality, the ruler and the ministers are united, like the rising sun at the beginning of the year, and they have just won a war at the beginning of the year, and their morale has been boosted.

Before that, Chang Ming, who heard the news, had not been able to sleep well for three days and three nights.

Chang Ming was very tired, so tired that he fell asleep with his forehead on his forehead when he was grading the memorials, and was unaware when he was helped to the bed by the valet, until he was just woken up.

He thought he was not a fool, but after brainstorming, he still couldn't think of a better way than moving the capital.

Either move the capital or surrender.

Surrender is impossible.

Even if the capital is moved, it is at best a plan to slow down the army. The opponent's troops are strong and strong, and their own troops are exhausted. The army is overwhelmed, the food and grass are insufficient, and the soldiers are separated. There is no fighting intention at all. Maybe the emperor leaves the capital, and those people will hand him over to the back. to the enemy general.

These are all messes left by the previous emperors, but they have to be undertaken by Chang Ming, who has only been on the throne for two years.

Chang Ming looked at the gloomy ministers under the bed, and let them come up with all kinds of futile methods. Some wanted to show their last loyalty to the dynasty, and some wanted to muddle through the crowd and write down the last days of the emperor of the old dynasty. Every word is a good way to ask the new emperor for credit.

All kinds of colors, all kinds of human nature.

After talking freely for a while, everyone finally got tired of talking, and they hoped that the emperor would also speak.

The scene naturally quieted down, and all eyes fell on Chang Ming.

Chang Ming only said one sentence: "If you want to go, you can go, I won't go."

Everyone looked pale and knew what the emperor's words meant.

Chang Ming waved his hand and watched the crowd leave without saying a word.

The day of the city breaking came quickly.

The enemy generals approached the city, and the people and officials in the city rushed to flee.

The generals of the Northern Dynasty did not encounter any resistance along the way, and went directly to the palace.

Chang Ming sat high on the throne and looked at the people who were striding forward against the background of the backlight.

The other party came closer, and then came closer.

Looked up.

Four eyes facing each other.

Sure enough, it was exactly the same eyebrows as Yun Weisi.

But he wasn't like Yun Weisi, because the other party had a smile on the corner of his mouth and looked frivolous.

This is the sea of clouds.

Chang Ming clearly printed these two names in his heart.

He felt like he shouldn't be here.

But where should I be and what should I be doing at the moment

The hazy memory flashed away, and the body and emotions were still involuntarily substituted into the situation of the last emperor.

Yes, the dynasty was coming to an end, and the tree fell and scattered. He was the last emperor who tried his best to save it but ended up with nothing.

The visitors saluted casually, with the arrogance of a victor.

"The last commander, Yunhai, was ordered by the monarch of our country to invite His Majesty to become a Marquis of Anle. As for this country, you can't manage it well anyway, so it's better to directly merge it into my Northern Dynasty territory and give peace to the people of the north and south. ."

Chang Ming raised his hand, revealing a pocket porcelain bottle in his palm.

"Winning the king or defeating the bandit, there is nothing to say, congratulations to General Yun for his great victory and sweeping away thousands of troops, but I do not like to rely on others by nature, I am afraid that General Yun will be disappointed."

Yunhai: "Your Majesty, don't die. Our monarch said that if you dare to die, let me slaughter the city. I heard that you are diligent in government and love the people. You must not want to see them become ghosts under the sword?"

Chang Ming: "Your monarch is someone who wants to unify the world. Since he is not afraid of leaving a bad reputation in the history books for thousands of years, what should I be afraid of?"

Yunhai: "Even if you don't care about the people, the high-class children of your harem will be buried with you."

Chang Ming: "I Gaotang died a long time ago, and I haven't had time to have children in the past two years. Even the concubines almost forgot what they looked like."

Cloud Sea:…

He rushed over without saying a word, trying to grab the porcelain bottle in Chang Ming's hand.

But Chang Ming was one step faster than him, black blood flowing directly from the corner of his mouth.

The sea of clouds changed, and he squeezed his chin and pressed it down, only to find that the other party was full of blood, which was still dripping out.

Changming smiled.

Yun Hai's face was a little grim, he never thought that he would decide to stop here, and he would have swallowed the poison before he came in.

The ants still have the heart to live and steal their lives. A king of a subjugated country, when he has a chance to live, he chooses to die.

Changming grabbed his collar and pulled the man closer.

The moment he swallowed the poison, a lot of pictures flashed in front of Chang Ming's eyes like a revolving light. He foresaw that after he went to the Northern Dynasty, he would be humiliated and depressed for the rest of his life, and he instantly remembered his identity.

He is not the twelfth emperor of the Southern Dynasty, he should have been Jiufang Changming.

On the Rainbow Bridge, the sea of clouds forcibly pulled him down and jumped down, ups and downs in the sea of fire, but I don't know if this is an illusion trapping the two of them, or is it a one-man show for him

Eating poison should not have been the direction of this dream, but Lingtai's fleeting intuition prompted him to do so.

He is Jiufang Changming, not this useless king of subjugation. In the first few decades before he lost his cultivation base, he had been living as he wanted, even if he searched for the ultimate martial arts, the mysteries of heaven and earth, exhausted all over the world, tossed and turned. Buddha, Demon and Confucianism, that is what he is willing to do, not because of anyone's coercion.

It was before, and it is now.

At that moment, his mind was extremely clear, but his vitality was passing by several times.

Only one sentence.

He could only say the last word to Yunhai.

"Clear your mind and see your nature, find your roots and break down obstacles."

Yunhai's complexion changed slightly.

Chang Ming doesn't know if the other party understands, he can't say more, the blood is pouring out of his mouth and nose, the pain is severe and painful, it doesn't look like he is in an illusion at all.

The next moment, the eyes fell into darkness, and all consciousness was completely terminated.

Memories travel between past and present.

The fragments that were forgotten in the Yellow Springs began to be picked up bit by bit.

For a long time, Jiufang Changming has been thinking about a problem.

Dao or devil, they are all sects distinguished by human beings.

Born as human beings, since the starting point is the same, the acquired distinction is only to make better use of each person's talent.

Is there a method of cultivation that is inclusive and inclusive, so that everyone can cultivate

Others think about it, but only think about it. He thinks about it, and then he will do it.

For this reason, he betrayed the Dao and entered the Buddha, and then betrayed the Buddha and entered the devil. People in the world said that he had three surnames as slaves, and that he had no morals.

He visited famous mountains, entered the sea and went down to the river, and used various methods to read the cultivation methods of various schools. Those who hated him had nothing to do with him, and he never cared about those who admired him.

Until one day, he set his sights on Wanshen Mountain, a place with countless ancient legends.

The terrain there is extremely high, with no grass and rolling ups and downs. Even a grandmaster, it is difficult to turn over it within a few days.

He didn't use any flying magic weapon, but walked step by step on this towering and steep mountain with his feet like an ordinary person.

It is common for monks to eat and drink dew.

But the hardships of Wanshenshan don’t stop there.

It is a world of its own, the weather is changeable, sometimes three times a day or even four times a day, the snow is flying in an instant, and the heat wave is blowing in the next moment, even a monk, it is difficult for anyone to endure this hardship for many years. The spiritual energy has already dissipated, and it is not a paradise suitable for cultivation in the eyes of monks.

Except for Jiufang Changming, almost no one would come to this barren land and stay there for several years.

It was because of this that he discovered a secret.

A secret that led to the shattering of the enchantment of Wanshenshan.

Changming woke up suddenly!

In bed again.

This time it is not a dragon bed.

Who is he

"Master, are you awake? I was about to come in and call you, it's time to go to court." The maid lifted the curtain and told softly.

"What are the arrangements for today?" Chang Ming asked naturally.

"Today is fifteen. After the Xiaochao meeting, you should teach Your Majesty a lesson."

Changming nodded, and on the way to the palace after dressing and washing, he reviewed his half-life and this dynasty that had had several generations of emperors.

This year, Fang Qiu was the seventeenth year. The saint was Yunhai, and his reign name was Wende. He had been on the throne for more than seven years. In the previous seven years, he had supported him all the way.

Today, he is still the authoritative official who calls the wind and rain, but the young emperor has grown his wings and is no longer willing to be the little bird that is guarded by others.

I thought all the way, and entered the palace. Several important officials of the six divisions were already there. Today, the emperor is also there. He is sitting on the throne like a half-ass. He is not very honest, and one leg is shaking non-stop.

Chang Ming glanced at the leg, and then moved his gaze up slowly, just in line with the little emperor's gaze.

The latter smiled at him.

Chang Ming didn't laugh along, he looked away.

The court meeting was over soon, and the other ministers filed to retire, leaving only two monarchs and ministers.

"Father Xiang, there are so many affairs in the dynasty today, and I've heard that my head is full of three circles. Don't tell me the classics and classics, and tell me a few stories."

Chang Ming bowed his knees and sat down. As the only prime minister of the empire, he had the privilege of sitting in front of His Majesty without asking questions.

What's more, he is not only the prime minister, but also the auxiliary minister of the late emperor Tuogu.

"What story do you want to hear, Your Majesty?"

"Why don't you tell me the story that Huang Quan doesn't see each other."

"This is what Jiang Shi, the mother of Zheng Zhuanggong, prefers the younger son, and is dissatisfied with the eldest son Zheng Zhuanggong forcing the rebellious younger brother to kill himself, and said in a rage. Later, under the advice of the ministers, Zheng Zhuanggong specially dug a tunnel to guide the spring water to flow out, and the mother See you later. This story, I remember, was told to you when Your Majesty was five years old."

"But now that I've listened to it again, I have a different idea."

"Appreciate further details."

"When I was young, I listened to my father about filial piety every day, and I also felt that Duke Zheng Zhuang was cruel and allowed his younger brother to make mistakes in order to make his mother regret it one day. His younger brother always wants to reach for things that shouldn't belong to him."

Having said that, the little emperor looked at Chang Ming.

"Things that don't belong to you shouldn't be taken in the first place. Are you right, Father?"

Chang Ming also looked at the little emperor.

This child was brought up by him. He had a fickle temper since he was a child, and he refused to sit down and listen to the class for a moment. What's more, what the older teachers taught were mostly boring Four Books and Five Classics. It's enough to scold him, this is still an emperor, and he can't be beaten or scolded, so Chang Ming can only teach him himself.

He didn't like to listen to anyone, so Changming would tell him idiom stories, stories about emperors, generals, and common people from ancient times to the present. The little emperor was really interested, and he was so fascinated by it that he could even interject him from time to time to give his own opinions. After coming and going to teach for seven years, rain or shine, the fat boy in fine clothes and food has become a young emperor with jade trees facing the wind.

The little emperor grew up and gradually came up with his own ideas. It was inevitable for the two to avoid friction. Changming was busy with government affairs, and he didn't have much time to tell a child the ins and outs of doing something. The emperor accepted his decision, and over time, the rift turned into a gulf, which could no longer be bridged by a piece of soil.

"Your Majesty's words are wrong."

He said slowly, "Although Jiang's family has no way to teach his son, but Zheng Zhuanggong can't help but be filial and friendly. Imagine that the king is leading the world. If he is not willing to lead by example, how can he rule the people of the world?"

To put it bluntly, Duke Zheng Zhuang’s younger brother was indeed spoiled beyond measure and deserved what he deserved, but as a monarch, Duke Zheng Zhuang could not but reconcile with his mother, otherwise he would not be able to ask his subjects to be filial to their parents in the future, and he could not use filial piety to restrain personal behavior, then the country would be will be messed up.

The little emperor hummed: "Father Xiang always likes to convince me with these plausible truths."

Chang Ming said: "These are the words from the heart of the minister, the minister will grow old one day, the master of this country is you, the minister can only take advantage of his own strength to help His Majesty go further. "

"yes?"

The little emperor suddenly leaned over, and the two were infinitely close.

The tip of the nose is facing the shoulder, so close that it is out of focus for a while.

"Father, when are you old?"

The little emperor left soon.

Those words kept echoing in Changming's mind.

When are you old

Chang Ming was absent from time to time until he returned home, in the dead of night.

Father Xiang, you must be getting old soon, so that I can be in charge of the government.

This is the unspoken subtext of the emperor.

He and Yunhai taught for seven years and were once close as father and son, but have they come this far

Chang Ming looked down at his hand holding the pen.

From entering the court as an official, being entrusted by the late emperor to being an orphan, to the assistant emperor's teacher, these hands have long since changed from the firm and powerful youth's skin, full of loose, freckled wrinkles.

It seems that there is still something wrong.

He frowned, searching hard.

The official robe on his body and the room he is sitting in are like cages and shackles, trapping him in place.

He can quickly recall the emperor's appearance from childhood to adulthood, he can recall every assignment the emperor has handed him in, every sentence he has called "Father", he also remembers the questions of the annual imperial examinations, and the interviews of several outstanding students. The answer sheet, and even remember the important content of the court proceedings in recent years.

These have made up his life for the past few decades, and are also the source of all his pride. The reason why this empire has been able to function as usual in the past few years is largely inseparable from his dedication to his duties.

But Chang Ming still felt that something was wrong.

This subtle sense of strangeness came from the depths of his heart, as if there was a faint voice that made him open his eyes and wake up, but the reality was wrapped in layers of cocoons, making him think he was awake.

Someone from the palace called him into the palace overnight.

The last time I was in such a hurry was when the little emperor was eight years old. He had a high fever at night, crying and clamoring for his father. Tired of crying, he fell into a deep sleep, and he still refused to let go of his hand.

Thinking of the past, Chang Ming couldn't help raising the corners of his mouth, but then calmed down.

This time in such a hurry, something must have happened. Could it be that the little emperor had a sudden illness again

The sedan suddenly stopped.

Chang Ming frowned, lifted the curtain and looked out.

"what happened?"

No one answered.

Outside the sedan chair, there was no sound.

In the empty palace, a few lights in the distance could not illuminate half of it.

Chang Ming felt something was wrong, he stepped out of the sedan chair and looked around.

Then, he saw the man standing in the corner of the palace wall.

The figure in the night drew the bow and arrows full, and aimed at him far away.

Changming narrowed his eyes and did not move.

The sea of clouds hesitated.

He didn't even know what he was hesitating about.

All this was planned three years ago.

He hated Changming, especially the opponent who held the government and played with his own will.

For this prime minister, the emperor is not the emperor who must be loyal, but the puppet and mascot of the court.

He knew that the death of the late emperor was strange.

There were rumors inside and outside the palace that the late emperor's condition had improved, and it was the prescription prescribed by the imperial physician recommended by Changming that finally caused the late emperor's condition to deteriorate.

On the day the late emperor died, only Chang Ming was there, and no one knew what happened between them.

Yun Hai didn't even see the Emperor for the last time.

He lost his mother when he was young, and then lost his father. Now there are no elders in the palace, and only Changming can rely on him.

But Chang Ming is simply sorry for his trust.

this man...

As long as Changming died, the power of the empire would return to the emperor.

Tian Tian's temptation made Yun Hai completely understand that Chang Ming would not easily hand over his authority.

He has countless disciples, even the Imperial Forest Army and the Frontier Army are eagle dogs that he obeys only, and the emperor himself is just a pawn to maintain stability and balance in their eyes.

Maybe Chang Ming could have died in a more decent way, but Yun Hai hopes to use this method to break the magic barrier in his heart—

Get rid of all the awe, fear and fear of Changming.

Everything has been arranged for tonight.

Changming's people were all transferred away and replaced with the emperor's own cronies.

For this day, he prepared for a long time, foolproof.

When Changming told that story during the day, he couldn't help but refute Changming, thinking that the other party would be vigilant.

Fortunately not.

When the bow in his hand was fully drawn, the arrow was ready to go, and Chang Ming just raised his head and looked at him from a distance.

For some reason, Yunhai's heartbeat missed half a beat, and he hesitated for a moment.

At this moment he thought a lot.

In the icy world, Chang Ming walked here with his back on his back. At that time, he was still young and had to play in the snow. Chang Ming couldn't handle it, and he was afraid that the housekeeper would not take good care of him, so he had to play with him in person.

Arrow, out of the string!

The emperor was good at riding and archery. On the contrary, as the prime minister of the empire, Chang Ming was a complete scholar.

This arrow, the other party can't dodge at all, in the emperor's expectation.

The arrow shot directly into the opponent's chest, and it was still a piercing.

Under such circumstances, with Changming's age and body, there is absolutely no hope of surviving.

The emperor finally felt that he had all the power firmly in his hands.

From now on, no one can limit him, stop him, and be his stumbling block.

But Yunhai did not feel ecstatic.

He watched Chang Ming fall on the masonry indifferently and almost calmly, convulsing in pain, and finally stopped moving.

The pain didn't come from his clenched palm, but from another place.

He raised his hand to his chest, feeling the pain coming from there.

Once, twice, like a hammer has been hammering my heart.

Without Changming, he is the real master of the empire.

Since everything went so well, why did he still feel this way

What went wrong

Yunhai raised his head and looked at the heavy dark clouds that covered the moonlight in the long night.

Suddenly, a trace of moonlight broke through the dark clouds and shone into the world, and suddenly opened a hole in his heart.

Seeing the heart and seeing the nature, seek the root and break the barrier.

This sentence suddenly came to mind, blowing all his troubles to smithereens.

Yun Hai closed his eyes, all the footsteps coming around him, and the movements of everyone shouting to His Majesty in a panic, all moved away like a tide.

He is like a person who has been floating in chaos for a long time, never finding his roots.

Until the sea of fog dissipated, the tide came and went, and the people sitting by the fire came into sight.

The sea of clouds was not originally called the sea of clouds.

This name was made up temporarily when he met Chang Ming and Xu Jingxian at the beach.

Before that, he didn't even know what his name was.

He only knew that he was born at night and disappeared at sunrise, and he was always a person who could not see the light.

Chang Ming felt very familiar to him, so familiar that his name was about to come out, but he couldn't find this person anywhere in his barren memory.

On the contrary, there is always a voice deep in his mind, clamoring for him to kill the other party.

For some reason, for unknown reasons, this made him instead interested in approaching this man named Changming and exploring his secrets.

The Jinghu Lake under the Rainbow Bridge is actually a channel connecting all circles of Jiuzhongyuan.

Thousands of mirror images, ten generations of life, seven emotions and six desires, fame and fortune, from mortals to monks, all the regrets and desires that cannot be sought can be found and satisfied in the mirror lake.

Yun Hai wanted to find the answer to his inner doubts, and he also wanted to see Chang Ming's indulging desire, unable to extricate himself, and finally indulging in the broken illusion to death.

Chang Ming is just a layman who met thousands of feet in the world by chance. No matter how many secrets the other party has, he can't escape a dream in Jinghu.

There is no need for him to do it himself. In the end, Chang Ming will die silently here like many monks who fell into Jinghu.

But Yunhai didn't expect that when he pulled Chang Ming into Jinghu, he also dug a big hole for himself.

The author has something to say:

When Yunhai and Changming met, they were complete strangers, but Huang Liangyimeng in the illusion is not only tempering Changming, but also giving Yunhai a chance to recall and watch. Now Yunhai begins to have a different feeling. Next [Daytime Yun Weisi] Personality will also make a grand debut~

Yunhai: I never thought that I would not be able to deceive others, but instead deceive myself.

Jinghu: I never thought that I would fulfill them both.

Yun Weisi: Never thought that I would really come out.