The emperor looked past Empress Wu to the young guard under the porch in the distance, and frowned slightly.
At that moment, Empress Wu's mind was blank, she realized what she should say, but her teeth moved, and she really couldn't explain anything.
After a while, the emperor sighed softly, smiled with emotion, shook his head and said, "Little son and daughter."
-what
that's it
Empress Wu was taken aback for a moment, then turned her head to look, only to see Shan Chaozheng lowered his eyes slightly disappointed, turned around and walked in the opposite direction from Xie Yun's departure, and disappeared at the end of the porch.
Then she realized where the emperor's reaction was coming from.
From the emperor's point of view, the place where Shan Chao was standing just now was facing the Hanging Flower Gate. The moment Xie Yun walked out of the door, a maid in a light green dress passed him by, with her hands raised A lacquered gold tea tray, step by step into the backyard.
The emperor didn't see Xie Yun, so he had no choice but to joke:
"Small boy, he didn't have a family, and he lost his soul when he saw a court lady... Really worthless."
Empress Wu finally spit out this breath from her throat completely.
"The guard Shan is still young." She twitched the corners of her mouth and made a smile: "Since the Holy Majesty has given him the mansion, he might as well give him a few servant girls and the like. It is convenient for daily life, and he is also considerate of the young courtiers." the meaning of."
The emperor nodded approvingly: "That's a good statement. Give him the court lady just now when you go back. Just don't delay the marriage in the future. I still have an idea in my heart."
The two emperors and empress walked towards the water pavilion together, the emperor held his hands behind his back, suddenly he didn't know what touched his heart, he stretched out his hand to hold Empress Wu, and said: "I have known you for decades..."
The Queen smiled and said, "It's so strange, why did Your Majesty suddenly say that?"
"Hey—" the emperor said happily: "I saw Shan Chao just now, and I just felt emotional in my heart. I think back to when I ran into you in the Imperial Garden when I was young, I immediately forgot everything, just stood there and watched you go away, in the eyes of outsiders It's the same desperation when you come here! Now you are finally a queen, it can be seen that young people love and hate—"
The emperor waved his hand and stepped across the threshold with a smile.
But behind him, Empress Wu suddenly stopped in her tracks, emotions of astonishment, suspicion, uneasiness, and worry flashed through her heart, causing extremely complicated expressions to appear in her eyes.
After a while, that look finally turned into firm determination between the Queen's brows.
·
That night the emperor stayed in the Qingning Palace, and Empress Wu unusually did not let anyone serve her for dinner, but filled the soup with her own hands and handed it to the emperor, saying softly: "Your Majesty, please forgive the crimes of my concubine."
The emperor wondered: "What is the queen's crime?"
Empress Wu sat down cross-legged, seemed a little hesitant, and finally sighed after a while, and said, "As for the candidates for Liangzhou's Anji garrison, I have thought about it carefully today, and I always feel that something is wrong with Yu Wenhu."
The emperor's first reaction was that the empress was about to change her mind and fight for her own people. His face darkened, but he didn't object directly: "Oh, is that so? Where did you say that?"
The queen said: "In the third year of Longshuo, the emperor appointed Zheng Rentai, Dugu Qingyun and others to garrison Liangzhou. One of them was a descendant of a famous minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the other was the son of the third division of the former dynasty. The old general Su Dingfang cooperated with checks and balances. After Zheng Rentai died of illness, Dugu Qingyun was appointed as the general manager of the Yalu Road March, and assisted Li Shiji to break through the new city. The battle situation in Goguryeo became increasingly clear... "
The emperor understood.
There are only four words in the center of Empress Wu's eloquent speech, which is to cooperate with checks and balances-Although Yu Wenhu is also a legacy of the previous dynasty, he has been stationed in Beijing for a long time. After leaving Beijing, the right to speak is not enough to compete with the Dugu clan. It is probably useless to send him to Liangzhou of.
"Then is there any other candidate for the queen?"
The emperor spoke these words very slowly. Empress Wu heard the caution and warning at the end, but she didn't panic. Action. According to the views of the courtiers and concubines, it is better to continue to let Dugu Qingyun control Liangzhou, and then let the court appoint young young generals to be his commanders, just to sharpen and prepare for future use... "
Empress Wu once again struck at the worry that had always been vague in the emperor's heart, but became increasingly apparent after Su Dingfang's death—
The famous general is old, who will succeed him
The veteran team left by the late emperor fell ill and died, and the day when they were exhausted was not far away. At the other end of the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty, although Lu Dongzan, the leader of Tubo, is also in decline, his sons are all heroes among men, and they firmly control the foundation of the country laid down by their fathers.
The emperor pondered for a while, and there was silence in Qingning Palace, only white smoke curling up from the golden censer.
"Then...according to the queen's opinion," the emperor said slowly, "who should be sent to Liangzhou now?"
At this time, there was no trace of vigilance or suspicion in the emperor's voice. Empress Wu smiled, stretched out her catkin and patted her husband's hand.
·
The next day, the imperial decree was issued.
Due to the death of Liangzhou Anji Ambassador Su Dingfang, Dugu Qingyun is now specially appointed to control Liang and Shan, and a group of young generals will be sent to the border for future use.
The list of foreign appointments was written on a bright red paper scroll, which was held up with both hands, and the Pegasus galloped in and gave the Shan Mansion only two days ago, and it was too late to repair it a little.
·
The evening wind was bleak, the setting sun was like blood, and grayish-yellow dust and smoke rose from the official road outside the city gate.
Shan Chao patted the horse's neck, turned his head again, and looked at the magnificent and tall city gate in the distance.
His silent silhouette was reflected on the rugged land, stretched thin and long, like a hidden sword edge in a leather sheath. The city tower cast a huge shadow on the plain, and a group of soldiers carrying halberds came and went like slow-moving black spots, except for that, only the crows croaked and croaked across the sky, and stopped at the end of the high city wall.
The official road is empty and stretches as far as the eye can see.
Shan Chao turned his head, let out a long breath, and raised his whip.
At this moment, his movements stopped, and a white horse not far away was staring at him quietly.
"... Xie Yun..." Shan Chao said hoarsely.
It may be because he was almost hijacked in Fenggao Palace, or it may be another reason that is hard to tell; after that late night, Shan Chao never saw Xie Yun alone again.
He was always surrounded by all kinds of people, colleagues, imperial guards, servants, maids... There was only a short meeting at Duke Xing's mansion that day, and it was in the backyard where people would pass by at any time.
Today, however, Xie Yun is indeed alone. Behind him is a vast plain, and the official road extends straight to the horizon of the afterglow.
Shan Chao tightened his grip on the rein, and after a while he finally took a breath, patted the horse and walked forward.
I saw Xie Yun slowly pull out something from the cloak—Seven Star Dragon Yuan, and then threw it over Shan Chao's astonished eyes.
"You forgot something," he said coldly.
— This was the one that Shan Chao came to Xie Mansion alone on horseback before the army was dispatched late last night, and quietly placed it at the gate of Zhu Hong.
Shan Chao caught the long sword with a slap, his eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice after a long time: "This journey is far away, and I don't know how many years it will take to return to Beijing. I am afraid that if there is a fight on the battlefield... I will lose the dragon." Yuan, it's always a pity, that's why..."
Xie Yun didn't say a word, only to see Shan Chao raised his hand from the horse's back, as if he wanted to reach out and hold him.
But in mid-air, the hand drooped down again.
"Afraid of throwing away the sword after death?" Xie Yun mocked bluntly.
He clicked on Shan Chao's secret thoughts that were difficult to express.
He was afraid of death, but not death itself. In comparison, there was another thing that he couldn't let go of - if Xie Yun really wanted to kill him, why didn't he do it himself, instead of going to Liangzhou to borrow a knife to kill him
He was willing to be killed by Xie Yun's sword, but he didn't want to die thousands of miles away, buried with his horses in a remote and desolate battlefield.
Shan Chao took a deep breath, put Long Yuan behind his backhand, raised his eyes and smiled, "Forget it... Anyway, I'm willing to do whatever you ask me to do, as long as you don't—"
He wanted to say that you don't hate me anymore, but after thinking about it, he stopped for some reason, and a warm smile appeared on his young and handsome side face in the setting sun.
Xie Yun raised his chin. This slight movement made his eyes look condescending and distanced. After a while, the corners of his lips twitched suddenly: "Do you know why Mrs. Xing Guogong hates me?"
Shan Chao was startled.
"In the third year of Longshuo, Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan joined forces with Western Turkic Gongyue to attack Kucha and Liule. Tuyuhun was destroyed the next year, and Chang'an was shaken. At that time, old general Su had already cultivated at home. He heard that he wanted to invite himself to guard the border, but his wife was miserable. Kindly advise..."
"So the old general secretly gave me a horse hide, which means that he can bury his loyal bones in the frontier, and he will not have to worry about sending him back to his hometown in a horse leather shroud. When I was asked about candidates for the Liangzhou defense, I recommended Su Dingfang."
What happened? !
Shan Chao instantly recalled that in the mourning hall that day, Mrs. Su's face was full of tears, and she scolded Xie Yun for "slandering her, playing with power". Suddenly, her heart was complicated, and she didn't know what to say. He just heard Xie Yun say leisurely: "Old General Su is indeed shrouded in horse leather. However, Xing Guogong's lineage hated me to the bone, and even his old Liangzhou troops hated the imperial guards..."
Shan Chao interrupted him: "Then why don't you tell the truth to Duke Xing's mansion?"
Xie Yun asked back: "What is the truth? Old General Su is a famous general in the world, a century-old military soul, and I am a powerful minister. What do you think is the truth?"
Shan Chao's pupils trembled, and he looked at him unblinkingly.
Xie Yun's icy scrutinizing gaze wandered up and down, as if he had nothing to say, and finally raised his horsewhip, pointing to the direction where the official road extended far away: "Okay, get out."
The white horse pawed its hooves impatiently, and passed by Shan Chao slowly. Xie Yun stretched out his hand to gather the cloak that was blown up by the wind.
At that moment, Shan Chao finally couldn't bear it anymore, and suddenly grabbed Xie Yun's wrist!
"...Master," Shan Chao's ending was unsteady, as if trying to suppress a hot and trembling breath, he said hoarsely: "I don't know how many years I have been away, you must be careful in court. If one day I become famous Yes, I will definitely bring my troops back..."
Xie Yun flung his hand away and shouted, "Shut up!"
The sound of that sentence shook the wilderness, and the soldiers at the gate of the city in the distance didn't know why, so they all stopped and looked over.
"Do you think you are still from Beiya?!" Xie Yun grabbed Shan Chao's lapel, and said coldly: "Leave Liangzhou outside, the mountains are long and the rivers are far away, and the name of the Imperial Army has nothing to do with you from now on! Even if you die at the border, It also has nothing to do with my Beiya!"
Shan Chao shouted: "Master..."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Yunyang gave him a whip and severely whipped him off his horse!
"Get out!" Xie Yun looked down and said angrily, "From now on, the Imperial Army will cut you off with a knife, and you will be responsible for life and death from now on! — Get out!"
Xie Yun raised his whip and rode his horse, and without turning back, he rolled up a dusty ride and rushed towards the city gate!
Shan Chao knelt on one knee on the dusty ground. After a long time, he finally raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows firmly. Two lines of hot tears rolled down his resolute cheeks.
——His sleeves were slightly torn off with this movement, revealing the vermilion headband wrapped around his strong wrist. The end was blown up by the wind, and the few prayer beads holding down the headband had disappeared.
The sun is setting in the distance, the birds are returning to their nests, the weeds are whistling at the end of the plain, and the twilight is rushing from all directions to the vast sky.
This is the first year of Qianfeng, late spring.
Goguryeo civil strife, the regent defected, Tang sent 80,000 troops to Liaodong, and no one could stop the flames; the court decreed that Nuohebo was the king of Qinghai. In Zhouzhou, Lu Dongzan was seriously ill, and Lun Qinling went out to fight in place of his father, and gradually became the strongest natural enemy in the west of the empire's territory.
Riding Hongchen to the west, facing the magnificent afterglow, it gradually turned into a black spot and disappeared on the distant Qinghai battlefield.
·
—End of volume two—
The author has something to say:
Xie Yun deliberately beat Shan Chao up in front of people, not being smart.
The history of this article is half empty, and the major events that happened in the first year and the second year of Qianfeng are basically mixed together. Please don't mind if you are discerning, and bow~