He Cong said angrily:
"What are you looking at?! Throw him away!"
The servants were at a loss.
"Your Excellency...you should go and have a look! Master Qi is not like before. He is holding fire with open flames, and he looks fierce! It makes people frightened!"
He Cong was furious:
"Ridiculous! My He family has been an official for generations, and it's not his turn to make trouble!"
He took off the sword on the wall and rushed out of the mansion gate angrily.
Before seeing the situation clearly, He Cong cursed:
"Qi Yan! Why are you crazy?!"
This is not the first time Qi Yan has troubled him.
Even before, it was not the first time that Qi Yan took Xia Xun away in front of him.
A long time ago, He Cong knew that Xia Xun had someone he liked, but he didn't know that person was Qi Yan.
He had never heard of the name Qi Yan. It was not until the Xia family had an accident that he heard a few words about his life experience from his father.
After Xia Hongxi fell from power, Qi Yan was quickly reused, and he held a high position at a young age.
Xia Xun was sincere to him, but he was forced to be displaced and imprisoned.
He Cong was indignant at what happened to Xia Xun, and wanted to try to save him, but his father threatened his life and would not allow him to come forward.
For the safety of the whole He family, He Cong held back.
A few months later, the news of Xia Xun's death spread to the capital, and He Cong was so remorseful that he quarreled with his parents and left for Lingnan.
After returning to Beijing from Douzhou, his mood gradually stabilized. He kept Xia Xun's secret and went back to his original life.
However, whenever he saw Qi Yan, the anger in his heart could not be suppressed.
What made him even more angry was Qi Yan's attitude.
He originally thought that Qi Yan would be touched after learning of Xia Xun's death, at least he could show a trace of guilt.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yan has not changed at all, he works normally every day, completes official duties with due diligence, and never loses his composure, let alone mourning and remorse for Xia Xun.
He completely forgot about Xia Xun, as if he never existed.
The only thing that changed was his attitude towards the He family.
When Xia Xun was first dispatched to Lingnan, He Cong's father made a small mistake and fell into Qi Yan's hands.
Qi Yan didn't feel any pain, so he let the matter go.
After Xia Xun's death, he became more and more vigorous in his actions, without showing any sympathy, especially to He Cong.
When He Cong returned to the capital, he was given an official position.
He just took office, he is still not proficient in everything, and accidentally made a very small mistake.
Even if the emperor personally inquired, He Cong might not be punished.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yan would not let him go, insisting on punishing him.
He Cong's father didn't know where his son had offended him, so he prepared a generous gift and asked He Cong to come and deliver it in person.
He Cong was unwilling in every possible way, but he went anyway.
He was not there to intercede, but to quarrel.
Seeing Qi Yan's first sentence, He Cong asked:
"Xia Xun is dead, are you happy?"
Qi Yan froze on the spot and did not speak for a long time.
He Cong laughed loudly, and threw the gift prepared by his father heavily.
"I'll give you something! You can kill or cut as you please! But listen to me! Even if you cut off my head, Xia Xun would not be able to survive!"
Filled with resentment, he cursed viciously:
"You must always remember that Xia Xun was killed by you! When you are also underground, Lord Yan will definitely order you to pay for your life!"
Leaving aside a few bad words, He Cong only felt relieved, and left Qi Mansion with a big smile.
He thought that he had completely offended Qi Yan this time, and it would definitely not end well.
Unexpectedly, after that day, Qi Yan claimed to be sick for a few days, and then went out to work, as if he had completely forgotten the mistake He Cong made, and never mentioned it again.
He Cong couldn't figure out why, and he didn't appreciate Qi Yan's affection.
The same goes for Qi Yan.
Although He Cong was let go this time, in the next few years, whenever he saw him, he never gave him a good face.
He Cong is not afraid of arguing with Qi Yan, he is not afraid of him at all.
Tonight is different.
It was only after He Cong saw the battle outside the door that Qi Yan was for real this time.
Qi Yan sat high on the horse, looking down at him from above.
Dozens of guards stood behind him. Seeing He Cong come out, they raised their torches and stared at him in unison.
He Cong stood still, drew out his sword, and threw the scabbard under Qi Yan's horse:
"Master Zhongshu is so aggressive, is he going to bring people into my house and kill my family?!"
Qi Yan looked at his fingers as if nothing had happened, and said calmly:
"Master He misunderstood, I just passed by by chance, as long as you return Xia Xun to me, I will take people away immediately."
He Cong instinctively wanted to ask, is Xia Xun gone
When the words came to his lips, he held back again.
He sneered and asked Qi Yan:
"Master Qi, don't you think you are strange? You killed Xia Xun with your own hands, and now you want to keep him by your side! What are your hobbies? Or do you still hate him and regret letting him go?" He has lost his life, and he is going to be captured and killed with his own hands?? "
Qi Yan was absent-minded, and said lightly:
"I'm not in the mood to joke with you. Well, return Xia Xun to me. It's getting late, and he should go back to rest."
He Cong stared at him closely.
Qi Yan seems to be perfect, but He Cong sees through his illusion.
He restrains himself and acts cautiously, and rarely loses control of his emotions.
The angrier he got, the calmer he acted.
At this moment, his jaw tensed, and the veins on his neck bulged.
He Cong could tell that Qi Yan was extremely nervous and angry, and he couldn't help but laugh.
He didn't mind adding another fire to this monstrous undercurrent.
He said loudly to Qi Yan:
"You are late! At this hour, Xia Xun has already left the city!"
Qi Yan paused, got off his horse, and walked towards him slowly.
Step by step, he met He Cong's hostile eyes, and stepped on the steps in front of He's residence.
The servants rushed over, not daring to stop Qi Yan, they stood in front of He Cong.
He Cong ordered: "Get out of the way!"
Then he angrily reprimanded Qi Yan: "What are you pretending to do? If you are capable, you stabbed me!"
Qi Yan ignored him and walked up to him step by step.
His voice was extremely low, with burning anger in his eyes:
"Tell me, where did Xia Xun go?"
The servants of the He residence were frightened by his cold aura and froze in place, no one dared to act rashly.
He Cong was fearless, sneered and said:
"The world is vast, he can go anywhere, you will never find him, and you will never see him again."
Qi Yan suddenly drew out his sword, and the sharp blade pointed directly at He Cong's throat.
The servants of the He family panicked and knelt down on the ground, begging Qi Yan for mercy.
He Cong stared at Qi Yan, neither dodging nor avoiding:
"Master Qi, are you going to kill the imperial court official in full view?"
Qi Yan said coldly:
"Don't think that I dare not, it's not that I haven't killed before, Xia Hongxi's head was chopped off by myself."
He Cong laughed out loud:
"Then you do it, but you have to understand that if I die by your hands, Xia Xun will never forgive you in this life."
Qi Yan's figure froze, and the tip of his sword protruded an inch forward, touching He Cong's chest.
The entreaties of the servants continued.
He Cong laughed and said:
"I was wrong. Xia Xun would never forgive you. Even if you killed me, it would just make him hate you even more. Come on, I guess you don't care."
After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes provocatively, telling Qi Yan to do whatever he wanted.
Qi Yan gritted his teeth, tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, and the blade buried nearly an inch into He Cong's chest, cutting open his clothes and leaving bloodstains on his skin.
As long as Qi Yan exerted a little force, the saber could drive straight into He Cong's chest.
When the sword was on the verge of breaking out, there was a sound of horseshoes approaching from far away, and Qi Hui's figure appeared in the night.
"My lord!" He quickly dismounted and rushed to Qi Yan's side, "I found Yuzhu!"
Qi Yan immediately withdrew his sword and asked anxiously:
"Have you found Yuzhu? Where's Xia Xun??"
Qi Hui was anxious and said in a panic:
"Master Xia was not found, and... moreover, when Yuzhu was found, it was already dead!"
A few hours ago.
Xia Xun took Yuzhu back to her home.
The ruin of the Xia Mansion was within his expectations.
The whole mansion was about to be reduced to ruins, and he could no longer tell who lived in each courtyard.
The water in the lake has long since dried up, and all the water lilies planted have withered, and the dry leaves are broken into powder, blown by the wind, and swirled out from the bottom of the lake.
He raised his arms to block the oncoming flying dust.
Terrified by the sight in front of her, Yuzhu froze in place, her nose twitching non-stop, as if she was looking for clues to overlap this place with the home she remembered.
Xia Xun picked it up and walked forward slowly, bypassing the rickety pillars and walking through the ruined wells.
The house was in disrepair for a long time, the wooden window frames were broken into a honeycomb shape, the plaque on the courtyard door fell to the ground, and the handwriting was blown away by the wind.
Many paths were impassable, Xia Xun circled around the dry lake, and unknowingly walked near the main house.
The main beams of the house were broken from it, exposing jagged stubble.
Xia Xun's aunt was hanged on this beam, and the white silk was gifted by the emperor, specially sent from the palace, and handed over to her by Qi Yan himself.
Xia Xun took advantage of the moonlight to glance into the house, but didn't go in.
Going north around the main building, the courtyard farthest from the main entrance is where Xia Xun used to live.
Yuzhu recognized it before him.
It was tens of feet away from the small courtyard, and it was so excited that it kicked Xia Xun with its paws desperately, trying to get down from his arms.
Xia Xun put it on the ground, and it spread its four legs and walked into the yard impartially.
This is the happiest time since Xia Xun reunited with it.
It completely forgot about physical pain, and left behind its aging heart and lungs and overwhelmed joints.
It seems to have returned to many years ago, the first time it escaped from Xia Xun's second brother, and ran to this small courtyard full of hope, looking for an owner who could protect it.
It held its head high and strode in. Xia Xun followed behind it, arriving late.
The two-storey building in the courtyard is no different from other ruined buildings in the Xia Mansion, neither dilapidated nor brighter than them.
Xia Xun stood under the gate of the Moon-shaped courtyard, looking ahead from a distance.
He couldn't recall all the memories of the past.
His attention was all on Yuzhu, he expected something and tried his best to prepare himself.
Yuzhu finally returned to the haunted place, it slowed down, sniffing here and there.
Everything here makes it feel homely.
It doesn't mind how dilapidated the place is, this small courtyard means the happiest time for it.
There are two people who treat it very well, feed it delicious food, and play with it every day.
Even if it does something wrong, it will not be punished, not even blamed.
It remembered that it had broken many things, the most it was called a "little villain".
It had a great time, rolling in the grass all day long, or going to the lake to scare the koi in the water.
It thought that this kind of life would go on for a long time, until that person came.
He led a large group of people and rushed into his house with a murderous look.
One of its owners knelt before the man, while the other held it, shivering behind the house.
It didn't understand what was going on and licked her hand.
She touched its forehead and kept crying.
Later, she hid it in the cellar.
When it was too hungry and ran out of the cellar, no one was there.
It ran and yelled in the mansion until its paws were scratched by stones and its voice was hoarse, but no one paid attention to it.
It returned to the courtyard, jumped onto the bed, curled up and lay down.
It still smells of the masters here, maybe they will be back soon.
It waited in place for seven days.
Until all the koi in the lake died, it couldn't wait any longer.
Drilling into the dog hole it had walked a few times before, it went to a new place.
The people in that place treat it well, feed it on time, and occasionally play with it.
But there is the person it hates the most, and it knows that it is he who takes away the owner and destroys its home.
When it saw him, it barked, and as soon as he approached, it bared its teeth and pounced on him.
After several times, the man no longer approached it, and no longer wanted to touch its head.
It lived like this for seven years.
It has never regarded this place as its home for a moment, and what it never forgets is its original hometown.
After many years, suddenly one day, the master came back.
He's lost a lot of weight, he doesn't smell the same, and he doesn't always look happy.
He no longer makes noise and laughs with it, but just hugs it quietly.
Yuzhu didn't care.
As long as he can come back, its wish will come true.
In Xia Xun's former residence, Yuzhu raised her leg and struggled over the threshold.
It used to be able to pass the place with a slight lift of the foot, but now it is not a small obstacle.
It walked slowly to the side of the bed and looked up at Xia Xun.
Xia Xun understood what it meant, sat down directly regardless of the dust on the bed, and carried Yuzhu up.
Yuzhu got on the bed, couldn't stand up, and fell down.
Even though he had lost all his strength, he persisted, resting his head on Xia Xun's lap.
This was its favorite position in the past, and every time it came back from playing, it would lie down with Xia Xun like this.
Xia Xun stroked it back and forth.
Its hair is dry and hard, dull, and a large piece of hair breaks and falls off when it is touched lightly.
Its four legs were extremely swollen, and the sound of breathing became rougher.
Xia Xun touched it while talking to it:
"Yuzhu, be good, you are the best puppy in the world... I know, you have persisted until today just to see me."
His throat suddenly became sore, he paused, choked up and said:
"Thank you for your hard work. I will always be by your side. You...you can rest."
Yuzhu was waiting for this sentence.
After Xia Xun finished speaking, it looked at him with love and nostalgia in its eyes.
Xia Xun touched its wet nose for the last time, and it closed its eyes satisfied.
Its heartbeat gradually weakened, its belly stopped rising and falling, its pink nose became pale, its warm body gradually cooled, its limbs stretched out long, and it limply lay on the bed.
It sighed contentedly, licked Xia Xun's hand, lay on his lap, and slowly stopped breathing.
In this regard, left him.