Without saying a word, Xie Yun looked Yu Wenhu up and down.
Eight years ago, Yuwenhu invited himself to go to Liangzhou, but was raped by Empress Wu. This incident made Yuwen and other aristocratic families deeply hate it. However, it didn't take long for news of the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Dafeichuan and the exhaustion of the 50,000 Tang troops. It was a fluke to be able to preserve it, it is really a blessing in disguise.
In the second year, Yu Wenhu was ordered to conquer Goguryeo, and won the first battle. This is invaluable to the Xiaoqi Battalion that has always been stationed in the capital. Yu Wenhu has been stationed in the Andong Protectorate for seven years, until two months ago when Liu Rengui led his troops across the Hulu River. After defeating the Silla army, he was ordered to escort the Silla envoy back to Chang'an, and received the letter from Empress Wu.
Although the Yuwen family adhered to the strategy of pleasing both sides and no one sided, but now that Empress Wu has basically confirmed victory, it would be foolish not to stand up. And Yu Wenhu's certificate of nomination to Empress Wu was also the first confidential task assigned to him by Empress Wu, which was to go to Qianzhou to take Xie Yun away.
"How do you know this place?" Xie Yun asked.
Yu Wenhu said: "The Queen of Heaven said that if you go to Qianzhou, this is the place you must visit."
Xie Yun was silent for a moment, looking at the gray-black stele in front of him, and said calmly after a long while: "My mother is just a commoner woman, and she cannot be a memorial service to the General Xiaoqi. Don't make her feel at ease under the nine springs..."
But Yu Wenhu asked back: "There is no high or low before life and death, Lingtang is the elder, why can't he deserve this obeisance?"
"I just went to Liaodong in the early years. I was young and didn't know the heights of the sky and the earth. Even if I encountered a cemetery, I would still gallop over it. Now that I have experienced it for a few years and saw a lot of life and death, I realize that every life is not a trivial matter..." Yu Wenhu paused, and said in a low voice: "Even if it's not your mother, it's just an unnamed tomb you encounter on the march, and you should get off your horse and walk slowly."
The offerings in front of the tombstone are indeed seasonal fresh fruits. Although they are only loquats and dates that can be bought in ordinary markets, they still have water drops, which shows that they were sent to the city to buy them temporarily, and they were not prepared in advance. Come play something.
If it were Yu Wenhu back then, he would have prepared lychees and cherries carefully, and then delivered them quickly, publicized them, and made a special show of his achievements, for fear that people in the world would not know—but now his style is much more real. It can be seen that he Emotion is not a lie.
"... You feel more at ease," Xie Yun said lazily.
Yu Wenhu sighed self-deprecatingly: "It's a pity that it's too late."
Why is it late
He didn't say anything, so Xie Yun naturally wouldn't ask.
Xie Yun stretched out his hand to the person. Yu Wenhu winked, and his subordinates immediately understood, lit three sticks of incense, stepped forward and handed them to him respectfully. Xie Yun took it without looking at it, knelt on the dirt in front of the tombstone, kowtowed three times slowly, and then got up and said, "Let's go."
Yuwenhu was taken aback: "What?"
"Aren't you leaving?" Xie Yun sneered, "Or do you want to fight in front of my mother's grave, and then return to Beijing in disgrace?"
"… I thought you… "
"Think I want to hide in this poor country for the rest of my life?"
Yu Wenhu didn't say it clearly, but his expression clearly thought so.
Xie Yun smiled and said, "Thinking too much."
Xie Yun flicked his robe sleeves, turned around and walked towards the large and gorgeous carriage not far away, which was incompatible with this remote mountain road.
All the guards were stunned on the spot, only to feel that the scene was quite different from what they had expected, and the atmosphere that was originally tense suddenly became very strange. The soldiers standing in front of the carriage watched Xie Yun walking towards him, without even realizing what happened, their hands were still pressed on the handle of the knife, but their mouths grew into a funny circle.
"Wait... wait," Yu Wenhu hurried to catch up, as if he didn't know what to do, and he reacted suddenly after a while: "What are you still doing? Hurry up and clean the car!"
Xie Yun stood with his arms folded and watched the play, only to see the trembling guards, got into the carriage and cleared out a large bag of things, iron chains, iron ropes, and a large bag full of tranquilizing incense...
"General Yuwen is so kind, Xie accepts it."
Yu Wenhu was extremely embarrassed, and opened the car door with his own hands: "Thank you Commander, please."
Xie Yun lifted his clothes and gracefully boarded the carriage, as if he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, let the soldiers you sent to the market come back. The Queen of Heaven should only let you take me back alive, she didn't say yes If you want Shan Chao's life, those soldiers of yours are just giving it in vain..."
Yu Wenhu doubted: "What kind of soldiers?"
Xie Yun: "..."
The two looked at each other for a while, Xie Yun said in amazement: "It wasn't you who sent people to the market to raise Huli Mountain?"
Yu Wenhu was struck by lightning: "No? Is the one surnamed Shan not with you?"
"..."
The misunderstanding came so unexpectedly, Xie Yun's expression finally cracked.
·
Everyone in the inn escaped cleanly, the tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks were all messed up, and dozens of dead men had already been lying on the ground in disorder. In the end, the two exchanged winks, gritted their teeth and rushed forward at the same time, but the next moment they broke their arms and legs amidst the screams and flew away, knocking over the tables and chairs all over the floor and falling heavily to the corner.
Shan Chao's face sank like water, sheathed Shang Fang's sword, and strode out.
The shopkeeper led a group of young men shyly hiding outside the store, shouting one after another in the distance, and the government servants were rushing towards this side.
With the rank of General Huaihua personally conferred by Yukou, the iron certificate of Danshu and the sword of Shangfang, it is enough for the magistrate of the county to come and kneel down in person to worship, but Shan Chao didn't want to have any right and wrong at this critical moment, so he bought it from a street stall. He touched a straw hat and put it on his head, deliberately lowered the brim of the hat, and wandered away in the market.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a few men in the crowd suddenly came retrograde, forming a vague siege, blocking his way.
Shan Chao stopped.
With his martial arts cultivation, he can feel that these people are domineering, such as Yuan Ting and Yue Zhi, and they are not at the same level as the dead men in the inn just now.
Who is the visitor
Chaochao's nature alone is not a cruel and ruthless person. Besides, Xie Yun escaped from death several times, which made him very careful about the severity of his attacks. He was unwilling to commit more crimes when it was not necessary. He didn't put others at the inn just now. deadly.
But now, he squinted his eyes, his eyes wandered over those experts, and a murderous intent subconsciously appeared in his heart.
"—General Shan," one of them said coldly.
Shan Chao didn't answer, he stretched out his hand and held down the hilt of the sword, and the invisible energy instantly rose from the ground like a wind blade!
However, at this moment, the masters in front of them bowed slightly and gave way.
A burly and powerful middle-aged man wearing a hat and walking steadily walked through the crowd. Although he didn't have any weapons on his body, he walked towards Shan Chao fearlessly. He then raised his hand and took off the hat, revealing A face with dark complexion and plain features.
He is about forty years old, but there is no bloatedness brought about by any age. On the contrary, every move reveals the military temperament that permeates from the bones, and he stands in front of Shan Chao, raising his hands and cupping his fists. : "Next..."
"You sent those dead men just now?" Shan Chao cut him off resolutely.
"Yes." The man looked directly into Shan Chao's eyes, and said frankly: "The first time we met, it was quite abrupt, probably because I needed to know whether General Shan was really as powerful as the legend said, so I had to make such a bad move..."
He bowed his head slightly, full of mutual respect and even admiration among masters: "General Shan, who is powerful in the northwest, really lives up to his reputation. I saw you today. I am lucky to have three lives. Please forgive me, General Shan." He said deeply owed body.
Time seemed to be frozen. The man waited for a long time, but no one helped him up.
"...?"
The man finally raised his eyes hesitantly, and met Shan Chao's condescending and cold gaze:
"Stay out of the way."
Man: "..."
Shan Chao walked away, not even interested in asking his name, and walked straight away under the stunned gazes of the surrounding masters.
"My lord, he is—"
The man raised his hand to stop the aggrieved subordinates, and said decisively: "He is looking for Xie Yun. It doesn't matter, follow him first!"
·
The bazaar is like a pot of porridge that has been stirred up. Officers and soldiers scolded, pedestrians pushed and shoved, and vendors yelled one after another. Relying on the familiarity of wandering in the town for several days, Shan Chao walked back to Huixian Building from alleys, back streets and other familiar roads. Xie Yun has long disappeared.
Did you go back to the inn
For some reason, Shan Chao's heart was beating very fast, and an indescribable feeling of emptiness emerged spontaneously.
He immediately turned his head and went straight to Fulong Mountain. The inn at the foot of the mountain was not yet affected by the riots. The shopkeeper smiled and settled the accounts behind him.
Shan Chao opened his mouth, even he himself did not expect that his voice was slightly unsteady: "Did my wife just come back?"
The shopkeeper said unexpectedly: "No wow?"
"..."
Shan Chao forgot to say thank you, went straight to the upstairs room, opened the door and saw that the room was empty.
The tea was half empty, the bed was messy, and the clothes that had been changed before going out were spread out on the quilt. The fiery kisses and whispers from last night seemed to still be in the air, and the words were still in my ears, not far away.
Shan Chao walked into the room step by step, sat at the table, crossed his fingers and propped his forehead.
Will definitely come back, he thought.
He knows I'm waiting for him, and he'll...will come back.
However, the person who was waiting did not appear.
The sky dimmed little by little, the long night was long, the sun was rising, and a new day came like thousands of ordinary mornings in the world, but the person he was waiting for never appeared again.
The moment the first ray of morning sun leaked into the window lattice, Shan Chao closed his eyes.
He slowly lowered the hand supporting his forehead, and clenched his five fingers tightly into a fist, as if relying on the tingling pain of the nails penetrating into the flesh and blood, he managed to suppress some deeper, angry, and darkness-like drama that engulfed all reason. pain.
"Chang'an..." He paused every word, and the ending sound exhaled a cold and trembling breath from between his teeth: "Chang, An...!"
The figures who had been guarding the door all night moved, and then the door knocked lightly, and someone pushed it away from the outside.
The middle-aged man from the market yesterday walked in slowly, looked at Shan Chao calmly for a moment, his eyes flashed with undetectable, cautious pity, and clasped his fists: "General Shan."
Shan Chao raised his eyes and looked back.
In an instant, the man felt a chill in his heart. He felt that the young and promising general in front of him was like an extremely irritable beast because of his desperation. Might roar out and devour everything.
"... General." The man swallowed his dry throat, and said with difficulty: "The arrow is on the string right now, and you are in danger. You still have one last way to go..."
"Who are you?" Shan Chao said hoarsely.
The man stretched out his hand and pointed to a piece of jade bead faintly protruding from Shan Chao's sleeve, and a blood-red jade tiger head was hanging from the bead string.
"Your Majesty should have said that when he bestowed this tiger talisman on the general, if the Eastern Capital were to suffer from swords and soldiers, he could use this to find British Duke Li Jingye, so that he could lead his troops to save the saint from danger."
"Although there is no war at the moment, the situation in Chang'an is already in dire straits, and Sheng Jia is also in prison. It is time for you and me to serve the country with all our heart..."
The man took a deep breath, met Shan Chao's cold gaze and said: "I am not talented at the bottom, but I am in a high position. It is Li Jingye himself that the Holy One said."