The lanterns are ten miles away, and the light is far away from the good night.
The river under the bar was gurgling, and the snow fell silently on the person.
The cloak blocked all the wind and snow, and the man's lips fell on hers with a slight warmth. For example, the bowl of sesame yuanxiao that I just ate, was soft and sweet between my lips and teeth.
He Yan heard his heartbeat, which was alive and powerful in the snow, pounding afterward. His robes are still cold as the wind and snow, but his attitude is gentle as he treats the only treasure in this life.
It's like the moment will last forever.
No one will not be moved by the person in front of them.
When the lips left, He Yan actually felt a little nostalgic. She raised her head to look at each other, Xiao Jue lowered her eyes, and arranged for her hair that had just been ruffled by the wind.
Her ears were already red like cooked shrimp, He Yan whispered, "...Xiao Jue, are you not angry?"
Xiao Jue sighed silently.
"Xu Zhiheng... It's in the past." He Yan thought for a while, looked at him seriously and said, "If the past makes you unhappy, I apologize to you. I don't know when the girl next to you gets along with the person she likes. What will I do? I spend far more time as a man than as a woman. Xiao Jue, I will be nice to you, what you like, I will find a way to give you, and what you hate, I will also help you Drive away, if someone bullies you, I will definitely stand up for you, I will not deceive you or hurt you... Is that okay?"
In fact, thinking about it now, even if she was with Xu Zhiheng at the beginning, she actually did not treat her lover like other women. This is of course because Xu Zhiheng is not a good person, but she herself does not know how to treat the person she likes.
When I was a child in the He family, I had very little truth about "love", and because I longed for the pity of my biological parents, I deliberately flattered. Even if he came to the battlefield, his humbleness was well hidden, but the things carved in his bones were like bones buried under the wind and sand, and when the wind blew, they would still be exposed.
Being a general, she learns to be submissive and decisive. She will take care of people, but she will not handle the more intimate relationship with them. Those vague feelings made her wonder if what she was doing was right or wrong.
Xiao Jue stared at her, the girl still held the red and bright candied gourd in her hand, looking up at her eyes, full of truth, but also a little uncertain and cautious.
I thought it was a liar who just opened his mouth to lie, but now it seems that there is no such liar in the world. When encountering people, he will cut open his true heart like this, so that others can see it clearly. There are so many people in the world, no matter whether it is a man or a woman, in matters of love, they cover up and try in every possible way. There is only this person in front of him, frank and clear, without any skills, without any means, speaking out frankly, rampaging, just like punching an old master to death, making him heartless for no reason.
It's only her heart that matters.
But... just such a person, someone who clearly presented himself with his heart, how could Xu Zhiheng be so cruelly hurt
He was not angry because of He Yan's past tastes, but more annoyance probably came from his anger at his miss and Xu Zhiheng. Just like the doe that was released in the mountains when he was young, its wet eyes stared at him, filled with trust and joy, but Xu Zhiheng abandoned this trust like a scorpion and cut it off with a knife.
The better He Yan is, the more anger he feels towards Xu Zhiheng in his heart.
Seeing that Xiao Jue didn't speak for a while, He Yan thought he was still angry, thought for a moment, and said in frustration: "Or if you have a better idea, I'm not good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, so don't let me learn. , I can't learn it. It's okay to help you move a stone and chop wood... "
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Jue embraced her.
"You are you, you don't need to do anything for me."
He Yan's head was pressed against his chin, and he couldn't raise his head, so he couldn't see his expression.
"But… "
"I don't like kabuki, and I don't need a servant. No one dares to bully me. I won't touch what I don't like, and I will buy what I like." Xiao Jue lowered her head and smiled.
"But... Then am I not just a decoration?"
"I don't like you because I want to be sent by many people," his voice fell, as if it was far away, but also very close. "Do whatever you want, don't have to do it for me."
"You really... don't want anything from me?" He Yan asked.
There must always be the same thing, such as obeying the law, respecting the old and loving the young, etc. Otherwise, she can do anything, can she also go out of the wall
Xiao Jue let go of her hand, looked at the crowd in the distance, smiled, and looked down at her: "It's not that there is none."
"What is it?"
"If I keep looking at you," he stretched out his hand and grabbed He Yan's hand, the girl's hand was only half his size and fell on the other's palm like a small treasure, "He Yan, you also keep looking at me. Bar."
He Yan looked at him blankly.
"Miss He, don't you understand this sentence?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, the corners of his lips raised a warm arc, the lanterns reflected in his long eyes, thousands of gestures, thousands of colors, but it was clear that his eyes were the most The bright one.
Time seems to stand still at this moment, someone set off fireworks in the distance, thousands of bright lights fall into the night sky, this is a complete light night.
He Yan lowered his head to hide the flash of tide in his eyes, held his hand with a backhand, and raised his head with a smile: "Today is your birthday, and I agree to everything you say."
"Xiao Jue, happy birthday," she said.
I will always be watching you, she answered silently in her heart.
…
When they returned, He Yunsheng and He Sui had already arrived home.
Qingmei has already told the truth, only that today is Xiao Jue's birthday, and He Yan accompanied Xiao Jue to the night market. He Sui didn't say anything, but He Yunsheng was very unhappy, but he had walked back and forth in the house several times in the time of a stick of incense.
When He Yan and Xiao Jue went back, they looked even more ugly when they looked at the hands they were clasping.
He Sui asked: "I heard that today is Huai Jin's birthday, can I have dinner? Would you like to eat a bowl of longevity noodles here before leaving?"
"We've already eaten it." He Yan said, "Just when I was visiting the night market."
"You empty-handed..." He Sui noticed that there was nothing on Xiao Jue's body, and looked at He Yan suspiciously, "Yan Yan, did you not prepare a birthday present for Huai Jin? This child," He Sui He smiled and said, "I've been spoiled by me, and I don't know much about the world, so don't take it to heart, Huai Jin. I'll ask her to supply you another day."
"No, Yan Yan has already delivered it." Xiao Jue said.
He Yan remembered the scene at the night market just now, her face flushed slightly, and she didn't speak up for a while. He Sui didn't hear any implication, and although he didn't understand, he didn't ask any more questions. However, He Yunsheng vigilantly swept around between He Yan and Xiao Jue, thoughtfully.
"It's not early, you go back first." He Yan said, "If anything happens, I'll let Chiwu come to you."
Xiao Jue nodded and said goodbye to He Sui and He Yunsheng before leaving the He family.
After Xiao Jue left, He Yunsheng dragged He Yan into the back room. As soon as he entered the room, he closed the door and asked, "Hey, He Yan, didn't you take advantage of him when you went out with him?"
"What do you take advantage of?" He Yan tapped him on the head. "How can you think so much at such a young age? Where did you learn it. Besides, when I stand with Xiao Jue, who takes advantage?"
He Yunsheng glanced at her, "You think I'm taking care of you."
Seeing that he looked worried, He Yan sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, "Just because of this, you frown like this?"
"No," He Yunsheng sighed, "I heard from a few friends in the academy today that it seems that the Uto people are about to enter Beijing."
He Yan stopped drinking tea, "Who did you listen to?"
"It's spread everywhere. The emperor doesn't want to fight, and the court doesn't want to fight. I heard that the Uto people came to Beijing to seek peace. Most of this battle will not be fought."
He Yan looked at his expression, "Don't you want to fight?"
"Of course I don't want it!" He Yunsheng replied without thinking, "But if the Uto people were really willing to ask for peace, they wouldn't have done so many things in Jiyang and Rundu Huayuan before. Let's get the upper hand and give way to the Uto people." He was young and arrogant, and frowned: "If it were me, I would seize this opportunity and beat the Uto people back to their hometown, so that they would never dare to set foot in the big city. Weiyi step!"
Although children are naive and impulsive on weekdays, they are also somewhat temperamental.
"What do you think I'm doing?" He Yunsheng asked, "Aren't you an official now? Can you know what's going on outside?"
"It's not much different from what you know." He Yan didn't want to hide it from him.
"Hey," He Yunsheng waved his hand, "I really don't know what the officials in the court think."
He Yan's heart is also heavy, not to mention the grievances between her and the He family and Xu Zhiheng, the festival between Xiao Jue and Xu Jingfu, and the current dispute between the DPRK and China over the party, it is not a contradiction that can be easily resolved. With the increasing power of Xu Jingfu, the contradiction between the fourth prince and the crown prince will become more and more acute. The prince's virtue does not match. If the prince really inherits the line in the future, I am afraid that it will be a disaster for the great Wei and the people. But if you want to let the fourth prince... Then, in the future, there will be a bloody storm in Shuojing.
…
Tonight's Chu Mansion is also a happy place.
Chu Linfeng entertains guests at home. These days, the Chu family is preparing for Chu Zhao's marriage. Since it is Xu Jingfu's daughter, there is nothing wrong with what he uses. The marriage was all handled by Mrs. Chu, but Xu Pingting sent her own maid Mo Tai to frequently ask the Chu family about the preparations for the marriage. Even if Mrs. Chu wanted to do something, she was stared at, but she could only give up.
A marriage would consume most of the Chu family's warehouse. Xu Pingting asked to be the most beautiful and married daughter in Shuojing in the past ten years.
In this marriage, Madam Chu naturally hated it extremely, and Madam Chu's three sons also looked at it with jealousy. The one who was most sincerely happy was probably only Shi Jinbo Chu Linfeng.
The wine was hot, Chu Linfeng was at the banquet, patted Chu Zhao on the shoulder and said with a smile: "In one month, Miss Xu will enter the door of our Chu family, I never thought in my life that Chu Linfeng would make a deal with the Xu family In-law, as expected of my Chu Linfeng's son, amazing!"
To please a woman is probably something to be proud of in Chu Linfeng's view. Little do they know that this pride falls in Madam Chu's eyes, which is particularly dazzling.
Mrs. Chu had some affection for Chu Linfeng when she first got married, but this affection was already worn out when Chu Linfeng carried her concubine from room to room. . She knew that her appearance was ordinary, and that she was not favored by Chu Linfeng, so she didn't ask for anything else, she just wanted to sit firmly in the position of the mistress of the house.
Over the years, she has done very well. Apart from a skin, Chu Linfeng has no ability at all. If the old lady hadn't supported Shi Jinbo's mansion back then, I am afraid that the Chu family would have been defeated by Chu Linfeng long ago. He loves beautiful women and has pity on them, but once he really touches his interests, he will hide behind the old lady again and refuse to pay any more.
A cool, weak and cowardly hypocrite who still feels that he is affectionate and righteous.
The blood of the Chu family's men may be merciless, including her own three sons, only Chu Zhao... Madam Chu's eyes fell on the young man beside Chu Linfeng.
Chu Zhao's skin, inheriting all the advantages of Chu Linfeng and Ye Runmei, is both gentle and somewhat innocent and fragile. This vulnerability can greatly make people let go of their vigilance, and it is inherently easy to gain the favor of others. Xu Pingting has been arrogant and domineering since she was a child, but she has never said any serious words to Chu Zhao.
But Chu Zhao is an anomaly, not as harmless as it seems on the surface.
When Chu Zhao was brought back, Madam Chu didn't want him to live to grow up, but it was because of the old lady's face, and she didn't touch him for the time being. At that time, the child in front of her also humbled herself at her knees, begging for pity like a dog, and then... quickly found Xu Jingfu as a backer, and saved his life from then on.
Mrs. Chu couldn't get hold of him, and before she knew it, the entire Chu family would also act according to Chu Zhao's face. She was unwilling to be taken away by an adulterer, so she planned to use Yingxiang to provoke the relationship between Chu Zhao and Xu Pingting. It's just that Mrs. Chu didn't expect that Chu Zhao would be so ruthless that she not only gave Yingxiang to the prince without saying a word, but also delivered it to the prince's mansion in a carriage.
There was no estrangement between him and Xu Pingting.
Mrs. Chu felt chilled. A man who can manipulate his feelings at will and play with people's hearts has a cold heart that even his father can't match. With such a gentle knife, the person who was stabbed is reluctant to complain. Terrible
As she was thinking, Chu Zhao seemed to have noticed her gaze, and he looked towards him with a smile in his eyes, as always. Madam Chu trembled in her heart, lowered her head and avoided Chu Zhao's gaze.
"What else does Zilan need to prepare for her father?" Chu Linfeng asked Chu Zhao with a smile. He is getting older and indulging in lust from time to time. The skin of a beautiful man has long ceased to exist, but his smiling appearance shows a bit of a loving father's care.
"What does he have to prepare for?" Young Master Chu couldn't help sneering, "The house is about to be vacated for him to marry. Are you going to sell the house to him to marry him?"
Chu Linfeng glanced at his eldest son displeased, and his tone was also dissatisfied, "If you can marry the prime minister's daughter, I will sell the house even if I am willing!"
Young Master Chu stopped talking.
Their three sons are not as beautiful as Chu Zhao, their literary talents are not as outstanding as Chu Zhao, and there is no Mr. Prime Minister, how can they marry the Prime Minister's daughter. Chu Linfeng's eccentric eyes have grown from small to large, and now Chu Zhao is soaring.
"There's nothing to prepare for." Chu Zhao said calmly, "It's already very good."
"That's Miss Xu, the daughter of the Prime Minister's family." Chu Linfeng got a little drunk and taught him, "Don't be neglected. It took a long time for people to like you... You have to catch it!"
Mrs. Chu looked at the scene in front of her and sneered in her heart. Listen to what she said. I'm afraid that this is what the boss in Yihong Court taught her daughter to catch the generous benefactor. Chu Linfeng has been famous all his life by women, but now, he wants to teach his son to do this again. If he speaks out, he is the laughing stock of Quan Shuojing.
"I think your father is drunk," Madam Chu didn't want to look any further, got up and said, "Zilan, please help your father go back to the house to rest. I have a headache, so go to the back room and sit for a while." What kind of expression did Chu Linfeng look like, he got up and left the table. The boat is done, and now she can't do anything, but out of sight is pure.
Seeing this, the other three sons of the Chu family also got up. They didn't want to see Chu Zhao and Chu Linfeng performing the scene of filial piety to their father and son, and they all left. For a while, the banquet that was still lively was in a mess, and people took herbal tea.
"Hey, why are you all gone?" Chu Linfeng said with a big tongue: "Come back!"
No one paid him any attention.
Chu Zhao helped Chu Linfeng to stand up, summoned the little things around him to clean up the banquet, and helped Chu Linfeng go back to the house by himself.
Chu Linfeng has not lived in Madam Chu's house for many years. The yard of the nineteenth concubine fell asleep in turn. Today, Chu Zhao did not help him go to the concubine's room, but went to the study.
He is not a gentleman who loves books at all, and the study in Chu Linfeng is just a decoration. There is even a soft bed inside. I heard that it is for the convenience of Chu Linfeng and his maid and concubine in the daytime. , Chu Zhao has always turned a blind eye to these absurd things about his father. The servants stayed outside the door, he helped Chu Linfeng to the soft collapse, and Chu Linfeng lay down.
He seemed very happy today, his face was flushed, he was already drunk and smelled of alcohol, but he still took Chu Zhao's hand to express his joy, "Zilan, you really give Dad a face! Dad has four sons. , the three of them... can't do it. Dad likes you the most. Dad took you to meet friends and socialize since you were a child, knowing that one day you will become Dad's pride. Look... Now you are going to marry, I I'm really...very happy."
Chu Zhao sat on the soft side and looked at him silently.
"Among the juniors of the Chu family, you are the luckiest... You will only get better and better with the care of Xiangye in the future... Good luck, but not everyone can come across it."
The young man smiled sarcastically, good luck? Is he lucky? If you don’t know who your biological father is since you were young, your biological mother is sold into a brothel, and you live a trembling life every day, you are lucky. Living under one roof, I don't know if I have a life to live in tomorrow is good luck, if you can't even control your life, you can only be a dog under the big man's seat, living like a puppet, and you can't even have the woman you like. It's called luck. it is good…
In the world of good luck, Chu Zilan alone has this share.
"Father," he heard his own voice, "do you remember my mother?"
Chu Linfeng hiccupped and said drunkenly, "Your mother... Who is your mother?" After that, he turned over again, faced the wall, and fell into a deep sleep.
Chu Zhao looked at his face, and after a while, smiled self-deprecatingly, stood up, and walked out of the study.
The servant asked him if he wanted hot tea, but he shook his head and refused.
He walked slowly. When he was a child, he felt that the Chu family was really big, and every place could be lurking with sinister murderous intentions. Now that he has grown up, and walks again, he feels that it is nothing more than that.
The winter in Shuojing is as cold as ever. Just like when he first came to the Chu family and saw that handsome man, there was a little hope in his heart, but it was drowned out by his subsequent ignorance and indifference.
It seems that it is as cold as it is now, but now he no longer trembles as he did when he was a child, not because the winter is getting warmer, but because he has long been used to the cold.
Anyone will get used to it.
Chu Zhao walked back to his room and closed the door. Inside, the eye-catching maid stepped forward and said with a smile, "The wedding invitations have already been sent out, Fourth Young Master."
He waved his hand and replied gently, "I'm sorry."
A happy smile appeared on the maid's face and she stepped back, leaving him alone in the room.
The Xu family wanted to complete the marriage a few years ago, which seemed to be rushed, but everyone knew that sooner or later, Chu Zhao would marry Xu Pingting, and everything about the marriage had already been arranged. Just like when he worshipped Xu Jingfu when he was a child, from that moment on, his fate was destined not to belong to him.
The stove in the room was glowing red, and it looked like a false warmth. Suddenly, he remembered that on a spring day, someone had spent eight copper coins and gave him a brown sugar flower basket with his name on it.
He suddenly missed the flower basket very much.
A servant came in, interrupted his thoughts, and whispered: "Fourth Young Master, the person Xu Xiang is looking for who fought in the Mingshui battle has not yet been found, and he has been anxious recently."
Chu Zhao looked away from the burning stove, and said unhurriedly, "Don't think too much, those two must have already fallen into Xiao Huaijin's hands."
"Miss Yingxiang has already sent a letter. His Royal Highness now loves her very much and is quite dissatisfied with Xu Xiang."
"Those who think the winning ticket is in their hands will naturally have a lot of resentment towards those who point fingers." Chu Zhao smiled, "Xiao Huaijin has returned to Beijing. The prince and the Utuo people have already formed a private alliance, and the Xu family is coming to an end."
"Congratulations, Fourth Young Master," the servant said happily, "Fourth Young Master is about to achieve what you want. After this, you will naturally have everything you want."
"What do I want?" He froze for a moment, then said after a while, "What I want already belongs to someone else."