In late spring, the clouds are steaming and the clouds are shining brightly on Zhongnan Mountain. The sound of Qin Mubai's pipa, like the ethereal sound of a fairy, evoked the sleeping clouds in the mountains surging with the wind, flocks of birds dancing gracefully, and even a few cranes circling and chirping.
In a trance, people feel that this is a fairyland.
Princess Gao Yang stared at Qin Mubai's back and said softly: "Mom, I regret it so much."
"What do you regret?"
"I regret not telling Mu Bai what Li Chunfeng said so that he could take precautions early. Now that Yao'er has gone, Mu Bai doesn't know how sad and guilty he is. Seeing him like this makes me feel worse than death."
"Silly boy." Concubine Yin De sighed softly and said, "God has his own destiny. Who would have known that it was Yao'er who blocked the disaster for him? In other words, you don't want to see Mu Bai become Yao'er. So sad and lost, but what would he do if it were you who died?"
Princess Gaoyang was speechless, her eyes were red, and tears flowed silently.
The desolate tune of "Lanzhou Hong" lingers on the top of Zhongnan Mountain, flying and dancing with the stars, slowly rising into the sky.
"Mom, tell me... will Mubai sink because of this, or will his temperament change drastically?" Princess Gao Yang said worriedly, "In the past few days, he hasn't spoken to me, he just plays the music over and over again. Pipa, play this song "Lanzhou Hong". This song is sad and sad. When he plays it, every note can pierce my heart like a knife. I never knew that a man can be sad when he hears it. It's so shocking. He doesn't shed tears easily like us, and he bursts into tears and beats his chest. But... the more silently hurt he is, the more heartbroken I am. I would rather he let it out by crying loudly. . I'm so worried when he's like this..."
"Don't worry about him. If he fell like this, he wouldn't be Qin Mubai, and he wouldn't be where he is today. Man, how can you truly grow without some setbacks; how can you know how to cherish without experiencing loss." Concubine Yin De said softly. Said, "Love is so deep, pain is so deep, there are no words. Mu Bai is a man of temperament. Let him use music to vent the inexplicable grief in his heart. After venting, he will gradually get better. Get up.”
Elsewhere, Li Xueyan was also quietly wiping away tears, and whispered to his father Li Daozong: "Dad, I have never seen the dead Yao'er girl, and this is the first time I heard this song. But why, just now I understood I haven’t felt anything yet, but after listening to it less than once, I am filled with sadness and sorrow. I have long heard that His Majesty personally praised Qin Mubai as the greatest master of pipa today. Does the music he plays really have the magic power to penetrate people’s hearts? "
Li Daozong held his hands at his back and sighed softly: "Ordinary people play the piano with their hands, but Qin Mubai uses his heart. "Lanzhou Hong" is originally a heart song. At this moment, although Qin Mubai and Yaoer girl are separated by yin and yang, But it is through music that the soul blends. This is a state that only we can understand.”
"As a daughter, if a man can play such a piece of music for me, I will have no regrets..." Li Xueyan looked at Qin Mubai sitting cross-legged in front of the fire and said to herself, "If I can, I will I would like to dance on the notes he plays. In this life, I will only listen to and dance for one person.”
Qin's mother, Shuang'er and the orphan girls adopted by Yao'er were already crying and huddled together, unable to control themselves. Everyone present was sighing.
At this moment, Qin Mubai's music suddenly burst into a high-pitched sound - "Bang buzz!"
The string is broken!
Qin Mubai stopped suddenly, and a layer of blood overflowed from the gauze tied around the joints of his fists.
Looking at the broken strings, Qin Mubai said softly: "God is pitiful and understands my heart. If I go to my close friend, who will listen to the broken strings?"
In full view of everyone, Qin Mubai stood up and approached the fire.
Princess Gaoyang was startled and was about to scream when Concubine Yin De stopped her.
Raising his hand, Qin Mubai threw the pipa into the fire, sparks flying and thick smoke billowing.
"Yao'er, Qin Mubai will never play music except to pay homage to you in this life."
Everyone was silent, only the crackling sound of the firewood pile and the constant howling of the wind on Zhongnan Mountain were left.
In the evening, Yao'er's ashes lay quietly in a copper urn. Qin Mubai took off his brocade cloak, wrapped it up, and picked it up.
People all over the mountain were retreating down the mountain one after another. Friends who came to attend the ceremony also left one after another. On the top of the mountain, there were not many people left. At this moment, a man walked up to the top of the mountain and came to Qin Mubai. He bowed his hands and said, "Brother Qin."
"Brother Zheng, we haven't seen you for a long time." Qin Mubai handed the urn to Shuang'er for the time being, and returned the gift with his hand.
Zheng Anshun glanced at Qin Mubai's bloody fists tied with gauze, nodded slightly and smiled: "Good fight."
Qin Mubai grinned, showing a rare smile in the past few days, and said, "Brother Zheng came all the way up the mountain just to talk about this?"
"Of course not." Zheng Anshun smiled a little apologetically and said, "Zheng has been busy in Dongdu for the past few days. He just returned to Chang'an. I feel really sorry to hear about this. When I went up the mountain, I met some old people from Chang'an. They know that I am familiar with you, but please let me ask you something.”
"What's the matter?"
"Everyone has admired Yao'er for a long time. Now that she suddenly passed away, they are all sad." Zheng Anshun said, "Since Brother Qin sent her to immortality at the top of Zhongnan Mountain, they wanted to erect a statue of Yao'er here. A white jade statue was erected in the temple to commemorate Yao'er."
"Erect a statue in a temple?" Qin Mubai shook his head and said, "Yao'er preferred peace and quiet to vanity during her lifetime, and she would definitely not want to."
"Brother Qin has misunderstood." Zheng Anshun said, "Yao'er likes tranquility, is beautiful, refined, pure and good. In this Zhongnan fairyland, there are often flowing clouds, clouds, cranes and spiritual beasts to accompany her. Isn't it the perfect destination for her? Moreover, this place is the highest point near Chang'an. We will erect a ten-foot-tall white jade statue for Yao'er, holding a pipa in his hand and looking at Chang'an. If Brother Qin misses Yao'er, he can look up to her from home. Looking south, we can also see it. In such a fairyland, the Yao'er girl enjoys the fairy wind and the jade dew, and is worshiped by hundreds of birds, and she really becomes a fairy. Isn't it a good thing? "
"Okay, I'll accept Brother Zheng's intention." Qin Mubai knew he couldn't shirk it, so he agreed. I thought to myself, Zheng Anshun has never been a person who likes to talk nonsense and do nonsensical things. He must have other motives for coming here. So he said to him: "Brother Zheng, if you have time later, you might as well come to the humble house to discuss with me about erecting a statue in the temple."
"That's very good." Zheng Anshun raised his hand, saluted everyone behind Qin Mubai again, and said, "Zheng will leave without further disturbance."
"please."
After Zheng Anshun left, only the Qin family, Princess Gaoyang and her daughter, and Li Daozong's father and daughter were left on the top of the mountain. Qin Mubai saw that they were no strangers, so he said to Li Daozong and Concubine Yin De: "Concubine De, Your Majesty, it's already late since we climbed the mountain at dawn, and both of you haven't had any water or rice. I feel very ashamed. Why don't you come to my humble house?" How about dinner?”
Before Concubine Yin De spoke, Princess Gao Yang hurriedly said: "Okay." Concubine Yin De smiled and naturally couldn't refuse, so she nodded lightly.
"Since even the emperor's sister-in-law has given me this honor, do I, Wang An, dare to come?" Li Daozong smiled and said, "Mu Bai, I haven't held the candle with you for some time, so why not just today! A true man, no matter what he encounters Everything should be done after experience. Today, I will drink and get drunk with you, and everything will be fine."
"Yes, please!"
The group of people walked down the top of the mountain, and there were guards, carriages and horses waiting halfway up the mountain. Everyone got in the car and headed towards Chang'an.
Li Daozong specially called Qin Mubai to the same car as him and said to him: "It's so mysterious that Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang are here today."
Qin Mubai smiled and said, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Li Daozong smiled and said: "I'm not saying sarcastic words. Although Miss Yao'er is disliked by everyone and disrespected by everyone, and she even made people cry with great fanfare, in the eyes of Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, she is just a singer. Even if she is winged It would be difficult for the Duke to take her as an adopted daughter and arouse their interest."
"It is true. Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang made it clear that they came for me and wanted to take this opportunity to get close to me, or they had some other purpose." Qin Mubai said, "If it weren't for the presence of Concubine Yinde and the prince, they would The two of them definitely didn’t leave in a hurry just now.”
"Oh, you're right." Li Daozong said, "The situation above the court is relatively delicate now. Your Majesty is ill and unable to govern, so Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang assist the young King Jin in supervising the country. To be honest, this situation, Even I didn’t know about it at first, and I didn’t even think about it. Mu Bai, can you think of anything?”
Qin Mubai shook his head gently and said only four words: "The emperor's heart is unpredictable."
Li Daozong didn't ask any more questions. He nodded speciously and said, "I'm going to invite an uninvited guest to you in a while. This person needs to be seen by others."
"who?"
"The British Duke, Li Ji!"
Qin Mubai was quite surprised: "Isn't he far away in the clouds guarding the northern border? When did he return to Chang'an and no one knew about it?"
"Oh, how can we allow others to know about such a major military event?" Li Daozong smiled, "However, with your wisdom and a little thought, you should be able to guess why he suddenly came back."
Qin Mubai thought about it. Previously, the East Palace was about to rebel, and the emperor gave Li Daozong the Emperor's Sword to shake the overall situation. At that time, Li Daozong said that he should be wary of Zhang Sun Huan, the guard of the Nine Gates of Chang'an Nanya. In this case, Li Ji must have been transferred back to cope with the changes. Fortunately, Changsun Huan didn't do anything stupid at that time. Otherwise, the tens of thousands of field guards stationed outside Chang'an City could break through the Chang'an gate he closed in a flash, and everyone would be destroyed.
In the city of Chang'an there is Li Jing, the divine needle that fixes the sea. In the imperial city there are Li Daozong who has secretly received advice and Qin Mubai who holds the Emperor's Sword and is in charge of the imperial army. Outside the city of Chang'an there is Li Ji's field king division. No matter how turbulent the Tang Dynasty's court is, It was nothing more than a false alarm.
On the surface, the situation seems to be out of control and Datang is about to turn upside down. However, everything is still under the control of Li Shimin, who is bedridden.
Qin Mubai did not continue discussing this issue with Li Daozong, but changed the subject and said, "My lord, what do you think will happen if Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang come to me?"
"They have a lot to do if they want to find you." Li Daozong said, half jokingly and half seriously, "You smashed Fang Xuanling's son into a pulp with a few punches. Although he was the one who conspired and assassinated first, Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment There should be an explanation there, right?"
"Your Majesty, don't make fun of me." Qin Mubai looked at his fist that was still bleeding, smiled lightly, and said, "If I take Fang Yiai to the executioner to chop him, not only will I gain an advantage for him, I will I can’t explain it to Yao’er. In other words, I can’t explain it to myself. Prince, let’s get down to business.”
"Yes." Li Daozong nodded and said, "I guess they are looking for you just to talk about Lanzhou."
"What's the current situation in Lanzhou?" Qin Mubai asked.
"The latest news is that Gaochang has rebelled." Li Daozong said, "Your father, the governor of Lanzhou, may have been unable to contain himself for a long time. He hastened to report to the court for 800 miles. At this time, he is probably already preparing to attack Gaochang westward."
"Preparations? What else is there to prepare for?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but wonder, "According to the earliest strategy, shouldn't Lanzhou be moved as soon as Gaochang moves?"
"That's it." Li Daozong's expression became more serious as he said, "Not long ago, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang made a special trip with the court officials to discuss matters in Lanzhou. Since Changsun Wuji strongly opposed the use of troops again, at that time, The cabinet issued an edict to Lanzhou, ordering all military operations in Lanzhou to obey the imperial court's orders and not to use troops privately or engage in rash warfare."
"What?!" Qin Mubai frowned, "Why did Changsun Wuji do this? This is a military matter and a national policy! His Majesty the Emperor has already formulated it, why should he change it?"
Li Daozong shook his head and said: "In the words of Changsun Wuji, this moment is the same as that moment. Now our Tang Dynasty is uneasy. How can we have foreign troubles again if our internal troubles are not eliminated? So he also came to me to discuss it and mentioned the gift again. Regarding the marriage to Tubo, let Yan'er marry Zanpu of Tubo in order to quell the war."
"Did the prince agree?" Qin Mubai asked, frowning.
"I don't have a say in whether I agree or not in this matter." Li Daozong said, "Because before, it was Yan'er who took the initiative to send an envoy to Tubo to marry to the plateau. Now, do I have any reason to refuse?"
Qin Mubai pondered for a long time, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I know why the prince invited Li Ji here."
"Haha! You must listen to his opinion on this kind of matter! Although he has always been calm, reserved and cautious, at times like this, he will still say what needs to be said." Li Daozong smiled, "Also, what about you? Master, who keeps close to home and doesn’t ask about anything, go and visit him when you have time. He’s a good person, and it won’t do you any harm to listen to his opinions, especially on matters related to the military.”
"Well, what the prince said is very true. Then go back to the house first, and when Li Ji comes, the three of us will discuss it in detail."
It was already night when the group of carriages and horses returned to Chang'an. Concubine Yin De said she wanted to visit the Prince Consort's Mansion, so Qin Mubai, Princess Gao Yang and Li Daozong's father and daughter accompanied her. Qin's mother, Shuang'er and others returned to Lao Qin's house first to dismantle Yao'er's mourning hall and arrange the dinner party.
There are already some people living in the Prince Consort's Mansion, including several personal maids of Princess Gaoyang, some maids and servants assigned by Ye Ting in the palace, and the cook Madam Ma. Although Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang have not moved in yet, the house is also well organized.
Qin Mubai and Princess Gao Yang led everyone around the mansion. At this time, Concubine Yin De also took off her shoulder-length gauze hat. Her peerless appearance was still eye-catching in the night, making Li Xueyan secretly sigh to herself. Not as good as.
"Mom, you can come to my place to stay for a while in the future!" Princess Gaoyang pointed to an attic in front of her and said, "I specially prepared this good building for you. You can eat fast and chant Buddha there, which is very pure. I It’s all arranged for you!”
"Haha, isn't that bad?" Concubine Yin De said with a smile, "As a palace servant, how can I leave the palace privately? As a mother, I cannot be as free as you."
"What's not allowed? Isn't it normal for a mother to come and stay at her daughter's house for a few days?" Princess Gao Yang said, "Besides, you are a concubine of virtue, not an ordinary palace maid. Who can restrict your freedom?"
"You can't say that." Concubine Yin De smiled and said, "No one controls me and restrains me, but as a royal concubine, I have to have my own duties and decency. How can I easily leave the palace and show my face?"
Qin Mubai smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Concubine De, you are worrying too much. Since your Majesty is one of the four concubines, she should be the mother of the world. All the people in this world are not only your Majesty's subjects, but also your Majesty's subjects. So, what are the taboos when going out to the palace? Just do it safely. Your Majesty has always been open-minded, so he will definitely not blame you, and others will have nothing to say. "
After hearing this, Concubine Yin De only smiled and finally nodded, "Okay."
At this time, everyone walked to a courtyard. Qin Mubai stood at the door and couldn't help but stopped.
Previously, this was the residence of Yao'er and those little orphan girls. When the Prince Consort's Mansion was being renovated, Qin Mubai specifically ordered not to touch a single plant or tree in the place, but to keep it as it was for Yao'er and the others to live there. Because Yao'er's eyesight is not convenient, if there are any changes in the decoration, she will have to spend a lot of effort to get familiar with it, and she may have to fall and bump into it a few times.
At this time, the building was empty, leaving only some furniture, mattresses, and a cold piano.
Everyone followed Qin Mubai in and fell into silence.
Qin Mubai stepped forward, uncovered the brocade cloth that Yao'er had carefully covered before he was alive, and stroked the keyboard gently, but did not hit a single note. The skinned fingers of playing the pipa gently stroked the cold body of the instrument. The look on Qin Mubai's face was as if he was enjoying the sweet words of his lover.
"Go to my bosom friend, who will listen... Mu Bai, you and Miss Yao'er are a pair of true bosom friends." Li Daozong couldn't help but sigh, "This courtyard should always remain as it is! If Yao'er When the fairy comes to visit her hometown again, she will remember the way home. "
The corners of Qin Mubai's mouth raised slightly, forming a smile that no one could understand, and said: "It doesn't matter, I will see her again. She said that if I meet someone in the next life, she can only play the pipa and know nothing else. The silly girl, that's her..."
.
["Lanzhou Hong" is a song title I made up. But there is a piece of music that is closer to my favorite "Lanzhou Hong". It is the music from the classic old game "Hen of the Sky", called "Ruyi Yuer Song", it is also played with pipa, pure music ( Later someone wrote the lyrics and sang it). This was the song I was listening to when I was coding these chapters, and it really resonated with me. I wonder if you feel it if you listen to it while reading. Interested book friends may wish to check it out. Well, I think that "Lanzhou Hong" can also be called "Ru Yi Yao'er Song" in a very uncreative way. So, it became the title of this chapter. ]