Sifang Pavilion, the main hall in the front yard.
No one expected that the imperial decree of the Queen of Heaven would come without warning. The Khotan delegation gathered together, and everyone knelt down on the silver-plated bluestone tile floor with lotus pattern in the main hall, only listening to the officials of Honglu Temple holding the imperial decree of Ming and Huang. It is a long article to take power on behalf of Khotan, commend Khotan's loyalty to the Celestial Dynasty, and allow them to meet at another day.
All the chieftains of Khotan knelt and kowtowed, only King Fujaxiong and Princess Shadali bowed in accordance with the etiquette of the Western Regions and made a big salute.
Sha Dali straightened up, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the commander of the imperial army named Xie Yun.
He is sitting on a black Populus euphratica wood carved lotus pattern armchair in Dongshou, slowly grinding the teacup sideways, with an extremely elegant posture of bowing his head, as if sitting in a painting.
But for some reason, there is something cold and daunting about him.
Shadali thought of the herbs that the great witch burned every festival day and the devil on the mural in the steaming smoke, so ferocious and terrifying that people couldn't help but feel daunted. She cautiously withdrew her gaze, thinking that the original extreme beauty would be distorted into something like extreme ugliness to a certain extent, which would make people shiver and fear deeply from the bottom of their hearts.
"This!"
The official dragged his tone, finished the long imperial decree, and hurriedly stepped forward to help Shan Chao himself: "It's really difficult for General Dingyuan. The journey has been full of dust and dust. I'm afraid it has been hard work?"
The corner of Shan Chao's mouth twitched, it was a smile that hardly showed any joy: "It's okay."
"General Dingyuan has been stationed in the northwest for many years. It is really hard work and admirable! The general's great reputation in the four towns of Anxi has already been passed back to the capital, and the two saints are extremely rewarding. The Queen of Heaven even specially ordered that the general be compensated..."
Honglu Temple officials are always sensitive to news, they must have inquired about Tianhou's promotion of this young general long ago, otherwise they would not have made such an urgent and flattering gesture.
But Shan Chao gently raised his hand and stopped the coming:
"The last general has come thousands of miles away, but he has not returned to his command, so he dare not be praised by the envoy."
The official suddenly remembered this, and was at a loss for words, but saw Shan Chao turn around and walk towards Dongshou, standing in front of Xie Yun under the eyes of everyone, and took out a scroll of parchment wrapped with gold thread from his arms.
It was an imperial decree passed from Chang'an to the northwest two months ago, ordering Shan Chao to escort the Khotan mission to Beijing.
Shan Chao knelt down on one knee, with his back straight, calm and calm like a rock, which is the meticulous demeanor and etiquette of a soldier: "The last general was ordered to escort the King of Khotan and his envoys to Beijing. It took two months, and now they arrived safely. Disgrace the mission."
"This is the imperial decree from the beginning, please read it and take it back, I will leave at the end!"
After finishing speaking, he lowered his head slightly, raised his hands high, and enshrined the imperial decree.
Xie Yun took a sip of tea, and gently put the porcelain bowl back on the table, as if he had finally diverted his attention to the outside world, he raised his eyelids and glanced at Shan Chao.
There was complete silence in the main hall, and everyone held their breaths. Shan Chao's gaze fell vertically on the exquisite silver-plated pattern on the floor tiles.
Xie Yun finally opened his mouth and asked the first sentence in eight years:
"Where are you going when you say goodbye?"
"..." Shan Chao said in a low hoarse voice: "Go back to Tarim, Anxi Protectorate."
"Did I tell you to go?"
Through the thin fabric on the back, one can see the lines highlighted by the tense muscles of Shan Chao.
Xie Yun took out the imperial decree from his hand, got up and walked outside the main hall, only casually dropped a sentence when passing by, it was for Shan Chao: "Stay here for me. Without my order, there will be no place anywhere. Don't go."
He stepped over the threshold without giving anyone a hand, and his figure disappeared under the bright sunshine of Chang'an's deep winter.
I saw Shan Chao maintaining the posture of kneeling on the ground, his shoulders undulating slightly as if he was forcibly suppressing something, and suddenly got up after a while, and under the surprised eyes of the Khotan Mission, he strode out to catch up!
Sifang Pavilion leads to Maoer Hutong, and outside is the busy Zhuque Street. Shan Chao supported the veranda railing with one hand, turned around and landed cleanly, looked over the high vermilion threshold, and saw outside the open front door.
——A carriage was waiting quietly at the entrance of the alley not far away. Xie Yun walked towards the door with his back turned to him. A delicate and pretty young woman in a pale yellow dress came up to him and took his hand.
Shan Chao's footsteps stopped.
The woman was full of smiles, her eyes met Shan Chao's in the air, and then moved away as if nothing had happened.
Xie Yun didn't look back, stepped on the door, and then the carriage slowly drove towards the bustling Chang'an City.
·
The carriage was sparkling, and the carriage was lit with a light soothing incense.
Yang Miaorong put down the curtain of the car, and asked with a smile: "You were ordered to exile in Mobei to take care of him?"
Xie Yun didn't know what he was thinking, so he let out a "huh" for a while.
"It looks like a good fate, but with his life experience, he will either be extremely expensive in the future, or die without a place to bury him. There is no other way to go—well, these two possibilities They're all huge."
Xie Yun said, "I won't let him die without a place to bury him."
Yang Miaorong was just talking casually, she didn't expect Xie Yun to say such a sentence, and she immediately froze. Then her thoughts changed, and she thought of another aspect: "Because he is destined to be on the same side as Tianhou?"
"..."
"Xie Yun," Yang Miaorong stretched out her catkin, and pressed the back of Xie Yun's hand resting on her knee: "You have done too many things for the Empress, it's almost over here. Human desires expand step by step Yes, her ambition is obviously getting bigger and bigger, and the situation in the palace is obviously getting more and more dangerous. If this goes on, I'm afraid of you... one day in the future... "
Xie Yun opened his eyes suddenly, with an obvious warning in his tone: "Miaorong."
The two looked at each other for a moment, Yang Miaorong's chest heaved slightly with her panting, and after a long while she finally frowned and said, "Xie Yun!"
"The Empress Dowager is in full power now. Her Majesty tried to give the throne to the crown prince several times, but she ordered her party members to stop them all - she wants that chair. I don't believe you can't see it until today!"
Xie Yun didn't answer, Yang Miaorong took a deep breath, her voice was hoarse and earnest: "My ability is limited, and I can't see too many specific things in the future. But you believe me, the final fate of the Queen of Heaven must be buried with the Empress Ceremony, you know Does that mean anything?"
"All her schemes are shattered! Everything you have put in for her is doomed to fail!"
"So?" Xie Yun stared at her and asked back.
Yang Miaorong was agitated by his tone without any emotion, "...you... Even if you know it's useless, you still want to be driven by her so willingly?"
Xie Yun said, "You don't understand."
"Why don't I understand? It's because you fell into the hands of Yin Kaiyang's Xuanwu when you were a child, and she secretly helped you a little bit-but it's been more than twenty years, and you haven't been used thoroughly enough, and you haven't paid her back enough All kindness?"
Xie Yun gently pulled his hand out of Yang Miaorong's palm, leaned back on the azure-colored golden python pillow, and shook his head wearily: "I shouldn't let you run around all day, you are too unscrupulous, so It would be dangerous."
Yang Miaorong was already prepared to argue or even quarrel, but she didn't expect Xie Yun's tone to be so heavy and gentle.
Looking at the man's impeccable face, slender and beautiful neck, and slightly drooping shoulders because of leaning back, she suddenly felt a little soft in her heart, and retorted in a low voice with a little reproach: "...how can there be any danger? Have the serious Qinglong tribe ever been afraid of mortals, who can hurt me?"
"Ordinary people have the viciousness of ordinary people." Xie Yun said lightly.
Yang Miaorong's eyes flickered, she stretched out her hand to caress Xie Yunjunmei's cold side cheek for a while, and asked softly: "Did your mother tell you these lessons?"
Xie Yun didn't avoid her hand, but he didn't respond either. After a long time, he almost sighed and said, "I can't remember... maybe."
·
The tenth day after the Khotan mission went to Beijing, the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Shangyuan.
The Queen of Heaven issued an order to hold a grand palace banquet. The Changle Palace was decorated with lanterns and festoons, fire trees and silver flowers, and dozens of people including the king, princess and chiefs of Khotan were entertained.
In the middle of the day in Yulou, there are singing and dancing, and the wind sends the palace concubines laughing and talking.
The night wind blows into the hall wrapped in warm fragrance, the gold brick floor is covered with red brocade, and the bells on the feet of the dancing girls ring together when they spin;
The first seat of the banquet was two tables side by side, and it was supposed that the emperor and empress would appear together, but before the banquet started, the emperor had a headache, so it was rumored that he would arrive later.
Only Tin Hau, wearing a bright yellow embroidered golden phoenix court dress, wearing a gold inlaid pigeon blood stone waffle and a heavy nine-hanging jewel, smiled and accepted the three-kneeling and nine-knocking gift from the King of Khotan, and sent down all kinds of rare rewards like flowing water.
The dancers changed again, everyone at the palace banquet was drunk, Empress Wu put down her silver chopsticks, raised her eyes and said with a smile: "General Dingyuan."
Shan Chao was originally ranked under several seats, but before the banquet, Empress Wu suddenly became interested and personally called for Shan Chao to sit next to her. Therefore, Shan Chao descended from the sky, and his seat was only half a step away from the chief, even much closer than the prince on the other side.
Shan Chao leaned forward and said, "Yes."
"I haven't seen you in eight years, but you have matured a lot, and you look like a man." Empress Wu's loving eyes wandered up and down, and she nodded slightly with undisguised appreciation: "Back then, you were a ganoderma lucidum spirit who was trying to deceive me. , the stunned young man who did not hesitate to ride thousands of miles against the order, is much more stable now—it can be seen that the battlefield can train people."
Shan Chao's answer was flat and decent: "Thank Heaven for the compliment, the last general is ashamed."
"Why don't you dare to do it? You made great military exploits and escorted the King of Khotan back to the court. You should have rewarded the officials with heavy rewards." Empress Wu pointed to the full wine pot on her desk and said with a smile: "Come here."
The eunuch hurried forward and bowed, Empress Wu said: "Give this jug of wine to General Zhongwu, take it."
Through the noise of the sheng and flute at the banquet, the four characters of General Zhongwu were clear and clear, which made the surrounding palace people stunned.
But the eunuch came to his senses immediately, and immediately stepped forward to hold the ruby-like rippling wine, turned around and knelt down to Shan Chao: "Congratulations to General Shan! General Shan has worked hard and achieved great success, congratulations!"
Congratulations from all around suddenly rang out—from Dingyuan to Zhongwu, he was promoted to four ranks in a row, and according to Tianhou's intention, he would be given an additional title. For Shan Chao's age, isn't it just a smooth rise to the top
"General Shan is young and promising, the pillar of the country!"
"Worthy of the name, congratulations, congratulations!"
…
Shan Chao's face sank like water, as if there was an invisible barrier separating him from the compliments and compliments around him, he only bowed his body to thank him for the reward, without even changing the shape of his sharp eyebrows, he reached out to take the flagon.
—However, at the moment when he sat down again, he looked beyond the magnificent decorations in the palace and the dancing girls, and turned to the other side of the banquet.
Xie Yun was leaning sideways on the table and drinking tea with his head bowed, his temple hair hanging from his ears in front of his body, his eyelashes, nose bridge and lips forming a handsome silhouette.
With slender hands, Yang Miaorong laughed softly, picked up a piece of winter bamboo shoots with silver chopsticks and put them on the porcelain plate in front of him.
Shan Chao almost forced himself to look away inch by inch, without any expression at all, and raised the jug to drink it all in one gulp.
"Did you say hello to Commander Xie after you came back?" Empress Wu smiled with her cheeks on her cheeks, her tone was relaxed as if chatting: "Look over there, that's the girl from the Yang family, the fiancée that Commander Xie chose for himself half a year ago, and it will be done at the end of the month Happy event."
Tianhou knocked on the table with her finger guard inlaid with huge diamonds and jadeites, glanced meaningfully at Shan Chao, and asked with a smile, "Do you know how they met?"