"Shan Chao?" Prince Li Hong pushed open the door, probed his head for a while, and finally walked into the room cautiously: "Shan guard? Shan... Brother Shan?"
There was no one in the room, there were papers and pens on the table, the mattress was simple but neat, and the changed guard clothes were meticulously folded into squares and piled on the side of the pillow.
Li Hong turned around hesitantly, and suddenly saw that the window leading to the backyard was ajar, so he went to push it.
"Single guard!"
At the back of the house is a hand-chasing veranda. Shan Chao is reclining on the railing with his back facing the prince, with one hand propping his forehead and the other hand holding a jug. Can smell how much he drank.
"You...be careful!" Li Hong was startled when he saw his back: "Be careful not to fall, wait for me to pass!"
Li Hong took two steps back, turned around and ran out of the house, bypassing the rows of connected guard rooms, and ran over from the end of Chaoshou veranda panting: "Brother Shanchao! What's wrong with you?"
Shan Chao's face was flushed from drinking, and he stared blankly at the sky outside the corridor, as if he didn't hear the prince's question. Li Hong waited for a long while, unable to bear the temptation to ask the question a second time, only then did he suddenly laugh briefly, picked up the jug and took another sip.
"It's nothing." He said calmly, sat up and patted the railing beside him: "Don't call me big brother, sit down, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Li Hong hesitated for a while, and climbed up to sit on the railing beside him, dangling his legs in the air.
Sitting with legs hanging down is a very rude and indecent posture in the palace. Li Hong glanced around stealthily. At noon, it was the time for the guards to change their shifts for meals, and there was no one in the long verandah. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, and asked, "Shan Chaoda...Shan Imperial Guard, I have been looking for you for three days and haven't seen anyone. What's wrong? Is something wrong?"
Shan Chao was full of boredom, but he couldn't express it in front of the prince who grew up in the greenhouse, so he could only smile at himself: "It's okay, please take care of your highness, I won't be on duty for three days."
Li Hongcha took a look at his words, and said "oh" in understanding, and said: "The three-day palace is also very dull. The Holy Majesty has been calling for his ministers to talk behind closed doors, but Dai Shilang didn't inquire about the summoning in private. That's the end of the East Palace's infiltration of the Zichen Palace. But fortunately, there is no movement in the palace, and it's rare for me to be free for a few days."
He stretched himself, and said with a smile: "Especially when the queen is accompanying her, even Commander Xie can't stay behind closed doors. It's rare for the East Palace to be so peaceful."
Shan Chaoxu was drunk, and blurted out: "Commander Xie these days—"
There was a sudden pause in his voice.
But it was too late to take back the words that had already been uttered. The crown prince was unaware of the faint annoyance behind Shan Chao's gloomy face, and curled his lips and said, "Commander Xie went to recuperate. He said he was recuperating, but yesterday he made people fly." When I returned to Beijing, I brought a personal maid from his mansion, and the people in the palace rumored that she was very beautiful."
Shan Chao tightened his fingers holding the flagon.
Maid, personal maid... Probably Jin Xin
Or it doesn't matter if it's not Jinxin, there are many beautiful girls in Xie's mansion, which one is different
The wine that was poured down seemed to turn into a fire and burn to all limbs and bones. The bottom of his heart was sour and astringent. Shan Chao even felt that the air exhaled from his nasal cavity was so hot—so hot that he couldn't even make a sound for a while. .
"Let's go wild, that's all." Li Hong snorted, and wanted to say something, but suddenly, considering that Shan Chao was still begging for a living in the Imperial Army, he managed to hold back his contempt, and only sighed, "Forget it, Don't mention them."
Shan Chao lifted the flagon and took a long gulp silently.
"Alcoholism hurts your health, drink less." The prince persuaded like a little adult, "If you stay in this palace for a long time, you will find that although the palace is the most honorable and magnificent place in the world, it is also the least indulgent place. Willful places to go—you eat two more mouthfuls of your favorite dishes, and spend two more days with your favorite people, there will be countless people who will press you with big rules and principles, not to mention drinking two more mouthfuls of wine. How can you get drunk? Room for a thousand worries?"
Shan Chaoxin said that I beat up the queen's nephew, and I will be exiled for three thousand miles tomorrow. Even if I try to understand the troubles of you nobles in the palace, I am powerless.
But the prince has always been a little too tender and sensitive, so Shan Chao didn't mention it, and changed the topic with a wry smile: "—Life in the palace is not easy, so don't countless ordinary people outside live in dire straits? What do you think?" People outside are free, but they don’t know that there are countless people who are willing to trade their freedom to endure hunger and cold for a piece of clothing, a pair of shoes, or even a bite of food in a bowl.”
"I didn't say to be a commoner." Li Hong was not annoyed when he was choked up, but looked at him enviously: "If I had martial arts like yours, Big Brother Shan, I would walk alone with a sword in the corners of the world, not to mention that I wouldn't be hungry It’s cold, so what if you suffer from hunger and cold!”
This is Zifeiyu An Zhiyu's suffering.
Shan Chao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and waved his hand to signal him not to make trouble, but the prince said seriously: "You don't understand, sometimes I really think so. Sigh - it was easy to talk to Xiao Pei before, but it is not easy to talk to her in the future." .”
When he mentioned Pei Ziliu, Shan Chao paused when he raised the flagon, and said calmly, "Why?"
Li Hong took a deep look at him, and asked back: "Are you even going to hide it from me? In people's minds, I am such a cold-blooded and pedantic person."
Shan Chao: "..."
"Little Pei told me all about it." Li Hong said lightly, "If you hadn't rescued Brother Shan Chao that night, her life would be over - it would be considered kind of the Pei family to send her to a temple for the rest of her life. Hehe, you Don't think it's a joke, those Confucian families are like this, in the final analysis it's all my fault."
Unexpectedly, Pei Ziliu would tell the prince all about this terrible matter. After all, he was still young and full of naive trust in the prince. However, it can also be seen from the side how the prince's character is in the hearts of the people around him. Shan Chao couldn't help saying: "This matter is that He Lanmin's beast is inferior, what does it have to do with His Highness?"
Li Hong asked bluntly: "If Xiao Pei hadn't been nice to me, would those people still be following her?"
Shan Chao was left speechless by his question.
"They think that the Pei family wants to marry their daughter to me—although the Pei family really thinks so, and the Holy One also has this intention. Therefore, by destroying Xiao Pei, they also indirectly hit the East Palace and me. This is what they really want. The purpose. Otherwise, Xiao Pei, a little girl, is worth their calculations?"
Li Hong reached out to grab the flagon, but Shan Chao withdrew his hand: "It's too strong."
Li Hong was not persistent either, and sighed.
"I don't particularly like Xiao Pei, at least... I didn't like it at first." Li Hong paused, and said, "But those calculations and transactions belonged to the Holy Majesty, the Pei family and more people with interests, she It's just a little girl who came to accompany me. Over time, she became like my little sister in my heart, and I didn't expect this to hurt her too."
Shan Chao glanced at the prince, and found that the most honorable boy in the empire had a look of depression that did not match his age. After thinking about it, he comforted him: "Don't worry too much, luckily everything will be fine in the end."
"Fortunately." Li Hong repeated with emphasis, and said coldly: "In the end, it's because of you, Big Brother Shan Chao. If it were me, with no power to restrain her, and many shackles outside, what would I do to save her? Useless is the prince!"
It was very taboo to say this, Shan Chao immediately shouted: "Your Highness!"
The prince suddenly stopped speaking.
The embarrassing atmosphere was deadlocked for a long while, and then the prince seemed to be angry, and burst out: "I have nothing to do. If you don't get close to her and ignore her in the future, this matter is over!"
Shan Chao really drank too much, and a sneer mixed with absurdity flashed across his mind in an instant, and the emotion could not be restrained from his voice: "If your highness really thinks so, no one will If you don't talk to anyone when you get close, isn't it that you can't harm anyone and you'll be clean for the rest of your life?"
Li Hong was taken aback immediately.
"It's not shameful to be powerless due to a temporary situation, but you don't even have the heart to do something, and you blindly retreat passively, where can you retreat?" Without thinking about it, Shan Chao's words seemed to have been imprinted in his mind by someone The same as in the above, he blurted out naturally and loudly: "The country is vast and the world is vast, but the space for a person to retreat is only an inch. If you shrink back and give up the responsibilities you should bear, and you can only wait for death with your hands in the end, wouldn't you be dead?" More wimpy?"
The prince was stunned, and Shan Chao was also a little dazed.
At that moment, something vaguely flashed through his mind, it seemed that a familiar, cold, high-pitched voice had also said the same words in his ear.
"...Thousands of miles of land, people and society, but you can retreat only an inch! When you retreat to the end, not only will you hang your hands and wait to die, but you will also drag everyone standing behind you to hell..."
"From this moment on, you can only go forward, even if you die, you have to face straight ahead, and there is no way behind you to retreat!"
"..." The prince's lips trembled slightly, and he seemed unable to utter a sound. After a while, he said hoarsely: "But... but I..."
He suddenly stopped talking, the paleness in his expression was gradually replaced by another kind of realization, and there was a bit of determination in his eyes that he had never seen before: "You... you are right, I am the prince, how can I have such useless thoughts ?”
He jumped off the railing, turned to Shan Chao, and said earnestly: "Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years. In recent days, I have suffered a lot of setbacks. It is this king who got into a dead end. Fortunately, brother Shan Chao gave me some advice. I already know what to do." .”
Shan Chao's thoughts were confused, and before he could answer for a while, he saw Li Hong bowing his body, turning around and striding towards the end of the corridor.
When he came, he was trotting all the way, but when he returned, his pace was fast and powerful, just looking at it from the back revealed a huge difference.
Shan Chao watched him go away in a daze, but there seemed to be another figure in his mind - that was a young man who looked deeply at himself through countless memories that had been buried and covered up, his eyes were full of undisguised Disappointment, determination and despair. Then he turned around and walked into the distance without even turning his head. His long hair bundled up under the scorching sun was wrapped in the cloak and roared, gradually disappearing in the distant depths of the thousands of miles of yellow sand.
Shan Chao's chest rose and fell, and he whispered hoarsely: "...Master."
He raised his head and drank the last sip of wine, threw the jug casually, jumped straight up to the eaves, and leaned on the tiles as lightly as a feather.
—Even though he was so drunk, this jump was like a rabbit's ups and downs, he didn't even startle the dust on the tiles, and he was seen flying through the air like a bird of prey, heading straight for Qingliang Hall.
·
Qingliang Hall, side hall.
Shan Chao stood motionless under the window lattice for almost half an hour.
Qingliang Palace was originally the empress's residence, these days Empress Wu accompanied the sage to listen to the chats of the courtiers, and stayed behind closed doors in Qiantai Palace, so the Qingliang Palace, which had no master, went to most of the ostentation, and there were no maids and eunuchs. There were not many guards during the exchange in the afternoon, and occasionally a guard passed by far away. With Shan Chao's skill, he could easily avoid it even if he was drunk.
But he didn't know whether he should push the door and go in.
He seemed to have returned to that moonlit night, with Xie Yun's hand firmly on his shoulder, unable to advance or retreat.
What is Xie Yun doing
Sitting in the atrium, reading a book and drinking tea
Or red sleeves add fragrance... warm and fragrant nephrite
After all, Shan Chao was still too young, at the age of fledgling, and the alcohol evaporated from his brain, which made him a little unable to control his mind.
He subconsciously shook his head to dispel the images in his mind, jealousy mixed with ruthlessness welled up in his heart. Shan Chao put his heart to one side, drew his sword out of its sheath, and stuck the tip of the sword into the gap in the window lattice to pick it up. The inner jade hook opened slightly with a snap, and the window slid open a small crack soundlessly.
Shan Chao pinched the corner of the window with two fingers, and when he looked it over, he found that there was still a thick curtain hanging inside, and no light from the outside could penetrate.
"..."
Shan Chao frowned, and opened the window curtain a very small gap, only to see a faint light in the dark hall, but he couldn't see anything clearly.
It's sunny, what else can this be... What are you doing
Shan Chao's blood seemed to froze, and he wanted to grit his teeth and turn around to walk away, but he couldn't let go, so he froze on the spot for a few breaths.
There was an extremely slight movement not far away, and the patrolling guards turned back again, and there was no time for ideological struggle right now.
Shan Chao didn't know what he was thinking, the moment he lifted his foot, he felt that he was crazy, but he couldn't do it if he stopped his pace and turned around to leave—at that moment of lightning, his whole body was gone from the window lattice. Zhong turned into the hall, then closed the window with his backhand, and lowered the curtain, the guard outside happened to turn around from the end of the corridor.
Shan Chao let out a long breath, stood up and looked towards the hall.
Then he froze.
There was a wide couch in the hall, Xie Yun was facing him sideways, with his eyes closed and his upper body naked, sitting cross-legged on the couch.
It stands to reason that at such a distance, it is difficult to see clearly whether the eyes are open or closed, but Xie Yun's eyelashes are extremely long, forming a very obvious arc when they are closed, and Shan Chao can even see clearly the faint shadow cast by the tip of the nose.
His long hair was tied behind his head with a piece of blue satin, and the few untied strands fell by his ears. The hair and the skin contrasted with each other, the black became darker and the white became whiter, like a statue that was exquisite and lofty because of the extremely sharp knife.
Shan Chao's eyebrows twitched slightly, and the fiery thoughts that had just emerged from the bottom of his heart were suppressed alive.
—In the dark air beside Xie Yun, there are several light blue light bands slowly swimming, and you can vaguely see tiger beard and hyena tail, scales and horns, like a few ethereal...
Qinglong!
Shan Chao's heart was pounding, but he forcibly pushed him back, and slowly walked up the steps in the hall, and said in a low voice, "Master?"
Xie Yun remained motionless.
"Master... Xie Yun?"
Still no answer.
There were faint bruises under Xie Yun's eyes, and his face was haggard and tired, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights. Shan Chao stretched out his hand, only to feel that his breath was extremely weak, but he felt that it was very stable, not as if his life was in danger.
... Is this practicing, or healing
If it was the latter, could it be that he was injured in some way? !
Shan Chao half knelt in front of Xie Yun on one knee, and stretched out his hand to press his wrist resting on his knee, trying to get his pulse. However, the moment his fingertips touched Xie Yun's skin, a beam of light suddenly struck, and the volley turned into a dragon's head, pounced on Shan Chao!
Shan Chao subconsciously raised his hand to block it, and then his palm touched the faucet, and the azure halo melted like water, vainly pulling him together.
"Thanks-"
Shan Chao's voice stopped abruptly, and the bone-chilling cold permeated the internal organs along the halo, and then went straight to the brain, startling countless flying and yellowing images in the abyss.
Those incomplete scenes were framed frame by frame, and the memory flew past his eyes like a flying horse. At this moment, the dim hall was fragmented in the void, and a scene very similar to that at this moment flashed in front of Shan Chao's eyes.
In the low earthen house, a young man was sitting on the side of the couch, frowning and staring at the sleeping young man on the couch.
Shan Chao stared at the boy's familiar face, a shudder ran down his spine—
That's him!
The boy was born with high browbones, deep eye sockets, and a straight and sharp nose. It is obvious that he will be handsome in the future. But his skin had been polished by the desert wind and sand early on, and the childishness brought about by his age could hardly be seen. On the contrary, there was a trace of vicissitudes, urgency and concentration in his eyes.
Like a young wolf that has stretched its bones, grown its fangs, and is marching towards its youth.
"Master," the boy murmured.
On the bed, the young Xie Yun breathed steadily and was unconscious.
His face was more beautiful and softer than it was a few years later, he didn't have the viciousness and fierceness of the court's intrigue at all, and there was even a slight tenderness on his side cheeks when he was asleep.
The young man's Adam's apple slid up and down, and he slowly bent down.
Shan Chao's pupils dilated suddenly, he was vaguely aware of what was going to happen next, and a voice from the bottom of his heart even yelled out - don't!
Please do not!
But his vain attempts to hold back did nothing.
The trembling lips of the young man finally landed on Xie Yun's lips, and they were lightly pressed together.
It was a young, restrained, and lustful kiss.
The young man raised his head and stared at Xie Yun in a daze, his chest heaved violently, and the hands that were supporting Xie Yun's side loosened and tightened, tightly clutching the bed sheet into a ball.
"...Master," he whispered again almost silently. The invisible stimulation and guilt accompanied the two words, like a tiny electric current rushing through the heart.
He closed his eyes heavily, and finally forced himself to look away, got up and took a step back, and took another step back, only to be afraid that he would lose control, turned around and rushed out without looking back.
—So he didn't see it, and Xie Yun suddenly opened his eyes on the bed behind him.
The light in Xie Yun's eyes under his eyelashes is like a deep pool, the surface of which is forever still like a mirror. He stared at the top of the bed in silence, and after a while without showing any emotion, he gently closed his eyelids.
·
The chaotic snowflake-like memories in front of Shan Chao's eyes fell again, and then the stars changed and the scene changed; the hut in the depths of Mobei disappeared without a trace in the void, and there was a sudden "bang!" in Qingliang Hall ring.
Shan Chao's palm was heavily supported on the ground, the back of his hand was protruding, and he only had a few words in his heart.
He knows... he knows everything!
He already knew!
"If you retreat to the end, not only will you hang your hands and wait to die, but you will also drag everyone behind you to hell... From now on, you must move forward, and there is no way to retreat behind you!..."
In the blink of an eye, Shan Chao finally remembered how he answered Xie Yun: "But," the scarred young man knelt on the ground panting heavily, raised his head to look at Xie Yun as if begging, his eyes were desperate and desperate: "I I don't want to leave here, and I don't want to go forward, the mountains and rivers belong to them, so what does it have to do with me?!"
"I just want to be with Master, I... I want to stay with Master forever in this desert!"
—Boom boom boom!
"Commander, is the Commander here?"
Shan Chao woke up with a start, and suddenly raised his head, only to hear that the door of the palace was slapped twice, and Ma Xin's voice said respectfully from outside: "Commander, Miss Jinxin is here!"
Xie Yun still sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, as if in a trance, without any reaction. The green dragon formed by the halo was still flowing around him, the green dragon that had rushed towards Shan Chao just now had withdrawn, and was slowly circling above Xie Yun's head, casting countless tiny dust-like spots of light.
Shan Chao quickly looked around. There was no place to hide in the empty hall, and he only saw the beams when he looked up.
Jin Xin's voice said with a smile from outside: "It's nothing, the commander is doing exercises, I'll go in by myself."
The door squeaked, and at the same time, Shan Chao stood up and flew up to the roof like lightning, his figure disappearing between the girders.
At the same moment, Jin Xin crossed the threshold of the main hall with her red gauze skirt, closed the door with her backhand, and her graceful figure walked towards Xie Yun.
Shan Chao narrowed his eyes condescendingly.
From his angle, he could see the brocade skirt spread on the lotus floor tiles, like red waves rolling and swaying, indescribably charming; she climbed up the jade steps step by step, came to the wide couch, took off her embroidered shoes, Walking behind Xie Yun with bare white feet, he sighed tenderly.
— Immediately afterwards, she raised her hand dyed bright red Koudan, and in Shan Chao's sight, it lightly landed on Xie Yun's back shoulder.