the day before.
In the side hall, Li Yanzhen stood under the porch, looking up at the blue branches of the sycamore tree in a trance, Su Shiyu had already left quietly, but the question still lingered in his ears.
- "Your Majesty, do you still yearn to be a free craftsman outside the palace?"
He stood still for a moment, then turned and returned to the temple. Lu Qinghe was sorting out his old paintings on the desk, carefully putting them away one by one, when he heard footsteps and looked back, "Your Majesty, I just made the tea and put it there. "
Li Yanzhen let out an "um", but didn't move her footsteps. Seeing her back busy, she picked up a painting and unfolded it, but her hand suddenly stopped and she didn't move for a long time. Li Yanzhen crossed her shoulders and saw peach blossoms everywhere, her red clothes glowing, and finally she couldn't help but say, "... Qinghe."
"I..." He saw Lu Qinghe turn around and said hesitantly, "I have something to tell you."
Lu Qinghe nodded, "Well, let's talk."
"I'm leaving Chang'an."
"Well, I know." Lu Qinghe smiled, "I heard Mr. Su talking to you. It's good to leave safely. These paintings will be packed soon. I'll pack up for you later."
Li Yanzhen shook her head and continued: "I grew up in the palace, and I have never been to any place except for some other palaces, and I am not familiar with martial arts at all, and I rely on Su Aiqing and Chu Aiqing to handle political affairs. Although I have read There are many books, but I can't say that I am proficient, and I can barely read it with only the carving skills and painting skills..."
He spoke very slowly, as if he was considering every sentence, but Lu Qinghe couldn't understand why he heard it, but he didn't make a sound.
"...I don't know much about things outside the palace. It's not as good as your travels abroad, and you have a lot of knowledge." Li Yanzhen looked at her and smiled slightly, "I have never been to Dongting Jiangnan, and I have never seen Changbai Snow Mountain. Would you like to? Will you watch it with me again?"
Lu Qinghe was stunned for a while, staring blankly at him speechless.
Li Yanzhen still said slowly: "Don't worry, I will act very carefully, and I will not cause you trouble or make you suffer. If the road is difficult, you can exchange some of my paintings for some money. If it doesn't work, I can Carve something to…”
"I'm willing," Lu Qinghe interrupted him, choked up a little, but smiled brightly, "I'm willing, especially willing!"
Li Yanzhen smiled, and stepped forward and hugged her lightly in her arms, she raised her arms and hugged Li Yanzhen, trying her best to hold back her tears, and said with a smile, "Fortunately, it's not too late, we can walk faster on the road, and we can still catch up with the flowers in Jiangnan. ."
Li Yanzhen nodded and smiled, "Okay."
As dawn was approaching, the person who had come to pick them up from the palace as agreed arrived.
As King Xiling's army got closer and closer, there were more and more people in Chang'an who wanted to flee with their families. The commander of the forbidden army couldn't stop them in time, so he returned to the palace to report, but he got the sentence "If they want to escape, just let them go", so As soon as he came, he simply opened the city gate to let go, and even the interrogation was omitted.
They rode out of the city in an inconspicuous carriage among the crowd, and after a few rounds to make sure that nothing happened, they stopped at a remote place on the outskirts of the city.
As soon as Li Yanzhen got out of the car, she saw Su Shiyu waiting here, and couldn't help laughing, "I didn't expect you to come to see me in person."
"It should be like this." Su Shiyu raised his hand and gestured to another more spacious carriage behind him, "Everything you need for money is ready, and the coachman knows some martial arts, so it shouldn't be a problem to guard you all the way. If you need anything else, Someone can contact me again."
"Thank you." Li Yanzhen thought for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to leave Chang'an?"
"No," Su Shiyu shook his head, "I still have some things to do."
"... Is it for Chu Mingyun?"
Su Shiyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled calmly, "You can say that."
Li Yanzhen nodded, was silent for a while, and suddenly said, "What do you think of me as a person during these years in office?"
Su Shiyu pondered for a while, and did not answer, he smiled, and Gu Zi continued: "There is no big fault, it is just too useless, is that so?"
"Presumably everyone in the world thinks this way." He sighed, and let out a low laugh, "Fortunately, Su Aiqing is not a woman."
"What did you say?" Su Shiyu couldn't hear clearly.
"It's nothing." Li Yanzhen looked at him with a smile and bowed her head solemnly, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to see each other again, brother, take care."
Su Shiyu was slightly moved, and nodded in return, and said warmly, "Take care."
The sky was getting brighter, the mountains and forests were still filled with fog, and the grass was green. Li Yanzhen was fascinated by the figure of Su Shiyu driving his horse away. Lu Qinghe waited for a while, and couldn't help but wonder: "You...you know the relationship between Master Chu and Master Su. ?"
"It's just about," Li Yanzhen said with a chuckle, "if you see the look in Chu Mingyun's eyes in the courtroom, you can guess it. But what if you know it, just like Jiang Yuan at that time, I always feel concerned. Too much is just a source of trouble.”
"Jiang Yuan?" Lu Qinghe was startled, "Is it Jiang Zhaoyi that I heard about in the palace, the one who poisoned you before? You already knew she had bad intentions?"
Li Yanzhen nodded indifferently, "I know, but even if I know, I still want to keep her. After all, if she is executed, wouldn't I even have someone to speak to in the palace?"
Lu Qinghe was speechless, reached out and gently grabbed his hand.
He couldn't help laughing at this little gesture, and held her hand instead, Li Yanzhen sighed, "I've thought about it a lot these days when I was under house arrest, only to realize that in the first half of my life for more than 20 years, it seems that I have never lived as myself. ."
"My father and mother took care of me because I was the only son left; people like Jiang Yuan who wanted to kill me were for my throne; even Su Aiqing cared for me because he was a minister. The responsibility is not for me." The voice was faintly scattered in the mist, he turned to look at Lu Qinghe, and his mixed feelings finally turned into one sentence: "So, thank you for the one you like."
"Yanzhen..."
"Let's go and see how the flowers in Jiangnan look like." Li Yanzhen smiled and pulled her into the carriage.
The setting sun melted gold, and it was dyed with a strong blood color outside the city, and a battle was coming to an end.
The Xiongnu cavalry was as brave and savage as rumored, and the seven thousand elite soldiers fought hard with the heart of mortal death.
"Commander, what should we do, they are about to call, do you want to report to His Majesty?"
The commander of the Imperial Army was pacing the city wall, sweating profusely, and he heard the words and shouted: "What are you reporting, refusing to defend the troops! Refusing to defend the troops! Don't you understand, even if you and I die, you have to defend! "
"But how do we know how to fight?" The adjutant lowered his voice, "Commander, Commander! Otherwise... let's run away?"
The commander's footsteps slammed, hesitant, and after a few changes in his expression, he gritted his teeth and cursed: "Bastard! This is Chang'an, the capital of the country! If you leave, the Huns will come in! Let me hear this again. If so, I'll slash you first!"
The adjutant nodded again and again in horror, his anger was uncontrollable, but his heart was not clear. At this moment, there was a sudden exclamation from the guards, and the commander hurriedly followed and looked back.
A horse in the chaotic army suddenly rushed to his side, Li Chenghua swung a knife subconsciously, and was swept away by the other side with a machete. Only then did he see that the person who came was Yu Lu, Yu Wen's attendant, and he was the one who led the Huns army this time. .
"My lord, the situation is not right!"
Li Chenghua followed Yu Lu's gaze and stared wide.
The vermilion gates of Chang'an City opened wide, and countless black armored cavalrymen rushed out from the rear. However, the mighty army of 10,000 Huns now has only 4,000 or 5,000 dead and wounded. Not to mention the fact that after a long battle, the troops and horses are exhausted and morale is weakened, and the situation is extremely unfavorable.
His eyes were fixed, and his eyes were fixed on the person among the ten thousand troops.
The flag was waved, and the horn sounded and the Huns stopped their offensive.
Su Shiyu smiled knowingly and stepped forward. They were separated by a long distance from each other and looked at each other from a distance.
"Master Su," Li Chenghua shouted, "you led the troops to block, are you trying to serve that rebel?"
Su Shiyu remained calm and looked at him without responding.
"It's pathetic, it's a shame!" He said in a heart-wrenching voice, "Do you have the heart to ruin the reputation of the loyal souls of the Su family for several generations? Your father, General Su Jue, has a spirit in the sky. The thief worked his life, how do you make him feel?"
Su Shiyu finally spoke up, his tone still calm and as usual, "Is it worthy of the ancestors to invite foreigners to invade the country?"
"Foreign races have the heart of good alliances, and they are willing to send troops to help eliminate rebels. It is the luck of the two races, why are you ashamed?"
Su Shiyu shook his head and chuckled, not wanting to say more. The cavalry of the Yulin Army behind him slowly moved forward and supported him. The long swords and halberds were already on display, sharp and ready to go.
Li Chenghua could see that a fight was inevitable, his face darkened, and he raised his hands high.
The flag was waved, and the two armies rushed out almost at the same time, roaring and hedging.
The drums of war sounded, and the sound of fighting resounded throughout the world.
Compared with the fine black armor on other cavalrymen, the soft armor on Su Shiyu's body was extraordinarily thin, but he didn't care that he was in the front line, leading a group of cavalry to charge straight towards the opponent's center.
Sweeping all the way, extremely fast and extremely dangerous, in the gap of the knife light and blood shadow, it turned into a narrow blade straight into the lifeline, killing a bloody path.
The blood splattered like rain and penetrated into the white shirt in Su Shiyu's soft armor. The blood and dust filled his nostrils, and the horses flashed through the enemies like lightning. .
He wasn't able to gallop on the battlefield as his youth had hoped, and there's nothing wrong with choosing to die in this way now.
Li Chenghua was already in sight.
The sound of the horse's hooves was urgent, and Li Chenghua looked at Su Shiyu who was approaching, a ferocious flashed across his face, grabbed the crossbow arrow on the saddle and shot it. Three strands of silver light struck, too close, and it was too late to move away to dodge. He suddenly leaned back on his horse, almost lying on the horse, the crossbow arrows flew past in front of him, and the sword light flashed next to him. , while sitting up straight, he pulled the reins, and the horse body turned with it, the long knife swiped across the soft armor on the shoulder, leaving a burning pain.
The two exchanged positions in an instant, Li Chenghua turned his head to stare at Su Shiyu, who had escaped in a thrilling manner, and snorted coldly.
The horse under Su Shiyu suddenly whimpered and fell forward—at the moment of passing by, it was the Hun cavalry next to him who slashed at the horse's leg with a knife. Li Chenghua's knife fell.
Su Shiyu released the saddle without hesitation, stepped on the horse's back and immediately rose into the air, heading towards the knife.
A sharp arrow came through the air, penetrated the armor and plunged into Li Chenghua's back. His hand that dropped the knife stagnated, and the blade only rubbed against Su Shiyu's neck and left a thin light red mark. Almost at the same time, Su Shiyu's The sword also fell.
Su Shiyu landed steadily, Li Chenghua's head fell right after, and instantly rolled into the hooves. The headless body was still sitting on the horse, and then fell to the ground.
Another whistle of arrows passed overhead, Su Shiyu looked up, Yu Lu, who was not far away, spat out a mouthful of blood, but ignoring the arrows that didn't go into his chest, he tried his best to draw the bow, and at the last moment he fell and got off his horse. come over.
A little light from the arrow's edge flashed in his eyes, and Su Shiyu heaved a sigh of relief.
The three armies have won the command, and the overall situation has been decided.
Facing the approaching Hanmang, he didn't move, didn't dodge, slowly let go of his sword grip, and closed his eyes in relief.
But suddenly crashed into a hug.
Someone grabbed his waist and rushed out of the battle. The sound of the melee faded away, and the only sound that could be heard clearly was the sound of rapid breathing. The opponent's hand was trembling slightly, but he hugged him tightly again and again. disappeared in general. Sandalwood is quiet, this embrace is too familiar, Su Shiyu's body is stiff and unable to move.
Chu Mingyun took a breath, looked at the person in his arms, and said in a low voice, "Shiyu, open your eyes and look at me."
Su Shiyu's eyelashes trembled slightly, hesitantly, he slowly opened his eyes and met those eyes, shining brightly.
Chu Mingyun looked at him and smiled, and asked, "Why do you want to help me?"
"I… "
He didn't give Su Shiyu a chance to answer at all, he cut off his words and continued to ask: "Why do you say that if I die, you will pay me back?"
He grabbed Su Shiyu's hand beside him, "The gesture you held the sword just now was totally fine, so why wasn't it like that the day you wanted to kill me?"
Su Shiyu wanted to get rid of his hand, but Chu Mingyun clenched it tightly, staring at him with burning eyes, "I tried it, you couldn't use all your strength with your sword hand that day, since you are so angry, Why are you still reluctant to kill me?"
"How dare you say that you don't have me in your heart?"
Su Shiyu was stagnant, silent for a long time, and chuckled as if tired, "Yes, I have you in my heart." He looked at Chu Mingyun quietly, "It has always been you, only you."
Chu Mingyun looked at him and slowly raised his eyebrows and smiled. He seemed to have waited for this sentence for too long, after the snow-covered green hills, after the red plums withered, suffered for half his life, and became ill to the bone, before the dust settled.
"I believe," Chu Mingyun lowered his voice, "World Yu, can you believe me?"
Su Shiyu couldn't answer in astonishment, so he could only stare at him blankly.
Chu Mingyun took out a jade pendant from his close-fitting sleeve and handed it to him. The white jade carving was exactly the one that Su Shiyu had given it, but the jade pendant's golden marks were crisscrossed, apparently broken and re-spliced with gold foil. "I threw this jade pendant, and then it broke again. At most, I can only spell it like this..."
"At the beginning, I did deliberately approach and test you. What you guessed on the boat was almost right, but what you didn't say was wrong..."
"From the day I kissed you, every word I liked about you was true."
Su Shiyu looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, rubbed his fingertips slowly a few times, and smiled lightly, "...It can be spelled like this."
"That's mine too." Chu Mingyun held Su Shiyu's hand holding the jade pendant.
Su Shiyu looked up at him and smiled helplessly, "Yeah."
"You are mine too."
"Um."